Chapter 23: The Aftermath
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Hanabi had awakened from one nightmare to another with her hands and arms bound.
When alone, she wept, constantly remembering it was her fault Matsuri was dead, that her team was dead. She wasn't sure how much time she spent in captivity thus far. Two weeks? Three? Four? She leaned against what she assumed to be a corner of her small confinement and waited. Her eyes were covered with some kind of cloth, and her mouth was sealed tightly with tape. There wasn't much sound happening around her, aside from her shallow breathing.
Her heart nearly jumped out when she heard the sound of a heavy door sliding open, slowly, letting the winter in. It was one of her captors, probably there to tease her and torment her again.
She was supposed to be a Hyuga and a medic. What a joke.
Recalling that day in the desert, Hanabi had always known that her older sister was wrong about her. She hadn't known what to do, and she still didn't know what to do now. She was useless without her eyes. Not only that, but she wasn't strong. The whole experience left her feeling more and more humiliated each time, as her captors showed her mercy by bathing her now and then, with her body fully nude on display.
Hanabi froze when a cold, sharp metal pressed against her skin, no doubt a kunai. Even though they had made it clear from the very beginning that they needed her alive for something, she never stopped fearing for her life.
"To think there's nothing special about this kunai. But you see, I like to believe that it likes to collect the blood of outsiders. Matsuri-chan was it? Yes, this knife likes that kind of blood."
Outsiders? Her family tended to speak the same way. She didn't have time to process that thought when the sound of the second pair of footsteps came inside.
They normally came in individually, why were there two of them today?
"It's been weeks since we sent that message. The boss should've replied by now,"
"You think he somehow got captured?"
"Let's wait a few more days before we make the next move."
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Night insects sang quietly in the forest. The trees and bushes rustled lightly against the windy winter night.
Naruto and Sakura lay inside their sleeping bags, by the fire. Their messy loose hair appeared tropical in the night, as it picked up the fire's light, reflecting reddish and orange alike. Sakura opened her eyes and stared at the fire from her side, while deep in thought.
Sitting up slowly, Sakura reached out to a small pile of logs nearby as the fire dimmed. She tossed it a little too late, as the fire died out.
"Sasuke," Sakura mumbled his name in the dark while yawning. "Can you light the fire again?"
Sasuke was sitting on a low branch of a tree, with one leg extended forward while the other hung loosely. "Leave it dark. It will help you fall asleep," Sasuke said.
"It's cold," Sakura replied while drawing her knees in. As she hugged herself, she glanced at Naruto's silhouette. The naturally loud blond had been quiet, probably because all three of them had been up for over three days, looking and searching. But it wasn't healthy to keep going at this pace.
"You're a doctor and a Shinobi. You'll live,"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "I bet if Hanabi-chan was here right now, you wouldn't have said that," Even if Sakura couldn't see, she assumed Sasuke was glaring her way. She had been wrong in her assumption, she figured, from how sad his voice sounded.
"I know she's alive, somewhere..."
"Is there something that you know about this kidnapping that you're not telling me?" Sakura slowly got out of the sleeping bag and grabbed her winter cloak, and threw it around herself for warmth as she relocated to a large log. "You seem sure that Hanabi-chan is close to home."
"Close to Konoha," Not home. After correcting what he perceived to be a mistake, he briefly performed a single-hand sign to light up the fire once more. Naruto stirred in his sleep before eventually rising to join Sakura by the fire.
"So? Tell me everything that you know." She demanded.
"I'm not sure what makes you say that I know anything at all." Sasuke hopped off the tree branch to add more logs to the fire, eventually shifting his attention to the two. "If none of you are going to get some sleep, let's keep on searching. You all seem to have the energy to go on for another five days without sleep." Sasuke said.
Blue eyes met dark ones.
"Answer her question, Sasuke," Naruto said while frowning.
Sasuke gave his best friend a look.
"Really Naruto? You can very much do that yourself. You were there that night as well," He said cryptically, hinting at the New Year's Eve incident.
"Toneri." Naruto sighed, tiredly. "The bastard threatened Hinata with blackmail. There's a possibility that he did it."
Sasuke gave Naruto a knowing look. His best friend had left out the events that happened that night in Suna, and their small conspiracy.
So his blond friend was capable of lying. He wasn't surprised, it was probably Kakashi's influence after all.
Sakura was aware she tended to stay away from their world, as she preferred to put her energy into helping people, mentoring others, and pursuing becoming a better medicine practitioner and a better person. However, she had no idea the two had been so involved in Hinata's life.
"Toneri, he's an elder, right?" She received a few nods. "I see, so taking Hanabi it's a form of blackmail," Sakura said. "But if Toneri was the kidnapper, then there was no point in acting out such heinous violence against two poor kids... Matsuri-chan was never any threat..."
Sasuke's eyes widened. That night, when he removed Toneri's memory, he had a feeling he had removed more than was necessary. Sasuke turned away from Sakura's gaze.
"That was possibly an oversight in their plan," Sasuke replied, while covering his guilt behind his monotone response. Matsuri dying could have been his fault. He should've never gotten involved.
"But what did Hinata do?"
A pair of dark eyes sent a glare her way.
"That's messed up Sakura, why are you placing the blame on Hinata-chan?" Naruto said, on Sasuke's behalf.
"Sorry, that did come out so wrong, Hinata-chan is great. I don't mean to blame her for anything," Their expression immediately shifted to understanding, making inner Sakura rage inside.
