Sasuke left the Hokage Tower heading to the busy streets of Konoha. The first session of meetings was over. As a legitimate Hokage candidate, he had a seat during the council meetings. He was certain to the core that it would prove to be the most frustrating, boring and, well, troublesome part of the job. The growling of his stomach confirmed it. First things first, though. Having a few minutes to spare, he moved to the newer part of the village with the very intention to act upon his promise.
Ten-Ten's shop was of a small, easy-to-overlook, wall with a single narrow entrance. The only source of light and the idea of the business fell through a large window. Its owner, a young woman smiled gratefully to a customer as she gave them their purchase. The moment the leaving ninja turned his back to her, she glanced through the window, noticing him instantly. She waved to him with a small smile and went out to greet him.
Sasuke also came closer, so they met at the door.
"I am sure you have more interesting things to do, Sasuke-kun," she smiled warmly instead of words of welcome.
"Promise is promise," he replied with a nod. The woman shook her head. She gave up.
"You men are impossible. You do realise I am a capable kunoichi, right? Besides, I will have to go to the Hyuuga. I have the customer there…"
"Use me, then." said the brunette instantly, as it was the most obvious solution in the world, "I have an errand to run with the clan. It is not an inconvenience," he assured promptly.
Ten-Ten looked into his eyes, searching for any lie, but he seemed to be genuine. He had been doing that a lot, lately. This silent genuine and immediate, on borderline desperate, helper... . She gave up, asked him to enter, muttering something about stubborn men.
The wooden, long box was laid before him on the counter. Ten-Ten did not open it for him, and he did not insist. Before he could even formulate a question about the recipient, she said with the unusual hardness in the brown eyes, he did not think she was capable of showing:
"Several days ago, my shop was visited by two kunoichis of the Hyuuga clan. They seemed not to see each other for a very long time and had the best time shopping together. They burdened the poor servant, I think Ko was his name, to carry all the bags. He was asked to wait outside, as the sisters came. The older one complimented my shop and said that her cousin was a customer and praised the products very much. And so she made an order for herself. She shared very clear instructions on what she needed. Even though it was not a weapon, the production proved to be difficult and I would like for her to know that. She also pressured for the order to be delivered to the compound of the Main Branch Hyuuga Clan and presented to Lady Hanabi. She seemed to be quite secretive about the whole thing, but left a pretty penny. I would really hate it if she found anything disappointing."
"I understand," was all to be said at this mission-like briefing. Ask for Ko, direct the delivery of the package to Hanabi, he understood. He nodded, collected the wooden box and was to take his leave, but Ten-Ten stopped him.
"Thank you very much, Sasuke-kun. We owe you. Promise is promise, after all," he turned to her to see her grateful and smiling. He replied with a small smile of his own and left. Only a bit later she signed heavily, noticing that she forgot a small element of completion to her order. Neji will kill her.
The heavy autumn clouds hang above the Main Branch mansion, casting an imaginary shadow on the building. Surprisingly, he did not spot the regular guards at the gate. Which did not mean he wasn't spotted as soon as he moved through the threshold.
Before he could approach the door, those opened swiftly revealing Hanabi Hyuuga. The girl stopped the moment she saw him.
"Uchiha-san," she greeted him with a nod. He replied the same and extended his arms to her.
"Hanabi-sama, I was instructed to deliver it to Ko-san, but it was ordered specifically for you. The order from Ten-Ten's shop is inside."
The impassive expression on Sasuke's face made Hanabi laugh a bit too loud and she accepted the box, saying: "Oh, I have waited for these kunais for too long."
"She wanted me to mention that the order was very difficult to complete."
"I figured this much. Thank you very much, Uchiha-san. Do you need anything apart from this?"
"Is your sister accepting visitors?", he asked casually.
"No, I am afraid not. She is not available at the moment due to clan matters," was the official reply, "Can we assist you with anything else, Uchiha-san?"
"No, my mission here is complete, then. Forgive the intrusion," they nodded their goodbyes and parted ways. Sasuke left the compound, while Hanabi returned to her sister's room to leave the box in her desk and then left the compound herself, cringing while passing the dressing room.
"...absolutely horrible, Noriko-san. This shade of red is unacceptable for our heiress," said the aunt, pressing red hair ornament to Hinata's head. She felt the metal piece hurt her scalp, but she sat there surrounded by the matrons and dealt in silence with their ideas and insolence upon the first suitor's arrival, which was to happen in two days. They surely did not waste the time. Until now Hinata did not learn the identity of her suitor, but she suspected he was not from a far land, as it did not take long for him to answer the announcement of the Hyuuga clan.
