Thank you so much for taking the time to read my crappy writing. I will update more often now that I got a couple of ideas of where things could go.

Chapter 3: Games

She was relieved lunch was canceled last minute, she could not think of anything more unpleasant than to sit at a table with Itachi, Sasuke, and Naruto. She felt tired, she felt some type of shame and she did not know why, or maybe she did but did not want to acknowledge the source. She felt weak, her eyesight began to narrow as darkness slowly began to cover the world around her. Soon there was nothing.

"There is no room for mistakes, Katu." Fugaku's eyes were filled with fury and hatred and locked on a target. "Your idiocy has taken many valuable soldiers from me. When I appointed you as our head strategist I was under the belief you were competent-"

"My lord I-" a desperate cry left the man lips before he could think of what he was doing

"You dare interrupt me!" Fugaku hissed, "You minnow scut. I should not have let the opinions of the imbeciles in my council sway me." He narrowed his eyes at the man in front who cowered underneath his glare. Out of a sudden and breaking the tension the door opened and in came Itachi followed by Sasuke. A soured frown appeared on Fugaku's face before it changed to a sinister grin.

"Itachi what should his punishment be?" Fugaku was aware of his son's weaknesses. Most people thought his eldest was a perfect man and although he was very close to it, he knew his son lacked the drive needed. Maybe as a cruel joke from life his youngest son showed that drive but lacked the superhuman skills that so easily came to Itachi.

"Can I be made aware of the crime?" Itachi asked

"Incompetence leading to the loss of soldiers." His father answered

"Ah." Itachi nodded before turning his eyes to the former head strategist. His eyes appeared just as cold as his father's and his glare was as intimidating, but it was all a facade. A cruel play he was forced to take part in, a cruel play that would soon arrive at its tragic ending as most great plays do. "One of Hatake's camps I believe." Itachi had heard one of their camps had gotten attacked and he was surprised when it turned out to be Hatake's.

"Yes," Fugaku answered with impatience embedded in his voice.

"Strip him off his tittles, take his estate, and enlist his sons in our troops. Send his eldest son to the front lines, to teach him to value our soldiers better." Itachi responded with no emotion present in his voice or on his face.

"Do you object to this Katu?" Fugaku asked the man

"N-no my lord." He managed to respond, with all color drained from his face while his lip quivered

"Good, you're dismissed." Fugaku sneered. "You were tardy." Fugaku turned to his sons.

"We had to walk from the east hall", Sasuke explained

"I never asked for pathetic excuses", Fugaku said frowned

"Understood" Sasuke replied

"The Akimichis have joined the Hyugas", Fugaku stated and waited for a response.

"It wouldn't be wise to attack them at our current state, our next move should be to gather our allies and better organize ourselves. We cannot trust Katu did a good enough job. Hatake, Nara, and Uzumaki should be here to discuss this. We need a new head strategist, I say Shikamaru Nara is our best choice." Itachi could not have asked for a better outcome, it was like a sign of the gods.

"He is young and has no prior battle experience, what makes you think he is qualified for such?" Fugaku questioned his son

"While he was placed in charge of the family business he was able to negotiate many deals with other powerful lords that benefited the Nara's and he has been able to kill off any competition. He is immensely intelligent, objective, perceptive, and pensive. He has a good understanding of human thought. And having Nara's son so close to us can serve us as insurance that the Nara's won't act out of line if the odds were to ever turn against us." Itachi answered.

"You speak too highly of this boy."

"Shikamaru Nara is that high." Itachi didn't doubt Shikamaru's capabilities one bit, but he did have plans and he figured having the young Nara would be the best.

"I've heard otherwise." his father said

"I have met him a few times, he has a very relaxed demeanor but that does not take away from his intellect. If anything it is an asset that he is not a brash person as that can lead to deaths." Sasuke didn't know why Itachi had picked Nara, it was a rather odd choice. If Sasuke knew anything was that there were always reasons behind his brother's actions and although he did not know them he would figure them out with time. At that moment he would back his brother.

"You two agree then?" Fugaku asked with intrigue in his voice

"Yes," Itachi said with a grin.

"Hmph. I will think about it?" Fugaku said, his voice sounding nothing but menacing. His father's attention was then taken by something new and they knew it was their time to leave.

