What Happens Next?
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry this one is a bit late. For those interested, I finally got around to updating a couple chapters of Why Her? (Another Sasuke x Hinata story.) Anyway, I am blown away by the amount of reviews this story is getting. You guys are amazing. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Review Response: To answer one reviewer's question, yes Aoda can be your best friend. He's pretty much everyone's best friend, except for Manda lol.
Chapter 7
Sasuke blinks and dodges a pan that went flying out the window of one of the Uchiha houses. It seemed whatever was going on, wasn't over yet. He wasn't sure why, but when someone was asked a question now…they always answered honestly.
It seemed that sometimes, honesty might not be the best policy after all. Things were starting to get vicious within the Leaf Village and he decided to try to stay out of it. Sasuke wisely retreats to his room.
"Sasuke, are you still hiding in your room?" Itachi asks in amusement, once he realized where his younger brother had gone.
"Yes. I'm not getting caught up in that. I've already had one embarrassing incident and I'm not getting caught in the crossfire of a flying frying pan again." He answers.
Itachi chuckles. Wait an embarrassing incident? Hmm now that did sound interesting. He knew that he shouldn't take advantage of the situation, but he couldn't help but be curious.
"What happened that was so embarrassing?" The elder Uchiha inquires.
"Well I was walking Hinata back to her Estate. Sai happened to be there. He asked what I was doing, so I told him. He knows I was admiring the view of Hinata leaving now. Fucking humiliating. I can't believe he caught me looking at her and I actually told him that!" He grumbles.
"Ah so you do like her then." His brother observes.
Sasuke twitches. This stupid Truth Jutsu or whatever was causing everyone to behave this way, was getting really annoying. He really didn't want to answer Itachi's question, but the words spilled out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"I'm physically attracted to her. But I'm not stupid enough to actually try anything. She's a Hyuga. I'm an Uchiha. That could trigger a Clan War. Besides, she's so nice…We aren't really compatible." Sasuke replies and for the 1000th time he cursed this damn Truth Jutsu.
"Are you trying to say that you aren't compatible with her because she's nice?" Itachi asks in amusement.
"Yes! It doesn't come naturally to me outside this Clan. She's really gentle and sensitive. I'd just end up hurting her feelings, Naruto did. He is such an idiot. I still can't believe he didn't notice she liked him and rejected her like that. I kicked his ass for it though." His brother responds.
Itachi shakes his head. It was truthfully the first time that Sasuke had expressed an interest in anyone, even if he claimed it was on a physical level. Since Sasuke was under a Truth Jutsu, he had no reason to doubt that claim.
It could develop into more, easily though. Sasuke obviously was coming up with a list of rationalizations to keep his feelings from moving from physical attraction to an emotional connection. They were valid reasons. But it was still incredibly sad that Sasuke felt it necessary to come up with this long list of excuses.
"Sasuke, you saved her life. Father is going to speak with Hiashi soon. I think Clan relations may just improve as a result of your actions. There's no reason for you to ignore your feelings for her now." Itachi explains gently.
"You're assuming those talks will go well and that's not a given." Sasuke counters.
He knew better. Sasuke really did. He just had to ignore the fact that he was physically attracted to her. He was a teenager. It was natural to experience some lust now and then. It didn't mean he had to act on it. He wouldn't put the safety of his clan in jeopardy.
"We shall see. I do think you are worried over nothing." Itachi tries to assure him and Sasuke sighs.
He wished he could take Itachi's word for it. But he knew he couldn't. Hiashi and Fugaku were two of the proudest men in the Leaf Village. There were a million little things that they might take offense to during their talks. It would take a miracle for them to go off without a hitch.
Meanwhile Fugaku and Hiashi were meeting by the lake. They decided that was a neutral location. Neither Clan had any claim over it. It was considered public property. That and it really as a lovely day out, so why not admire the scenery?
"Hiashi." Fugaku greets him formerly.
"Fugaku." The other man replies.
Neither man seemed to know where to go after addressing each other. This was the first time a Hyuga and an Uchiha Clan head had met formerly in years. As far as they were aware, the last time it had happened was well before either of them were born. It was unfamiliar territory for both of them.
"I am very grateful to Sasuke for saving Hinata's life. I don't know what I would have done, if she had perished." Hiashi offers.
"I understand completely. I would also have been devastated if either Itachi or Sasuke were to die in battle. I am glad that he was able to get her out of harm's way in time. She seems like such a sweet girl. Perhaps not temperamentally suited to be a ninja. Hinata is such a gentle spirit." Fugaku replies and mentally kicks himself his response.
He shouldn't have said that. Hiashi would likely take that as an insult to his daughter. And insulting his daughter was not a good way to start off negotiations! What was wrong with him?! Damn this jutsu or whatever spell that had fallen over the village.