She felt the flicker of the familiar Chakra leaving the compound, and then her sister's taking her leave as well. She took a heavy breath in, as matrons decided to move to the choice of attire. One bolder than another, completely unfitting for the lady of her status. She ceased to share her opinion on the matter.
Finally, three long hours later, which concluded her presentation details, she stood up, barely feeling her numb legs. She took her steps to her room, with the trailing material of a handful of kimonos. Hinata silently left them in her room, and was about to leave, when noticed Hanabi's presence.
Hanabi, despite her exuberant personality, was a neat person, therefore, the sloppily closed drawer of the desk, made the older sister open it. Inside, she found the wooden box with an engraved symbol of the Leaf. She was about to open the box, when she noticed a small, barely noticeable black symbol of the fan.
She touched it with a finger of the right hand to witness as the black dot moved on its own, travelling on her finger to the hand and stopping on the heel of it, turning again into the fan.
The Uchiha fan.
She frowned, holding her hand in another. It was definitely a seal. Its purpose was unknown.
She frowned. She listened carefully, of what surrounded her. She looked around intensely, looking for what intruded in. Without an alarm, she noticed the movement in the corner of her desk. Hinata came closer, wary. She put the box on the desk and waited. From the bottom of drawers, the small snake slithered on it. It had grey scales and could not be longer than 30 centimetres.
"Greetings," welcomed her snake in a whisper, surprising her.
"Hello, little one," she whispered back, lowering her head to the desk, "What do you need?"
"Hinata-sama, may I enter?" asked a voice from the other side of the door. She glanced quickly in this direction, recognizing one of the maids. She placed her finger to her lips looking in the dark eyes of her tiny guests, and extended her right hand, so the snake could hide in the fabrics of her sleeve.
"Enter,"
"Forgive me, Hinata-sama, but it looks like the council will be gathering within 15 minutes and request your presence."
"What is it now about?" the heiress frowned.
"I do not know. Ko-san asked me to deliver this to you as well," she said, leaving her with a small wooden box with the symbol of Konoha on it. The maid said nothing on the larger box already on the desk of her lady. Hinata smiled then to the woman, "I will be with the council shortly. Let me just gather my thoughts. The preparation for the suitor is quite tiring."
"Of course, my lady. I will take my leave now," the servant bowed and left the room with Hinata's silent approval.
She felt as the little body moved on her forearm impatiently. She then checked the perimeter and approached the window.
"I'm sorry for this. Can I help you?" she whispered, looking straight ahead through the window. She felt the snake leave her body and sit on the windowsill.
"The message for you, my lady," hissed the snake, "The forest is open for you tonight. Come when ready,"
"Thank you very much," she softly petted the sleek head and let the familiar out. She turned quickly from the window to check the boxes, finding inside her complete order. Ten-Ten did a wonderful job in the most convenient time. Determined, Hinata left her room and went to face the council in their full body.
X X X
In the meantime, Ten-Ten left the Hyuuga compound shaken to the core. Yes, she did break her promise to Neji. Yes, she did break Sasuke's promise to Neji. Yes, Neji did tell her that the situation in the Hyuuga clan is horrible. But. What. The. Fuck?
She still had her fists clenched as she moved swiftly through the streets. The moment she had reached the Hyuuga compound, she had seen a slight comotion. The delivery of sorts had waited at the gate to be directed further. The gatekeepers had let her in without a question. Inside she had asked for Ko, as instructed.
Ten-Ten had taken a deep breath in as she waited for the man by the main door. She looked around a bit nervously. She promised Neji she would not visit this place, however, she had a business to run. Familiarity or not, the good grace of Lady Hyuuga and the future Hokage definitely would not harm her reputation and profession. She was sure this feeling of dread and anger would stay with her for a long time.
It was a cloudy day. Cold breeze hit gently the wooden facade of the Main House premise. Suddenly, from the direction of the Branch House compound arrived a small child. A boy, who could be not older than four years old, carried a large yellow lantern. Ten-ten focused on him. The boy seemed not to notice her. He had an unfocused gaze and was unhealthily pale.
"Hey, kid, are you alright?" she softly asked before she could stop herself. Hearing her voice, the child almost jumped out of his skin, blinked several times, which looked painful. Then, the woman saw a red skin under the bandage on his forehead.