"Hinata-chan has been standing up for the common people. She angered the 1% of her clan. So now the rich snobs want her out," Naruto said.
"I had no idea that was happening..." Sakura stood up and stretched. As she gazed at the stars through a small parting in the forest, she caught a few of her favorite stars scattered about. "Why is it that we have to be sent on a mission, for the three of us to be under the same night as this?"
"That doesn't have to be true. How about this, after we find Hanabi-chan, we should all go traveling. Just the four of us," Naruto said from his side, smiling at Sakura. Although Naruto no longer went around making grand promises or proclamations anymore, this promise was an easy one to keep.
"Kami knows Hanabi-chan and I will need this vacation after this is all over, so yeah I'm in," Sakura replied as she went back to her sleeping bag, zipping herself back up again.
The corner of his mouth twitched into a micro-second smile. "There you go again, including me without even asking. What about becoming Hokage, Dobe?" Sasuke nudged Naruto on the shoulder.
"There's time, Teme," Naruto replied with confidence. "If Kakashi did it in his 30s, well," Naruto playfully punched Sasuke, and the two began to tussle.
"I ignore you two," Sakura said to Naruto, from her side.
Sasuke shoved Naruto away, his dark eyes meeting hazel green orbs. "Who's going to look after the hospital?" He asked Sakura, half amused.
Sakura smiled, before staring at the sky. "I don't know, Kakashi-sensei and Tsunade-sama can figure it out. I'm sure there's plenty of coverage since I helped train so many before I left for Suna."
"Sounds like a plan," Naruto replied with a wide grin, excited.
"What if I say no? Does my consent even matter to you two?"
"Ugh, stop whining, Sasuke. We're not going to get in the way of your journey," Naruto said.
Sasuke almost replied that they already had gotten in the way, multiple times, but stopped himself. By then, his two best friends had essentially become caterpillars inside their sleeping bags, which might've made it harder for him to argue against. They appeared like two harmless genins.
Sasuke stood up and put out the fire. He resumed his night watch on the same branch he had been sitting on.
"Thanks for keeping watch, Teme," Naruto said through a yawn.
"Good night Sasuke-kun..." Sakura said, while finally closing her eyes.
"Hn." Sasuke's gaze turned to the atmosphere.
He was never much of a person who gained any insight by staring at the sky. Yet tonight, something was comforting about the moon. Sasuke visualized Hinata giving soft-spoken commands to others, while no one leaving their shifts until the coordinates to Hanabi's location were figured out.
If her family was involved, the next sensible move was for Hinata to remove traces of her blood being involved. It was hard to stop himself from speculating, since this whole situation was a mess.
Sasuke had nearly forgotten about Kakashi. The Hyuga clan was quite precious to his previous sensei, since it was Konoha's little money-making machine. If Sasuke had to take a guess, it was that Kakashi's next move was probably going to be to support Hinata and hide this whole ordeal from Suna, from Gaara.
Konoha had always been that way, secretive, deceptive and unchanging. He let out a controlled sigh. Right, he wasn't part of Konoha anymore, so he couldn't care less about their spinning lies.
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The first lieutenant had been sharpening his sword when several servants burst inside the building, in a frantic panic.
It had been confirmed around 5 am that the elders were all missing, along with their precious clan leader.
It was around 6 am when the news had reached him.
He immediately stood up and sheathed his Katana, cursing at the start of his day. He had only been lieutenant for one day, and already things were going to shit. Waking everyone up from their sleeping quarters, Yami gave the order to search and find them.
What the hell was going on? Yami asked himself, as he searched for clues inside each of the elder's homes. It seemed like the elders had been snatched at night, when they were in bed, in the middle of sleep.
When he entered Toneri's room next, he found that his bed was untouched. He made a mental note of the possibility Toneri may be the culprit behind the missing elders.
Upon entering Hinata's room, he noticed Hinata's bed had also been disturbed. Which meant she was abducted like the rest of the elders. And knowing what he knew about his fragile leader, she needed protection.
"Yami, what are you doing in my daughter's room?!" Hiashi asked a little harshly.
"Looking for clues." Yami quickly explained. "Hinata-sama and the elders were reported missing, I'm performing my duties since I've been left in charge,"
"Alert everyone to stop the search. The elders have some private affairs to take care of, and would like to remain undisturbed. So do not concern yourselves with their whereabouts,"
"And what about Hinata-sama?" When Hiashi remained silent, Yami simply bowed, before leaving.
The better question was, why couldn't he see any of the elders with his Byakugan? Did the elite have some kind of technique to hide from the Byakugan? No, such a technique doesn't exist.
Yami had remained close by, sneaking back into Hinata's room once Hiashi was gone. Since the retired clan leader wasn't willing to be vocal about his daughter's whereabouts, he would investigate. It was his job to know at all times when she was, how else was he supposed to lead an army if he was in the dark? Information is power, or so they say.
Yami opened her closet slowly.
"Her dark cloak is missing." He noted out loud as he reached out to the purple wool cloak that he had seen her wear multiple times during daytime strolls.
It became obvious that Hinata was indeed up to something, otherwise, why did she take her black cloak that was specifically meant for missions which take place in the dark?
After hopping outside the window, he half turned to her window.
"Forgive the intrusion, Hinata-sama." He said to no one in particular.
