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.)
(i will thank my reviewers and reply to said reviews when im more awake haha)
Please enjoy.
oOo
"Kimura-san, for the last time-"
"Don't belittle me!" the shopkeeper hollered, spittle flying everywhere. "You come here and try to act like I'm stupid! Pretending it is raccoon dogs stealing my produce." He waved his hands in the air and Sasuke tried his hardest not to flinch. "I know what raccoon dogs are like, and it's not them!"
Sasuke sighed, a headache building up between his eyes. This case drove him crazy.
He tried again, for what felt like the hundredth time. "I had the hair samples analyzed-"
"Analyzed! Using these words like I'm an idiot! What about those bite marks? Huh?"
Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek. He felt a hot stare on the side of his face. Not surprising. They were outside for everyone to see in the middle of a busy day. Sasuke used a nearby reflective metal surface to peek behind him.
A samurai, standing next to Mifune who chatted with another shopkeeper, pinned their gaze to Sasuke. Sasuke resisted the urge to curse. Not only had they witnessed him being a silly child playing pretend on their ancestral land, but now they watched him being berated with dried sweet potato stains on his pants.
Sasuke wanted this day to be over and to be drowning in a whole bottle of sake.
He cut off the tirade, raising his voice a bit higher than necessary. He refused to flare his chakra at a civilian. Especially not with such a high-profile audience.
"Kimura-san, what I can do that will make you satisfied?" Sasuke asked through clenched teeth. "How can we settle this for good?"
Kimura's ire disappeared like it never existed. Sasuke wanted to slap the smug smile off the old man. How dare Kimura make a scene to get what he wanted.
"I want you to stay the night. Here. Then I can prove to you it's not animals," Kimura said.
Sasuke wanted to scream. "Fine," he bit out. "But if it is an animal, you have to contact Animal Control and you'll stop calling the police for this."
"Fine," Kimura said. "But it won't be."
"Fine," Sasuke said again in a syrupy customer service voice. "Anything else I can assist with today, Kimura-san?"
"No," Kimura said, now all sunshine and butterflies. "Come in two days."
Sasuke's smile was forced and fake. "Keep safe and be well, Sir."
"I will."
Sasuke turned and exited out from under the veranda. He resisted the urge to look at the samurai as he passed by. He could feel their gaze following him down the street.
He was so sick of this. He hated being embarrassed and he hated being assigned these stupid jobs just because no one at the precinct took him seriously.
He hated getting yelled at by Kimura. But that was not Kimura's fault. Kimura was just doing his job. And Sasuke would do his.
Between his father and the Hokage, Sasuke did not have a choice.
Fuming, he almost missed the crow sitting on his balcony railing.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," he bit out.
Landing maybe a little too hard on the concrete patio, he thrust out his fist. The bird landed on his arm, digging its claws into his exposed skin. Sasuke accepted the note tied to its leg.
It pecked at his hand, looking for treats.
"Ow. I don't have anything for you, you little monster. Go away." He shook his arm, trying to jostle the crow free.
It flared its wings and screamed at Sasuke. Its claws dug deeper and broke flesh. Sasuke cursed. He dug in his trouser pockets with his free hand. All he could find was lint and a spare coin. He held it up for inspection.
"What about this? I wasn't expecting you; I don't have food."
The raven tilted its head. With a little jerk, it snatched up the coin and pushed off Sasuke's arm with a powerful thrust upward. Sasuke watched it fly away before inspecting his arm. Ugh. He was bleeding.
What a hassle.
He turned his attention to the note, already knowing what it said. Now that Naruto was out of the village with Kushina, communing with the Kyuubi or whatever, Sasuke's family did their best to monopolize his time. They knew he did not have plans.
Come to dinner, Itachi's note read.
"I'd rather stab myself in the eye."
But he entered his apartment to change, anyway.
oOo
To say Sasuke was in a foul mood was an understatement. Usually, when he spoiled for a fight, he would get Naruto and they would beat the shit out of each other until they felt better. But Naruto had been gone for months.
In general, Sasuke stayed away from Itachi and Shisui when he could. All the cousins that were older than him, hated him or thought him dumb. He would feel bad fighting any of his younger cousins, only because they did not know how strong he truly was.
Sitting at his mother's table, Sasuke practically wielded his chopsticks like kunai at that point.
