(A/N: WARNING: SASUKE IS VERY OOC IN THIS CHAPTER [coughcoughstorycoughcough]. GOMEN NASAI. I LIKE CAPS LOCK! I ALSO FINALLY OWN NARUTO! ALL BECAUSE I BOUGHT OUT KISHIMOTO. [coughnaruto,itachi,gaara,andsasukeplushiescough] By the way, voting has officially ended. But there was a tie. So I'm going to do a sad ending first, but then I'm going to do an alternate ending that is dramatically happy.

Final Poll Results:

Sad: 3

Dramatically Happy: 3

Happy: 1)

Chapter 10: History of Hinata

"Naruto, I want to know who Hikari's father is. If you don't tell me, I'll tell everyone in the village Snake-sama's identity." He slammed his fists down on the desk in front of the Hokage, his eyes demanding as his voice.

"Really? And how do you know who she is?" Naruto asked, surprised only by his sudden curiosity about Hikari.

"When she was fighting Kisame, he punched her in the face and her mask broke." Sasuke had no idea where his sudden determination for the truth came from, but it was a powerful feeling.

"Who is she, then?"

"You should know. She's Hinata."

"Hinata-chan has been dead for four years."

"She has not and you know perfectly well that she is Snake. There's no reason for you to trust a stranger enough to make her an ANBU as soon as she gets to the village, no matter how close they were to a villager." His frustration knew no end when he did not get a straight answer from his once-best friend.

Naruto sighed. He had hoped this wouldn't happen. "There is much about Hinata that I don't know."

"You know who Hikari's father is. She has red eyes, so he can only be one of four people. Actually, only three people could be her father. My brother, Itachi, you, Madara, and me. I know it's not me. So who? I want to know the whole story. How she ended up like this, everything." Sasuke narrowed in determination. He resolved to find out what had happened.

Naruto glanced at his friend. He didn't think Sasuke would give up until he knew the whole story, so he decided to give in before a violent argument got started. "You might not have noticed it, but when we were little, Hinata always used to wear a huge jacket all the time, even in summer. Do you have any idea why?"

"Iie. I never could figure that out. I always thought she was shy. Was there another reason?"

"She was shy, but that was only part of the reason that she wore that jacket. She told me eight years ago why she always wore that jacket. We had been going out for two years and she still hadn't completely opened up to me. But she finally told me. It was because her father pushed her too hard. He would train with her everyday, no matter what, until she won against him, collapsed from physical pain, or was exhausted from both chakra and energy. She called it sparring with him, but I called it beatings. She wore the jacket to hide the bruises and scars."

"She wore the jacket so no one would know about her beatings. An order from her father, I presume?"

"It was. But he abandoned her eight years ago. That was the only reason she was able to tell me."

"What did she do then?" Sasuke asked.

"She rented an apartment at the Hokage Tower for a while. But before she was abandoned, twelve years ago, she was out on a mission with Kiba and Shino. The guys said that Hinata disappeared during all the nights they were out there. This was normal for her back before she was a Chuunin, but after she became one, she no longer snuck out. Then, on that one mission as a Jounin, she snuck out every night. We had no idea why at the time."

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but Naruto cut in, "I'll explain it later." Sasuke just nodded quietly.

Naruto continued. "Then, four years after that mission, she was abandoned along with her daughter, Hikari. Five years ago, Sakura and I got married. Hinata and I had broken up a few years earlier. About four years ago to this day, Hiashi died, and the Hyuuga clan extended an invitation to let Hinata back into the clan as their leader, but only if she could complete the S-ranked mission that all leaders must complete. I didn't want to assign it to her, but she insisted that she could handle it. Her mission was to kill Akatsuki member Uchiha Itachi.

"She left for the mission and never came back, that's the story you'll hear if you ask any of the villagers. Everyone assumed she had died in her confrontation with Itachi, though she never actually met up with him during her mission. The villagers assumed there was no body because the Akatsuki wanted the secrets of the Byakugan, and accepted Hinata's death without question.

"'Snake-sama' showed up about a week after Hinata was declared dead, right?" Sasuke asked.

"Hai." Naruto answered.

It was silent for a few moments. Finally, the Hokage started talking again. "Do you remember when I said that Kiba and Shino told me that Hinata snuck out on that mission twelve years ago?"

