Hello.
"Divine intervention feels better when you do it yourself."
"What is our destination?"
Sasuke's voice brought Hinata back from her world. Despite the fact that she was supposed to show him around the village, she was the one who had fallen behind.
"There is a small locale not far from here where they serve good food. I discovered it during one of my evening walks around the village."
"Do you often take such walks?"
Hinata nodded.
"Alone?"
"Not all the time…" She hesitated, then answered truthfully. "Most of the time."
"I didn't think a Hyuga princess would lack for company."
Hinata was taken aback by the moniker. Others had called her that in her youth, but she did not expect it from Sasuke. Was it an attempt at teasing or he simply thought of her what many others did?
"So says the Uchiha prince with nobody to show him around the village." She intended to tease him back, but only realized the bite in her remark once the words were already out.
"Hm. Fair point." Much to her relief, there was a hint of joviality in his tone.
"And I would like to make it known that I have who to go on walks with…" She decided to push her luck.
"Oh? I might have who to show me around Konoha as well, then." His lips twisted into a grin.
"It's just… My friends are…"
"Loud? Nosy? Utterly incorrigible?"
"Different…" Hinata concluded with a chuckle.
The tension and awkwardness present mere moments ago started to fade.
"I'm glad it's you – that you are the one showing me the village, I mean."
And slowly but surely, those feelings gave way to comfort and glee.
Despite the setting chill of the evening, she felt warm. Ahead of them, through the streets, the people of Konoha were retiring to their homes, completing their routines. This was her favorite time of the day – when the village was slowing down again and settling into the comfortable thought of a well-earned rest. Sasuke seemed to relax as well. The typical frown of his was ever present, but she could see the difference in how he carried himself now, as compared to when they were on mission.
"We are nearly there. It's just around the corner."
[…]
The locale in question was not much to look at but it did evoke a sense of coziness every time she crossed its entrance. Hidden in one of the back alleys of Konoha's central district, it had started small, but due to the reputation of its good dishes, the owners – an old couple who never failed to treat Hinata to an extra slice of her favorite desert – had managed to grow it steadily into a flourishing business.
"Good evening and welcome!"
Sasuke finished untying the bonds of his cloak before facing the young woman who greeted him.
"Oh, Lady Hinata. Such a pleasure to have you back."
"Thank you, Chiguru. Is it a busy evening?"
"Quite the opposite, Lady Hinata. Things have calmed down quite a bit since the Daimyo's visit ended. Please, come in. Make yourselves comfortable. I'll let mother and father know that you've arrived."
"Please… There is no need to trouble them on my account. We would simply like a table and a chance to experience your delicious cuisine." Hinata looked intently at Sasuke who seemed rather undecided on whether to leave his sword with the cloak. The young helper went silent at the sight of the weapon, but seemed to ease up when the man finally unbuckled his leather harness and propped up the blade against the wall.
"Erm… Right. Well, other than yourselves, there is one more couple that came in just before you, and a few more regulars, so feel free to take your pick of the available tables and I'll be with you shortly."
Hinata winced at the portrayal of her and Sasuke as a couple, especially given the most recent misunderstanding, but felt that correcting the girl would only invite Sasuke's attention to the topic.
"Thank you, Chiguru."
Sasuke parted the fabric that separated the entryway from the dining hall and made his way through with his guide closely in tow.
"Do you have any preference on where you would like to sit?"
"…"
"Sasuke?" She peered over his shoulder at the room, seeking the answer to why he had suddenly stopped. Everything was the same as she remembered it.
Though not a large room by comparison to other, more known establishments, the row of tables before them were spaced well enough and separated by booths for the sake of privacy. The scent of recently cooked food tugged at the senses and sure enough, just as Chiguru had informed her, a few of the tables in the front were taken. It was only as she followed his gaze towards the back of the hall that she saw the reason for his reaction. In the left corner, peaking from behind the walls of a booth, Hinata noticed the familiar shades of blonde and pink.
"Oh, Sasuke!" Naruto's voice boomed before either of the two newcomers could take another step.
A sigh was all Hinata heard before the man next to her raised his hand to greet the two other members of Team 7.
