Hello, dear reader. Before you take a look at my story, I'd like to present a short list of things you're going to find below:

- The main pairing is SasuHina and it will be slow-burn, the rest aren't decided yet;
- This is set a few years after the war, gonna try to follow canon as tightly as possible up until that point, but The Last and further will be ignored;
- There will be no unreasonable/unexplained OOC, I'm strongly against that kind of thing;
- The rating will be T for the most part but there might be higher-rated moments eventually - you will be warned in advance if that troubles you, so don't worry;
- This is Hinata and Sasuke-centric, both will receive a fair share of attention and the PoV will be bouncing back and forth between them;
- There will be dark themes, depressing and angsty atmosphere prevailing;
- There will be quite a lot of scheming, planning, double crossing, betrayals and intrigues, so if you like that stuff you won't be disappointed;
- All in all this is what I see as a more realistic approach to the whole setting of Narutoverse, I will deliberately remove all the sugarcoating of the shinobi life and somewhat point out inconsistencies/difficultues that are realistically supposed to be in this world but weren't shown in the series (probably due to low rating);
- Updates are planned to be regular but no promises :D

Chapter 1. The Forsaken

Some time ago…

The sun was about to descend below the horizon, filling the usually dim dirty room with lulling, warm golden light. It wouldn't last for too long as the cracked old windows were pretty narrow and tiny, but to the people inside that was rather relieving. They didn't come here for this kind of atmosphere anyway. Especially not the sullen young man who was sitting at the farthest end of the bar counter, hunching over so much that his messy long hair was spreading all over the wooden surface, safely covering his face from a random stranger who, for whatever reason, might come and try to initiate a conversation with him. After all, talking to anybody was probably his least desired thing at the moment, which was exactly why he had come to a place like that to begin with.

Frankly, whenever one hears about something located "in the middle of nowhere", usually they imagine a desert, or a swamp, or at least just an uninhabited piece of land of some sort. However, in this case it wouldn't be true at all. If anything, although the bar Sasuke was currently sitting at was located in the outskirts, it was still a fairly large city. Though it was clearly on the decline, it was quite populated as well. But to him, it was as good as a desert indeed. He wasn't entirely sure about the exact location – the maps he had studied weren't very accurate, but one thing he could say for sure. Right now, he was as far away from Konoha and Land of Fire in general as he could possibly get.

Eventually he slowly raised his head by just an inch, looking around with just the corners of his eyes without any real interest. It was nothing more than a reminiscent sign of the natural paranoia a man of such a colorful past would have. He knew that this was the land of the nation that was not even familiar with the concepts of chakra, shinobi, clans and everything of that sort. In other words, nothing here reminded him of his former life. The life he had been trying so desperately to escape, though disliked to admit that even to himself, of course. Still he wasn't going to deny it either – the Uchiha just didn't feel like coming back, plain and simple. Why would he, after all?

When he'd left Konoha four years ago, everything seemed to have found its logical conclusion. Naruto was on his way to becoming Hokage, even though it would take him a few more years, of course. Sakura, despite still not having let go of her silly crush on Sasuke, had proven to be a very powerful and talented kunoichi, and her career was already assured to be great at the time. Kakashi had just become the Sixth Hokage and he definitely seemed to have a good understanding of what to do in that position. The only people the Uchiha still cared about seemed to be heading towards a bright future. As for everyone else, as cynical as it sounds, Sasuke didn't give a damn anyway.

The village itself appeared to be safe and on its way to restoration. Everything appeared to be going well. And the Uchiha himself…

He realized he just wasn't needed there. Sure, he wasn't the overly emotional fool he had once been; he understood that it probably sounded way too edgy, but that's essentially what it was. He had no place in the village anymore. His clan was now history. His brother's noble sacrifice could never be known to the public. Sasuke's own reputation was highly dubious and nobody would want to bond with him – although that was completely mutual, of course. The Uchiha didn't need their affection and he certainly wasn't about to give it to anyone else. Not that he hated them, either – again, he just had no reason to.

In other words, no matter how much he thought about it, he just was not motivated to go back. His only wish regarding that place was to ensure Konoha's survival to honor his late brother's sacrifice, but even for that sake he wasn't actually needed there. Therefore, there really was just no place for him back there. It wasn't his home anymore, he wasn't welcome in the village, and he had no business with those people whatsoever either.

Sasuke sighed, sipping the already cooled down green tea. His life was a waste, and there was no escaping this fact. The Uchiha himself was a relic of the past at this point; an unnecessary threat to the paradise his former accomplices were now so happily building in Naruto's idealistic image. It would probably be better for Sasuke to just stay as far away as possible until he disappeared for good someday… Everyone including himself was better off this way.

