'What an interesting way to find where one's loyalties lay in this new world without a war, with so much place for love,' thought Shikaku, smiling to himself.
Shikaku left his life-long friend to do the job and he turned to the men gathered in his garden. Shikamaru took his time placing the shogi anew. Sasuke, Kiba, Shino, and partially Konohamaru, watched in silence his movements.
Shikaku sat in opposition to his son, and then turned to his guests.
"It will take Inoichi some time. This way the inspection will leave no trails in her head."
"What is going on, Shikaku-sama?" asked Kiba seriously, "The Hyuuga clan is working against the village?" he asked, fearing the answer.
The Nara clan was too smart to throw the accusations in this manner. Something fishy was up.
"What do you know?" asked Sasuke, before Nara men could reply.
"What do you know, Sasuke?" responded with the question Shino, eyeing him from behind his glasses.
"We haven't seen Hinata since the day she returned. We realised she was at home dealing with her heiress duties, even though we know that Hanabi was taking her place all this time," said Kiba. "Today we went to the Hyuuga compound to see her, but her guardian Ko said she is confined to seclusion. He wanted to say more, but Hinata's father came to see us and said she is busy with her duties."
"Hinata Hyuuga is kept in the compound on her council's orders. They want to evaluate her somehow and then marry her off within a month. She told me this the other day, when she was able to leave the house," said Sasuke to his very attentive companions.
"She left the compound?" asked Shikaku, surprised. Shikamaru, hearing this changed the setting of his pieces on the board.
"Yes. I came in the morning the other day, her father welcomed me and we went inside. She was staying in the inner garden, surrounded by the closed walls. She was talking with Hanabi about something. When I told her I wanted to talk, she said to meet me in half an hour at Ichiraku's. She showed up just in time to receive the Yamanaka flowers and then we changed location to talk," Sasuke told them. Kiba and Shino looked at one another.
"The inner garden, you say?" asked Shino, seeking confirmation.
The attention shifted to him.
"Yes, small space. A simple sakura tree. Some flowers. Little grass bed," described the Uchiha. "Is this place of any relevance?"
"Do you know Hinata at all?" asked Kiba, putting hands into pockets.
"We do not know each other well," Sasuke admitted, sighing heavily. "I wasn't here all this time, and then we met during the war. Exchanged some sentences, nothing much. Why?"
"The inner garden was the place where the Hyuuga clan kept Hinata's and Hanabi's mother before she passed away. Hinata told us once that when she was pregnant with Hanabi, the council placed her there, saying it is a peaceful and warm place for her to spent time, while they held her there so they could watch her easily all the time and she was away from Hinata, who was under torturous training then. This place Hinata knows as a cell. If Hinata is kept in this place, how could she follow you, without them knowing?"
"Because we tricked them," announced Hanabi, who smiled in gratitude to the Yamanaka clan leader and turned her eyes to Hinata's teammates and to the dark Uchiha.
"The day you visited us and took her out, Uchiha-san, Hinata-onee-chan ordered us three to follow her lead. I stayed with her Kage Bunshin in the garden to play the role. Neji-nii-san went to interrupt the whole council so their attention was turned somewhere else, and my father went to his study to check upon every Hyuuga in the compound to look for spies as my sister sneaked out."
"So you are all in this together," noticed Shikamaru, placing his shogi again.
"I will follow my sister's orders," the teenager confessed brashly, sweeping her long black hair to her back, "I promised her this, but she still has many things to explain to me. I know only from Konohamaru that she played a great role in the war and its end. I know that something is wrong within the compound. And I know things are being kept away from me," she said.
Sasuke then looked at Inoichi. The older man held his stare for a while and then nodded, confirming Hanabi's Hyuuga innocence.
"She wants to protect you," said Sasuke, his Sharingan deactivating at the words, "The less you know, the safer you are and so are the innocent in your clan."
"I expected this much from my sister," replied Hanabi with a sigh, dismissing the dread of the endangerment of her clansmen flooding her heart.
"Alright, so we know how Hinata was able to ditch the council. What we don't know is when she will be released," said Kiba, crossing his arms.
"Soon," said Hanabi, turning her white eyes to the wooden panels.
