Sasuke woke up sleeping on his stomach with one of his hands hanging off the bed, and the other awkwardly twisted underneath him. He blinked several times as he came to and lifted his head off the pillow. The sun was bothering him. It was high up on the sky. He looked at the nightstand. It's noon! He immediately rotated and sat up on the bed looking around in disbelief. His previously bloody clothes were in front of him on the dresser, clean and folded. He doesn't sleep like this and he doesn't sleep this long. Second day since Hinata's lived there and he's overslept the sunrise both times. He remembered what happened, and staring at his flack jacket, a part of him wasn't sure whether he had any right to be upset with Hinata. Chakra regeneration, was it?
He looked at his hand and electrical sparks were flying of its surface the next moment. He was meshing and summoning his chakra with 0 delay, effort, using minimal concentration.
He got out of the bed and walked outside in the hallway following the sound of clinking, breathing and soft footsteps across the floor boards. Everything about the place looked different. Last night he noticed the smell and the carped brought out in the hallway, but now it was… Lighter.
He walked in the living room. It too was brighter than he ever remembered it. All the doors were open. Warm breeze was blowing inside. Beige carpets were stinging his eyes glowing in patches of daily sunlight. Hinata was sitting together with 3 other men in shinobi wear, around dark wooden table with tea cups in front of them. The paperwork Naruto gave him was arranged in around 8 piles all over the place. When he came in, Hinata was the only one with her back turned to him. The other 3 immediately got out of their seats and bowed. "Sir." She turned around as well putting down her cup. "Good morning." The room was previously in silence, leading Sasuke to presume they had no topic of conversation before he came in.
One of them spoke to him. "We brought the files hokage sent for you."
"Is there anything else?"
"No sir."
Sasuke just stood there looking at them. One of the men, the oldest one there responded. "Our chuunin offered us tea sir, we couldn't refuse."
He looked at Hinata whose back were once again turned on him. He could see nervousness in her stiff stance. "Fine. Finish your tea."
The 3 of them looked at one another and slowly sat back down, awkwardly continuing to drink it. Sasuke approached his files and sat on the floor with his back turned to them, moving the files around, flipping through, looking for something. The young, brown haired chuunin in the group allowed his curiosity to get the better of him and turned his head sideways to see what Sasuke was doing. In the same moment Sasuke spoke "If you've read any of this, I can have you hung."
The young man quickly turned his gaze back on his tea and gulped it down in one sip, convinced Sasuke spoke to him directly. The older man replied: "We're loyal to the hokage."
And that was enough for him to hear. That seemingly innocuous sentence that meant so much more than one would presume at first.
The night before, Konoha forces were reduced by 3 jonin units. They didn't die in battle and they didn't defect. They were disbanded by an official who did it right before he used them to launch an attack on a military base a few miles south of Konoha. If that military base is taken, it can be used for long ranged attacks on the shinobi village. Sasuke went after them leading 3 units as his own backup. They clashed on the base grounds and killed 1 unit worth of people. The rest fled into the mountains. There were no captives.
3 hours later they received word that not 3, but 9 units of shinobi sought shelter across the border, accusing the hokage and the current seating council of treachery, they sent demands for the capitol while in exile. The capitol demanded Naruto to come out for negotiation. Naruto's own villagers were turning on him.
Completely in the dark as to how all this happened and without any choice left, Naruto has proclaimed a state of emergency. Currently, Konoha was under lockdown as shinobi service organisation, in red state of alert and Hinata was the only person in the room completely ignorant of all this.
The other two shinobi followed the youngest one's lead and drank their tea quickly getting up the next moment. "Good day miss Hinata." oldest one spoke to her. That's when his friend shoved him with his elbow a bit. He looked at him confused for a second and then looked at Sasuke who was sitting on the floor not paying attention. "I.. I mean, Mrs Uchiha!"
"Ah. Good day." Hinata responded smiling comfortingly, showing there is no reason to feel so pressured over a pronunciation mistake. They bowed and disappeared the next second. She was putting away the tea.
"Why did you invite them to stay?" Sasuke closed another file in his hands and got up facing Hinata.
"It's an obligation in my house. To invite in the guards, medics and messengers if they have time to stay."