His eyes suddenly stopped at the old man sitting one stool away from him in a similar pose, although now that he paid him some attention, the pose wasn't the only thing they had in common. Just like Sasuke himself, the man had long hair that went well below his shoulder blades, although he seemed to be old – the hair was almost completely gray. Just like the Uchiha, he was wearing some long worn off rags, and he was also spacing out in a similar manner, thoughtfully staring at his glass. The liquid inside was probably the only difference between them as it was actually some dark-brown liquor… Another drunkard then. Nothing surprising for a place like this…, the Uchiha thought.

Sasuke's condescending snort was barely audible, and then he instantly felt a spike of regret. After all, who was he to judge this person? Maybe he would also eventually start drinking. Not like there was much left for him to do in this world anyway.

The man kept playing with his glass as if he was trying to find some kind of meaning in the way the liquid moved around. As the young man to the side of him finally caught the old soldier's attention, he stopped spinning the vessel and quickly downed his drink, gently putting the glass back on the table and beckoning the bartender to give him another round.

"Is it really that time again…," he murmured to himself, seemingly thinking back about something in his past. However, he quickly shook his head, as though getting rid of whatever thoughts he was having on his mind. As the bartender presented him with a newly filled glass of liquor, the old soldier took a short sip before resuming to exame the glass again.

"You look and sound like someone who wants to unload their burden." The older man eventually spoke, slightly looking around the poorly lit bar. "Well, this place is as good as any ordinary confessional."

He didn't look at the young man he was addressing, instead taking another sip of his drink and not adding anything else.

Despite his habitual urge to just brush the stranger off or ignore him at the very least, Sasuke held himself back, quickly analyzing what he'd just heard, unsure if it was just his imagination. The man's voice was very calm and soothing, and he sounded surprisingly young. If not for his looks, he could've easily taken the guy for someone of his own age. Normally that would be a sign giving away a poorly performed transformation jutsu, but this person clearly wasn't a shinobi – the Uchiha was experienced enough to be able to feel his complete lack of chakra in him.

Sasuke's gaze focused on him, studying his figure more carefully now. His face was slightly wrinkled, and one of his eyes was hidden under a dirty eyepatch. His right leg was also missing, cut just slightly below his knee – the cheap wooden crutch was leaning on the bar counter right next to him.

A soldier, probably a veteran. Nothing more.

"I don't recall myself sounding like anything," Sasuke finally replied calmly, to his own surprise expressing no irritation.

"Well, you do now," the soldier retorted. The way he sounded could make one think he was smiling, but that wasn't the case. The man continued to stare at the bottom of his half-filled glass with a blank face. "You are obviously an outsider. Despite how…," he stopped, trying to think of a better word to use, "Unremarkable you look. You still stand out like a sore thumb."

And in truth, he evidently was. Unbeknownst to Sasuke, people around gave him stares and glances every now and then. Although the young man was wearing bland and simple dark-coloured clothing, customers of the bar still easily made out that he was definitely not a local. Maybe it wasn't in the looks themselves, but the feeling one got by just looking at him. It would be hard to say what exactly it was, but it was there without a doubt.

"You must have your own reason to be so far away from home. Yet despite how far you physically are from it, you seem to still be burdened by the thoughts of–" The soldier stopped abruptly, as if he said too much. "Or so it seems. Am I wrong?" he quickly added, giving him another glance.

As he spoke, Sasuke didn't move, and his expression remained as impassive as ever. But inwardly, he got quite tense. This was no ordinary man, that much was already clear. The Uchiha was self-conscious enough to know that he wasn't the easiest person to read even when he wasn't trying to hide anything. To be able to read him like this, and to know precisely what he was thinking…

"Who are you?" he asked perhaps a little sharply, slightly narrowing his eyes at the man. Surely there was no reason to get worked up yet – after all, Sasuke realized that he could turn the entire place and everyone around himself into ashes if something was to make him deem it necessary. He was not in danger, or at least it was very unlikely to be the case. And yet… something in this person made him feel uneasy in the most bizarre, almost forgotten way. As though he was once again a child talking to his long-deceased parents. And he didn't like it in the slightest.

The man didn't reply immediately, as if he was also wondering the same question. Who was he? The bartender overheard bits of the conversation and looked at the soldier with worry. But the man shook his head slightly in response and the bartender moved away to the other end of the bar, seemingly losing any interest at once.

"I'm a bystander. A casualty. An unfortunate fate...," he replied, almost whispering to himself rather than his company. He moved his arm to touch his right leg as if on instinct and as he reached his knee, he jolted his hand away, placing it back on the glass. "I'm a soldier," he added more loudly, straightening his back and turning his head slightly to look at the young man for a bit, continuing to stare at the glass shortly. "You still haven't answered why you are homesick."

Slowly taking a sip of his already cold and completely unenjoyable tea, Sasuke thought for a second. Despite seemingly being a nobody, something in this person made him want to carefully weigh out his every word.

"I never said I was. I don't even have a home," the Uchiha finally muttered, taking another sip. "But, you are correct. I'm not a local either."

