Thank you to everyone who's reading and left a comment ^^

It's definitely my intention to build a friendship between Hinata and Sasuke to start with.

Here's some more split POV this chapter.

Chapter 4: Chasing visions of our futures

"No."

Kakashi kept smiling behind his mask, unperturbed. "Now, now, Sasuke-kun. It's this or nothing."

Sasuke scowled before snatching the mission scroll from Kakashi's hand. A D-rank mission was still a mission, though barely. He read through it and scoffed. "That cat's still alive?" he asked skeptically.

"Shijimi-sama takes good care of Tora."

"Then why is it always running away," Sasuke muttered. "This is a waste of my time."

Kakashi leaned back in his chair behind his desk. "As you can imagine, rebuilding after a war is expensive. We're not in a position to be turning down paid missions and we need the cooperation of all our good, upstanding Konoha ninja. Everyone is doing their part."

"You must have at least a few C-ranks in there," Sasuke said, gesturing towards the pile of mission scrolls by Kakashi's elbow.

"Maybe, but I don't have anyone to team you up with. This isn't wartime, Sasuke-kun. Genin-rank nins without a team get D-rank missions," Kakashi said placidly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes disbelievingly. Finally, he turned his glare to the side. "Whatever."

"Now that that's settled, any updates since the last time we spoke? It's been a few weeks now that you've been back in Konoha."

"All I've done is complete D-rank missions and ask myself every day why I came back," Sasuke said, continuing to glare at the wall.

"Why did you come back?" Kakashi asked. "Don't get me wrong, we're happy to have you here, but I do wonder what made you come back."

Frowning, Sasuke responded, "…I don't know. As I traveled, I came to terms with everything that happened…the things that were done to me, the things that I did. At a certain point, it felt like the only way forward was to come back."

Kakashi sighed. "And have you thought about what you want to do here? Any wishes or dreams for the future?"

"I don't have dreams, just goals," Sasuke retorted and Kakashi chuckled.

"You know, you told me the same thing when we first met?" Kakashi reminisced. "It worried me then and it worries me even more now."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm not twelve years old and you're no longer my teacher."

"But I am your Hokage," Kakashi said with a mischievous lilt to his voice. "And I have another mission to assign you." Kakashi grabbed a blank scroll and began to write in his messy scrawl. As soon as he finished writing, he handed the scroll to Sasuke, the ink still wet.

Raising a brow, Sasuke reluctantly took the scroll. He skimmed through the contents and scoffed. "You're assigning me a mission to…come up with a dream?"

Smiling, Kakashi folded his hands together on his desk. "A paid commission by yours truly."

"You can't be serious. I refuse."

"Sure, I'll just mark it down as a failed mission. It'll be a first for you, and a D-rank at that. I guess not even Uchiha Sasuke can have a perfect record." Kakashi was still smiling serenely even as Sasuke shot a baleful glare at him.

"One of these days, I'm going to set fire to all of your perverted books," Sasuke growled.

"While they do have sentimental value, I assure you I can rewrite them word-for-word by memory," Kakashi said, raising up a finger to point to the eye that once held the sharingan.

Sasuke balked. His face contorted into an incredulous sneer, unsure if he should take Kakashi seriously. Surely the man hadn't used the Uchiha clan's kekkei genkai for such a petty reason.

A knock at the door drew their attention.

"It seems the busy life of a Hokage calls," Kakashi said. "Good luck with your missions."

With one last glare, Sasuke turned to leave.

"Oh, and Sasuke-kun," Kakashi called. "Konoha happens to be home to many brilliant shinobi and kunoichi with grand dreams. If you need any guidance on your second mission, it wouldn't hurt to ask around."

Ignoring him, Sasuke exited the Hokage's office, opening the door aggressively enough to nearly hit the person on the other side.

"Sasuke-san!"

Sasuke blinked, feeling some of his ire dissipate. "Hinata-san," he acknowledged with a nod. Mindful of Kakashi's presence through the open door, Sasuke turned to leave quickly.

