Mari Makinami
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Chapter 19. Trinity
"Tell me everything you know about Jashin."
Hidan scowled, staring at Indra silently yet searchingly, as if trying to figure him out.
The reaction to the request among other members of Akatsuki was pretty different. Suigetsu cocked his eyebrow questioningly, apparently having no idea what Indra was talking about. Surprisingly enough, Karin seemed to be familiar with the matter given that she only frowned a bit, silently waiting for them to continue.
Jun, Jūgo and, much to his relief, Ashura remained impassive while Orochimaru smirked devilishly, sitting down on the rough wooden table and giving Hidan a quizzical look.
Yutaka appeared rather calm as well, although his activated Sharingan gave away the fact that he actually felt pretty tense.
"Why would you wanna about Jashin-sama? Are you trying to **** with me, *****?" Hidan growled, leaning forward, only to fall on his knees again the instant he moved towards Indra.
The younger Uchiha gave Yutaka a short studying glance, noticing the Mangekyō pattern in his eyes. It was the first time when the man used a technique of his new dōjutsu, but, much to Sasuke's surprise, he didn't seem to be suffering any typical drawbacks. Was it because of the Uzumaki blood …?
Making a mental note to dwell into the matter later, Indra said calmly,
"No. This is important to me, otherwise I wouldn't have asked you."
Apparently Hidan never realized that this time the binding genjutsu had been produced by another Uchiha, so he just coughed, still peering at the face of the new leader of Akatsuki and spitting another portion of blood on the stone floor – it seemed that he bit his tongue in attempts to break the illusion, which was strange considering that it evidently didn't help him at all.
"Maybe it is … maybe you're lying. Well, no matter. If you want immortality, you won't get it."
Indra suddenly chuckled, making Hidan frown in confusion.
"Don't worry, child, I don't seek immortality. I've already attained it long ago."
Wasn't that a bit too much for this act? Perhaps it was, but Sasuke decided to not focus on it for now. After all, unlike Naruto, he hadn't received the special training on creating a decent fake personality, so pretending to be a different man, let alone an ancient one, wasn't something the Uchiha was familiar with, even if he himself had been that man once upon a time. It would've been much easier if he retained the memories of his past lives, but since he didn't have any of them, there was no other choice but simply imagining his first incarnation according to the knowledge he possessed and trying to imitate the behavior. And the Uchiha believed that this was approximately how he would've talked to mortals if he was a few hundred years old.
Especially to the likes of Hidan who weren't really the brightest in their generation.
"Is that so?" The purple eyes widened a bit; apparently Sasuke managed to catch the interest of the tenth member of Akatsuki, after all, although his expression was still rather skeptical. "That's what Orochimaru told me about you and this woman ... Ashura? Eh, anyway … let's assume that I believe you. But I know for a fact that it's impossible for people to receive her blessing more often than once in fifty years or so. Last time it was me back when I was still a kid. Which means that you must be very old. But you hardly look older than me, you bastard. And same goes for this Ashura. Care to explain?"
Indra stepped closer, still gazing at the man impassively before uttering softly,
"Our power comes from a different source. You have nothing to worry about; I just want to know about your goddess as much as possible. I'm very old indeed … and so is Ashura. We grew tired of living without knowing what power stands behind the creation of everything in our world. And I was told that you were the only one who had managed to come in direct contact with the goddess herself. That's why I want you to share this knowledge with us. And, as a gesture of good will," Indra's Sharingan deactivated, and so did Yutaka's a second later, removing the non-existent shackles that were binding the Jashinist in his mind, "I'm not going to restrict you anymore unless you try behave hostile towards other members."
"About damn time," Hidan blurted, rubbing his temple crossly, although looking notably pleased with the granted freedom. "Alright, if you are interested for real… I guess it won't hurt if I tell you … after all, none of you will be able to even talk to Jashin-sama no matter what tricks you have up your sleeves." He glared at Indra and Ashura suspiciously before sitting down on the cold floor, propping his chin. "I was born in Yugakure. My mother was a ***** in a brothel, so I have no idea who's my father. Nothing unusual for that place back in the days anyway. Well, long story short, she's got herself killed by one of her clients, so I've been adopted by Aoba, a shinobi from Yu. He taught me to fight and all the other shit necessary for survival … as well as introduced me to the Cult."
The Cult …? Sasuke helf back a smirk. Now this was getting interesting …
"It didn't have any name back then, but its members were the ones who made me who I am nowadays. Though I guess you could say that it turned to be mutual in the end," he grinned, studying Indra's emotionless expression as if trying to find for a sign of something that would give him a reason to not continue the story.
But he found nothing to complain about, so he kept speaking, "They mostly did nothing useful, always babbling about some turbid ancient legends and other useless shit, but there also were a few stargazers. The brainiacs, like everyone else called them. I myself was just a stupid brat back then, so I don't know what exactly did they do, but I think they calculated something about the trajectory of the moon and other planets or some shit like that ..."
Indra flinched at his last line, and so did Ashura. They exchanged short anxious glances, but apparently Hidan didn't notice that, deepening in his memories.