"Tell us more, Hanabi-sama," said Nara clan Head amicably.
"The council wishes to know of my sister's… health and condition. Once they know the results, she will be released to accept the suitors," she said in an empty voice, refusing to tell more.
"She said that the council wants to brand her with the seal and banish her or to marry her off," said Sasuke. Hanabi's voice hitched in the throat and paled. Kiba growled dangerously and the Shino's bugs buzzed angrily.
"In either case she would be…" murmured Shino, unable to keep his fury in check.
"Dead," said Shikamaru. "Sasuke, did she tell you what she's going to do now?"
"Find the allies. Know the enemies. And to close the deal with your clan, whatever it is. And she wants me to accompany her," Shikamaru and Shikaku shared a look of significance and understanding to the both of them only.
"What does she want from you?" Sasuke asked curiously.
"It is only for Hokage's ears, Sasuke." said Shikaku, bowing his head partially for forgiveness and partially for understanding.
"Why would Hinata-onee-chan have a Hokage-level business with the Nara?" asked Hanabi, frowning. Konohamaru at her side crossed his arms, as if to aid the Hyuuga princess with compelling techniques to make them spill the beans.
The men shared the look, the Shikaku Nara shifted in his sitting position and said:
"I and Hokage as the members of Konoha Council know that your esteemed father upon returning from the war forbade all the Hyuuga who returned with him to keep silent about the events which occurred then."
"I know that much, Sir. But what happened?"
"First, you must promise not to say a word to anyone, not to show you know anything about this. In the Hyuuga clan this information is classified and could endanger you, and your family, and your clan."
"This knowledge is common everywhere except the Hyuuga clan. I will promise you anything you want, Nara-sama," she said bravely and impatiently.
"Point taken, Hanabi-sama," Shikaku smiled a little at the teenager's stubbornness. He then paused as if to gather his thoughts and began his story with shocking words:
"I, Inoichi and hundreds of our soldiers as well as your clansmen died in this war."
After a short-lived period of darkness, as if out of consciousness, Shikaku opened his dark eyes to find himself slightly buried with the debris. When he shakily stood up, he noticed the ruins of the intelligence headquarters and other people rising, alive, including Inoichi Yamanaka as well as their comrades from Lightning. He rushed to his friend to help him and the others. They asked themselves what happened as the last they remembered was the blast that erased their beings.
Several seals and orders later, they learned of the disorientated masses of people who were sobering up from the great sleep they involuntarily found in the enemies' technique. Shikaku and Inoichi were shocked to learn that the dead came back to life and even though the enemy won, their techniques were dismissed and the shinobis' last hope had not been lost yet. To seek the explanation, all their minds, skills and forces were turned to the front of the battlefield, far kilometres before them.
From the chaos of the information and the still unstable minds of their comrades, Inoichi was able to form an idea of what was happening then.
"I will never forget that day," said Inoichi to aid Shikaku in his story.
The attention turned to the blond man, who took his seat next to Shikaku.
"Our forces were scattered on the huge area, the remnants of the tree were visible everywhere we looked, and the voices in the soldiers' minds were buzzing like your little friends, Shino-san, no offence."
"None taken, Yamanaka-san."
"We rushed to the front. Luckily, we were able to move quite quickly, as if the days of previous battles never happened. Our strengths returned, as if we were charged anew during this short death. When we landed among all the divisions, people were still waking up from the tree pods, where the genjutsu placed us all. But before us stood the enemy, who was battled by the resurrected previous Hokages as well as Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki and above us, on the branches of the tree, which was the tool to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, danced Hinata Hyuuga. Wherever she placed her hand or foot on the stem, the pods with entrapped shinobi were opening and releasing their victims. She did not stop. Some Hyuugas were able to tell us that the dangerous branches were retreating to the main tree from afar. Quickly we understood that somehow she was the only person who could fight the tree. If any of us wanted to aid her in the task, their chakra was sucked by the tree and her efforts were in vain. Then, the moment she stopped running on the branches of the free and disappeared, she appeared in the midst of the battle between Uchiha, Uzumaki and the Obito Uchiha, Black Zetsu and the resurrected Uchiha Madara. We don't know much about what happened there, we were too far away to notice or hear."