When Fugaku started in, Sasuke felt almost feral.
"I heard you let a shopkeeper belittle you in front of the whole village. You. A proud Uchiha," Fugaku rumbled in disapproval.
Mikoto straightened. Itachi ate calmly, appearing as if he did not care.
Sasuke resisted the urge to throw his chopsticks across the room like a little kid. "What was I supposed to do?" Sasuke demanded.
"You should have shown him that he cannot speak to an Uchiha in that manner," Fugaku said.
"Sure." Sasuke sneered. "And how was I supposed to do that? Threaten a civilian? I'm sure that would have gone over real well with the Ethics Committee."
Fugaku blew a sharp breath and set down his chopsticks so he could look Sasuke full in the face. "You should have done what was necessary."
Sasuke slapped down his own chopsticks. "You're still not telling me what I could have done. Yelled back? Pushed him? Slit his throat and let him bleed out as a message?"
"Sasuke!" Mikoto gasped.
"Sasuke!" Fugaku slapped the table. His brow lowered heavy with anger.
Itachi patted at his lips with a napkin.
"No!" Sasuke yelled at his father. He turned to his mother and softened his voice considerably. "Sorry, Mom."
He faced his father. "You know why Kimura yells at me and treats me like shit? Because he's used to me. I'm the only cop he ever has to deal with because I'm still getting the rookie assignments. I've been on patrol for five years and all I've done is deal with Kimura, fill out other people's paperwork, and give tickets to parents because their kids' pranks damaged village property. I'm a joke and everybody knows it. Kimura treats me like shit because you and the rest of this fucking family treats me like shit."
"Sasuke!"
"Sorry, Mom."
Fugaku's face reddened. Sasuke could feel the chakra coming off the older man like a heatwave. Fugaku suddenly stood and Sasuke braced himself for a fight.
"Sasuke," Itachi said into the pregnant silence, like nothing of importance was happening. "I've noticed you haven't signed up for any missions in the last six months."
Sasuke let out a long breath. He kept his eyes on his father while answering his brother.
"Uh. Yeah. I've been studying instead. I filled out a waver. For… you know."
Mikoto laughed in delight. "You're going to take the jounin exam?"
A smile lightened Itachi's voice. "That's very good."
Fugaku scoffed. "You? Our laziest Uchiha? Your chakra levels are still that of a genin! You really think you can-"
Sasuke, too, stood abruptly, his chair scraping on the wooden floor. If he stayed any longer, he would hit his father. He could not touch any of his family. Not right now.
"I'm going to the bathroom. Sorry, Mom."
He stomped upstairs, trying to drown out Mikoto's confused voice back in the dining room.
"Sasuke doesn't have low chakra levels," she exclaimed.
"Yes." Fugaku ground out. "He does."
"They are pretty low," Itachi explained apologetically. "They've improved immensely. But he is not able to keep his Sharingan activated for any amount of time."
His mother sounded bewildered. "But he graduated first in his class. And he passed the chunin exam with flying colors."
"Give it up, Mikoto," Fugaku said tiredly. "You just have to accept our son is not-"
Sasuke closed the bathroom door, cutting off the noise from the conversation. He sighed, before doing his business. He might as well since he was here. Finishing thoroughly washing his hands, he started splashing water on his face when a web of energy enveloped the bathroom.
He froze. Blindly grabbing a towel, he briskly rubbed it over his face. Able to open his eyes, he spotted a large white snake curled up on the sink counter right next to his ear.
Sasuke pulled back sharply.
"Ugh."
"Isss that your way to greet your massster?" the snake chuckled.
Sasuke did not bother to lower his voice. If the snake was here, then the snake was keeping this conversation private.
"What are you doing here? How did you get in without Itachi noticing?" A gross thought struck him. "Were you watching me pee?'
Sasuke knew the reason the snake always visited his family's house and never at his apartment. The snake liked lording his superior skills over Itachi.
The snake bobbed its head, flicking its tongue as it smelled its surroundings.
"Are you angry, little Uchiha? Isss that becaussse of your father? Or becaussse they were talking about how weak you are?"
Sasuke slumped against the bathroom door. His head hurt.
"I can make you ssstrong. I can help you. You can make them regret their wordsss. Your chakra levelsss will not hold you back if you have my ssseal."