As he retreated to the station to call back the search, Yami reflected on the undeniable fact that Hinata would stand to gain the most, should the elders just mysteriously vanish forever. As for Toneri, who at the time Yami believed to be working side by side with Hinata, Yami believed he was fed up with the older generation. So together, they conspired to have younger elders take their place to help push her thesis forward.
Yami smiled.
"Brilliant, Hinata-sama. Just brilliant," He said, unaware, that he misunderstood the whole situation.
Once the search for the missing elders was called off, a few Chunins and Anbus approached Yami with concerns of their own, regarding their missing leader.
"I believe she's planning something big," Yami said, as he spoke to Hinata's supporters. "We might not have to riot or burn things like we originally planned. Let's leave it in her hands for now."
"That's our leader-sama!"
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The sun was rising as Sai was walking Ino home, both masks hanging on their side, hidden inside their cloaks. The loud winter birds were chirping, casually resting on poles, wires, and railings.
The two passed a frozen pond, closed-up shops, and empty streets until they eventually made it to her flower shop which was scheduled to open up in two hours.
"Let me help you out, Beauty-chan," Sai said. He always kept an extra pair of clothing at Ino's, for mornings like these. "You might've overexerted yourself today, undoing Sasuke's illusion."
His eyes took in the plant display outside her shop, made up of hardly winter flowers that no one ever dared to steal.
"And whose fault do you think any of this is?" Ino said seriously, as she looked for her keys.
"I'm sorry for ratting Nara out," He said, knowing moments like these called for an apology.
"That's not what I'm talking about," She had been inside Toneri's head, and now she had insights that nobody else had.
She continued once they were both inside her home.
"When I probe strangers, I tend to find out things about the people I know or care about. And it changes the way I see things," She sighed when Sai didn't seem to understand what she was talking about. "Look, I don't think Hinata-chan is good for Shikamaru,"
"I was under the impression you do not get to choose that for him. Toneri is only one part of the equation. Hmm, what about probing Hinata's mind to see the truth for yourself?"
Ino gave him a look. "Are you kidding me? You know I can't do that, it's a violation of our allegiance,"
As Sai stared intently at Ino, he was remembering something he had read in a book.
"So you thought Hime-sama was someone else, and now you're disappointed. But how is she harmful to Shikamaru-san?" He asked, curious about the specifics.
She turned away and crossed her arms. "She's obviously what Shika would consider troublesome, and not in a cute way,"
Sai tilted his head curiously. "You do not own Nara-san, the same way Naruto does not own Uchiha-san. You're just a friend, Ino. He's not your property to protect,"
Ino rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't understand even if I tried to explain it to you. But just do me a favor, if you see Hinata doing something weird, just let me know."
"What did you see inside Toneri's memories?" Sai finally asked, since he had been curious to know.
"It's not about what I saw..." Ino began. "When I read Toneri's memories, well, a lot of shit went wrong because his memories got deleted. For Kami's sake, Toneri even forgot about Matsuri's connection to Gaara, which is why she is dead!" And blamed Hinata for putting Shikamaru in a situation that trigger it all.
Her best friend doesn't know…
"Interesting, so Toneri-san had seriously believed for a moment that he was innocent," Sai said while grinning.
Not bothering to contain his excitement about this new information, Sai moved behind the register counter, where there was a small fridge hidden to the side. He opened it up and took a bottle of water.
"Ino, here drink this. You're going to need it,"
Halfway through the bottle, she stopped and gave him a look. "What?"
"So tell me more about what you know," He said, intrigued, as though it was story time.
"Do you like this kind of stuff?" Ino said as if she were grossed out by his interest. "You know what, forget it, you're draining to talk to. I'm heading upstairs. Please don't be creepy to my customers. And try to sell my flowers, not your damn arts." Ino said, hinting at a time Sai had been asked to watch the flower shop, and instead of selling her flowers, well, he sold his art.
"Good night, Beauty-chan," Sai said while hugging her from behind.
"It's morning, Sai." She said as she went up the stairs to her room.
Once he was alone, Sai changed out of his assassin clothing, into simple black overalls with a light purple shirt. He put on an apron and began to water some small baby tulips. The water inside the pot overflowed, possibly drowning the tulip.
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It was 5 am. And they all needed sleep. Yoshino, Shikamaru, and Hinata were inside his office room, proofreading the letters of apology and statements. Coffee mugs laid on the table, forgotten, as Hinata sealed the last letters with the Hyuga symbol.
She let out a yawn. "Do you think I'm going to get disowned? Father hasn't sent anyone to come get me." She asked the Nara family, about her father.
"He and I agreed to hide you here because it will look suspicious if you return home in the morning, while the elders do not. It won't be long before people start to question where the elders are." Yoshino said. "I'll get the guest room prepared while you two send out the letters."
Turning to Shikamaru, Hinata sent a sleepy smile his way as she sat across from him. "It does feel nice being here." She moved a few coffee mugs out of the way, to rest her arms and head over the desk.
"I think I know what you mean," Shikamaru replied as he rested his chin on his hand.
Having Hinata around just felt natural, like she just belonged in his home. He sent a smile her way.
When Hinata didn't stir or move from her spot, Shikamaru reached over her and took the scrolls from her side, and sent out all the letters on her behalf. He closed the window to stop the winter draft, before returning to her side. It might've been contagious since he suddenly felt tired as well.
When Yoshino returned, she paused by the door with a few folded pieces of clothing in her arms.
Noticing someone's gaze on them, Shikamaru glanced up.
"Can you show her to the spare guest room? I already told the servants not to bother with breakfast. And here, take these pajamas."
