Chapter 5: First mission.
A/N: This chapter will help you to understand how the missions went for SasuHina. You can see that on the first mission itself Hinata was reminded that world is a cruel place and is faced with hard choices. You can also understand how a peace loving Hyuga would demand revenge.
Follow The Empaths for Life for suspense fan fictions like this.
…
…
…
Hinata stepped her foot within Kumogakure border where two officials came to receive her and Sasuke. They didn't bring any strong shinobi with them for protection. Either they put too much faith in her to restrain the Uchiha or they were plain thoughtless but then you never know with Kumo. Her father says that the people here call the Konoha ninjas 'dogs' because of their indiscernible loyalty to their village. Maybe they think Sasuke won't harm them because he was a pet. Regardless it was an absurd idea.
But obviously a whole nation wouldn't be calling them names, right? Besides Kumo had stood behind Konoha in the fourth great ninja war so she now doesn't believe in prejudices anymore. However, she would still be cautious because she knew what her eyes are worth, the same one they had tried to steal in the past and failed. They had caused other damage though, something an upcoming generation of the Hyugas suffered through.
"Those cloud nins never got to pay for my brother's blood"
Maybe it was her father's hate talking in her head. He hadn't liked the cloud shinobis and had sneered at them unbearably. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that it was likely well deserved but even then Hinata wouldn't let her past cloud her judgement. War causes more wars and this cycle wouldn't end if one doesn't give up on revenge and hate. Hinata was better than this, Hinata would never want revenge.
She knew what happens to those who walk on the path of retribution. Yes, just like the avenger who currently stood there looking up at the sky. Strong winds blew away his now growing hair from the unnaturally sculpted and well-built face. His chiselled jaw, proud nose, his shapely lips and legendary eyes seemed to have been proportioned to that scientific golden ratio of beauty. He never looked human to Hinata, not ever but when she would turn his way he always had that vulnerable crease on his face. Sasuke Uchiha and vulnerable didn't belong in the same line.
But then why at the moment he appeared weak and broken?
Like someone who had given up on life but was still there for the wishes of his dead brother and for the promises made to his best friend.
It wasn't just his mental being that Hinata assumed to be deteriorating though as he physically had too begun to rust like an iron rod in constant need of polishing but she had heard that he was apprehensive of medical care. He didn't like to be touched as well experiencing his harsh attitude towards her when she had placed her chakra restraining seal on him.
Now he wasn't exactly built like Naruto who had a broad stature but he had a lean body with towering height. Maybe his weight had been compensated for his growth but would his ribs be showing through clothes? That isn't normal- She worried as he was losing a lot of muscle mass like he was sick. Was it because of the seal? She had to ask him but the fact that he hadn't spoken to her even once discouraged her shy nature even more. He would either glare at her or disregard her very being.
He had always been distanced in the academy but after his return from the war, he had gravitated away from interaction except for maybe Naruto and that's it. That was the horrors of war or so she had witnessed. Even she wasn't the same anymore after her cousin's death.
"This way Lady Hinata" She shuddered hearing one of the man speak. He only addressed her ignoring the presence of the once rouge ninja. Yes she was a princess, a royal blood but on missions she was kunoichi first and nothing else. The men's smiles unnerved her. Oh why it had to be Kumo for her first mission together with Sasuke?
Suddenly her vision was obstructed by the black cloak of her partner hiding the unpleasant faces of the scrutinizing men who gawked at her like a priced possession. She walked behind Sasuke, thankful as she remained hidden in the shadows of the last Uchiha. She never knew darkness could ever provide a sense of security.
…
…
…
"Do you enjoy it? The Death?" That was the last thing the man named Ito must have heard before being decapitated. He had been tortured to death trapped in a genjutsu. Nobody should ever see what he had just witnessed.
Sasuke smiles broadly like he found some strength knowing he might never know the answer to his questions. The question he asked every mortal before freeing them from this caged world.