"Hai."

"She snuck out to meet with Hikari's father. I have no idea as to why she chose him. But she snuck out to meet your brother, It-"

"Doesn't that make her a traitor then?!" Sasuke demanded in a shouted whisper.

"Iie. She is as loyal to Konoha as she has ever been. Her relationship with Itachi does not change the fact that Hinata killed him, also."

"But why did she kill Itachi?"

"I don't know. I didn't order her to. She did it while she was out on a mission. She snuck away from her teammates to kill him apparently. She -posing as Snake-sama-, Chouji, and Shikamaru were on their way home from the mission when she found Itachi. When Hinata came back, she was covered in blood. Chouji said she was murmuring broken-heartedly something along the lines of 'I killed him.' It had stormed that night, so it looked as though, while holding his body, she was an angel, one who was mourning, for she did not carry herself with great power, she looked crushed. Hinata was carrying Itachi's body and stayed standing until Shikamaru took him from her, then collapsed. That's the story Shikamaru told me, and Chouji's was almost identical. That's as much as I know about her relationship with him.

"As for why she is unfeeling now, when Hiashi abandoned her, she was hurt deeply. She was an orphan, no family whatsoever except for Hikari. She did manage to stay in touch with Neji, who gave her information on how the clan and her sister were doing.

"When Hinata 'died', Neji was the next in line to be heir. I think she planned it that way. Her having the freedom to do whatever she wanted without the clan's judgment, and Neji ruling it, I mean. But Neji went out on his S-ranked mission, he was to kill Kakuzu, and he perished. He killed Kakuzu, but he was killed in the process. When the news reached her that he was dead, I believe that was when she lost her emotions.

"Her father hated her, her mother was dead, her only friend in the clan was dead, her sister left to rule a ruthless clan, Itachi had left the village for good and died as a result, I guess that all came crashing down on her."

"But why couldn't you or one of her teammates help her?" Sasuke interrogated.

"I was married, but that's beside the point. She wouldn't let anyone get close to her. I only know what I told you because she told me all of this when she arrived in my office after she 'died'. She had emotions until Neji died, then she changed. I watched her change. You don't know how hard it is to watch a person you think of as your sister be crushed by emotions she shouldn't have to hide. It's almost like what you experienced with your parents. Except watching a sister die slowly from the inside instead of outside forces.

Sasuke took a minute to process this information.

"What she really needs is someone to love her like Itachi did. As much as I hate to say it, I wish he was still alive to heal the wounds on her heart that pain has left behind."

"Thank you for telling the traitor my life story." An icy cold voice said from the doorway.

Naruto sucked in a silent gasp when he saw that it was Hinata who spoke. "Ah-"

"Don't bother." Hinata said in the same steely voice. "Uchiha!" She barked. "Are you finished listening to "my life as told by Hokage-sama," or do you want me to show you just how emotionless I am?!" Her words were clipped and precise in a way that only served to accentuate exactly how angry she was.

"Iie! Let's go home. I'm sure your daughter and Keigo are getting worried." Sasuke said, almost with malice. He was still thinking of Itachi being Hikari's father.

Hinata swept silently out of the room, knowing Sasuke would follow. The two left a stricken Naruto in their wake.

"If you ever speak one word about what Hokage-sama told you in there, you will die a slow and painful death." She hissed to Sasuke once they left the Hokage building.

Sasuke decide to chance one question. "Do you ever miss Itachi?"

Hinata froze and turned on Sasuke so fast that he would have missed it if he hadn't had the Sharringan. "I told you not to talk about that on the threat of death!" She hissed icily.

"Just answer that one question." He paused, wondering if he was pushing his boundaries too far. She turned her back to him as she answered, continuing to walk.

"What do you think?"

"I think you do."

"And what in the world makes you think that?"

"You reacted violently to the question. I think that you miss him so much it hurts. Why did you kill him if you knew you would feel this anguish?"

"You said one question. That, I believe, would be two. Which would you like me to answer?" Hinata asked, once more gaining her emotionless mask.

"The second one."

"I didn't kill him."

"What do you mean!? When you met Kisame in the woods, he said you were that girl who did something. But you covered his mouth before he could say what. What part did you have in Itachi's death?"

