Mari Makinami
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Chapter 20. The Point of No Return
His heartbeat was so … calming.
His embrace was so warm ...
His breath was pleasantly tickling.
Hinata didn't want to open her eyes, desperately treasuring the overwhelming feeling of being complete for the first time in her life, wanting this moment to last as long as possible.
He loved her. And although he had confessed just an hour ago, Hinata realized now that words meant absolutely nothing comparing with the way he touched her … held her ...
Took her …
The young woman smiled dreamily to herself, tightly hugging the man's chest her head was resting on, silently reflecting on the foreign feelings.
Everything had become so … irrelevant all of sudden. Konoha … Ame … their mission … her clan …
Her father...
She fought the urge to grin devilishly as she imagined his furious face.
Of course, he would be incredibly mad if he would find out that she'd just lost her virginity without being married ... and to the Uchiha, of all people …
After all, modesty and tradition were among the most important parts of the Hyūga clan's teachings. And knowing this, she just loved this new, tainting feeling of being impure. Only now Hinata finally felt truly liberated from her clan and from the ghosts of her past, severing yet another thread that had connected her with the name of Hyūga.
However, she wasn't completely free just yet …
"Sasuke …," the kunoichi purred, tempted yet a bit scared by the sudden idea.
The Uchiha simply hemmed questioningly, sounding somewhat sleepy and thoughtful at the same time.
"According to the tradition of the ancient clans, as an honorable man, you are supposed to marry me after this, you know?"
Afraid of his possible reaction for a moment, Hinata felt the reliving warmth of his smirk which made her smile unwillingly as well.
"So now I am honorable, huh?"
She opened her left eye, looking at his tranquil face sheepishly, and giggled quietly.
"I never said you aren't. As a matter of fact, I think that sometimes you are too honest and straightforward for your own good."
His sigh felt unusually intermittent, which made her wonder what was he truly thinking on the matter, but before an idea could form in her mind, he uttered quietly,
"I don't think it's possible to marry a nukenin. At least not officially, not in the common way. You are now wanted in all the five Great Countries, remember?"
She frowned, opening her second eye and looking away, staring at the dancing fire of the torch on the opposite side of the room.
He was right, of course. It was impossible to make it official in Konoha now, or in any other relevant place for that matter. It was stupid of her to joke about it to begin with.
Yet still …
It just felt so unfair. Did she truly deserve it all? Just because she had agreed to this stupid mission, she was unable to marry him …? And for what was that sacrifice? For the sake of the village that she had nearly no bonds remaining with?
No, she straightened herself. It's for Sasuke's sake. He needs it. Besides ...
"What about this village, though? I mean … aren't we in charge in Ame now?" she muttered, not sure why she even kept talking about it.
He was silent for a few seconds, thinking over her words before drawling slowly,
"Well … to be honest, I don't fancy going through the local customs and rituals. It would feel pretty awkward to go through one considering that their religion revolves around nobody but myself now. Not to mention that it may compromise us and put our mission at risk."
She didn't say anything, feeling depressed for the reason she couldn't quite grasp herself.
What on earth was she thinking about anyway …? Who on earth needed these stupid things? A Hyūga, an Uchiha or a nameless kunoichi … it didn't matter so long as she was with him.
"Although …," Hinata could feel her heart skip a beat as everything around became strangely surreal. "I'm virtually the leader of this village right now. Considering that they believe me to be their god, my word is supposed to be law here, don't you think so?"
Hinata raised her eyes, peeking at his face in disbelief, unsure where this was going.
"I guess ..."
"I'm also the head of my clan, so I'm authorized to make decisions like this one on behalf of the Uchiha ..."
The kunoichi blinked a few times, feeling her heart starting to race insanely. Was he about to …? No, no way …
"I … think so …?"
"I'm not going to lie, I've been thinking about it ever since that night ... on the roof. You were right; since Yutaka intends to help me to restore the clan, and especially given that we might find even more of possible survivors, I can be with you now. And considering that you've been banished from your own clan, I don't think it would be fair for you to stay as an outcast when we return to Konoha. You deserve to have a family, a home … and … I want you to become my wife."
Her eyes widened in utter shock as she raised her head from his chest, staring into the man's eyes in confusion.
"Are you serious right now?"
His face remained impassive at her question as he simply shrugged.
"I can't imagine meeting anyone more suitable for this role than you. You are strong, beautiful, powerful and caring. Your genes are also good enough for me to not be worried about our future children growing up as weaklings who are unable to protect themselves. You also don't annoy me with useless jabbering ulike most of the girls. In other words, you are perfect for me. So, like I told you, unless you disagree, I want you as my wife."
She just kept staring in his calm, mismatching eyes, feeling completely stunned and unable to believe her own ears.
He actually meant it … he had just proposed her marriage, and that was for real. Well, surely he did it in his own blunt style, but it didn't matter to Hinata – after all, it would be ridiculous to imagine Sasuke being a gallant gentleman.
Apparently he had given it a lot of thinking, considering his nearly instant reply to her … joke? Right now, it all was so unbelievable that it seemed more like some farce to her. But at the same time, knowing who the Uchiha was … Hinata had no doubt that he truly meant every word of it.
