Lots of little interactions between characters this chapter!
Chapter 54:Nothing in the world belongs to me
"Is Kakashi in?"
Shikamaru leaned his cheek into his palm and eyed Sasuke up and down from where he sat at his desk in the Hokage Tower. He then glanced at Hinata and back at Sasuke. Rather than answering the question, he drawled, "Sleep well?"
Hinata shifted nervously, playing with the damp ends of her hair. She'd tried to avoid getting it wet in Sasuke's shower as she didn't have any of her hair products, but hadn't entirely succeeded. They'd received a summons early in the morning and though Sasuke had pointed out that Kakashi would likely be late, Hinata hadn't been willing to take even the slightest risk of keeping the Hokage waiting.
With an annoyed noise, Sasuke pulled Hinata by the hand past Shikamaru and into Kakashi's office. Surprised, Hinata looked back at Shikamaru over her shoulder and caught an amused look before Sasuke kicked the door closed behind them.
"It's customary to knock before entering," Kakashi said cheerfully. He was crouched on the windowsill. Hinata was unsure if he was sneaking in or out.
Abashed, Hinata dropped into a bow. "Sorry, Hokage-sama!" When she got back up and glanced to the side she found Sasuke looking unrepentant.
Waving away the apology, Kakashi hopped to the floor. "Seeing as we're all here, I might as well give you the rundown."
"We're all here because you summoned us," Sasuke muttered.
"Now that nae-ROOT is no longer a threat, we can no longer put off the Fujiwara situation. We've received orders to deliver him to the capital for a formal trial. Daimyo-sama has agreed to let Naruto, Sasuke and Ino speak at the tribunal to offer perspective on Fujiwara's mental state and recommendations for his punishment," Kakashi said.
"And me, Hokage-sama?" Hinata asked. "I don't know that I can say anything more than Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun or Ino-san can. And Shijimi-sama didn't mention anything in her last letter…"
Kakashi shook his head. "You won't be expected to speak. You're on escort and guard duty."
Hinata couldn't quite hide her surprise. Though she had certainly done her fair share of those types of missions, she typically wasn't the first choice for criminal escorts, never mind on a mission where ninja as powerful as Sasuke and Naruto would be in attendance.
Seeing this, Kakashi elaborated, "It's a request from Fujiwara-san. Considering the situation, I don't see the harm in accommodating."
Hinata blinked then nodded in understanding.
"You can collect your mission scrolls with the rest of the details at the Ninmu Uketsuke," Kakashi said. "But I wanted to give you both the opportunity to accept or deny. This one is strictly voluntary."
Hinata saw no reason to say no, but she paused, glancing at Sasuke.
"If I didn't want to do this, then I wouldn't have bothered writing that letter to the Daimyo," Sasuke said easily.
Kakashi nodded. "Hinata?"
"I accept too."
"Alright," Kakashi said, leaning a hand against the window frame and propping his foot on the sill again. "I have to help my elderly neighbour retrieve her cat from her roof," he said offhandedly as he began to climb out of the window. "Dismissed."
A feeling of second-hand embarrassment washed over Hinata as Kakashi disappeared from sight.
"That's really the leader of the village," Sasuke said incredulously, echoing Hinata's thoughts.
Reflexively, Hinata opened her mouth to defend their Hokage, but couldn't come up with anything. Instead, she said, "We should collect our mission scrolls."
When they exited the Hokage's office, they saw that Shikamaru was no longer alone.
"He has a budget meeting in ten minutes that he's going to ditch, but if you hurry you might be able to catch him before he runs off," Shikamaru was saying with the air of someone who had given up.
"Sakura-san," Hinata greeted.
"Hinata," Sakura returned with a small but friendly smile. She tilted her head a little to glance at Sasuke, her loose pink hair swaying with the movement. "And Sasuke-kun." She looked better rested than she had in a while, hair and skin shining with a healthy glow.
"He's already gone," Sasuke told her.
Sakura scowled. "Ugh, that guy! So irresponsible! I really need to talk to him…" She then perked up a little, "Actually, Hinata, I'm glad I ran into you. I wanted to let you know that the thing you asked about…it's been handled."
