TWO

"Welcome, brother," Itachi and Sasuke grasped hands, looking like different sides of the same coin. They were of similar build: tall, broad shouldered, tight muscles; and of similar expression: serious dark eyes, solemn lips, and clenched jaws when annoyed or questioning. These were more than enough similarities for them to share according to Sasuke Uchiha, the younger brother. He'd always hated that they shared so much and yet were invariably different people. Sasuke was of the mind that if he'd been born first, everything would be different.

And yet, Itachi was always there. Always helping. Always the one in charge. Itachi opened the door to his townhouse and led them inside. A townhome, for an Uchiha, was more than just humble––it was unassuming and he likely did that on purpose. Itachi's was three stories with a medium-sized backyard courtyard and a small rooftop patio. He kept a black drop-top bmw convertible in the double garage and shared residence with a Siberian Husky named Pup, which Sakura was quick to drop down and pet.

Itachi was incredibly private. That's why Sasuke had chosen to come to him first, and not their father, who would likely blow this out of proportion and do something that would change the course of Sasuke's next two months. Sasuke didn't need that right now. He was on a bit of a tight schedule.

"Always a pleasure to have you over as well, my future Sister-in-Law," Itachi said, smiling politely at Sakura, though his tone was quite monotone, and the smile didn't reach his eyes. He'd never liked Sakura, but he tolerated her for the sake of the Family. And the Family Business. And…everything else. "But it's quite late, and it's my dear little brother's birthday. Shouldn't you both be…doing other things?"

It was in Itachi's polite, resigned way of asking them what the fuck they were doing at his private residence on a Tuesday night. Itachi had a very busy schedule, running the Uchiha Yakuza and running for office––those two things did not leave very much time in his schedule for random family visitations. It was a complicated life both boys lived, and they didn't need each other making it harder.

"Hn," Sasuke merely hummed in response, not bothering to justify his brother with a response in the entryway of his humble townhome. "Can we talk more in the office, brother?"

Itachi's eyebrows lifted so slightly that Sakura likely did not catch the expression. The office was a secure room in Itachi's basement where only the most private things were discussed. Without a word, he led them through the house, only stopping to grab a water bottle and a couple of granola bars off the granite countertop. The living room was pleasant with low-lighting and a soccer game on, suggesting that Itachi was having a rare peaceful night in. Sasuke almost felt bad, but then he remembered that he was the one who had almost been shot on his birthday.

Pup followed blissfully behind them, nipping behind Sakura's heels. Sakura, to her credit, got dressed quickly and quietly earlier, despite her tears. She now wore a pair of yoga pants, sneakers, and a zip-up hoodie that fit snugly around her body. Sasuke hadn't changed out of his work suit. No wonder Itachi was so confused about seeing them there, together, dressed so differently.

At the back of the home, Itachi put in a muti-number code, and a door slid open leading to a dark staircase. Sasuke often thought, privately, that Itachi saw himself as some sort of super villain––or hero––depending on how you spun it. That explained away all the dramatic parts of his home. The office was a mahogany-paneled library with a full bar, leafy plants, and fluffy upholstered chairs.

When Sasuke and Sakura took seats in these fluffy chairs, Itachi looked at him over the shoulder, saying "birthday drink, Sasuke?"

He had to keep reminding them of Sasuke's birthday and the fact that they should not be disturbing his peace. Sasuke rolled his eyes and answered the question.

"Sure," Sasuke said. "Surprise me. One for Sakura, too."

It wasn't lost on him that Itachi was purposefully leaving his fiancée out, but that was a later problem. A later cross to bear. Fugaku had been excited about the match, Mikoto merely tolerated her, and Itachi tried to pretend like she didn't exist. But they all knew that the Haruno Corp. was a heavy-hitter, and so they could not complain. If anything, they respected Sasuke for his choice, even if Fugaku had been highly influential in it.

Fugaku was highly influential in most things concerning the brothers.