Sasuke closed his eyes and waved his hand lazily. "Yes, yes, you can give me everything I've ever dreamed of. Blah, blah, blah. Get to the point, please. I really need a drink."
The snake started gagging. Sasuke jumped back. With a wet squelch, it coughed up a small, slime-covered medallion. It clinked against the sink bowl as it rolled to a stop right by the drain cover.
"You are so disgusting," Sasuke said, swallowing down nausea.
"Take it."
"No thanks.
The snake chuckled again. "Take it my boy. And during the jounin examsss, I will come to you, and we will become one."
"Your sexual innuendos are so weird. Not because you look like a man. It's because I think you're in your eighties."
The snake laughed, sounding like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together. "Send your chakra into the medallion. And I will be able to find you."
Sasuke got some pieces of toilet paper and used them to gingerly pick up the medallion.
"Maybe before we leave, I'll even kill your father for you." The snake grinned, showing off its pink gums.
"A lot of people would like that." Sasuke nodded sagely, but the snake had already disappeared into thin air. The energy cocooning him in secrecy was also gone.
Sasuke swept a couple of scales off the counter and into the sink bowl. He paused, looking at the number of them. His eyebrows raised in surprise. Oh, Sasuke knew the snake was dying. But the illness must have been more serious than Sasuke thought.
Orochimaru's body was failing.
Pulling out a strip of gauze from his pocket-one could never be too prepared, even in civilian clothing-he used it to wrap both the medallion and a few scales into a little bundle. He used a couple of jutsu to keep the energy radiating off the medallion under wraps.
He stuck it back in his pocket. He washed the rest of the scales down the drain.
Heading to the front door, he made a detour to the dining room. Everyone was seated and Mikoto looked distinctly miserable. Sasuke's chest tightened. He hated this for her.
"I'm gonna head out. As fun as this has been… I'd rather be anywhere but here." He walked to his mother and ran a comforting hand over her hair. "Sorry, Mom."
She straightened in surprise. She reached for his hand, but he pretended not to see her, already moving towards the door.
"Father. Itachi. Enjoy the rest of your night."
Itachi stood and followed Sasuke out. Once they were on the front porch, Itachi spoke.
"Sasuke." Itachi reached for his shoulder, but Sasuke danced out of the way.
Sasuke gave his brother an apologetic smile. Itachi frowned and dropped his hand. When was the last time Sasuke let his brother touch him? They had grown so far apart, and Sasuke knew most of the blame lay with him.
Itachi had been gone for a good chunk of Sasuke's childhood. Still pretty much a child himself, Itachi had been too valuable, too much of a genius to be given a chance to grow up. Itachi was a ninja, through and through. But he tried to be a brother, even if he was not too good at it.
After the chunin, Sasuke stopped letting Itachi get close. Itachi's clumsy attempts were rebuffed time and time again. Yet, Itachi still tried.
Sasuke wanted to let Itachi close. But Sasuke had his orders. And to be completely honest, seeing Itachi in the bowels of Root, agreeing to kill his family, sat like poison in Sasuke's mind. Heavy and toxic.
On the other hand, he felt bad for his brother. What was it like to be the eldest? To have grown up so fast, only to realize that his younger brother did not follow? To be an elite ninja shackled to one that was barely even a nin at all?
Itachi did not understand sibling rivalry. Mostly because Itachi did not know enough about Sasuke to realize there was even one in the first place.
Sasuke could not face the hurt look Itachi wore. Sasuke looked out into the darkness of the courtyard, noting the sounds of the frogs and crickets in the distance.
"I still think you should take the test," Itachi said. "If I can help… We can do some training?"
Sasuke sighed and slumped his shoulders. He was only four centimeters taller than his brother, but it felt like he was towering over him. Sasuke felt he should be smaller, especially when Itachi's chakra could fill an entire room.
"I'll be fine. Maybe I'll just pick up a couple more missions and try for Tokubetsu jounin instead."
"Sasuke." Itachi pleaded.
But Sasuke was staring at Fugaku lingering in the shadows behind Itachi.
Sasuke pasted a smile on his face. "Maybe I'll die on one of those missions, and then no one will have to worry about it, eh?" he joked.
Even in the darkness, Itachi paled. "Sasuke!"