"Itachi" Sasuke stopped

"Sasuke" Itachi replied with a grin

"How many talks alone with father have you had?" Sasuke asked.

"Where is this question coming from?" Itachi asked that stupid grin still plastered on his face. Sasuke hated it when he played dumb.

"He appears to value your input," Sasuke answered making sure to emphasize the word your.

"I believe yours is valued as well," Itachi said

"You mustn't lie so overtly," Sasuke said almost scoffing. Although their father made it his mission in life to be present as little as possible in their lives it was very clear who the favorite was. He couldn't say he envied Itachi because spending more time with their father was nothing he would willingly do. Itachi's gifts weren't only recognized by their father, everyone praised him to no end for them. Scholars the best in their fields would travel from far away lands just to teach him. Itachi was never a son to their father, he was more of a trophy something he could point at to prove his greatness. Sasuke was well above average, he excelled in many things, however, he did not hold a candle to Itachi and he knew that. The greatness of Itachi was so great their father almost respected him.

"I was not lying." Itachi playfully sighed

"So you jest?" Sasuke raised a brow

"I do not jest." Itachi chuckled

"Ignorant then?"

"Must you be this cynical?" cynical? Sasuke didn't mind being called cynical, how could you not be a cynic during a war?

"I prefer realistic." He didn't need his brother to hide what his father thought of Sasuke, more importantly, what he did not think of Sasuke. Sasuke was a realist and he took pride in that. He saw things how they were and he did not waste his time hoping for better outcomes.

"The world is not as bad as you think."

"You're full of shit. You stripped a man from his titles and home before sending his sons to die in a matter of seconds yet you stand here minutes after telling me how the world is not as bad as I think. You don't even know what I think."

"I guess you are right, I don't know what you think" Itachi sighed "We all must make sacrifices to reach a grander goal. Did you not like my punishment?"

"I had no problem with it but unlike you, I'm not a self-righteous cock."

"You think I'm self-righteous?"

"You tend to come off that way."

"That is very is unfortunate"

"I don't understand you."

"You don't need to understand me."

"I wouldn't see the need to if you weren't l spewing nonsense."

"Nonsense," Itachi repeated with a chuckle

"I suggested you get some company at night maybe it would straighten your thoughts"

"Your suggestion has been noted." Itachi grinned. He knew his brother wasn't being serious, not fully at least but he decided that he indeed needed to clear his mind.

Thin covers hid her naked body from him, he looked at the outline of her body as all of his thoughts began to shout in his head yet again after a brief period of silence.

"You're getting married in three weeks." Her voice interrupted his thinking.

"If I could stop it I would." He didn't know what to say. So he said what he thought she might want to hear. He knew she wasn't happy about his betrothal but that was where his knowledge stopped. They both knew they would never marry each other, they both knew their life would involve different people, yet she was clearly disappointed. He knew he could get the answer if he wanted to but he didn't.

"I'm not winning. I was just stating a fact." She turned herself to face him and their eyes meet. He looked at her face, a face so familiar by now he could paint it just using his memory. She was for a long time her one and only friend, the only person he could confide in, sometimes when he thought about her it scared him how much she knew.

"I've been thinking about this war. I've concluded that the Uchiha have to win." He did not care to talk about his marriage that was the last of his worries at the moment, not to mention he did not want the awkward aura that conversation would lead to.

"You are changing the subject Itachi." She said with a small pout.

"You wish to speak about my arranged marriage?" He raised his brow

"No. Tell me about the war." He noticed the slight switch in her pitch as she answered him and watched her cheeks turn light pink but decided not to comment on it.

"For any hope of peace, the Uchiha have to win."

"And how did you get to such an outrageous conclusion?" She teased him

"After hours upon hours of thinking." He gave her a completely honest answer.

"What are you planning Itachi?" She asked with a curious smile.

"A better world", he answered.

"Itachi, don't give me that bullshit." She said disappointed with his answer.

"You sound like Sasuke" he chuckled

"Maybe he has a point." She sat up and put a robe on.

"He does. I just don't think it would be the best way to go about things" Itachi admitted.

"You think too much, the enemy will wait for you to finish plotting your perfect peaceful world." She said annoyance began to dwell inside her. She loved Itachi with all her heart but sometimes he could be so dense, he would act as if he was untouchable. She knew Itachi's skills but she also knew he was only a man and to watch him act as something greater than that angered her.