Sasuke was reminded of this day. The gathered turned their gazes to him, without a word they understood he was the last and the only person who could tell them what occurred in the final stage of the war.
Truthfully speaking, he did not know either.
"What happened when we were closed in this genjutsu, Sasuke?" asked Kiba,
"How long were we trapped?" The brunette turned his black eyes to the Inuzuka man. They shared a look, and then Sasuke focused on the space before him, trying to remember that day.
"We didn't know, Naruto and I. Once Obito activated the tree and the genjutsu, we tried to stop him, but Madara was guarding him. Only two of us and Kakashi, who was channeled with my chakra, were shielded by my Susanoo to escape the genjutsu. There was this barrier around Madara, we couldn't cross. The idea of this genjutsu was to control all the Chakra and all the shinobi and to direct this chakra for the purpose. We did not know that they were dealing with the forces out of this world. I am not sure these two understood that. Luckily, we did not meet the Mother of Chakra, who was to be released from the tree as well. The pods did not gain enough chakra from the shinobi to break the seal, thanks to Hinata Hyuuga. All it took was their hesitation and her appearance to change the course of the events…"
The great tree loomed over the confused crowds, he and Naruto heard from afar. If they thought it weird to hear the crowds murmur after the silence, they never voiced it.
There was no time to stop and ponder what was happening. All they knew at the time was that Infinite Tsukuyomi was activated and that they were losing the battle.
Naruto's arsenal of Sage Mode and Kurama's Chakra made him shine like the sun. Sasuke, on the other hand, was dealing with a tremendous power of the Rinnegan activated in his left eye. His brother's eyes were marvelous, but this power was difficult to grasp. Therefore, he knew that brought from the dead Madara Uchiha of blazing purple Rinnegans in both his eyes was not a man to be ignored. Sasuke tried his best to predict their next move. Naruto was trying to pertract with Obito in his madness, while Madara silently observed the murmuring crowds behind them.
'Ah, they are waking up…' whispered Black Zetsu, reporting everything that was happening without their attention, 'There is this little lamb who dances and lures them out of sleep.'
'And this must be she,' announced Madara, when Hinata Hyuuga, in the shattered kunoichi uniform with her hair longer and the gaze fiercer than Naruto or even Sasuke ever remembered her to have, joined them on the front.
'Welcome, little lamb, who are you?' if Obito was furious to learn his technique was released, he was unable to voice it or show it, because of the unhealthy and unnerving interest the resurrected Madara showed the newcomer shadowed everything.
Sasuke remembered Naruto's anxiety, which was leaving his body in the warm but hectic waves of golden Chakra. The cheerful attitude and confidence of his best friend evaporated, the moment he placed his golden eyes on the silent woman.
'Ah yes, clearly, a Hyuuga,' Madara answered himself, as he eyed the woman before him, 'I never knew the Hyuuga were this good at dealing with genjutsu.'
'We are not,' she said to him. Madara's, Obito's, Sasuke's and Naruto's eyes focused on her then.
No one expected her voice to be so unnaturally profound.
'Uchiha Madara, you are ordered to abort your mission. It is against God's will to wake the Mother of Chakra and end this world.'
'Oh?' Madara voiced his surprise. The brows disappeared in the thick mane of this dark black hair, 'And you are here to deliver the message, I presume, Tenshi? I'm afraid I have to decline. Only the Uchiha clan was left with the great task to release the Mother and end this misery you call life. Wherever we go and love, we lose and hate. This never ending cycle of love and hate will end today.'
'Agreed. Both of you will end today as well. I will mark them for you, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun,' said Hinata, and like no Hyuuga before her she charged on Madara Uchiha.
Sasuke felt Naruto almost shout after her, terrified for this woman to attack such a big and dangerous enemy. Sasuke's Rinnegan involuntarily followed her every step, which despite her obvious exhaustion, was light and inaudible.
She truly looked as if she danced. She danced around Uchiha Madara, placing her hands around him and leaving the trails of white-tinted-purple Chakra, her Chakra, on the invisible object a normal eye could never see.
