Uploading slightly later than anticipated, but then again, it was the winter break. Enjoy the second chapter, the third will be upcoming within a couple of weeks. Comments highly appreciated, and should hasten the next upload!
"Move away, Akamaru," Kiba grumbles, as the hound tries his best to position himself inside the tent the group has set up for dinner. It has been pouring for the past 48 hours, and the tent Hinata produced has enough room for only three people. With four, they could barely fit and stay dry at the same time, so a temporary dry patch under a neighboring canopy had been set up for Akamaru and the Neko cat.
Akamaru does not like the fact that the Neko cat has slyly evaded scrutiny to nestle herself inside Sasuke's cloak, while he is left out all by himself. He lets out a desolate howl, but it is quickly drowned out by the sound of the rain outside.
Sasuke is the first to finish his meal, as he is famously a light eater. With a curt nod of thanks, he steps out into the inclement weather. Soon, Akamaru joyfully comes in, prancing around the makeshift table, but Kiba stares at his two team-mates with raised eyebrows.
It has been a week since they have been journeying together, but Sasuke has not initiated nor replied to a single topic of small talk occurring among the group. It is almost as if he is traveling completely by himself - he has his own sleeping tent located a good hundred meters away from their sleeping location, and he often travels a few steps ahead of the group, leading the way as he is more familiar with the terrain. The only time they have with him is in this meal tent - he normally has a succinct summary of the travel duration and expected terrain for the day in the mornings, and nothing more than a few greetings in the evenings.
"What's up with that bastard? Is he a ghost?" Kiba asks, exasperated. He had initially thought that the Uchiha would be a pain to deal with when he had joined the group, but now he was genuinely worried. He had no idea how a man could spend days at a stretch without having a few normal interactions.
Shino shrugs his shoulders. "Beats me. It's almost as if he is deliberately shutting us out."
Hinata shakes her head. She has spent the greater part of her life training with these two guys from Team 8, but ever since the war ended, she has found herself increasingly becoming the decision-making center for the team. The memory of a beaming Kurenai-sensei gifting her a carved kunai to officially anoint her the team captain a year ago flashes in her mind, and she sighs softly.
She knows she will most likely have to break the ice, but she wants to give the other two room for input.
"We're a day away from entering Iwa. If we are to be good guests of the Tsuchikage, we need to be able to communicate as a group. Now, are there any ideas to make Sasuke-san more comfortable with our team?"
Silence ensues, and her keen eyes catch flashes of mixed emotion from both her teammates. It's a mixture of mistrust and discomfort, combined with a sense of helplessness.
She remembers Naruto spending many a night exhorting her team, alongside other Konoha shinobi, to accept Sasuke and his flaws for the simple reason that the latter had saved them all, and that he was his dear friend.
But as she saw then, and sees now, the attitudes of the people in Konoha are hard to mold, especially when the person in question has been the very target the village has tried to capture for years. Kiba and Shino are good people with deep loyalty to the village, so the thought of accepting and forgiving Sasuke remains a step too far for them to currently take.
Her personal opinion is a bit different, especially given her clan's thorny history with the Uchihas. Ever since the massacre, her father had belittled the Uchihas as a weak clan and set their name as a cautionary tale for individuals who could not show high potential in their training. Scrolls containing joint missions that the Hyuuga had taken up with the Uchiha were sealed, and the clan had encroached upon the outer training grounds which once belonged to the Uchiha. She even recalls Neji often using Sasuke as their imaginary enemy while training together before the war.
On the other hand, while her view on the Uchiha has been colored by the people around her, she has also been enamored by her mom's stories of how many of her clan's customs and attitudes have been adopted from the Uchihas. The standard style on the ceremonial kimonos, the rituals surrounding prayer and meditation, and the deep ambition of the clan elders are all a remnant of a once-thriving exchange between the two clans, one which even caused her mom to befriend Sasuke's mother Mikoto since her academy days.
Hinata starkly remembers how the tears her mom shed while sobbing in front of Hiashi and his parents when the news of the massacre was broken to her. It was a painstaking sight she would never fail to associate with Sasuke from the time she had seen him in the academy. Maybe that was a large part of the reason she made sure to stay clear of him and never join the other girls as they drooled over him.