Sasuke laughed. "Sorry. That was dark. Maybe I won't even pass the psych eval." He shrugged and hopped backwards off the porch. "Don't worry about me, Itachi. You've got enough going on."
He turned to make his way down the moonlit path out of the compound.
"Why don't you talk to me anymore?" Itachi pleaded quietly.
Sasuke slowly turned. He stared at his father's Sharingan red eyes instead of Itachi's teary red ones. He gave a toothy smile. He really was sorry about all of this.
If he survived, he would spend the rest of his life apologizing to his mother and brother. There were too many eyes and ears around here.
"Night, brother." He waved and headed into the dark.
oOo
Sasuke climbed into a window and giggled drunkenly when he lost his balance and tumbled onto the carpet. He rolled around the floor laughing until the sting of the impact faded away.
"Why are you in my house?" Umino Iruka asked, calmly grading papers as if intoxicated chunin dropped through his window all the time.
Sasuke hauled himself up and threw his arms over Iruka's shoulders. "Iruka-sensei." Sasuke greeted.
Iruka pushed him off. "You stink."
Sasuke rolled onto his back and starfished out. He stared at the ceiling like it held the mysteries of the universe.
"I know you only visit me because your dad hates it when you hang out with the career chunin," Iruka said, turning back to his paperwork.
"No!" Sasuke could not modulate his voice, so it came out in a yell. He tried again. He whispered, now. "I visit you because Naruto sends you letters."
"Ah." Iruka nodded sagely. "Your other friend you made because your father hates the Hokage."
"Yes," Sasuke agreed, glad Iruka was being so reasonable.
He then sat up sharply and wrestled with his pockets. Iruka peered over before covering his eyes.
"Sasuke, the last time I had to help you with your pants, you were six." He groaned.
Embarrassed, Sasuke pulled up said pants, and produced an envelope. A little smushed, but still intact.
"Ah." Iruka said and grabbed the envelope. It was heavier than he thought, and it weighed down his hand. "Oh!" he exclaimed, looking at Sasuke with wide eyes.
Sasuke grinned. His face fell as he realized something. "But I won't be able to visit you again tomorrow. Tomorrow I gotta-" He waved his hands in a gesture that expansively communicated nothing. "I gotta do recon for old man Kimura."
"A whole day without you?" Iruka asked. "How will I cope?"
Sasuke levered himself up, but he needed the floor's help. Which meant his hands stayed on the ground while his legs straightened. He looked like he was doing a very silly cross between downward dog and trying to touch his toes. His butt wiggled in the air. When he finally straightened to his full height, he grinned proudly.
Iruka had seen toddlers more graceful than this. He abandoned the paperwork to watch the show.
"How drunk are you?" Iruka narrowed his eyes.
"How… drunk do you think I am?" Sasuke asked, wobbling back to the window.
Iruka rolled his eyes before narrowing them in thought. "I dunno how much is acting or how much of that sake you actually had instead of spilling it over yourself."
"I'm a terrible actor," Sasuke said blithely.
"You're one of the best actors in the village," Iruka argued without too much heat. He tilted his head to the side, still trying to suss out the truth.
Sasuke spun towards Iruka dramatically, plopping his butt on the windowsill. "I needed the sake," he confessed. "I had dinner with my family."
"Ouch." Iruka grimaced sympathetically.
Sasuke gripped the lintel tightly and leaned back slightly. His smile was cruel and crooked. "Everyone thinks I'm an incompetent nin. Why not be a lush as well?"
Iruka set down his pen and faced Sasuke fully. "I know it's been difficult without Naruto. He knows you the best."
Even Iruka could not decipher all of Sasuke's lies from reality. Sasuke, too used to prevaricating, probably could not manage to be honest even with people who knew most of his secrets.
Except Kushina, Minato, and Naruto knew everything about the Uchiha man. Out of everyone in the village, only those three understood what Sasuke was really capable of.
If the Third and Fourth Hokage's spies were family, then Iruka was probably a cousin to Sasuke. But the combined Namikaze-Uzumaki family were his parents and siblings. And half the family was gone. And without Naruto, Sasuke did not have good reason to spend time with Minato.
As if reading Iruka's sympathetic thoughts, Sasuke frowned sharply. Sasuke hated pity.
The alertness in that gaze told Iruka everything he needed to know. The man was tipsy. But not as drunk as he acted.
Giving up on his former student, Iruka turned back to his paperwork.
