Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it's characters, or any aspect of it. It all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

The Beauty of Power

Chapter 2

Word soon spread that Sasuke would be staying in Konohagakure despite his efforts to keep his presence inconspicuous. Hell, Sasuke had only been seen twice after he had first arrived into Konohagakure, but that was enough. The village was so interconnected, everyone knew each other, and this made it available for gossip to spread like wild fire. Sasuke didn't even have to go outside his gates to hear some of the chit-chat among the hoi polloi. There were a few commonalities among the gossip, and it included some phases like:

"I can't believe the Hokage is allowing such a man to live in the village."

"Now, I will have to sleep in fear that he will come rob me of my life."

"Such a demon doesn't belong here."

To avoid all of it, Sasuke stayed inside of the estate most of the time, and he slept most of the day. As for food, Sasuke saved the food from the restaurant, and he had been eating bit and parts of it. He didn't eat a whole lot since he lived a nomadic life, there were times where food was not available, and so it was a habit of his to savor as much as he would. However, being confined within the four walls of the estate could only be tolerated for so long, and the Uchiha heir found himself venturing out.

Sasuke stood in the forest, the forest was still with the noise of birds chirping in the evergreen trees, and he huffed, excessively. A huge tree stood in front of him, the bark was black, and the remnants of the dead wood crumbled off its base. He figured that he would train by himself for a while, it had been long since the Uchiha heir had tested his abilities and he wanted to make sure that they weren't dull. The Uchiha raised his katana, as a bright blue electric flow descended down the blade, and Sasuke struck the tree as hard as he could. The tree shuddered at the sheer force, and Sasuke stared at the tree. He began to admire how deep his katana cut into the tree because it was one of the things that Sasuke always made sure of when he traveled to different places. He always made sure that the blade was sharp, the Uchiha heir wanted to be assured that when he unsheathed the sword to bring it down upon someone, that it would cut flesh.

"Hmph!" Sasuke grunted as a cocky smirk played on his lips. The sound of leaves crushing broke the Uchiha heir out of his thoughts, Sasuke tightened the grip on his sword, and he pointed it in the direction of the sound. A familiar chakra began to fill the air, and he sighed in annoyance. "Don't you have some fucking duties or bullshit to do instead of bothering me?" Naruto chuckled, lowly and he appeared out from behind a tree

"I figured that you would be out here." The Jinchuuriki host's gaze directed to the mangled tree. "Don't you think you have done enough damage to it?"

"No, I train to kill, now what the fuck do you want?" The Uchiha heir hissed through gritted teeth.

"You have caused quite an uproar among the villagers." A grin came on Naruto's face, and he crossed his arms.

"So." Sasuke growled.

"Are you rumors true?" Naruto asked, inquisitively. "Have you decided to stay in Konohagakure?" Sasuke didn't answer his question instead he just looked at Naruto with a hard expression, and he pursed his lips. There was a momentary silence exchanged between the two men, and Naruto looked back at him, intently. Naruto was about to open his mouth to reiterate the question, and Sasuke's hand flew up to stop him.

"I heard you the first time." Sasuke stated. "I don't see why it matters to you."

"I am Hokage, I have to keep a census of everyone living in the village, you know."

"Don't give me that bullshit, it is your way to keep tabs on me." Sasuke scoffed at the excuse that the Jinchuuriki had come up with. "If you are going to bullshit at least make it good."

"Sasuke." The Jinchuuriki host said, firmly. "Just answer the question."

"The fact that I am here at this moment should be enough validation." Naruto's face lit up, and a wide smile spread across his face.

"That is great!" Naruto shouted. "For how long?"

"For as long as I fucking feel like." The Uchiha heir grimaced. Naruto nodded at him, and The Uchiha heir watched the Jinchuuriki host try to contain his elation.

Wipe that stupid smile off your fucking face.

"Maybe since you are here, you can have dinner with everyone, and I can round up the o- "Sasuke cut him off.

"I am not here to exchange formalities, I just want the warm bed and the food." Naruto nodded at him, indicating that he had taken a mental note, and he pressed his lips together.

"I know that everyone is treating you with suspicion." The Jinchuuriki host explained. "But, I was hoping to alleviate some of the tension by showing them that you are no longer the man that you used to be."

"No that is where you are wrong, dumbass, I will always be that man, and I will prove to be nothing other than that." The Uchiha heir exasperated. "That was always your fucking problem, trying to redeem me in the eyes of my former peers."

Redemption, what a silly ideal. There is no redemption for the things I have done. Redemption is not for demons.

Naruto frowned at him, and his jaw clenched up. "It would really mean a lot to everyone including Sakura to see you as a different person or in a different light."

"Like I give a fuck as to what is meaningful to your wife or anyone for that matter."