"She is indeed a gentle soul. I have thought the same thing myself sometimes. That is why I am pleased she decided to become a medic." Hiashi admits.
"Yes, a noble profession. God knows, we need them." The other patriarch says with a chuckle and the Hyuga nods.
"Well that is enough small talk." The Hyuga Patriarch says briskly.
Fugaku couldn't help but agree. Small talk had never been his strong soon. That was why he was so relieved to have a wife who was gifted at it. Perhaps he should have sent Mikoto in this stead.
"I agree. I would like to see relations between our Clans approve. They have been rather…cool." The Uchiha man states.
Cool was an understatement, thought Hiashi. They were generally only one or three steps away from a Clan War. Uchihas and Hyugas were just naturally competitive, proud people. So perhaps it was to be expected. Still a Clan War could only end in disaster for all sides.
"I believe perhaps a meal between the two Clans would be a good start. It will get our members more used to being around each other. Assuming we manage not to kill each other, it would be a positive step forward." Hiashi offers.
Fugaku nods. That was still quite a big if. But he didn't really seen another alternative at the moment. First steps had to be made. There was a lot of bad blood to be made up for.
"Very well. Where would we host this gathering?" He inquires.
"The Forest of Death. A way of burying old tensions. It seems fitting. Besides, there are not many places big enough to host both of our Clans. If we were to meet in the Uchiha District or at our Estate, people would naturally feel uncomfortable." The Hyuga Patriarch reasons.
"Agreed. When shall this meal take place?" The Uchiha muses out loud.
"Let's do it on the night of the Full Moon. I have always thought there was something powerfully symbolic about such nights. Anyway, we will need light to dine under." The other man replies.
"Very well. I shall have my Clan bring food and yours can as well. At Sunset we can all gather there and hopefully start a new era." Fugaku says and Hiashi nods, both men quickly depart.
Elsewhere, Ino and Sai were currently enjoying a romantic soak in the hot springs. Sai quite enjoyed this activity. The water was rather soothing and he did admire Ino's naked form greatly. He had made many paintings of it.
"It's so weird. It's like no one can keep a secret anymore in this village." The blonde says.
"The Lady Hokage is under the impression that it is the result of a Truth Jutsu. It's forbidden. Hasn't been used in years because of how chaotic the results can be. I am inclined to agree." The artist replies.
Ino blinks. A Truth Jutsu? Well that would explain a lot. Hmm well there were so many questions that she could get answered now. This opened up a world of possibilities.
"Do you really think that's what is going on? How long would such a jutsu last? I mean it has impacted the whole village. This jutsu must be using an enormous amount of chakra to maintain." The flower lover theorizes.
"I can't say how long it will last. I've only heard it mentioned in passing while in my ROOTS training. It's been so long since it was last use, I don't think anyone really knows what its true duration is." His dark eyes narrow in worry.
Ino nods. A Truth Jutsu. This was unbelievable. She wondered who was behind it and why. It didn't seem benevolent. To put the whole village under its control was scary.
"I talked to Sasuke earlier. I think our plan is going better than expected." The dark haired man adds as an afterthought.
"Why do you say that? What did he say?" Ino asks in a gleeful fashion, eager to hear what Sai had found out.
Sai smiles. He knew that Ino would be happy to hear the next piece of news. He wasn't entirely certain why she wanted to play matchmaker so much. But he'd go along with almost anything that made her happy.
"I saw him standing outside the Hyuga Estate. He had clearly escorted her home. He was watching her head inside." He begins.
Ino tilts her head. Well that was a little unusual. Though she couldn't say it was particularly exciting yet. Surely, Sai had something more juicy than that to tell her!
"Okay. Then what happened?" She inquires anxiously, eager to hear every little detail of the encounter between Sai and Sasuke.
"I asked him what he was doing. Sasuke said that he was admiring the view. I noticed that he was looking at her backside. So I asked if that was what he was admiring and he said yes. The Truth Jutsu does have some advantages, I suppose." Sai finishes.
"Wait, he actually said that?! No way! That's so not like Sasuke!" Ino giggles, trying to picture Sasuke ogling anyone.
It was an impossible picture to imagine. It was even harder to wrap her head around the fact that he had actually admitted it. He'd admitted it to Sai of all people.
"I know it's not like him. But I swear that's what happened. I figured you would be happy. Sexual attraction is important in a relationship." Sai smiles in his creepy way that he had.
"Yes, it is very important." Ino agrees and mentally makes a note for them to work on Sai's smile later.
It wasn't his fault. ROOTS had messed with him good. He seriously didn't seem to know how to make a sincere smile anymore. Though she supposed that was likely the least of his problems. It didn't matter though. She'd help him get better.
"So what is our next step?" Sai asks curiously.
