"I must break my promise to you, Sasuke," the Sixth Hokage declared with a heavy heart. "It's in the best interest of the village and the Hyuga clan. We must also question Hinata. She was present during the meeting, and you stated that she conversed with the leader alone. We require every minute detail."

F As Naruto went to fetch Shikamaru, Sasuke saw an opportunity to set his condition. "Kakashi, this is about the Hyuga clan affairs they made with the Taketori Clan," he began. "Whatever happens, I don't want Hinata to be harmed. Her presence there was mainly to learn diplomacy, get to know the clan members, and clan affairs. I will tell you nothing if you don't promise to leave her out of this."

Kakashi replied. "I know she has had nothing to do with clan affairs for years, but I can't promise you that she will not be involved."

Sasuke was resolute. "No, you have to keep her out of this."

"Fine," Kakashi agreed, resignedly.

Just then, the door cracked open and Naruto returned with the Nara clan leader, Shikamaru. EF

"..."

"Why are you so protective of her?" Kakashi asked Sasuke, curious. "Even Naruto didn't say anything about summoning her."

Sasuke's cheeks uncontrollably blushed, and he was hesitant to answer. "None of your business," he replied tersely. It was clear that he didn't want to reveal his true feelings for Hinata.

"Sasuke! When I first met you, you reminded me a lot of myself. I felt related to you more than the rest. I know when you are being protective of someone what it means."

Sasuke hesitated for a moment before speaking. "She is divorcing Naruto," he said. "I left her in my mansion. She belongs to me now."

Kakashi smirked under his mask and walked to him. "Well, Naruto didn't say anything about that," he commented. "But all good. I'm sure you'll tell me more about that in the future… I'm glad to see you have some positive emotions," he added. "When you first returned to the village, you didn't seem to have the drive to do anything. I'm sure it all has to do with her… What about Sakura?"

"She… she is in love with that Usuratonkachi."

"You exchanged wives!...interesting. I don't think I've ever read about something like that anywhere. Surely, Naruto loved Sakura his whole life."

"When will Hinata be here?" Sasuke ignored his comment.

"She is already summoned, I want to get over with this interrogation before the council knows about it. I'll question her alone, you can go have some sleep."

"How could you think I will sleep when she's dragged out of her bed to be questioned before dawn?" Sasuke clenched his fists. It's all because of him. Hinata hasn't had a moment of rest since her return.

"Sasuke," Kakashi said, his voice firm and unwavering. "I understand that you care for Hinata, but I cannot guarantee that she won't be involved in this matter. The safety and well-being of the village is my top priority, and if Hinata possesses information that could aid our investigation, then I must consider questioning her."

As he spoke, a knock on the door interrupted the conversation, and an ANBU agent stepped inside. "Hokage-sama, Hinata-san is here," the agent reported, causing Sasuke to flinch.

"Allow her to enter," Kakashi instructed before retreating behind his desk.

Hinata's eyes widened as she caught sight of Sasuke. "Sasuke!" she exclaimed before turning to address the Hokage. "You summoned me, Hokage-sama. Is everything okay? It's quite late."

"We have some questions for you, Hinata, and then you can leave," Kakashi informed her, cutting straight to the chase.

"Does this have anything to do with why my father, Hanabi, and Ko-san were summoned here?" Hinata inquired.

"Yes, it does," Kakashi confirmed. "We need to know what happened during the meetings with the Tekatori Clan."

Hinata hesitated, a look of worry etched onto her face. "That's confidential and a matter of the clan's privacy," she insisted.

"Your father and Hanabi-chan have already informed us of the details. Now we need to hear it from you," Kakashi pressed.

"I can't do that," Hinata replied. "Maybe you are just making that up to make me talk. I won't betray the trust of my clan or the Tekatori Clan."

Sasuke stepped forward, exhaustion -physical and emotional- written all over his face. "Hinata, please tell him what happened at the meetings, then we can go home. We already know what took place from Hanabi and Ko-san," he pleaded.

"No," Hinata said, her voice laced with irritation. She couldn't believe Sasuke had betrayed their trust by sharing what he had learned with the Hokage and subsequently interrogating her and her family.