"They don't have time to stay. They want to stay. Don't invite them anymore." Sasuke then extended his hand and offered her the file he was holding. "Hide this from me and don't open it."
"Why?"
"Just do it. Use whatever technique you know best. But hide it from me."
"O-Ok." She took the papers and looked at him confused.
Sasuke walked out of the room. "You have 15 minutes."
15 minutes later, Sasuke came back from the bathroom and handed her that same file she was supposed to hide.
"You found it." She spoke surprised.
"Do you have any better techniques than this?"
"I think so." She nodded staring at the file.
"Try again." He walked out of the room returning 2 minutes later his hands empty. "That's good." He went over to his papers and sat back down on the floor. As soon as he opened another file, the wind lifted the unattached paper. Hinata quickly started closing the doors.
"Come here." Sasuke called her and handed her the file. "This is yesterday's mission. Naruto told me to debrief you."
Hinata slowly took the paper from him and began to read, her expression serious, with sort of fierceness in her eyes. Sasuke snuck a brief glance in her direction seeing the blatantly obvious change in demeanour at the mention of Naruto's name.
She completed her reading and closed the file putting it on the floor and looked at Sasuke who was now reading the file in his hands. She lowered her gaze without thinking and saw the paper in his hands, because she was unsure if she should interrupt him while reading it. But before she knew it, he turned his head to look at her, which startled her.
"Is Naruto alright?"
"He is."
"I see." she looked to the side blushing. But it wasn't her usual blushing face. Her expression was grave. Sasuke turned to her completely, she was staring at the floor.
"They're incorrect. The notes on your paper. The district drawn is not Kamura, it's Otoyawa." she finally responded.
He raised his eyebrows realising she's just confessed to reading confidential ANBU documents. And confessed immediately, just minutes after he had threatened to hang 3 shinobi for it.
Sasuke doesn't trust people easily. He found out he didn't trust her either the night before when he was suffocating under her palm. But this was good. Very good in fact. "How do you know that?"
"It was Kamura before, but after it was rebuilt, Otoyawa was expanded. Most shinobi who lived there died and rest moved to the other side of the village. It's mostly civilians now. The shinobi who told me this now live close to us. I mean..Close to my old house." she explained, her face going even more sour.
Sasuke finally smiled amused returning to his work. "You'll help me with this."
"Me?" her eyes widened.
"Take those next to you. Separate them by rank and kill count. Over 90 and under 90."
"90?"
"Yes." He took a better look at her, noticing hidden nervousness in her blank expression. "What's your kill count?" He stared at her anticipating an answer.
She shut her mouth and looked back into his eyes, now visibly uncomfortable, pausing before she responded. "Zero."
"You never killed anyone?" Sasuke was sceptical hearing this.
"Well, Zetsu in the war. I also wounded… I… No. I never killed anyone." She said looking down unsure of how she should be telling him this. Was it a bad, or a good thing?
"Why?"
"I attack to kill, like sensei thought us. But I never needed to actually… Finish the job."
Sasuke stared at her stunned for a moment before he said: "You can leave if you want."
Hinata looked down at the paper in her hands. "I know how ANBU works Sasuke. Of course I don't want to leave."
He didn't respond.
A minute or two later, she turned to him again. "Uhm, there is a study where these could be safer and more organized. Why not.. Take them there?"
He stopped reading hearing those words. He knew there was a study, but something inside him pulled him away from the rest of the house. Everything was cleaned, uncovered, moved. The way it was in his childhood. He was perfectly fine with roaming through a house covered in dust and old white sheets. But now he knew what she did to all that. He didn't want to admit it, but he dreaded getting up and moving into its other parts to see the place that once existed only in his memory. He was contradicting himself by choosing to live there, yet being afraid to look at it.
But he didn't get to do that now. Now he was directly reminded of his cowardice. Sasuke quickly moved to his feet in the next moment taking one stack in his arms. "You take one." She followed him into the study carrying papers that were more than half her height.
The shelves contained a couple of left over scrolls at one end, there was one window and a desk. The whole thing was very quiet, dark and sheltered. The room use to belong to Sasuke's father. Hinata pointed at the scrolls on one shelf. "I found them here. I didn't look inside, but I left them in case you wanted them."
