Chapter 18: Afternoon Espionage
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"Morning Sai," Naruto said as he entered the living room.
Sai was by the large windows, setting up his canvas while wearing his worn-out, paint-stained, denim-overall. His mind had conjured up a beautiful image, and he couldn't wait to get it out of his head. The two members of team 7 shared a brief nod just before the blond disappeared into the kitchen.
Shikamaru was already inside, by the kitchen counter, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He paused and sent a slight nod in Naruto's way as the two passed each other.
As Naruto made his way to the cupboard, he could see Shikamaru approach a window. After opening a cupboard, he cursed, and immediately shut it, turning to his best friend.
"I'm already out of ramen,"
Shikamaru set his coffee mug on the window sill, before pulling out his lighter and cigarette. Since he had already foreseen something like this happening, he prepared in advance by getting some groceries on his way back, after dropping Hinata off.
"There should be a bag somewhere in the living room. I picked some up yesterday. I just forgot to put it away,"
His best friend was immediately out the door.
Shikamaru smirked before turning back again towards the window. He pressed the end of his lips on the death stick and then exhaled. His eyes trailed to the view. The mansion Hinata was staying at was in plain view, standing tall at a distance. He heard Naruto re-enter the kitchen once more and tossed the grocery bag over the counter. He watched from the corner of his eyes, as Naruto opened it, inspecting each flavor he had purchased. When he made a face, Shikamaru sensed a complaint coming.
"You got the wrong flavor again," He complained to Shikamaru's back.
"You told me you didn't want me ordering food service,"
Naruto was always into budgeting.
"Meh."
Naruto walked away from the bag of groceries, towards the coffee maker, and helped himself to a cup. His blue eyes darted towards his best friend, as he slowly brought the mug to his lips.
"So, what's up with you?" Naruto asked as he leaned against the counter.
The shadow user tilted his head slightly, and glanced over his shoulder, giving him a look, before turning his gaze back outside.
"I'm just wondering what you've been up to lately,"
"Just trying to enjoy this little vacation while it lasts," Shikamaru solemnly replied.
"Same here. But oi, why was Hinata here with you, alone, yesterday?"
Good, at least this seemed to get Shikamaru's attention.
Shikamaru paused, putting the cigarette out. He then turned to his friend and raised an eyebrow in question.
"Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm asking," Naruto pressed.
"Not everyone likes to talk about every single thing that goes on in their lives,"
"So you're together then," Naruto had a big smile on his face as he spoke. If Shikamaru was dating her, then that meant Hinata had already made a move against her clan.
"It's a little bit complicated," Shikamaru said, choosing to distract his hand with a coffee mug instead, by then, he was leaning against the window sill while Naruto was standing across the room, leaning against the counter.
As Naruto examined Shikamaru's facial expression, there seemed to be a brooding intensity there that almost mimicked Sasuke. When it came to Sasuke and Shikamaru, you would think that the two brunettes would get along, seeing how similar they sometimes tended to be. Maybe that's why Hinata also got along with them too, they all loved to keep secrets.
Pushing himself off the counter, Naruto stood next to Shikamaru just to see what he had been staring at so intently. Oh, their window seemed to face the location of Hinata's dwelling.
With maturity came the ability to recall the past without sounding too harsh.
"You can't expect it to be easy if you've chosen her," Naruto said in a more serious tone.
"You're a pain, you know that?"
"Hm," Naruto remembered Shikamaru had mentioned once before that the Hyuga system would eventually weaken, whether they do something or not. Perhaps it was time to offer Hinata his assistance, since he had promised Neji he would look after her.
"If Hinata ever needs my help, let her know to reach out," Naruto said while ignoring Kurama's comments which advised him to stay out of the family drama.
"Ah. Will do."
"Now my next question is, did you cheat on Temari?"
Shikamaru's face twisted in disgust.
"No. Why would you ask that?"
Naruto shook his head.
"Sakura-chan told me yesterday that she's worried about Temari. How do you think she's going to react when she sees that you've already moved on,"
"We spoke the other night. I didn't want Temari finding out from anyone else, so I told her the truth,"
"Oi, you're both unexpectedly responsible."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, didn't she invite you to the New Year's dinner party she's hosting?"