It is her mom's memory, coupled with the bravery she had seen during the war when Sasuke helped Naruto go toe to toe with Madara, that has made her determined to treat him with respect. Moreover, she has not seen anyone else endorsed to this extent by Naruto-kun. Ever since her encounter with him while fighting Pein, she has cherished the blonde's ideals. And if he was willing to look beyond Sasuke's dark history, she was more than ready to give him a second chance.
With a brief nod, she zips up her jacket as she makes for the entrance to the tent. She is determined to play a good host to Sasuke, even if it is at odds with her introverted nature.
She jumps over a few bushes in the growing darkness of dusk and activates her Byakyugan, only to find Sasuke sitting on a rock formation under a large canopy, stroking his Neko cat absentmindedly. Despite each of them having disguised themselves in the garb of civilians to evade scrutiny, there is a natural grace and hardiness emanating from him which is almost scary.
It is almost the same intimidation she feels in the presence of the council of elders of her clan. She blinks and shuffles her feet to feel more comfortable.
"D-Do you mind if I join you, Sasuke-san?"
A light purple, almost milky orb stares back at her in the darkness.
"Hn."
Unsure if that is a sound of affirmation, Hinata takes a leap of faith. She sits to the side of Sasuke, with ample space separating the two of them.
"T-the thunderstorm yesterday has lowered the temperature in the area by quite a bit."
"Hn."
"I wonder if this is the start of the famous monsoon season in the Land of the Rocks."
Sasuke stares blankly in the distance before finally replying.
"Today it's cloudy, cool and only drizzling slightly. If it were me, I would say that the real monsoon, or the Tsuyu rains of Iwa, have yet to start."
Hinata gives a small nod, slightly embarrassed at her unfamiliarity with the climate of this region. But she is encouraged by the response, so she continues after a brief hesitation.
"The birds are enjoying the cool weather too."
"As they should."
Hinata's eyes widen, and she focuses with her Byakugan. She knows her eyes can detect targets through their body heat, and she can vaguely sense the familiar moulding of chakra as the tits chirped happily while bathing in a small puddle a couple of hundred meters away. But she is surprised Sasuke can see them too in the darkness.
She is broken out of her reverie as Sasuke speaks up again, as if reading her thoughts.
"My eyes can see them too."
"A-ah, of course - I was remiss to forget about-"
Sasuke's eyes narrow, and he turns to face her. Feeling his searing gaze, Hinata immediately stops talking.
"How did you know they are enjoying themselves?"
Slightly flushed, Hinata ventures a half-hearted explanation. "I-it's nothing, I was just guessing from their chirping sounds."
Sasuke can't help but smile inwardly. Having spent the past year in the wilderness, his Rinnegan had accustomed itself to specific patterns of chakra fluctuations representing emotions resembling happiness, sorrow and anger among birds and beasts. It is not something one can identify at a glance.
It is also a skill that very few shinobi can hope to somewhat master, if at all. And that's because the foremost need in the shinobi world is survival. One cannot survive in this dastardly environment without focusing solely on oneself, and definitely not by paying attention to insignificant beings all around. But it is nonetheless a skill that he has come to respect during his time in solitude.
He is also aware from how Hinata's chakra was fluctuating, that she is a very bad liar.
"You don't believe that, and neither do I. Tell me, Hinata-san - have you been taught the nature of beasts from that jonin teacher of yours?"
Hinata looks down and mumbles, "Not really. It's something my eyes could make out after watching the swallows in the Hyuuga compound."
Nodding slowly as he turns back towards the darkness, Sasuke gently places the Neko cat in the space between them. To Hinata's surprise, it immediately jumps into her lap, purring softly. The heaviness in her heart immediately lightens, and she has a small smile as she pets its tiny head while its green eyes shine brightly, looking carefully into her light silver doujutsu.
"Surely you must have figured out Kakashi's true purpose for our visit to Iwa?"
A voice comes softly from the space in front of her, and Hinata jerks backwards out of instinct. She has not realized until this moment that Sasuke has gotten up and is standing right in front of her.
"Oh- o-of course, Sasuke-san! Hokage-sama has sent us on a diplomatic mission to Iwa on Konoha's behalf."
There is an extended pause, and Hinata knows from the tension in the air that Sasuke is not pretending. In her heart she knew that sending an elite team of shinobi on a diplomatic mission was a facade for some ulterior purpose.