"That's another question. I've answered your one already, and I refuse to answer another."

Throwing his hands into the air in frustration, Sasuke made a choked noise and stated, "You just left me even further in the dark!"

"I know. That's why I answered. I wouldn't have if it would have put you further in the light. No one is supposed to know me. I refuse to get close to anyone. It only brings pain." Hinata stalked down the street, a killing aura radiating from her. Sasuke continued also, infuriated because of the lack of answer. They walked in a heavy silence all the way back to the Uchiha Mansion.

Hinata quickly masked her anger and regained her emotionless state, just before they entered the compound.

"Snake-sama! What took you so long?" Hikari said from the front yard of Sasuke's house, where she was sitting under a tree, watching Keigo play.

"I had to go to the hospital to get my wounds healed and rewrapped. Keigo-kun, Uzumaki-sama said you wrapped my wounds very well. Arigatou."

Keigo smiled brightly. "Douashimashite!" He said, then ran up to Hinata and hugged her. Hinata went stiff for a moment but patted his head gently. "Keigo-kun, we have to go see Hokage-sama to ask if you'll be permitted to stay. Alright?" She asked the boy. Then, Hinata turned to Hikari. "Could you take him to talk with Hokage-sama? I need to speak with Uchiha."

Hikari nodded her head, confused somewhat as to why Hinata didn't take him herself, but trusted her mentor's judgment. She also wondered what had happened to make her return to a last name basis with him. Hikari, with Keigo's hand securely in her own, soon departed from Sasuke's home.

After she left, Hinata walked into the house, Sasuke following.

When they arrived in the main hall, Hinata stopped. "I am going to take a mission. Because I am guarding you, you must come with me. I will get Uzumaki-sama to give me one. A mission where I can kill someone." She turned on Sasuke, fury plain in her features. "Just be glad I am a loyal ninja or I might just kill you now." She spat at him.

"I am going to accept the mission as soon as Keigo and Hikari get back." She narrowed her eyes. "And you better not get in the way."

Not too far away, Hikari was knocking on the door of the Hokage's office. "Naruto-kun?" Hikari called after not receiving the immediate 'enter' like she usually did. Getting no reply, she activated her Byakugan and looked inside the room worriedly. The sight that met her eyes was shocking to say the least. Naruto was sitting at his desk with silent tears running down his face. He knew Hikari was at the door and that she probably already saw his tears, but he wiped them away quickly, tried to steady his voice, and answered, "Come in."

She quickly entered with Keigo, closing the door almost silently behind her. Hikari decided not to press for details as to why he had been crying and continued on to her reason for coming. "Snake-sama said that, when she discovered the village that Kisame and Hidan destroyed, she found only one survivor." Hikari gestured to the boy hiding behind her.

Keigo tried to stay unnoticed, but when Hikari moved out of the way, he was finally seen by Naruto. "Konnichiwa." Keigo said to him shyly.

"What is you name?"

"Takeshi Keigo."

"Snake-chan, did Snake-sama say what she wanted?" Naruto asked, curious as to why she didn't bring Keigo with her earlier.

"I believe she wants him to stay with us for a while."

"I see." The Hokage sat at his desk, hands folded over his mouth. It was a habit he picked up from Tsunade before she retired, a habit he used when he was contemplating a particularly trying subject.

Finally, he opened his mouth to speak. "Keigo can stay with you, Sasuke, and Snake-sama. But only for now. I will make a final decision later."

Keigo smiled brightly. "Arigatou gozamizu!"

"Come on, Keigo, we need to get home, okay?" Hikari said, gently pulling on his elbow to get him moving.

"By the way, I'm Naruto, the Rokudaime of Konoha." He said as the two children walked out the door.

"Sayonara, Rokudaime-sama." Keigo called back.

(A/N: I think this story is going to end within the next four or five chapters. I honestly have no idea. I appreciate everyone who has voted! It really helped me through my writers block! Since I couldn't decide how it should end, I had no idea how to start typing the next chapter, but now I have figured it out and started typing it a few minutes after I finished typing this, only to remember that I have to actually post this chapter for you guys to be able to read it…. -.-' Anywayz, I'll try to post chapter 11 by Wednesday.)