"Of course," Itachi said smoothly. He handed them each a glass of bourbon and sat across from them. "So please, tell me. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Sasuke looked at Sakura for a long moment, and she looked away, swirling her drink around in circles. When it became clear that she was not ready to speak, Sasuke said plainly: "Sakura was targeted by an assassin about an hour ago."

Itachi took a drink, "Oh?"

The response annoyed Sasuke, and he could tell that Itachi enjoyed the brief look of irritation that flashed on his face. "Yes. Oh. They disconnected her cameras and broke into her house, left a bug which disabled Sakura's security tech and God knows what else, and started shooting. If I hadn't been there already, they might have been successful."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "You were there and you let an assassin in?"

If possible, Sasuke became even more annoyed. He felt his mouth twitch. He took a drink. "They're assassins for a reason."

Itachi said nothing.

"Um," Sakura broke in, looking between both brothers. Her eyes flew to Itachi and apprehension flashed behind her honest green gaze. She looked back at Sasuke; she didn't trust Itachi, he scared her. "Um, I think––"

"So what did you do, Haruno?" Itachi said finally, sighing as he rubbed the line between his eyebrows. Even he knew there was a problem when an assassin came for an heiress, especially one that would soon become family. "Assassins don't come for no reason."

"Okay," Sakura sighed, breathing heavy. She fanned herself and unzipped her hoodie a little as if she were overheating. "So…I um…hacked…into something."

"Spit it out," Itachi said. "I'm tired. You're tip-toeing around this, Haruno, and there are probably five more assassins at your door as we speak. I can't help you if I don't know why I'm doing it."

Sasuke watched Sakura straighten up, new zeal in her eyes as she squared her shoulders. "You're right," she said. "I apologize I just feel bad for creating trouble for you guys––"

"You're marrying into trouble. Might as well cause some," Itachi cut in. This was him trying to be nice.

"Okay, well, I do think this will be helpful. I hacked into the uh…Hokage's private database. I was looking for evidence of voter fraud for other council members in hopes of leaking the papers, to help Itachi's campaign for office," Sakura looked up at Itachi through her eyelashes when she said this, and it pissed Sasuke off. "––Not that I think you couldn't win without it but…it's always nice to have some leverage."

Itachi was running for council. It was for a seat at the table of representatives that directly advised the Hokage, and helped her make decisions on account of the people. So far, Itachi was a popular candidate among the youth, but older folks were more traditional and tended to side with whomever the Hokage thought was best.

It was safe to say that the current Hokage hated Itachi. The Hokage hated the Uchihas. He hated them because the Uchiha's had the Konoha Military Police right under their fingernails. Fugaku practically ran them.

The Uchihas were monsters in this city, in this country, on the continent. Fugaku wanted to make Konoha their kingdom. Itachi and Sasuke's success would just be another part of that goal.

That's not to say that the Hokage was powerless. Not at all. Other than various rival Yakuza, the Hokage was the biggest threat to the Uchiha's livelihood. Hence, the assassination attempt. There was said to be an entire arsenal of spies operating under the Hokage's skilled hands, waiting ti find the Uchiha's door and knock it down.

"Hn," Itachi said, looking at Sakura with a new light in his eyes. It was almost respect. "Now that's interesting. And you've analyzed the reports?"

Sakura nodded curtly. "It's proven true for Yuhi Kurenai, and Jiraiya, two of the closest council-members to the Hokage. They are considered her main confidants and advisors."

Itachi rubbed his chin appreciatively as he took a sip of his liquor. Sasuke felt pride well up in his chest as Sakura folded her legs, looking less pink and less stressed after she'd admitted her crimes. She reached out her hand and Sasuke grabbed it, he squeezed.

"So what else did you find?" Itachi asked.

A dark look crossed over Sakura's face and she took her hand back. This was unusual for her; she usually craved physical affection from Sasuke, and he was rare to give it.

"Now is not the time to hide, Sakura," Sasuke warned, knowing there was something else based on her reaction. "You have to tell us the truth so we will know how to protect you."