The moment Madara realised she was marking, and stopping for a short while, Madara's invisible clones, the product of, what Sasuke understood, a complete Rinnegan, he ceased to show leniency and positive attitude.
This small frail dancer turned out to be a very interesting and equally dangerous creature.
Why none of these imbeciles were prepared for her or ever reported on her, must have been what Madara asked himself as he was forced to block Naruto's attacks and curse upon Sasuke's sealing of these clones.
Once Obito regained a bit of his strengths, he pulled Sasuke from the two of his comrades and immobilized him for a while. When petrified by the technique, he noticed that even Obito had to stop to witness the aggressive battle between Madara, Naruto and Hinata, who joined forces against him.
Sasuke was slightly impressed when the woman escaped the huge hands of her enemy, as she was able to sneak behind him and cut several of the crucial nerves of Madara's resurrected body, while Naruto placed a powerful black and orange Rasengan in his chest.
Before they could do anything to eliminate him, Obito forced Naruto and Hyuuga back, which allowed Madara's cells to regenerate his body.
Again on his feet, Madara looked absolutely livid and sickly entertained.
'Dance with me more, Angel!' he shouted and attacked the Hyuuga with such force even Naruto had a problem standing against it.
She then acted as if she was a leaf on the wind. She swirled, escaping the immediate impact, but if one fights with an Uchiha cannot forget they read movements like a book.
The woman was caught by the huge man, and to the surprise of all the witnesses, she was brought closer to the armored body. He immobilized and neutralized her deadly Hyuuga hands, which looked like thin creamy sticks about to break in a huge manly hand. With another hand, he supported her waist almost wantonly, so she was lifted from the ground.
'So interesting!' laughed Madara madly, clearly having the best time in his dead life, 'Kami-sama picked the most wonderful little angel amongst you all! But, you forgot you are dancing with Uchiha Madara. I caught you, beautiful Tenshi,' and she was beautiful indeed, thought Sasuke, which he had never shared aloud.
Like the goddess of war, her gaze on Madara's delighted face was collected, calculating and cold, as if she wasn't just closed in a very compromising, uncomfortable and dangerous situation. Suddenly, she smiled lovely to the alighted purple Rinnegans, she looked like feared nothing and no one and said:
'And you forget that keeping a Hyuuga close is a hazard. You've just lost, Uchiha Madara. Please, do not return and rest in peace,' she released her hands with the blast of white Chakra, hugged Madara's head and kissed his forehead.
In an instant, Madara's Chakra was suppressed and restricted by the complicated Seal that was nothing like the Caged Bird Seal of the Hyuuga and the resurrection technique on this body was released, sending the Uchiha Madara's spirit back to the underworld.
The shock placed silence on the whole battlefield.
As remainments of the Uchiha were fading away like the ash on the wind, Naruto came closer to help Hinata stand again. The moment he touched her hand he visibly froze and she sent him an empty small smile.
She then turned to the tree and connected with it the Gedo Mazou statue, still linked with Obito. Hinata and Naruto exchanged some words, no Uchiha heard, which allowed Sasuke to break free from Obito's grasp. His katana, sure in his grasp, cut the Chakra chains.
'We leave him to you, Sasuke!' shouted Naruto, took the woman's hand and they disappeared in a golden flash. Before Obito could react, before even Sasuke could think of a reply, Naruto's golden Chakra severed all the remaining chains connecting the statue to Obito, and the tree hovering over them was alight with the white Chakra.
Be it a normal eye or a doujutsu, all were forced to be shielded as the light filling the space was so bright it blinded all of them alike.
All Sasuke could see, before his vision blurred, was the single silhouette in the source of the greatest light, which shined like a star.
The moment it faded, the statue was no longer there, and the tree was shimmering with both white and golden lights.
Sasuke's legs moved on their own when his marvelous eyes spotted that a black-haired person was falling from the crown of the tree.
He caught Hinata Hyuuga in the air. He could not place any injury on her body, only her eyes too tired to stay open.
Sasuke without a word placed her at the root of the tree, but then suddenly she extended her arms to hug him. The moment she put him close to her tired body, he understood that Obito Uchiha was closely behind him and her embrace saved his head from being cut. In a tenth of a second, Sasuke's eyes zeroed on Hinata Hyuuga's Byakugan focusing on their enemy and the fatal strike that was about to reach her head.