The Seal, she had concluded grimly. Sadly, before she managed to check the boy's wellbeing any further, the doors to the main house opened swiftly and the child said in the unnecessarily loud and shaky voice:
"Our Lady is expecting suitors. Please forgive…"
"Thank you, Chouki-kun," said Kou. The child flew from the scene as quickly as possible.
The Hyuuga man had approached her with ease, even though his eyes were locked on the disappearing silhouette of the boy. His stoic face angered Ten-Ten to no end.
"How can the Hyuuga help you today, Ten-Ten-san?"
"What was that?" she asked seethingly.
"Please, this is not a concern of yours," he whispered almost beggingly, "Please, do not cause a scene. It will bring him much more problems," the woman's hands shook. It had taken everything in her not to lash out then. Neji had warned her that it was an ugly place, after all.
"Please, deliver it to Hinata-chan. Her order is completed. Goodbye," a soft thank you had followed her as she had left the compound.
X X X
The evening was approaching. Sasuke's eyes left the lantern-lit board of chess and turned to the darkening grass in the Nara garden. The small messenger returned. The Uchiha looked at his companions. Shikaku, Shikamaru, and Kakashi stopped whatever they did to focus on the newcomer.
Sasuke extended his hand, so his summon could slither on his arm.
"Well?", he asked.
"The message was delivered without much trouble, Sasuke-sama," the familiar replied.
"Did you find the proper one?"
"Yes, Sssir. Your Lady arrived as you instructed," Sasuke frowned on this, "She sssmells nice, like clean water. She hid me, when someone entered her cave. So kind is the Lady, Sssir."
"Will she come? Did you tell her about the forest?"
"Did, Sasuke-sama. Told her that the forest is open for her tonight. Lady thanked me and let me go. It is you, who found the proper one, Ssssasuke-sama."
"Don't talk nonsense,"
"Why, sssaw your seal on her hand. If not yours, why brand her?"
"What?" Sasuke paled.
"The Uchiha crest on her hand, Sssasuke-sama."
The silence had fallen on the Nara garden. The Uchiha lost all the words and his ability to speak, while other men bombarded him with suggestive and expectant looks.
"What is going on here, Sasuke-kun?" asked Kakashi good-naturedly, even though his dark eye held a steel glance.
"I don't know. Yes, I did leave the tracking mark on the package for her, but not on her."
"But how could a seal mark something different than you intended?" asked Shikamaru, "Your sharingan is dysfunctional again?"
"Probably," Sasuke sighed heavily, "It really is on her hand?"
"Yes, Ssssir. On the heel of her hand,"
"The lover's seal… Sasuke-kun," said Kakashi scandalised, having in mind the memory of young Obito's love conquests fresh like yesterday-old.
"Fuck," the brunette closed tightly his eyes, trying to think of any excuse he would need to give her. He only hoped no one saw it on her, before he took it back…
"Man, this will be troublesome…" groaned Sasuke, not minding the smirks of the Nara men.
X X X
It was very late in the night, further than midnight, when Sasuke landed on the border spot they agreed. Shikaku and Shikamaru as well as Tsunade all waited there already. He nodded to his companions, who focused their eyes in the appreciation of the orange cloak he brought with himself as instructed.
"Is that…?" asked Tsunade.
"Yeah, it is," Sasuke nodded, while also gazing at the cloak in his disposal, "Hime asked me to bring it here,"
"That is correct," said a voice of the expected newcomer. Hinata Hyuuga landed gracefully near them. She was dressed in a fitted black outfit, as any secretly running-from-home heiress should,
"Good evening," she nodded politely to Sasuke and Tsunade and then delivered a delicate bow to the Nara clan Head and Heir, "Thank you very much for agreeing to letting me inside your sacred forest, Nara-sama"
"You are welcome, Hyuuga-sama. Though, you are not to enter unguided. We also expect the explanation,"
"Very well. Hokage-sama, thank you for joining us. I presume you deem all the gathered here trustworthy?" said Hinata in a business-like voice.
"Of course, Lady Hyuuga. We are all here seeking the explanation to the Hyuuga clan activity, your plans as well as the reason for gathering in the Nara forest. We also are here as your allies. Shall we proceed?"
"This way," said Shikaku, turning himself to the majestic stag, no one noticed before. The man bowed deeply and the deer responded, a short gesture let the rest know the necessity to greet the deer in the same manner. The moment the animal turned, they followed into the darkened greenery in silence.