But her loyalty and respect for the Hokage has made her push any such underhanded thoughts away, and she is not going to be swayed easily.
Silverish-white eyes shine fearlessly in the direction of mismatched eyes, but Hinata flinches slightly as she finds a set of swirling red tomoes emerge from Sasuke's right eye.
From the umpteen warnings she has gotten about the Sharingan, she is aware that if he had wanted, Sasuke could have put her under a genjutsu instantly. But the fact that he hasn't done so strengthens her resolve.
"I-If Kakashi-sama has sent out an official communication with no hint beyond attending the Phoenix festival, I will take that as our true purpose. It is not my place to think otherwise."
"Tch, so naive."
Her Byakyugan can clearly see Sasuke grimace, even as his Sharingan flashes in the darkness. And to her astonishment, the scenery around them morphs ever so slightly, the rain abruptly stops, and as if a veil has been lifted, she can suddenly sense the appearance of a large number of human bodies in the entire area surrounding them.
The shocking aspect is that all the bodies seem to have been buried underground, with some under the very ground they have been standing on. Her Byakyugan has sensed the remnants of chakra from at least two sources, and she knows that these must be civilians on their last breaths.
Her eyes widen, and her trembling hands release the Neko cat slowly to the ground as she falls to her knees, frantically trying to dig through the Earth. She is horrified that someone is cruel enough to bury them alive, and has the gall to cast a powerful genjutsu to hide their heinous act.
At that moment, a strong hand suddenly grasps her arm, and she looks up to see Sasuke waiting with an Earth-style jutsu ready. Relieved to learn that he has an affinity to Earth-style, she nods slightly in his direction, as she springs into the air to light up some logs with a Katon jutsu from the dry spot nearby.
Doton: Earth-Land Deflection.
The ground beneath them parts symmetrically, and a pile of bodies are brought up by a solid wall of dirt and rock. Hinata can see the fine chakra threads holding together the wall of earth, and she notices the slight movement from a woman and a small child near the top of the heap.
To her deep horror, however, the woman tries to mumble desperately to the child, but as she tries to move, the child slides off her bosom and falls to the bottom of the heap, and its chakra flow instantly subsides.
The mother croaks pitifully, and despite barely having any energy left, crawls towards them, before looking upwards with venomous eyes even as she releases her last breath. It is a memory which Hinata knows will haunt her for a long time.
What makes the scene even more ghastly is that there are several cuts clearly visible on their arms and exposed skin, along with several other corpses. It is as if they have been tortured in a gruesome fashion and then dumped almost hastily into the ground as a cover-up.
A shiver runs down her spine as she sees the disfigured face of a young man's corpse nearby stare back at her, eyes containing the traces of an unbearable pain and repressed anger. His torn clothes are of an aristocratic taste, even if they are barely recognizable from the rags that barely cover their onetime owner. From the figure of the woman who has just died, Hinata traces hints of the same clothing, and she understands that the three had been intimately related as part of the same family, and the parents of the same child.
Similar maimed and mutilated figures of man, woman and child alike, young and old, abound all around.
At that moment she realizes that she is the first-hand witness of a true massacre, a systematic eradication of a full-fledged tribe which she can only imagine had stayed in this region for eons.
Tear drops fall uncontrollably onto the soft earth, and Hinata drops the logs she had collected as a suffocating feeling she has never felt washes through her entire being. Shaking slightly, she is keenly aware that the strong stench of blood, decaying bodies and death is overwhelmed by an atmosphere of despair and injustice.
As she tries to catch her breath, she closes her eyes as the imagery around her is too vivid. It is as if the pain has enhanced the penetrating power of her Byakyugan, and she realizes, much to her distaste, that she can still sense her immediate surroundings with her eyes closed. This leads her to find that the one human chakra signature near her, Sasuke, is quietly collecting the logs she has dropped into a pile at the base of a tree.
She can't help but open her eyes and ask softly, "Sasuke-san, why is this happening? And what are you doing?"
As if he is performing an everyday chore, Sasuke simply replies,
"I'm preparing a send off for the deceased."
She is surprised that the Sharingan has been turned off. They are in the midst of the same area they had set up camp, but the comfort she had previously felt with the surroundings has evaporated. The entrance to the land of Rocks now appears as an unknown area overrun by murderers, and she finds it very strange that he is not showing more caution. But she pretends to ignore this and pushes on.