"Temari invited everyone,"
"That's exactly my point. It's always politics with you guys."
"And soon that's all your life will be too,"
"Yeah, don't remind me. I just had this notion that since you're on vacation, you can just turn everyone down. But guess there's still some expectation, huh?"
"I never fully get to be myself," Shikamaru admitted. "Vacation or not, anywhere I am, I can't remove any of my titles," Shikamaru figured it was the same for Hinata too. She didn't want to accept the invitation, but she had to.
Sai, who had been listening in from outside, took the moment to finally enter the kitchen once the heavy subject had died.
"Don't mind me. Just getting some coffee," He stated. But on his way out, he added, "If Hyuga-san ever needs my assistance, she should also reach out to me as well. If Naruto is joining, I'll also lend help,"
Sai brought the cup of coffee to his lips as he exited the kitchen, ignoring the looks he received as he left.
"Just great. Who else knows?" Shikamaru murmured after Sai had left the room.
"At this point, everyone I guess,"
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Hinata was in the middle of replying to another letter that had been sent to her from home when her hand paused. She let out a deep sigh. She had wanted New Year's Eve to be a little more intimate. Yet, she was invited to an event she couldn't turn down. It was almost a repetition of her birthday, since she won't get to do what she wanted.
Her attention went back to the letter her father had written to her. Her thesis had positive feedback from all the branch members; they seemed happy with the direction the clan was going, and Toneri had helped make that happen. As soon as those thoughts left her mind, she recalled her father's warning, along with Sasuke's.
As a Shinobi, she was encouraged to form her own opinions by performing her due diligence, before adopting any particular view. And as a clan leader, she had very little limitation. Should she choose to, she could activate her Byakugan and spy from where she stood, with no repercussion.
As Hinata was looking for Toneri, she saw Shikamaru sipping coffee with Naruto, and Sai was painting. Hanabi was out shopping with Sakura for medical supplies. Gaara was at an orphanage, talking to children, and Sasuke was inside the Suna military base.
When she finally found Toneri, he was inside his suit, sitting behind a desk, writing away. He seemed to be focused on finishing whatever it was that he was writing. From what she saw, Toneri had achieved about five pages, totaling 55 pages of whatever subject he was writing on.
As Hinata continued to watch him, it became clear that he was writing a thesis. It struck her as odd because she was sure she had not asked for Toneri's expertise on any matter. Then again, there was also the possibility that he was writing about something outside the interest of their clan.
When Toneri finally decided to take a break, he grabbed his keys and said his brief goodbyes to the two servants, as he exited the suite. He seemed to be meeting up with Kankuro, outside, at an outdoor restaurant.
Hinata pulled a scroll out of a drawer and wrote a message. She quickly stepped outside the balcony, and stopped at the end. When she raised her hand towards the sky, she eventually saw the silhouette of a bird flying down, landing on the balcony's railing.
Hinata hesitated for a moment. Should she be asking for his help when he was clearly unpredictable sometimes? The raven cawed as if asking her to make up her mind. She approached it and inserted the message into a cylinder container, commanding it to fly back to its owner.
She lingered on the balcony, waiting for a response.
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Sasuke was inside an armory room, with a clipboard in hand, taking inventory and logging the weapons and armors on the shelf. He heard a tapping on the window and saw his raven glare at him menacingly as if demanding his attention. When he opened the window, the raven flew towards him, landing on his hand. Placing the clipboard down, on a surface, he raised a brow as he opened the cylinder container. Only a few people had access to his birds. It could either be Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, or Hinata.
When he opened the letter, he didn't need to read the name of the sender to know who it was from. He recognized her handwriting. However, she had purposely left out her name, and did not seal her letter using the Hyuga seal. The secrecy piqued his interest.
What does Gaara-san have you doing today? She asked.
Weapon inventory. Why?
About 30 minutes later, the same raven came back. He almost smiled upon reading the message.
How fun. You know, you still owe me two apologies. I want to cash them in as favors.
The only recent incident that happened was the compromising things he said in front of Nara.
Two? How Hyuga of you. Your math isn't adding up. Sasuke sent his raven back and about 20 minutes later, another reply. By then, he was essentially done counting inventory.