Hinata let out a breath, hand pressed to her chest as she gave Sakura a grateful smile. "I really appreciate it, Sakura-san." Something Hayate had said when he'd barged into her hospital room had unsettled Hinata. She'd gone to the pink-haired kunoichi to talk over her suspicion of the Hyuuga elder having an informant on the staff and Sakura had immediately reassured her that she would look into it.
"It's no good if the people taking care of your health can't be trusted. It goes against what we've been taught," Sakura said seriously. She then sighed wearily. "It wasn't just one person. It ended up being a worse problem than I thought. Which reminds me…Hinata, you're unofficially, officially recruited!"
"Eh?"
"We've had to do a pretty big overhaul of the staff. Not just because of what you asked, but because of Genji. I want to complete change the application and hiring process to emphasize not just skills and knowledge, but to assess empathy and integrity," Sakura explained, eyes lighting up. "What happened…I want to make sure we do everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Hinata looked at the other girl with admiration. She recalled the mixture of grief and determination she'd seen in Sakura's eyes at Mayumi's funeral. Seeing her now, it reminded Hinata of how Sakura had thrown herself into medical training with Tsunade at the age of twelve, channeling her sadness into productivity.
Eyes sliding to Sasuke, Hinata thought about that common quality between the members of Team Seven. The ability to race forward with no hesitation. One dark eye caught her gaze, the other shaded under dark bangs.
That dark eye turned back to Sakura. "What exactly are you recruiting her for?" Sasuke asked.
"Not just her. You're being enlisted too, Sasuke-kun! We're understaffed now. And we will be until we get this new process up and running. We're going to need anyone with iryō ninjutsu knowledge to pitch in. That's what I need to talk to Kakashi-sensei about."
Sasuke scoffed. "No."
"Why? Have something against iryō-nins?" Sakura glared up at him, daring him to say something demeaning.
"…I'm not the iryō-nin type."
"Meaning?" Sakura challenged.
Wanting to cut down the hiking tension, Hinata nervously intervened. "I'd be happy to help in anyway I can, but my iryō ninjutsu…"
"You don't need to be an expert," Sakura assured. "We're not in a position to be picky. To be honest, the number of non-medic ninja who know even basic iryō ninjutsu is pretty limited." She let out a frustrated huff and Hinata smiled sympathetically.
The conversation came to a natural lull. Hinata looked to Sasuke to suggest they go to the Ninmu Uketsuke and found him already looking back at her which made her lips curl upwards. He cocked his head in the direction of the stairs and Hinata nodded. As she opened her mouth to say goodbye to Shikamaru and Sakura, another voice broke the silence.
"Sasuke-kun…can I speak to you for a moment?"
Simultaneously Hinata and Sasuke blinked at each other before directing their gazes toward Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi's lips were pursed together belying her discomfort.
Sasuke quirked a brow as if telling her to go ahead.
Pressing her lips tighter together, Sakura glanced at Hinata and Shikamaru. "Privately."
Sasuke's blank face began to shift to a frown. Sensing trouble, Hinata hurried to speak.
"I can leave! It's no trouble —"
"Whatever you want to say, Hinata can stay —"
Sasuke's brow was fully furrowed now and Hinata winced when those narrowed, mismatched eyes turned to her. Sasuke's expression softened in response.
Worrying her bottom lip, Hinata's head swiveled between Sasuke and Sakura, not wanting to offend either one and feeling caught in between their opposing wishes.
A large, put-upon sigh from Shikamaru drew all of their attention. "C'mon, Hinata-chan. Let's go to the Ninmu Uketsuke, I need to drop a scroll off," he said as he heaved himself to his feet.
Hinata exhaled quietly and gave the Nara an eager nod. She turned to Sasuke with a reassuring smile on her lips, hand stretching out only to falter before she made contact with his arm. Lavender and green clashed and Hinata's hand fell limply by her side. "Um." Again, she felt caught in between, unsure of herself. The unconscious action to touch Sasuke's arm and say goodbye suddenly felt like too much.
Was it really alright to touch Sasuke so freely in public?
Somehow it felt almost…improper outside of the comfort of their own bubble. Even though Shikamaru and Sakura were their friends. Perhaps especially because Shikamaru and Sakura were their friends.
Was it fair for Hinata to act this familiarly in front of others now that Sasuke had confessed and she had yet to give him a proper answer? Would it make him uncomfortable?
And what about Sakura? Would it make her uncomfortable? Would it hurt her feelings?