[…]
"This is nice, isn't it? I can't remember the last time we all sat down to eat something." Naruto eyed the appetizing contents of the bowl in front of him. "With Sasuke always being away from the village, me and Sakura hardly ever get the privilege of his company." He snickered towards Hinata.
"I'm right here, you know…"
"Must have taken quite the convincing to get him out for an evening." The blonde continued, unhindered by the remark.
"Actually, it was me who asked Hinata for assistance in refamiliarizing myself with the village. Thanks to Kakashi, it seems I'll be staying in Konoha longer than I had intended." He made no effort to hide his disagreement with the Hokage's decision.
"Well, I'm not quite sure why you need somebody to show you around… This is your home, after all. Besides, you could have asked me, you know?"
"He already has somebody to do that, Naruto." Sakura intervened, after eyeing Hinata for the longest time.
"But I'm to be the next Hokage. I know Konoha like the back of my hand. I can always make time for- Ow!" Sakura's hand dropped on his shoulder and squeezed; her smile undaunted by the pang of sudden pain on Naruto's face.
"I'm certain Hinata is more than up to the task." She winked towards the flustered kunoichi in a manner that lacked any subtlety.
Hinata's first, flustered reaction was to check for Sasuke's, but if he caught the undertone of Sakura's words, there was no hint of it.
"And how come you two are out together? I don't remember any invitation to a reunion of Team 7." Hinata breathed a sigh of relief when Sasuke directed the conversation onto them.
"Well… we're just out for a meal, and… you know…"
"Naruto…"
"Ugh... Look, he's gonna find out sooner or later, especially if he spends more time in the village."
"Find out that you two are together?"
"Wha-? No! I mean…" Sakura's eyes dropped to the bowl in front of her. "Y-yes. You knew already, then?"
The Uchiha pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"You two are such idiots. Neither of you are any good at being subtle…"
"…"
"…and you live in a shinobi village. I've never had a reason to mention it, but this…" he eyed them each in turn "…is a secret only in your heads."
His former team mates stared for a moment at each other, as sudden realization washed over them, then, in unison, their eyes snapped to Hinata, expectantly. Lost for words at the bluntness of the exchange and now with the couple staring her down, all she could muster was a meek nod of confirmation.
Sasuke had the right of it, of course. Everybody in the village knew of the two's romantic affiliation. She, herself, had seen them holding hands for the first time a little over a year ago, at a flea market where they must have thought themselves hidden by the crowd. To her own surprise at the time – and admittedly, relief – she harbored no ill feelings at the sight. If anything, it was a testament that despite the war and everything they had witnessed as shinobi, people moved on, always seeking happiness. It gave her hope that one day she could do the same.
"Well… I guess that saves us the trouble of planning a big reveal, huh?" Naruto was the first of the two to bounce back from the shock, his typical bright smile now returned to his features.
[…]
Eito Fuku focused on the shadows that formed in the dancing light of the torch held by the guard ahead of him. For a moment he could have sworn the wall was alive. He despised coming down here, descending the stone staircase that seemed to never end, as it spiraled ever downwards into the dark depths of the maze around him; breathing the fetid air that smelled of sepsis and rot. The perfumed cloth he kept at the ready was proving less and less sufficient as he and his guards descended. He cursed the Uchiha again under his breath. This was all his fault.
"We're here, Lord Fuku. I see the door." The captain of the Daimyo's personal guard was a heavily built man, clad in traditional fire nation armor. An acquaintance of the current Daimyo from the time before he rose to the position, Eito had seen the man comfortable on both a battlefield, as well as in the streets that comprised the underbelly of the capital. Yet, now, he was wound up and nervous. Eito could hear it in his tone, see it in the way he moved, akin to an animal walking into a bigger predator's den.
The hinges on the massive door cracked loudly once, then screeched as it came open. Before them, another long corridor awaited, with walls the tint of rust, but this time, lit by electric lamps. As he pressed forward, Eito saw smaller hallways breaking off, leading to large laboratories in pristine conditions. His associate was nothing if not diligent.
"My lord Fuku… Such a pleasure to see you again.": The voice seemed to come from all around the group, echoing through the maze and dissipating as it reached its many chambers. The captain instinctively reached for his weapon but Eito rose his hand in protest before the blade saw light.