On his way out, he passed Shikamaru, a regular fixture at the Hokage Tower. Eyeing the other shinobi, Sasuke thought about Kakashi's second mission. He imagined himself asking Shikamaru about his hopes and dreams and grimaced before picking up the pace and exiting the building.

After leaving the Uchiha district, Hinata returned home to drop off the bento boxes in the Hyuuga kitchens.

Still thinking about her conversation with Sasuke, Hinata went to the Hyuuga library. Her feet almost took her to the limited fūinjutsu section by habit before she stopped herself and turned to another set of shelves. There was an archive section, a number of bookcases dedicated specifically to historical records. Hinata slowly perused the shelves, trailing her fingers carefully along the spines of the books that lined them.

She stopped, hand hovering over a book titled 'Hyuuga-Uchiha Relations'. There were several books with similar titles, but she found herself drawn to one in particular. "Hyuuga-Uchiha Annual Tea Ceremony," she read aloud.

Withdrawing the book from its place, she flipped through it slowly. Inquisitive lavender eyes examined each page. The next page she turned made her gasp quietly. Hinata spent a few moments taking in the details, enthralled. Then, she flipped through the next few pages before shutting the book decisively.

With the book still in her hands, she started to leave, only to be stopped by a call of her name.

"Hinata-sama," Ko said, bowing deeply. "My apologies for disturbing you, but you are needed by Hokage-sama."

"Of course, I'll go right away. Thank you, Ko-san," Hinata replied.

Putting the book carefully back in its place, Hinata hurried to the Hokage Tower.

After a brief run-in with Sasuke, Hinata entered the Hokage's office and received a mission scroll. Kakashi was engaging as usual, asking about her family and about Naruto. Hinata stumbled only a little in her responses under the older man's cheerful, close-eyed smile.

The next morning found Hinata at the Konoha gates, waiting on her teammate. She'd woken earlier than necessary and, after being unable to fall back asleep, Hinata had changed into her mission gear and left the Hyuuga compound with her backpack.

The guards stationed at the gates greeted her kindly and she returned their smiles before settling in to wait.

A brief flare of chakra startled Hinata out of her resting state. She was unable to place it immediately other than to acknowledge that it felt powerful. The ability to estimate a ninja's strength based on their chakra was a chunin-level skill, but identifying a specific ninja using chakra alone required a certain level of intimacy with the nin in question. Unless, of course, you were a Hyuuga, in which case it was a matter of memorization.

"Sasuke-san!" Hinata exclaimed. She stumbled into a clumsy bow, still a little groggy. "Good morning."

Sasuke nodded silently in greeting. Based on their interactions so far, Hinata suspected that Sasuke was even more taciturn than usual in the morning.

Standing by the village entrance, Sasuke ignored the stares of the guards.

"Do you, perhaps, have a mission as well?" Hinata wondered. D-rank missions rarely took a ninja outside of the village borders but they could extend into the surrounding woods. Hinata had helped with berry picking, wood cutting and other chores when she was fresh out of the academy. The Daimyo's wife's cat had also managed to escape out the gates once or twice, though certainly never when Team Eight was on the case.

Sasuke grunted equivocally.

Hinata smiled slightly at the expected response. She was slowly becoming accustomed to Sasuke's demeanor and so too was her general social anxiety around him lessening. Clasping her hands behind her back, she looked away from the Uchiha and out into the forest.

"What rank?"

Surprised at the question, Hinata tilted her head. "C-rank. There are reports of some bandits near Tanzaku Town. They are unlikely to be ninja, just common thieves."

After the war, these types of criminals had been more active than usual, taking advantage of destroyed infrastructure and the resulting disorder to prey on vulnerable travelers. The town mayors and sometimes the Fire Daimyo himself had commissioned many missions to Konoha to deal with them. It was below Hinata's and her teammate's skill level, but Konoha was pressed for field-ready ninja after so many causalities.

Hinata wisely kept any judgment of the rank of her mission out of her voice, considering Sasuke's own situation.

"Sounds boring, but better than anything Kakashi will give me," Sasuke groused.