"Are you going to burn their corpses in a pyre?"
"Yes, I can sense that their spirits are not at peace."
Hinata purses her lips. Ordinarily in the shinobi world, funerals led to the burial of the dead, with her mind instantly going back to her visit to Neji's grave post the war. But in her heart she couldn't argue with Sasuke's logic that keeping these people buried underground would be a travesty.
Mumbling softly that she has to return to camp and relay the news to Kiba and Shino, she turns around quickly, but to her surprise, an iron grip holds her legs in place.
To her shock, the mother who had seemingly just died is actually clinging on to her ankles for dear life. A single look at her haggard expression tells her that she is barely alive, and using the last vestiges of her dwindling energy.
She suddenly can also sense a faint chakra signature from the little boy nearby. Thinking that she has gone insane, she whirls back in Sasuke's direction and breaths out, trembling,
"Sasuke-san! T-they are alive! A-are we in a sorcerer's trap?"
Looking in her direction, Sasuke is relieved that Hinata is unable to tell what has just happened. The humongous and eerie profile of the Reaper (aka the King of Hell) towers over the corpses, but is visible only to his Rinnegan summoner and the two people who have just revived.
He has just negotiated with the Reaper to return the souls of the recently deceased duo for the price of almost a year of his lifespan.
It was a deal he had accepted almost immediately. His cursed life held little to no value to himself, and he had often thought of ending everything during his time in prison. But memories of his parents, who had ingrained in him the idea that one's life held sacred value beyond thoughts and logic, would always prevent him from taking action.
He would invariably remember Okaa-san shake her head in disgust every time the news of a suicide in the clan or in Konoha would reach her ears. "A person has no right to take what Kami has provided" was always her refrain.
Sasuke understands the true power of life now, and has no qualms using the Rinne rebirth technique as a workaround to the restrictions posed by his mother's memory.
But it is taking every fiber of his willpower to pretend in front of Hinata that he is not going to collapse from exhaustion due to this sacrifice.
Of course, the sight of the Reaper has petrified the mother from the moment she has regained consciousness, but Hinata is not privy to any of these events. So Sasuke decides to improvise.
"Not a sorcerer, but certainly that of a clever shinobi. One who doesn't like leaving traces of their crimes. My guess is that we came across their misdeeds before they truly got away with it."
Hinata is flabbergasted at this news, and stops to survey their surroundings in more detail. The huge boulders of shale and malachite which are suddenly visible with the early light of dawn a little distance away from their canopy shows that they are clearly dealing with a genjutsu whose power is weakening, thereby exposing the true environment around them. In fact, she has a sense that they are in an area deeper inside the Land of Rocks than the distance she thought they had traversed.
"What do you think we should do now, Sasuke-san?"
As if expecting that question, Sasuke nods slightly. "Unfortunately, Hinata-san, we must know the truth behind our mission. And it seems that our running into this area is a big hint. The only thing left is to take a detour based on the information we glean from the two survivors."
Hinata shakes her head slowly, even as she carefully extricates her leg from the woman's grip, which has loosened considerably as she feels her hands trembling from exhaustion.
"We have to consult Shino and Kiba-kun. I-I know it may not be the way you operate, Sasuke-san, but in our team we all have a say."
To her surprise, she sees no sign of opposition from Sasuke. Rather, she sees him turn away slowly with a ghost of a smirk, even as his voice lingers,
"I understand. I hope you do not mind, in the meantime."
Eyebrows raised, she is about to enquire about his cryptic phrases, but the words die inside her mouth as she sees his actions.
With a series of handsigns, he summons two large snakes which coil around Hinata, even as the Reaper slowly makes his way back into the Earth. Although Hinata feels her skin crawl at the touch of reptile skin against her own, her Byakyugan can sense no malice in their chakra signatures, so she makes no resistance as they lift her petite frame away from the region where the Earth is parted. To her surprise and relief, she finds the Neko cat has appeared and snugly placed herself on her lap.
Hinata looks down briefly to see Sasuke quietly murmuring to the mother, even as he gently pats her head while placing her alongside her sleeping son. The mother has a ragged breathing pattern, as if she is struggling to find air, but she quietens down significantly after Sasuke gives her a small blue pill. Hinata soon recognizes it as Tsunade's famous revitalizing pill.