Hinata's heart palpitated as she felt a strong nausea hit her at the gory sight. Oh how wrong was she? Sasuke wasn't getting weak like she thought or maybe he was but watching him at the moment made her cower in fear and utter disgust. He was powerful, too powerful.
As the scene unfolded before her, she realised something - that is Sasuke couldn't be contained. Now she knew who was in control of the situation. Truth be told Sasuke could kill her easily, he would but for kami's sake she was still at his mercy or at least she wasn't interesting enough to warrant the Uchiha's wrath. She hoped fate would keep it that way.
Ito and his men were ambushed by Sasuke and her or more like by Sasuke. She had only killed a few when they attacked her but her partner went on full rampage slicing the guts, dismembering the limbs and severing the heads. Those heads would then roll off as their eyes would settle on them with their mouths hanging loose. They would realise a moment after what just happened as their lifeless eyeballs would peer at them like they were death personified. She felt disturbed. What a horrible way to go from this world? Sasuke must find some inclination in putting them to sleep because this was outright horrendous and she couldn't stand it.
Ito was a child rapist and so were his large gangs. They moved in groups snatching and raping children. She couldn't understand what kind of twisted pleasure they derived from doing this. Yes, they were the atrocious types who showed perverse interest in innocent souls like children but did they deserve this inhumane treatment. It was like these kinds of crimes have increased after the war as the leaders were busy piecing the structure together among broken shambles of law.
"Are you killing that one Hyuga?" Sasuke pointed his Katana at her and her eyes enlarged. She had kept one man alive because it was demanded in the mission. They had to gather Intel on them.
"Kumo wants this one alive. They want to know if they are involved in some kind of sex trafficking" Hinata tried to keep her speech steady but still it wavered. She knew his kinds well; they could smell the fear from a long distance. Sasuke was a predator who was attracted to someone with fear and if he gets a hint of suppressed fright in her, he would torture her the same way he has done to others.
"I don't care. Hand him over to me" His voice was like icy cold fingers caressing her nape threatening to squeeze the life out of her. Even with more than eighty per cent of his chakra sealed, he was still a danger standing tall like a wall.
She took her stance, protecting the criminal because she couldn't just go against the mission. She had never done this. It was unheard of. "Sasuke-san please" She tried to plead with him because in no way he would defy the council.
"He deserves to die Hyuga" In a flash lightning crossed past her and she was blinded for a second. She knew the man was dead when her nostrils inflamed with the smell of burning skin. Sasuke's chidori had pierced the man's flesh. He had killed the man and she dropped down on her knees still shaking.
She had instinctively moved away at the last second when Sasuke charged. Would he have struck her too? One look into his red eyes and she knew he would have if she hadn't avoided his lightning jutsu. Her defensive stance was useless. Nothing could stand between him and his desire to exterminate. He was a harbinger of loss and misery.
"Why?" She uttered.
"I have already collected the information they want" He said coolly as if he hadn't just killed three times of a dozen men in this ground.
He turned towards her wiping blood from his mouth and she lifted her head to meet eyes with him. Something had changed she grasped.
He seemed a bit lively than before.
…
…
…
"We asked you to bring us one man" They had been mad when Hinata and Sasuke returned empty-handed.
"Why is that you failed the mission?" Just like she had anticipated they counted it as a failure and she wondered if she would always be a disappointment in her life just like her father had once predicted.
Sasuke was sitting at the large window. One of his legs was hanging off the ledge while the other was folded under him. He seemed bored, uninterested in this geopolitical conversation that didn't benefit him but the Konoha. Hinata sat in the middle of the Raikage's office, feeling small in front of all these large men in the room. The air was stifling and the heavy downpour of rain didn't ease her situation. She couldn't comprehend why Sasuke would choose a seat that was getting him wet from the large splashes of rain drops. Everybody disregarded him though like he didn't exist and of course the Uchiha enjoyed it.