"Don't fall out the window," Iruka ordered. "I'm not cleaning you up off the pavement."
"Oh," Sasuke said in a strangled voice. "Too late."
Iruka turned sharply, to see Sasuke clinging to the window with his fingertips. Only his feet and hands were still in the apartment. The rest of his body dangled out the window before slipping. Iruka jumped into a crouch when Sasuke suddenly disappeared.
Even tipsiness could kill a nin if they fell three stories.
Sasuke's red face suddenly reappeared in the window. He was giggling. "Hee hee. I caught myself. Bye Iruka-sensei." He closed the window on his way up the wall and to the roof.
Iruka plopped back down to his seat. "Bye, Sasuke," he said tiredly.
He picked up the heavy envelope and tapped it on the table. The metal inside clinked as it hit the wood.
"Hm."
Orochimaru had not visited Sasuke in quite a while. The Third Hokage would be very interested in this news.
He glanced at the window again. Look how smoothly his talented, serious student transformed himself into a weak buffoon. Sasuke skillfully convinced the whole village that he was just another career chunin. The spoiled son of a clan head, destined to die from incompetence on a mission.
Facing his table, he reached underneath it and peeled off a piece of paper glued to the underside. Setting off the seal drawn on the surface with a bit of chakra, he waited for the smoke to clear. It did to reveal a little macaque sitting on the student essays.
"Hello." Iruka grinned at the tiny monkey. He held out the envelope. "Can you please take this to your boss?"
The monkey took the envelope and held it to his chest. It was as big as his body.
"Present?" the monkey asked.
Clearly, the animal felt the weight of the envelope.
"I think it is." Iruka nodded.
"Target left present for sealed boy?" monkey clarified. The monkey was old. It thought even Hiruzen was a boy.
Iruka appreciated that his apartment was so well warded that not even an Inuzuka dog could hear a hurricane inside.
"Yes," Iruka confirmed. "The target left a present for the man."
The monkey stood so it could bend and extend its knees in a little excited dance. "I take straight to Third."
"Thank you very much."
"We find Target!" the monkey crowed.
"Yes."
"We eat Target." The monkey bared its sharp, tiny teeth.
"You can do whatever you want when we get him," Iruka agreed in amusement.
The monkey chittered out a laugh and disappeared in another cloud of smoke.
oOo
Hinata looked up when the door opened. Pieces of her naginata laid on the floor around her. She carefully oiled the little gears inside. It telescoped open and closed, which meant it took a lot more upkeep than a normal one. She also wanted to check the electrical components and make sure none of the wires were fraying.
Mifune walked in, holding a beige file folder in his hand. She straightened from her kneeling position on the floor.
He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Sit. Sit. You're fine."
She picked up her repair kit off a nearby pillow so he could sit there if he wanted.
"Thank you."
He folded into a cross-legged position and handed her the thick folder.
"We've gotten your point person. This is the operative who has been in contact with Orochimaru all these years," he said.
Hinata accepted it with both hands. She opened it up and her eyes widened. She knew this person.
Uchiha Sasuke. His little picture showed a grave, unsmiling man. His eyes were flinty. A huge difference from the downtrodden police officer she saw being berated by a shopkeeper.
Hm. She read on.
PERSONNEL RECORD
CLASSIFICATION LEVEL: SECRET (SEE PAGES 28-35 FOR PUBLIC RECORD)
UCHIHA SASUKE
TOBETSKU JONIN: COUNTERINTELLIGENCE, SUBTERFUGE
ABILITIES:
TAIJUTSU – EXPERT
GENTJUTSU – ABOVE AVERAGE
NINJUSTU – ABOVE AVERAGE
DOJUTSU – ABOVE AVERAGE
NOTE: WEARS SPECIAL INSTRUMENT (SEE PAGE 14) TO CONCEAL CHAKRA LEVELS.
Was this the same person? The one with the hunched shoulders and the sheepish smile on his face. She thought back to the first time she saw him. In the trees.
She remembered his serious face and his dark eyes. If she did not have her own dojutsu, would she have been able to see him? Or did he let her?
Following her curiosity, she flipped over to page 28.
