I have no impulse control.
This story is for Pinaka over on the SasuHina Month Discord. You can find his works under the penname Gurukant. His writing is excellent.
Both Pinaka and Sommernacht beta'd this for me. Sommernacht's works are also excellent. I'm very honored to have help from such talented writers. (Any mistakes are my own and made after they fixed the other ones.)
Please enjoy.
oOo
Chapter 1: Linchpin
"The samurai are at the gates," one of Sasuke's cousins whispered to another.
Sasuke briefly looked up before returning to his paperwork. Property crimes were a lot less interesting than the first samurai to visit Konoha in recent memory. But shopkeepers did not want to be kept waiting when there was a vicious radish thief stealing through the village.
He glanced once more at the pictures, then suppressed a groan. He was sure it was an animal. Given there was fur everywhere and tiny bite marks on the radishes left on the scene.
He was never making Sergeant at this rate. Itachi had been both a Sergeant and a jonin by now.
Sasuke let out a harsh breath through his nose. His mother's voice rang through his ears.
Don't compare yourself to your brother, Sasuke.
He did not compare himself to Itachi. He did not need to. But others did, and he found it incredibly annoying.
He adjusted his vest. His gossipy cousins were shooting him tiny looks before turning back to whisper.
"Itachi and Shisui are escorting them during their stay," one of them said.
The other smirked. "While this one is stuck here with us."
Sasuke stood and slapped his folder shut with a decisive snap. "Not for long," he called to them with a sneer. "My shift is over."
The first cousin's eyes went wide with indignation. With his thick glasses, he looked like a gaping fish. "Your shift isn't over yet!"
Sasuke shrugged as he shouldered his bag. "Came in early."
He walked away, sending a lazy wave to the two behind him. "Don't work too hard," he said sarcastically.
oOo
Sasuke would go to the market to pick up something to eat before dinner with his family. However, Kimura, the disgruntled shopkeeper, would be there. Sasuke did not want to see him if he could help it. Instead, he veered off to his apartment, made himself a quick snack, and packed some tea in a thermos to take.
Hunger sated, he grabbed a book and headed towards his favorite hiding space. It was right behind the Uchiha compound and just past a training field, where a deserted, overgrown compound sat between the river and the village walls. Rumor had it that this compound was the remnant of a small village, where a clan had lived before the Senju and Uchiha ran them out and founded Konohagakure.
All Sasuke knew for sure was that not many people ventured out here due to its deserted location next to Uchiha training grounds. Not even other Uchiha, who whispered about the houses being haunted. They heard the wailing of the dead, they said. The ghosts would throw kunai if anyone set foot on the grounds. Or they would grab your ankles and toss people back over the gates.
Sasuke was proud of those traps. They were accurate enough to frighten pre-genin without hurting anyone. If Sasuke's traps scared off scores of his little cousins and reinforced the rumors, so be it.
He made his way to the largest tree in the area and settled on his favorite branch. He attached the carabiner on his belt to the clip hammered into the tree. Only once had he fallen asleep and tumbled off his branch. He truly doubted he would lose his balance like that again. But old childhood phobias ran deep, and Sasuke still had the scar on his wrist from when his father refused to get his arm fixed as a punishment for being such a terrible shinobi.
Sasuke had been a pre-genin. Fugaku was not a fan of technicalities.
Settling in with his tea beside him, Sasuke began to read. The breeze blew his bangs out of his face and played with the pages. His eyes grew heavy. He leaned the back of his head against the tree trunk. He would close his eyes for just a second.
Just a second.
A nearby flare of chakra jolted him out of dreamless sleep. Sasuke froze as he tried to regain his barings. No one got this close.
His heart beat wildly as he blinked back the sleep haze that coated his eyes. He opened his thermos to drink the dregs of his tea. It woke him sufficiently.
He tucked both the thermos and his book into his vest. The tree overlooked the main house and the only gate into the compound. Unclipping himself, he hopped to a more advantageous branch to see a small group walking up the overgrown road.
Another trap flared. He could see someone batting away kunai rusty from sitting so long in the elements. Sasuke winced as he recognized the lithe figure and long hair.
Itachi. And Sasuke would bet that Itachi recognized the chakra, even aged by time, attached to the clumsy traps.
Sasuke had been a genin when he set most of them up. Also, in his defense, he had not been trying to truly hurt anyone.
Itachi would not be a fan of those technicalities. Especially when it seemed like Itachi was escorting important guests.