"I will make them wait." He said laying down on his back and closing his eyes.

"You can't control others," she said

"You'd be surprised" He smirked

"Our house is under attack! The Uchiha legacy can be wiped out! You need to begin to take action, my father did not die for nothing!" She snapped. How could he act so arrogant at a time like this?

"Action?" He whispered, "I'm not sure you would like my actions."

"Itachi. I am your friend I will support you no matter what." He was planning something she could tell and it was clear it was eating him inside.

"Izumi do you love me?" His question was unexpected, so much so she felt her cheeks heat up.

"Yes. What does that have to do with anything?" She answered with no hesitation. She knew how she felt and that hurt Itachi. He loved her but not like she loved him. He had grown up with her, she had been his only friend for a long time but he had never felt romantic feelings for her. They had passionate nights before but for him, it was nothing more than human needs.

"Would you betray me?" he asked

"You're a troubled man. What is bothering you?" She did not feel the need to answer such an obvious question, Itachi and her both knew the answer.

"I plan to kill."

"You've done it before." He had, he had done it too many times for his liking.

"I plan to kill my blood."

"For peace?"

"Yes." Was there really any reason he would kill, he didn't think so.

"How many people are you going to kill?" She asked. From her demeanor, he could tell she was in deep thought.

"There are many in our house who oppose peace. There are too many barbarians," he answered. He carefully watched her it all depended on her from now on. She would determine her fate and his actions and that frighten him a little.

"You are planning a massacre." She whispered "Itachi, please. Think this over." Their eyes met and fear-filled hers, it was understandable but it didn't matter what she felt at that moment what mattered was what she would do after.

"That is all I have been doing. I'm surprised I haven't gone mad." He said. He suspected he had begun to go a little mad or maybe that was just his worries.

"Why tell me this? I can report this to the council" It was an empty threat and even if it wasn't she wouldn't make it out of the room alive.

"You wouldn't. You and I have the same goals at the end and you would be dead before you got the chance to open your mouth."

"Are you threatening to kill me?" She asked

"It is not a threat." It truly wasn't he wasn't one to threaten people

"But you would kill me?"

"I would kill anyone if it brings forth a better world."

"Would you kill Sasuke?"

"Maybe." The truth was he didn't even know the answer himself, maybe he would maybe he wouldn't.

"I never understood you and I doubt I ever will."

"You needn't understand."

"But I want to. You shouldn't suffer from your thoughts alone"

"I'm not suffering yet." He wasn't more than he was already used to and as much as he had shared his thoughts and feelings with her some feelings and thoughts he knew to keep private "Do not worry about me"

He swung his sword again this time a chunk of the wood fell to the ground. He felt a release every time the blade hit the wood, the deeper the blade dug the better. He was frustrated at the moment, frustrated with himself, his brother, his father, and his situation. In five days a dimwitted woman would enter his house and nag the shit out of him, and in four months he would have to wake up next to a nagging woman who had nothing more than air in her head. All he hoped was for the woman to be easy on the eyes, word had it she was a beautiful woman. He did not care much about those rumors since he never understood the appeal the supposedly beautiful woman had. Sure they looked good but soon they would gain weight, wrinkle, grow old and ugly and they would be left useless. The situation wasn't irredeemable at least through the union they had gained an ally who was aiding them in the fight for their throne. He couldn't whine about it either, he knew his duty and responsibility. He would marry her and fuck her till she made him a couple of children preferably sons, it was pretty simple the more he thought about it. His father was an example of how little effort it all required, the man just planted two babies in his mother and deemed his job done. But if it was so simple why was he frustrated? He knew marriage was coming so he couldn't be mad at that. He let his grip go and heard the blade hit the floor, he walked out and decided to walk off his frustration instead. As he roamed through the halls memories began to play in his head, at first he tried to suppress them but the more he tried the louder they got. Eventually, he gave in and let them play out much to his agony. He remembered running around the halls while his brother followed behind him, he remembered hiding from his mother while she pretended she couldn't see his feet sticking out giving his hiding spot away, remembered walking with Itachi looking up at his brother, the memories of the admiration he once felt were too vivid. Rancor grew within as the memories kept paying in his mind. Sometimes when he looked back at his childhood he felt like it was ages ago in a different world, a world where he didn't know his father, where he had his mother, where he played with his amazing big brother, a world where he was happy. He felt pathetic for remembering old times, those memories were useless now and they did nothing but take up space. He wasn't a boy, he was a man and a man did not need silly memories to plague his mind. He had to worry about the future of their house, of the Uchihas. Many things could be taken from him but the one thing that nobody could ever take away was his blood, the blood of an Uchiha. He was an Uchiha and that was something he would always have. As he kept walking he soon ended up in front of an open door that led to a balcony. He would usually ignore such a thing but decided to see who was out. His face filled with disgust when he saw the Hyuga out watching the stars, she turned around and looked at him. Her eyes met his making the disgust he held grow. He felt his eye twitch with pure anger, he knew better than to react with such strong emotions but he couldn't hold himself back. His hatred wouldn't allow that.