I suppose Uchihas are bad at remembering. Don't worry, I have a way for you to make it up to me. We're going hunting.
He read her response, and reread it multiple times, slowly. Yet there she was, with her beautiful calligraphy, placing his last name in plural form. It's not something he pictured anyone ever doing. Something about it left him feeling a little bit stunned. Maybe it was because he was 21 years old, and the passage of time had not helped heal all the wounds his brother had inflicted. However, he had learned along the way that he was probably going to mourn for the rest of his life. Getting over it, it wasn't to happen.
His lips twitched into a slight smile as he reflected. If he had been the same person from a year ago, he would've taken offense to it, and called her out for her lack of diplomacy. If anything, her letter elicited an image of a small, wide-eyed, infant, in his arms. Uchihas. He liked the sound of that.
As he replied to her, he began to remember the time she took over as clan leader. Sasuke used to dislike her due to a comment she had said about Naruto's feelings. Back then, he had been convinced she had zero diplomatic. But the truth was, he had been a little hurt that his feelings were being completely dismissed.
Afterward, he had wanted to hurt her, break her worldview, and show her that whatever pain she ever felt, didn't matter, because in the end he had suffered way more than she ever did, or ever would. So the next time he saw her, it had been when Kakashi had confirmed that she was interested in seeing his land. He had a feeling she would try to look his way, prompting him to show her his most traumatic memories. Even if she did cry, Hinata didn't respond the way he assumed she would.
She never tried to pretend that she understood his pain, and treated him like he was just a regular person. With her, he almost believed he wasn't broken. He admitted to himself that is why he enjoyed annoying her since his words would elicit a particular look from her. He blamed his childhood for his warped feelings.
Where are you? He asked.
At the mansion. Please take your time.
Having previously been inside her room, he summoned a portal that connected to the middle of her room.
He hadn't expected to find her that way, hastily covering herself for modesty with some kind of purple piece of fabric. It seems she had been in the middle of getting ready, as she was already wearing knee-high stockings and shorts.
His eyes immediately met hers, and there was that glare again that he ignored. He let his gaze wander towards the curve of her somewhat visible waist. Visually, it was as though she was created to be perfect, predictably so, in the best of ways.
His smile came out as a smirk. There was a light blush across her cheeks, but he could tell she was not happy with him. Her chin had a tilt to it. She was looking down at him as if he was some sort of maggot.
He rolled his eyes.
"You act as though I haven't seen your flesh before, back when you got yourself sick," When he spoke, his words were dripping with amusement.
"Sasuke, that's not the kind of thing you should say to me in this situation. Or do you not know when to use the word sorry? Please, turn around."
"How was I to know you were getting ready?" He said as he complied with her request.
"I did state to take your time," She reminded him.
"It could've been a very sarcastic way of telling me to hurry to you," From the sound of the movement behind him, he figured she must have been putting on her shirt. Sasuke inhaled sharply as he could visualize the curves that she tried to hide.
"Your excuses are laughable. Why didn't you teleport to the balcony instead?"
"Given how you left your name out of the letter, I didn't think you wanted me getting caught casually standing about, on your balcony. What difference does any of this make? You didn't even specify the place."
The moment he stopped hearing the sound of movement, he instinctively glanced over his shoulder. She was already dressed. The purple piece of cloth which she had previously used as a cover, turned out to be a sleeveless top. The obi she opted to wear only accentuated her curves even more.
"Just forget whatever you saw,"
"Already done. There wasn't much to see," His active Rinnegan could briefly be seen as he turned around to fully face her.
"That's a relief to hear, that I'm not your type," She said.
His eyes followed her movement, as she stood by her bed and lifted her leg to wrap a light layer of bandages around her thigh. He looked away and held his tongue, over the fear of commenting on something he might later regret. His gaze stopped on the few opened letters on top of her bed, which she had used as an extension of her work desk.
"What are we hunting?"
"Information. I asked you to come because I was made aware of Toneri's schedule," She said vaguely. "He'll be out with Kankuro for the afternoon,"
"I was under the impression an elder doesn't travel by themselves. He'll have servants up and about his place," He replied.