PERSONAL RECORD
CLASSIFICATION: PUBLIC
UCHIHA SASUKE
CHUNIN
ABILITIES:
TAIJUTSU – AVERAGE
GENJUTSU – AVERAGE
NINJUSTU – BELOW AVERAGE
DOJUTSU – BELOW AVERAGE
Hinata's eyes widened. He was an operative in his own village? How was that even possible?
"Did you read this?" Hinata asked Mifune.
"Hmm." Mifune rumbled an affirmative. His eyes slipped closed as he meditated.
She turned back to the papers in her hands. "How could a person live like this? Not even comfortable in their own village? In their home!"
Mifune's eyes slitted open. "This is a nin village, Hinata. Everyone is so wrapped up in secrets, the truth is obscured from even the people who know it best."
Hinata placed the papers on the ground and fisted her hands in her hakama. "Am I doing the right thing, Mifune-sama? Should I go back? These people are not like us."
"No. They're not. But have you already forgotten your reasons for coming?" He again closed his eyes and faced forward.
She straightened and tried to mimic his calm. Closing her own eyes, she thought out loud, "For Neji. For our Branch members. For us to all be free from the distinctions of the Main House and the Branch House."
She thumbed the seal on her forehead. It was very similar to the seals of her ancestors. But it could not be used to inflict pain on anyone. It was only for protection. Not for control.
"I want my cousins to be free," she repeated quietly.
Her thoughts drifted to her father and sister back in the Land of Iron. Hanabi would be a great future clan leader, even if the clan was halved. If the Main House refused to assimilate, then Hinata had no choice. The branch needed to leave.
"Hn." Mifune hummed. "They can be safe here. Can they be liberated?"
Hinata opened her eyes. She picked up the papers again. "Was this his choice? Did he shackle himself purposefully or was he commanded?"
Mifune reached over and tapped Sasuke's little picture. "Make it then, that everyone in your clan has a choice. You can negotiate for whatever you want. What about your revenge? Do you have second thoughts about that? Should we leave it to the shinobi?"
Hinata's teeth ground together. "No. Konoha lost control of their nin and their choice when their rogue attacked Hanabi. If they can't kill Orochimaru, I will."
Mifune laughed and his wide smile was smug. "I'm proud of my student."
oOo
Sasuke knocked on the back door of the shop. Night lay heavy over the village, and his dark uniform blended in with the shadows.
Kimura opened it a crack, peering out past Sasuke suspiciously. Seeing no one, he ushered Sasuke in. "Come in. Come, come."
Sasuke murmured his thanks.
Once he closed and locked the door, the wary posture bled out from Kimura's frame. He grinned and jovially slapped Sasuke on the shoulder.
"How the hell have you been?"
Sasuke shrugged. "Not too bad."
"Good. Good."
The two men walked to the counter. Kimura reached to a shelf underneath the register. One of the bags was a cash register bag. The other, a canvas bag full of produce, with tomatoes sitting at the top.
"For you," Kimura said. "For the shit I gave you the other day."
Sasuke grinned. "My mother is livid. She hates that you're the shopkeeper with the best vegetables."
"I'd hate to lose her business. And it's never good to piss off a kunoichi, retired or not. Maybe I can ease up a bit?"
Sasuke shrugged. "I'm not the boss. Take it up with him."
The older man hummed. He handed Sasuke a set of keys. "Lock up when you're done, yeah?"
Sasuke idly twirled the keys on his index finger. "Got it. See you tomorrow, old man."
Kimura laughed and headed towards the door. Sasuke waited until everything became completely still. The shop's silence engulfed him, and the only illumination came from the streetlamps outside. Sasuke followed his muscle memory to the back room. Ignoring the stacks of produce, he squatted down to a non-slip mat. Lifting it up exposed a tiny lock. Using one of the keys on the keyring, he unlocked it and stepped back as the trap door lifted on its own.
The couple visible steps descended into inky blackness. Sasuke confidently proceeded down.
oOo
Hinata inspected her surroundings. She, Neji, and Ko currently sat at a circular table. Their group made up half of the circle. On the other side was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage. Next to him, Hatake Kakashi, who served as the Fourth Hokage's representative at this meeting. The seat in between Hatake and Ko was empty.
She exchanged a look with Neji. They all wore their goggles, respirators, gauntlets, and shin guards over their ceremonial robes. Behind his helmet, Neji had his Byakugan activated.