Samurai.
Sasuke leaned forward.
Their ornate armor glinted in the orange light of late afternoon. The three of them all wore their helmets, respirators, and red tinted goggles. Two of them had a pair of sheathed swords strapped to their sides. Another had just one sword and a naginata strapped to their back.
Kakashi, also with them, took point.
"Apologies for the traps." He shrugged so expansively, even Sasuke could see it. "This area has not been inhabited for so long, kids were bound to set up all sorts of things."
Sasuke's cheeks burned. So even Kakashi noticed the clumsy construction. Sasuke did not need it pointed out.
"It's all right," an eerie, inhuman voice filtered through the respirator of one of the samurai.
Their boots and armors made them all around the same height and stature. The respirator made it impossible to tell if they were male or female. Right now, only three gathered here, but if rumors were to be believed, at least fifteen accompanied Mifune.
They walked through the main gate all the way to the frontmost building. Throughout his explorations, Sasuke concluded that this building was the clan gathering place. This was further cemented by the fact that a small building sat in the middle of the courtyard. It housed a tamaya, or an altar, inside.
Sasuke went in occasionally to clean the mirror and tablet. Or to get rid of dust or little creatures.
The samurai seemed to know where they were going. Sasuke tracked their faint chakra signatures as they made their way towards the shrine. One of the samurai pulled a placket out of their pouch. They unraveled the cloth to reveal incense sticks. The other samurai produced matches and lit them.
The samurai with the incense entered the shrine to put them in the holder. Only one person fit at a time.
"The shrine is clean," one of them said, their surprise not completely filtered out of their tone.
Itachi and Kakashi held back, watching solemnly.
The incense smoke lazily snaked its way up to Sasuke's vantage point. He resisted the urge to sneeze at the strong and unexpected smell. Even the worst ninja would not give away their position so easily. Uchiha Sasuke, son of the Clan Head, younger brother of the Clan Heir, undone with a sneeze. He could imagine his father's disappointment already.
Amused at his wandering imagination, he smiled to himself.
The samurai closest to him, the one standing still, slowly looked up. Sasuke froze. No. No way. They were not going to find him, were they? He was too well hidden.
Sasuke knew how to hide.
Apparently not. The samurai paused, their red goggled stare resting on him. In his periphery, he saw Itachi and Kakashi follow the gaze curiously. Sasuke bit back a curse, and body flickered away.
oOo
It did not surprise Sasuke when he arrived at his parent's house before Itachi. Itachi might not show up at all. Sasuke would have preferred his brother's presence, but he did hold his breath.
He gave one firm knock at the front door, and his mother immediately opened it. He dutifully leaned down so she could reach up and brush a kiss over his cheek.
"Sasuke!" She flicked the little gemstone hanging from his ear.
"Hi, Mom," he responded softly.
"You don't need to knock," Mikoto admonished as she closed the door behind him.
Sasuke gave a closed mouth smile. He slipped out of his sandals and into a pair of house shoes before following his mother through the hallway. She shooed him to the dining room before he could volunteer to help carry dishes.
The table was half full already. Fugaku sat at the head, reading a scroll. Probably a report.
Sasuke settled himself at his customary spot. An empty plate rested there.
"Hello, Father," he greeted politely.
Fugaku grunted an acknowledgement. Mikoto bustled in, a platter of fish in her hands.
"Dig in!" she instructed breathlessly.
The two men said thanks for their meal. Sasuke waited for his father to serve himself before doing the same. His mother still bustled in and out of the kitchen. He caught her arm lightly when she got close.
"Sit. Eat. We're fine." Sasuke smiled at her.
She gave a token protest before listening. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes before Mikoto tried to start a conversation.
"How is work, Sasuke? Is everything going well?"
Sasuke could feel his father's gimlet stare boring into the side of his face. "Everything is going well, thank you."
She brightened. "When I was at the market, Sarutobi-san said you've been helping Kimura-san with some thieves."
Fugaku snorted. Mikoto shrank into herself a bit. Sasuke smiled at her, trying to soothe the sting of his father's actions.
"I honestly just think it's an animal. Nothing too fancy," he said.
She nodded. "Oh! That's good! It's nice to be living in such times where animals are the biggest problems we have!"
Fugaku sighed heavily through his nose. Mikoto and Sasuke resolutely ignored him.
A familiar chakra signature finally made its way to the front door and through the house.