"If I recall correctly, you were able to walk into my home, undetected. And the illusion you placed my guards under, was nearly unbreakable. That's why it has to be you,"
After hearing her confirmation, he didn't mind but obliged. After all, the Rinnegan was something still fairly unknown to him. He was sure there were endless ways to use it, yet he had yet to discover them all. It probably didn't help that he normally worked solo.
"Give me your hands," He said firmly. He believed the tone in his voice should've made her move instantly, since it had worked once before. But then again, back then she had been ill, and today she seemed completely immune.
He watched as Hinata crossed her arms instead. When she didn't comply, Sasuke took a few steps toward her, calmly. He reached out and tugged at her arms, capturing her hands, successfully. He automatically searched and felt for callouses just for the reason that he wanted to satisfy his curiosity, but he found none.
"You are getting rusty," His grip only seemed to tighten into an immovable squeeze as she tried to pull away.
"Hmm, charming," The sarcasm resonated as she rolled her eyes.
"Relax," He said. The moment he blinked, his Sharingan became active. He sent some of his chakras into her, and this seemed to make her pause. She hadn't given up yet, as she continued to glare at him. "Activate your Byakugan."
Recognizing what he was up to, her face relaxed, almost showing understanding. Her hands also relaxed while in his grip.
She blinked with concentration, and her Byakugan activated with a soft command, while veins awakened around her eyes. Sasuke continued to pour a little bit more chakra into her until he had access to her vision. The way the Byakugan viewed the world was…beautiful.
After he was able to pinpoint the location of the hotel Toneri was staying at, he lifted his gaze and took note of all the people residing on each floor. His search stopped when he found the servants.
He lifted a hand and opened a portal inside Toneri's temporary office, it was currently unoccupied. When he finally let go of her hands, he figured she had an idea of what he had just done.
"Did you just…?" She gave up on framing her question. There was always something so surreal about his powers. She should be used to it by now.
"Yeah. Let's go," He waited for her to slip on her shoes, before motioning for her to jump in first.
Her lips twitched slightly as she sent him a nod before leaping inside. He soon followed. When they entered Toneri's study room, he wordlessly asked for her hands again, by merely motioning her way. She placed her hands in his, allowing him access to her vision once more. He used her Byakugan as a projector and pulled the servants into an illusion without having to physically stare into their eyes. He liked working with this particular Hyuga.
When he let go of her hand, she gave him a curious glance.
"Hn. No one should be bothering us. So what are we looking for?"
He watched Hinata navigate the space as though she had been there plenty of time. She quickly moved towards Toneri's desk and opened up a drawer to retrieve the thesis she saw him work on. The thesis had been written on a tightly sealed scroll. It was simple to open it since the seal reacted to Hyuga's blood.
She took out a dagger from her weapon holster and poked the tip of her finger and pressed the blood against the seal until it came undone.
"Sasuke, help," Hinata murmured as she glanced his way as motioned to the scroll. She was aware of the power that the Sharingan could do. "Please?" She added, noticing he didn't seem to budge.
As he reached her, they both shared a knowing look as she smiled his way. He hadn't realized until now how intimate her request had been. She had bygone any formal requests and merely reached out to him, directly, playfully, as though she were a friend.
"So the truth comes out. I'm just merely a tool to you after all," He said, lightheartedly as the scroll got passed to him.
"Then I guess I've been caught."
Her chuckle was a little endearing.
Hinata sat over an empty desk, while he took his place on the chair located in front of her. His grin eventually disappeared once he read the first passage of Toneri's outline, something about certain keywords already didn't bode well. Still, he omitted the entire piece of writing into his memory, not liking one bit of anything he had just read. From his understanding, the main branch family didn't seem to agree with the direction the Hyuga clan was headed towards.
He sent a look her way while frowning. At first, Sasuke hadn't minded snooping around Toneri's things. The whole reason he entertained her whims was that he had a feeling Toneri was just as crooked as his previous connections, or Hinata's ex. However, he had just been pulled into something he hadn't expected, family drama.
Hinata had radical views, which ignited some of her family members. He sighed, it won't be long before members begin to plot against her reign. Did she have a plan for this?