"I have no time for your antics, Ao. Show yourself."
"No time… No time…" The voice echoed again. "Is it because you are so old? Old and grumpy… Never enough time for men like you. Never enough…"
"Show yourself!" Another guard finally snapped; his knuckles white from the grip on his sword.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I really can't stomach weapons." This time the voice came directly from behind them in a low, murderous whisper.
When Eito turned, he came face to face with a lithe woman, wearing an immaculate white kimono that contrasted her raven locks. Though her face was covered by a featureless grey mask, he could never mistake the blood red color which stood out from behind the eye holes.
"I come with a mission for one of your pet projects, Ao. The time has come to test them."
The woman ignored him, seemingly captivated by the guard captain, circling the man and tilting her head at odd angles to make muttered observations.
"Can I have him? He'd make a good subject for some of my tests."
The captain knew better than to voice his concerns, but his eyes moved from her to his master, unmistakably worried.
"I've paid you generously in both coin and flesh. You will cease immediately and give me what I came for."
"My, my… but you are in a foul mood today…"
"You can blame your accursed kin for that. Sasuke Uchiha interfered with our plans. That is why I need one of your own…"
"Sasuke…" The word dripped from her mouth like slow killing poison. "Very well… Come with me."
The chamber she took them to was as tall as five men and wide as the Daimyo's ballroom. At the center of it, dug a few meters deeper than the floor, was a pit. The layer of fine sand and weapon marks on its walls made Eito realize its purpose.
"An arena? This is where you train them?"
"It is… though recent tests have proven its inadequacy. With the samples of the ten-tails you provided, the potential of my serum has increased tenfold. I've catalogued tremendous results before the subjects expired. Unfortunately, the enormous strain on the body causes muscles to rip and organs to fail within minutes of imbibing the formula, but one cannot experience godhood without paying a price."
Their host clapped her hands and in the next instant, several bodies flickered into existence around them.
"These are my weapons. The candles that I offer… and how bright they shall burn for you, lord Fuku."
"They're…. They're just children…" The captain's voice shook with disbelief as he observed them in turn; none of them seemed like they had more than fifteen summers under their belt, yet the look in their eyes was akin to veterans.
"Yes. Children. My children." Ao piped up with glee in her tone. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Men and women make for poor subjects… Their minds already full with life's woes by the time they reach me. These ones, however… full of potential. Like clay ready to be molded into whatever I envision."
"Which one of these is your best? The task I present cannot suffer failure."
A boy stepped forward and took a knee before Eito. He was a scrawny little thing; slightly taller than his peers, but this only made his arms and legs look all the more thin. Some of the cuts and bruises on his body were visible through the flimsy fabric he wore, but beneath the strands of dirty blonde hair that half-covered his eyes, Eito saw determination and, more importantly, compliance.
"What is your name, boy?"
"…" The child raised his hand towards Eito, palm open. On his wrist, the numbers Two Four and One were inked.
"He does not have one. None of them do. It's a waste of time for me to try to memorize them. While their minds are ripe with potential, their bodies are… Eh… Less sturdy than I would prefer. Those few that make it through the training process get assigned numbers. This one in particular surprised even me. He's one of the oldest and definitely a survivor."
"And now I send him to his death…" Eito hesitated for just a moment, pitying the young lad.
"That is his purpose." Ao spoke. "What he was before matters little. A weapon cares not for its past."
"Is that true, boy? Are you the weapon your… mother praises you to be? A weapon does not care whether it strikes friend or foe. A blade does not discern between enemy and kin. Would you kill your brothers if I were to ask? Would you obey my orders even if it brought about the death of thousands?"
The boy rose to his feet and stared into Eito's eyes. Without a word, his right hand formed a fist which he brought to his chest. Eito's feelings of pity towards him turned to pride, at the sight.
"Hmph. Would that all weapons were like you…" Would that all shinobi were like you… He muttered to himself. "Very well, then. Listen carefully, boy, for the task that I entrust to you will decide the future of our world."
Eito took a deep breath.
"Your mission is to infiltrate the Water Nation's capital and assassinate my son, Itsuki Fuku..."