Hinata hadn't felt that way about Naruto and Sakura, even in that moment after Pein's defeat, but that was a different situation entirely. Hinata had never felt any claim over Naruto's affection. How could she? Who had she been to him other than the gloomy girl he went to school with? A trusted comrade at best, a near stranger at worst.
But Sakura and Sasuke…there was a history there Hinata couldn't help but feel that she was encroaching upon.
After all, Hinata had no real claim on Sasuke….
Long pause stretching to an awkward length, Hinata ended up intertwining her fingers together and giving a shallow bow. She felt three pairs of eyes watching her and a prickle of embarrassment crept up her spine. "P-please take your time," she spluttered before turning blindly to scurry towards the stairs.
When she made it to the bottom of the staircase Hinata was tempted to crouch down and curl into a ball, mortified.
A set of slow moving footsteps coming down the stairs forced her to pull herself together. Shikamaru's face came into view, a slight judgmental tilt to his lips though nowhere near the level she knew him to be capable of. Then, after a quick sweep of her pitiful figure, even that small bit of judgement disappeared.
"I don't blame you. I didn't want to deal with that either," he said, giving her an out. "I have a feeling Sakura's going to rip into him. Here's hoping she gets it out of her system before we get back."
Hinata frowned. "Rip into?" she echoed. But Shikamaru was already making his way down the corridor, uninterested in discussing the troublesome topic further. With a worried glance at the staircase, Hinata followed after him.
Sasuke could feel Sakura's eyes drilling into the side of his face, but he kept his own turned towards the stairs Hinata had run down. He had no interest in helping Sakura start a conversation she'd insisted on having in private.
Finally after a full minute of waiting, Sakura lost her patience. "Why did you tell Naruto that you're not going to be on the council?"
This got Sasuke's attention. "Because I'm not," he said simply.
His non-answer only served to anger her. "What do you mean you're not?!" Sasuke shot Sakura a look that she returned full throttle with narrowed eyes. "After everything we've done for you, after everything Naruto's done for you, you're seriously going to leave him hanging again?"
Sasuke suppressed a flinch. "For all your talk about being a team, that sounds transactional."
"Don't do that. That's not what this is and I know you know that," Sakura retorted. "It's about reciprocity. It's about you actually showing up for your team. I'm not surprised you've forgotten what that's like."
"If you have something to get off your chest…" Sasuke said, voice dangerously low.
Sakura scoffed. "Do you really need me to say it? Team Seven, Team Taka. Naruto, Karin…me." Though her lips were still pinched with anger, her eyes were somber. "You have a pattern of abandonment and turning on the people who care about you. You told me were you going to atone, but you're still doing the same thing. Running away when you should have our — have Naruto's back."
"Not being on the council doesn't mean not having Naruto's back. You're conflating the two."
"You're being obtuse," Sakura returned. "They're one in the same. Being Hokage is Naruto's dream. You can't support him without supporting the village." She braced her hands on her hips. "He's asking for your help to turn Konoha into the place he knows it can be. And you're saying no."
Raking his hand through his hair, Sasuke growled, "What do you want from me, Sakura? If you think I'm such a bad person, then why would you want me to stick around here?"
"I don't think you're a bad person," Sakura refuted.
"Liar."
The air was tense as they stared each other down.
Sakura's shoulders slumped. "I don't," she insisted. "I remember how you were before, when the three of us became a team. I just want that back."
The time that they had spent together in Team Seven hadn't been that long. Less than a year, maybe eight months total. And yet in those months the memories they'd made had continued to follow them, rose-coloured and idyllic in retrospect. Perhaps it was precisely because it had been so short. Or perhaps because of all the horrors it preceded.
Right now, Sasuke felt the length of those memories spanning the few feet between them. "There's no going back," he said.
"There is! I know it can be like that again. Isn't that what you want too? The reason you wanted to atone…wasn't it so things could go back to how they were?"
Sasuke shook his head. "Maybe a part of me was nostalgic and hoped to find a way back, but…some things you can't come back from. That's what I learned out there."
"Doesn't that just mean you've given up?" Sakura asked, hands clenching into fists.
