well... it's been a while so let's just get back into it. I did write a completely different fic if you want to check it out.
Chapter 10: Oblivion
"When are you going to be done?" Sasuke asked with a pout
"Not really sure the instructor is brutal but I promise the first thing I'll do when I get out is come to play with you" Itachi answered with a smile
"You always say and you always get out too late"
"It'll be different this time, I'll ask the instructor if we can end our classes earlier today," Itachi said, Sasuke was still frowning. "I heard the Uzumakis are coming today you will have Naruto to keep you company while you wait"
"He is loud. Too loud"
"I thought you liked playing with him"
"What other choice do I have"
"Don't be like that, he seems genuinely excited when he sees you" Itachi ruffled his brother's hair
"I guess he is fine, but I want to spend time with you"
"Today we will. I promise"
Itachi felt the sweat dripping down his forehead, his muscles felt sore and he wasn't sure if he had pulled one of them. He limped to a chair and let his body sink. He looked at the window, it was dark. How late was it? Was Sasuke already asleep? Damn. He had lied again. He reluctantly picked his body up and made his way to his brother's room. He knocked first and when no answer was given he slowly opened the door. On the bed were two boys while the floor was a mess of wooden swords, dirt, and stolen pastries. Itachi smiled sadly, he was too late yet again.
"I'm sorry mom. I'm not doing enough" he whispered. He walked over to the two boys and began fixing their positions and covering them with a blanket.
"It's beautiful," Hinata smiled. "How many stops are we making?". She asked as she looked around. They were in the outskirts of the city, still, there were a lot of people going about their daily lives. The city looked so diverse and lively like nothing she had ever seen. Behind them was the residence they would be staying in until they moved to their next stop. She hadn't been to a city before; she hadn't left the Hyuga castle, the Hyuga rarely left their home city. It was an unspoken rule for them, there were two reasons for a Hyuga to leave. If a high-ranking authorized Hyuga was required for a treaty or other business or if a woman married into another family, in that case however she was no longer a Hyuga.
"Four stops in three weeks. There is a lot that will happen" he said with a smile. He looked down at his wife who was taking in the scenery, she looked amazed by the city; almost like a child walking in a pastry shop. "Would you mind going with Sasuke, I have to go talk to my father about something"
"No, not at all," she smiled. She didn't want Itachi to leave but what else could she say. Guards led them inside the residence where servants took it from there and showed them around the place. She thanked them with a smile and complimented the beautiful place. They replied with kind smiles and thanked her.
Sasuke watched as the Hyuga interacted with the servants. She was too nice. Why? It didn't benefit her to be so cordial to the servants, maybe she was just that desperate and pathetic she had to network with servants. She seemed excited to be there, she looked around in awe almost as if she had never seen anything like it before. Had she never traveled to a southern city? Was she clueless about the other regions of the country, these were the people that believed they should rule the country.
"You are clueless," he murmured. She turned to him with a confused look.
"Pardon me?" He said nothing and walked away. She shrugged it off thankful he hadn't done more. She went to the room she would be staying in with Itachi and looked around. Even their architecture was different. She heard a knock on the door and walked over to open the door. There she saw Kurenai.
"Kurenai!" she smiled.
"Hello, Hinata. This place is beautiful isn't it?"
"Yes. You know I have never been to a city before" she said looking around the room. She examined all the small details in the room, it was something she enjoyed doing paying attention to the small things.
"Really?" Kurenai raised an eyebrow, Hyugas were known for staying in the hometown and all living in their enormous state, which was said to be the biggest one in the country. But had Hinata ever left the state, she was the daughter of the head she must have traveled at least once.
"Yes. This is my first time out of the Hyuga and Uchiha castles" she stated.
"You have never traveled?"
"No. Hyuagas try their best to never leave our residence." She knew that but why? Kurenai thought Hinata contradicted herself in many ways. She could tell Hinata was an intelligent woman, she was calculated in her actions and words yet at times she almost resembled a child.