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to join your family in isolation until you change your mind... Sasuke, you may leave," Kakashi responded, exhausted and not in the mood for her stubbornness.

"I will only leave with her," Sasuke snapped back, his frustration mounting.

"You could also pay a visit to our known maximum-security prison," Kakashi retorted, flicking his fingers. Four ANBU agents appeared in the room, ready to take action if needed. Sasuke quickly checked his chakra level, realising that he was running low due to his exhaustion and lack of nourishment. He knew he wouldn't be able to fight off the elite ANBU agents.

"After a few hours, I'll be back to take her. I don't care what you say then," Sasuke declared as he walked over to Hinata. "Please cooperate, Hinata," he pleaded again, his heart aching at the confused look on her face.

"Sarada is asleep at the compound," Hinata whispered, her gaze downcast.

The ANBU agents escorted Hinata to her guest room in the Hokage tower.

Sasuke couldn't shake the feeling of dread that gnawed at him. Would Hinata ever understand his actions? Would she be angry with him? Would she cooperate and return to him?

Doubt plagued his mind, though Sasuke knew that he had made the right decision for the village's safety. Nonetheless, he couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to take a turn for the worse. Sasuke was willing to put everything on the line to save the village, save her clan, save HER, even if it meant being despite by her. He couldn't bear the thought of someone else turning into an Itachi. It could even be her or her vicious sister. The mere idea of the two of them being forced to fight and kill one another was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

In his bedroom, Sasuke stumbled upon her clothes in the laundry basket. He pulled out her purple blouse, hugged it tightly to his chest, sniffing her sweet lavender scent and drifted off into a much-needed slumber. However, his rest was plagued by nightmares, plagued by the haunting images of his family and clan being mercilessly slaughtered. His dreams were filled with strange and confusing visions of Hinata and her clan, replacing the Uchiha members.

The realisation that Hinata might very well hate him deeply, which he initially believed he could tolerate, now felt unbearable. The thought of disappointing her, someone who he had grown to care for deeply, hurt so much. He was determined to do everything in his power to get her out of this mess. She has nothing to do with her clan's affairs. She will understand why he did it.

To fortify himself for what lay ahead, Sasuke made himself breakfast and forced himself to eat, all the while focusing on levelling up his chakra. He will not be intimidated by a bunch of anbu. Then he went to check on his little girl whom he hadn't seen since his mission. Fortunately, she was being well cared for by the Hyuga branch servants at the main residence.

He made his way to the Hokage tower, prepared to do battle at a moment's notice. When he arrived, he found Naruto and Shikamaru already there, waiting for the Hokage, who was always notoriously late.

"Well, she was with you for just one day, and you put her in isolation. Isn't that great Shikamaru?" Naruto couldn't help but taunt Sasuke,

"What are you talking about Naruto?" Shikamaru was bewildered, unable to comprehend the situation. Sasuke clenched his fists, trying to maintain his composure and disregarding Naruto's provocation.

"My dear friend was seducing my wife with inappropriate gifts." Naruto told Shikamaru pointing with his eyes at Sasuke.

Shikamaru was taken aback by the revelation, and his expression betrayed his shock. "What are you saying, Naruto? Is that true, Sasuke?" he asked, unsure of what to make of the situation.

Sasuke's response was cold and direct: "You fucked my wife," he said, his words dripping with malice. Shikamaru felt a sudden rush of blood to his face. What the fuck is happening here? That Is too much information. 'What a drag!'

In that moment, he was so ready to get up and leave, to go grab a coffee or smoke a cigarette, anything to avoid sitting with those two idiots any longer. However, before he could leave, the door opened, and the Hokage walked in with Hinata following behind him.

Hinata cast a brief glance in Sasuke and Naruto's direction before taking her seat. She felt herself heat up with anger and uncomfort.

The Sixth Hokage spoke up, "I hope you are willing to cooperate now!"

Hinata replied, "I want to talk to my family."

"That is unfortunately not possible."

"I want to know if they really told you about the meetings."

