More politics – are you bored yet? We're almost done
For everyone else who is wondering: someone asked me if this is going to be yuri (Thanks for asking, it didn't even occur to me that it could look that way).
No, it's not. I like to write really close platonic friendships, so there will subtext, but I have no pairings worked out yet. Hisana is still too young, and even as Sarah she had no experience with boys/men. What I will do – as you'll see very soon – is play several pairings for laughs.
Shinobi are always scheming, and I don't put it past them to already plan their seven-year-old's weddings.
Between the Nara and the Aburame Hisana has quite enough of clan business. Her nerves are wrecked and she has half a mind to just tell the Inuzuka to shove off.
They'd probably get a kick out of it and prime gossip for the next five years. She hasn't heard anything from the Hyuuga yet, which is a relief.
Maybe she and Genma were wrong and they don't care about a bunch of orphans enough to get involved. Even if those orphans are what's left of the mighty Uchiha clan.
She knows she's dragging her feet in this. A talk with the Inuzuka is something that has happen. She just doesn't know how.
She can't – and doesn't want to – apologize, because that would mean agreeing that they were at fault. Hisana flat out refuses to give them that. They provoked her team and earned what they got. But she can't very well walk up to their clan compound and say 'Hey, just checking in' either. She could just go confront the brat.
The idea actually appeals to her. She'd heckle him a little and maybe she could force them into making the first step. They'd have to acknowledge then, that it's them who want something from her. She would, officially, only be talking to the boy who bullied Sasuke.
She feels a little ridiculous to hatch some nefarious plan over who's right and who started it, but it's all power play at this point. The clan is dead, but by befriending an influential and mostly isolated clan she went and made herself interesting. She made her clan interesting again.
Sasuke is undeniably the heir, but he looks up to her and she has connections. It's not hard to see why they would be at least curious about her. The Nara affair made the whole situation worse, of course. They're now affiliated with two clans at best, four at worst.
For the adults, there's also the Naruto thing.
So even if it's vaguely ridiculous, she decides to go through with it.
Until she realizes, that the little Inuzuka boy is probably Inuzuka Kiba.
Team 7 is one thing. She actually wants them around, to shape them, and to possibly influence future events. For her own future survival as well as theirs. They're going to be in the thick of things. She's invested now in all ways that matter.
But the rest of the Rookie 9? Ino already gives her palpitations every time they cross paths. Team 7 she can control, because they love her. They value her opinion. Changing anything else is just causing further ripples in the pond that she can't calculate.
What if it's Kiba who gets onto team 7, because his clan wants to keep him close to them? As far as she remembers, it's not like his grades are much different from Naruto's. Who is going to replace him on team 8? What if that person screws up and team 8 dies? If Hinata is dead, who is going to save Naruto during the invasion? Not to mention that it would throw the whole Hyuuga Clan into chaos.
She's being dramatic of course. That Kiba being in team 7 will directly lead to Naruto's, and in turn Konoha's, death is a little far-fetched at best. But what if?
She needs to calm down now, first of all. This isn't something she can run away from, so making it happen sooner rather than later would be best.
But how to turn this situation around? How could this work in her favor?
Not very easily, she has to admit.
Of course, technically, Kiba did bully Sasuke. While anyone who knows her cousin would freely admit, that Sasuke is above boyish taunts, it does give her something to start with.
After all, Naruto and Sakura thought they acted in their teammate's defense. They overdid it, but Kiba initiated it.
Is that enough leverage to make them come to her? What if they just keep provoking her team until she gives in anyway?
"I don't know why you're fussing like this,",Shiki finally says, at last pulling the ever present little notebook out of Hisana's hand. "Have you ever asked Sasuke if he maybe wants to handle this himself?"
"Have Sasuke handle it?"
She shrugs.
"Why not? He needs to learn sometime to manage his own business. I know Shikano-nii threw me to the wolves enough times already."
She's not wrong.
"This is a scuffle among boys," Shizuha agrees. "You are taking this too seriously. No clan would be offended to let them at least attempt to talk it out."
"So," Hisana ventures, "I tell Sasuke to go knock on the Inuzuka Clan's door to … talk about their feelings?"
Shiki cackles.
"Not quite."
There is, thank the gods, no ridiculous letter involved. Or scroll. Summons. Whatever.
Instead she simply takes Sasuke aside and, for the first time, actually thinks to ask him a pretty vital question: "Say, what was that about with the Inuzuka kid?"
Sasuke shrugs.
"It wasn't anything. He followed me around a lot and wanted to train together. But he's no good at anything, so I didn't want to. When I told him so he got angry. He called me a weirdo." He frowns. "You know the rest."