"Basically, they prepared some kind of a ritual to reflect the chakra off the moon and connect it with the realm of Jashin-sama. And since I was the only 'untainted child' there, whatever the **** it meant, they decided to use me as the medium. They said that the ritual can only be performed approximately once per fifty years when the certain positioning of planets occurs, and the connection only lasts for a minute or so. And so they did it. I was lying there, tied and bleeding, but it didn't matter." His eyes suddenly became absolutely insane as he raised them to glare at the others in the room, yelling maniacally, "I could talk to her! To Jashin-sama! And she was talking to me! Nothing else mattered, nothing else matters! Do you Understand? I …," he blurted loudly, tempting Sasuke to activate the Sharingan again to shut him up.
It already was far too suspicious even prior to this talk with Hidan. He knew of only one person who was immortal in the same way this man was – that was why he had decided to investigate the whole Jashin issue in the first place when Orochimaru had mentioned the strange phenomenon. And now that this madman also had mentioned the mysterious 'her', as well as the moon as the only mean to create the connection with this 'her' … his suspicion grew with every second.
"What did she say to you?" Indra interrupted him impatiently, making Hidan flinch, looking a bit confused. Apparently it wasn't that often when somebody took his tale serious, and the fact that his new leader actually looked dead serious now made the man feel lost for a moment.
"I … she … she told me that she's to come back to our world soon. She said that she's going to destroy ninja and reclaim what is rightfully hers. And that I'm the one to help her fulfill this goal! I'm the chosen one, get it? She blessed me with immortality so that I could become her eternal servant! So that I could kill all of her enemies before she would arrive!"
"Was that why you've decided to join Akatsuki in the first place?" Ashura suddenly asked, looking just as just troubled as Indra.
"Yeah, why? It was like the best opportunity to do so, don't you think? And now that I'm back, I can keep serving the purpose that was given to me! Suck it, you pineapple headed ****er! Ha-ha!" Everyone in the room aside from Sasuke and Naruto stared at him in complete confusion as they heard his last line, obviously unable to grasp who he was referring to.
But it didn't matter at the moment.
"Listen, Hidan … I have a very serious question now. Did you actually see her? Do you know what Jashin-sama looks like?" asked Indra, perhaps a bit more emotionally than he intended to.
The madman narrowed his eyes, glaring at him suspiciously for a few seconds before drawling,
"I did. I know. Her beauty outshines everything in this world … but I won't tell you anything else. You're non-believers, so you're not worthy of this sacred knowledge. I've already told you 'nuff, you plebs."
Sasuke gritted his teeth in irritation. Just how strong was the urge to incinerate this fanatic on the spot…
But he had to find out the truth. And there was no other choice but pulling it out of Hidan by talking to him. Using the Human Path on the man could be dangerous – he was clearly mentally unhealthy, and the Uchiha wasn't sure what could happen to his own psychic if he touched his mind. After all, he still hadn't practiced the technique enough to be absolutely confident.
"Fair enough, don't tell us then. Just answer one question. Did she resemble a rabbit in any way?" he asked, making the room sink into awkward silence, broken only by Suigetsu's sneer the white haired teen apparently didn't manage to hold back, quickly paling and becoming quiet at the dead cold glare coming from Indra.
But apparently Hidan didn't find it neither funny nor offensive at all. In fact, he just stared at the Uchiha and Ashura as if having a hard time deciding what to say.
"How do you know about it?" he finally uttered in the unusually quiet manner, making Sasuke's heart skip a beat.
So this was it. Jashin most likely was nobody else but Ōtsutsuki Kaguya. And the Cult had managed to find a way to connect with her somehow… while she already was here, in their world, with her conscious imprisoned inside of the Gedō Mazō that Madara had summoned after attaining his Rinnegan.
And the way to come in touch with her still existed … he had been correct in his suspicions all along!
Feeling Ashura's tight grip on his shoulder, Sasuke realized that Naruto had come to the same conclusion, which was good. Together they would be able to find and sever Kaguya's last connection to their world. They still had more than ample time according to Hidan's words, after all.
But in order to do so, they would need him to introduce them to the Cult later, so he had to be very careful around the man from now on to not scare him away, preferably earning his trust.
"I think I've seen her back when I was young … centuries ago," he finally lied, making Hidan gasp in shock.
"Her …! You remember her being here in this world?" he nearly yelled as his hands started shaking of the excitement.
"Yeah … I remember her a little. Like I said, we are really old despite the looks. But for now, it's irrelevant. Listen … we, Akatsuki, have a few goals to accomplish. And to do so, we need your aid."
Hidan's face quickly changed, becoming aggressive again.
"Huh? While it's shocking to find out that you actually have seen Jashin-sama, don't you dare telling me that your goals are something related to gathering money. I'm out of this shit, had enough of Kakuzu in the past!" he barked, looking at Indra askance.
"No … actually, this time it's something that you are very fond of. We're about to clash with Kusagakure, and I need you and your new partner to lead our forces to crush them. Can you make it?"
Hidan simply shrugged.
"Yeah, of course I can. Is that it? Just to kill some Kusa rats?"