Sakura swallowed, and Sasuke watched all of the color drain from her face once more. She got closer, sticking her head between the brothers, keeping her voice down. "Evidence…" she swallowed again, "of a secret government organization––it seems illegal. It was referenced in an email I found between Kurenai and the Hokage. She called it B6 and said she had a team out scouting on dirt––" Sakura cut herself off. She looked at Itachi, then, for the first time without fear of him, but for him. "––on you."

Sasuke blew air out of his nose. It was only rumored at this point that the Hokage was operating a secret and illegal organization––hence the assisination attempt––but it was a completely different thing to have it on paper, in an email, hacked into by his tech-genius financée. It was worse that they were looking into Itachi. If Sakura had made an error and tipped off their alarms––

"I must have tipped off an alarm when I was looking," Sakura admitted, looking at her feet.

Dammit.

"How much do you think they know?" Itachi asked.

"Enough to try to fucking kill her," Sasuke growled at the stupid question, thinking about the gun shots through the pantry, racing above their heads.

Itachi merely shook his head, "No, it's a serious question. It will determine just how much they want her dead."

"Is that really necessary––"

"They only saw me find the first thing. The election results," Sakura admitted quietly. "I thought I was–––I thought I was impenetrable, but––"

"Clearly not," Itachi grunted. The room went silent after that. Sasuke watched his brother finish his drink slowly, savoring each sip like he were sitting on a beach, relishing in luxury. Sakura's face was bright red with embarrassment and fear, and she kept fiddling with the strings at the neck of her hoodie. Sasuke grabbed her hands, urging her to stop.

Finally, Itachi took a deep breath and set the glass on the table. "Well, Sakura, I will give you a compliment. The information you found will certainly help pave our way into office."

Our way. Sakura brightened at this. Perhaps prematurely.

"But the fact that you were caught is concerning. They won't expose you publicly––there would be city-wide outcry, you are quite loved in Konoha," here, Itachi almost looked appreciative. "Instead, we'll have to divert the attention away from you."

"You have a plan," Sasuke realized with a knowing look at the set in Itachi's brow. "How do we fix this?"

"Easily," Itachi said. "We set someone up. Someone who wants to be a hero. They'll leak to the press their findings before they can make an attempt against Sakura again. And because Sakura's findings are true, the press will pick it up. "

"The Hokage will likely arrest whoever we choose," Sakura muttered under her breath, her eye's trying to find Sasuke's––but he wasn't looking at her. He was staring at his brother, and Itachi looked back, unbothered.

"Choose wisely," Itachi said, rising from his seat. He took his empty glass with him and went to the bar. Sasuke could hear him refill it. "It will have to happen tonight. Sakura, do you have the device you used?"

"In the car," Sakura moved to stand, but Sasuke tugged her down by the edge of her jacket.

"Sit down," he commanded quietly, feeling a headache build. He didn't need her nervous energy messing anything else up. She sank deeper into the upholstery like a small child would after being admonished.

"It seems you and I have a few calls to make, brother," Itachi said. Sasuke nodded curtly and finished his drink. He was just grateful that Itachi hadn't considered telling their father.

That was likely his birthday gift.

-:-

Hanabi hit her in the face with a towel and Hinata barely blinked. She was sitting outside of her father's office, almost biting her nails off, still wearing the bodysuit from her mission. Hanabi looked down at her with sharp eyes, her hair twisted in a sleek brown bun at the back of her head. She was wearing a workout-leotard and noisy track pants that would make a swish sound every time anyone who wasn't her walked in them, but she was taking it as a personal challenge to not make a single noise while wearing them. It was working.

"You need to shower Dove," Hanabi said, using Hinata's code-name, since they were both at Headquarters. Hanabi was winding up the towel as if she was going to hit her again. "You know Dad doesn't like seeing us all sweaty."

"Hello Swan," Hinata greeted back tiredly. "I thought he wanted to see me urgently." She caught the towel in her hands and released it. She was sitting on a couch outside of the office, her head leaning against the back of it. "That's what Myagi said."

"Myagi doesn't have a copy of his calendar," Hanabi laughed but it sounded unkind coming from her mouth. "Besides, that was over an hour ago. I was just in there with him, he asked me to tell you to go shower while he's in a meeting. Then you will meet."