"You mean to tell me that you want to always be feared like this?" The Jinchuuriki host asked, baffled.

Sasuke chuckled at Naruto. "Of course I do."

It keeps people away from me.

"Sasuke!" The blond headed Hokage shouted, angrily. "I don't believe that." Naruto's eyebrows furrowed together into an irate expression.

"Tch, you're a bigger dumbass than I initially thought." Sasuke derided. "Now, I'm leaving." Sasuke turned on his heels, he felt Naruto's stare bore into his back, and he disappeared into the forest. The Uchiha heir looked over his shoulder to make sure that Naruto was not following after him, and he cursed underneath his breath.

This encounter with the blond headed Hokage was not something that the Uchiha heir had found to be surprising. He had predicted the possibility of Naruto confronting him as soon as he learned the news of his prolonged stay in Konohagakure. Naruto had always been stuck on the Uchiha heir, and it annoyed Sasuke to no end!

Naruto was like a leech! Just you think you got rid the leech, you soon realize that it is still attached to you, and had merely moved out of you sight, temporarily. These bonds that the Uchiha heir found everyone attached to were so fucking absurd! Sure! Sasuke once had bonds, a bond with his parents, and a bond with his brother, Itachi Uchiha. However, those bonds were forcibly severed by the very shinobi village that Sasuke had once been a part of. How ironic! But, why couldn't they just leave him the fuck alone? How hard was that to comprehend! He had no desire to see his anyone from his past! And there was no way in hell, Sasuke would prove himself to be something that he was not because his past defined him in every way. His past drove his ambition, his ambition for power, for recognition, but now it was different. Sasuke had already fulfilled what he had set out to do when he left this god forsaken place, but what was there now? The Uchiha heir felt a sort of emptiness inside of him, he was searching for a new direction, and it was the primary reason for why he wandered from place to place. What does a man of war do when there is no war to be fought? The question may had seem so easy for someone to answer, but it much more complicated. It perplexed Sasuke to a certain degree, and it was why he had chosen the Hyuuga heiress to fill that emptiness. To strike up an alliance with the Hyuuga heiress, to fight against her, to test his sharingan against what is said to be the origin of his very kekkei genkai would provide the Uchiha heir with a sense of what it was like before the era of peace started. The battles, the opponents begging for mercy, the sound of bones crushing underneath his strength, oh the sheer delight! These thoughts of emptiness plagued his mind when he wasn't fighting, and the alliance with the Hyuuga heiress would be a momentary relief from them.

Sasuke sighed in agitation, and he pulled the hood of the cloak over his head. He made his way towards the estate, the Uchiha heir pushed past the gates, and he found a sort of tiredness fall over him. In fact, over the course of two days, Sasuke found himself yearning to eat and sleep. He often deprived himself of sleep when traveling, and now that he was living a temporary settled life. It was catching up with him. The Uchiha heir walked inside the home, the home was so empty that it made it hard for anyone to believe that someone actually lived in it, and Sasuke walked over to the fridge. He opened the fridge in hopes of finding the remnants of some food, but there was none left. Sasuke had stretched the food from the restaurant far enough.

I have to go to the market, I can't just keep buying restaurant food.

Sasuke sighed, heavily, and he walked inside of the bedroom. He pulled out a pouch filled with money, and stuffed it inside of his pocket.

Today is going to be filled with unnecessary interactions, I can see it now.

The Uchiha heir made his way towards the market, the villagers moved out of his way, quickly and they murmured underneath their breaths. Sasuke glared at them, angrily, and the villagers ceased their excessive chatter. The market became clearly visible, and it was extremely noisy. Merchants yelled for customers, holding out their commodities in hope to attract the attention of the people passing by, and they grinned at the sight of a caught customer. The attention of the customer meant the possibility of a sale, and a rise in their profits. As soon as the merchants caught sight of Sasuke, they shied away, but still held out their products to him with shaking hands.

"Hmph!" Sasuke grunted to himself. These weaklings couldn't even contain their fear of him. How pathetic! The Uchiha heir was indecisive as to what he would make, but he was not going to stand in the crowd of people, debating. Sasuke walked up to a meat stand, there were all kinds laid out before him, and the merchant's mouth dropped to the ground. "Give me the duck, fish, pork, and beef." The merchant stared at him, blinking as if he didn't hear what Sasuke asked for, and Sasuke cringed at him. "Now!"

"Oh yes!" The merchant shouted, breathlessly. "I-I'm sorry!" The Uchiha heir glared at him as he gathered up the food, and began to wrap it up. He placed it all in a bag, and Sasuke snatched it from him.

"How much?"