"Virtually, yes. We shall talk about Jashin and everything concerning her once this problem is solved. For now, take your time recovering and training to retain your former shape. The battle might start any moment now."
The man grinned madly, nodding quickly.
"Fine … I'm looking forward to that. If you really saw Jashin-sama, I want to know everything about it. And if you're telling the truth … perhaps I will tell you more myself," he added, getting up from the floor.
Indra gave him the tiniest of smiles, nodding as well.
"Seems like a fair deal. For now, you are dismissed. Everyone," his gaze slid over every ninja in the room. "Orochimaru will give you the rings by the evening. Yutaka, I need to talk to you in private. Let's go. Everyone else, dismissed as well." He turned around, walking out of the room, followed immediately by the older Uchiha.
Ashura suddenly slapped her forehead, turning to the only real woman in the room.
"Oh, that reminds me …! Karin! Can we talk? In private, too," she smiled at the other kunoichi, to which she chuckled.
"Sure. I expected that you'd want to talk. Let's go." They went out of the stocks as well, striding quickly towards the empty room where Naruto's Hiraishin seals were placed.
Making sure that nobody was following them, the blond Uzumaki turned into his real form, smirking at his cousin.
"Sasuke sure made quite a show there, didn't he?"
She gave him a sly glance, fixing the glasses on her nose.
"I think the fuss you've made just prior to that was much better. Shame I wasn't there to see it myself. And here I thought you were a sensory type as well … poor Hinata," the girl sighed pretentiously, shaking her head and suppressing a sneer.
Naruto's cheeks reddened rapidly as he slapped his face with his palm.
"Please … not you too, Karin-chan. I've already had enough of that with Sasuke ..."
The red haired kunoichi smirked devilishly as they walked along the narrow corridor.
"Yeah, I'm quite surprised that he hasn't killed you up there. Anyway … they will have enough time to overtake arrears later. What exactly did you want to discuss with me?" she asked as they entered the room, closing the door behind themselves.
"And you even have to ask?" He gasped, staring at the young woman. "I know next to nothing about my clan! I always thought that there was no way for me to find another clansman, and now I meet you, my cousin! An Uzumaki!"
Karin sighed sadly, sitting down in the middle of the room and gazing at the teen in all seriousness.
"I understand … but I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I don't know that much about our clan as well. You see, I grew up in Kusa and joined Orochimaru-sama later, working under his tutelage all this time. I've never even been to Uzushiogakure in the first place. The only things I know are a few techniques of our clan, thanks to Orochimaru-sama. Various seals and something else, but that's about it, I think." She smiled apologetically, lowering her crimson eyes. She wouldn't admit it, but for a reason she herself didn't know she was afraid to see the lights go out of the cheerful blue eyes.
"Meh, don't worry about it!" He exclaimed cheerfully, making Karin snap her head in surprise and give Naruto a baffled look. What she had told him certainly wasn't supposed to leave him in a good mood, was it …? "We'll figure something out! Mom said that the remains of our clan had been scattered across the globe after the destruction of Uzushio, so I bet we're not the only survivors!"
Karin stared at the blond, being completely shocked. Just what was he trying to say …?
"Eh? Are you implying that you're going to look for the the other survivors? Do you intend to restore our clan …?" she babbled, unsure what to the expect from her weird new-found relative.
"Of course! But we won't have to look for 'em. Unlike Sasuke's clan, ours hasn't been wiped out – just disbanded, from what I was told. When I'll become the Hokage, I'm gonna announce that any Uzumaki is welcome in Konoha. I think it's gonna work just fine considering what we're planning to do … with making it the best place in the world and everything, y'know." His expression darkened a bit as he sat in front of her, forming a few hand signs. "By the way, what you did to this room is absolutely splendid! Can you teach me how to do such things?"
In spite of still being shocked by the blond revealing his intention concerning their clan, Karin smirked, feeling quite proud of herself for once. Such a powerful shinobi asking her to teach him wasn't something that occurred to the kunoichi every day to say the least. And she loved being useful, especially to someone who truly appreciated it.
"Y-Yeah … sure. I can sense that you've placed your own signature seals all over the place …" She fixed the glasses again, looking around as if trying to see the invisible marks.
"Well, yea! When I saw your work, I kinda figured that it would be the best place to use it for teleportation and stuff. Since the girls can't see through the walls here with their Byakugan, and even I can't sense anything outside of it while we're in … damn, you really must teach me that! And all the other cool stuff, too!"
Karin grinned complacently, taking a few scrolls out of her pockets.
"Well then, I hope you are a fast learner. Some of these are very difficult, it took me months to master them. Do you think you can keep up?" she asked teasingly, realizing that somebody who rivaled Sasuke himself had to be a true genius, yet still unable to fight the temptation to taunt the teen a little bit, finding his expressive behavior quite funny and relaxing.
That's why she wasn't surprised one bit when he smirked as well, forming the familiar hand sign.
"Oh, you have no idea … Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
*****
"Settle down. It's going to take a while. And don't even think about trying something. You are no match for me anymore," Hinata said harshly, staring at her younger sister with her arms crossed on her chest.