"Planning to jump off Hyuga?" He glared down at the Hyuga. There was quite a bit of space between but the height difference was still very much there. He made sure to let the disgust he felt show while she watched him.

"N-no. Just looking at the stars they look beautiful tonight." Her voice seemed to Become progressively more unbearable with each exchange they had. Her damn stutter, he hated it.

"If the thought crosses your mind don't hesitate. You would be doing everyone a favor" He watched her, she didn't seem fazed by his comment, instead she cocked her head.

"I don't mean to contradict and forgive me for it. But I don't think it would do your family any good", she said with furrowed brows.

"what did you just say?" He didn't know if he was visibly shaking at that moment but he could feel the blood rush through his veins.

"I don't think my death would bring any good to your family"

"You think you are of importance to us?" In a second he was in front of her glaring down at her while one hand gripped her jaw and the other her wrist. She looked surprised, her mouth slightly open, and a wide-open blank stare in her eyes.

"No, I-" she said her voice a mere whisper

"Understand that you are scum. You don't deserve to be here but you have been given a great opportunity" he hissed their faces so close he could tell she was holding in her breath. "You are here to be married and fucked until you give birth to healthy Uchiha boys. That job does not necessarily need to be yours, it can be filled by any bitch so you better fucking be grateful"

"I am immensely grateful. I am sorry I will learn my place," she whispered.

"Let this be the only time you think of yourself as holding any importance in this household." He hissed tightening his grip on her wrist, she needed to know she wasn't important, she needed to know he could hurt her as she hurt him. "You do not matter. I do not care what shit Itachi feeds you, you are not anywhere near our equals." He aggressively let go of her hand before leaving. He never was someone fond of physical altercations but that stupid woman tested everything about himself. When she was around he couldn't keep his calm unbothered usual self, his hatred for her was simply too strong for that. He hated himself for it, letting a Hyuga have that much of an impact on his emotion was not something he was happy with. He figured if he made her life miserable, her impact would lessen or at least be returned. With his mood being soured even further he decided to try and sleep off his frustrations.

She walked closer to the edge, ran the tips of her fingers against the cold stone rail, and looked down. The fall to the bottom faded into pitch-black darkness, she thought about what it would be like to hit the ground and die, she would never do it of course but how would the Uchihas react. Was she an important piece in their chess game, how much importance did she hold? As much as she loathed Sasuke, he did bring an important question. What was her worth? Was she truly needed? Surely they could have picked any highborn young woman to marry Itachi but they had chosen her. There had to be a good reason for that and she needed to know it. How could she approach such a topic with Itachi, she found herself frustrated. Usually, when playing against an opponent both sides are aware of their strengths and possible advantages, she was not aware of what advantages she had or if she even had any. She was usually good at playing against people but being in the Uchiha house was like playing while blindfolded. She was unaware of what you held and how it could be used to your advantage. There were so many more things she had to know, so many factors to take into account and it was overwhelming. As more and more questions arose it suddenly hit her, her stay at the Uchihas would be a long one. If she was committed to bringing the Uchiha down she would need to stay and gather information, for that to happened she needed to stay and build relationships. She had been unaware of how severe her situation truly was, she was a prisoner yet she had been thinking like a highborn, she had no titles at the moment, no advantages and leniency. She began to think about all the work that would be required to get her desired results and perturbation began overtaking her. The cruel reality of having to live in a place where she was a prisoner, where she would be tormented, looked down upon and mistreated began to settle in. Battles would be fought, people would die, and her family could be part of those people. She would wake up every morning and put up a smile even when she felt like killing everyone around her. What if she just killed the main branch? She could kill the head house and be done with everything. She was sure she would die but it wouldn't matter. She could still weaken the Uchihas as she was sure if Itachi, Sasuke, and Fugaku were gone an inner war would erupt to gain control of the Uchiha House. That was a sure shot, instead of hoping to learn some impossibly important information that could potentially bring down the Uchihas. What if she never found out anything about them? What if she didn't manage to kill any of them? How would she even do that? All of her plans seemed too out of reach for her. Doubt began filling her, was this just a silly fantasy? Surely she wouldn't be able to take down the Uchihas would she? She looked down the terrace once again, darkness was the only thing beneath her. She could jump and end it all, but she wouldn't, no her hatred for the Uchihas was too big for that. She was probably trying to complete an impossible mission that would fail in the end, but she still had to try. She has to try and end the Uchihas, try to-