"I'm home," Itachi quietly called.
"Welcome home!" Mikoto made to stand, but Itachi waved her off.
Unlike Sasuke, Itachi had not managed to change. He still wore his flak jacket. It was amusing to see him in his battle gear and fuzzy house slippers. He slipped the elastic out of his hair. The black strands pooled around his shoulders before he sat.
They waited for him to serve himself before continuing to eat.
"Hi, Sasuke. Hello, Father. Mother," Itachi murmured.
"Hey." Sasuke smiled. "How was work?"
Fugaku's mood lightened considerably. He reached over and slapped Itachi on the shoulder, almost knocking the food out of his chopsticks.
"Yes!" Fugaku beamed. "How are our guests?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. Mikoto widened hers in a clear order to behave. Sasuke frowned but tried his best to school his face into a neutral expression.
"I cannot say much," Itachi deflected.
"Of course, of course," Fugaku chuckled. "Secrets are paramount for nin."
Sasuke gave his mom a dry look. She wordlessly commanded him to behave once again.
Itachi took them all by surprise. "Our guests did want me to pass along a message to you, Sasuke."
Sasuke straightened from his slouch. "Me?"
"Sasuke?" Mikoto asked.
Fugaku frowned. "What did he do?"
Itachi ignored his father. His eyes stayed fixed on his brother. "They wanted to thank you for taking such care with them."
With the shrine, Sasuke realized. He could feel his face heat. His mother tried to catch his gaze, but he looked down at his plate feeling embarrassed.
"Ah. It wasn't much. I'm glad they didn't think I was overstepping any bounds."
"Quite the opposite-" Itachi started before Fugaku cut in.
"What did Sasuke do now? How did he manage to offend the delegates on their first day here?" He puffed up in indignation. "I should have told him to stay away, but I thought that would be obvious!"
Itachi straightened, and killing intent flared so strongly that it took the breath of everyone in the room. Sasuke's grip tightened on his chopsticks. Fugaku choked on his next words. Mikoto gasped.
Itachi spoke with a knife-edge of danger sliding along his words. "Do not be so quick to assume the worst of my brother. He has brought honor to the village. If you continue to accuse him in such a manner, or if you try to embarrass him in front of the delegation… Then we will have a problem."
Fugaku swallowed. He looked away from Itachi first. He tried to sneer but Itachi did not let up the pressure.
Itachi behaved in a manner so gentle and mild-mannered, that it was easy to forget he was the most dangerous person in the room. He did not assert his authority often. But when he did, it felt a lot like this. Like drowning.
Despite the feeling, Sasuke knew the anger was not directed at him. He appreciated his brother's protective words and actions. Sasuke did not let his brother stick up for him often. It usually only furthered Fugaku's ire.
Today, though, Sasuke really appreciated it.
Fugaku pretended to hold the power as the clan patriarch. Yet, everyone knew it was because Itachi allowed it. The problem with prioritizing strength above everything else meant that when someone with more of it came along, there was nothing a person could do. Itachi was the strongest Uchiha alive. If Itachi wanted to be clan head, he would be. Fugaku held on to the position by his fingernails.
It felt nice to see Fugaku humbled.
"Thank you for passing along the message," Sasuke broke the silence. "If there is anything else I can do for you or them, please let me know."
Itachi nodded and allowed a small grin. The killing intent disappeared, and one could imagine it never existed, if not for it lingering like smoke in the corners of the room and in Itachi's eyes.
"I will. Thank you, little brother."
The rest of dinner continued in silence.
oOo
The impending dawn colored the sky gray when Sasuke made his way to the yaki imo stand before work. The coming of winter could be felt in the early morning breeze. It snaked its way into his clothing and bit into his skin.
He huffed a visible breath that floated away like smoke. The cold started freezing the metal of his earring, making it burn the warmer skin of his earlobe.
He zipped up his jacket over his flak vest. His slowly numbing fingers struggled to slip on gloves. They made him feel like a stuffed dumpling, but felt warmer. No one was around to see anyway. The only sounds came from his shoes crunching on the gravel road, the singing of a few stalwart birds, and the hum of live electrical wires above him.
Closer to the heart of town, the village slowly roared to life. Food stalls were still open, luring shinobi with heat lamps and pit fires. It smelled like cooking dough and hot grease. People shouted to each other, chatting in the streets as others darted overhead to work and missions. Metal clanked as shopkeepers slid open the gates covering their shops. Wood hit wood as shutters were thrown open.