Shikamaru joined his mother by the door. He hesitantly took the pajamas from her.
As Shikamaru stared at the pajamas in his arms, it was hard not to question every single phrase his mother had spoken today. There were too many sides of her that he didn't understand. Sometimes he wondered who Yoshino was. His mother had never been this way when his father was around.
"Unfortunately I have to stay up and continue to run this household, so let me know if you need anything Hinata-chan."
"Thank you, Yoshino," Hinata said, as she bowed politely.
Hinata followed Shikamaru to the guest room. After sliding the door open for her, he stepped to the side to let her in first. When Hinata entered the guest room, she felt a very familiar chakra property activating by her mere presence, as the room became a nullified sanctuary away from the prying Byakugan eyes. Her eyes narrowed, how did Yoshino get a hold of these tags? Did her father give them to her?
"Something wrong?" Shikamaru asked. But his question was immediately answered as soon as he stepped inside. "This is probably for your protection." He reasoned.
"Um," She began as she took the pajamas from his arms. "I should probably get some rest now..."
"Hmm, alright." Shikamaru paused by the door, not wanting to yet leave. But then again, she was probably exhausted, especially with everything that has happened, so maybe she needed space. "I hope you sleep well."
"You too."
Hinata sat down in bed and stared at the pajamas in her hands. Her fingers grazed over the Nara symbol proudly displayed on the back, before changing into them. When she walked over to the mirror, dark-colored palettes filled her vision. She turned away from the mirror and scooped her hair to the side. When she got a good look at the back of the shirt, it was hard not to assume every gesture Yoshino made was intentional. This might've been Yoshino's way of telling her that she wanted Hinata to become a Nara.
Even after all that has happened, Yoshino was there for her, always supportive, always the caring one, always accepting of her... She had extended an invitation to her home and offered her a comfortable place to stay and to lie low. Even added slight modifications to the guest room, probably to shield her from her clan's speculation.
Hinata took off the Nara shirt and threw it across the room when she realized just what she had walked into. She was no longer the one in control, not that she felt like she had much, to begin with, but she used to have power. This situation had become all too convenient for Yoshino who now had nothing but gains.
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"Are you sure you want me to leave those two alone?" A maid asked Yoshino, while she was in the middle of pouring tea, since Yoshino decided to stay up the whole day since it would look strange if she sleeps the day away.
"I was crystal clear with my instructions," Yoshino said to one of her oldest maids that had helped raise her husband.
"You know it will be a disgrace to her and her clan."
Yoshino sighed. "You're overreacting. My son isn't going to do anything. He's a gentleman. Let them be in love,"
The maid looked into her brown eyes and all she saw were lies. "Please, I know this isn't about love." The maid rose to her feet and left her alone in the tearoom.
When Yoshino first set out to befriend Hinata Hyuga, she hadn't planned for anything to happen this way. Not to say that her son wasn't super handsome, but Hinata Hyuga should've never been an option. The Hyuga and their rules, history, and politics were normally in opposition to theirs', which is why it was Ino-Shika-Cho, not Hina-Shika-Cho. But due to Hinata's open mind, alas, finally, victory.
Sure, she had been upset, at first, about their secret relationship, but eventually got over it after she realized this was even better than her original plan. After adapting to the situation, and going along with Hinata's whims and conspiracies, Yoshino felt like she had come on top since Hinata looked at her like she was the most amazing person and possible in-law on earth. So yes, none of this was about love. It was about the power which may come from having an heir with ties and connection to the Hyuga royals. Yoshino couldn't idly wait for the Hinata to change their policies, or for things to settle because by then it might be a little too late.
Her smile immediately faded when Shikamaru showed up in the tearoom, staring at her in disapproval. "Not happy to see me?"
"I wasn't expecting you. I thought you both were resting."
"What are you reading?"
She handed over the letter that had just recently arrived.
Yoshino-san,
I have thought it over. Hinata must be kept away somewhere safe since I don't know how many more enemies there are. Once Hanabi is safely returned to us, the criminal trials will begin. Please look after my daughter until then.
Shikamaru briefly read the letter and glanced up, cautiously. "How did you get Lord Hiashi to agree to let her stay for this long?"
"I promised him our loyalty in return. Should his clan need anything in the future, even if it's financially, I assured him that we'll be there. I need Lord Hiashi to see just how much we care about his daughter. It's a matter of time before he ends up warming to the idea of letting Hinata join our clan." Yoshino said with a smile.
Shikamaru stepped outside the courtyard and momentarily shielded his eyes from the sun by using one hand to block the sun. Once he got used to the brightness, he took out a cigarette and began to smoke, as he contemplated why something in him felt...off. He wondered if Hinata had felt it too, which is why she might've sent him away instead of confiding in him.
After he put out his cigarette, he finally understood what it was that threw him off. His mother's involvement in his love life left him feeling a little suffocated.
"Troublesome…"
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Gaara sat in his office with a blank stare.
Although Matsuri's death had hit Gaara the hardest, it was strange how everyone assumed the two had been a couple. Although it was true that Gaara loved her, she was more of a student and a pupil than anything. Still, that did not negate that he wanted to find the one responsible for her death, so he could deliver his justice. After all, his sand coffin hadn't been used in nearly a decade.
A side investigation had ensued and half of his labor was focused on finding Hanabi because her going missing was another issue of its own. She went missing in his lands, thus it became a priority that she be found before whispers of conspiracies give rise to war.