"I thought so too…" He'd been at a loss when he'd come back to Konoha, dissatisfied by the results of his atonement journey and unsure of what to do next. Averting his gaze, Sasuke found his eyes trailing back to the staircase again. "But since I've been back, I've started to realize that even if I can't go back…that doesn't mean I can't go forward."
"This isn't a step forward," Sakura disagreed vehemently, "You're running away again." She paused, green eyes sharpening. "Does Hinata know? That you're using her as a distraction so you can avoid dealing with the difficult things in your life?"
Sasuke's eyes snapped to Sakura's, flashing with warning. "Sakura…"
"I don't know if it's the same old rivalry with Naruto or if it's a convenient excuse to push him away again —"
"Sakura, back off." The air crackled with the full force of Sasuke's chakra. His hand twitched with barely controlled restraint.
Sakura faltered, but held her ground. "I'm just pointing out —"
Sasuke raised his voice, speaking over her, "You're doing what you've always done. Sticking your nose in my business and talking about things you don't understand."
"Of course it's my business if you and Naruto are fighting!"
"It's really not," Sasuke countered derisively. "Inserting yourself may have made sense when we were kids, but we've long outgrown that. Naruto and I are capable of resolving things ourselves without you stepping in."
Even when they were genin, Sakura's attempts at conflict resolution hadn't been very successful. The fights Naruto picked with Sasuke were often caused by him feeling neglected by Sakura's fixation on Sasuke and so Sakura getting in between them to take Sasuke's side only served to further spurn Naruto. Then when Sasuke was the one baiting Naruto, rather than defending Naruto, Sakura tended to pile on and exacerbate the situation.
For his part, Sasuke felt irritated by Sakura's unwanted attentions and Naruto's antics because of that attention.
An expression of hurt was splashed across Sakura's face.
"And if you ever insinuate that Hinata is an excuse or a distraction —"
"That's not what I meant! I didn't mean that your…feelings were in question," Sakura said, wincing around the word 'feelings'. "But you're hiding behind them."
"I don't care what you meant. You crossed the line when you brought her up," Sasuke said definitively.
Sakura's forehead creased into a frown. "So I can't even talk about her? You're both my friends, I don't want either of you to get hurt."
"Hinata's my line. You need to respect that."
Lips pressed tightly together, Sakura crossed her arms across her chest and looked away in defeat.
"Oh, Shikamaru-kun, I didn't get a chance to ask how it was having Hanabi's team take care of the Nara gardens," Hinata said.
She and Shikamaru were walking side by side on their way back from the Ninmu Uketsuke. With the scrolls in hand, Hinata had made it a point not to comment on the fact that Shikamaru hadn't dropped anything off while there.
"This new generation could stand to take it down a notch," Shikamaru said with a sigh. "They did the whole yard in one day. After they left, my mom was lecturing me about slacking off."
Hinata's answering smile was half amused and half morose. "I think seeing what we went through and wishing they could have helped more has given them a lot of motivation."
"It's crazy thinking how at that age we were all itching for action. Now I want to make sure nothing breaks the peacetime."
"But I don't remember Shikamaru-kun ever itching for action," Hinata teased.
Shikamaru shrugged one shoulder up in a conceding manner. "Eh, by the end of the chunin exams even my blood was pumping."
"You and Temari-san had a memorable fight," Hinata agreed.
"It was probably forgettable to everyone else, with the other matches and what happened after. But it was memorable to me."
Hinata made a thoughtful noise. "You're the only one who was promoted. Being flashy isn't the only way to be noticed."
"Yeah, you'd think being flashy would be a deterrent to a ninja," Shikamaru said with a chuckle. "By the way, the biwa and cherries in our gardens are looking pretty ripe. Feel free to come over whenever you need some."
Hinata's eyes lit up with excitement at the thought of the recipes she might be able to use them in. "That's great! Thank you, Shikamaru-kun."
"The desserts you drop off are enough of a thank you. You know my mom loves them."
With her head angled to see Shikamaru as he spoke, Hinata didn't immediately see the stairs as they came into view. But then movement out of the corner of her eyes caught her attention.
Sasuke swept down the stairs two at a time. He hadn't worn his cloak today, so the fluttering of his loose left sleeve was fully visible. His face was emotionless, but everything else about him projected ire. When he got within arm's length, Hinata reached out unthinkingly. Sasuke was already reaching back, his fingers finding her waist as Hinata's rested on his bicep. It was only a brief touch, both of them letting go after a moment but not moving away from each other.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
Hinata's eyes drifted to the staircase, then to Shikamaru and finally settled on Sasuke.