And she herself …
"I … agree?" she squeaked timidly as her own voice betrayed her.
"Well, you tell me."
Clearing her throat after a moment of silence, the Hyūga nodded as her cheeks reddened, muttering,
"I agree, Sasuke. I'd like to marry you."
He smirked, nodding satisfyingly more to himself than to her and then kissing the kunoichi lightly on the lips.
"It's going to be rather difficult, though. Jurisdiction means very little when it comes to the descendants of the old clans like ours."
"O-oh …?" She blinked, confused by the sudden revelation. Now that she thought about it, Hinata realized that she couldn't remember a precedent of a Hyūga ever marrying an Uchiha, and there obviously supposed to be some ... complications.
"Yeah … It's not that simple to become a part of my clan. As you well know, descendants of all the ancient clans have the insignia of their clan imprinted into their chakra signature. It helps various seals and wards, as well as sensory type ninja to recognize the clansmen. Which means that becoming a part of a different clan for real is impossible without changing the very chakra signature, which is a rather delicate process. Not to mention that it's only what I myself have managed to deduce, so it might be even harder than it sounds when we come to it."
"I … I see," Hinata lowered her eyes, biting her lip. While it was shocking to find out that Sasuke actually had been planning this for a while by now, she herself felt a little embarrassed as she had been foolish enough to not consider what he was talking about right now. Said insignia was like a set of keys, allowing the member of a clan to enter its domain, use its possessions and access its documents. And since there had never been an alliance between Hyūga and Uchiha, she obviously couldn't become an Uchiha unless she changed one set of keys to another, speaking figuratively.
And they certainly didn't have any time to venture into it anytime soon …
The young woman flinched as she felt his soft touch on her chin, smiling unwillingly as she saw his own warming grin.
"Don't worry. I'm sure that I'll have to visit Konoha to meet Kakashi soon enough, so I'll look for some information concerning this matter on my way. I'm fairly sure that there must be something useful among the old scrolls in the ruins of the Uchiha compound. And even if there is nothing, we'll figure it out. I promise."
Unable to hold back a squeal of delight, Hinata hugged the man's torso tightly, kissing the corner of his mouth.
"I love you, Sasuke."
He kissed her back, running his fingers through her hair.
"You look pretty tired. I think you should rest."
"And you?" asked the Hyūga, looking a bit displeased as she felt that he was going to leave her soon, and she certainly didn't welcome the idea, wanting him to stay as close as possible. Although he was right – the day had been pretty draining, especially the stressful reunion with Hanabi and … what happened afterwards.
"I've been sleeping longer than you. Besides, I need to talk to Orochimaru. On top of that, they've brought the old Akatsuki member, Hidan. I need to get rid of him as soon as possible. I don't know how Naruto feels about it, but to me, the usage of Henge no Jutsu is rather unpleasant."
Hinata grinned teasingly.
"Don't like not being yourself?"
"Do you?"
Her smile faded. He was right, of course. She, of all people, knew everything about suppressing her personality and feelings.
"No. Not at all."
The Uchiha stroked the strands of her black hair gently, giving it an appraising glance.
"It grew since Nami no Kuni … a lot of time has passed since then," he mumbled, staring thoughtfully into nowhere.
She smiled, fixing her forelock.
"Yes. Now that I think about it, it seems like a whole eternity. It's funny to realize that I didn't know you at all just half a year ago."
He suddenly moved his gaze to look into her white eyes in all seriousness, making the young woman feel a bit disturbed all of sudden.
"Hinata … I want to ask you for something, and it feels that right now is the best moment for it." He stopped hesitantly, which made the Hyūga frown. It was too unlike him to hesitate in general, let alone when they were alone. Something was off.
"What is it, Sasuke?" she asked carefully, making him narrow his eyes a bit.
"No matter what I do in the following days … trust me. Please."
"Huh?" Her eyebrows raised in surprise as she looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean? I always trust you, you don't need to ask for it–"
"No, I mean it." He interrupted his betrothed, making her expression become a bit cautious. "The next few days. Even if my actions do not make any sense at all, trust me. That's all I'm asking for."
"Well, you certainly are not making any sense right now–"
"Just promise."
She stared into his eyes for a few seconds before slowly nodding.
"Of course. But you should know that I always trust you no matter what, you don't have to ask for it. I owe you too much, Sasuke. My life belongs to you. No matter what you decide to do with it, I'll accept–"
"No!" He suddenly pushed her away, making the kunoichi squeak in surprise and then frown, sitting on the bed as he turned away from her and sat himself, dropping his legs over the side of the bed and lowering his head. "Don't ever, ever say it again," he growled.
"Say what again?" she whimpered, reaching out to touch his shoulder but stopping midway as he turned his head, meeting her eyes with his bloody red Sharingan.
"You owe me nothing. Don't you dare think of yourself like this, as if you're a slave of some sort. Never again. Your life belongs to you and nobody else. You are not to take anyone's words as an order, including mine. Remember it well."
She narrowed her white eyes, glaring into his red one without any sign of fear as her expression suddenly shifted to the one full of confidence and resolve.