The tanned faces of Kumo leaders displayed anger. She gulped a little and admitted to herself that they were indeed scary looking. She considered her plans of escaping because they gave the impression that they could attack the duo at any time. Sasuke already sat near the window making his flee easier. She was the agile one and she could rotate faster to create a vortex and push them back. The rain would obscure the vision of their pursuers and they wouldn't be able to track their smell. Yes, sure cloud nins knew that territory better but her Byakugan provided her 360o vision. She would definitely find a way . . . She shook her head what was she even thinking? She couldn't run away, it would forever destroy Konoha's relationship with Kumogakure and it wouldn't be so easy to run off especially with these two men present here – The Raikage and his brother.
They couldn't dare shake the foundation of foreign relations especially not after the fresh end of a war. The situation was still volatile and Konoha was on the verge of many receiving ends of repercussion.
Why you might ask? Because they believed that Konoha was the one to bring this war on them. Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Obito and lastly Uchiha Sasuke were all Konoha rouge nins and not to forget the terror of the Akatsuki over the whole world that had been orchestrated by them. Even though Naruto and Sasuke (albeit being Konoha nins) ended the war, it didn't matter. Konoha was considered even a bigger traitor when they refused to turn in Sasuke, the world criminal and denied capital punishment. Naruto had fought tooth and nail to protect the last Uchiha.
"Yo girl! Tell us why y'all fail, why you look so pale?" Killer Bee posed like some heavy weight champion but he looked ridiculous to all. Raikage slammed his desk and that instantly put a stop to his brother's antic at once.
She knew killing that man would cause a problem but she had tried to stop Sasuke. They were given two pictures- one was of their leader Ito and the other of the man that they weren't provided a name with. They were ordered to capture the unnamed guy alive at all cost and eliminate others. She was told that he was the coordinator to the gang and held imperative information that could help them. She had cornered the man as soon as they had stumbled upon the group and some of the members had tried to shield him but Hinata eventually had rendered him unconscious while getting rid of others. She gathered that the man must have been really important for them.
"You killed him" One of the men who looked like a rich noble stood up. His eyes were bloodshot and he was furious. "I told you to never trust these Konoha dogs"
Hinata flinched as she listened to him, the words of her father infiltrating the realms of her mind. Why now? She questioned herself as panic set in. She tried to fix her breath. She needed to calm down.
"We were attacked and caught off guard. There was no time to single out that man" Hinata lied, the only way to get out of this situation.
"No you bitch, you killed my-" The man was then cut off by the only left arm of their Raikage. When did he move that fast? Hinata could only stare in amazement. Even in all this commotion Sasuke had kept his eyes closed enjoying the drops of cool water on his face. The only indication that he had noticed it was through the slight twitch of his lips.
"Enough" Raikage roared. "I believe they tried their best"
"Yes and he was a vile man. It doesn't matter, if he is dead. A criminal like him shouldn't roam free" A boy near their age spoke. She remembered his name was Durai. Naruto had told her that he would be the next successor of the Raikage. Currently, he served as a bodyguard to his leader.
The ones who were loyal to the Raikage agreed that the death of the man meant nothing and instead they relieved that a monster was gone. She wondered in confusion if the man wasn't that significant then why were they told to bring him alive. It didn't make sense.
Soon an argument broke out.
"You can't just disregard life like that, criminal or not. Haven't you seen the condition of the corpses?" Someone to her right spoke. "Why kill them like that?"
While someone on her left barked "So you would let a rapist like him walk on Earth so he could keep ravaging more children. Would you want this to happen to someone you love?"
Hinata clutched the fabric of her pants tightly. Why did it feel like the conversation hit home?
"So even after war we learn nothing"
"The evils should be put to death before they become a nuisance"
"So we humans are just fodder for you"
"No but criminals are"
"Then while you are at it why don't we put this rouge Uchiha under his grave"
Hinata's eyes became large in dread; figuring things might go wrong in this foreign land. Did Naruto trust her enough to handle …. this? Was she even capable?
She couldn't let Naruto down like this not when he put his blind faith on her. She had pledge her life for the Hokage and she would. She had learned it from him that she would never go back on her words. She would never back down. Not now nor ever.
"He isn't a rouge ninja. He is a Konoha shinobi at your service" She reminded them.