"Why?" Kurenai asked
"Tradition" Hinata answered
"Interesting" Kurenai nodded
"It's rather boring"
"You think so?"
"I know so"
"Did you not have the best time over there?"
"I had a great time with my siblings, the council was a different story they didn't like much, but honestly I never cared" she chuckled. Kurenai examined her, Hinata was a peculiar woman.
"I have a hard imagining someone not liking you"
"Thank you. What about you? Kurenai, do you miss your old life?"
"I miss my baby"
"Y-you have a baby?" Hinata stuttered, shocked by the information. Kurenai had never mentioned she had a child and she didn't look like a mother.
"She was a baby when I left. Now she must be so grown"
"Why did you leave?"
"The job offering was just too good. We were dirt poor and this job helped me. She is with her father and although I am not with them, I can give them a comfortable life" She felt bad, a child should never have to grow up without a mother. She knew that was not always possible. Many women not born into wealth or nobility were not given the leisure to stay home. She couldn't imagine what Kurenai was going through, how she felt missing her child's life. She also felt ashamed, she had never thought so much about Kurenai and her life. She was too busy making her own plans to bother getting to know the one person who had shown her genuine kindness in the castle.
"Kurenai I am sorry"
"Don't worry Hinata I'll see them soon"
As the group sat in the tavern a black-haired man approached their group.
"May we be of any help" the leader of the group asked
"No, not really but I do have something the big man might find useful"
"Big man?" the leader looked at the man confused
"Your head that is" the man explained
"I am failing to keep up"
"Who do you think was feeding information to Hiasihi? " he leaned closer and whispered.
"I was not made aware there was another informant" Ko's eyebrows furrowed
"I am not an informant I am merely a messenger"
"How do we know we can trust you?"
"Well for one you are in a tavern in Uchiha territory and I could easily rat you out, but I haven't. I also know about the bird"
Ko narrowed his eyes at him and paused for a moment. He never heard of any messenger but here this man had given him all the correct information.
"Do you want to see why I was trusted with such information? Should this convince you?" Ko stared at the branding on the man's arm. The branding of the Hoshigaki house. They came from a different country but it was widely known their house had almost been pushed to extinction by the Uchiha. A dispute between both the families had led the Uchihas to murder many of the members from the smaller house.
"Personal grudge?" Asked Ko
"I would say it goes deeper than that"
"What is it we need to know?"
"The Uchiha are traveling. The main branch and every important court member is there, including your stolen princes"
"We were made aware of that"
"Were you made aware of the locations they would be visiting?"
"One of them"
"I have all three, as well as their scheduled activities. My friend died for this information, you better put it to good use damn it"
"Has Hiashi been notified?"
"The information is still getting to him, however, I doubt it will reach him soon enough"
"That girl. I take my eyes off her for one second and she is gone", Tsunade complained to her black-haired handmaiden. "We are in a foreign place, so many things could happen to her. If that were to happen, her parents would be on my neck which would just complicate things further. I need to reason with Fugaku, that bastard". Tsunade was beyond annoyed, the men around her were truly useless.
"The Harunos are not happy, are they?" Shizune asked
"How can they be. Their only daughter, their most prized possession was given to the spare son, and who was given to the heir? A traitor's daughter. All because of Fugaku's idiotic personal vendetta" her tone softened when talking to Shizune
"Is Sakura happy about it?"
"Haven't you seen her? She is completely enamored with that pretty bastard. She took one look at him and fell. The boy is nothing more than a good looking brat but she thinks he the best thing to come out since God himself" Tsunade almost scoffed
"If she is happy then the Haruno's would not do anything. Would they?"
"I hope not. It is my job to make sure they don't, and Fugaku is not making that easy." She gritted her teeth
As the duo walked through the halls they bumped into another pair of women.
"L-Lady Tsunade" Hinata instantly curtsy, Kurenai following her lead.
"Hinata." Tsunade grinned. "Tell me how do these foreign lands compare to what you are used to?"