Sasuke made his way to Koto's yaki imo stall. While not his favorite breakfast food, it was someone's, and he needed collateral for a bribe. They usually closed around this time. He felt both happy that he caught them before then and surprised to see a couple of customers congregating at the front.
Koto usually shooed away people when the first rays of dawn peeked over the trees like now. Sasuke came fully expecting to try and convince the woman to let him sneak in an order.
Instead, he came upon her scolding two samurai customers. Sasuke could not bite back his smile of amusement. Seeing the diminutive woman scold fully armed warriors while her cooking husband ignored them was priceless.
"Why would you take them somewhere else when I have some perfectly good chairs right there?" She gestured aggressively.
Sasuke slid between the samurai and the tiny wooden counter. "How do you expect them to eat the yaki imo? Are they supposed to use a straw?" Sasuke grinned and leaned towards her. "Give them their food already and stop harassing them.
Koto smiled mischievously. "Are you here to order for my special boys?"
Sasuke nodded. "I only get up this early for them."
She turned to yell the new order at her husband, but he waved her off. She stomped over to bicker with him.
Sasuke turned to face the samurai. One of them had a fur cloak attached to clips on his shoulders, while the other wore a bright purple cloth tied around one of their arms.
He gave them a winning smile as he leaned against the stall. "You'll find out very quickly that while nin are curious creatures, our civilians are even worse. We're all nosy."
"I'm starting to gather that," a filtered voice rumbled. One of the samurai inclined his head ever so slightly. "We didn't want to offend."
Sasuke waved it off. "Koto's a tough old bat. You couldn't offend her if you tried."
Said old bat returned and slapped Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke flinched away and made a show of babying his arm.
"Who are you calling a bat?" she hissed. "Pay me my money."
Sasuke unzipped his jacket so he could fish out his wallet from his vest. He hunched his shoulders against the cold slithering into his clothing. "Let me get theirs too if you haven't let them pay yet."
"You do not have to," the closest samurai cut in.
"I insist." Sasuke smirked.
The samurai held out a hand. "That is not necessary."
Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "I will start a fight. And you're outnumbered."
Both samurai looked behind them to see practically the whole street staring avidly at the little group. The old lady barked a laugh, drawing their attention back.
"See?" Sasuke asked, handing over the correct amount for the two orders. "Nosy."
"Speaking of nosy…" the stall keeper leaned in. "When are you making that nice veterinarian your girlfriend?"
Sasuke accepted two large bags and passed them onto the samurai. They both murmured thanks. They were heavy and Sasuke wondered if they were bringing it back to the Hokage Tower to share. Sasuke then took his own significantly lighter bag.
"Seeing as she scares me, the answer is never. Also, her brother would probably try to eat my face," Sasuke answered dryly.
He paused for a moment, attempting to tuck his wallet back in and zip up his jacket without tearing the paper takeout bag. Koto chortled, slapping the counter in mirth.
"You've got that right," the old lady said.
She then lunged forward, forcing the samurai to accept fistfuls of napkins. Sasuke caught her husband's eye. The old man nodded and grabbed his wife's arm, pulling her back.
"Thanks for your business," he said gruffly. "Woman, let them leave."
Sasuke gestured for the samurai to proceed him away from the stall. They did and once at a safe distance, they turned to him.
The one in the cloak spoke, "may we please have your name?"
Sasuke bowed politely. "Uchiha Sasuke."
They bowed in return.
"I am Hyuga Neji." He gestured to the samurai with the armband. "This is Hyuga Ko. You are a generous man, Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke's brows furrowed.
Neji continued. "First you take care of our shrine and keep out trespassers. Then you buy our breakfast. How is that not generous?"
Sasuke could feel his ears, previously numb with cold, suddenly burn red hot. He was glad of the dim light. Resisting the urge to run his hand through his hair, he shrugged. He tugged at his earring, unable to help himself.
"If I had known the Hyuga were going to be returning any time soon, I would have made sure to do a better job. My cleaning skills were subpar at most."
"Even a small amount of care can make a large impact," Ko said. "We appreciate you caring for my ancestors when we could not."
Extreme embarrassment suffused through Sasuke's body. He did not think his childish traditions would be brought to the light. Also, he was a trespasser as well.
Needing to escape, he made a show of looking at his watch. "Ah. I need to get to work, my apologies. Do you know the way to the Hokage Tower?"