He did not understand it even now how the portal to another dimension was evoked that sucked them both, and released them in a safe distance, away from the enemy. Confused, she thanked him thinly and released them from the closeness.
The next moment, Naruto appeared and in a split of seconds he had Obito sealed together with Zetsus.
The death of the catalyst of the genjutsu and the summoning technique of the statue made Bijuu reappear to inform all of the shinobi people of the sacrifice of Naruto Uzumaki, who gladly gave up life in exchange for the lives of all the casualties of the war of hatred and shared the history of the Uchiha clan and of the Uzumaki clan and their predecessors.
"Then, Naruto placed his cloak on Hime and myself and left the Konoha in our care. Days later the Kage Summit announced that we are to become Hokage together within four years, which will be marked on 27th December this year,"finished Sasuke.
"My sister's birthday…" whispered Hanabi, too shocked to raise her voice,
"How did she manage to do all of that?" she asked.
"We don't know," answered Shikamaru. "No one knows."
"How could my father withdraw all of these facts?"
"Surely, he must have had his reasons," said Shikaku.
Suddenly, all of them became tense as someone entered the premise of the Nara clan. On the grass in the safe distance landed a brown dog of smart black eyes.
"You are Pakkun... " said surprised Kiba, coming closer.
"Kakashi's nin dog," finished Sasuke.
"Hi everyone. Sasuke-chan, Kakashi ordered to inform you to return to the tower. He is about to leave the report to Hokage."
"It looks like I need to take my leave now," he turned to his friends. He nodded to Nara and Yamanaka clan leaders and disappeared. Pakkun swirled in place and then followed the lead of the last Uchiha.
After a short-lived silence, Hanabi turned to Shikaku:
"Nara-sama, would you tell me more of the battlefield or what would my sister need soon?"
"I am not sure there is more to tell. As you know, we don't know lots of details, regarding the last battle. As for your sister's need for allies, please refrain from the search on your own. Please remember, you are within the compound, and your every step is monitored by the council. You are the beloved baby sister of Hinata Hyuuga, after all. Also, the more you know, the more you can compromise, even without your knowledge and intentions. None of these is personal," he replied calmly.
"Of course, Sir. But one thing, I don't understand,"
"What is it, Hanabi-sama?"
"Why would you follow the Uchiha's orders? Wasn't it for his clansmen to threaten the world four years ago?" Nara, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, Aburame and Sarutobi, all aware of the events, shared the look.
"The moment Bijuu appeared after Obito Uchiha was neutralized, they explained the great misunderstanding and neglect we served the Uchiha clan. You see, the great power of this clan derives from powerful emotions. The great loss of the clan he murdered, made Itachi Uchiha's Sharingan Eternal. From what we learnt, also Uchiha Madara lost his beloved brother to his unlimited power. Sasuke lost his clan, his family, and his dear brother to the council plotting all those years ago, and then he lost his brother and best friend in a person of Naruto, which must have traumatized him in ways we cannot comprehend. Sasuke Uchiha is not like his clansmen and he is not the enemy. The condemnation for his great losses should not be a reason for him to be criticized or ostracized, should it?"
"No, it shouldn't," admitted Hanabi solemnly, "Are you not afraid of him?"
"No, not anymore," said Kiba.
"Sasuke was a great help for all our people over the years, even though not many know of this," added Shino. "He really is trying to aid and protect the residents of this village. Only, from the shadows."
"Besides, we cannot actually ignore such a political figure," admitted Shikaku.
"A political figure? Uchiha?" asked Konohamaru with disbelief.
"We are now in good graces of our future Hokage, who does care about us. Sasuke Uchiha is also the only Uchiha who is left alone in the world, but it does not mean that he is no one. According to the law, the moment Sasuke becomes a public leader, that is when he accepts the Hokage post, or reinstates his position of the Patriarch by marriage, he will be accessed to all the wealth, the lands, and the honour of the whole Uchiha clan. None would need a greater ally than him."
"Or a greater husband than him," added Inoichi.