"Fine," Hinata stood up, feeling the ache in her bones, defeat already settling in. Hanabi was almost giddy with Hinata's failure––she could tell, the way sister's often could read each other's faces, that Hinata's mission had been unsuccessful yet again. It was in the way Hinata's shoulders caved in, the way she was slow to make eye contact, and how she flushed when their father was mentioned. It was Hanabi's job, after all, to be a good, observant agent.

Hinata needed to be better at hiding. That had always been her problem.

She left the room, finding her way easily to the elevator which she took to the 8th floor. There were washrooms here––spacious little white chambers with full showers, stone floors, mirrors, and a comfortable seat for unwinding––and she found an empty one, quickly locking the door in place behind her. She rolled the body suit off of her sore shoulders, down her waist, and over her feet before stepping under the pressurized stream. The hot water hit all of her sore spots with blistering intensity. She loved these showers better than her own at home, because each notch of water perfectly targeted a tense spot on her body and beat at it until it was loose and supple again.

When she was done she changed into a new bodysuit, and wore a dark hoodie over it, her body curling inside of it nice and safe. If only she were at home, where she could wear oversized clothing and cuddle up on her couch with a book, but no––she already knew that she was in for a long night. She knew this when she walked out of the shower room and ran right into Tenten–– Brave––who had fresh stitches along her hairline.

Tenten looked worse for wear. The stitches were fresh, but the flesh was already turning purple. The bags under her eyes were deep and would likely last for weeks. She'd already tugged her hair out of its signature buns, her hair falling in jagged, dirty, lines at her chin. It seemed like a trip to the medical floor hadn't put her in much better shape than she'd arrived in.

Hinata stopped when she saw her, dropping her hair that she had been braiding between her fingers. "B-Brave," she said, when Tenten spotted her, her hand already on a shower room door. "You're back! Already?"

The question came out stunted. Hinata wasn't supposed to know about as much as she did––she was quite nosy––and she had just exposed herself to Tenten. She turned red, but she didn't back down. Tenten and Neji had been assigned a mission that was supposed to take weeks out of state and undercover. They'd been gone, instead, only a handful of days.

Hinata looked around for her cousin, eyebrows lifting. "Where's Prodigy?"

Brave and Prodigy made up one of the best teams at Byakugan6. Their monikers were more than code-names––they were prophecies.

"Broken arm," Tenten said, her voice horse and gravelly like she'd just swallowed a handful of rocks. "Command has been in the infirmary with him, trying to figure out what went wrong. I talked while I got patched up but eventually he got tired of me and told me to shower," Tenten rolled her eyes. It was true that Command had a thing about being clean.

"Oh," Hinata said, internally crushed. It would be a long night for her, indeed.

Tenten looked her over, "You just get back, too, huh?"

Hinata nodded as her stomach growled. She clutched it in embarrassment while Tenten cracked a smile, her hand still on the door. Tenten was probably one of the kindest agents at Byakugan6, and Hinata was grateful to have run into her instead of anyone else.

"I think it'll be a while until you can report to Command," Tenten suggested kindly. "You should go grab something to eat. I heard Canine's been lookin' for you."

"Thanks," Hinata said, blinking at the dismissal. She felt a bit bad––Tenten clearly wanted to shower and get back to Neji. Hinata was taking so much of her time having a useless conversation. "I'm…I'm sorry for holding you up, Brave."

"Don't sweat it, Dove," Tenten opened the door, stepping in. As it shut, she yelled, "We need to be kind to each other!"

-:-

"I was looking for you," Kiba said when he saw Hinata round the corner into the small cafeteria, where other agents huddled with their teammates or partners, or sat alone in dark corners scrolling away on their phones. "How did your report with Command go?"

The cafeteria was quiet today. On the fifth floor of the building, it looked down at the rolling hills that surrounded Headquarters. It would be silly to put such a building in the middle of the city; instead it rested at the edge of Konoha, tall, concrete, and generally nondescript. It sat beside a slew of other nondescript government buildings, and no one passing it on their way into the city even blinked twice at their plain-looking exteriors.