He shook his head minutely and Hinata nodded in understanding.
"Mm." She turned to smile at Shikamaru who was observing them with mild interest despite the bored slump of his shoulders. "I'll try to make it over in the next couple of days, Shikamaru-kun."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he also turned to survey Shikamaru.
Brows raising slightly, Shikamaru nodded at Hinata with a lazy smile. "Like I said, drop by whenever." Brown eyes slid to Sasuke and the smile turned into a smirk.
Sasuke glared.
Glancing between the two of them, Hinata tilted her head to the side bemusedly.
"Was that Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked, twisting to look around Hinata. "He didn't stay to say 'hi'? Rude."
Hinata smiled a tad sheepishly. Sasuke had walked her from the Hokage Tower up to the hallway leading to Fujiwara's room and would have taken her right to his door, but it was Hinata who had sent him away when she'd seen the sneer curling his lips at the sight of Ino's blonde hair.
"Um. Ino-san, about Fujiwara-san, what exactly should I…do?" Hinata asked.
The change in subject succeeded in redirecting Ino's attention. "Sit with him, maybe if you're comfortable you can talk about your day? Or ask him how he's doing?" Ino suggested. "Honestly, at this point just getting him to speak more than a few words would be a win. His trial's been set and I'll be one of his character witnesses, but I think it would be helpful if he could speak for himself."
Hinata nodded seriously.
Ino cracked a grin. "Don't overthink it. You're not a trained professional and no one is expecting you to act like one. Just do your best." She clapped a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "I really appreciate you giving this a try."
Swaying a little from the force of Ino's touch, Hinata nodded again. Under Ino's encouraging gaze, Hinata let herself into Fujiwara Minoru's room.
Dull eyes sluggishly turned towards her and then started to look away before flashing back. "You're okay." Fujiwara said. He sat up in his bed and almost looked like he wanted to jump out of it.
"Oh. Um. Yes." Hinata tucked her hair behind her ear. Her eyes found Fujiwara's wrists. The skin looked unmarked, bearing no bruises from being chained up by Genji. Or chakra burns caused by her. The iryō-nins had done a good job. "It's because you and the others distracted him, so I'm grateful for your help. I'm very sorry for injuring you."
An expression crossed Fujiwara's face so quickly that Hinata failed to grasp the emotion. "It's not like it was selfless," he said, ignoring her second point entirely. "I knew you were the only way I was getting out of there."
Hinata smiled. "Then I'm grateful for your faith in me."
When Fujiwara didn't say anything more, she decided to take a seat in the chair beside the door. Hands clasping over her knees, Hinata looked around the room awkwardly. It was a standard patient room. There were no flowers or cards decorating the side table like one might see for other patients. The curtains were drawn, blocking out the sun for the most part, though its rays still managed to sneak around the corners.
Several different possible conversation starters looped through Hinata's mind, each and every one judged as terrible. She'd never been very good at breaking the ice. Her lips parted, then she second guessed herself and they closed.
This went on for several minutes. Hinata began to droop forward, eyes glaring into the backs of her hands.
"You didn't bring that stuff with you."
Hinata's head whipped up at the sound of Fujiwara's voice. "Eh?"
Fujiwara's lips pursed. "Those two sticks. And the thick yellow thread," he clarified reluctantly.
"Oh! My knitting. I forgot it this time. There's no rush in any case. It's too warm for mittens. As long as I finish them before next winter, I can give them to my sister."
"Your sister?"
"Mm. I was making them for my little sister. Her birthday's coming up soon. I bought her a cute charm. I hope she likes it. Hanabi likes cute things, sometimes. And I like making things for people. I don't know if I'm very good though," Hinata babbled a little nervously. "Um. Does Fujiwara-san have anything like that?"
It was silent for long enough that Hinata thought he might not answer. Then, he said, "Something I'm not good at? Or something I like doing for others?" There was a sarcastic lilt to his voice, barely detectable beneath the roughness that came from disuse.
Hinata grimaced a little, embarrassed by her lack of finesse with her words. "…something you like doing?"