Hanabi swallowed hard, sitting on the bed hesitantly. Of course, after everything their father had done, she didn't expect a warm welcome, but seeing her how much good old Hinata had changed … her ice cold eyes sent chills down her spine, and that was quite something considering that she always had withstood Hiashi's glares effortlessly.
But Hinata … not only she looked quite different from what the young kunoichi remembered, but she also seemed absolutely confident which always was completely foreign to her. It could be seen in Hinata's eyes – she was absolutely sure that she could easily take Hanabi down should it become necessary.
And somehow this glare of hers made the girl feel the same way.
She wasn't sure where to start her tale. Would she even be able to convince Hinata of her goodwill? Apparently her sister didn't trust her one bit anymore. Just what had Sasuke done to her? What could've possible led to such dramatic changes …?
"Well, nē-chan … it's, uh–"
"Quit this game. I'm not buying any of your cheap stories. The clan won't be able to fool me ever again," the black haired Hyūga replied calmly, interrupting Hanabi.
The younger girl's eyes widened. Ever again …? She must be talking about …
"It was Kō, wasn't it? Was it because of him you–"
"No, it wasn't because of him. He was merely following father's orders, just like all of you lapdogs. I was a naive idiot to believe that there is something more to this damned clan than the blind intention of following a bigot's will."
Hanabi lowered her eyes shamefully, hugging herself as if she suddenly found Hinata's gaze being too cold to stand.
"Yeah, I know," she uttered quietly, "That's why I agreed to this plan to begin with."
Hinata was silent for a few seconds, peering at the girl searchingly and waiting for her to continue, but she didn't say anything, just staring at the floor instead.
"What plan are you talking about? And how exactly Sasuke and Naruto are involved in this? What are they hiding from me?"
The younger kunoichi sighed intermittently, afraid to meet Hinata's eyes again. She could only hope that this new foreign person whom her sister had become trusted the Uchiha enough to believe him once he would confirm her story.
Finally gathering the courage to go on, Hanabi replied slowly,
"Well … it all started when I found out that you were going to receive the seal. I … I felt furious, nē-chan. I couldn't believe that father was going to actually do that to you … I approached him then, tried to talk him out of this idea. But he never listened." The girl could feel the betraying tears filling her eyes, making her grit her teeth in an attempt to keep calm. "I had to do something … I … there was no other way …" Unable to hold it back anymore, she whimpered, finally allowing the mask she had been wearing ever since that day give a crack. All the frightening questions she had been pushing away all along, being afraid of the possible answers, rapidly filled her mind now, making the girl's body start trembling as the long suppressed stress finally hit her.
"What did you do?" Hinata frowned, taking a step toward Hanabi but stopping midway. Apparently she still thought that this could be an act …
The unbridled fury filled every fiber of the brown haired kunoichi, making the tears stream down her cheeks as she clenched her fists.
Just what had that bastard Kō done to her beloved sister to make her this suspicious of her, of all people? What kind of a monster he was to harm like this someone he had been nursing ever since her childhood …?
"I … w-when I found out you were missing, I came to the S-Sixth straight away. I … I told him everything. What father intended to do, what made you leave the village. What was truly going on in our clan, about the atrocities they commit to those f-from the B-Branch House … everything. And he … he offered me a choice. I … see, I had to … nobody else could do that! Nobody else would ever dare!" she yelped, biting her lip and shaking her head.
"What ...? What kind of a choice …?" Hinata gasped, coming close to her shaking sister and kneeling before her, trying to look the suddenly stuttering girl in the eyes, but Hanabi turned away, afraid to meet her gaze.
"I … I could w-wait for f-father to pass away and hence to allow me to l-lead the clan one day, y-years later … making you become a nukenin. W-Waiting patiently for that day to come, f-following father's will like I was always meant to. Or … the H-Hokage offered me to join ANBU to become his eyes and ears w-within the clan. And in exchange … he p-promised me to come up with a plan to get rid of f-father … to arrange … his death." She sobbed, closing her face with her palms. "It's been s-settled … I've been promised ... an opportunity to kill him … s-soon enough to change the clan before it becomes too late, you see? This way, I could get rid of this abomination that's been tainting our bloodline for ages …! And also to make it possible for you … to come back," she finished, her voice dropping to a whisper by the end of the phrase.
Hinata slowly raised her arm and reached out to the crying girl, touching her forearm lightly and making Hanabi flinch, opening her tearful eyes and staring at her sister perplexedly.
"Is it true? Was Sasuke aware of this?" the older Hyūga uttered softly, finally allowing herself to show a tiny bit of her old compassionate personality that she still kept locked deep inside.
Hanabi nodded slowly first, but then quickly shook her head.