Hinata went to the line and picked up a packaged turkey sandwich, an apple, and a styrofoam cup of coffee with five sugars. Kiba kept pace behind her, already munching on a protein bar. Hinata watched the triangles on his cheek expand as he chewed.

"I didn't meet with him," Hinata groaned. She didn't have to pay, so she slid through the checkout counter that was really just Myagi the AI, taking scans of fingerprints for payment. Generally, Dinners were free for everyone, but Hinata didn't have to pay for anything, considering her father ran the place. It was a point of contention for several agents whom Hinata had never even worked with. They liked to say that she didn't deserve to be there the way the rest of them did.

They were probably right. She had been quite mediocre when she was younger and in training––but it wasn't like she'd had a choice. She didn't get to choose whether she was going to be an agent or not like everyone else.

Still, she had to be good. She had had to get good, if only to set an example for everyone else. Whatever that meant. That's what her father told her after she broke her clavicle falling from an intensive obstacle course when she was 13-years-old. Well, she'd never fallen again.

"Why not?" They went to a table by a window and sat down.

"Too much going on, I guess," Hinata said as she unwrapped her sandwich. God, she really was hungry. It had been hours since she last had a meal. "I just don't want to be stuck here the rest of the night, waiting. Y-you know how he is."

"Oh right," Kiba nodded to her point. "I saw Prodigy and Brave come in. They looked like shit."

Hinata didn't say anything, just nodded, deep in thought. She munched on her sandwich, feeling her belly fill––but it didn't feel like quite enough. She wanted a full meal, some noodles maybe, some pork belly. Dessert. Her muscles were so tight from the window climbing she did, and she definitely had blisters on the pads of her feet. There were rooms for ice baths here, but it wasn't the same as being home.

She lived in the city, in a studio apartment, far away from Headquarters. It was inconvenient when she had to get to Headquarters fast–––which was often––but it was better than living at home with her father, Hanabi, and Neji. The Hyuga Manor was only a few miles north of Headquarters, and she could walk there blind if she ever needed to. She had grown up there.

She'd moved out only a few years ago, after she was sure that Hanabi no longer needed her. At 22 years old, Hanabi had grown into her own person; she was biting, competitive, and dangerous, just like father wanted her to be––wanted them both to be––though Hinata would never describe herself that way. Maybe Dove was. But Hinata was only Dove 50% of the time.

Despite their differences, Hinata still loved her younger sister the way she knew her mother would've wanted to love and protect them both.

"Oh shit," Kiba muttered, drawing Hinata's attention towards him. He was looking at a television screen, his mouth hanging open.

"What?" Her head snapped in that direction, looking at one of ten flat screen TVs that hung along the wall. The one Kiba was reacting to featured a red-headed woman in business attire. She was standing in front of a podium as cameras flashed. The volume was off, but Hinata read the panel at the bottom of the screen.

BREAKING: KONOHA WHISTLEBLOWER REVEALS VOTING FRAUD

"Yo, turn that up! TV six!" Kiba was already halfway across the cafeteria, diving towards the screen. Hinata scrambled up after him, leaving her half-eaten sandwich behind. As she moved, she watched the red-headed woman's eyes cloud with tears. The closed caption at the bottom of the screen read: "I'm just trying to be of service to my country. I care about fair elections. Yuhi Kurenai and Jiraiya need to be recalled immediately."

"Oh my god…" Hinata whispered, eyes glued to the screen. She felt her heart drop into her stomach as she watched. Kurenai was going to be pissed.

Kiba turned up the volume just as the red-headed woman flickered off screen. She was then replaced by none other than Uchiha Sasuke, who was wearing the same suit that Hinata had seen him in when she'd tried to kill him six hours ago. He looked great. What a power move.

He was standing at a different location, looking calmly into the cameras, his ember eyes shining fiercely against the camera light.