"We know about the Byakugan Genjutsu Seal Scroll. Your father told us all about it. We need to know what you agreed upon with the Taketori Clan," Kakashi explained.

Hinata replied, "They have no idea where it is. They agreed to help find it without guarantees. Actually, that is what I agreed on with the clan leader to say to have a diplomatic solution." She cast a venomous glare in Sasuke's direction. He was desperate to know what she had whispered to Tekaru.

"Finding the object, or even its existence, is near impossibility," Shikamaru said, his tone laced with scepticism. "Do they truly believe your father will buy into that argument?"

"With no concrete evidence of its existence, my father has no other choice," replied Hinata.

"But then they will never move to the district," Naruto interjected, his face creased with concern.

"My initial plan was to persuade Tou-Sama to allow their relocation, and then collaborate on finding the object, assuming it does exist," she explained.

Kakashi brought up another concern, "What about the forbidden jutsus? What do you know about that?"

At the mere mention of this topic, Hinata's expression soured. "Hanabi and Ko-San have privately discussed it with the clan leaders," she stated, her annoyance palpable.

Shikamaru chimed in, "Do you have any other pertinent information about the negotiation?"

"I have already disclosed more than I should have," Hinata replied. "May I leave now?"

"You may, but we may need to call upon you again in the future," the Hokage interjected.

"And what of my family?"

"Unfortunately they have to stay until we have collected more information. You have to understand that we will not allow the scroll to fall into the hands of the Hyuga. You and the rest of the clan are under supervision. Only you know about that," the Hokage explained, his voice authoritative.

Hinata's eyes cast down towards the ground, betraying the inner turmoil she was struggling with. While she longed to protest, she knew her father had asked for this. She had never been on board with his demands from the clan, and now they were locked down, with the reputation of their noble and respected clan at stake.

"Sasuke, can I talk to you for a moment?" she surprised everyone with her demand. Her voice is calm, but Naruto knows she is furious with Sasuke.

The Sixth cleared his throat and said, "Naruto and Shikamaru, back to your work. Sasuke, I need you at my office later," before promptly exiting the room and closing the door behind them.

Hinata's fury grew, boiling inside her. She had never felt so angry before. Always soft-spoken and never one to hate or have negative thoughts towards anyone, she now felt betrayed and used. Even Naruto's cheating with Sakura didn't make her feel this way.

She stood up and walked towards the window, her back facing Sasuke. "Is this why you left the village early? Is this why you came with us on the mission in the first place?" she questioned, her voice quivering with emotion. "I don't care about myself. But how could you do this to Tou-Sama, my little sister, and poor Ko-san?"

Hinata turned to face Sasuke, taking a few steps in his direction. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you talk to Hanabi? Why didn't you at least talk to Father?? You told me he was the one who hired you. How could you put him in isolation? My heart aches just thinking about it! What will happen to the clan? They are all put under supervision! What should I do? Do you have any idea how many people depend on Father for their daily lives? Who will care for their well-being now?"

With tears rolling down her face, she continued, "… He needs his medications and his teas and … and his daily strolls and…. (sob) how could you? (sob) and my poor… little (hic) sister… (sob)" Hinata's voice broke into sobs as she put her hands in front of her face and sat back down, unable to hold her emotions any longer.

"Hinata!" Sasuke whispered urgently, his voice laced with fear of losing her.

"No, I don't want your reasons now? It will not change anything anyways. You should have explained everything to me before you reported to the Hokage. We could have found a way out. But you betrayed me. I even wanted you to join our meetings. How stupid of me to blindly trust you." she stood up, wiping her tears and sniffing.

As he moved closer to her, his heart raced with anxiety. "Please hear me out, hime," he implored, using the endearment he had always reserved for her.

But Hinata stood her ground, her eyes locked on his with a mix of sadness and anger. "Sasuke, whatever was between us is over now," she replied, her voice trembling slightly. "I guess I don't have any luck with men. Just leave me alone. I don't want to see you ever again." and she walked to the door. He followed her, his steps quicker then hers. Undeterred, Sasuke reached out and closed the door with his hand, effectively blocking her escape. She gasped and turned to face him.