After the war, she knows that Sakura had started research on how to mass-produce these rare pills, which were said to be able to fix broken bones, cracked ribs and even stem internal bleeding. But since they were exceedingly difficult to produce, the hospital in Konoha was extremely reluctant to distribute these pills on Tsunade's, and later on, Kakashi sama's decree.
It is a huge surprise that Sasuke possessed even one of these pills.
She doesn't get to dwell on this fact, however, as she suddenly feels extremely tired, as if her body has become as heavy as lead. The sights of the night after a long day's travel have taken a toll on both her mind and body.
The pyre lit by Sasuke rages in her peripheral vision, but as she struggles to sit up a gigantic hawk suddenly swoops down into the canopy, and the two snakes immediately place Hinata reverently on its broad back. The regal bird, who she recalls is Garuda, lives up to its name as a King of Birds, and its majestic features look even more flamboyant up close than what she remembers from during the War.
She finds that the snakes which brought her here quickly slither away, only to return with the mother tightly holding her child.
When they put the woman onto Garuda's back near Hinata, she immediately kneels down, holding her baby up in the air, as if she were offering it to a goddess.
"Hyuuga-hime, please forgive my shameful behavior down below. I have just heard from Uchiha-san that both of our lives were restored by your grace, by the benevolence of the future stewardess of the Leaf. Please, if you are willing, I wish to repay my gratitude by extending to you the hospitality of our tribe."
Taken aback by this extravagant display of sincerity, Hinata inches backward, unsure of how to react. The woman clearly is unstable, but she has activated Hinata's flight or fight instincts, so her body no longer feels lethargic.
With a slight smile, she pets the small head and motions for the mother to put her child into a more comfortable position.
"T-thank you for your kind words, but you think too highly of me. All of your gratitude must go to Uchiha-san - he has brought you both back in a manner I am not acquainted with."
Nodding profusely, the mother withdraws her child gracefully, even as she rearranges her tattered rags to make a makeshift blanket that somewhat covers the child as he sleeps peacefully on her lap. But there was a glint of curiosity in her eyes as she looks back at Hinata, and it seems that she is restraining herself from speaking again.
An awkward silence ensues, with Hinata trying her best to avoid the searing glances the mother keeps giving her occasionally. The lethargy is starting to seep back in, but she is fighting to stay awake till she knows that Sasuke is back.
After a few minutes, there is a huffing sound, as Sasuke finally sunshins his way upto Garuda's nape. The Neko cat, who has been silently observing the scene between the two women, immediately jumps onto his shoulders, purring softly.
Hinata hears a plop, and she sees a scroll thrown to her side bearing the official Konoha letterhead.
Sasuke talks quietly in the archaic dialect of Konoha, which was originally a fusion of the Senju and Uchiha dialects, but widely adopted by the ANBU to communicate in front of foreigners.
"This is the true mission Kakashi sent us on. I received this the day we left Kiri, but I didn't trust the two on your team to divulge it openly."
Opening the scroll, Hinata sees the Hokage's scrawling handwriting, but the note is far longer and more personal than she has ever seen in an official communication.
To my erstwhile student,
It has been almost two and a half years since I last saw you. You know I've tried contacting you umpteen times - after all, a teacher cannot bear to stay in the dark about one of his favorite students. But regrettably, you never reply to anything that is not official. So it was such good news hearing that Team 8 had finally traced you down and could give me actual updates about your well-being. I even take half a day off from my paperwork every time I get their reports!
Ma, ma, maybe I am the sentimental old man Sakura always accuses me of becoming! Maybe it's because I'm getting old, or maybe it's because I've grown soft after I retired from active shinobi life.
But speaking of old, Naruto and Sakura have grown by leaps and bounds too. In a few weeks I will hand over the reins of Konoha's diplomacy to Naruto as the first step of him taking charge of our village, although the true transition will happen in a few months once he has cleared the jonin trials. He (and I) insist that you return for his inauguration!
Sakura has taken up the role of chief medical shinobi from Tsunade, and has successfully cleared the ANBU examination. She is now heading an elite division in the ANBU which specializes in infiltration and medical ninjutsu, which will operate autonomously under direct command of the Hokage.
All of this information is meant to let you know that the village has its arms open for you, should you choose to return. I know that the two I've just mentioned are itching for your return, and I personally will have no qualms about writing a glowing recommendation to Shikamaru to absorb you into any role, combat or otherwise, that you wish to take up in Konoha's shinobi ranks.