"Yeah … no... I mean, he knew that I w-was on your side since the very beginning. He also knew that the S-Sixth had some plan to deal with f-father and that I was involved … but he didn't know about the s-specifics. We'd met in Konoha just prior to your birthday, you know." The memory made a small smile break through the endless sobs. "I told him that the day was coming and asked him not to mention it to you … that I was involved, th-that is. I didn't want you to know … I thought that if you found out, you could've decided to come back to the village and try to talk me out of it. But you would've got caught if you tried. I couldn't allow it!" she blurted, closing her face again and crying desperately. She didn't know if Hinata was going to believe her or not, but there hardly was anything else the kunoichi could come up with to convince her sister. Her only tiny glimpse of hope was that the Uchiha would confirm her story later, and perhaps then her sister would trust her again…
That's why Hanabi gasped when Hinata touched her chin gently, making the younger Hyūga stare into the eyes that looked exactly like her own in disbelief, taken completely by surprise of the warm gesture, and even more so by the dreamy smile that was now playing on her sister's lips, suddenly making everything around seem very surreal.
"So that's how he knew … I see now … it was thanks to you …!"
Hanabi hiccuped, baffled by the sudden reaction.
"Knew …? Knew what?"
Hinata's smile became even wider, and then she hugged her, finally stopping the shaking in her body.
"My birth date. I was wondering how did come he had known it, because Sasuke was the last person whom I would've expected to be interested in such trivial things. And now it makes sense … it was all because of you. The best birthday in my life … was thanks to you, Hanabi." The younger kunoichi felt herself melting in the warm embrace as she was hearing Hinata's rapid heartbeat, feeling something she had never hoped to feel again.
She felt at home.
"R-Really? The best, you say? What did he do?" she muttered perplexedly, hearing Hinata giggle quietly.
"Not that much, when you think about it … he's got me a present and took me out for a dinner. But coming from someone like Sasuke …" Hanabi couldn't help but sneer as Hinata pulled away from her, sitting down on the floor on her knees and smiling happily. Just like the old times …
"Yeah, I get it. To think that the almighty Uchiha could do such cute, trivial things … I guess it turned out to be not that bad? Traveling with him, that is," she mumbled, wiping the tears off her face.
Hinata lowered her eyes as her cheeks reddened a little.
"It was … probably the best thing that ever happened to me. By now, I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. Sometimes it all still seems unbelievable, but Sasuke … he ..." She stopped, making Hanabi smile reassuringly.
"He loves you, doesn't he?"
To her surprise and confusion, Hinata let out a heavy sigh, staring at the floor thoughtfully.
"I don't know … and it doesn't really matter to me. I love him, and I'm going to stay by his side no matter what. I owe him everything, Hanabi. What I've become … all this … my very life. If not for him, I would've been dead long ago. And … I'm not sure if it's going to make you sad or happy," she met Hanabi's puzzled gaze again, her smile vanishing. "You were wrong. Even if I knew about your plan, I wouldn't have come back to the village unless he wanted me to return or returned himself."
Unsure how to react to the revelation, Hanabi nodded slowly, taking her sister's hand in hers hesitantly.
"That's … a relief, I suppose? I … at least now I can see you are happy with him. And … you sure have changed a lot, too …" She smiled sheepishly, and so did Hinata. "He trained you, didn't he?"
She nodded.
"Yes, he did … and not only that. A lot of things have happened."
"You mean your new kekkei genkai?" Hanabi asked curiously, making the rogue kunoichi flinch.
"How do you know about it …?" Once again there was a note of suspicion on Hinata's voice, but Hanabi just shrugged casually, clearly not considering it a big dial.
"It was in Orochimaru-san's report. He had sent it to the Sixth, and there was some detailed information concerning every member of Akatsuki save for Sasuke, Naruto and Hidan."
The black haired Hyūga sighed resignedly, lowering her head.
"So … it's official now? I'm a nukenin ..."
Hanabi could feel her heart sinking for a second, but she wasn't going to lie to her sister no matter how harsh the truth could possibly be.
"Yes … I'm so sorry, nē-chan–"
"Don't be." Hanabi stopped, meeting her reassuring smile. "I've chosen this path myself, and I have no regrets. I just hope that you're not going to let the clan chase me when you'll become the head," she joked, sneering at the idea.
"What …? No, of course I won't let it, you stupid!" she punched Hinata in the shoulder lightly, making the young woman giggle in the manner that totally didn't match her recent behavior.
"I missed you, Hanabi." She finally admitted, giving the brown haired girl a warm, loving smile.
"Oh, I missed you so much as well, nē-chan!" Hanabi pounced on her sister, hugging her as tight as she could, making Hinata gasp as it became a bit hard for her to breath.
"Ugh … you sure have become quite strong … and big, too …" she squeezed out, albeit returning the hug.
"Not as strong as you are, I bet!" She let Hinata go, wiping her face quickly again and meeting the now warm and welcoming white eyes of her sister. "I'm dying to see what you can do with all the new techniques! Orochimaru-san stated in his report that you're an S-rank now, that's quite something if you ask me! Could very well become a Hokage yourself!"
Hinata sighed, shaking her head, though unable to hold back the happy smile. She hadn't realized it until now, but she truly missed this – being around Hanabi and simply chattering about different trifles.
"I think we could spar later, if you want. I still need to talk to Sasuke–"
"To talk, huh?" she drawled, making the older sister blush in an instant.