Looking at him with amusement, Hinata replied, "Hanabi was so excited when father allowed her to join a genin team last year, I didn't have the heart to tell her what kind of missions she'd be getting. She was…disappointed to say the least."

Sasuke huffed. "If I had known opting out of a genin team was an option after graduation, I definitely would have done it to be free of those two loudmouths."

Hinata bit her lip, glancing away. She had unwittingly put herself in an uncomfortable position. "…It's not really an option."

Sasuke's questioning pause felt almost oppressive.

"Sōke Hyuuga do not attend the academy," Hinata finished in a whisper.

"…But you did."

Hinata nodded, keeping her gaze trained on the forest. "I did," she confirmed.

The subsequent minutes of silence were agonizing for Hinata. Reprieve came in the form of her mission partner.

"Hinata-san!" Lee greeted. "Such dedication, getting here so early!"

"Good morning, Lee-san," Hinata said, with no small amount of relief.

"And Sasuke-san is here too!" Lee beamed. "I must not be outdone! Tomorrow I shall begin training at four in the morning!"

"Ah, Lee-san, maybe we should head out?" Hinata asked, smiling at his usual zest for life.

"Good thinking, Hinata-san! We have bandits to capture!" Lee started off on the path into the forest, both hands clasped tightly over the straps of his backpack.

Hinata glanced back at the village gates. She had already said her goodbyes to Naruto the previous evening before spending the night at home. Still, she felt a pinch of disappointment not seeing him again.

Hinata moved to follow Lee before pausing. "Oh! Goodbye, Sasuke-san." She bowed quickly before walking away. Right before she completely disappeared into the foliage, she chanced a look back only to see Sasuke still standing nonchalantly by the gates. Feeling caught out, she gave an embarrassed wave and then jogged after Lee.

"Katon Gouka—" Sasuke aborted the jutsu to duck under a kick. Jumping out of reach, Sasuke paused to survey his opponent and grit his teeth. His single hand signing was still too slow.

"Rasengan!"

Cursing under his breath, Sasuke leapt back again.

"Hah! Are you just going to run away the whole time?" Naruto jeered, teeth bared in a fierce grin.

"You've been getting more bloodthirsty. Don't think I don't know what you're up to," Sasuke said, even as his eyes took in the field and his mind raced through strategies.

Feinting right, he dodged another kick and then drove his knee into Naruto's chest. He started signing even before the telltale sound of the clone dissipating. "Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Fire sprang out at Naruto's approaching form. It was tame by Sasuke's standards, he hadn't imbued much chakra into the jutsu. For once, he was the less vicious one.

Sasuke grinned triumphantly as Naruto was forced to windmill out of the path of the flames.

"Nice job!" Naruto cheered. He managed to right himself and gave Sasuke a cheesy thumbs up.

Sasuke's grin transformed into a look of mild disgust. "Never do that again."

"One handed signing is pretty sick!" Naruto continued, as if he hadn't heard Sasuke. "I should practice too, in case I ever get tied up or something."

Sasuke scoffed. "For what? You know two techniques. You'd be better off figuring out how to untie yourself, which is a basic skill for a ninja to have so I'm sure you've never learned it."

"Hey! I know at least five!" Naruto shouted, pointing accusingly. "Probably…" He looked down at his hand and began counting, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Rasengan, Oiroke no Jutsu, Kuchiyose no Jutsu…does Rasenshurikan count as a separate jutsu? Oh! Kawarimi no Jutsu!"

Sasuke raised his gaze to the sky in disbelief. He walked over to his discarded cloak and put it back on. As he left the training ground, Naruto's yell of outrage followed him.

"Where are you going?!"

Sasuke turned to stare at him with unamused eyes.

"We should grab lunch! I have a little bit of time before I have to meet up with Shikamaru to go over more scrolls and textbooks," Naruto said, catching up to walk beside Sasuke.

"You always have time for ramen." Sasuke rolled a shoulder, taking in the state of his body. He could feel the sting of a slight chakra burn on his upper back from a rasengan that got too close, but what made him frown was the pink claw marks on his inner arm.