Was that who he really was now? A homeless person without a particular reason to live? How pathetic. Maybe he really should've died back at the Valley of the End. Damn you, Naruto…

"No home? That sounds absurd. You may have lost your house, but a home is not something that can be taken away," the mysterious soldier said, taking a pause to think about his next words. "It may be temporarily occupied, however," he added and glanced at Sasuke, motioning the bartender to bring something. As if out of nowhere a hot cup of fresh tea appeared next to the shinobi, the bartender walking away once again.

"So is that the reason you are here? Are you here because you ran away…," the tone of the soldier's voice was calm – he obviously wasn't trying to aggravate his company but he also wasn't choosing words. "Or are you here to regroup?"

Sasuke's jaw clenched. This time he really had to hold himself back from lashing out. Not only because he didn't really feel like fighting this old man, but more so because he had a point. And the Uchiha didn't like the answer that popped in his head when he heard his question.

Home… Could he really call Konoha his home at this point? Could he ever, really? Throughout most of his conscious life he'd been away from it, willingly. Had he run away back when he joined Orochimaru as his student? Probably, but that was the price of his goal's fulfillment. Back then he needed to liberate himself from everything that had still tied him to his past. To sever every bond he'd had left. Or so he believed at least.

And now… on the one hand, it wasn't necessary for he simply had no goals left to achieve. On the other hand, though… What was really still tying him to the village? The former Team Seven? Hardly. His loyalty to the place and to the country? To some extent, sure, but as long as there was no direct need for his presence, he had no practical way to express said loyalty other than just not getting in anyone's way.

He almost growled at how miserable it sounded in his head. At some point he had wished to become Hokage – not exactly the one everyone imagined when they heard this word, but still he wished to lead the village in a certain way. His revolution had failed, though – Naruto had stopped it, and ultimately Sasuke was able to finally see that nobody really wanted it.

He was alone. Exactly as he'd wished back then. How ironic…

"I did neither," he finally muttered. "My worldview just doesn't match that of my people. The path they chose isn't the one I want to follow. That's all there is to it," he replied bitterly without looking at the veteran.

My people… Did he even still consider them his people? What made them any different from this bunch surrounding him right now? The fact that he was born there? The fact that he'd grown up in relative proximity with them?

For a moment, Sasuke felt like he's onto something but then, whatever it was, it slipped away. He shook his head a bit. Perhaps he was just too tired after all. The sunlight outside was quickly disappearing as the night sky was enveloping the town. The old soldier continued to look at him in silence for a while before turning his attention back to his drink.

"The lambs don't choose their destination either, nor are they the wisest when the shepherd leads them to the slaughterhouse. So if that is your answer, then it sounds like you did the former," the man said, finishing his drink and ordering yet another glass.

Sasuke frowned, more so at his own feelings about the whole thing than the words themselves. Normally, he wouldn't listen to any of it, and just make the person shut his mouth. But something – something the Uchiha couldn't explain was preventing him from doing it here and now. The entire encounter was giving him a very strange surreal feeling he couldn't quite fathom, but on top of that…

"Yeah, you're probably right," he eventually said, squinting at his steaming teacup. The lambs… That's what they ultimately were at the end of the day. After all, they knew nothing. Most of them had no idea about anything that was going on outside of their own village. Most of them never even left their homeland throughout their lives. Living in a highly sheltered secret military settlement that was commonly referred to as a 'hidden village', desperately sticking to the outdated framework of attempts to build up international cooperation invented by Hashirama Senju. The same system that had already proven itself a failure by causing the last Great Ninja War that had almost ended their world. Nothing really changed. And that's exactly what everyone wanted.

"Why should it bother me, though? Not like I have anything to do with these lambs," he mused, looking at the old soldier with a slightest hint of curiosity.

The soldier listened carefully without looking at the man.

"Good question. Why indeed?" he wondered. "It comes back to what I asked you earlier. Why are you still carrying that burden? Why not just let go?"

This time he stared at the young man without turning away. If one looked at this exchange from the outside, they could get a feeling as if a teacher was trying to lead his student to the answer that they definitely knew but just hadn't realized yet. However, the old soldier seemed to be careful, trying not to leave that impression on the shinobi. "Why, while being so far away from your home, does your mind drift back to it? Why did it ever come to this?"

Sasuke lowered his gaze. That was one hell of a question. Why, indeed? Perhaps he wasn't so indifferent after all? Maybe he actually cared… somewhat. But why? He had no idea. There was no rational reason to worry about that place and those people. Not anymore, and probably not ever. But, then again… what else was there to worry about at all? He had nothing left. He had no one. He was completely and utterly alone. And while this fact itself didn't bother him in the slightest as he'd been used to solitude for a long time by now, some things that derived from it sure did.