"They are beautiful. I have never seen anything like them." Hinata smiled. Lady Tsunade, she didn't know much about her other than the fact that she was a very important person in a very high position. She had seen her during Sakura's arrival party and her wedding but hadn't interacted much with her.
"How is life treating you, my future queen?" Tsunade asked
"I- well it is good. I've been blessed by a wonderful husband, my new family is amazing. I don't know what good I have done to be blessed so much"
"Me either," Tsunade agreed with a nod. Hinata bit her lip, not sure of how to keep the conversation going.
"I-I have noticed you are fond of wine, there are vineyards close to here. I'm sure you already knew that you are much more experienced with these lands, it would be a nice trip to experience the country which will eventually fall under the correct rule, under Uchiha rule"
"The offer of wine was enough, Hinata." Tsunade chuckled, "there is no need for that flowery bullshit. I am no man, I don't bask in cheap praises." She said with a grin. Hinata could feel herself beginning to turn red.
"I-"
"I will be free tomorrow at noon. Try to be available, I have yet to try this wine and it always tastes better with company" Tsunade said
"Of course my lady. It will be my pleasure to be your company" Hinata answered immediately
"My brother tells me there might be a new opening I can have. Is that true?" Sasuke asked the man
"Honestly… who knows, that man seems to often be planning shit by himself. If he told you then there probably is"
"He said my father agreed"
"I only receive information about our troops, territory, and formation. I give out battle strategies and other related advice I have no say in who is part of the circle and have less idea of what Fugaku plans to do"
"I see you are of no help," Sasuke said before leaving the young Nara alone. There was something that didn't sit right with Sasuke. He didn't know why and he could not point out what it was but there was something that made him feel weary. He hadn't privately spoken to his father in a while and he could tell his father's mood had been getting more fowl, the reason behind it was unknown to Sasuke. He wouldn't ask Itachi because even if he did he wouldn't give him a straight answer and he couldn't ask his father directly so he was left to wonder what the fuck was going on. To add to that he hadn't seen Naruto in weeks, what the fuck was taking him so fucking long. The idiot was supposed to be with him at this fucking trip. Sasuke didn't know why but something felt wrong.
"Sasuke! I've found you" Sakura smiled. "I was made aware of our schedule, I was just about to start preparing but I wanted to know if you needed help with anything?"
"I can get ready for dinner on my own," he answered a bit annoyed at her question, he was Sasuke Uchiha he needed no help.
"Very well I guess I'll see you then"
"I'll walk you to your room" he offered in the spirit of appearances, she smiled brightly and thanked him.
She had gotten ready maybe a bit too early, and she couldn't find Itachi anywhere so she was left to do one thing. She decided to walk around the residence. It was big and she honestly wanted to see more of it, she had never been in such a place. She walked admiring the architecture and paintings on the walls. The patterns these people used to decorate their vases and curtains were rather strange. Being in such a place made her wonder why the Hyugas stayed in their homes, why they never left to explore to see more. She smiled thinking of Hanabi and her childhood promises. She wandered through the halls and noted how guards seemed to be in every corner. Eyes were always watching her. Of course, they were for protection more than anything but she also felt that in her case they also serve to keep track of her. She kept walking down a hall when a couple guards the hall.
"You are not permitted past this point without authorization," one of them said
"I am very sorry I was exploring this place, I guess I got lost," she said with a smile. The guards didn't respond, she pursued her lips and turned around walking away. As she walked away she heard her name being called, she turned to see the man calling for her.
"Itachi", she turned around with a smile, he walked past the guards to Hinata.
"You are ready for tonight I see"
"Yes, I might have gotten ready a bit too early" she bit her lip.
"You look wonderful, I should put more effort into my looks I wouldn't want people wondering how a lady like yourself would pay me any attention" he grinned
"Your humor is impeccable. As if my beauty could ever outshine yours, and I highly doubt those are people's concerns regarding our marriage" she chuckled. She might be considered pretty but she was still the daughter of the enemy.
