This is another one of my favourite chapters, honestly Kakashi is such a breath of fresh air to write.

edited 12/23/19

Disclaimer: At this point it's obvious I don't own Naruto, but I love to say what I would do if I did. I definitely would've given Ino more character development and more of a prominent presence in the Asuma death arc

Chapter 7: The Long Suffering Woman

Many men are deeply moved by the mere semblance of suffering in a woman; they take the look of pain for a sign of constancy or of love. - Honore de Balzac

Sighing heavily Uchiha Sasuke brought his dragon tatted mask back unto his face and followed closely behind his team. The shinobi they had finished tracking proved to be a rather difficult one extending their mission for two more days.

Needless to say he was not happy.

"Oi Hyūga, how long until we reach Konoha?"

"Not for one more hour Dragon-kun and please, refer to me by my mask as well."

Rolling his eyes at her formality Sasuke loudly scoffed, "As you wish Owl."

It had been exactly two weeks since Sasuke and his team went on their first ANBU mission and he still wasn't quite sure what to think of her. She constantly confused him and he wasn't sure how long he could take any more of that stupid feeling.

One particular moment was when they were assigned to kill a rogue shinobi and his family. She had participated in their merciless annihilation but had still taken the liberty of burying each of them and praying for their safe trip into the afterlife. The most perplexing part was the fact that she silently cried throughout the whole ordeal.

Hyūga Hinata was an unfinished puzzle and Uchiha Sasuke was dying to find the rest of the pieces.

"We're here Uchiha-kun."

Shaking himself out of his daze he cleared his throat; he was appointed squad leader by the head of ANBU Tenzo, his responsibility was to dismiss his team and give their mission reports to the Hokage.

Truthfully he would've been more satisfied with the position if he hadn't found out that both Naruto and Sakura were also the head of their separate ANBU squads. If anything it seemed more like a Team 7 privilege than an actual accomplishment. If he were to become Hokage he would have to try harder than just being a leader to two decent shinobi.

"You're dismissed. I will give Kakashi the report." Sasuke imparted, he turned around to leave before he was stopped by the small voice of his Hyūga teammate.

"May I join you? I wish to speak with the Hokage myself."

Quickly he found himself assessing her every word, something he had begun doing recently whether subconscious or not. She had said the question slowly as if she were approaching a predator, or in his case a dragon. It was as if her recent admittance of their supposed similarity had never happened.

She was practically begging for his company one second and then avoiding him like a disease the next. If there was one thing he hated it was when people tried to play with his mind and she seemed to enjoy doing a lot of that recently.

Reluctantly agreeing Sasuke grunted a 'fine' over his shoulder and began walking not caring if his teammate was behind him or not. The quick footsteps heard behind him a few moments later however had indicated that she had caught up with him just fine.

A comfortable silence enveloped the pair once again as they walked towards the red Academy building and the subsequent Hokage's office. There was no need to say anything to fill awkward space, something he encountered every time he walked with either Naruto or Sakura. With Hinata he was able to just be left to his thoughts and reflections- all of which went into overdrive whenever she was near.

Uchiha Sasuke was no fool; he knew where such fascination led to. It had happened to Naruto with Sakura, Sakura and Karin with himself and according to his former sensei Uchiha Obito felt it with his teammate. It had brought nothing but heartache and misery on both ends and destroyed them from the inside out. Be it love or simple infatuation both of those things caused nothing but bitterness and hurt for anyone who dared allow themselves to feel them.

And that was because love was simply misery in disguise and misery loved company.

And yet knowing all of these things Sasuke was at a loss as to why he would allow himself to feel fascinated with Hyūga Hinata. The more he tried to suppress the feeling, the stronger it would become and it was a frightening ordeal. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to deny its existence until it devoured him whole.

And that in itself was daunting because deep in himself he knew…

Uchiha's and strong emotions never mixed well.

Forcing himself to focus on his destination Sasuke saved his thoughts for another time. The closer they got towards the Hokage door the more relieved he felt. He wanted nothing more than to escape the Hyūga's suffocating presence.

Entering without as much as a knock Sasuke found the Hokage doing what the Hokage did best; absolutely nothing. To say he wasn't surprised with Kakashi's behaviour was an understatement.

Not once looking up from his book Kakashi addressed the two, "Oh Sasuke you're back, and I see you've brought a lovely woman with you."

"Good afternoon Hokage-sama" Hinata formally bowed greeting the Hokage.

"Oh Hinata don't greet me so formally, it makes me feel old! Just call me sensei like you used to."

"Kakashi…" Sasuke warned. He really had no patience for his former sensei's antics. He just wanted to submit his report so he could get the hell out of there and into the comfort of his home.

"Okay, I get it," The Hokage grinned, putting his book down as he closed his one eye in mischief. Watching Kakashi fold his hands behind his head Sasuke felt a sense of unease on how he was looking at him, staring as if he knew his deepest secret. "So how was the mission?"