Neji's voice sounded amused. "We haven't strayed too far. Thank you."
"Okay. Bye then." Sasuke nodded at them.
With an effortless flex of his legs, he launched himself onto a nearby terrace and then another easy jump brought him to the nearest rooftop. He kicked into a run and his ears did not cool until he made it into the precinct.
oOo
Once there, he punched in his timecard, then headed to the basement to evidence. The sleepy clerk handed him the correct forms while she waded into the forest of shelves only to come back with a small plastic bag that was taped shut. Small hairs sat inside.
She sniffed, and looking more awake, she looked hopefully at the takeout bag on the counter, then at Sasuke.
Sasuke huffed at his cousin. He pulled out a still piping hot sweet potato wrapped in paper and split it in half. She took her share and hummed happily as she bit into it.
He put his now diminished breakfast back into the bag. He tapped the form he just completed. A box was check marked.
"I gotta take this out of the building," he reminded her.
"Hmm," she hummed.
Her last bite had been too warm, and she was blowing through her mouth, trying to cool the lava hot potato on her tongue. Her free hand waved at him and then at her mouth.
He grimaced at the half-chewed food. "You're gross."
She swallowed. It looked painful. "I am not!" She argued as she massaged her chest, probably trying to soothe the burn in her esophagus.
"Didn't Auntie Akari teach you how to eat like a lady?" He pulled a napkin out of his pants pocket.
He had also not escaped Koto without a few extra shoved at him. His cousin accepted it and dabbed at her eyes before wiping her mouth.
"I'm not a lady," Akemi argued. "I'm a military policewoman."
Sasuke grinned. Akemi was fifteen and a newly minted chunin. Everything about her was small. It was funny when she scolded him and other older men in her little girl voice.
He took the napkin back and swiped not very gently at the potato smeared on her chin. She let him with a bright smile.
"Keep kicking ass, Policewoman Uchiha," he murmured with a small smile.
She laughed and mockingly saluted him with the hand holding the potato. "Yes, Sir!"
He gave her a new napkin and gestured at the dirty napkin he dropped on the counter. "Throw that away." He tapped his paperwork again. "Remember, I'm taking this out of the building. Don't forget to file it in the right place again."
She huffed and rolled her eyes. "Go away."
"You're welcome for breakfast." He tugged at a lock of loose hair.
She stomped in indignation as Sasuke smirked and made his way back to the stairs. He fiddled with his earring in thought.
He really did hope she filed the paper in the right place this time. Fugaku had been looking for a reason to deny her application for months now. That was not happening under Sasuke's watch. She would be a patrol officer if she wanted it.
oOo
Sasuke entered the little animal clinic to see the front room empty. He lightly flared his chakra.
A female voice echoed from the back. "I'm here!"
Sasuke meandered to the office. When he reached the doorway, he held up the bag of yaki imo in one hand, and the bag with animal hairs in the other.
Inuzuka Hana grinned and held out her hands demandingly. "Gimme."
The three Haimaru brothers sprawled over the floor, sat up, their noses wiggling and ears perking up.
He pretended to misunderstand her. He extended the evidence bag towards her.
She huffed. "What a brat."
Sasuke did not hide his amusement as he handed the food over. He ate on his way over, so he did not need to claim any. The dogs stood and crowded Hana's chair. Now with the floor clear, Sasuke slipped into the room and settled himself into the visitor's chair crammed in the corner.
He made himself busy by carefully peeling the tape off the evidence bag.
"Did the old lady ask when we're getting married again?" Hana asked. She hissed when one of the nin dogs became too excited. "Put those teeth away!"
She reached into the dog's mouth and hooked a finger around one of his canines. Using the grip, she shook him playfully. He growled happily and gnawed at her hand before pulling back.
"Please?" He sat politely.
She smiled and handed him a whole unwrapped potato. He whined happily and wriggled his whole body in delight.
His brother pushed him out of the way. "My turn."
Sasuke responded to Hana's question in the moment of silence. "No. She asked when we're going to start dating."
Hana laughed as she unwrapped the potato for the second dog. "She's losing hope. Here you go, Brother."
The second dog daintily took the potato. Cradling his prize in his jaw he trotted out of the room.
"Whatcha got there?" The third brother pressed his wet nose into the back of Sasuke's hand.
Sasuke held open the bag for the nin-dog to smell. The dog immediately sneezed then walked away to get his own snack.