Soon they reached the glade with a large circular pond. The ferns were growing at the bank, the fireflies flew among the leaves, the moonlight danced on the surface of the water. Before Hinata the stag appeared and bowed its head, to which she responded and entered the glade confidently, leaving the boots at the border between the glade and the forest.
Her companions joined her carefully.
"What business do you have here?" asked Sasuke, eyeing her kneel on the ground and placing the seal on the small scroll he had no idea where she had hid. Then she touched it with her Chakra. Hinata silently took several steps back.
The seal started glowing silvery light that blinded and they felt the shift in the air. The great part of the glade was covered by the enormous white tiger. The animal silently checked the perimeter, leaving its emerald green wild eyes a bit longer on Sasuke and then landing on the person who summoned it.
The long strong tail swirled in the air in the appreciation, when Hinata came closer and hugged the giant head. The tiger huffed in her face, revealing the single light-blue drop on her forehead. Which she clearly expected, as the small smile appeared on her face. Then the tiger nuzzled at her right hand. Which she did not expect, because of her frown and the perplexed expression when turning her gaze towards Sasuke.
She seemed to notice him as if she saw him for the first time. She frowned and touched the great snout, instinctively. And then she approached him barefoot.
The closer she came, the brighter the moonlight was. If Sasuke would not be busy thinking of any legitimate excuse for him branding her unintentionally he needed to deliver, he would wonder how could it be this light like in the daytime.
Hinata extended her arm and showed him the little black Uchiha fan resting on the heel of her hand.
She was frowning.
He was gulping as his Sharingan appeared bright like the red moon.
Sasuke closed his eyes, trying desperately to switch the Sharingan off, but it was in vain.
"Sasuke-kun…?" he heard her. He opened his eyes, Sharingan transfixed on her bewildered white ones.
"I am sorry," he whispered. "I did not intend it. I sealed the package, so no one except you could open it. I don't know why the seal acted the way it did."
"Could you please remove it?" she asked plainly, without any reaction or comment to his explanation.
It took everything in the Uchiha not to lash out at her. He did not understand his own reactions. His hands were clenched. His eyes were raging red. His voice was even, though.
"Of course," he gently took her offered hand and pressed his finger to the Uchiha fan.
Every blood cell in his body screamed it was wrong.
The flicker of deep purple Chakra did the thing and the seal faded. At this she swirled onsite and returned to the tiger without a word.
She put her forehead on the forehead of the beast and then looked at him, Tsunade and Nara men, saying:
"This is Shiroka-sama, the Leader of Divine Tigers from White Mountain, with whom I spent the last four years. Shiroka-sama is unable to speak human language due to the curse of the God Tree placed upon the White Mountain leaders a very long time ago. We communicate through the bond. She wishes to act upon God's will in order to lift the curse. Through me. During the time I was gone, I visited the God Tree a number of times. During one of them, the issue of the White Tigers presented itself, and I decided to help. We have made a bargain, the three of us. Shiroka-sama wishes her clan curse to be lifted, the God Tree wishes to be placed in this sacred forest for the sake of the unknown, and I wish to use the presence of the God Tree here to my own advantage. As you know, I struggle with the decisions of the Hyuuga clan. During the last few days, the council made me take a medical examination and accept suitors, all while placing me far from the clan matters. They ordered matrons to spend every single minute of my day with me following the tailors and jewellers all around the house. The first suitor will arrive day after tomorrow. I don't even know who he is. His presence means no possibility for me to move from the compound. There will be more guards, and the festives probably will last quite late in the night. Whoever he is, he should spend no more than three days as a guest in a compound. I cannot predict yet what the council prepared for this time. In the meantime, they branded four children barely three years old. The children are in a bad condition, but the council forbids seeking medical help outside the clan. Their parents don't sleep and wait when they die. I let Hanabi go outside as much as possible, even though the council is dissatisfied with the heiress' duties neglected. She cannot be inside the clan, if Neji is out of the village. This is too dangerous. Which means, amazingly on time, we managed to meet today. Thank you," she looked and sounded grateful.
"How do you want to deal with the council, Hinata?" Tsunade asked, crossing her arms under an abundant chest.
"I want to demolish the council, the way they destroy our clan, politically and in terms of power. However, the coup is out of the question. The Uchiha clan was the best example of the outcome, and it is not my intention to follow it. It left too many tormented souls, while souls that should be tormented are not more than a few. I hoped you could help me with fighting them politically, Hokage-sama," the blond nodded firmly.
"What about their power? Last time we talked, you said you didn't know whom to trust," noticed Sasuke, forgetting about his mixed feelings from not so long ago.