He gave her a short nod, which meant the last member of their party approached. They expected him to be late, but it grew tiresome, sitting in wait while Hatake lazily read a book and the Third smoked.
They were in a cavernous underground room. Their table rested on a platform suspended in the middle of the cave, with catwalks leading to it. It felt cold and drafty, but something strangely muffled all sound. She wondered if the noise suppression came from some kind of jutsu.
This whole situation made Hinata extremely uncomfortable. Granted, Mifune had vouched for this whole rendezvous. But she did not like getting involved in secrets that were kept from the rest of the village. The thought of it weighed heavy and uncomfortable in her mind.
Uchiha Sasuke emerged from the shadows like a silent specter and stepped off one of the catwalks. He paused by the empty seat and bowed first to the former Hokage, and then to the samurai. They in return, stood and bowed as well.
Once everyone settled, the Third began to speak. "Hyuga clan, this is Uchiha Sasuke. He is one of my most trusted operatives. He has spent many years winning the trust of Orochimaru."
She inspected him closely. Uchiha Sasuke stood tall, with broad shoulders, and chin length hair. In one ear he wore an earring shaped like an oni, and a red teardrop shaped gem dangled from its open mouth. His eyes were dark and wide, framed by pretty black lashes. Shadows lay underneath those eyes, marring his beauty slightly.
She blinked and felt grateful that her respirator and goggles hid her expressions. It would not do to stare dumbly while meeting someone for the first time. Clearing her throat, she gathered her thoughts.
Hinata believed in resolving the situation in as few words as possible. "Will this connection allow us to get close enough to kill him?"
Sasuke blinked but his face remained impassive. "You're trying to kill Orochimaru?"
Hinata raised her chin. "The Hyuga deserve revenge."
The Third chuckled and murmured around his pipe, "Orochimaru is indeed getting desperate. Unable to get his hands on any Uchiha, he went after the Hyuga."
"He attempted to kidnap my cousin. My father prevented him from doing so but lost his life in exchange," Neji said through gritted teeth.
"My condolences," Sasuke murmured.
Neji inclined his head.
"He wants a dojutsu user then?" Kakashi asked, lounging in his chair.
Hinata was not surprised that the nin knew about the Hyuga dojutsu. It had not been a secret when the Hyuga left Konoha generations before. Now, they wore the goggles but did not bother to hide their eyes when alone. Still, it would have been interesting if Konoha did not know.
Sasuke spoke, "He's been trying to recruit my family members for years. I've been able to distract him for now. But he thinks I'm going to join him during my jonin exams."
The Third's mouth curved in a pleased grin. He addressed the samurai. "The Fourth Hokage and I agree that a good course of action would be to make our move during the jonin exams. Sasuke will be sent out of the village on a long mission as is customary. We could send one of you along as a sort of cultural exchange."
Hinata glanced at Kakashi, and he nodded lazily. She liked him. Only a nin could pretend to be on the verge of sleep when they were really alert. They lied in so many ways. She thought it funny and novel, instead of infuriating like most samurai did.
"I am open to the idea," Hinata said.
"Do you understand our ranking system?" the Third asked. "Are any of your party qualified?"
Neji raised his chin. "We have done our research. Hinata-sama will be able to join, as she is extremely skilled in combat."
The Third shifted in place, displaying slight discomfort. Hinata's brow furrowed behind her goggles.
"Ah," said the old man. "Maybe, as your clan head, she should have an escort?"
Sasuke glanced at the Third out of the corner of his eyes, his lashes framing his dark eyes. She catalogued the expression.
Hinata did not know if the Third was uncomfortable sending her because she was a woman, or because she was the pivotal component of the exchange between Konoha and the Land of Iron. Did the Third not realize that all her knowledge was communal? What one member of the clan knew, everyone did.
"I am amenable to taking one of my cousins with me," she conceded. "They also are qualified."
If needed, she could kill Orochimaru herself. But she would not begrudge Neji his chance. Revenge belonged to all of them, but him most of all.
The Third smiled. "Good. Good. Of course, for Sasuke, this is just a formality. He has also attained jonin status. We would prefer his cover not be revealed until after Orochimaru's death, but it would not be a problem if that information came out earlier."
Sasuke nodded.
Kakashi yawned, then spoke, "We'll provide the route, the schedule, and where our proctors will be stationed. Usually, Sasuke would check in every few days on his way to his target. But I'll get you the paperwork that explains it all."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What was the mission goal?"