"2000 yen." Sasuke placed the money on the counter, ignoring the merchant's shaking extended hand, and he walked over to another stand. However, the Uchiha heir caught sight of Hinata out the corner of his eye, and he looked up. Hinata was talking to an elderly woman, and the elderly woman slipped some food into her grocery bags. The Hyuuga heiress had some leeks along with fresh fruits in her bags, and Sasuke studied her, carefully. Hinata had a grin on her face, the elderly woman looked at her, warmly, and Sasuke smirked to himself. The Hyuuga heiress laughed as she waved at the aged woman, and he watched her make her way towards his direction. Sasuke turned on his heels, walking towards her, and she caught sight of him. He watched her face turned red, she pursed her lips, but Hinata kept a kind expression on her face. It almost looked as if she were trying to mask some emotion. Nonetheless, The Hyuuga heiress walked up to him, and she smiled at him, warmly.

"Oh" Hinata said, breathlessly. "I-I didn't know you were going to be in the m-market today, Uchiha-san, how are you?"

"I'm fine, just grocery shopping."

"So y-you decided to stay here?"

"Now, you know well and damn well that I decided to stay here, everyone in the village knows so I am sure that you do as well."

"I don't t-tend to tune into gossip" The Hyuuga heiress said, defensively. "Most g-gossip is fallacious, and I-I don't like it when people talk about others."

"Oh, then you would be the first person in the world, I have met like that."

"Uchiha-san, p-please stop."

"Why am I hurting your feelings?" Sasuke chuckled at her, and Hinata's gaze directed to his bags. The Uchiha heir saw her evade the question.

"If you don't m-mind me asking, what are you making for d-dinner?" Hinata looked at Sasuke, keeping that same lovely visage, and Sasuke scowled.

I want to break her of that kindness.

"I don't know, I haven't made food for myself in ages, so I just bought whatever, why?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and Hinata held up her hands in front of her.

"I-I was just curious."

The Uchiha heir looked at her bag of leeks. "So what is a pampered young woman like you doing out here, I thought you had servants to do your own fucking cooking."

"I do, but I-I don't like them to cook for me b-because I ask enough of them already." The Hyuuga heiress fumbled with her words.

"How fucking noble." Sasuke glared at her. "So tell me, did I make you upset when I said that you were a low life for associating with those fucking fools you call friends." Hinata looked at him, shocked and she bit her lip.

"Well!" shouted Sasuke. Hinata jumped at the sudden rise in his voice, and she shook her head.

"Stop, I k-know what you are d-doing." Hinata said with a hint of firmness in her voice.

"And what is that?"

"You are m-making yourself seem evil, and I know y-you are not." Sasuke looked at her, quietly as his face glossed over into a silent expression.

"How do you know that?" The Uchiha heir tried to toy with the Hyuuga heiress, but she was making it exceedingly difficult.

"There is g-goodness in everyone."

"That is truly absurd thinking." Sasuke derided. "You are so weak."

"I am not, the belief in the n-natural goodness in human beings d-doesn't make you weak, it makes you human." Hinata murmured.

"Human beings are not naturally good." Sasuke stated, icily. "You have been sheltered too much, Hyuuga."

"That is not true."

"Hmph, whatever!" Sasuke grunted. "It is hard to believe that you have this free time, don't you have training to do or whatever shinobi do in Konohagakure, go protect some poor defenseless village or save a family from a burning building"

"Please don't mock us." Hinata pleaded.

"I will do whatever I want"

"I need to get going." The Hyuuga heiress said, quickly. "P-please, excuse me, Uchiha-san, it was a pleasure seeing y-you today."

A pleasure? I just insulted your ass and you keep treating me with such gentleness. What the fuck is wrong with you?

Sasuke watched Hinata walk past him, and he turned around. "Wait." He watched her stop in her tracks, she didn't look back at him, and he heard her sniffle.

Is she crying?

"Just l-leave me alone." The Hyuuga's voice cracked.

She is so damn sensitive.

"Look." Sasuke said, curtly. "I'm sorry." His voice gave no hint of a true apology. It was empty and cold. The Hyuuga heiress turned around, and her eyes were glossy. Sasuke could tell that she was about to cry, perhaps not in sadness, maybe frustration, but she was holding back.

"No, y-you are not."

"Look, you got those words to utter from my mouth that is the most anyone has gotten out of me." The Uchiha heir's voice was harsh and filled with contempt. "So consider yourself to be honored." The Hyuuga heiress nodded at him, and she bowed to him.

"I must be g-going, enjoy your day, Uchiha-san"

"Sure, whatever," Sasuke said, dismissively. He watched her turn on her heels, walking in the opposite direction from where they were, and Sasuke groaned in agitation. This was going to take longer than he initially thought.

Please review the story, I would greatly appreciate it, and I hope you all enjoyed it as there will be more to come- FireGladiator