Why wasn't the Hyuga clan making any threats or demands? Not even his leadership style had been put into question, nor was he blamed for allowing something foul to happen on his grounds. Her clan hadn't even asked him for apologies nor statements over losing one of the most important nurses in their village, Hanabi Hyuga, the one next in line to the Hyuga matriarch.
His green eyes soon reflected skepticism. Something was off.
Gaara rose from his chair and approached a window to see a messenger bird with a small necklace-like crest, which showed it belonged to the Yamanaka clan. The Yamanaka clan was known for torturing information out of a target.
Gaara immediately took the note and read it.
I'm sending this urgent letter on behalf of the Hokage, we found Hanabi's coordinates. She's located in 42°31'10.4"S 172°17'39.5"E.
Gaara pulled out a world map and traced the coordinates, which moved further and further away from his territory, and into the Fire country territory. Immediately his hunch that this was an inside job, done by Konoha, became more and more valid.
"I promise I'll get to the bottom of this, Matsuri-chan," Gaara murmured to himself as he made preparations to go to Konoha. He sent word to Kankuro to call off the search, since he had been out there in the field searching for Hanabi as well. Gaara wrote to his brother, explaining to him to meet him in Konoha while leaving Temari in charge for the first time.
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It was the middle of a snowy afternoon when Naruto received a letter from Konoha. After reading it, he handed the letter over to Sasuke, as he was more adequate at reading maps.
"Hanabi's close by. Let's go." Sasuke said after finding the coordinates on the map.
Naruto activated sage mode, to aid them in tracking Hanabi's specific chakra. Her weakened chakra was traced to a village in the next town over, close to Konoha. He led them to a small mansion located on the outskirts of the village. Outside the mansion, the Hyuga logo was displayed proudly outside the gates. The mansion must've been someone's vacation home, Naruto figured.
"She's being kept by two Hyugas," Naruto said. He noticed the two chakras flared, as if ready for battle. "Shit, they know that we're here. There goes our element of surprise."
"They have the Byakugan," Sasuke reminded him. Turning to the building, Sasuke activated his Rinnegan as he was ready to go inside and cause havoc. But before he could act, Sakura rushed past him and into the mansion.
Soon, sounds of exposition ensued as different sections of the mansion were destroyed in what was probably a one-sided battle.
"Shouldn't we help Sakura?" Naruto asked.
"We're not dealing with the end of the world here. Sakura is very capable. And she was closer to Matsuri than you and I ever were. I say let her have this," Sasuke said, understanding Sakura's anger. "Besides you're the next in line for Hokage, and I'm the ex-avenger. When we write our mission report, it will look messier if we're involved in the violence against the Hyuga clan."
Naruto rolled his eyes, there had been so many times Sasuke sounded just like Kakashi, and that moment had been one of them.
Sakura came out minutes later, with tears in her eyes. She was holding Hanabi in her arms, pressing down on some wound done to her neck.
"What the fuck happened?" Naruto asked while shooting Sasuke a glare. "See, we should've gone inside with her!"
Sasuke withdrew an extra cloak from his bag and laid it out on the cold ground as Sakura laid Hanabi down.
Hanabi gave everyone a confused but scared look, as she tried to speak, but it only made her neck wound worse.
"It wouldn't have made a difference," Sakura sobbed as pressed down the neck wound. "She was already bleeding for too long..."
Naruto paced about in the background as Sakura yelled orders.
"Sasuke! Help me while I heal her!" Sakura guided his hands over Hanabi's neck wound and instructed him to press down.
Sasuke gulped, as his shaky hands immediately turned red with blood. The blood seemed to flow almost endlessly, staining the snow red. His mind went to dark places as Sakura tried her best to stabilize Hanabi.
Sakura-sensei, I'm sorry, I wasn't strong enough… I was supposed to be an amazing medic, just like you. Hanabi truly wanted to speak, but in her delirious state, she didn't realize what was happening as her frail hand reached out to Sakura.
"Hanabi-chan, none of this was your fault. We're sorry we left you out of our sight…" Sakura replied, she wanted so very much to hold Hanabi's hand, but couldn't break her healing concentration to do so. She was grateful when Naruto was the one to reach out.
"Hang in there Hanabi, be strong," Naruto said.
Back inside the half-destroyed mansion, two Hyugas regained consciousness. They tried to sneak out of the mansion to run away, but Sasuke noticed them right away.
Shifting his rinnegan towards the two criminals, Sasuke activated his control over gravity, sending the two flying in his direction as though they were rag dolls.
"Should we capture them? Or do we end them?" Sasuke said, emotionlessly.
"Let's capture them." Naruto quickly replied without missing a beat.
"Let's end them," Sakura spoke over Naruto's voice.
Sakura and Naruto immediately began to have some sort of battle as they glared at each other.
"That's not the kind of Hokage I'll be," Naruto finally said. As much as he wanted to end their lives, he felt it wasn't right.
After ending their little silent battle, Sakura looked away.
Sasuke's eyes trailed to Sakura. He knew she was probably having a hard time dealing with Naruto's decision, always taking the high road.
"Hanabi-chan should be in the clear for now, but we need to get her to the hospital, and fast."
"And where do you plan on bringing them to? Hokage-sama." Sasuke asked as he motioned to the two criminals.
"Even if Hinata's clan gets pissed at me, I say let Gaara deal with the trash as he pleases,"
"If you say so, Hokage-sama," Sasuke replied.
"Oi, are you mocking me?"
