Sasuke had woken up hours ago. He lay there staring at the ceiling, only vaguely aware that the sun had finally risen. This new sleeping pattern of his had emerged pretty soon after the war ended. He often woke up far earlier than he had any need to, and unable to fall back asleep, would lie in what could only be described as a vegetative state. It was becoming maddening to him. The young man only had one goal driving him in his life which was to kill his brother. And he did. Then he wanted to kill the people responsible for his brother killing his clan. And he did. Then he didn't particularly want the world to be destroyed by Kaguya Otsutsuki, so he helped kill her as well. He had the grace to finish off his endeavors with an "episode of hysteria" (as Sakura called it) in which he attempted to kill Naruto and establish a new world order for shinobi. This, he didn't do; instead, he lost his arm along with any purpose for his life.
After all of these trials, he had endured and came out as one of the strongest ninja currently alive. And had also landed himself in an era of unprecedented peace. Despite his doubts, the alliance between the five villages had not only remained intact but had also been greatly strengthened by the conclusion of the war. All of this to say, Sasuke didn't feel as though Konoha needed a kage-level shinobi such as himself at this moment. Not that they would send him on a mission if that was the case. The Uchiha was under probation until further notice which translated to until Kakashi could find a punishment acceptable for both the village elders and for Naruto and Sakura. So far he has come short of a solution, hence Sasuke's probation.
Sasuke didn't feel particularly trapped by his probation. He had free reign of the village, if he ever left his house that is, and it's not like anyone could stop him from leaving the village if he chose to. But he had resolved to do things the right way. For him, this meant taking on whichever punishment Kakashi dictated and only leaving with Naruto and Sakura's knowledge. That was a pretty recurring theme in his morning thoughts; Naruto and Sakura. It was only a matter of time until they became a couple.
Sasuke hadn't realized for a long time that he had fallen in love with Sakura. He had spent his teen years vehemently rejecting any signs of bonds between himself and others. He had been especially harsh towards Sakura, likely as a way of trying to compensate for how much he cared for her above all others. Sasuke could picture it often. The way she had cried the night he left, her face of terror when he gripped her by the throat, planning to kill her, and even the weary expression she had worn while healing the nubs that had remained and his and Naruto's arms. Their entire relationship was now placed on a foundation of repeated abuse and a stark lack of apologies. So when Sasuke realized that she had long since moved on from him, he finally let some of the guilt slip away.
He couldn't stay in his bed anymore.
Sasuke got up and got himself dressed, slipping on a long-sleeved gray shirt and his signature baggy black pants that were tight from the knee down. He took a deep breath before deciding that yes, he would go outside today, at least for a little while, and he opened his front door.
"Good morning bastard. Did you sleep well?" And there he was, the only part of Sasuke's probation that made him want to go rogue again. Sai leaned against the wall of his home with a very pleased smile on his face. Sasuke often wondered when the guy slept. If he even sleeps that is.
"Don't call me that," Sasuke answered briefly. This was the fifth attempt at a nickname that Sai had made towards him. Sakura explained that this meant Sai wanted to be friends, but since each name had been an insult, Sasuke felt pretty skeptical about that.
"Hmm, so that one's no good either," his smile gave Sasuke the creeps, "I had thought it might be good since Naruto calls you that pretty often." Sai pretended to enter a state of contemplation. Furrowing his brows and tapping a finger to his chin.
"Last time I checked you aren't Naruto," Sasuke sighed. Sai wasn't all that bad once he had realized that nearly all of his emotions were an act. It became easier to let his comments slide after that.
"Good point," And Sai went right back to his usual chipper self. It was like some sort of reset button had been pushed. Sasuke was almost envious of the way he regulated himself.
Sasuke continued on his way into the village. Kakashi had granted him back his clan's land, which was far too much for a singular person, and Sasuke had exactly one house built for himself. The rest of the area only contained new forest growth and the broken-down remnants of old buildings. The thought amused Sasuke from time to time that the only people who would lay homes down in this area would all be descendants of himself. The thought became less amusing when he would then be reminded of his prospects in love. Sakura was no longer interested (and Sasuke couldn't take advantage of her like that even if she still was) and the only other person that came to mind was Karin Uzumaki. In that situation, Sasuke had treated her much the same as he had treated Sakura, and what made it worse was that Sasuke didn't even love Karin. So that was an even crueler path to take.
He wandered along the streets of the village, receiving frequent glances from passersby. Sasuke had expected far more hostility upon his return, but most people stared due to the rinnegan that had taken home in his left eye. He had been making an effort to grow out his bangs to cover it, but so far they only reached just over his eyebrows, so he would have to endure the stares for a bit longer. Sai trailed dutifully behind him, always a few paces back. Sasuke realized that Sai wasn't there to prevent him from doing anything, the man simply wasn't on Sasuke's level, but he was there to report it if he did. Sai seemed to have a pretty decent skill in getting messages delivered. It also helped that he had a rather close relationship with Ino, the two frequently using mind transfer techniques as a means of communication. Sasuke could always tell when they were having their secret chats because Sai would let out a genuine smile. So in conclusion, Ino wasn't an option for Sasuke either.
It was a rather funny situation to find himself in. Before he had defected, he hadn't had trouble with girls in any way. In fact, the trouble he faced was that they wouldn't leave him alone. But it seems he had been a little too successful in the severance of his bonds with other people. Every woman that Sasuke had known during his time in the village he had somehow caused harm to, and everyone he didn't know was now weary around him. This was understandable, if it weren't for his help in waking everyone from the infinite Tsukuyomi he would have been fully branded a criminal.