"You are awfully close to the edge" his presence, as well as his breath next to her ear startled her. She quickly turned around and found him standing centimeters away from her.

"I-Itachi you gave me a fright," she said with a small smile. She cursed in her head wondering how lost in her thoughts she was to not hear his footsteps approaching her.

"I sincerely apologize that was not my intention. I am wondering what you are doing so close to the edge of the terrace" he asked. Hinata looked at him, his voice was different and his eyes show no emotion.

"I was curious"

"Curious? About what?"

"How high this terrace was." She was playing with him of course, she knew what he suspected. She was acting stupid she shouldn't bait the Uchihas but is was so against her nature not to tease.

"Sixty-nine meters high. If somebody were to fall they would die as soon as their body hits the ground, underneath jagged rocks would be waiting to crack their skull open and break their bones." His sight was fixated on her, he noticed how she tried to avoid it. She had clearly been in deep thought before he interrupted her.

"That's quite gruesome," she said with a small pout

"Horrible way to die, I would hate to see you die that way. Such a pretty face would be destroyed" He doubted Hinata would kill herself, she didn't strike him as that kind of person but he wanted to see her reaction. It was always interesting to see her reactions, they were so calculated, so cautious, so fake. Yet so real. He believed her sometimes, but the more he thought about her the more confused he ended.

"I don't plan to jump off. There is no reason for me to do that."

"contemplating a way to kill me then?"

"No. If you were to die I'm not sure what would become of me. Your brother would be the heir and I rather have you." with a smile she placed her hand on his shoulder, she hoped her gesture would break his icy demeanor. She wasn't used to the Itachi who was currently standing in front of her, his cold stare, detached tone, and emotionless face. It was completely different from the calm, warm, and kind Itachi she talked to before, it made her uneasy. At that moment she understood why Itachi was feared by many.

"Is that so?" His voice still lacked warmth

"You look bothered." She commented

"Hn." He didn't bother explaining himself

"I would offer an ear but I doubt you would want it so I hope you find peace within your thoughts soon."

"Thank you. Shall I escort you to your room?"

"That would be nice." She smiled. The walk to her room was filled with silence.

"Thank you, Itachi" she smiled at him. His cold aura was kept up all the way to her room. She felt frustrated by it, she wasn't scared of what he could do, not because she was brave but because she was num. She was on a suicidal mission and she had accepted it. "I hope you sleep well and feel better tomorrow." She wrapped her arms around his torso. You don't fucking scare me Uchiha. His body was stiff as he clearly was not expecting the hug, she let go of him and flashed a smiled before entering her room.

He had never wanted to laugh more in his lifetime, as he walked to his bedroom he had to bit his tongue to restraint himself from laughing. She certainly did not disappoint him. He had believed her. She had fooled him. He had underestimated her. He had never met someone like her before, someone like him. She was playing a game, at first, he assumed it was a survival game but it was clear that she was much too ambitious for mere survival. Whether her move spoke to her recklessness or her genius he hadn't decided. All he knew was that she was playing a game and he wanted to play with her. As he laid on his bed the smile she flashed him before closing the door lingered in his mind, perhaps his brother was right all Hyuggas were dangerous. What a shame it was, he would have loved to converse with her as allies to get to know her without all the games they were currently playing. However, it was much more enjoyable with games. The endless possibilities excited him, it was a thrill he hadn't felt in a while.