"Maybe. Any whom, we should probably split up," Sasuke said, as he tried to hand Hanabi over to Naruto, while his technique carried two unconscious ninjas in the air. "I'll take these two back to Suna. You two can return Hanabi to Konoha." Sasuke said.
"I guess you don't want to go back home, Huh?" Naruto said while rubbing the back of his neck. "But sorry Sasuke, I need to be the one to deliver these guys. Gaara is going to be pissed when he finds out it was...well...Hinata's clan is behind this. I know how to talk to him, so it has to be me,"
"I'm going with Sasuke-kun." Sakura said, "I know I still have a responsibility to finish my business in Suna. But I'm sorry, I need to make sure I take care of Hanabi…"
"It's fine Sakura-chan, Hanabi takes priority."
"Alright, then it's settled," Sasuke said. He admitted to himself that there was a person he wanted to see anyway. Thus, their arrangement worked out.
.
"I feel like I'm under house arrest," Hinata said as she placed down a shogi piece. Shikamaru immediately made a move, as he predicted her attack.
"I never noticed how dramatic you can be," Shikamaru replied with a lazy smirk.
"I am not." After going for the next move, Hinata paused to look at the board. She frowned. "I never noticed how brutal you can be. You don't care that I'm new to this game."
"I'm still enjoying myself either way. Don't worry, you'll get there eventually,"
"Sometimes I wonder if Neji-nii-san ever played this game,"
After thinking for some time, his eyes moved away from the board, as he stared at her lavender eyes. The cousin she loved so much, the same one that almost ended her life. Why were there always stories like that in her family?
"I was there for the Chunin exams. I saw how he almost-you almost died."
"I guess hate runs in the family,"
"Why did he hate you so much?"
"He hated my father, and took it out on me,"
Hinata opened up to him about how her father's twin brother decided to give his life to save his older brother.
"... And then my father apologized to Neji-nii-san. I can understand why Lord Kakashi is now all about honesty. Revealing the truth helped bring my father closer to Nii-san. Afterward, my father was also different towards me, he was more gentle. I don't know why letting the truth come out about our uncle changed him the way it did. He had changed, in a good way. And now you know the rest," Hinata paused when she realized she was rambling, and spilling too much information about herself with like a thousand words per minute. But he seemed like he was listening. But still, she should stop talking.
"I think anyone would've changed if their loved one was in danger,"
"Yeah," After some moment of silence, she finally asked what had been on her mind. "You don't talk much about your sensei or your father,"
He shrugged his shoulders, his mouth opening to speak, but instead, he ended up smiling. "Tell me more about Neji-san,"
"I'm sorry that I brought up your sensei and also your father."
"Not much to say about them. I picked up most of their habits and made them my own. I'm also involved with the people they love. If anything, they entrusted part of themselves to me before they left."
"So you think about them every day."
"Yeah. Everyday,"
Hinata glanced at the time.
Shikamaru noticed right away what had been on her mind. "They'll find her. Don't worry."
"Patience, I suppose," She sighed out the words like it was already part of her mantra.
.
When Sasuke and Sakura arrived at Konoha, they immediately took Hanabi to the hospital.
Having been kicked out of the emergency room, Sasuke made his way towards the rooftop to keep a lookout. As he reached the edge, he witnessed dozens of Anbus, no doubt Hyugas, quickly circling the building's perimeter. He recognized Hinata's father as he walked with grace and reached the entrance. Sasuke immediately noticed Hinata's absence.
"Well done, Sasuke-kun." Lady Tsunade said as she emerged next to Sasuke.
"It's been a long time," Sasuke said with familiarity.
"It has been. I can't claim to still be your leader, but your job here is done. As of now, no one is allowed to visit her without Hiashi's permission. You should get yourself an inn." Lady Tsunade said.
"Hn,"
As Sasuke turned his attention back to the view before him, it had made sense at the time as to why a ridiculous amount of security was being stationed there, since Hanabi was an important figure, next to Hinata. Speaking of Hinata, where was she? Why hasn't she visited the hospital just yet?
He turned away and headed towards the last place he thought he would ever return to, the tower.
When he entered the Hokage's office, he immediately noticed a presence lacking in Kakashi's shadow.
"Where's Nara?" Sasuke asked.
Kakashi chuckled.
"I wasn't aware you two are finally friends. Let's just say a lot has happened in the last few days,"
"Nara-san stepped down."
Sasuke's attention snapped to a familiar voice.
Sai had been sitting on a window, with a sketchpad in his arms, staring at him impassively.
Sasuke turned his gaze back to Kakashi, with questions in his eyes.
"Don't worry, Sai isn't here to replace you," Kakashi said playfully.
When Sasuke opened his mouth to ask about Hinata, he quickly changed his mind since he didn't want to give Kakashi any wrong ideas.
"So what happened with Nara?" Instead, he asked.
"Doesn't matter now, does it? The truth remains that the Advisor position is available, and you're welcome to have it should, you want it. I think together with you and I will make a good team, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi observed Sasuke, neutrally, not surprised at all with what his answer would be. Probably a 'Hn, no thanks, you can shove it.'
Sasuke doesn't remember a time he had ever seen Nara lose his cool when it came to working. The guy essentially lived to follow the rules, thus he found it strange that he stepped down. Then again, he had seen Nara's judgment gets clouded when a particular Hyuga was involved. Did something happen between them?