"My it seems my lovely wife isn't aware of just how beautiful she truly is"
"Beauty is not everything. But even if it was I would say you may have me beat. Just another thing you have over me"
"Mhn I see. Is that what you think? Here I thought we were making progress"
"Progress?" She cocked her head at him
"In opening up" he elaborated
"That is me opening up, I said what I thought"
"So you did. I'm not competing against you" he stated
"Now that's no fun," she teased. He smiled at her.
"I've seen you are beginning to make friends"
"Yes, some people have been rather kind"
"That's good, I was beginning to worry you felt too much like an outsider" he was being genuine, he did not want her to feel isolated
"I'm sure it was keeping you up at night" she joked
"Perhaps. What keeps you up at night?"
"My thoughts" she answered
"Am I in any of them?"
"Do you want to be?"
"It would be nice to know my wife thinks about me" he chuckled
"I'm I in yours?" she asked not answering his question
"Some of them" he admitted
"I'm flattered" she smiled a light blush on her cheeks
Naruto followed the black-haired man as soon as he saw him exit the tavern. He followed him to the woods until that man came to a stop.
"I know you are following me so you might as well just show me your face before I kill you" Kisame warned his grip on his sword tightening
"You think you can kill me? A simple guard?" Naruto walked towards the man. Kisame grinned when he saw Naruto. Naruto's face was serious as he held his sword closer to him.
"it's just you lord Uzumaki"
"You are pretty shit at your job, you know. What the hell are you doing there?" Naruto questioned the man
"My lord, I am nothing but a man and sometimes a man needs a drink" he explained
"A drink? Is that why you're acting so suspicious?"
"I'm sure you felt it too"
"What the hell are you saying?"
"Those villagers, they aren't acting right. Something is going on here" Kisame tried to divert the suspicion onto the others, he had heard Naruto was not the brightest. He had done a sloppy job because of it, Itachi would not be happy.
"They are not the only ones not acting right" Naruto narrowed his. eyes at the guard. He was tired of being looked down upon, tired of being controlled. He had been excited to come down here to finally be taken seriously, but this stupid trip was nothing but a cover for something else. His hopes had been crushed and the ugly truth faced him, he was nothing but a pawn. Hinata was right if he wanted it to stop he would need to take charge.
"I am your guard my lord, my job is to let any harm come your way"
"Is that so? I noticed you didn't explain your odd behavior, don't bother now just know I have my eyes on you. Don't take me for a fool; I am simply an optimist, but I when I lose it it's not a pretty sight"
Hinata kept her smile throughout the whole dinner. Disgust began to boil inside her, she had never felt sicker. As she listened to the people talking. They laughed and boasted about the atrocities they called victories, had they no regard for human life. She knew war meant death but why add so much unnecessary death on top of the ones suffered on the battlefields. She had been to many dinners before but they would never discuss such things which wasn't necessary since they weren't during a time of war. She knew war brought the worst out of humanity but hearing the details made her realize how much she had underestimated the suffering. Kakashi was right, being here you forgot the reality of war. What did this all mean for her family? If they were to be captured or loose they would all suffer horrendous death. Hanabi would die, Neji would die, her father would die. Everything she had would die. That thought took her appetite away, she would not allow that to happen. Fuck everything and everyone else she could not let her family suffer.
By the time it was all over she had barely touched her food. She was quiet as she and Itachi walked to their room together. As soon as she entered the room she turned to Itachi.
"What's the point of this war, Itachi? Thousands are dying. The rivalry is even spreading to cities, it's not staying on the battlefield. The infighting may be too much for the country"
"Is that what you think?"
"It's the conclusion I have come with all the new information"
"Yes, it's quite concerning. You shouldn't trouble yourself with that, it's supposed to be classified information but that old man has a blabbermouth when alcohol hits his tongue"
"It's worse than I imagined"
"It seems to bother you a lot"
"Doesn't it bother you?"