He wanted to apologise in the best way he knew how, his kisses that she never figured out how to resist.

Without warning, he bent down and captured her lips in a passionate embrace. For a second she was lost in his taste and overwhelming aggression, she almost whimpered. But to his surprise, Hinata pushed him away, wiping her mouth with her sleeve and frowning with disapproval.

He wasn't discouraged though. Determined to win her over, Sasuke tried again, only to feel a burning sensation on his cheeks as she slapped him hard across the face. He couldn't blame her, really. He had let her down and she had every right to be angry with him.

"Don't EVER touch me again." she warned, her voice shaking with rage. With that, she pushed his hand away and stormed out of the room.

Sasuke couldn't argue with her, he knew he had to give her space and time to process everything.

As he left, he couldn't help but wonder if he had just lost the love of his life. It broke his heart that he hurt her and her family this way. That she was so sad and furious, that she misunderstood him, that she broke up with him, that she hated him. But he always welcomed hate. He wanted to be hated if it meant saving her clan and her. If it means saving other tragedies from happening. He thought he could handle hatred from anyone but apparently not from her.

Lost in thought, he made his way to the Hokage's office. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes Sasuke, I have a mission for you."

"I just returned from one."

"I know. It is a spying mission, here in the village. You will help with observing the Hyuga clan. They are having big construction work in the Uchiha District. Though it's unlikely that the scroll could be there. The Uchiha clan moved to the district only after the Kyuubi attack on the village but it could be that your clan buried anything in the District including the scroll. I want you not to miss a thing they find. It's yours in the first place and it could be a danger if it fell in the wrong hands. If you notice anything suspicious, report it to me immediately."

As Sasuke turned to leave, the Hokage spoke up once more.

"Sasuke, there's one more thing. I understand that you and Hinata are on bad terms right now. As the only remaining member of the main house, she will probably return to the Hyuga compound. I want you to observe her, too. If anything is found, they will likely notify her first. I want you to protect her too, the strongest of her clan are locked in here."

"I want to talk to Hiashi-San."

"Sure. I'll tell the guards to let you in." said Kakshi.

After Sasuke's departure, Kakashi summoned Naruto with a stern expression etched on his face.

"Well, why didn't you tell me?" Kakashi demanded.

"Tell you what?" Naruto asked with a puzzled look.

"You and Sakura! Sasuke and Hinata? What in the world is going on? I thought you and your friend were happily married!" Kakashi exclaimed with evident disbelief.

"He's not my friend; he's dead to me," Naruto replied, his voice low and filled with anger.

"Why?" Kakashi probed.

"He's been trying to seduce my wife for the past few months," Naruto said through gritted teeth.

"and you didn't? "

"..." Naruto gazed at him with intensity before falling silent.

"You tried everything to seduce her since childhood. You would transform like Sasuke to kiss her. Don't you remember?"

"But I never acted on those impulses after they got married," Naruto protested.

"You still flirt with her all the time, cling to her, wait hours for her after her shift ends, buy her favourite food, and insist on Sasuke bringing her to meet as a team.… all of that is nothing?"

After a moment of silence, Naruto admitted "I love her, you know that. Everyone knows that."

"Why didn't you marry her? She was available. Why did you marry Hinata?" Kakashi inquired, his curiosity piqued. He is 100% sure his old students are crazy.

"For her… I wanted to give her a chance to be happy with… Sasuke. I thought I could fulfil her dream and give her the man of her fantasies," Naruto explained, his voice tinged with regret. "Hinata loved me, so I wanted to ease Sakura's mind from my part and make her believe that I was over her. I encouraged her to follow that bastard on his trip. You know that. I begged you to allow her to. I thought she would be happy with him. She has everything she ever dreamed of. But I was an idiot. She wasn't happy with Sasuke. He never loved her. I made a mistake. She should have been with me. I know how to make her happy. "

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "You know you did an injustice to Hinata in the process, right?"

"She loved me, and we were happy together until that bastard showed up and started seducing her," Naruto replied defensively.