Kakashi shrugged and scratched at his jaw over his mask. "Steal something from the Daimyo, I think? He's going to be traveling to his summer palace soon."
"Hn." The Third nodded.
"That sounds easy enough," Sasuke said.
"His guard will know you're coming." The Third grinned again. "And they'll be allowed to kill."
"His guard is made up of nin, correct?" Ko asked.
All the shinobi at the table nodded.
Devious, but fair, Hinata supposed.
"If we're going to be teammates," Hinata cut in, "then he will need to train with us."
"That can be easily done. He can meet you here at night. That way, his cover will not be jeopardized." The Third waved his hand.
Sasuke grimaced. "With all due respect, sir, on top of my patrol duties, that gives me virtually no time to sleep. I've been pulling all-nighters for the past few months meeting with Orochimaru and his followers or using the time to train."
"He's also been training with the Fourth when Naruto was here," Kakashi added.
Hinata felt sympathy for Sasuke. The exhaustion he wore now made complete sense. That was the problem with making your nin operatives in their own village. Good lies took a lot of work.
The Third opened his mouth but Hinata cut him off.
"With all due respect, that can be easily fixed."
Every eye at the table trained on her.
She smiled even though no one could see or hear it. "Once I have set up my shielding around our compound, we'll have complete privacy. Uchiha Sasuke has trespassed on our land and set up a number of traps. I demand restitution. He can stay and help us take them down."
Sasuke paled as all the blood rushed to the tip of his ears. Kakashi's visible eye slowly crinkled in delight.
"And his job as a military policeman?" the Third huffed.
Hinata canted up her chin and adopted a haughty air. It felt like an ill-fitting helmet. But her father taught her how to do this, and she knew how it looked. None of the nin here knew how mild mannered she truly was.
"I would think cementing diplomatic relationships would be more important than corralling non-existent raccoon dogs and persnickety shop owners," she sniffed. "Surely you have more than one spy on the Force. I know you would be prepared for every contingency."
Kakashi covered up a laugh with an unconvincing coughing fit. Sasuke's eyes widened as he flicked his gaze between the Third and Hinata.
The Third shifted and gave an unconvincing smile. "You're right, of course. We'll have him reassigned tomorrow."
She stood, and her cousins did the same. As one they bowed, but not too low. The Hyuga were going to be a part of this village, yes. But their true allegiance lay only with each other and the Fourth. And he was not here.
"I look forward to it," she said when they straightened, looking at Sasuke. "Thank you all for your time tonight."
Sasuke and Kakashi stood and bowed back.
Without another word, she turned. Her hair, tied into a high ponytail snapped around at the sharp movement, flicking out over the table and missing the Third by inches. Flanked by her family, she stepped onto the catwalk and disappeared into the shadows.
oOo
Once the samurai were gone, the Third gathered his son and grandson lurking in a corner and quickly left.
Sasuke sat still, feeling somewhat shellshocked. Kakashi giggled. He leaned over to slap Sasuke on the arm.
"What do you think?" Kakashi asked gleefully.
Sasuke blinked. "I've never heard anyone talk to the Third like that before."
Kakashi threw himself back in his seat gleefully. "I know! It's great!"
"She was rude to our former Hokage." Sasuke felt the need to point that out.
Kakashi scoffed. Knowing they were truly alone; he spoke his mind. "He acts like he's still Hokage. He always gives Minato-sensei a hard time. Hiruzen deserves it."
"But he's her superior."
Kakashi's grin was so delighted that the imprints of his sharp canines were visible behind his mask. "Not for samurai. They only hold allegiance to the current Hokage and to their clan. The old coot tried to order her around when they first got here, and she's had him on her shit list ever since."
Sasuke felt a little queasy. "Then I'm also on her shit list."
Kakashi poked Sasuke on the cheek. Sasuke jerked back and idly slapped his hand away.
"It's not funny, Kakashi. I pissed off the people I'm gonna have to live with."
Kakashi waved it off. "She's nice to me and your brother. And they already asked me who you were so they could thank you. They wouldn't do that if they were mad at you."
Sasuke sighed. Still. He did not live on the Uchiha compound for a reason. Living with people that held him in contempt seemed an unbearable fate.
oOo