Sasuke approached the shelf, taking and opening one of the scrolls. They seemed like regular clan business. He didn't know there were any left. He simply presumed they took them all while scavenging the house for data. It's not like these things were important. Not now anyway. Yet somehow, they were…
He recognised his father's handwriting. He recognised the document he brought into that very room as a child.
It was still dusty, rough and the paper seemed as if it was going to fall apart in his hands. But he kept looking at it. He didn't seem to be reading anymore. Hinata was going to speak, but seeing him, she realised Sasuke needed the silence. She just turned around and walked out of the room.
Sasuke could remember these letters. He was only a boy, but if anything stuck with him, it was his father's handwriting in his hands. He was 4, running to the house carrying a signed document to his father. He was so proud he was asked to. He remembered his mother stopping him from running through the house by calling his name. He remembered the smell of steamed pork buns from the kitchen in the afternoon and sound of the shower with Itachi having returned from training… It's why Sasuke always rises with the dawn. He did so just so he could catch up to his brother and get him to bring him along to training. Later he rose before the sun so he could defeat and kill Itachi. Every sleep past sunrise was considered a failure, and has remained to be considered as one, all his life.
Sasuke quickly turned around hearing a light tap on the desk behind him. Hinata has put down a plate with cut up vegetable bits and steamed pork buns on it. She looked at him as if she's seen a ghost, alarmed and sad at the same time.
Sasuke was confused until he blinked and felt the tears in his eyes spread along their designated border and onto his lashes. Sasuke blinked a couple of times, allowing himself to straighten his face once again. Hinata looked away nervous, blushing, feeling as if having invaded his privacy.
"Thank you." he responded glancing at the table.
Hinata didn't turn her head to look up still wanting to give him privacy, but an involuntary smile spread across her lips. She finally had confirmation she did something right. She was beginning to fear she can never be anything but a bother to him.
"You're welcome." Her reaction actually gave him relief as well. That threw him off a bit since he had no idea he had anything to feel relieved about. It was because he was seeing a sincere smile for the first time. Am I that intimidating? But that wasn't even the most confusing part. The confusing part was the fact that he was actually seeing intimidation as something negative, excessive. Something he, for once, didn't want in his interaction with another person.
Hearing about her kill count, he didn't even want her looking at his documents. In this person he realised, he was seeing something he lost, or maybe forgotten. Something that intrigued him, something he wanted to trap and study... At this point Sasuke was beginning to believe she was not a liar, so he had to know how can a shinobi be this way? He had to understand the situation in order to control it. Why in the world did he envy her so badly, that he almost wished he could be angry with her? What was he looking at?
Seeing Sasuke stare at her numbly like a scanner processing information, the smile faded off of Hinata's face and she called his name confused. "Uhm, Sasuke?"
Innocence.
-...front door of the Uchiha house; 1 day later, 3:54 pm…-
Kato was standing on the porch fidgeting unsure if he should leave, when all his hesitation was interrupted by Hinata opening of the front door. He made his decision.
He ran like the wind jumping in the bushes.
Hinata could hear whispers from the bushes. "Chicken."
"Shut up!"
"Hah!"
"Why don't you go then?!"
Hinata looked sideways smiling and closed the doors once again, took two steps back and waited. 20 seconds later, she heard the knocking again. She opened the doors aiming her eyes down already expecting the children she previously saw with her byakugan, but instead she found herself quickly looking up for her eyes to meet Naruto's.
Completely mentally unprepared for this encounter, she blushed profusely and became mute for a moment unable to even say his name. Naruto grinned apologetically leaning his head forward a bit.
"Yo Hinata."
She finally gathered her thoughts. "H-hi Naruto."
"Is Sasuke home?"
"He is! He's in the study."
"Well can I see him? Hehe." He laughed a little seeing her so flustered and confused that she forgot to invite him in.
"Yes, of course." She lowered her gaze trying to hide her blush and spread the door wide open standing to the side.
"Thank you!" Naruto just walked inside moving through the hallway as if he knew exactly where he needed to be. She quickly closed the door and followed him.
"Get out." Sasuke spoke to him as soon as Naruto appeared in front of the open door of the study.
"You nit-picky bastard."
"Now."