Because Sasuke realized one thing very clearly: he was a special man. Not only because he possessed the power most people could never even hope to achieve. Not only because he was the last surviving Uchiha in the world. He was special because he knew he could change a lot of things. He could affect a lot of people through his actions – and that ability shouldn't be taken for granted. Although he'd never asked for such great power, he probably had it now for a reason. There was a purpose to his life that he had yet to discover. There ought to be.

He then suddenly realized something else. Every event in his life up until now had led him to this current state – nothing ever happened for no reason. And right now, he was facing the necessity to make a very simple choice. Either to rot into oblivion, or to come back and to do something meaningful to the only place he'd ever felt attached to –and he still did, whether he liked it or not.

And yet…

"I'm not sure if I'm ready," Sasuke finally admitted, surprising himself with his own honesty. "I'm not sure if I'm needed or wanted… where I came from. A lot of things have happened. After all of it… I believe I know what's the right thing to do. I just don't know if I want to keep fighting for it."

The old soldier looked at the young man from head to toe and back.

"You look like someone who has constantly been put into a position you were not ready for. Yet here you are, while, I assume, many of your enemies lie dead." He turned away and once again placed his hand on his right knee. "I know what I'm talking about," he added mysteriously. "What you feel is uncertainty, which is understandable. Only a fool never doubts himself. You're a traveler, aren't you? Look at the world we live in today. Is this truly the world we fought hard for? If people knew it would come to this, nobody would even fight at all."

The soldier paused to take a sip of his favorite drink. No matter how many glasses he put down, it seemed like he wasn't getting anywhere close to being drunk which certainly was strange, but right now Sasuke's mind was too preoccupied to notice something like that.

"A lot of us never had a choice to begin with," the veteran continued. "Most people are pushed by something or someone, forced to rush into hell. It's not their choice, it's the position that they weren't ready for that made them do it. However, those who push themselves usually see things from a different perspective. They see something beyond the hell that others rush into."

He stopped for a bit to finish his drink but this time he didn't order an additional one.

"You still think about your home. About that idea of the future for your homeland. So you still haven't given up on trying to achieve that future you envision. And if you're still thinking about it, then there are certainly others who maybe share the same vision, or can be rallied to do so. But they may not have the same..." He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "Power… or resources that you got. Maybe they're waiting for the guiding light of something or someone who has that. Maybe they do need and want you, but they just don't know it is you that they need."

Sasuke's eyes widened at his words, and his heart began to beat faster. For the first time in a very long time the Uchiha was losing his cool. Because the strange man was completely right. Why? Why had he ever assumed that there was no one? He himself had spent his entire life meticulously isolating himself from other people. And then he decided that he knew what said people wanted… despite never even talking to them? Despite being completely detached from those whose destiny he had once considered changing so drastically with his own hands? How was that fair at all? How was it any different from what Itachi had done to him all along, keeping Sasuke at a distance instead of actually talking to him? Instead of revealing the truth and coming up with a solution together?

"I'm not sure–if I can push myself–to return–and to change anything," he answered quietly in a raspy voice, the fist of his only hand clenching. "I'm not sure if I want to keep fighting… to keep going into that hell."

"But you know that there might be something beyond that hell." The old man finally stood up, picking up his crutch and walking around the bar stool, coming close to the Uchiha. "You see something beyond it. Of course, it could end up being another hell, but there's an equal chance that it could be the future you yearned for. Or maybe a mix of both… and besides," the old soldier said, looking down at the shinobi.

"Have you learned nothing from the man you looked up to? Who are you to deny yourself the opportunity to reach that future?" He then turned away and started to slowly limp towards the exit. The night had already fallen and somehow all the patrons of the bar were already gone. Not even the bartender was there anymore.

"The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So, wake up, Uchiha Sasuke. Wake up and smell the ashes." The door opened and the soldier walked away, disappearing in the void of the night.

Sasuke's eyes then opened, staring at the star-studded black night sky. Just a dream, huh…

He slowly got up, wiping dust off his ragged clothes and looking around. The place where he found himself distantly resembled the bar from his lucid dream, although that would be a stretch given that it appeared to be a part of a long-abandoned ghost town. A ghost city, to be precise. And the bar itself was completely ruined, only a few pieces of broken furniture and the two remaining walls of the building suggesting that it was once an inhabited place.

He didn't remember how and why he ended up here, but it didn't really matter anymore either. Because for the first time in years, or maybe in his whole life, he had no doubts lingering in his heart.

He had to go back. He had to return home. He had to keep moving forward no matter what, and who knows – maybe eventually he would find his paradise beyond that hell he'd been trying to escape for so long.

Present day…

It was still very early in the morning in Konoha, and honestly, Hinata Hyūga had never been the early bird type. Surely, being an experienced kunoichi such as herself, sometimes she had to wake up in the middle of the night, and other times she got no sleep at all due to a mission demanding that. But whenever she had a choice, she wouldn't willingly wake up early no matter what.