And it seems that your popularity among the ladyfolk of the village has soared, courtesy of Naruto's persistent drunken retellings of your redemption, and your seemingly heroic rescue of the little girl in Kiri. Just the other night, Asuma and I were deluged by requests seeking the date of your return. I have no doubt that should you choose (and with some timely help from my Icha Icha comics), the Uchiha clan will once again flourish in Konoha.
Of course, I know the level of irritation you must have felt reading all of this, though I must say, it serves as somewhat of a punishment for not staying in touch. But I will now come to business. There is an issue with the Kara tribe in the Land of Rocks that needs to be investigated. Factions in Iwa are after the Tsuchikage's position ever since the Fence Sitter has stepped down, and it seems the one to bring the Kara tribe back under Iwa's sphere of influence will get the prize. Our interest is to have his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi, take up the mantle of Kage, so supply her with intel on the tribe's whereabouts and weaknesses when you eventually reach Iwa.
I know you have made clear that you do not want to be involved in bloodshed anymore, so all I ask is that you maintain some surveillance on their fortress in the Kara plateau. You are more than welcome to take Hinata along, considering that her Byakyugan will be of use. In a few days I will send a corresponding note to the remainder of Team 8 to proceed to Iwa without the two of you, with the caveat that you will join them within a fortnight.
There have been unconfirmed reports that opposing factions in Iwa are already undertaking operations to crush villages involving civilians associated with the tribe in a bid to force their leaders to their knees. If that is the case, we must move quickly to make sure Kurotsuchi is the one to land the final blow that marks the tribe's capitulation. Preparing this outcome for her is your mission.
Once this is done, everything you owe Konoha for your past transgressions will officially be resolved, and your standing as a war hero and decorated shinobi of the village and the Alliance will be immutable. We will also reimburse Kiri with whatever sum of money they require on account of your little escapade with their jonin.
Your former sensei,
Hatake Kakashi
Hinata's face is red as she finishes reading the letter. She has no idea why Sasuke would give her something so personal to read.
"D-did I have to read everything in that letter, Sasuke-san?" Hinata murmurs in code language, even as she stands up to return the scroll.
To her surprise, the ground she is on slants suddenly, and she immediately falls back to a sitting position. Looking at the fact that the canopy is way beneath her, she realizes that she was so engrossed in reading that she did not feel Garuda take off.
The mother and her son are fast asleep on the other side, but she sees mismatched eyes staring with a hint of amusement in her direction. Sasuke was clearly reclining in a resting position, but her clumsy movements must have caused him to awaken.
"Hn. Did Kakashi's melodrama get to you? I take it that your jonin teacher, Kurenai, does not write such letters?"
As Hina looks down in silence, unable to vocalize her embarrassment, Sasuke continues softly,
"However, Hinata-san - there are two big curiosities aside from the main purpose that led me to showing you that letter in full. Of course, the purpose is obvious - I wanted to make sure you know that the Hokage has officially assigned you to come with me, and that the rest of your team is to continue the journey onward to Iwa. Now, can you deduce the two curiosities?"
Hinata perks up at his explanation, even as she ventures a guess based on what she just read.
"Could it be that the woman you saved is a part of the Kara tribe, and that she has agreed to lead us to their fortress in the mountains?"
Sasuke's smirk widens, and Hinata is shocked to see that it almost resembles a small smile. The creases which normally give his face an intimidating air are almost relaxed, and this causes his aristocratic features to accentuate even more forcefully.
She thinks Sakura-san will indeed be lucky if she manages to land the man in front of her.
As she looks away, flustered, Sasuke is impressed once again by her deductive prowess.
"Correct, Hinata-san. I must commend your reasoning. The reports Kakashi alluded to are seemingly true, only that the factions lusting after the Kage position are more ruthless than Konoha believes. They have no qualms in eliminating civilian populations. But what confounds me is that someone elite must have carried out the massacre - for there were quite a few members trained in shinobi techniques among the people tortured and buried alive. And the genjutsu over the area was so strong that neither of your two teammates awoke even with all of the things we did to take the corpses out."
Hinata bites her lip thoughtfully as she observes the sleeping woman near her, and continues.