Catching Tora was a lot easier now at eighteen years old than it had been at twelve, but the cat had gotten even meaner with age. Shijimi, the Fire Daimyo's wife had been grateful when he'd handed over the angry fur ball this morning. She'd squeezed the cat tightly and then proceeded to gush over Sasuke.

"Oh my, look at you! I remember all the young ninja who help my precious Tora and you were by far the handsomest one and you've only grown more dashing! I bet all the girls go crazy for that cute face," she'd cooed, pinching Sasuke's cheek for good measure.

Sasuke had allowed it, not willing to start a war after just ending one. Instead, after she'd left, he'd shot Kakashi the nastiest glare in his arsenal and slammed the door shut on the Hokage's snickering.

It had been strange to be remembered so fondly by someone after everything he'd done.

Sasuke let Naruto chatter at him through lunch at Ichiraku. Looking at the blond from the corner of his eye as he worked his way through his third bowl, Kakashi's second mission flitted through Sasuke's mind once more.

There was little point in asking Naruto about his dream, he'd been declaring it to everyone he met since he was a child. And now it was within his grasp, next in line once Kakashi had him trained up.

Sasuke wondered if he'd be left to watch everyone around him achieve their dreams while he stayed lost. If that was the case, aimlessly wandering the world outside Konoha might be the better option.

"Ne, Sasuke, you should really eat more," Naruto said around a mouthful of noodles.

Blinking down at his own half full bowl, Sasuke shrugged listlessly. "Not everyone loves ramen as much as you, Naruto."

Naruto slurped up the last of his noodles and spoke while he chewed. "Maybe I should ask Hinata-chan to make us bentos again? You really seemed to like it. Not that I can blame you, Hinata-chan's cooking is like no one else's."

Sasuke pushed away his half-eaten ramen. "What is she, your cook?" he grumbled, standing up from his seat.

"That's not what I meant! Hinata-chan is really sweet and she loves cooking for people, she wouldn't mind it!"

"I'm leaving," Sasuke said, dropping a few coins on the counter.

"Fine, you grumpy bastard. At least stop by the hospital to see Sakura-chan! I beat your ass badly enough for it."

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke turned to leave. "Nice try." He'd been avoiding Sakura like the plague and Naruto would have to beat him unconscious for him to step foot in the hospital. With the way their sparring sessions had been going, Sasuke thought that might actually happen.

Sasuke looked up at the entrance of the Uchiha district ambivalently. His feet had led him here from Ichiraku, but had stopped short of actually stepping inside. The very thought made his stomach turn.

The day after extending an invitation to Hinata, Sasuke had continued on that impulsive urge by entering the Uchiha district for the first time since leaving Konoha.

He hadn't thought it through and after washing the Hyuuga bento boxes in his family home, without anything to busy himself with, Sasuke had felt his skin itch and his muscles tense. Blood pounding in his ears, Sasuke had walked through the abandoned streets he still saw in his sleep, visions of spilled blood and pale corpses running through his mind. It was difficult to keep himself from slipping into his nightmares and he'd almost lost it when the warm hue of her chakra had pulled him back into reality, grounding him.

Walking the same streets had been so much easier in her presence. Still disquieting, but tolerable.

Clenching his fist, he turned his back on the entrance.

Instead, Sasuke made his way to the docks by the Naka no Kawa. This, he could handle. The place brought back memories of his father's disappointment, Sasuke's self-imposed grueling training regimen, the bittersweet feeling of his father finally praising him while still managing to make the moment about Itachi. It was hardly pleasant, but it was the kind of unpleasantness that had made up even the happier parts of his childhood.

Throwing off his cloak, Sasuke exhaled deeply and lifted his good arm into the air.

"Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

The next day found Sasuke at the Hokage Tower again, on his way to Kakashi's office undoubtedly to receive another D-rank mission and a headache.

Walking down the corridor, he could hear Shikamaru's voice. "Hey, Hinata-chan, Naruto's out on a diplomatic mission to Iwagakure."