Today would've been no exception, except she hadn't been able to fall asleep. The anxiety in the wake of the upcoming day overwhelmed her more and more throughout the night the longer she thought about it. And now, sitting on the windowsill next to her bed in her room of the Hyūga clan's compound, she was spacing out, watching the colorful yard full of flowers and decorations without any interest. In truth, in her mind she was very far away from here right now.

It had been exactly four years since the war against Akatsuki and Madara Uchiha was over. Four years since the death of her cousin Neji. Four years since the world had almost ended.
And although Hinata Hyūga was commonly known as a very nice, kind and optimistic person, at this point she certainly didn't consider herself that much of an angel everyone seemed to see in her. Nowadays, and especially at this moment, the small piece of her mind incessantly wished she hadn't woken up that night when the Infinite Tsukuyomi was undone by the heroes of Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.

Her life had changed a lot since before the war. No… That probably sounded too egoistic, and she was anything but an egoistic person. Lives of everyone had changed a lot. The entire world did, and not for the better at all. Considering everything that had happened throughout these four years, sometimes she felt like the war actually never really ended. It also changed, but it was still there. It continued in their hearts, in their minds, even in their mundane lives in some ways. Maybe they were just too poisoned by it? Maybe it had scarred, traumatized everyone too much to be able to just go back to how things had used to be prior? That time seemed so distant now… as though it was just a strange dream, really. It didn't feel real.

Hinata bit her lip, rubbing her eyes that were stinging from the long time she'd spent awake. Deep inside, she wished she had died instead of Neji. Or any of her friends and clansmen for that matter. Although she knew she needed to keep going no matter what, for such was her ninja way, nothing really gave her any reason to be optimistic about the future.

In other words, to say that she didn't quite enjoy her current life would be a big understatement.

Naturally, she always tried to suppress the dark thoughts like this one. And the current moment was no exception. But just like any other person, she had some doubts and worries lurking somewhere deep inside of her throughout the entirety of the post-war period of her life. And the further it went, the stronger these feelings became, tainting her very nature – she could feel it clearly. She just wasn't the same. Not like everyone else was – they had all grown up and all that. But was this a sign of a healthy maturity in the ninja world? She honestly had no idea.

The young woman took a deep breath, trembling slightly as she exhaled, the glass of the window in front of her fogging up a bit. When exactly did it all go so wrong? She couldn't tell for sure, recalling the past events.

At first, things seemed to be getting deceivingly good. The village was getting rebuilt, slowly but steadily. Her own clan became a lot more lenient, even towards the Branch family members. She herself became more confident, made some new friends such as Sakura, Ino and Tenten, and to be completely honest, back then it felt like everyone was getting the well-deserved paradise they had all craved after all the previous devastating events. They had all thought the world itself was healing its wounds. At least that's how it all looked on the surface.

Perhaps they were all just too blinded by that hopeful dream, but for a long time nobody noticed anything going wrong. It seemed… normal. Certain problems popped here and there, but all of it paled in comparison to what they'd all been through already. All of it felt like just some moderate hardships they had to overcome, for such was the life of shinobi, simple as that. After all, rebuilding the world couldn't be easy no matter what, could it?

Another reason holding back the heartbreaking realization of how things truly were was the fact that Hinata herself didn't get to travel all that much throughout these years. Living a relatively sheltered life within Konoha, she didn't know what was going on beyond Land of Fire. Truth to be told, she wasn't very interested in the political news of her own homeland either, preferring to focus on the more simple, practical issues that required her attention. Maybe that's why unlike some others, she only got the wakeup call this late, just a few months ago. She would say too late, but would it really have helped anything had she realized all of this earlier? No, she didn't think so. In truth, she was as helpless as ever.

The Hyūga hugged herself, feeling goosebumps all over her arms and taking a deep breath again. She would like to formulate what exactly was bothering her so much right now, but she really found it easier to say what didn't.

From what she could tell, the damage inflicted to the Five Great Nations by Madara, Obito and the Ten Tails had been absolutely devastating. The economy of not just the ninja world, but the entire world was now in the state of a deep crisis, some nations having already collapsed into anarchy entirely. Simply put, people were starving, and it was already very noticeable even in her home village. Most of the previously available kinds of food and goods had been gone for months, prices for the simplest things were rising every week. People not getting paid became a new norm, just like them losing their jobs. Starting criminal activities was the only way out to many people. Some of them chose to end their lives out of despair and hopelessness. This was the new reality they all found themselves in, and there was no escape anywhere in sight. At least she didn't know what to do, once again feeling more useless than ever.

Of course, she also felt ashamed of her somewhat privileged state, despite never ever wanting it. As the heir of her father and the future head of the Hyūga clan, she received the treatment appropriate to her status. Needless to say, it wasn't enjoyable in the slightest, especially seeing how others suffered…

She lowered her eyes, trying to suppress the tears – this had become a regular thing for her recently. Ever since her younger sister had gone missing, Hinata was spared of any freedom of making choices for her life. Her fate was now set in stone. She knew had to lead the clan. Soon she would have to marry some of her distant relatives according to the elders' wishes. Then she would have to play along with the Hokage and boil in the stinky kettle of political intrigues and schemes for the rest of her life…The only somewhat relieving part of it was that now her little sister was spared of the same devastating path.