Another long stretch of silence. "I can't knit, but I can sew. And cook, clean, make tea. I can do lots of things," Fujiwara listed off tonelessly, "But there's nothing I like doing. And I especially hate doing things for others."
Something in Fujiwara's eyes made Hinata have to look away. She tangled her fingers together and pressed her hands tightly atop her knee, trying not to fidget. Almost everything Fujiwara had mentioned were hobbies of Hinata's and she had a feeling he hated them.
She had a feeling the more she talked, he would hate her too.
How did Ino think that Hinata could possibly help him?
"He was surrounded by a family that hated him…"
"If you hate doing those things for others…maybe you'll feel differently if you trying doing them for yourself?" The weight of Fujiwara's gaze had Hinata worrying her bottom lip. "Or maybe not…" Her voice trailed off into nothingness.
Hinata didn't speak for the next fifteen minutes.
Neither did Fujiwara.
Sasuke saw the head of midnight blue approaching from the corner of his eyes, but continued to focus on the shuriken in his hand. He threw them up in the air as hard as he could and waited. As soon as the momentum of his throw wore off and gravity began to pull them back to the ground, Sasuke acted. Rinnegan flashing, he raised his hand and immediately all five shuriken froze.
Eyes narrowed with concentration, Sasuke held them there in the air. A minute passed and one of the five shuriken began to wriggle. Brows furrowing further, Sasuke directed his attention to the unstable shuriken. Slowly, it stopped moving and he almost smirked.
Then he noticed the other four shuriken wobbling.
Gritting his teeth, Sasuke tried to salvage the situation, but within the next second all five shuriken came hurtling to the ground.
"Tch." Sasuke sidestepped the shuriken as they joined several others scattered in the grass beside the Uchiha docks.
Frustrated, he turned to one of the nearby tree stumps. It flew towards him at rapid-fire speed only to drop to the ground at his feet. Nudging it with his foot, Sasuke frowned at the hacked texture where the force of his tendō had ruptured through the bark. He would need to be more precise with the amount of chakra he used.
When he turned to face Hinata, the sight of her wide lavender eyes staring at him with awe soothed his ego.
"That's new?" Her voice lilted at the end of the sentence making it sound like question. She was sitting on the docks, near where it met the land.
Sasuke grunted in agreement as he joined her, lowering himself to sit beside her. The water was calm beneath them, the sound of the current a gentle lullaby.
"How was the hospital?" he asked. He very deliberately didn't ask how Fujiwara was.
Hinata only shrugged, a small frown curving her lips. "Was your conversation with Sakura-san…upsetting?" she asked delicately.
At the reminder of that encounter, Sasuke couldn't help but scoff. "What makes you think that?" he asked sardonically.
Though it was a rhetorical question, Hinata still answered by way of tilting her head in the direction of the abandoned shuriken and dented tree trunk
Sasuke's ducked his head with an amused huff. He felt Hinata's thin fingers carding through his hair and he sighed in contentment.
"No woodchips this time," Hinata teased.
A chuckle escaped Sasuke. "She just irritated me a little. Nothing new."
Hinata hummed in acknowledgment. Rather than press for details, she simply continued to brush through his hair.
"She was pissed about me not wanting to be on the council," Sasuke divulged. "It has nothing to do with her, but she's sticking herself in the middle of me and Naruto's business. As usual."
The sound Hinata made was a little thoughtful. Perking up a little, Sasuke caught her wrist in his hand, pulling it away from his hair and into his lap. "What?" he asked.
Hinata's eyes were alight with confusion.
"You're thinking something," Sasuke clarified. "Say it."
Gaze dropping, Hinata drew her bottom lip between her teeth. Watching her worry at the pink skin, Sasuke move his grip from her wrist to instead clasp her hand. As his thumb swept across the back of her hand, the tension left Hinata's frame and she spoke.
"You and Naruto-kun…fight a lot. Maybe you think it should stay between the two of you, but…in a three-man cell, it becomes a team problem. I know you didn't mean to, but you might have put Sakura-san in the middle."
Hearing Hinata echo the thoughts that had run through Sasuke's own mind earlier was refreshing in a way. Though he'd come to a similar conclusion, his had been an unsympathetic one, coloured with impatience that Sakura hadn't outgrown this habit. Hinata on the other hand clearly had a more considerate view.
Nonetheless, he voiced his argument. "That was a long time ago."