"Everything went smoothly regardless of some minor setbacks." Sasuke reported with a level voice as he tried to determine what Kakashi was planning.

"Great!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kakashi's behaviour. He was way too chipper for someone of his nature. Usually the Hokage would be reading his book or visiting his comrade's graves all while simultaneously feigning nonchalance. But this Kakashi… he was as happy as could be, a really bad sign.

"Well now that we've got that sorted out, Hinata I believe you have some business to take up with me?"

Sneaking a peek at his teammate Sasuke caught her staring at the floor as she nodded her head, most likely embarrassed.

Maintaining his one-eyed smile Kakashi cleared his throat. "Well would it be okay if I were to speak with Sasuke-kun first?"

Turning his head to look at his former sensei Sasuke gave Kakashi a skeptical look. He wanted to talk with him? What was there to possibly talk about? He already submitted his report…

"Yes Kakashi-Sensei." she replied, quickly leaving a reluctant Sasuke and Kakashi alone.

With his teammate gone the Uchiha felt a sense of foreboding. Whatever Kakashi wanted to speak with him about was either a bad thing or a terrible thing, with him there was no in-between.

"So, Sasuke…"

"…What?" He cautiously answered. Now that the Hyūga woman was gone the Hokage could be his usual prying and unprofessional self.

Leaning forward in his chair Kakashi stared at Sasuke for what felt like hours.

"It's come to my attention…" Kakashi finally began, "That you have become quite interested in Hyūga Hinata."

Clenching his teeth Sasuke cursed himself for allowing Kakashi to corner him. The old man had caught him quietly staring at his Hyūga teammate a few times during several debriefings and had concocted the strange notion of Sasuke liking her in his head. It wasn't the first time this subject was brought up and it was definitely not the last.

"Kakashi-

"No," The Hokage interrupted, "This time I'm not backing down. Do you remember the answer you gave me when I asked you all what your goals were?"

Deciding not to answer the Ex- Avenger clenched his fists at his side. Of course he remembered his goals. How could he forget them when they had filled his entire being with nothing but corrupted lies and abysmal hatred?

Feeling a comforting hand on his shoulder Sasuke shrugged Kakashi off, the last thing he needed was someone feeling sorry for him. He'd rather be the subject of someone's anger than their pity. Not that that was too hard for him to find.

"Just get to the point."

Disappointedly sighing Kakashi gave up on trying to be supportive much to Sasuke's relief. He knew Kakashi, much like Naruto longed to be the brotherly figure he was missing in his life but he just couldn't allow that to happen. To Sasuke it felt as if he was defiling whatever he had left of his bond with Itachi. Also they two of them had too much bad blood between them for his old sensei to ever be that for him.

"Alright," Kakashi complied. "I'll get to the point."

Leaning on his timbered desk Kakashi paid no mind to the paperwork that littered it but instead the broken man in front of him.

"You completed your first goal, now what has become of the other one?" the Hokage questioned.

Shaking his head Sasuke vehemently shook off Kakashi's implication. He had long since given up on his second goal when he realized what his clan was capable of, what they planned to do. Sasuke didn't know whether or not history would repeat itself if he allowed himself the luxury of a family.

He also didn't know whether or not he even deserved it.

"That goal is… unattainable." He quietly declared.

"Sasuke, I don't think you know it yet but your dream is far more attainable than you're making it out to be. At least to me it is. Do you remember that conversation we last had? Have you finally realized what I was looking for?"

"You don't know anything." Sasuke scoffed, ignoring his question. Kakashi seemed to be getting more persistent as the days went on spouting off things he had no business in. The Uchiha would be damned if he ever let anyone tell him how to live his life ever again.

"Alright, since I seem to be getting nowhere with this and because I have someone waiting outside I'll let it slide, but don't be so sure I'll let it go next time," Kakashi finished. "You're dismissed."

Not bothering to bow Sasuke made his way out of Kakashi's office. Swearing underneath his breath Sasuke looked up to find his teammate's concerned gaze upon him.

"What?" he breathed through clenched teeth.

Widening her eyes Hinata shook her head whilst nervously smiling. "It's nothing." She assured.

Nodding his head the Uchiha felt the tense atmosphere begin to get more strained as neither of them spoke a single word.

"Would…"

Silently raising a brow he waited for the timid Hyūga to finish her sentence, her face heating up as the seconds ticked by.

"Would you like to get lunch with me?" she squeaked.

Not bothering to hide his surprised expression the Uchiha couldn't help the rather unexpected "Why" from falling out of his mouth.

Rapidly shaking her hands in front of her Hinata began to pale as she struggled to elaborate. "It's not like t-that or anything, I just… I know you haven't eaten since you got back and neither have I so I was j-just wondering if you were hungry!"

Quickly composing himself Sasuke fought to keep his straight demeanor in place while his mind raced ahead of him.