"Fine, fine! I didn't do it on purpose!" Naruto complained as he walked back towards the front door to take his shoes off. Hinata noticed, only she couldn't possibly weigh the uncomfortable frustration with Naruto walking around in his shoes against the exhilaration that was brought on by his presence.
Naruto returned standing in the hallways in front of the doors of Sasuke's study. "Now apologize."
Naruto stared at him annoyed. "You're pissing me off Sasuke."
"You want to make this any longer than it has to be?"
Hinata could see Naruto's whole face wrinkle into a menacing glare. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing to me?" Sasuke smirked childishly.
Naruto actually growled before he suddenly turned to look at Hinata who was standing next to him. His face relaxed and he quickly bowed. "I'm sorry Hinata!"
She got a little startled and responded comforting him. "No, it's ok Naruto! I understand."
He smiled at her before he looked back at Sasuke. "There, are you happy now?"
"What is it?" Sasuke finally looked up at him.
"The capitol is involved. They want to renegotiate the terms of cooperation with Konoha. Shred 100 year old documents."
"So Shikamaru was right."
"I will set out for the capitol in one month with a team. I want you and Hinata to go with us."
"Why?"
"I want to use her as bait. We'll present her as a civilian. This is a political issue and as such it is a matter we can't handle by force. If Shikamaru is right and capitol is behind all of it, Hinata might be kidnapped and used against us."
"You can't go in counting on something like that."
"I'm not. I have other plans up my sleeve, but I need her too."
Sasuke glanced at Hinata who was standing in the room next to Naruto looking at him serious. "Don't they know she's a shinobi?"
"No. Last information they had of her was during chuunin exams. I had those documents replaced weeks ago for her and several others."
"Are you opening the village again?"
"Until then yes. They'll hold of. They seem to be stalling on their own."
"Uhm Naruto?" Both turned to her. "Why didn't you call for us? You didn't have to come over."
"Because I'm done and I wanted to visit my friends!" he grinned.
"I'm busy." Sasuke responded.
"What?! You too? Maan!"
Hinata blushed slightly scared seeing Naruto complain like that. "Naruto I didn't mean you have to go. You can stay, if…" She broke her train of thought freezing, realizing she's just invited Naruto to hang out with her.
"Haha, of course!" Naruto responded cheerfully. Sasuke just turned his back on them and continued with his work. She walked out of the study hiding her face and Naruto followed. "Hey you have food here?"
She smiled. "Yes."
Naruto was mid stuffing his face with Hinata sitting next to him at the dining room table, when Sasuke approached them and sat in front of Naruto. Naruto paused with his chewing and looked at Sasuke. Hinata got up and left the table without saying a word.
"I'm hungry." Sasuke responded to Naruto's confused stare.
Naruto then continued to say what was interrupted when Sasuke walked in the room, talking with his mouth full. "…and then he ended up volunteering to fight me. Can you believe that?"
Hinata giggled putting down the wooden tray in front of Sasuke.
"Oh yeah, Sakura told me to tell you she wants to see you after the 3 honeymoon days pass."
"Really?"
"She's preparing a birthday party for Ino on the 23rd. But you can't tell anyone, it's top secret." He lowered his voice showing he means it.
"Of course I'll be there." Hinata responded, but then shyly added. "Though I'm not sure it's much of a secret."
"You're not?"
"Every year Ino knows if people are doing this. She can… Well, uhm it's like she can read their minds."
"Haha yeah I suppose it's exactly like that. Good one Hinata."
Hinata turned red again.
"You too Sasuke, you're invited."
"Not interested."
"Come on man, you never hang out." Naruto pouted putting another bite in his mouth before he continued barely able to speak. "If you don't get to know your villagers you can't trust them can you?"
"We don't have time for that nonsense."
"Come on, those that left us and attacked seemed suspicious from the start. And THAT's why you should get to know people!"
"I direct the ANBU, rest are none of my concern."
"There will be some ANBU there." Naruto was now smirking like he was winning a fight.
Sasuke just continued with his meal ignoring this remark. "Is Kakashi back?"
"Not yet. Shikamaru sent for him though. That lazy ass keeps whining how Kakashi ditched him alone with me." Naruto complained.
"How much did he do?"
"We'll merge jurisdiction. We and Suna will be treated as allies, sharing people, markets and working for both countries." Naruto responded cheerfully.