"From her actions in the forest, my eyes could sense that her will is indomitable, almost like a wild beast. Is she one of those fighters you speak of? Also, I recall seeing another man among the corpses who was wearing a similar decoration as her dress, and I am assuming he is the father of their child. But why would they come out of their fortress with their child if they were sent to defend the village?"
Sasuke looks to his side, making sure that the woman is truly sleeping before replying softly. Hinata can't tell if it is the lighting as dawn breaks, but she feels that his obsidian right eye looks moist and shiny, as if he is recalling something very intimate from his past.
"She is no ordinary warrior, in fact the decorations you speak of may symbolize that she may have been a part of the high aristocracy in her tribe. As to what situation made her bring her family along, only she can reveal. But she has been through far more than anyone can imagine. If my eyes see right, she has experienced the worst side of humanity, where despicable men take out their darkest desires on those who do not complain, who suffer in silence, and who the world will forget as if they never existed."
Hinata feels a pang of pain at Sasuke's words. Somehow those words hit closer to home than she had expected. Her voice trembles slightly at her next thought.
"Could it be that shinobi under the aegis of the Unified Alliance were involved? To think that even after the five villages agreed to upholding fundamental human rights that such a thing occurred, Konoha - no, none of the hidden villages should stand such an outrageous abuse of power…"
Sasuke shakes his head nonchalantly at her words, and continues with that same misty-eyed look.
"Don't be naive, Hinata-san. Evil has not ended with the War. Look at the history and structure of the victorious Hidden villages. Nothing has changed in the system. If the Alliance has served any purpose, it is to give legal cover to the evil-doers to perpetuate in the open what used to be done discreetly before."
Almost shaking her head in disbelief at Sasuke's cynicism, Hinata speaks more forcefully.
"I disagree, Sasuke-san. If Naruto-kun gets to know of this massacre, he will bring all of the perpetrators to justice."
Sasuke knows better than to get involved in this topic; after all he had almost destroyed the shinobi world to prove his point that the system was corrupt to the core. He has also spent his entire prison sentence trying to extinguish these feelings.
But the conviction in Hinata's voice makes the embers of his bitterness rise as he retorts venomously.
"Of course, the dobe will fix everything. Iwa will suppress the rebellious tribe within its borders so that the Shinobi Alliance is intact, and Naruto will arrive to give a speech about the unity of the five nations with the help of the new Tsuchikage who has only humiliated an entire tribe, court-martialed its leaders and buried innocent women and children alive."
Tears shine in the silvery eyes of the purple haired girl as she vehemently shakes her head. Involuntarily her voice quivers with indignation and passion.
"Stop it, Sasuke-san. The Hokage has made clear that we will not be involved in any bloodshed, but just help the future Tsuchikage imprison the few traitorous elements within the tribe. As for this massacre, I am certain that Kurotsuchi-san herself will mete out punishments to any shinobi involved in such a heinous act. I refuse to believe that anyone who fought shoulder-to-shoulder with us in the War would ever execute such an injustice."
Sasuke notices that the baby is stirring slightly at the commotion, and finds the unfathomable anguish in the eyes of the mother as she tries unsuccessfully to wipe away the tears and pretend like she is still asleep.
He does not know if she caught on to some of the words they were speaking, or if she was recalling the horrors of the past, but he knew that he had to divert the topic away from the incident in the forest.
But somehow the sight of the travesty involving the massacre feels personal to him. The complicity of the Hyuugas in the memories involving Itachi and his parents' death, coupled with the crushed faces of the Oto and Ame POWs he has seen during his travels, each of whom is unable to articulate the untold pain they had suffered, brings out an embittered feeling from within, something he has not allowed himself to feel since his last fight with Naruto.
He finds that he does not want to let Hinata off the hook easily.
So he continues retorting, but this time in the common dialect of the Five Nations, which he knows the mother would be able to understand.
"Do you know the other reason I made you read that letter? To show you how far the dobe and Sakura have reached. He's almost cleared the jonin trials, and is the Hokage-in-waiting, while she is an ANBU leader. What is your status, Hinata-san, despite being in the same generation as them? Are you the next Hyuuga clan leader, or are you ANBU, or even a jonin?"
There was pindrop silence. Hinata looks like she had been struck by thunder, and her jaws are clenched so tightly that she might actually break them.
But Sasuke continues mercilessly.