"Don't you dare," the young woman mumbled, getting up and looking around. "Anyway, I need to dress up first." She reached out for Sasuke's shirt, taking the cloak off.
Hanabi frowned, watching as Hinata bared in front of her so casually, smoothing the wrinkled fabric of the cloth and evidently not giving a damn about being naked in front of another person. She probably didn't even think about it now, but to her younger sister it was a very notable contrast; Hinata always had been so shy whenever she had to undress, and now she just stood in front of her as if it was nothing …
Once again the girl realized just how much her sister had changed during the last half of the year. It wasn't just her physical capabilities, so it seemed. She nearly radiated strength and confidence now … quite unlike herself.
"Sorry about the interruption, by the way," Hanabi suddenly said, "I really didn't know you were … well ... it's just that Naruto ..."
Hinata shrugged indifferently, putting on the shirt with the Uchiha crest on its back which once again made Hanabi stare at her in amazement.
"Well, that's Naruto for you. You better get used to his attitude, you're the one who's going to have to withstand it for many years."
Hanabi blushed rapidly, gasping loudly.
"Wh– What? Why is that?"
Hinata turned her head to her and glared at the girl in slight confusion, apparently not understanding her reaction.
"He's going to be the Hokage, and you're an ANBU. What do you think?"
Now she felt herself very stupid, because the question Hinata asked her hit into the bull-eye. What on earth was she thinking when she heard her phrase ...?
"Um … ugh … never mind," she mumbled quickly, turning away and silently thanking Hinata for retaining at least one of her former traits – the lack of the annoying habit to push whenever the person she was talking to felt embarrassed.
"Now then … I believe it's getting pretty late," Hinata said, putting her pants on and looking for her sandals. "Aren't you tired? I think you should find Sasuke and ask him about a spare room. I understand you're going to stay for a while, aren't you?"
"Oh … Yeah. Father is going to strike this place soon enough. Until then, I've been ordered to stay here, so don't hope to get rid of me so soon," Hanabi smirked, watching her sister as she was fixing her hair.
"Well, that's fine by me. But you still have to ask either Sasuke or Yutaka about the room. They are the ones who are in charge here."
Hanabi blinked a few times in slight confusion before muttering,
"Yutaka …? Who's that? I don't recall seeing this name in the report of Orochimaru-san. By the way …," she grinned devilishly, eyeing the older Hyūga and down. "This shirt really suits you."
Surprisingly enough, this time Hinata didn't show any signs of shyness; instead, she came close to the bed, falling onto it tiredly and turning to Hanabi who had to turn around to face her as well.
"Oh, that's a very long story. Come here, this is going to take a while."
*****
"That's ... impressive," Sasuke muttered to himself, watching the black lightning he had just produced sparking in Yutaka's hand now. "Do you feel any drawbacks?"
The man shrugged indifferently, although wincing a little bit as he was trying to maintain the control over Sasuke's jutsu.
"Well, chakra this potent is hard for me to handle … but I believe this is thanks to my right eye that I can manage it, at least somehow. I'm fairly sure that it's going to disintegrate the instant I stop infusing my eye with my own chakra, though." The barely notable smile on the man's usually impassive face didn't escape Sasuke's gaze, which made the teen feel relieved.
At least Yutaka seemed a quite happy about his new power … as well as about the fact that his clan's head kept his word and actually started teaching him the secrets of his heritage.
"That's strange. Back when I had just awakened my Mangekyō, it hurt me whenever I tried to use it. Don't you feel your eyes aching?"
The man shook his head as the pattern in his eyes changed – they turned back into a pair of base Sharingan. And apparently he had been correct in his earlier assumption – Sasuke's Rikudō Chidori disappeared the same moment.
"No … not really. My head hurts a little, but that's okay. You know what I think about pain," he smirked grimly, brushing a strand of his reddish black hair off his face.
Sasuke nodded thoughtfully as the purple ribs of Susanō formed around him.
"Very interesting. Apparently the Uzumaki genes prevent your eyes from getting blind of the strain of using your abilities … and although you still lack the power benefits of the Eternal Mangekyō, at least you should be able to maintain a complete Susanō after some training. The ability to steal chakra constructs is pretty impressive as well. Try stealing this now," Yutaka nodded intently, looking very collected and a bit nervous as he activated his dōjutsu again.
And just as he did it, something strange happened. The Susanō that was covering Indra's incarnation disappeared instantly; at the same time, the similar chakra avatar of the same size appeared around the older Uchiha, rapidly changing its color to bloody red, along with a few minor differences in the form.
"What are you feeling now?" Sasuke asked carefully, noticing the perplexed expression on his clansman's face.
"Weird … the pain became much stronger. My entire body hurts quite a lot now. But I think I can maintain this so long as I have chakra … and I believe I have more than ample," he smirked as the Susanō's arms moved, forming a shield and a double-edged glaive.
It was true that Yutaka's chakra reserves were pretty immense. In his current state, he most likely would be able to keep Susanō up for at least an hour or so before getting completely drained.
It was indeed a big fortune that his mother was an Uzumaki ...