"I don't trust Gaara." Sasuke interrupted.
"Well I do." Naruto responded after he swallowed, narrowing his eyes at Sasuke. "Gaara agrees with us. All the negotiation is done with their daimyo."
"Fine, I'll grant you that. Still, neither of the daimyo have a reason to agree to this."
"Let's hope peace will be all the reason we have to give them." Naruto agreed now looking a bit worried.
Hinata spoke. "Uhm Naruto.. How will we be sharing… people?"
"Haha, I won't send you guys away, don't worry. But it is that anyone will able to move from village to village and shift allegiance from Gaara to me and back if they are needed in that other village, or even if they ask to. If you go there, you don't have to communicate with me, you become his people. If you come back, same thing!"
Hinata's eyes widened a bit. "So shinobi villages will be loyal to each other first and then to all the countries?"
"How it always should have been." Naruto nodded grinning proudly. "The first hokage himself talked about this. If we pull this off on a grand scale, we will finally get to form full communication, allegiances and maintain peace between all the shinobi in the world, regardless of country politics." He said with sort of calm softness in his voice.
Hinata smiled looking at Naruto talk while blushing. Sasuke just stared at the table blankly, taking a sip of water.
-…Uchiha household; 2:00 am the next day…-
"And this one?" Hinata held up a picture of a woman in front of Sasuke.
"Ahana Lotiro, jonin, genjutsu expert, 50 kills."
She was sitting on the floor with her back upright and her legs bent underneath her, flipping through the photographs in her hands. He was sitting opposite of her, leaning against the wall with his legs half bent in front of him and his hands resting on his knees.
"This one?" She held up the next one.
"Mariho Ashantaki, chuunin, tracker, 12 kills."
"Jonin, 19 kills." Hinata corrected Sasuke without looking at the data sheet.
Sasuke exhaled slowly, maintaining his frustrated grim expression. She was memorizing his people faster than he was.
She smiled at him. "Sasuke maybe if you got some sleep, you'd remember in the morning."
"I have more work to do after this. Are you tired?"
"No, I'm fine." She shook her still smiling courteously, but unnaturally raised her voice as she responded, giving herself away.
"Hinata…" Sasuke was getting annoyed with her constantly forgetting his rule about not lying. He couldn't take it, even if it was, just a courtesy lie coming from the worst liar he ever met. She was someone he couldn't walk away from at the end of the day and that was enough for him to insist so pettily and consistently.
"I… I am tired. But not too much." She quickly admitted furrowing her eyebrows.
"Go, we'll continue in the morning." Sasuke was already reaching for a new file, now opening it.
She slowly put the pictures down, stacking them neatly next to the files and got up. "Good night."
"Good night." He looked at her briefly as she walked out.
-…Uchiha household; 9 am same day…-
Hinata entered the study. Sasuke was at his desk, going through reports of several officials who defected two days prior.
"Sasuke?" Hinata appeared at the door dressed in her regular day clothing.
He turned around.
"Good morning." She smiled remembering to say it.
"Hm." He nodded waiting for her to speak.
"I was going to go shop for groceries. Do you want anything for breakfast?"
"Miso soup, tomatoes and rice." He responded.
"Oh, ok." She nodded smiling and disappeared from the entrance to the room, walked a few steps and quickly returned, now her expression serious. "Uhm Sasuke?"
"What?"
"Do you want to come along?"
He looked at her slightly surprised she invited him.
"A break walking helps people clear their head."
"I'm fine."
"Ok... Uhm, see you then."
When she disappeared for the second time, Sasuke looked back down at his document. Wait, who is this guy now..? I know I found his name somewhere... He wasn't under the elders… No shit, that's not him. Wait, 5 jonin units?! That doesn't fit. Not at all! Where the hell was that shit piece of paper?! I had it! Did that Danzo's dumbass even keep track his co-ops!? Fuck this. Sasuke let go of the paper letting it fall on the floor. After that he kept staring at it with a numb look on his face for a few moments before he finally got up to his feet, tensing up his muscles snapping most of the joints in his body. He took the flak jacket of the chair and walked out after Hinata.