Sai, who had been by the window, stared at the civilians walking down the streets in their oblivious lives filled with peace. Upon hearing Kakashi's proposition to Sasuke, he turned his attention to the conversation happening in front of him. Sai studied Sasuke's body language before looking away again, focusing on the sounds of giggles and laughter as civilians walked by, outside on the streets.
"You should sleep on it, Uchiha-san," Sai said, even though it wasn't his place to speak. "Your presence and influence have done wonders to Lord Kakashi. Haven't you heard? Honesty is our new policy. We look forward to seeing what other kinds of changes you could bring about should you accept Kakashi's proposition,"
The way Sasuke stared at Sai as if considering his words, was enough to make Kakashi reconsider what he originally believed about Sai. Way to go, Sai-kun, Kakashi thought to himself. Seems like you've come a long way.
"Well, there you have it," Kakashi said. "Sai's not wrong, you know. You have the power to change things for the better,"
"Spare me the inspirational manipulative bullshit speech, you both sound just like Naruto."
"Do we now?" Kakashi asked. There was a glint in his eyes, since being compared to Naruto was a win in his book.
Sai hugged the sketchpad in his arms before sending him one of those ominous, devious smiles he was known for. "See you around, Uchiha-san,"
.
That night, Sasuke walked inside an inn, for a quick place to sleep. Once he secured space to spend the night, he shoved the keys into his pocket and headed down the stairs. He sat at the pub, located on a different part of the inn. As he sat around drinking, it didn't take him long to discover what the talk around town was.
"I heard they finally found her younger sister. She was half-dead in a ditch, so now she's in the hospital recovering from fatal wounds." A lady said as a drink was being poured to her.
"Do you think her older sister did it? Maybe that's why she stepped down as the leader." The speaker, a woman, kept half of her attention on Sasuke, as she spoke. She smiled knowingly when she saw the Uchiha leave some payment before he stood up and walked away. After the Uchiha was gone, Sai also stood up and dropped his disguise as soon as he left the pub.
When Sasuke entered his temporary room and laid down in bed. Unable to sleep, he got up and stared at the tiny space of his room. He focused his Rinnegan on a particular opened space and lifted his hand to open a portal. When Sasuke stepped through it, he ended up in Hanabi's medical room.
Sakura had been in her hospital uniform. She eyed him up and down and shook her head.
"You're wearing your Suna uniform, have some respect for our village. It doesn't hurt to pretend to be loyal to us."
He rolled his eyes.
"How is she?" He asked, as he walked next to Hanabi and took her hand in his.
Sakura bit her lip.
"She'll wake up soon... But the damage to her vocal cords is likely permeant. She might not be able to speak,"
Sasuke took a deep sigh as he continued to hold Hanabi's hand.
"I heard people in town talking about Hinata, saying that she stepped down," How is she doing? And how the hell did that happen?
"Hanabi-chan was supposed to be next in line, but I overheard her father talking with Lord Kakashi-sensei. It seems Lord Hiashi might not retire after all,"
"Has she come by to visit by any chance?" Sasuke asked.
"No. Even I find it kind of strange. Can you go find out what's going on?"
Sasuke stepped away from Hanabi and opened up a portal, connecting to Hinata's room. He knew Hinata was going to be furious at him for doing so, but once she sees the portal, she should have time to react this time.
When he appeared inside Hinata's room, he noticed it had been kept tidy, and untouched.
It was around midnight, and she was not in her room. Where the hell was she?
Teleporting outside the Aburame's home, Sasuke stood outside their mansion. He allowed some of his killer intent to seep out, attracting a swarm of bugs his way. He withdrew his sword and slashed right through, and waited for an Aburame to emerge.
"Uchiha," When Shino spoke, there was obvious irritation in his voice. "Have you come to look for a fight?"
"We brought back Hanabi,"
"That's good news indeed, but that's not why you're here, is it?"
"I'm looking for Hinata,"
Shino tilted his head in slight interest. "Ah, That's right, you weren't there for the excitement," He said vaguely. "Come, follow me."
Shino led Sasuke to the torture chamber, where eight elders were chained up to different torture machines. Sasuke's eyes widened as he recognized every single face from the days he worked as Hinata's Anbu.
His lips slowly turned into a smirk. "I see that you guys have been busy around here,"
"Unfortunately we got caught, and Hinata was coerced by Lord Kakashi into stepping down. We're still housing them while we wait for Hiashi to decide their fate. It all depends on Gaara-san's request,"
"That explains a lot. So where is she?"
"The Nara clan is hiding her until the time is right,"
Sasuke blinked. Why would her father willingly let her stay there? Sasuke turned to leave.
.
Once he was outside of Aburame's mansion, he opened up a portal and teleported once more. Sasuke stood outside the Nara mansion, unsure of how to proceed.
His lips pressed into a thin line. Was she already engaged to Nara? He scoped out the area until he found the guest room that belonged to her.
He silently dropped from the sky, took a rock that had been buried under snow, and threw it at her window. When the door opened slightly, Hinata peeked through, before roughly sliding the door open.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, so much for stealth and secrecy.
"Sasuke-kun!"
He froze. Why was she so happy to see him?
As she rushed outside the room, he quickly took notice of the dark and plain kimono that she wore, nothing similar to her regular bright styles that he was used to seeing her in. When she turned around to slide the door closed behind her, he could see the Nara symbol on her back.
"It's so refreshing to see you,"
"So you missed me," The words left his mouth before he could think.