"For now, avoid putting too much chakra into it, especially in a battle. Without the due practice, you might end up losing control over it and thus wasting significant amount of energy.
"Wait a second," the older man muttered timidly, deactivating the Sharingan in his eyes that widened in surprise the same second – the avatar actually didn't disappear, much to his amazement. "It's … it's still there!" He gasped, moving the chakra arms of his shell again.
Sasuke nodded approvingly, grinning contentedly as he observed Yutaka's performance.
"Susanō doesn't require the Sharingan to be activated for you to use it after you've acquired it once. Even if someone takes your eyes, you will still have it. Aside from it, that's probably because you've mixed some of your own chakra into the jutsu you had stolen. This one is not that powerful for you to not be able to control it, I suppose. I doubt you could keep the Perfect Susanō up, though, but even at this rate, this technique of yours seems incredibly effective. Virtually, you can steal the chakra without coming into direct contact with your enemy, preserving its shape or even changing it if needed … how often do you think you can use it?"
Still mesmerized by his newly obtained chakra construct, Yutaka narrowed his eyes calculatingly.
"Not that often, so it seems. Once a minute or so, I believe. It seems to require some time to recharge," he mumbled, smashing the chakra glaive into the stone floor of the big hall and piercing it with the same ease as a hot knife could be cutting through a piece of butter.
"Now then, that's enough for now. What about the other eye of yours? Have you tested it yet? What can it do?" asked Sasuke, watching as the red Susanō dispersed in the air at his command.
"Yes. I've tested it on Hidan down there, though he didn't seem to realize it. When I tried to use the same genjutsu you had used on him … well, I'm not sure if I got it right, but it seemed like the portion of my chakra that had entered his system with the genjutsu allowed me to attain the partial control over his body. He clearly realized that it was pointless after his first failed attempt, but I still have made him bit his tongue again while he didn't intend to do so."
The younger Uchiha's eyes widened in surprise. So that's what really happened back then ...
That sure was one very tricky and powerful ability. In its essence, it seemed to work in the way very much similar to that of controlling a body with Rinnegan's Six Paths. Albeit the Rinnegan's technique was based on channeling the chakra into a body through the receivers, providing a flawless control, this one seemed to be less powerful, but on the contrary it didn't require anything but casting a genjutsu. The question was how strong could the potential impact be in theory …
"Try using it on me," he said after some thinking, to which Yutaka nodded quickly, performing his genjutsu on Sasuke.
Sinking into the illusory world, the teen didn't try to resist it first, so he could feel his arm move on its own, gripping his sword and taking it out of the scabbard.
The next second he could already feel the muscles of his legs tense, and just as they made him jump backwards, the Uchiha tried to regain the control over his body, only to smack hard on the floor, grunting more of the ridicule of his pose than of pain.
"Not bad … not bad at all," he got up quickly, wiping the dust off his cloak. "How long can it last?"
Yutaka shrugged, looking unsure, as well as … was suppressing a sneer as he watched his fall …?
"I guess it depends on many factors. If you didn't resist, I probably could've made it last for half a minute or so. It consumes quite a lot of chakra, but the good part of it is that I myself can actually move, keeping the jutsu up at the same time." He smiled excitingly, making Sasuke smirk unwillingly as well.
The ability of Yutaka's left eye turned to be shockingly impressive to say the least. Of course, it required incredibly high mastery and sure was going to take a lot of training for him to be able to use it in real combat with maximum efficiency, but the potential possibilities it provided …
In theory, it could allow him to avoid a fatal strike, to save his comrade from one, or even make his enemy kill himself in action … along with many, many other things that already flowed through Sasuke's head, making him feel nearly as excited as Yutaka himself was.
"Now then … considering all of your abilities, your eyes make you a very hard target to kill. That's good. I want you to survive no matter what, don't forget it. After all," Sasuke made a short pause, feeling a bit overwhelmed with the memories of the past for a second as he muttered, lowering his voice, "You're family."
Yutaka then did something the younger Uchiha never expected him to do – he smirked pertly, nodding.
"I know. And I feel the same way. Don't worry, though; I don't plan on dying before I fulfill my ambitions."
Sasuke's eyebrows cocked in surprise at the familiar line.
"Ambitions? And what are they?"
Yutaka deactivated the Sharingan, closing his eyes.
"That's a stupid question. I didn't receive this last gift from Kimiko for nothing. I want to revive our clan. And to make this village a great place. In order to do so, it's crucial to stay alive, don't you think so?"
The raven haired teen smirked in understanding.
"Hn. It is indeed." He stepped towards the entrance of the hall. "We're done for now. I still need to prepare for tomorrow, and you should have some rest. Uzumaki blood or not, using Mangekyō for the first time is pretty exhausting."
Yutaka's face changed back to a serious one quickly as he nodded in agreement.
"Understood. Are you going to need my aid in the upcoming mess?"
Sasuke shook his head, but then stopped for a moment.
"No … although … yes, perhaps I will. Meet me at the Gates in the morning. We'll discuss it there."
"Will do," came the immediate reply.