"Oh." The sound held so much disappointment Sasuke felt the corners of his own lips tugging downwards.

"Yeah, it's a drag. He asked me to tell you that he was sorry to miss you."

"Thanks, Shikamaru-kun."

"Don't worry about it. I'll see you at Kurenai-sensei's tomorrow?"

"Yes! I'll be there early to help sensei with the cooking."

"I'll probably be on time, since it's now Sai's job to wait for Ino to change her outfit five times."

A light giggle. "Ino-san used to say you all were late because she had to wake you up from napping."

When Sasuke rounded the corner, he saw Shikamaru and Hinata standing to the side. Hinata's back was to him.

Shikamaru spared him a glance from the corner of his eyes before offering Hinata a "See ya" and leaving.

Sasuke approached while Hinata was waving the other boy off. "How was the mission?" he asked, suppressing a smile when she startled.

"Sasuke-san!" Hinata's voice was higher pitched with surprise. Her long hair was windswept, she must have just arrived back from her mission. "It was good."

This was unsurprising given the mission description. Considering the distance between Konoha and Tanzaku Town, her mission must have been wrapped up quickly to be back by now.

She seemed to hesitate before divulging, "We would have been back earlier, but Lee-san wanted to run back on his hands. For training." Her lavender eyes glinted in amusement.

Spotting the reddened skin on her palms, Sasuke quirked a brow. "Only Lee?"

Hinata flushed, pulling her sleeves down. "Well, it is good training," she defended.

Sasuke had to force himself to keep a straight face. His lack of further teasing seemed to calm her, and she released the ends of her sleeves.

"Oh!" Hinata looked up at him again. "Seeing you here reminds me…there's something I'd like to show you. When you have some spare time…could we, perhaps, meet?"

Intrigued, Sasuke stepped closer to her. She immediately stepped back, running into the corridor wall, the sight of which made him want to frown and laugh in equal measure. With an impassive face, he told her, "Meet me in the same place in an hour."

Hinata looked down and seemed to squirm nervously before nodding.

When he met her later at the entrance, Sasuke could tell she had washed up. Her hair was brushed and she was wearing civilian clothing. She had a leather satchel around her shoulder and he eyed it curiously before leading them past the district gates.

Hinata trailed after him slowly. Sasuke wasn't oblivious to her uneasiness, not now nor the last time she'd been here, but he was selfish enough to overlook it. With her here, he was able to see this place for what it was and what it used to be before that night.

He slowed his footsteps, forcing Hinata to catch up to him. Together they walked back to his childhood home again.

Sasuke walked through to the kitchen without stopping while Hinata took her sandals off. He didn't turn to look, but her pause was almost audible before the soft shuffling of slippered feet followed after him.

Sitting down at the kitchen table as he waited for her, Sasuke eyed the tea set by his elbow. He had brought it back to his small apartment, but it had looked so out of place he'd ended up bringing it with him again. Ferrying it back and forth made him feel like a fool and some of that irritation bled into his face.

Sensing Hinata in the doorway, Sasuke took one look at her worried expression before smoothing his face into its usual blankness. His gaze dropped to the lilac slippers she was wearing and he had to suppress his amusement when Hinata twisted her feet inwards self-consciously.

Instead, Sasuke cocked a brow. "Well?"

Hinata came closer and hesitated for a moment before taking the seat beside him. She clutched her satchel in her lap and undid the woven ties to pull out a leather-bound book from within its depths. She placed it on the tabletop between them, using the tips of her fingers to edge it closer to Sasuke.

"After I was last here…" Hinata started softly, "I ended up in my family's archives and came across several books about our clans. This one in particular, I thought you might like to see." Taking a breath, she bit her lip and looked up at him imploringly.

Curious, Sasuke pulled the book closer and flipped open past the flyleaf to the second page. He immediately froze, fingers gripping the edge of the page.

It was a photo.