[…]
"Did you enjoy your meal, after all?"
"Yes."
"Just… yes?" Hinata skittishly prodded him.
"I believe I've told you before… To me, food is food. The taste only lingers for a moment."
He felt guilty when he noticed her disappointed pout.
"If it is of any consequence, the taste was good…" He corrected and saw the pout turn into a smile.
"Perhaps another dish will be more to your liking."
"Perhaps…" He frowned, realizing the worrisome fact that her presence had been more to his liking that the meal itself. "…if you would accompany me again."
"We will try again and again until you recognize the value of a well-cooked meal!" Sasuke admired her persistence. The topic seemed to bring out a more fiery side of hers to the surface; something he had not noticed existed during their mission. "And if we exhaust our options, I can even try cooking something for you..."
"I doubt I will be staying long enough to sample every dish in Konoha…"
His words seemed to deflate her enthusiasm almost immediately and silence settled in again as they walked the empty street back to the Hyuga compound.
"You don't seem to enjoy Konoha very much." Hinata eventually spoke out in a low tone, her mind tracking back to the moment he revealed the reason for his stay.
"I don't dislike it."
"But… you don't like it either, just like with the food."
"Hah. That is one way to draw a comparison." He mused.
"But this is your home."
"Is it? I've spent more time away from the village than within, at this point."
"This is where your friends are and your fa-" She caught herself before she spoke the word and her eyes went to the patch of ground before her feet, instantly.
"Naruto and Sakura are here, indeed…" Her blunder did not escape Sasuke's notice, but he saw no reason to point it out. "… but as you have witnessed yourself, they have a life together. Everybody here does now."
"And you feel like you are still back on that battlefield, four years ago…" The moment of Neji's death flashed before her eyes again.
"It would be cruel to have the people of this village live with a constant reminder of those times. That is why I have chosen to walk this path; to support Naruto's vision of a peaceful world in the only way I know how."
"Is that how you really see yourself? Just a reminder of the past?"
"…"
Hinata understood him more than she would allow herself to voice in that moment. She, herself, would gladly give her life if it were to spare others the dread she felt that day when the Jubi ravaged the Shinobi Alliance's forces. Yet despite their similarities, she still had friends who looked out for her. That much she could recognize and be grateful for – Shino and Kiba, her sensei and Hanabi; even her father and the rest of Konoha 11.
"It seems like a terribly lonely life to live."
"Hm. Perhaps… Although I find it difficult to complain after being escorted to dinner by a princess." Hinata's cheeks started to burn at the jest. "Speaking of which, I'm fairly certain Naruto and Sakura thought our meeting was more than just that."
"I…" Hinata's head drooped in embarrassment as she forced herself to push out the truth. "Hanabi thought the same. She called this a date. It is because of her that I came dressed as you see me."
"I should offer her my gratitude, in that case. You look radiant." Sasuke never broke his pace as he spoke, nor did he take his eyes away from the pavement stretching ahead of them, and yet, Hinata could swear she felt his gaze upon her at that moment.
"You don't mind that people think that?"
"Me? You do understand that your reputation stands to suffer more than mine from such impressions, right?"
"I find it to be a small price to pay for such distinguished company." She laughed.
Sasuke halted mid-stride to take her measure. Not many people managed to surprise him, and even fewer who could do that in a pleasant manner. "In that case, there is one more place I want to visit before the night's over. Would you like to come with?"
[…]
Even from afar and covered by the darkness of the night, the Hokage's Administrative Headquarters lorded over the neighboring buildings. Symbolically located beneath the Hokage Rock, the choice to not have it lit by night lamps had been a conscious one. Sasuke knew that despite this, the 'Red House', as it came to be commonly referred to, was guarded at all hours of the day and night by ANBU squads.
"I used to come here many times when I was young. It was my wish to view the village from the tallest building. When I was denied access during the day, I forced my luck during the night. ANBU Corps would always catch me before I reached the top, but that only made me want it more. Eventually I would simply do it for the challenge, much to the annoyance of the guards."
Hinata chuckled at his admission. "It's hard to imagine your younger self as a troublemaker. You always seemed so distant from everyone else. Well… if I think about it, not much has changed."