They didn't know if Hanabi was still alive – after all, no one had ever found the body. It had been over a year since her mysterious disappearance, so Hinata realized they probably never would. So she preferred to believe that her beloved little sister was still alive out there somewhere, enjoying the freedom she herself would never have. And frankly, that was the only tiny straw Hinata had to hold on to in order not to fall into despair completely. If Hanabi was actually still alive and free, then Hinata was just granting her this freedom by taking the role of Hiashi's heir. If that was how things were, she didn't really mind it all that much. Or at least so she kept telling herself.

But… there were many "buts" to it, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore them. Another significant one being her first love, Naruto Uzumaki. And just the mere thought about it made her shudder.

Today was also the day she had to do the most difficult thing she'd ever done, without a doubt. She needed to push Naruto away for good. Hinata didn't really have a choice after all. Her father had made it very clear that she had to marry someone inside the clan – considering the worsening situation surrounding their country and Konoha in particular, it was no time for liberal changes in the Hyūga domain. Nor for any exceptions to the old traditions that, as everyone rightfully believed, had kept them alive and well until now. And although Naruto, despite actively preparing to become the next Hokage, kept hitting the wall in his attempts to argue with her father about it, they would never be allowed to be together. He was ready to marry her, but it was just not an option. There was no future for them. Not without letting down way too many precious people, and even if she wanted to go for it, that would just be too egoistic. And that simply wasn't in her nature. She knew it, Hiashi knew it, and deep inside Naruto probably knew it as well despite never giving up on her, following his motto relentlessly as always.

Of course, as futile as his attempts were, she appreciated it a lot. All of it was so heartbreaking to the girl that she couldn't even express it even if she tried. But she preferred not to anyway. After all, it was pointless to reflect on these things. Her path was clear now, and Naruto had his own destiny to fulfill – a very important one as their next leader who had to be in power during arguably the most difficult times they'd ever faced. He didn't need a distraction like her. It wouldn't help anybody.

And she… she would make it, she had eventually decided. Hinata Hyūga wasn't the strongest girl in the world, but she knew that she was strong enough to bear this burden at least. They were all adults now. They had their own responsibilities that oftentimes had nothing to do with their childish dreams. Such was life.

And today their ways had to part for good. She had to make it crystal clear to the boy she still admired so much up to this day… no matter how painful it would be to both of them. Naturally, she realized that no words of hers would be able to convince him. She had tried before, but she wouldn't listen.

She smiled despite tears rolling down her pale cheeks. It was Naruto Uzumaki after all. He was probably the only person strong enough to never change, nor waver in any way. But now thanks to her friends, she had a plan to cut him off. A cruel, despicable plan completely unworthy of someone like her. It would certainly hurt him a lot, too. But the kunoichi was almost certain it would work. Well, at least it was the best shot they had. So, once again, she simply had no other choice.

Hinata jumped off the windowsill, pursing her lips and shaking her head stubbornly. No, she wasn't supposed to let her feelings overwhelm her again. She had to do what she needed to do, and after that… maybe sometimes later she would allow herself to mourn the dream of the love she was about to kill.

But, not now. Not today. Not anytime soon. She wasn't selfish enough to afford it at the moment, as much as she wanted to.

The young woman walked out of her room, still fully dressed in her formal attire as she hadn't taken the snowy white kimono off the previous evening in the first place. The entire building was awfully quiet. Seemed like not even the guards were very active this early in the morning…

Going up the stairs, she eventually reached her father's office. She could see the light showing from under the closed door which wasn't any surprising. Hinata wasn't even sure if the man slept at all nowadays given how much he had to deal with as the head of the clan. Soon that would be her position as well…

She knocked on the door and then entered right away, without waiting for his permission. Another thing that felt unnatural to her but was approved and incited by Hiashi himself as he wanted her to learn to act like the leader she would soon become.

"Father. You wished to see me," she uttered, closing the door behind her back.

Hiashi was sitting on the tatami, studying a bunch of scrolls that lay before him. He didn't look up or say anything to greet his daughter, continuing to read the scroll he had in his hands. Hinata didn't repeat herself and just walked towards the tatami to sit in front of her father. As soon as Hiashi finished reading, he put the scroll away and sighed, finally looking at his daughter.

"You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago. You need to start working on your punctuality, being late is unacceptable for my heiress," he said with a tired yet stern voice. Hiashi looked at his her for a bit as if waiting for a reaction, but decided to let the matter go for now seeing as her face expressed nothing. Picking up another scroll beside him, he handed it to Hinata.