He appeared next to her out in the street, a few meters away from the house. She looked at him, seeing him stare ahead while walking, involuntarily pressing his lips together wanting her to just keep quiet about this change of heart. She found it slightly amusing and accepted this silent request to not say anything. She simply looked down at the road herself making sure her hair falls forward to cover up the smile she couldn't restrain. Still, as her hair hid her face, Sasuke knew exactly what was behind it and now he was fighting a slight blush in frustration.
They were near the flea market. She stuck her hair behind her ear stopping the wind from carrying it up along the colourful fall leaves. She was going through her wallet counting the papers and coins in it.
"Where's your wedding ring?" Sasuke noticed the bare finger of her right hand, still all too aware of the one on his own.
"I..! It's in the kitchen. I took it off this morning! I'm sorry, I'll go back." She responded disappointed, lowering her wallet.
"Don't. Give me your hand and no one will pay attention."
She blushed looking down. They were in public and even though she has gotten used to Sasuke, even though he didn't make her feel nervous, randomly touching him on the street in front of people was still not acceptable.
"What is it?"
"Nothing." She shook her head trying to cool down, forget everyone passing by and took his hand stepping closer to him as they continued to walk down the street both looking ahead.
"How is this a problem now?" He asked feeling her hand get sweaty in his.
"I'm sorry..." Sasuke waited patiently, by now used to getting an apology for every little thing. She continued. "We aren't expected to hold hands now. And there are people I know here. That's why."
"We are expected to do this. Appearances are our whole mission." He contradicted her.
"I..I understand I'm sorry." She was still embarrassed staring ahead quite stiff.
"And don't apologize."
"I'm s..." She stopped mid-sentence and went silent, now focusing on overcoming this new blush on her face. "I'll never give up, I promise. I know I have to adjust faster." She added silently with determination overwhelming her whole presence.
After a while Sasuke glanced down checking to see if she has calmed down, feeling her palm loosen and adjust to his.
Nope. She was still keeping her eyes fixed on a random point in the distance, seemed overly focused and was as red as a tomato. They were a few meters away from the market square now. Sasuke changed their path going around the square and turned to a small park next to it. They were visible among those 9 trees, but not likely to be heard. As they moved away from people into the shade of the red, brownish, yellow trees, her blush faded replaced by mild relief.
Finally he stopped, moved away a bit and turned to her still holding her hand. She looked up at his cold blank face, slightly confused for a while now, ever since he started walking the wrong way. The contrast between what Hinata was looking at ,and what the two of them looked like from a distance was almost comical.
"I told you, you're not a liar." He spoke to her. "If you want to grow, never give up, believe it, or whatever crap you picked up from Naruto, that's fine. But not with me on this mission. Don't think about these people, they are my problem and I can lie well enough for both of us. I agreed to this knowing what you are like. You don't owe me any transformation, and you don't need to apologize for failing at it, because I'm not asking. "
She just stared wide eyed for a few moments. "But I have to.."
"No you don't. You don't even have to look at anyone who makes you turn that mute and red. Just stand beside me and forget about them."
Something in her gut clenched a bit. It felt wrong. Contradictory to all she did and learned so far. But in the end, all that matters is the mission. Konoha. And Naruto…
"Ok." She spoke after a short pause.
When they walked out of the park, Hinata's blush didn't return to what it once was. She looked around at the stands imagining them empty. She spoke to Sasuke alone about what she needed, from where and all she had to do in the end was exchange 3 short conversations with regards to the purchase. No one else was around in danger of approaching her. No one could see her. Or at least she had to repeat that in her head like a mantra.
When they let go, taking shopping bags in their hands, it didn't matter anymore. In the end Sasuke just ended up following her around, never saying a single word the entire time they were there. Something she didn't realize until they started talking again on their way back home.
On the street they could see the house in the distance. Hinata recognised little Kato standing at the front porch afraid to knock. They both stopped looking at him for a few moments and spoke at the same time interrupting one another.
"That's…"
"He's…"
They looked at each other. Sasuke asked. "Yes?"
"He snuck in the attic. He wanted to see you. I invited him in before I sent him home."
Sasuke looked at the house again. "Those pests crawl around my house. I'm not allowed anything else, so I cast genjutsu on them when I find time."
"Genjutsu!? What kind?" Hinata quickly asked with a worried look on her face.
"I convinced them I'm a cannibal." Sasuke continued to walk.