"Shall we, then?"
"What?" One of her eyebrows rose in genuine confusion.
"Get that nice view."
"But the ANBU will… stop us."
Sasuke ran his hand through the locks of hair covering his left eye and slicked them back. "They can try…"
Before she could attempt talking sense to him, Hinata was hit by a strong gust, as Sasuke disappeared from her side and the air rushed to fill the space of his missing silhouette. Her eyes moved immediately to the top of the building where he appeared, then, a second later, by his will, her feet touched the same arched rooftop.
"A view in exchange for dinner…" He whispered.
Beneath them, Konoha slept. From this angle, it seemed like the forest surrounding it was eager to reclaim the land, but for the imposing walls keeping it at bay. Yellow lights still flickered from some windows in the residential district, and if not for the street lamps, a foreigner could be forgiven for believing certain parts of it abandoned. As a shinobi, Hinata knew better than to trust such appearances. Despite Sasuke's speed and prowess with the Rinnegan, she understood that it would only be a matter of time before they got a reaction from the guards.
"We're going to get in so much trouble for this."
"I did warn you that spending time with me would tarnish your reputation." He smirked. "Besides… What do you mean by 'we'? I can easily escape the ANBU."
"Sasuke…"
He never imagined that a look could be both chastising and gentle at the same time, yet the evidence stood before him. The prized view he sought since childhood was forfeited with nary a second thought when he caught the mesmerizing hue of her eyes in the pale light of the moon. In moments like these, he was never able to figure out whether she was doing it on purpose or if it was simply an effect she evoked without intent – that slow pull he felt whenever he paused to look at her for more than a glance.
"W-what is it?" His gaze made her feel self-conscious.
"Nothing…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, breaking the spell. "The ANBU should have made an appearance by now. It seems they are not interested in us, after all. ." He walked past her and sat down on the ledge of the roof.
"Maybe they recognized you and thought there was no threat."
"Whichever way, I guess we can enjoy this moment for a bit longer."
Without further words, Hinata sat down next to him, delighting in the simple stillness of the moment, slowly huddling closer, in an attempt to stave off the chill of the night.
"It is a beautiful view…"
[…]
From another wing of the building, Kakashi observed the couple with a dumbfounded grin slowly curling beneath his mask. He had been the one to stop the ANBU from reacting, when notified of the intrusion.
"That didn't take long at all…" As the previous conversation with his pupil came to mind, the Sixth Hokage patted the worn copy of Make-Out Tactics peeking out of his back pocket. "Even after so many years, your wisdom never fails, Master Jiraiya…" The last thing he saw before retiring to his private quarters was Sasuke sharing his cloak with Hinata.
'Perfect' is the enemy of 'Done' - That is what I kept repeating to myself when deciding whether to post this chapter or not. Suffice it to say, I am not fully satisfied with how it turned out, and kept thinking of ways to improve it, leading to further delays. As I predicted, this one proved to be the hardest one to write so far, simply due to Hinata and Sasuke needing to get closer to each other. As characters, they are both introverts and have low social skills, making any conversation that doesn't have them already in a relationship rather hard to put into words, as opposed to having it animated or drawn (?). Or maybe I'm just shit at descriptions. Eh ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Speaking of characters and their development, I want to share my thought process related to Hinata. I have warned readers that one of the goals of this story is to portray the world in a realistic way. To that effect, Hinata might seem to some as 'out of character' in this particular chapter, simply because she is not a bumbling mess when interacting with the person she likes. Pealing away all the fluff in the anime... realistically... she was trained to be a killer from a young age, by a clan known to be very strict. I don't think a child raised in such a manner can grow up to become 100% the way she was portrayed in the show. That being said, there will be no feigning, st-st-stuttering or other exaggerated reactions in the same vein.
The same desire for realism made me write Naruto and Sakura's relationship reveal scene in such a way. I mean... They literally live in a village of spies and people trained to be observant. Hard to imagine that relationship being kept a secret, especially after Naruto became the celebrated hero of Konoha after the war. The two's less than subtle personalities does not help their case, either.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter nonetheless. Do let me know what you thought about it.
Take care.