"I am here tonight in the place of my older brother Uchiha Itachi, who, as you all know, is running for office. He sadly had more urgent matters to attend to, and as his legal consultant I am here to answer any questions you might have this evening."

The cameras flashed and he didn't even blink. A deep voice came from the crowd: "Is it true that the whistleblower is your assistant, Uchiha-san?"

He made no change in expression. "Yes, it is true that Uzumaki Karin was my assistant, but I assure you that the Uchiha have no involvement in the information breach. She has been effectively dismissed from her position in my office."

"How does Uchiha Itachi-san feel about the breach? The information is in his favor, is it not?"

"Itachi-nii regrets the way the information was procured and wants the citizens of Konoha to know that he will be fully cooperative with the authorities as they begin their investigations into this matter. Furthermore, he is deeply concerned about the apparent flaws in Konoha's digital security and worries about the safety of our citizens and their data. He is regretful that this has transpired."

"He's good," Kiba whispered, his eyes widening. They stood close together in front of the TV, but a small crowd had gathered with the noise. The other TVs now showcased a similar story: breaking news graphics filtering across the screens.

"Too good," Hinata nodded. She watched Sasuke nod as he called on another journalist in the audience.

"Why isn't Uchiha-san with us right now?"

Sasuke's expression changed, but Hinata could tell that the expression was for the theatrics of the moment––carefully rehearsed––not because he truly felt that way. He frowned, his eyebrows coming together on his forehead, before he wiped the expression clean. He was showing them his pain on purpose.

"He is with our mother. Some of you may know that she is very sick, and we were getting her to the emergency room shortly before the news broke. Itachi was distraught, but he will host a press conference first thing tomorrow morning to answer more of your questions. We know as much as you all do."

Kiba scoffed and Hinata quietly agreed.

"Don't you think it's suspicious that someone from your office revealed information that could only help Uchiha-san's campaign?" A wiry voice called from the audience.

Sasuke let his lips quirk up a little, "It is not suspicious at all. It is well recorded that the women who apply to work in our offices are often nothing more than obsessive fans."

"This is rather egregious for a fan," the same voice argued.

"Is that a question?" Sasuke rebutted.

"Are you saying that Karin Uzumaki allegedly hacked into a government database in order to get Uchiha-san's attention?"

"No," Sasuke replied. "You did."

Kiba groaned beside her and Hinata rubbed her temples. There was some rustling in the cafeteria but Hinata paid that no mind, she was staring at the screen doing calculations in her head. No––they hadn't been wrong, they had proof that it was Haruno Sakura who had hacked them. And yet––

This was because of her failure. The Uchihas had shifted the blame. If Sakura suddenly went missing, it would look bad. It would be––

"––so when are you and Sakura-chan finally tying the knot?" A journalist asked from the audience, changing the subject. Likely one of the celebrity magazine "journalists" who sneak in to ask personal questions.

Hinata didn't have time to hear Sasuke's answer, because Myagi's voice interrupted the broadcast and flooded the speakers.

"Dove. Canine. Please report to the 13th floor immediately."

"That'll do it," Kiba said, and hung his head in shame. Hinata followed after him, trying not to think of the wandering eyes of her colleagues in the cafeteria behind her.

AN: For those in the US, consider this early update a Labors Day gift. I will be updating on Mondays going forward.

I also wanted to drop a little note and/or warning: I've been reading some of the comments and want to be clear that there is some SasuSaku in this fic––while I amnotpersonally a fan of this ship, it is a part of the story and impacts Sasuke's character and that isa dynamic I am interested in; Sakura will appear in several chapters to antagonize Sasuke and their relationship various ways. I don't expect the SasuSaku to be necessarily comforting lmao

I would call this story a slowburn, but the moments of SasuHinata throughout are sweet, perhaps teasers, for what will come in later chapters––you can expect a lot of these small moments throughout. If slowburn SasuHina + moments of SasuSaku for character/plot development is something you can't deal with, I wouldn't recommend this story for you and I will not be addressing reviews with complaints going forward.

Thanks for understanding! See ya next week, it's going to be fun! :-)