What also felt funny was his decision to continue his clan. This had been his second biggest goal behind the death of his brother, but when everything went sideways after the truth had been revealed to him, he sacrificed this goal to seek further vengeance. Sasuke had finally been presented with the opportunity to think about his direction in life for the last few months and concluded that he still wanted a family for himself. It was a very freeing experience for him, he finally had a goal that wasn't rooted in his pain and anger. But he also felt that this task would be more difficult than his endless revenge plots. Sasuke didn't know where to start when it came to romance, he could barely even form friendships, and the women of the village no longer held any warm feelings towards him.
He stopped at a food stall where a little old woman worked and purchased a stick of dango. They had been Itachi's favorite. He watched out of his peripheral vision as Sai did the same thing but instead of eating the sweet, he stared at it as their walk continued. Seriously, what a weirdo.
"Uchiha," a deep voice greeted him. Sasuke looked over to see a tall man with long brown hair that had started to gray and a stern face. White eyes gazed back at him; Sasuke had always thought they gave the appearance of blindness which seemed like some genetic ploy to trick people into a false sense of security. A Hyuga then, and if Sasuke's memory served him correctly it was the head of the clan.
"Hyuga-sama," he nodded his head at the man. It likely would've been more polite to bow but he had just started working on redeveloping his social skills. Baby steps.
"Shall I join you on your walk?" the Hyuga said, approaching to fall in step with Sasuke as he did. It clearly hadn't been meant as a question.
"Of course," Sasuke said politely. It's not like he actually had a choice in the matter.
The walk unnerved him. The two continued at a slow pace through the village. Sasuke noticed he was now eliciting more stares with the head of the Hyuga clan strolling beside him. He also watched as the man received periodic bows and greetings; he did not reciprocate any of them. When he "accepted" the offer of the Hyuga's company, he had assumed him to be the kind of man to cut straight to whatever business he had with Sasuke, so the Uchiha wasn't sure what to do with himself at this time. Did the Hyuga expect Sasuke to strike up a conversation? Maybe he genuinely enjoyed waltzing around town with unsuspecting strangers. He could still sense Sai trailing along behind the pair. Sasuke took a glance to see he was sporting one of his genuine smiles, and this time it didn't seem to stem from Ino. He was amused by Sasuke's awkward social prison, the bastard.
"Do you have a girlfriend Uchiha-san?" The man broke the silence. Sasuke wasn't ready for this topic of conversation to be brought up. Especially by the Hyuga of all people.
"I do not," Sasuke replied.
"Fiance? Wife perhaps?" The Hyuga continued, unperturbed by the surrealness Sasuke was experiencing at this moment. He thought he may have heard Sai snort.
"Nobody," Sasuke said in his usual, even tone but even to him it sounded kind of sad.
"It would seem the Uchiha clan doesn't have a guaranteed future then," the Hyuga concluded. Who taught this guy his manners? Sasuke thought. They were even worse than his own.
"Not as of now, no," Sasuke could only guess what brought this conversation upon himself. Maybe he had been thinking too loudly earlier. Maybe it was even some practical joke set up by Sai; he wouldn't put it past him. But the way the Hyuga clan leader spoke made Sasuke doubt this. He didn't seem like the kind of man for pointless conversation or pranks.
"I have a daughter who is the same age as you. She was in the same class at the academy," Hinata Hyuga. Hiashi picked an imaginary hair off of the front of his robes. Sasuke had a feeling for what the man was insinuating with this comment but he couldn't be completely sure. Sasuke pictured the mousy girl that he remembered from the academy. She had been rather small and her eyes gave the impression that she was constantly surprised by something. Sasuke bit the bullet and cut straight to the point.
"Are you suggesting we would be a good match?" He felt awkward asking the question. Somehow he suddenly felt like he had been the one propositioning the Hyuga and not the other way around.
"I am not sure if I could say it's a good match," Sasuke could tell this was meant to be mildly insulting, "but out of the prospects I have gathered for my daughter so far, you may be the most agreeable to her." Sasuke could picture the way Hinata had trailed behind Naruto, similar to the way Sai was now except with far less asshole-ness involved.
"She probably wouldn't agree," Sasuke said flatly. In truth, an arranged marriage like this is probably the best outcome he could have hoped for. In a way, he would feel far less guilty marrying someone out of an agreement rather than someone who loved him. That probably wasn't healthy.
"The other options I have for her are. . ." The man searched for the right word, "older than would be desired. She is the heiress to the clan, and as such we want to guarantee she has at least one child with a pure byakugan. This leaves very few options overall, let alone in her age range." He finished. Sasuke could piece together what he was implying from this. The man wanted Sasuke for his sharingan, well, not the sharingan, but the gene pool it had come from. The Uchiha, like the Hyuga, are direct descendants of the Otsutsuki, and as such their ocular abilities came from the same source. If Hinata wasn't to marry another Hyuga, then an Uchiha would be the next best bet for obtaining a child with ocular abilities.
The situation made a lot more sense to Sasuke now.
The two men paused at the end of a path, facing the Hokage statues. Sasuke stared at Minato's face, tracing the resemblances to Naruto in his mind. He then thought back to his academy days once again. The mousy girl had treated Sasuke with proper manners and respect but she never ventured closer like the other girls had tried to do. Not once had she ever seemed interested in him at all, preferring to keep to herself. She had never been his fangirl.
"I would be willing to marry your daughter," The Hyuga nodded, "if she agrees to it," he could picture that same girl turning red in the face as Naruto barked jokes at her.
"That is helpful. I will have to speak with you again sometime Uchiha-san," he bowed towards Sasuke and Sasuke had the tact to bow back this time. The Hyuga turned away and made his way back towards the center of the village.
Sasuke looked over to where Sai was. No sooner had he made eye contact, than he had the pleasure to see Sai laughing for the first time.
It was disgusting.