The expected response from him was to tactlessly decline her offer but... he couldn't exactly get his lips to form a 'no'. He didn't know why but he was never able to flat out turn down any of her offers like he had done to countless others.

It frustrated him to no end.

Realizing that she was waiting for an answer from him Sasuke thought about everything that had happened up until that moment, about what Kakashi had said. He didn't know exactly what Kakashi wanted but he couldn't help but wonder, at his earlier words.

Was his happiness truly attainable?

Blurting out an answer without a second thought, the Uchiha had only begun to process what had just happened.

Hyūga Hinata had just asked him to accompany her for lunch…

And he had just agreed.

Averting his gaze he heard Hinata meekly ask him to wait for a while as he finally began to come to terms with what he had done.

"Lunch." he sighed- he was really getting sad.

Awkwardly nitpicking at his food Sasuke glanced at his teammate who seemed to be mimicking his actions.

It was her idea to get ramen. Of all the things in the world she could've chose Hinata went with ramen. No matter how he looked at it he couldn't shake the feeling that Naruto was supposed to be here instead of him.

"I don't usually eat this much sodium." he thought aloud, swirling his chopsticks in the salty broth.

"Ah, I'm sorry Uchiha-kun I couldn't really t-think of anything else." She admitted stirring the contents in her bowl absentmindedly. "This was the first thing that came to mind."

Abruptly dropping his chopsticks he pushed his bowl away and reached for his water instead.

"I see."

After a few beats Sasuke could feel himself beginning to tire. As if sensing this shift Hinata began to ramble on about minuscule things while he barely listened, lost in his own thoughts.

It wasn't as if he was obligated to follow through with her plans but somehow... he found himself unable to move from the spot she left him. Truth be told he didn't know what exactly he was expecting to happen but he knew it certainly wasn't this.

"I haven't really been here in a long time."

The admission caught his attention. Sasuke found himself becoming engrossed in her expression. Her pearly eyes usually marked with secrecy and indifference had changed. This time they were an odd mix of regret and longing.

For Naruto, no doubt.

Coming to this revelation he felt a burning sensation in his throat and a dull pang in his stomach. The emotion though foreign to him was without a doubt unmistakable. And yet knowing this, he still didn't understand…

Why would he be experiencing envy?

"Why?" he found the question spilling from his lips before he could stop himself, though he wasn't quite sure who he was asking.

"Because," she looked up at him the shame filled depths of her eyes undeniable. "The nightmares wouldn't stop."

Licking his dry lips he was unable to look away from Hinata's intense gaze. He was sure her answer had nothing to do with ramen and everything to do with Naruto. But why was she telling him this…and why did he care?

He wasn't supposed to care.

Sasuke had heard his voice before he saw him. Turning away from Hinata, Sasuke looked towards the entrance where his golden haired rival stood curiously gazing at the pair.

"I-I'm sorry." Hinata bowed, frantically making her way out of the stand and making sure to avoid a startled Naruto.

Staring at the area of her departure Sasuke felt the strange urge to go after her but swiftly thought against it. It wasn't his place to do anything. Willing himself to look away he sighed when he realized that Naruto had situated himself beside him.

"What?" he growled annoyed of the whole situation.

"It's just that," Naruto started, strangely examining Sasuke's demeanor. "Never mind… are you going to finish that?" He laughed awkwardly changing the conversation.

Pushing his bowl in front of his old teammate Sasuke got up to leave only stopping when Naruto promptly grabbed his arm.

"Wait. I-"

"Just spit it out, I already know what you're thinking."

Feeling the pressure in his arm release the ex- Avenger sat back down. "Ask me." He insisted, daring his rival to say the unsaid words they both already knew.

"I want to know what she said to you." Naruto quietly confirmed, much unlike himself.

"She said she had nightmares. I assumed she was talking about you." Sasuke simply said, observing Naruto for any indication her words were true. Not that would be too hard, Naruto was like an open book.

Watching his former teammate sadly smile Sasuke had begun to wonder if what he'd done had been the appropriate thing. Naruto (whether he chose to admit it or not) was someone really close to him and the last thing he wanted to do was spite him.

"I didn't understand it, she explained them to me and I thought she was just still in aftershock from the war. I mean it made sense at the time," Naruto sighed, "But almost a year passed and the nightmares never stopped. Somehow it seemed when she was with me they'd only get worse and then…"

Naruto paused pushing the bowl of ramen away from him. "She couldn't take it anymore. She broke my heart."

Sasuke stayed silent as Naruto bitterly laughed. This was the first time he had ever talked about his failed relationship with him.

"What were the nightmares about?" He inquired, the need for the answer overriding his sensitivity.

The sharp focus of Naruto's eyes caused him to nearly lose his breath. The expression in his eyes…

They were just like Hinata's.

"Neji." Naruto said, the wounded inflection of his voice almost palpable. "They were always about Neji."