"It was," Hinata agreed. "But the three of you haven't really spent a lot of time together since then. You haven't given her much of a chance to adjust to a new dynamic."
"Tch." She wasn't wrong. "She shouldn't have asked you to leave. I didn't like that." He never ceased stroking his thumb against her soft skin and so could feel her hand twitch minutely.
"…I didn't either," Hinata admitted in a whisper.
Sasuke's eyes jerked towards her, surprised. "Then why did you? Leave?"
"I…" Hinata trailed off, thin brows drawing together.
Though he wanted an answer, Sasuke didn't like the troubled expression on her face. He released her hand so that he could brush her bangs away from her face. "You said I should do what I want, when Kakashi asked what you thought about the council," he said, changing the subject.
Hinata's brows jumped, forehead smoothing out. She nodded.
"Did you…" He cut himself off. Not because he didn't want to know, but because he didn't want to suggest she had lied. That wasn't why he wanted to ask.
Lavender eyes scanned his face and then softened. "Did I mean it?" she asked kindly.
Sasuke nodded jerkily. Then shook his head. "Why did you mean it?" he asked instead.
"I don't understand…"
"You were raised the same as I was. To be a ninja. With the idea that there wasn't anything else worth doing. You took the same oath when you graduated. To protect the village. I'm essentially being called to serve and I'm saying no."
Hinata's eyes took on a pensive look and Sasuke knew she was thinking about how those who didn't step up were regarded. As cowards. As failures.
It wasn't exactly the same situation. Sasuke wasn't abandoning a mission or fleeing a fight. But in the eyes of many, it wasn't too far off.
"It's honourable to put the needs of others above your own," Hinata reasoned. "But recognizing and being able to say no to something that might hurt you…I think that can be really difficult. And really brave."
Sasuke grimaced. "I'm not entirely sure I'm not holding a grudge or being petty the way Sakura seems to think."
"Mm. Then, if you're not sure…isn't it fine to think about it more? Naruto-kun's not going to be Hokage for a while. There's no need to rush into a decision, right?"
Sasuke made a low noise of agreement.
Hinata gave his hand a light squeeze. "And maybe…you can explain to Naruto-kun that you need to think about it?"
Sasuke made a face, but squeezed her hand back.
"You know," Hinata started, absentmindedly playing with Sasuke's fingers, "If Hanabi decided she wanted to become a civilian, I would never judge her. Truthfully…I'd be happy. If it kept her out of danger." Then, as if plucking the words from his head, she said, "Whether you join the council or not…I don't think Itachi-san would have been disappointed as long as you were choosing what would make you happy."
She must have felt the weight of his eyes on the top of her head because she looked up, lavender eyes catching his mismatched ones and smiled. His heart squeezed inside his chest, not unlike the feeling of his hand being squeezed between hers.
"Even if you quit being a ninja to take up…woodworking, if it made you happy, that would make me happy," Hinata said, her smile taking on a teasing edge.
Sasuke quirked a brow. "Woodworking?"
Letting out an airy giggle, Hinata explained, "It was the first thing to come to mind. It's one of Kiba-kun's hobbies and I thought it suited you more than studying insects like Shino-kun or reading poetry like Neji-kun."
"Neji reads poetry?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
"Mm. He writes out his favourite verses when practicing calligraphy."
Sasuke considered the picture that painted in his head and then nodded.
A cool breeze whistled in from over the water sending their hair ruffling and picking up the scent lavender and chamomile and Sasuke's detergent. With Hinata's hand in his, Sasuke gave thought to woodworking, to building something new with his own two hands.
His brow twitched.
One hand.
He thought of the ripped shoji in Togou's dojo, of Kiba fixing it, of repairing something broken.
He thought of the dilapidated Uchiha district, the worn out gates and shabby buildings and unkept streets.
Sitting there in the peaceful silence with Hinata's hand in his, Sasuke thought and thought and thought.
Sasuke and Hinata both being introspective at the end there.
Thank you to everyone who's continuing to keep up with this fic and leaving me nice comments
(I thought all the salty NaruHina shippers (lets be real, probably just Naruto stans who like reading fics where he's OP and gets a harem and who don't actually care about Hinata) had gotten bored and left, but seems like there's still some hanging out...)
See you next time!
MVH