"What's wrong?" she asked when he seemed reflective all of a sudden.
"Let's head back," He replied, feeling the weight of the situation. He opened up a portal that connected back to her room.
"Okay, just let me reseal this,"
Drawing more blood, she resealed the letter and placed the scroll back where it had been found. She felt Sasuke tug gently at her arm, urging her to go first. She complied.
When they both returned to her room, she walked towards her desk and sat down. She glanced at him from across the room, hesitantly.
"You seem burdened..."
"Hinata, does your clan want the same things that you do?" He asked.
"Why do you ask? Does it have something to do with the thesis you read?"
Since he had memorized every single line with his Sharingan, he could simply pull her into his memories and allow her to read it, for herself. It seemed like the fastest way. Instead of verbally responding, he placed her under an illusion.
Hinata knew she had been pulled inside one of his illusions when she saw a physical copy of Toneri's draft materialize out of thin air. As it floated in front of her, she held out both of her palms as they landed in her hands.
"Yeah. Guess this might be news to you, you'll see," Sasuke replied.
She turned around and set it over the desk, ready to read.
"You're more of a magician than a Shinobi," Hinata commented before she unrolled the scroll.
As if remembering something, Hinata paused to glance at the time. The clock had stopped. She frowned. Her engagement was at 8 pm. And although she didn't want to go to the New Year's party, she had to. She couldn't say no to her clan's allies.
"24 hours equal to 24 milliseconds in real-time," Sasuke explained calmly. Although he appeared that way, his mind was far from quiet.
Walking around her room, Sasuke stopped by her bed and pushed some scrolls to the side to make space for himself. He plopped down with his arms resting under his head as he stared at the ceiling.
Toneri's unfinished thesis got him thinking that he couldn't continue to humor her whims anymore. He told himself this would be the last request he would ever accept from Hinata. After all, he felt justified in wanting to pull back, because if he removes himself from further involvement, he could continue to travel and seek redemption without worry.
He noticed pretty quickly how flawed his logic was, since he already knew about her plight. He closed his eyes and sighed inwardly. She was right, maybe she should've stayed back in Konoha. But it's not like he would ever tell her something like that.
After reading the first 10 pages of Toneri's draft, Hinata let out a scoff.
"I should be used to betrayal by now," She said as she lifted herself off the chair and approached him by the bed.
"Hn. Quiz time it is. Truth or False. Suppose you manage to abolish a few things, does that mean you're automatically making everything better?"
"Alright then, I'll go back to reading," Hinata replied while moving back to her chair before she had the chance to tell him what had been on her mind.
They both continued the same way. She was sitting down, reading, while Sasuke laid in bed, reflecting, until he stopped to voice a statement.
"None of this would make you a hero," He said, while remembering a time Naruto had been a little too eager to change the Hyuga clan.
Hinata turned slightly towards the sound of his voice, before her body soon followed. She brought both knees in, while on the chair as she stared at him thoughtfully. She almost questioned the validity of his question, based on the simple fact that Sasuke Uchiha was free. But ultimately, she stopped herself when the memories of his dying brother came flooding her mind.
She bit her lip.
"I am not trying to be a hero. I just want to do what is right. It's better to be free and to have the freedom to choose than to-" She said, softly, while subduing her anger.
"Face it Hinata, the laws are only an inconvenience to you now because it gets in your way. So you wish to change them," His eyes trailed towards the scroll, resting on her desk. He was reminded that Hinata had feelings for Nara. And that all of her actions seemed to be for the sake of being with him. It was annoying.
"That is not true." She said, feeling that Neji's memories were suddenly being insulted. Then she had to remind herself that Sasuke never really knew Neji. Perhaps Sasuke might've just been playing the devil's advocate, still, it made her uncomfortable.
"Say everything goes according to your grand scheme, do you have a plan set in place to help in the aftermath?" Toneri was focused on proving there will be negative economic and social effects. The freedom she wanted, even though it sounded as attractive as she was, the Hyuga clan weren't all for it.
"I doubt there would be immediate changes…"
"What would freedom mean to the branch members? Climbing up the royal latter may be a natural progression after some generations."