"Read through it, then find Harumi and speak with her. She will give you further instructions. A very wealthy and powerful family of merchants will soon be passing through Konoha. Given the dire situation with most of the resources here at our village as well as the closed borders, it is important for our clan to establish as many useful connections as possible. Especially with those who still have the permission to work internationally. That will be your assignment for now. Make sure that whoever represents this family will be left with a positive impression of our clan. However, do not invite them to come here. That wouldn't be appropriate considering how much lower their status is."

As he finished, the head of the Hyūga clan picked up another scroll and continued his work, scribing something on its surface. It seemed like he was done talking with Hinata, since further instructions were supposed to be provided by Harumi – a Branch family jōnin that was currently working more as a servant in their residence.

"It will be done, father." She bowed down, turned around and walked towards the door.

"I take it you are planning to finish the problem with the Uzumaki boy today," she suddenly heard him say.

Hinata stopped, not turning around – she didn't want him to see her expression as the mask of indifference gave a crack, her lips beginning to tremble at the painful reminder. She had no idea how he knew about it, but then again it didn't matter either.

"Yes."

"Good." She heard him hemming thoughtfully as the sound of his feather suddenly seemed so unbearably loud that it felt like it was scratching her eardrums painfully. She needed to get out. As soon as possible. "I am proud of you, daughter. And I am sorry you have to go through it."

She stayed there, not knowing how to react. It was rare to hear words of compassion and warmth from him, especially ever since Hanabi's disappearance. It was probably the first time he'd shown any kind of affection to Hinata since that day. But somehow it didn't help how she felt right now at all.

"Thank you, father," she whispered in a shaking voice, biting her lip and desperately trying to suppress her tears.

"We all sacrificed a lot, and there is more to come. Do what must be done. Do not hesitate. And no matter what, remember… You are my daugher. A lot of lives depend on you and your choices. We all are putting our trust in you. I do more than everyone else."

All she could do at this point was nod her head courtly, still refusing to turn around to face him. Not out of spite – Hinata realized that he was right, and she agreed with his every word. If anything, it made her feel slightly better, because he was essentially giving her life a meaning this way. She would do all that was necessary for the sake of her family. Her clan. Her village. She was going to endure every hardship fate would throw at her. And maybe in the end… she would eventually find some happiness of her own. Someday.

But she wasn't very hopeful about that.

Feeling like the conversation was finally over, she walked out, storming away from his office as soon as she closed the door. Knowing Hinata, one would expect that she would obey and head straight to Harumi for further instructions. But as her eyes quickly ran through the contents of the scroll, she figured that said merchants would only be available for a meeting in about a week – there was plenty of time while they were stuck at the border of Land of Fire. And she definitely wasn't going to awaken Harumi this early in the morning for something that could wait.

Instead she decided to head out and get some fresh air. No one tried to stop her, of course – the guards at the gate only bowed politely but did not say anything as she put a black coat on top of her kimono and left her clan's territory.

Surprisingly, the streets of the village didn't look that depressing at this time of the day. Or rather the night as the sky was just barely lit by the first rays of morning sun at the moment. There was barely anyone outside, and although the Hyūga heiress was fully aware of the worsening criminal situation in the settlement, she wasn't scared – after all, she was a jōnin herself. If anything, she'd been training hard ever since the end of the war. So, although Hinata obviously still was a modest and reserved person, she could any false confidence say that she was at this point one of the strongest in her own clan, and hence in the entire village as well.

For about an hour, she wandered aimlessly across the streets of Konoha. Hinata didn't bother to use her Byakugan out of vigilance despite having heard numerous suspicious sounds from a distance. She wasn't a part of the police forces, and patrolling the village wasn't her duty. Maybe it would sound apathetic and a bit cynical, but the young kunoichi was just being realistic. She could spend the entire night chasing thugs and thieves all over the place and it still wouldn't help the overall situation any significantly. As dark as it could seem, that was just the new reality they all found themselves in, and they were getting used to it surprisingly quickly.

Besides, she really wasn't in the good state of mind to fight or protect anyone right now. The clock was mercilessly ticking; there were just hours left until she would have to do the unthinkable to the person she considered one of the most important people in her life. How would she even do it? Did she really have the strength to break his heart like that...?

Hinata wasn't sure. She knew she had to, and she suspected she would make it at the end of the day. Somehow. But still…

She suddenly stopped, noticing the familiar blonde figure at the end of the street. An accomplice in that plan she was about to carry out… but she was happy to see Ino Yamanaka right now. After the tragic events of the war, the young kunoichi had become the head of her own clan as her father was killed along with Shikamaru's. On top of keeping up with her family affairs, over the years she'd been put in charge of the Analysis team in the Intelligence Division, and after that even more responsibilities had fallen upon her shoulders as she had to take over the Torture and Interrogation Forces too. Unfortunately, due to numerous casualties as well as ever increasing budget and resources issues, personnel had kept getting stretched thin. All this coupled together with the growing economic and environmental crisis in the world, as well as the continuously decreasing quality of life in Konoha put a lot of pressure on the young woman. Her former beauty was now withered, her long sunlight blonde hair already mixed with gray strands. The expression on her face was always a mix of tiredness and annoyance, and there was no longer any sign of the former playfulness and silliness in her.