"And I still don't, at least not to the level I wished I did. White Divine Tigers shared old knowledge with me that can help me save Branch House members from the seal. As many as possible."
"You want to reduce the manpower the council has in their grasp." filled Shikaku, silent until now.
"That's correct, Sir. The less Hyuuga members have the seal, the less people the council can blackmail and threaten, the less servants they will have, the less eyes everywhere to report to the council."
"Can you remove their seal safely?" asked Tsunade.
"I believe I can. Otherwise, Naruto-kun would not recommend it," she replied with a small smile.
"Naruto…" Tsunade also smiled nostalgically, looking at the ground so no one would see the tears swirling inside amber eyes, "You can still talk with him?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course, that was his promise and his promises are never broken. That was his ninja way, after all. This seal he left me," she touched her forehead, "allows me to communicate with Shiroka-sama and with Naruto and with the God Tree. As long as I love. And I love my clan, very very much," she then smiled, a full smile.
Sasuke thought it was actually the very first time she smiled this way. Something stirred inside his chest. Also, he could not shake the feeling; this could be exactly what Itachi said and did, out of love for his clan. So, she was like Itachi.
"What did you mean by saying that God Tree wants to be here?" asked Shikaku, "Isn't the God Tree left behind on the battlefield. Did something happen to that Tree?"
"This is something I do not understand myself. God Tree is omnipresent, which is why the sacred tree should not be necessary everywhere. I know of the one we left in the battlefield, one was placed in the Land of Iron, near the White Mountain, and there is ground being prepared in the Land of Waterfall."
"Waterfall? What do you mean 'the ground is being prepared'?" asked Sasuke, recalling his conversation with Neji, not so long ago. In the Waterfall he…
"The ground there is soaked with the blood of the innocent," she replied grimly, "As it was here, apparently," she turned to the small lake.
"How would you know that?" whispered Shikamaru.
"The God Tree," was her short reply.
"Is a new sacred tree for God a good or a bad thing?" Shikamaru asked more.
"I don't know," Hinata answered truthfully, "However, I think I can help with it if it isn't. I would like to speak more with all of you, but I would hate to keep Shiroka-sama here all night. Would you allow me to proceed with the ritual?"
"You said you will use the tree to your advantage. In what sense, exactly?" asked Shikaku.
"Recovery," she replied, "Don't worry, I will secure the Tree, so it will not invade the forest. Otherwise, we would not be allowed in here," with this assurance, Shikaku Nara nodded his consent.
Without further delays, Hinata turned to Shiroka. She connected their foreheads, their communication approach became obvious for all the gathered. Then, Hinata made several steps away from the tigress, who stomped on the ground and summoned a huge sealed jar. Then, the tigress moved further and summoned a giant purplish seed, which glowed a bit.
Sasuke was startled a bit by the brunette, when she appeared next to him and silently asked for the orange cloak. Mechanically, he gave her the piece of clothing. She put it on her and it flashed with the brilliant golden light of Naruto's Chakra. With this she took the seed and went to stand on the surface of the water and walked unceremoniously to its middle.
Sasuke was unable to stop his legs from going near the banks, when suddenly Hinata submerged into the dark pond. The silence hit his ears.
Hinata finally returned to the surface, still shining with golden light. Neither she nor her clothes were wet, which made Sasuke frown. She shook the cloak from her arms, it fell on the ground losing its shine instantly and bowed to the huge jar, opened it and put her hand inside.
To her hand was attached the string of liquid blood, which followed her back to the pond. She let the blood mix with the water and then started moving near the banks. Hinata seemed to ignore the fact that the water appeared to be boiling. She focused on making hand seals, placing them on the water and moving swiftly to another part of the circular banks of the sacred ponds. Uchiha noticed the slight flickers of Chakra, white and purple, that were felt behind her.
He was forced to change his focus to something else, the moment the surface of water exploded and the full crown of the leaves appeared, followed by the sturdy trunk, and the roots, which launched an attack on Hinata.
Dear All,
My sincere apologies for not updating earlier. The depression, the hospital and life happened :) All will be good now.
Thank you to all the readers and reviewers who deemed this story worthy of their precious time. Thank you for your words of impatience, appreciation and blessings, they are such a joy to read. I would like to deliver something good to you too: be healthy and happy and at ease, and do not give up; after every storm, the sun comes out - believe it.
I hope you will find some pleasure and enjoyment in this story, which I hope to continue until the very end, though irregularly.
Hugs and kisses from Poland :)