"Yes the same village he took an oath to destroy" The same noble man from earlier debated but she held her head high, the least she had inherited from her Hyuga bloodline.
"Yeah the same village he protected along with the world. He has already proven his loyalty" She finished her sentence with exasperation. Why can't people let go of past?
Everyone stared in wild amazement. It was rare to see a Hyuga defend an Uchiha and with such passion. She blinked at them and registered that even Sasuke was observing her in mild amusement. Finally, he descended from his peculiar choice of audience bench.
"You want information. I have it all so you can call your interrogating team" Sasuke looked at them blankly and pointed towards his head. Hinata was bewildered, he was ready to let them infiltrate his mind.
The Raikage looked down on him. The hate for the young Uchiha was evident in his eyes. "Very well"
Soon the interrogating team came and Sasuke walked ahead, his eyes glued to her and she couldn't look away.
…
…
…
It was only after months that he opened up to her. She didn't know what compelled him to do so.
"The man that Kumo had asked us to bring back alive, was the real leader of the gang" He told her the truth.
The rabbit's meat that Hinata had been skinning fell from her clutch and she gazed at him in surprise. Sasuke had hunted it as usual and Hinata would prepare the meal for them. Once in a while they would switch their roles but Hinata had found that the Uchiha was a terrible cook who had burned their dinner to ashes on more than one occasion. So she begrudgingly took the chores of cooking.
"He was the real Ito and the one we were informed to be the leader was the fake one" Sasuke continued when he saw that she wouldn't open her mouth.
"What?" She didn't believe it, not even a single word that poured out from his mouth because that would mean that Kumogakure lied to them. They purposely hid the identity of the actual leader and placed a puppet in his place so as to deceive them.
"That man . . . the noble – Ito was his son" Sasuke explained staring into the fire he had started so Hinata could use it to roast the meat.
Hinata gasped a little now understanding the hurt and anger behind the man's eyes when he heard about Ito's death. Ito was his son? So that is why Kumo wanted him alive so as to appease the rich man. The leaders have to keep peace with those who are economically abundant in order to support the masses.
"I killed him because I knew they would have set him free. He would have never been punished" He sounded sad and tired as if he was done with the shenanigans of the world. "Criminals like him don't deserve to live just like me -"
"Sasuke-kun!" Hinata had never raised her voice but it came upon her suddenly. "Why are you telling me this now?"
His matched eyes glowed in the fire light –One fiery red and the other purplish hell. Something evil waited behind them.
"Why you ask?" He tilted his head. His long hair cast harsh shadows on his countenance. He has now started resembling his dead brother more day by day. "You have the right to know the monsters that lurk in the shadows"
The air in her lungs was knocked out when she precisely understood what monsters he was talking about.
…
…
…
After the attack
Hinata slowly opened her eyes but she couldn't see a thing. The only thing that surrounded her was darkness and nothing else. She tried to activate her Byakugan but an intense headache threatened to spilt open her skull in two. She panicked remembering she had been attacked before by some men for her eyes.
She was about to call out for help when a strong hand latched onto her lips silencing her screams. "Shh …you are safe now"
That voice. She could recognise that voice anywhere. It is the same voice she had been hearing for two years and it was driving her mad. She struggled even more recalling how he declared her as his and had the guts to kiss her.
He sighed near her ears and the hairs in the back of her neck stood up in terror. When she froze in alarm, he gently traced back his hand back to his side.
"Don't bother try to use your dojutsu" He claimed. "They had managed to hit you behind your head giving you concussion"
She just listened to him, her chest rising up and down. Her lashes were stuck to each other with wetness that came forth because of the pain that racked her body. She was sure she had lost a lot of blood as she felt light headed and weak. Her ribs hurt, they must have shattered. The bones in her hands and legs were not in any better condition. If they don't get treatment fast, she would get an infection. She tried to collect chakra in her palm but to her concern she just couldn't summon it. She breathed even faster now which stung her, her anxiety in the verge of breaking in.