As Hinata took a closer look at her, Ino was now wearing her uniform, accompanied by a shinobi from the police corps. They were apparently interrogating a homeless man about something and by the looks of it her patience was running out. Still the Hyūga decided to approach them. Maybe Ino could use her help, or maybe she needed Ino's help at the moment, Hinata wasn't exactly sure herself.

Finally, the Yamanaka waved the man away and he began to walk towards the end of the street, followed by the police corps shinobi. The blonde kunoichi stood there for a moment, rubbing her face with her hands tiredly.

She then turned around and was about to walk away, only to see a familiar face on the opposite side of the street. It took Ino a couple of seconds to realize who it was and at first she looked happy, but immediately thought how she couldn't waste any time on idle chat now despite wanting to, and became even more upset. Yet, she walked up to Hinata, forcing a smile.

"Hey... Why are you up and walking around here so early?"

The Hyūga remained silent for a few seconds, examining her friend's looks. To say that she looked terrible would be an understatement, but then again, if not for all the time Hyūga clan's servants spent working on her own appearance recently, she realized she probably wouldn't have gotten very far from that state either.

"Uh… well, I just couldn't sleep. I–well… I plan to do it today."

Ino's eyes widened a bit but then she slowly nodded in a grim understanding as she instantly figured why Hinata was there, looking so lost and defeated.

"Today? Well… that's perfect. I found just the right candidate to help. But… Are you sure you still wanna go through with this crap? It's pretty bad, you know. I'm not sure how Naruto's gonna take it. What if he beats you up or something?"

Hinata nodded vigorously, though lowering her eyes shamefully a second later.

"I am sure. Naruto-kun wouldn't do anything like that. And even if he did, it's also fine. I am ready."

"Right... Okay." Ino looked away for a bit, being visibly uncomfortable. "Listen, I need to get back to work for now. However, I should be done in about an hour. If we're gonna do this later today, I need to get some sleep before the evening so that we don't mess up. I suggest you get some rest as well, but hey… doesn't look like you would be able to even if you wanted," she smirked grimly at Hinata's restless expression, making the dark-haired girl force out a sad smile as well. "Look, if you wanna chat some more about it all, come by my house in an hour. But remember that I need to catch some sleep as well so I might black out as we speak, be prepared."

Once again, the woman seemed like she was being torn between her responsibilities, friends, personal business, clan duties and a great many other things. But by now she had become accustomed to this lifestyle. Just like everyone else, Hinata supposed.

"It's fine, Ino. Go get some rest. I still need to finish some preparations too, and well… I have some other things too. We can discuss the plan closer to the evening, if that's fine with you."

"Sure! Sounds good to me," Ino beamed. Of course, it wasn't like she didn't want to talk with her friend, but it would be difficult to hide her happiness knowing that she'd get to rest sooner given her current exhausted state.

"See ya!" The blonde turned away and rushed towards the Yamanaka clan's territory, leaving Hinata alone in the empty street.

The Hyūga sighed, hugging herself again. Maybe getting some sleep was indeed a good idea after all. But at the same time, she absolutely didn't feel like returning home right now…

Covering her mouth with her palm as she yawned, Hinata jumped on top of the two-storey building nearby. Its doors and most of the windows were sealed with wooden planks – a common sight in Konoha nowadays. The kunoichi then activated her Byakugan, inspecting the insides of the place. Apparently, it had once been an inn, with a few beds remaining untouched in the rooms that had once been occupied by the guests. Not too dusty yet, and surprisingly not devastated by marauders – they had probably closed just recently, she figured.

Fortunately, it seemed like a perfect place for her right now. So, her eyes stopped at one of the few unsealed windows on the second floor. She slid inside, landing gracefully on the squeaky wooden floor of the abandoned bedroom.

Tossing her coat on the nightstand she fell on the bed, hugging the luckily clean pillow and staring at the wall blankly. She had a lot to think about, and it was unlikely that anyone would bother her here anytime soon. But for some reason, despite how much this place lacked any comfort or safety, she felt way more comfortable here than she had back at the Hyūga compound. She didn't know why, but somehow… somehow, she felt free now. And it made her feel just a tiny bit better.

But, she decided not to focus on it for now. Is that it? She wondered. Was it freedom that she missed so desperately? That would probably make sense, however…

It was pointless to think about these things. Freedom was something Hinata would never have, of that she was sure more than of anything else in the world. She had accepted it long ago.

No one would come and miraculously change the world. No one would change the village. No one would change her life. There was no hope left for her, and her only path was the one she was currently on.

And as Hinata was slowly drifting into the realm of anxious dreams, she had no idea that soon she would be proven wrong about some of these things.