"Come on. Sasuke will never accept any girl. Being the Matriarch of the fallen clan is no joke. He would need an equal, and a partner. The fact that he is not exactly the most social or warm person is not helping his case either," said Kiba.
"Being a Hokage is also not a joke. He won't have time for family," said Shikamaru, placing his last piece on the board out of boredom.
"Only time will tell what will become of our silent benefactor," closed Shikaku, with it sending all his guests home.
Later, when Hanabi came back to the compound, she found her sister in the inner garden. The prison, of which she learned today. The revelations of the council with most prominent heirs in Konoha still bounced in her head.
The lanterns were lit and their yellow light was shading the single person sitting patiently on the grass.
After this day, Hanabi was certain she did not recognize this person, at least not in the same way she did. Learning all those things about Hinata from her friends, placed her older sister in a completely new light. Her sister helped save the world and defeat the enemy. She, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki. It made sense to Hanabi then, why would the last Uchiha be so… protective of Hinata. She was his comrade. Both of them saved everyone except for Naruto, the legendary hero all in the village respect and revere.
"Good evening, Hanabi-chan," said Hinata with her eyes closed.
"Good evening, Onee-chan. How was your day?"
Hanabi approached Hinata in her cell, sat next to her sister and put head on Hinata's shoulder.
"How was yours?" asked Hinata in exchange in a playful tone. Hanabi broke the contact immediately, hid the blush and smiled with the flourishing feeling of respect for Hinata's joke in such a condition.
"Fine, trained a little."
"With Konohamaru-kun, I presume"
"Whaa- How do you know?"
"Ko-nii-san told me."
"I will deal with him later," said Hanabi with a mock seriousness. In truth, all Hanabi felt this moment was great love for her sister, who bore the neglect of the Hyuuga clan council with such dignity, it nearly brought Hanabi to tears.
"Would you have dinner with me tonight, Hanabi-chan?" asked Hinata out of nowhere. Surprised, the teenager agreed and they both went back to the house.
The dinner was a very peaceful and pleasant experience, just for the two of them. After the meal the sisters went to Hanabi's bedroom, laid on her bed and shared some old stories and several laughs.
"Hanabi-chan," said Hinata after a short-lived silence.
"What is it, Nee-chan?"
"Can I ask you for a favor?"
"Sure, whatever you need," Hinata turned in a bed to Hanabi to bring her closer and look at her face to face.
Hanabi could not repress the thoughts of how beautiful her sister was. The black hair pooled around her and hid the light blue princess symbol on her forehead, hidden behind the thick bangs. Her eyes were light, with a shade of lavender of warm and peaceful expression. Her face reminded Hanabi of shiny porcelain.
She was a warrior, but was beautiful like a queen.
"Your blood," she whispered in the most silent voice, which barely reached Hanabi's ears.
"Why?"
"I can't tell you yet, sorry, but please believe me that I have more than one
reason."
Hanabi signed with resignation.
"Will you tell me later?"
"Everything. I promise," Hinata swore.
"I trust you, Tenshi," Hanabi whispered in reply, watching Hinata's face go from surprised to collected to slightly aggravated, but Hanabi snuggled in her sister's arms that lulled Uchiha Madara into death. She knew that no threat would reach her in these arms. "And I think I like Sasuke Uchiha."
"Really?" whispered Hinata in a voice that made Hanabi look at her sister's face. "Should I report it to Konohamaru-kun?"
"Nee-chan!" the girls giggled a little.
"I beg you, be careful, little sister," pleaded Hinata in her ear.
"I promise you, Hinata-onee-chan,"
"Good night,"
"Good night, sis."
Early in the morning, Hinata Hyuuga was led to and back from her scheduled examination in the private surgery of Lady Tsunade. The current Hokage was most gentle and considerate, especially given the spectators of all the examinations in person of Hinata's grandmother and two female servants.
The moment they returned to the compound the Hyuuga council reported their Heiress to be intact and the virgin as well as capable of producing heirs, and as a result ready for marriage.
Not later than in the noon, the portraits with the notification that the esteemed Lady Hinata of the Hyuuga clan searched for a husband were sent into the world.