Sasuke scooted forward in his chair, eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the picture. It was a group photo, but what drew his attention were two people in the center: his mother and father. It took him a few long moments before he absorbed the rest of the scene. It was a formal shot, everyone dressed in kimonos with unsmiling faces staring directly into the lens. Half the group were Uchiha clansmen, but the other half had Hyuuga eyes. There was a Hyuuga couple beside his parents and it was clear the photo was framed around the four of them. A date was written neatly in black ink under the photograph.

Sasuke quickly flipped to the next page and then the next. Each photo was like the last except for different clothing and slight shifts in poses. He stopped again when he got to a photo with a new addition. A swaddled baby in his mother's arms. Itachi.

The postures in the pictures had been getting more and more relaxed as they went, but this was the first time anyone was wearing something other than a blank expression. His mother couldn't seem to contain her smile.

The next five pages tracked Itachi's growth, from being held in their mother's arms to standing between their parents. On the sixth page, there were another two additions. Both women were smiling, shoulders brushing as they each carried a baby. Even the patriarchs looked less stern.

The next photo had Itachi holding Sasuke, Hinata still in her mother's arms. In the next, Sasuke was standing beside Itachi and facing the camera while Hinata was still being held, though her face was finally visible. The next had them both on the ground, Hinata curled into her mother's side and looking up at her while Sasuke's eyes were turned to where Itachi stood between them. The next had Sasuke in the center, Itachi on one side and Hinata on the other with only one hand holding onto her mother.

The next flip of a page made him pause again. One addition and one loss. The Hyuuga matriarch was missing and a newborn was held in the Hyuuga Head's arms. Every face in the photo was somber. Itachi and Sasuke stood in front of their parents while Hinata was half hidden on the other side of her father. The next two were much the same.

There were no more photos after that.

Still staring down at the book, transfixed, Sasuke felt his mind racing. Memories triggered by the photos played out behind his eyes, but more than that what ensnared him were the imagined visions that came unbidden.

He could see it so clearly. More photos, more meetings. Years and years of growing connections. A life that could have been.

Sasuke finally tore his eyes away to look at Hinata, finding her already staring back.

They could have grown up together, side by side.

The thought pierced him through his core.

A sudden rage filled him, one Sasuke had thought had died a slow death during his months of solitary wandering. Rage at Konoha, at his clan, at Itachi, for ripping away his chance at a normal life.

He quelled it quickly, a result of his hard-won maturity, but not quickly enough.

Hinata stumbled to her feet, lips pressed together and eyes downcast. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't…." Her fingers twisted into the ends of her sweater. "You can keep it, if you'd like. I spoke to my father and you're more than welcome to any of the other books we have on our clan relations. Or if you don't want to…that's perfectly fine as well!" She kept her gaze averted as she breathed out, "It's up to you."

Sasuke took in her forlorn face and felt a swell of irritation at himself. Unable to find anything to say, he grunted and turned to face the window.

He heard Hinata pick up her satchel and then the quiet sound of something being placed on table.

"I know you said not to bother, but…I hope you can use it," she said quietly before leaving.

When Sasuke turned, he found two small canisters beside the photo album. Picking one up, he took note of the Hyuuga emblem pressed into the metal. He set it back down and, after prying it open, he was hit with the flavourful scent of matcha.

More SasuHina bonding about their shitty childhoods.

I imagine that ninja with resources (i.e. clans) can skip the academy, kind of like homeschooling. Of course there's benefits to attending, like socializing, networking with peers, building trust with the village, etc. But if you can get trained at home, take the exam, get some D-ranks under your belt with a supervisor (i.e. older family member), I don't see why you'd necessarily need the academy. The chunin exam requiring three-member teams would pose a challenge, but that entire thing seems ridiculous in the first place because it assumes that all hidden villages operate the exact same way. There's probably a way to apply for chunin solo, though they might place you on a team with other solo applicants to test teamwork and leadership qualities.

Anyway, the point being, if you're going to be head of your clan and are unable to go on dangerous missions that take you out of the village because people might steal your eyes, homeschooling would probably be fine. Especially if your clan has a superiority complex / feels some type of way about other fighting styles.

As you can tell, I put way too much thought into this. The things you think about when writing a fic.

MVH