"Does Team 8 have any achievements to their name? From what I have seen, your coordination is so weak that you could not even capture an unknown Oto nin who did not attack you. Is your aim in life so superficial and lowly that you are content with marrying the dobe, acting as a doll-like figurehead, and believing blindly that he will guide the Leaf into bringing justice to the world? That is a pathetic choice, Hinata-san, one that maybe justifies why the Hyuuga clan has discarded you. And who knows, maybe the dobe will too."
He knows he has gone too far, but his anger had boiled over and he had thought that he would feel better if he belittled the vehicle espousing the views he hated, which in this case was Hinata.
But one look at the glistening silver eyes which are staring unfocused into space makes him regret his outburst almost immediately. He knows that he has unnecessarily touched a raw spot, one that surely has bothered the girl incessantly.
To his great surprise and agitation, the very person whose side he thought he was taking, the mother, gives him a reproachful glance and slowly inches her way towards Hinata, murmuring soft and soothing words in a low voice.
But what adds the most discomfort is the fact that Hinata merely brushes off her comforts with a small smile, and instead stands up and bows deeply in Sasuke's direction.
"I have no intention of challenging your insight, Uchiha-san. As you have said, I am nowhere comparable to the great heroes of the War, which include Naruto-kun, Sakura-san and yourself. It is true that I have been overlooked for the position of clan head, but my sister has been kind enough to still keep me as a nominal member of the clan. No doubt, as you say, they are looking to reap political dividends in the case Naruto-kun chooses me. And it is true, we were no match for you in Kiri."
"But for one instant I will not tolerate a lecture about my life or my goals from a man who barely knows me. The Hokage has assigned me to work with you, and out of respect for Kakashi-sama I will fulfill that task. But please do not engage in banter you have no idea about, and which bears no relevance to the job at hand."
Sasuke nods slowly, even as he avoids her eyes, and Hinata sits down, closing her eyes peacefully as if nothing had happened.
He can't help but notice that it is the first time Hinata hasn't stuttered while speaking, and this gives him the disconcerting feeling that a gulf has opened between himself and the Hyuuga. He knows he should apologize, but his stubbornness prevails. If Hinata wants to believe in a fantasy world fueled by Konoha's propaganda, so be it. He can only explain so much.
Suddenly, his gaze shifts to the tribal mother, who is sitting curled up next to her child, who is mewling in a low voice as he tries to catch the Neko cat's wavy tail. With his spirits lightening slightly, Sasuke girds up for the punishing journey ahead.
The fortress of the Kara tribe is in the elevated Kara plateau on the north-west of the Land of Rocks. Present within the circular valley which is surrounded by imposing mountains all around, it is located in an arid region which is said to be one of the driest in the world. He has been told by the mother that there is only one entrance into the stronghold, and it is through a unique spatial portal that she knows the existence of.
As she is indebted to them for her life, she is eager for them to meet her father, who she believes will reward them handsomely.
But Sasuke, having heard stories about these people from various wayfarers during his travels, knows them to be a bloodthirsty, nomadic people who have not suffered a military defeat in the last century. Cocooned in their impregnable fortress in the desert, several offshoots of the main tribe formed tiny villages in the forests nearby. They had managed to stumble upon one such location.
It was said that generations of isolation had led to the presence of immeasurable wealth in gold which was stored within the confines of the Kara tribe's fortress. Multiple Iwa shinobi had tried to infiltrate their domain for ages, but for some reason, none beyond Ohnoki and his master Mu had made it past the treacherous mountain passes or into the spatial seal. Or even if they had, not one had ever returned. In that way, anyone who wanted to become Tsuchikage had to pass the trial of fire of entering, subjugating the leaders of the tribe and returning in one piece.
Sasuke sighs, as he decides to stop thinking so deeply about the mission and rest his eyes for a bit. With Garuda's current speed, they should be entering the Kara plateau by tomorrow. As sleep engulfs him, he glances up to see the mother hovering dotingly over his visage, but he dismisses this as insignificant and fueled by his tiredness. On the other hand, he realizes that this mission can go awry extremely quickly, so he will need all the rest he can get before he is fully enmeshed in it. As his mind drifts into the abyss of sleep, he can swear he hears a sweet but eerie melody which makes his heart ache, and he slowly falls into the familiar but turbulent world of dreams and nightmares.