The blonde frowns. She really hadn't thought that far ahead. Well the dinner and doctor's visit had been successful, it looked like. At least Sasuke was definitely attracted to Hinata. (She still couldn't believe that he had admitted to checking out Hinata's ass. Hell must have frozen over or something.)
"I'm not sure! But we'll think of something. I don't know, maybe we could get them to train together. A shirtless Sasuke ought to do the trick!" She muses.
"But training doesn't necessarily mean that he'd be shirtless. And why would that have any effect on anything?" Sai asks.
"Have you seen him shirtless? He's gorgeous." Ino says and rubs the back of her head sheepishly.
Sai twitches. He believed he had read about this feeling. It was called jealousy if he remembered. He was not particularly pleased with Ino calling another man "gorgeous." She was his lover! Ino wasn't supposed to be saying things like that about other men!
"I think I am experiencing jealousy. I don't particularly care for the emotion." He mutters.
"You have nothing to be jealous of. I'm just saying he's attractive. I outgrew my crush years ago. If I still liked him, would I be trying to set him up with Hinata?" She asks.
Sai considers this. The Truth Jutsu made it so she couldn't lie. She had to be being honest just now. Still he couldn't help but feel a little unsettled at her observation. Thankfully, Sasuke had never shown any interest in Ino before.
Perhaps he should take advantage of this Truth Jutsu. He could ask the Uchiha if he had any feelings for Ino. That way he wouldn't have to worry in the back of his mind, what would happen if Sasuke did decide to try to seduce his lover. Yes, that sounded like a good plan!
"I'm still not sure how we could get him to train shirtless with her though." He mutters.
"We'll think of something!" Ino says cheerfully.
Meanwhile in Summonland, Aoda was with Sasuke's other snake Summons. He was telling them the story. The snake was rather pleased with himself. Everyone was utterly enthralled.
"Yes, she does have really lovely scales. She seems a bit shy though. Lady Hinata will probably need a push. Very polite to! Her eyes are quite pleasant to look upon as well. I don't know why Master Sasuke is so shy about doing the Mating Dance with her." Aoda finishes.
"Well it is his first mating. That's probably why. You know humans. They always make things much more difficult than they have to be. Master Sasuke probably just needs some advice." Another snake muses.
Aoda nods. Yes, that must be it. He never would have thought of his Master as shy before. But humans could be quite strange in their courtship rituals. For snakes it was much easier. They did a dance and showed off their hunting skills. Sometimes they would chase away mating rivals. But it was all very easily understood.
Humans on the other hand, from what he understood, it varied greatly. Some humans had really short courtships and some took years to sire offspring. Most were monogamous or at least feigned being so. They also had a lot of variety in their Mating Dances, he had noticed.
"Maybe he's just uncertain of what to do. I could leave him one of those orange books. They are supposed to be enormously educational. That's what the toads say anyway. They are always going on about how Jirayia does lots of research for them. So they must be accurate." Aoda comments.
"Yes, that's a good idea. Let's just leave one of those books in his room. I'm sure he'll read it and then he'll know what to do!" The other snake agrees.
Pleased with his decision, Aoda returns to the other realm. Hmm now how was he going to get one of those books? He couldn't very well go into a store and buy one. For some reason, humans tended to be quite terrified of him. It was silly. He was really quite friendly, unless you attacked his Master.
Humans tended to judge a lot based on appearances. Just because he was the size of a two story building and had fangs bigger than a tree, didn't mean he was going to eat them. Really. Why did they always assume he wanted to eat them? He doubted humans tasted good anyway. Manda had once told him that they tasted like chicken though.
"Hmm Kakashi probably has one. Yes, I'll just ask Kakashi. He knows Sasuke has a snake Summoning Contract. So he probably wouldn't be as scared of me. I bet he'll recognize me to! He's Sasuke's former teacher. So he would likely be willing to help Master Sasuke in his education! Yes, it's perfect!" He mutters to himself as he slithers off to find Kakashi.
Kakashi blinks. He saw a rather large snake slithering towards him. At first he thought Orochimaru was attacking again, but this one was familiar. He sighs in relief. It was just Aoda.
Honestly, he thought the snake was a golden retriever trapped in a reptile's body. He had never seen a more eager to please summon in his entire life. Sasuke really lucked out when he got Aoda and not Manda.
"Aoda." He greets cheerfully.
"Hello, Master Kakashi. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind doing me a very small favor. I would like to borrow one of your books. I promise that I will return it." The snake begins.
The silver haired ninja raises an eyebrow. What would a snake want with one of Jirayia's books. It wasn't like he could do any of the positions in them. How strange.
"I suppose I don't see any harm in it. I have copies of all of them. But what do you want it for, if I may ask." The CopyCat Ninja answers him.