"Who told you she was happy? Would she have fallen for another man if she was? You were still in love with Sakura while being with Hinata. Were you in love with both them?" Kakashi said bluntly.

"I only loved Sakura, but I did everything I could to make Hinata happy," Naruto protested.

"Naruto, a woman can sense when she is being loved or not. Hinata didn't feel that you loved her. You were clearly in love with Sakura, any fool could see that." Kakashi replied with a knowing look.

"You're making it look like it's my fault that Sasuke seduced her," Naruto said, feeling frustrated.

"I'm just saying don't put all the blame on him. He was probably at fault but don't act so innocent yourself. "

"..." Naruto looked down. Probably is best if Kakashi didn't come to realise that he hit her.

"You were wrong, Sasuke too, even Hinata and Sakura. All of you are idiots. But in the end, you all found a way to solve the problem. Each of you got the person you liked, and that's what matters. Now it's time to work on rebuilding your friendship, Naruto. I know it won't be easy, but it's important to try and resolve conflicts rather than letting them fester. Trust and communication are crucial in any relationship, whether it be friendship or something more." Kakashi said.

Naruto nodded thoughtfully, taking in Kakashi's words. He knew it would be a long and difficult road to repair his friendship with Sasuke, and he wasn't even sure he wanted to be friends with him again.


The Uchiha went to the compound to get his daughter.

"Sasuke?" Hinata was surprised when she found him waiting in the tearoom.

"I'm taking Sarada," he replied, his voice flat and emotionless. "And I need Hiashi-San's medications and tea. I'm meeting him later."

She silently handed him what he asked for, and gave him some bento and change of clothes to bring to her father.

She found it so sweet of him to remember her father's needs and deliver them to him. But Sasuke broke her heart into little pieces. She always respected and loved her father even though he was so cold-hearted and strict with her. But she knows he was acting like that because he seeks perfection in her. He wanted to motivate her to reach her full potential. Hinata understood her father's motives, and so did the rest of the clan. They knew that Hiashi was a perfectionist who only wanted the best for them.

Her father saw the shortcoming in her relationship with Naruto and now she could understand that her husband and the father of her child wasn't ideal for her and that her father was right.

But even Sasuke that she loved with all her heart wasn't worth it. About two years ago, her father had wanted her to marry the lone Uchiha, and now he was the one who had put the clan leader himself in lockdown.


"Hiashi-San, Hinata sent you these," Sasuke said, handing over the supplies.

"Is that your daughter? she looks exactly like you."

"Yes, that is Sarada, she was born a few days after Boruto." Sasuke winced when he remembered that was what Hinata had said when he first met her.

"How was the mission?" Hiashi asked, concerned.

"About that," Sasuke replied, "I was the one who told the Hokage about the scroll."

"You don't have to explain yourself," Hiashi said, understanding the ways of the shinobi. "As a shinobi, you have to report every detail."

"Hanabi and Ko-san are also locked in here," Sasuke continued. "Hinata spent the night here too."

"Are you done interrogating them?" Hiashi asked, his brow furrowed with worry.

"Hinata was released an hour ago," Sasuke replied… After a moment of pregnant silence, Sasuke added, his voice softening. "Hiashi-San, I wanted to tell Hinata why I did it but she wouldn't allow me. I need to explain what drove me to immediately involve the hokage."

"I told you I unders… " Hiashi said, trying to cut in.

Sasuke interrupted him. This man is as stubborn as his daughter. "NO…I… I… " he stuttered.

"Sasuke, you are like a son to me… I don't know why but I always held a grudge against your clan. As a child I heard hate stories from my family about our conflicts. The Uchiha clan wasn't the peacefullest. They had warm blood while we were blessed with cold blood. Not many things evoked us. That only made the Uchihas more furious. All of that, next to the events of them trying to hinder our settlement in the village."

Sasuke listened intently, taking in every word that Hiashi said. It was the first time he had heard such honesty and vulnerability from the clan leader. He felt the weight of generations of conflict between the Uchiha and Hyuga clans resting on his shoulders.


Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.