"Of course the thought never leaves my mind, but at the moment there isn't much I can do. Believe me, I will bring a stop to the war."
"There are only two ways of stopping a war, one of them is very unlikely. Are you certain you can defeat my family?"
"If they are anything like you they will be a worthy opponent but when I set my mind to something there is nothing I can't do"
"I believe you. But is there truly nothing we can do for those who are suffering now?"
"I am going to visit an orphanage home tomorrow. It has taken in children who lost their parents due to the war. If you wish to, you may come", he sat next to her. "This trip is not only to show our strength but strengthen our ties with city leaders and the people themselves. I believe whoever has the people on their side can win."
"I would love to go." she smiled, that was short-lived as she asked her next question. "Itachi, What do plan on gaining from the war"
"Peace. A peaceful, more equal country. What about you Hinata?"
"I gain nothing."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. It seems you think of me as some sort of idealist with a plan. I have no ideas, I have no drive to accomplish a bigger goal. I just want my family to be alive at the end of this all and for the suffering of others to end as soon as possible" she said as looking at the ground. It was true she was no idealist, she was no righteous savior. She had basic empathy for others and it did hurt her to watch the injustices of the world, but she was also loyal. She was loyal to her family and loved ones, they came before anybody else. Their wants and lives came before her own life and wants. "Itachi. If you can assure me you will provide me with that then you will have my loyalty" It was true if Itachi could provide her with what she wanted she would be loyal to him, the thing was he couldn't. His goals conflicted with her own goals, one of them would win and one would lose and she was determined to not let it be her.
"Do you not believe in my word?"
"I believe that you believe in your word. But a man can easily be beheaded and his words will disappear in the wind. Show me I can believe in you Itachi, words are not enough"
"How do I show you when you are never honest with me"
"What do you want me to tell you!? I know nothing about their battle strategy or further plans. Just know this, the Hyuga strongly believe in their duty. No member is above doing their part and nobody is more important than the collective good of the house. They are ruthless and will cut down anybody who can pose a threat to them, I believe you are in for a long bloody war Itachi, I am sorry. I believe this leaves us where we started, you can't assure me anything"
"I've heard that before, which is why you intrigued me so much. You are nothing like what I expected a Hyuga to be" He had heard the Hyuga were no-nonsense direct stone-faced people. They showed no emotion, they showed no remorse, no empathy, no weakness, and they always were truthful even when it didn't benefit them. It was said their pride and ego was too big to let them lie even when it benefited them. They didn't laugh, they didn't smile, they were the Hyuga. When his wife showed up as a shy, meek girl he was surprised. When she opened up a little to reveal a clever, witty, empathic woman he was also surprised. There was no pride in her; she was never cold, and most importantly she was never truthful. She was a strange creature but he would understand her soon enough.
"I was far from the council's favorite, they think I am a failure, but don't misunderstand me. I was playing my role perfectly, I understood my purpose and duty. It just so happens I was taken away from it. Now I have no purpose" she pouted
"Make peace with me," he offered. He knew their relationship was far from peaceful, no matter how it looked from the outside. They were both playing the game and he would eventually win like he always did.
"Peace? Peace sounds good for now, but how can you be so sure in yourself"
"I believe in myself "
"Belief… that's as good as my options get at the moment"
"Your loyalty seems to be more to your family than your house" he stated
"I would do anything for them. As long as they are safe, I am okay with my situation. I care about people and I feel bad for people who suffer but if it was them or my loved ones, I wouldn't think twice"
"What if they want to achieve victory, what do you do then?"
"Sometimes what people want is not what is best for them. And I can only do so much, I care for their happiness but if it's their happiness or their life. I rather see them live, its selfish I know"
"No. I understand that."
"Where does your loyalty lie?"
"The better of the country"
"You are a better person than me"
"Far from it, very far from it"
"Is there nothing that could make you think twice about the good of the country?"
"My brother"
"Who would you choose?"
"I am not entirely sure"
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