"I – I . . ." Even talking was agonizing. "Chakra . . . I can't"
"Hn" He just hummed and said nothing. "Sleep Hinata"
"No I –" She refused but still gave in to his commands unconsciously. Even though her mind cried at her to stay awake, she couldn't follow. It won't cost her anything if she slept for just a few more hours, right?
She had been slipping in and out of her consciousness for days but the next time she awoke, she couldn't tell how long she had been out there cold. She could now see some light in her vision though they were not clear. She figured out that she was in some kind of dark room and the only light that was available to her was a candle. The walls were rough and some strange patterns were scribbled on them. There was a large wooden door on the foot of her bed and besides that nothing fancy occupied the space. She then moved her eyes to her side before fixating on a blob of darkness and she yelped. The eyes staring back at her were familiar.
"Sasuke? Where am I?" She asked but there was no answer. He yet again marginalized her like she was nothing. She wouldn't tolerate it no longer like she had in the past. She tried to sit but her body ached like it had never before. She bit her lips when sharp needle like pain travelled through her extremely hot body and she had an inkling of suspicion that she was feverish. Her infection, she mused, were acting up. She would be dead if she doesn't get proper medical care and only person could cure her fast enough and that person was in Konoha.
"I am n-not feeling …g-g-ood. I w-want to go h-home" She mouthed to the Uchiha who still didn't react looking dangerously uncaring.
"S-Sasuke -"
"No" He expressed obviously.
Hinata deflated.
"M-my i-injuries are i-infected" She had not stuttered for years. Why is it coming back now?
"I know" He deadpanned.
She tried again. "I need t-treatment or I will die"
"You won't" He finalised as if his words were written in rocks. He was stubborn but why wasn't he willing to take her to Konoha. She needed treatment. Did he want to watch her die slowly?
"Why n-not?" She enquired.
"Just shut up" Sasuke cautioned her as he came out of the shadows and she was able to look at him properly. He looked insane, his eyes red adorned with dark circles. He hadn't slept for days guarding her and taking care of her. His long hair had reached past his shoulder but they looked unwashed and dishevelled. He was thinner than ever, all bones and no meat. How many days had passed? Was he not eating anything?
"If I take you to Konoha, they will kill you" He answered almost in hushed tones, afraid the walls might hear them conversing. Hinata had never witnessed him like this. He has lost his mind. Why would anyone try to kill her?
Maybe he was just being paranoid? Or did he really believe in that? Could he even hear himself?
"N-no … no one is t-trying to k-kill me. I was t-targeted for m-my eyes "
He placed a finger on her chin and brought her closer to him. He wanted her to understand him better. The glimpse of sane Sasuke peeked through. His eyes became keen and bright, intelligent again.
She had hoped too early and he crushed it not too callously.
"I will break your legs if I have to but you are not stepping a foot in Konoha" She inhaled sharply, her body quivering with something more than just distress.
Her fingers quickly attempted to form the seal to destroy him, he was just another monster but he was faster. He held her hands in his tight grip and she endeavoured her chakra channels so it would burn him but again to her horror, she couldn't use her chakra as if it was already sucked out of her and she was dry.
She would not yield though so she still tried to move her digits. "You don't take me seriously Hyuga"
His clamp on her fingers increased tenfold snapping the bones like wooden stick. Hinata screamed as her body hurled over in agony.
"Don't worry I will find a way to heal you. I promise" The Uchiha stood on his legs to move away from her. "But Konoha is not safe for you now"
She had never cursed anyone in her life ever but she does now – the very existence of the last Uchiha. "Liar. Liar. Liar" She repeated over and over.
Sasuke didn't care though as he continued his speech over hers quieting her. "The men that attacked you earlier were sent by Konoha"
Her doll like glassy eyes, were just as large as saucers indicating that she didn't expect him to say that.
"No" She uttered, her physical body failing to comply any longer.
It can't be.
Were these the monsters Sasuke was trying to warn her before?
…
…
…
These were some of the incidents of missions that Sasuke and Hinata were together. Review and let me know your thoughts.