That doesn't even sound so bad. She would have to talk to Naruto and Sakura after all. Name calling was no reason for violence. Not even for a ninja. They should be able to handle cheap trash talk and not lose their heads about it.
"Did you talk to him afterwards?"
"Not really. He's pouting like a child. You don't want me to apologize, do you?"
He looks so appalled, she wants to laugh at him.
"Nothing of the sort. But I think you do need to talk to him. We can't simply ignore the whole thing."
He doesn't look very happy, but also not quite ready to argue, so she carefully pushes ahead.
"If we just sit on this, the boy's mother will make him approach you to smooth it over. It's good diplomacy training after all. I'd like it if you were the mature one and talk to him first."
Sasuke hems and haws at first, before settling for glowering at her.
"You're manipulating me, aren't you?" he finally grumbles. She startles a little.
"Hmm … well, yes, I suppose. But only because I love you."
And also, because she selfishly hopes that, one day, Sasuke will carry just a little of this particular burden for her.
The words just bubble out of her, mostly because Sarah remembers her mother using them about a million times. There are fond memories involved, and if she feels the words, why not say them?
Sasuke though, freezes and with a start she remembers, that he probably heard those words last from Uchiha Mikoto, his mother.
They stare at each other. Hisana fights the urge to take the words all back and make it worse in the process. Instead she politely averts her eyes, while Sasuke collects himself.
"Hm. Well, ok. I will talk to Kiba," Sasuke finally says.
He fidgets visibly, before awkwardly patting her on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, I will take care of this."
Then he turns around and flees.
A beat of silence.
Hisana cracks up.
No matter how ridiculous, she does feel a little relieved that Sasuke is 'taking care of this'. And indeed, the next day her cousin swaggers up to her, visibly self-satisfied.
"I talked to Kiba. He didn't exactly apologize, but he agreed that he was too aggressive."
"Oh? How did you pull that off?"
She remembers Kiba as a pretty proud genin. Any sort of compliance sounds uncharacteristic. Sasuke smirks.
"I approached him when his sister came to pick him up."
That little brat.
"He didn't dare argue while she was listening in."
She hooks her arm around his neck and squeezes him.
"You little sneak; I can't believe you did that."
Instead of squirming away, she can feel him grin into her shoulder.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Of course he doesn't.
"Come on", she says, "we'll have to talk to your team now."
"Do I have to come?"
"Yes. Because Kiba is going to be there too."
This time he does wriggle out of her hold.
"What? But I took care of it!"
"It's not you who's in trouble. But Naruto and Sakura will have to apologize for overreacting."
Now that Sasuke basically put Kiba in his place, they can be gracious about the rest. She'll make the brats apologize to teach them a little humility and get the Inuzuka off her back all at once.
Her cousin looks torn. On one hand, she's sure, he'd love to see Naruto and Sakura sweat a little. On the other hand, he's kind of fond of them and hesitant to see Kiba get any sort of satisfaction out of this deal.
"Come on," she coaxes, "they need to learn their lesson too."
In the end he drags his feet, but comes along. She's glad for it, because she'd have dragged him kicking and screaming if necessary. Sasuke might not be in trouble, but this is team business and she wants him to be present.
If only to watch him and see how he reacts to Kiba looking down on at least Naruto.
Picking up the noisy blonde is a matter of minutes. He whines and complains the whole way, but when Hisana points out, that Sakura will have to apologize too, and will probably need a strong shinobi to stand beside her, he straightens up and marches ahead. Sasuke rolls his eyes.
"I'm not that easy, am I?"
He kind of is. Sasuke simply has different buttons than Naruto, but they are no more difficult to push.
"No", she drawls, "of course not."
Good thing Sasuke has selective hearing as well, so he just nods proudly to himself and turns away from her. That boy. How did he manage to become an avenger?
Sakura is shoved out of the door by her mother.
Haruno Sayuri proves to be an unlikely ally in this; her glare catapults the girl all the way down the street. When Sakura tentatively turns around, maybe to flee after all, her mother is still staring at her from behind the curtains of their kitchen window. She turns around like a good girl and keeps walking.
For the first part of the way Naruto and Sakura bravely soldier ahead, but as soon as the Inuzuka compound comes into view, they fall back without any hint of subtlety.
Sasuke gleefully goes ahead and informs one of the passing Inuzuka shinobi of the purpose of their visit.
They are led towards a big house at the center of the compound. It's a little bigger than the Aburame compound, Hisana thinks, and far louder. There are also children playing here, but they are screaming and laughing loudly. The supervising adults are right at the thick of things, swinging around kids by their arms and throwing the older ones into bushes, where they shriek and come right back for more. 'Toughening them up' probably.