Her hands fidgeted with her kimono sleeves. "I missed the simplicity,"
He tilted his head. "Funny, I thought we were made out of complexities,"
"No," She said while shaking her head, her hair swaying. "You're simple, Sasuke. Hanabi-chan is back, isn't she? Is that what you came to tell me?"
Hinata looked at him like he was the most amazing person in the world, thus he didn't have the heart to tell her about Hanabi's condition.
He gave her a slight nod.
"So she's finally back home. Wait! Stay here and don't leave,"
Hinata went back inside the room and left behind a letter about her whereabouts. She thanked the Naras for keeping her safe for the last couple of days. But now it was time to return home. She slipped on her shoes and grabbed her dark cloak and threw it around herself.
"Let's make haste, Sasuke! I want to see my little sister!"
"Let's make haste…?" He asked, his mouth titled slightly in amusement.
"I've been reading a lot recently, what else am I supposed to do around here?"
"Hn," He chuckled as he opened a portal.
When Hinata stepped out of the portal, and into a hospital room, the smile in her eyes immediately vanished. "W-What is this? What happened to her?"
Sasuke's eyebrow furrowed. "Her captors got to her before we got there..."
"I don't know why my father forgot to mention that she almost died," Hinata said, bitterly.
"Well, welcome to my world where honesty is not a policy,"
Hinata held Hanabi's hand in her hand and kissed it.
"I can't believe I let all of this happen..."
"Hinata," Sasuke said cautiously. She slowly glanced up at the sound of his voice. "What happens now?"
"I don't know. Hanabi was supposed to rule…"
"Why not take the position back?"
"I only go where I'm wanted,"
"Come. We should take you back to Nara," Sasuke murmured.
Yoshino's calculative gaze flashed into her mind.
"Can you take me home instead?"
When Hinata walked out of the portal, she took off her shoes and approached her vanity chair. She turned it and sat down with her legs crossed, and her arms crossed. Her gaze followed him as Sasuke tossed up his cloak's hoodie, obscuring his face, as it settled on the sofa bench located by the foot of her bed.
.
Yami routinely searched around the perimeter, just to check if Hinata had returned. And to his surprise, she appeared to be back, but she was not alone. Who the hell invaded the sanctuary of her room? Approaching her room stealthily, Yami peeked inside to spy. His eyes widened behind his mask.
What was a Suna soldier doing in her room? The two didn't seem to be lovers, Yami deduced, since the two had been sitting as far away from each other as possible.
"I can't believe that they did that to Hanabi… I am filled with so much rage, and I don't know what to do with it." Hinata said. "It's probably nothing close to the rage you felt, but I wish I could end the elders and all future apprentices that are next in line,"
She continued when he remained quiet. "... Your memories sometimes stop me from doing what I want,"
"I don't believe that. I believe consequences stop you from doing what you want. Either way, we're not the same person. I'm not here to tell you what to do. You can do whatever you want. But the truth may remain that you will feel more empty and horrible than before you began." Sasuke said from his side. "I don't even know why I tried to encourage you back in Suna. I just remembered how much Toneri had pissed me off, and now look where we are," But it wasn't to say that he blamed her, he just blamed himself for almost reverting to his vengeful self, the same one that had left the village and bonds behind.
"I still wish something could be done to prevent the next cycle of elders from popping up. They'll just continue to ruin the clan for generations to come,"
Having heard enough, Yami decided to leave them alone. As he went back to his post, Yami thought about how Hinata's thesis had spoken out to him. When Yami entered a break room filled with all of his most trusted peers and colleagues, he removed his mask. "Hinata-sama and Hanabi-chan have safely returned. But it appears plans have changed yet again. She has spoken her wishes, which align with ours, to end the system that oppresses us. We will make our moves once I plan the logistics. For freedom,"
"Yeah, for freedom!"
.
"I have to get going," Sasuke said. "I forgot to place your guards under an illusion, I'm surprised I haven't gotten caught."
"Okay," Hinata got up and walked over to her bed. She plopped down and rolled to the middle. She gave up on reaching for the blanket since it was located a little too far from her reach. Sasuke didn't do anything to aid her blanket situation, since none of this was right. He knew that he shouldn't be here, or be privy to every moment of vulnerability that she unconsciously seemed to share with him over and over again like it was the natural thing to do.
"Sasuke," Her eyes seemed to be asking for his assistance.
He rolled his eyes. So much for minding his own business.
He stood up from the bench and walked up to the edge of the bed. Sasuke leaned forward and rested a knee over her bed, while carefully hovering over her. He briefly glanced down, her eyes were closed. There was nothing physically stopping him from leaning down to kiss her.
He grabbed the blanket which was folded on the opposite side of the bed and covered her as much as he could.
"Stay..." He heard her mumble. Sasuke's hand immediately paused as she just looked at him with those big, wide lavender eyes. Summer wasn't for another few months, yet there was a habitat of fluttering nuisances inside his stomach. There were two ways to interpret her request, but he didn't need clarification.
He brushed her bangs.
"Let's not fool ourselves Hinata, that would be a bad idea since you know that I'll only be miserable here,"
He continued to do his best to turn her into a caterpillar, avoiding her gaze.
"I know… and I'm asking you to, at least until my sister wakes up,"
As she laid there, with only her head visible as the rest of her body was neatly tucked, he had to look away and stop himself from smiling.
"I'll think about it,"
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A/N:
Edited: 8-1-21 grammar.
Edited: 9-24-21
Edited: 9-8-22 grammar, title