"Ah," Hana said and gave the last brother his gift.
"What?" Sasuke asked.
The first brother panted, his face and paws full of food. "Raccoon dog."
"That's his raccoon dog sneeze." Hana nodded sagely.
Sasuke frowned at the small hairs. The brother hardly even took a good whiff. "Are you sure?"
Now Hana pretended not to understand. "I know his raccoon dog sneeze, Sasuke," she said primly.
Sasuke gave her a sardonic look.
She laughed and shrugged. "Sorry it's not anything more exciting."
Sasuke sighed before standing. "I'm not surprised," he said. "Thanks for your help."
He smoothed the tape back in place. Folding the bag into a small square, he tucked it into one of the pouches on his vest. The first brother rubbed his body affectionately against Sasuke. Sasuke grimaced in disgust at the potato leftovers smeared on his dark uniform pants.
"Thanks for the food. You're my favorite Uchiha," the dog said earnestly, his wagging tail thumping the wall then Hana's desk.
Sasuke tried to keep his tone polite. Hana snickered at him from behind the yaki imo wrapping.
"You. Are. Welcome," he said through gritted teeth. He paid his goodbyes then hightailed it out of the clinic.
On a nearby rooftop, Sasuke paused to inspect his clothing. In the bright morning light, the stain on his pants was obvious.
"Gross."
oOo
Around the time Sasuke left the precinct, two samurai entered the Hokage Tower. They made their way into a room where their newly appointed leader waited.
Hinata looked up as her cousins entered. Neji placed a takeout bag on the kotatsu in front of her. He unclipped his cloak and carefully folded it. Ko followed him in and put down his own bag. Both men took off their helmets.
"Did you have any trouble?" Hinata asked, already reaching for the bag.
"No trouble," Neji confirmed.
"Other than nosy shopkeepers and nin, no trouble," Ko elaborated.
Another samurai, dressed only in hakama and yukata walked into the room. He was not a Hyuga, but a member of Mifune's personal guard, like most Hyuga. Hinata handed him a wrapped sweet potato. He smiled and winked at her.
She pursed her lips in mock exasperation. He laughed before accepting the cloak from Neji. His treasures in hand, he walked right back out from where he came.
Neji snorted. "Apparently, everyone is nosy here," he added to Ko's statement.
Hinata hummed as she fished out her own treat. "I guess we should have anticipated that."
Finally free of his armor except for his gauntlets and greaves, Ko joined Hinata. He sat close, absorbing her body heat. Hinata arranged the blanket over his knees. Neji passed by Ko to his own seat on the other side of Hinata. On his way, he flicked Ko in the back of his head. Ko leaned over, trying to slap at Neji, but almost toppled over instead.
Hinata caught him by the arm and rolled her eyes. Once he was back upright, she pointedly arranged the blanket again. She pointed at him then the floor as if telling a child to stay. He smiled sheepishly.
Neji sat as if nothing happened and chose his own food. "We met the Uchiha."
Hinata's brows furrowed slightly.
"The nosy one," Ko joked.
"The one who lurks in our old compound," Neji elaborated.
"Oh!" Hinata brightened, then straightened. "Him! Do we know anything more about him?"
Neji used his fingers to tick off their list. "Second son of the Uchiha clan head. Trespasser onto private property." He spoke with a grave tone.
"Trespasser?" Ko exclaimed. "Do we like him or not?"
Hinata nibbled on her food and watched the match. Even though Ko was older than both, he still engaged them like equals. Father said they brought Ko down to their level.
Neji tapped a finger on the table. "It's not about our feelings. He is potentially an enemy. Do not forget that the Uchiha drove us out of our land. He is continuing the generational violence by claiming our territory as his own."
"Generational violence?" Ko scoffed. "Yes, sitting in a tree and cleaning a shrine is claiming territory."
"Enough." Hinata fought a wince at the command.
She was not used to this. To being in charge. No one anticipated Hinata rising to Clan Head status. But after Hanabi…
Well. Plans changed.
Hinata plowed ahead. "You're both right. Ko, anyone can be an enemy. But Neji, anyone can be an ally as well. If he is an ally, he would be a very useful and symbolic one. If not…" She shrugged. "Revenge is our prerogative."
Ko's smile was bloodthirsty. Neji nodded in satisfaction.
oOo
Coming up: Sasuke gets yelled at and then yells at other people. Its a fun time.