Inuzuka Tsume is waiting for them already, arms crossed and grinning fiendishly. Kiba is half hiding behind her, as if expecting more trouble and humiliation.
"Uchiha-san,", she croons. "So we meet after all."
"Inuzuka-sama."
She gestures for Naruto and Sakura to come forward, to hurry this along and hopefully keep Tsume from spouting off anything ridiculous.
They look stiff and nervous. Tsume shoves Kiba forward. He goes dragging his feet, and only after his mother kicks him in the butt.
"We are very sorry," Sakura says robotically. "We shouldn't have hit you. So hard."
"But you shouldn't have bothered Sasuke-teme," Naruto adds. "You know he can't take care of himself, we have to protect him."
Sasuke looks incredibly put out. Before he can open his mouth though, Hisana's hand shoots out to poke him in the ribs. It drives the air out of his lungs with an audible PFHUAA.
Kiba looks as if his birthday has come early.
"Yes, well, I'm kind of dangerous, so of course you had to protect him!"
The way Sasuke inches away from her suggests that he doesn't need any reminder to shut up.
"Apology accepted," Kiba says grandly.
"Awesome. Nee-chan can we go home now? We apologized and I think we deserve some Ramen, dattebayo."
"What a great idea," Tsume simpers, before Hisana can reprimand him,"Kiba, why don't you go with them. To celebrate this spanking new friendship. I'll invite all of you."
She shoves some coins into the baffled boy's hands and dances off. Friendship? Sasuke stares after the woman, aghast. That crafty bitch.
Naruto looks torn between free ramen and lugging Kiba around. Sakura screams into her hands in frustration. Yes, this is how she loves her team best.
They probably make the most comical picture at Ichiraku's.
She knows Teuchi is watching them like a bomb that might go off any minute. She surely feels like she's sitting on one. Sakura was clever enough to strategically place Sasuke between Naruto and Kiba. She has apparently no scruples to abandon her crush in that particular minefield, while she herself hides behind Hisana.
"Nee-san", she whispers, "do we have to keep him?"
"Not if I have any say in this," she whispers back. Naruto is already on his fourth bowl. Awe and disgust have kept Kiba quiet until now, but he's rather quickly getting over it and turning a dangerous amount of attention to Sasuke. Said boy is concentrating pointedly on his food. "I really scared you, didn't I?" he asks gleefully, and in this moment he looks a whole lot like his mother.
"No."
"Aww … Don't be like that. It's no shame to be afraid of Kiba-sama."
"Listen here, idiot – "
"Shut up both of you – "
"OH MY GOD, NEE-CHAN, DOES TEME HAVE TO APOLIZIGE NOW?"
Does this day ever end?
"Say," Inuzuka Hana inquires, in between bites of jerky, "what exactly is your angle, Kaa-chan?"
"Isn't it obvious," Tsume asks, leaning over her oldest child's shoulder and stealing a strip of meat from right under her nose. "Didn't I teach you anything Hana-chi?"
Hana grumbles at the much hated nickname.
"Well, it's not like they can do anything for us, right? And that Sasuke-boy doesn't seem all that fond of Kiba. Or, you know, the other way around. I don't think they can manage to stay friends."
"Good thing that's not what I'm after then."
Tsume lifts herself onto the kitchen table.
"What do we have? – Kiba, who's a loudmouth with no outlet, no proper friends and no motivation to better himself. But he's also loyal and shrewd. What we want is the girl, Hana-chi. She's clever – if we push your brother onto her for long enough, she'll realize what a catch he could be."
"I don't think the little brat will let that happen. They're cousins like, twenty times removed. The Uchiha have made worse matches in the past."
"He's a possessive little annoyance, but once he's old enough he'll see the advantages too. Instead of producing one or two pureblood Uchiha, there'll be twice as many halfbloods who can … marry each other for all I care."
"Wait – wait, Uchiha? You don't want her to be one of us?"
Tsume dismisses Hana's shock with a wave of her hand.
"Honestly? We don't exactly need Kiba. He'd spend the rest of his live being the 'spare', and you know how he is – he'd be much better off somewhere, where he can actually fight his way to the top. That clan will need all the fighters it can get."
She snags the last strip of jerky from Hana. There's a brief scuffle that ends with Hana's head squeezed between her mother's knees.
"But marry?" Tsume causally devours the meat as Hana wheezes. "It's worth a try, but I'd be honestly ok if he just knocked her up, too. Old Fugaku would turn in his grave."
I always imagined the Inuzuka as shrewd little deviants:D