Aoda pauses to consider his answer. Hmm how did he word this? He didn't want Master Sasuke to be embarrassed later on, if his former Sensei teased him about needing a little guidance. It was only natural in the beginning. Nothing to be embarrassed about.
"I think it would do Master Sasuke a world of good to expand his literary horizons." Aoda says vaguely.
Kakashi chuckles. It was cute to see the snake try to help his Master in this way. He wondered if the Truth Jutsu had any impact on Summons. The silver haired ninja decides to find out. He was curious.
"Who is the girl?" He asks.
"Lady Hinata. She's very pretty. Nice scales, lovely eyes. Bit shy though. I think Master Sasuke is too. I don't think he knows how to initiate the Mating Dance. Human courtship rituals are so complicated. So I thought maybe your book would help him." The snake answers and mentally winces.
How could he have told Kakashi that?! Aoda hadn't been planning to. He didn't want Master Sasuke to be embarrassed if his former Sensei teased him about it later. But it had just slipped out.
"Thank you. Hmm Hinata? Really? That surprises me. Talk about opposites attracting. Still I can't disagree about the scales and eyes. Well I don't mind. Hopefully, the kid learns something useful from it. Though really, I think Fugaku or even Itachi should be helping him with things like this. Does he know that you are asking me for help?" The ninja inquires.
Aoda shakes his head. Sasuke most certainly did not know that he was asking the silver haired man for assistance in this matter. If he did, he might make Aoda into a lot of snake skinned boots
He could just picture Sasuke's reaction if he found out. It wouldn't be pretty. The snake suppresses a shudder.
"Alright. Well here you go. Good luck." He chuckle and places the book in Aoda's jaws, who slithered off.
Fugaku returns to the Uchiha District. He calls an emergency Clan meeting. He didn't do these unless it was really important. A possible alliance with the Hyuga Clan definitely qualified.
"As some of you know, Sasuke saved Hinata from being crushed by a building during Orochimaru's attack. Hiashi Hyuga is grateful to him for saving his eldest daughter. So we decided that it would be best to improve relations between our Clans." He begins.
There was a lot of whispering going on. Some Uchihas were hopeful. Some thought this was just asking for trouble. A few wondered if Fugaku had lost his mind? Was he crazy? Negotiating with Hyugas?
"SILENCE! YOU WILL BE QUIET WHEN I AM SPEAKING. CONDUCT YOURSELF WITH MORE DIGNITY. STOP ACTING LIKE ACADEMY CHILDREN." He roars at the crowd and they suddenly all become as quiet as mice.
Sasuke blinks. Damn his father could bellow when he wanted to. He now glad that Itachi was the heir and not him. The younger Uchiha brother didn't think he had the lung capacity to do what Fugaku had just done. Was that a requirement for a Clan Head? You had to be able to be really loud to address a crowd?
"As I was saying, we spoke. On the night of the next full moon, at sundown we will all go to the Forest of Death. There we shall dine with the Hyugas and begin healing the rift between our Clans." He states.
"ARE YOU INSANE?! THE FOREST OF DEATH?! CLEARLY THEY ARE PLANNING TO SLAUGHTER US WHEN OUR GUARD IS DOWN!" Someone screams out from the crowd.
Fugaku's eyes narrow. In almost no time at all, he was behind that person. A few hits to a few key pressure points and they were unconscious. Honestly, hadn't he just told everyone to be quiet? Why was it so hard for people to follow the simplest of instructions? It wasn't like the old days, when people did what they were told.
"Does anyone else want to interrupt me while I am in the middle of speaking?" He asks in an irritated fashion.
"No, Lord Fugaku." They all cry out in unison and Mikoto giggles.
"Wife, do not giggle when I am addressing our Clan." Fugaku whispers to her.
"I'm sorry. I can't help it. They all think you are some vicious grizzly. But I know the truth. Deep down you are just an overgrown teddy bear." She says with a smile, in a quiet whisper.
"…" Fugaku is left speechless for a few minutes.
"Father, what else did Lord Hiashi say?" Itachi asks, realizing his father was in shock and needed to be snapped out of it.
"Right. Of course. I told him that we would bring food. The Hyugas are as well. This is an enormously important day. I want everyone to be on their best behavior. Do not give them cause to reject this olive branch. It could take generations before they offer another, if ever." He states firmly.
The Uchiha Clan nods. They couldn't believe this. Dinner with the Hyugas? What was the world coming to? A few looked up at the sky, wondering if they would actually see pigs fly.
"Oh for the love of God, that is just an expression! Pigs don't actually fly." Izumi says and smacks her forehead in the palm of her hand.
"Humor them. Even I never thought I'd live to see this day." Itachi says, chuckling.
He smiles and wraps his arms around his pregnant wife's belly. Perhaps there was hope for a brighter future. One where the Uchiha Clan was not isolated. Maybe someday Uchiha and Hyuga children would be friends.