"I don't see the problem with a branch member eventually wanting to climb the royal ladder…"
"What about right now? You want to free your clan, but how could they be freed? They already had to go through the trauma of being slaves. What are you saving them from?"
"Again, what's wrong with the newer generation reaping the benefits of certain changes?" Sure, changing the law doesn't change the lives of anyone that's already marked as branch members, or the family that had already been married off through an arrangement.
"Toneri-san believes you're out of your depth, Hinata,"
"And whose side are you on?" She asked.
He sat up, and stared at her from across the room, little by little he was starting to see her. When he found slight traces of his brother in her, he looked away. It felt strange that she had expected him to be a part of whatever it was that she had in mind, and as far as he was concerned, to what end? What would he gain from all this?
"I truly wish you good luck, but my involvement ends here."
Hinata felt like she couldn't breathe for a moment, she had believed that they were friends, yet here he was making it clear that he didn't want to help her.
"I want you to release me then, from this," Hinata motioned to the surrounding. She didn't want to be stuck in this illusion, with him.
"You still haven't finished the thesis."
"Just make a physical copy for me. I leave Suna in three days,"
"Hn. That's not going to work for me. I don't have time for that. So, we're staying." He said, as in final. He got off the bed and opened up a portal.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm visiting pleasant memories. I'll be back when you're finished,"
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Sasuke had been true to his word. When he ended the realm of his illusion, he deactivated his Sharingan and watched her retreat towards the exit. He suspected she was angry with him for not taking her side. But that was of no consequence to him, she'll get over it on her own.
He did genuinely wish her success in her endeavor.
Sasuke thought he was going to let her storm off, as he originally planned to. He inhaled deeply before calling after her. Hinata paused by the door, which had already been opened slightly.
He took a few steps, reaching her, close enough to the point he could smell the flowery scent of her hair. He reached over her shoulders to shut the door behind her, trapping her between his arms in the process as she leaned further against the door.
"Look at me," Sasuke demanded.
"Why do I have to do that, when I do not even wish to?"
"Perfectly reasonable," She didn't need to look at him for him to read her. Her expression would eventually tell him everything instead. "Enlighten me, Why did you think I would march right in front of you, like some little shogi pawn in your battle."
When Hinata finally looked up at him, there was barely any emotion present in her.
"That means having high expectations of you in the first place,"
"Then why are you so angry with me?"
"I am not." She looked away while frowning. There was no justifiable reason for his closeness, and what it did to her at that moment. Hinata would normally have no problem ignoring certain things about him, like how terrifyingly attractive he was. "Goodbye Uchiha,"
"Goodbye? Do you not understand why I'm rightfully pissed? I do not want to get dragged into your shit." Sasuke said while trying to reel the conversation back to his feelings. "With you, it's all or nothing, isn't it?" He said as if finally realizing it for the first time. "Or could it be that Hinata Hyuga likes me?"
She made a face as she finally pushed him off.
"Your delusion nauseates me,"
"Oi, Hinata-chan, you've been in there for a while. I know you're doing your clan stuff but lunch is already served."
Hinata's eyes widened, as she froze. Hopefully, Kiba won't try to sniff inside her room. Her eyes trailed downward as she replied.
"Um, you guys can start without me, Kiba-kun. I'll be there soon." She called out, with a supernatural sweetness that Sasuke never thought could come out of her, on command.
"Alright," Kiba called from the other side of the door.
She stared after Sasuke, sending him a questioning glance since she didn't think their conversation had been over. He had lifted a hand and opened a portal at the center of her room, disappearing without giving her a second glance.
Her legs finally gave in, and she found herself on the floor, knees in, with her arms around herself. As she sat there, she stared blankly at the space Sasuke had once occupied.
Sasuke Uchiha had made her feel sick. Sick in a way that could only come from food poisoning. The anxiety attack, which she was still afflicted by, sprouted little wings, like one of Shino's bugs.
She couldn't keep meeting him anymore, not like this. That much she finally understood now.
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N/A: Ty for the comments! Have a wonderful week!
edited: 4-30-2021, typos. Also, too many commas in places that didn't belong. Lol.
Edited: 9-24-2021
Edited: 9-8-2021 Grammar and stuff