The younger Uchiha went out of the hall, walking quickly towards the stairs to get back to the bedroom.
After all, he still needed to sort things out between himself and Hinata …
Hopefully her sister would turn to be smart enough to solve this little problem prior to his arrival. Sasuke certainly wasn't in the mood for scenes, especially with what awaited him the next day.
To his big pleasure, just when he reached their floor, the door in the end of the long corridor snapped open, allowing him to see the brown haired Hyūga girl walk out of the room, closing the door behind her and going straight towards him. And she looked … happy?
Well then … perhaps she's not an idiot, after all.
"So?" he asked laconically when they approached each other, glaring at her cheerful face impassively.
"It's alright. You may go in, she's not going to kill you." The girl winked at him, making the Uchiha frown.
"What did you say to her?" he asked demandingly, but, surprisingly enough, the kunoichi didn't seem to be afraid of his cold glare.
"The truth. After all, you weren't really involved in my plan, were you? I only asked you to not mention our meeting to her, that's all."
They kept looking at each other silently for a few seconds before Sasuke finally let out a tired sigh.
"Whatever. Hopefully you didn't make it any worse."
The girl smirked.
"You're going to be surprised. Oh, by the way … Hinata said that I should ask you about a room where I can stay, so ..."
"Just pick whichever you find suitable. Most of them are not used, but they may not be as comfortable as the bedrooms in the Hyūga estate," he said, regretting it instantly seeing as her expression quickly darkened, making the kunoichi lower her eyes sadly.
"I can imagine what you think of me, Uchiha-san … but you are wrong if you believe that I'm someone who craves comfort. All I care about is saving my clan. But I'm sure you know the feeling, don't you?" her quiet insinuating voice made something in Sasuke's heart twitch unpleasantly, making the teen frown, feeling … shame?
"Yeah … sorry," he replied indifferently, turning away and walking towards their room.
Opening the door, he cocked his eyebrow as he noticed Hinata lying on their bed on her back with her hand outstretched in front of herself, studying at her nails and … ignoring him?
Uh-huh. So they had noticed him approaching beforehand, and that's why Hanabi had decided to retire just in time to meet him outside the room.
"That was a bit rude of you," the young woman uttered calmly, not looking at the Uchiha.
"What exactly are you talking about?" he asked, taking his cloak off and throwing it at the table.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"Indeed … it could be said about many things when it comes to you. But right now, I'm talking about Hanabi. What you've just said to her was rude and totally uncalled."
Sasuke simply shrugged, sitting down on the bed. Hinata's behavior was strange, but he had to admit to himself that he actually had expected worse.
"I said I'm sorry."
"Are you?"
"Not really," he replied honestly, unsure where this conversation was leading them, but he didn't really care. No matter what he felt for Hinata, he wasn't going to step over himself just because a brat's feelings could be hurt by the words of him, a stranger.
She didn't say anything for a few seconds, making the Uchiha start wondering what was she doing behind his back, but just as he decided to turn and look at her, the Hyūga suddenly asked,
"Why haven't you told me that the two of you had met each other in Konoha?" Her tone was as calm and blank as before.
"You never asked."
He could hear a light sneer behind his back which somehow sounded disturbing, making Sasuke clench his fist at the unfamiliar cold, uncomfortable feeling.
Was he afraid that she could possibly be mad at him?
Was he afraid of this girl's reaction to his actions?
Did her feelings really mean that much to him ...?
What a nonsense.
"I guess this is just who you are … I can only wonder how many times you're going to surprise me again in future."
"I love you."
What …? He could feel his heart stop, rendering him breathless at the complete silence that fell on the small room.
Just where the heck did this come from …? What on earth had he just done?
Fighting the urge to teleport out of the room right away, Sasuke slowly turned around, meeting the shocked gaze of Hinata's white eyes.
They just looked at each other for what seemed like a whole eternity until she finally opened her mouth, nearly whispering,
"That's … quite a surprise indeed."
He scowled. Was she mocking him now ...? Just what kind of a reaction was that …?
"I love you too. But I've already told you this."
They kept staring into each other's eyes for another minute as if the time froze before Sasuke asked,
"So … is everything alright?"
He wasn't sure if it was an optical illusion due to the dance of the flame of the torch on the wall, but he saw the corners of her mouth twitch.
"Not exactly," she replied quietly, putting him on the verge of an outburst.
"What is it, then?" he snapped. This girl was truly driving him insane ...
"It took you so long to come back that I had managed to retell Hanabi everything about out adventures in the last few months, in details. And … considering the state you've left me in ... what do you think it is?" she asked, lowering her eyes sheepishly as her cheeks reddened.
Overwhelmed with the vast spectrum of emotions, Sasuke was silent for a few seconds before growling,
"You're so going to pay for getting on my nerves like this, Hyūga."
Giving him a taunting grin, the kunoichi whispered,
"I'm looking forward to this."
His Rinnegan shined in the light of the torch as he made a quick motion of his hand, making sure to lock the door this time.
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I'm not sure if I'm going to finish the next chapter by the next weekend, but I'll try.
Feel free to PM me if you need any help with yours!