"Don't tell me what to do." She snapped, making the teen flinch at her words, his eyes widening in shock.
And then he sneered, beginning to laugh quietly as his Sharingan deactivated.
"You truly are an amazing woman. Only you could've come up with a reply like this."
She crossed her hands on her chest, snorting and looking away.
"Well, there has to be somebody to put you in your place when you go overboard. And who would that be if not your future wife?"
"Oh huh?" He turned around, crawling closer to her and making the Hyūga give him a brave, somewhat daring look.
"Yeah."
"And where is my place, then?" He asked, cocking his head, looking puzzled and suppressing a smirk.
Hinata gave him a tiny smile, making a welcoming gesture with her hand.
"Here. Alongside me, obviously."
He gave her a deep, passionate kiss, making the kunoichi gasp in surprise, but returning the kiss nonetheless the next second, closing her eyes and hugging his neck.
"It's a shame that I have to go now, then." He said a bit apologetically, slowly backing off.
"A shame indeed. Well, at least …," she yawned, covering her mouth with her palm, "... at least I can have some sleep now. Don't do anything stupid out there," she said jokingly, stretching her body and yawning again.
He cocked his eyebrow, turning away and getting up from the warm bed, activating a seal on his wrist and taking a new black shirt with long sleeves and the Uchiha crest on its back.
"You are the one who usually ends up in trouble, not me."
She rolled her eyes, falling back onto the soft pillows and staring at the ceiling.
"Just please, be careful."
"Hn." He buckled his belt, making Hinata feel a bit envy for a second. Sasuke and Naruto were the only ones who could allow themselves to not wear the Akatsuki outfits outside their rooms due to their Henge no Jutsu, and sometimes she wished to be able to wear something more comfortable.
"So long." He said, draping his old travel cloak over his shoulders and coming close to the door as her worry glance followed his back.
And then, when she already thought that he would just leave like this, he stopped as his hand touched the door handle, turning his head to the Hyūga and giving her his rarest warm smile.
"Be careful yourself."
She nodded, returning the smile.
"I will. Come back soon, Sasuke." But he already walked out, closing the door behind his back.
The young bride hugged his pillow to her chest, fighting the urge to activate her Byakugan to give him one last look.
And only then the effects of long stress and exhaustion of the day finally hit her, making Hinata close her eyes, covering herself with a blanket and enjoying its warmth against her naked body, as well as the fainting smell of Sasuke on the pillow.
She didn't notice how fast she fell into the bliss of the deep sleep.
Sunken into his thought, Sasuke walked down the stairs towards the Gate, as they called the room Karin had created which was now used for teleporting in and out of the Tower. Reflecting on his feelings concerning the past and, more importantly, the future events, he didn't notice the sound of someone running coming from the lower floors of the building. After all, the Uchiha had quite a lot on his mind at the moment, not to mention that despite being a very stoic man and a splendid ninja, his first sexual experience still left him feel somewhat … pleasantly dizzy, so his thoughts were a bit slow and messy.
That's why the teen nearly flinched as he saw Naruto appear at the staircase right in front him, panting heavily – apparently the blond was running upstairs really fast, which made Sasuke shake his head and collect himself the instant he noticed his friend who looked unusually worried.
"Sasuke! They've made their move!"
"Kusa?"
"Yeah! We've just received a note from Kakashi-sensei!"
The Uchiha nodded intently, mumbling,
"Not the best timing, but oh well … do we have any specific instructions from Kakashi?"
Naruto quickly shook his head, looking a bit unsure.
"Nah, not really … well, we're supposed to strike them in the back now as soon as possible. From what I understood, we're to conquer their country on behalf of the Rain with a back stab while all their ninja are on the front line. So I guess you're to come up with the plan on this one. After all, you're the boss here." The Uzumaki grinned, instantly receiving a cuff on the nape and gasping pretentiously, following the raven haired shinobi as he continued walking downstairs.
"Alright … I think we should stick to my original plan, then. Listen. Go and tell Jun and Hidan to prepare to depart. You are going to follow them, but neither as yourself nor as Ashura – you must create a fake vanguard of your shadow clones. Make … let's say two thousands, that should be enough. Don't let them use any complicated techniques and make each of them have a different face … no, better make them wear masks, that would be easier. Jun and Hidan are to believe that they are in charge of our little army, but you will be the one to control the operation from the shadows. Make sure to avoid casualties as much as possible … although I'm sure you would do that even if I didn't mention it," he grimaced slightly, and Naruto smirked, though not interrupting the Uchiha as they were passing one floor after another. "Basically, this way we can take Kusa over without losing a single Ame ninja, as well as ensure the success of the operation. And one more thing ... make Orochimaru send Kakashi a note with the names of the ones who are going to Kusa."
"Sounds good. I'm on it. Gonna find Jun and the zombie guy now, then," they entered the passage that led to the Gate, and Naruto was about to form the sign for his Henge, but then he grinned wickedly, narrowing his eyes. "By the way, how did it go? Was it as good as they say it is?"
"Just piss off, dobe," Sasuke sighed tiredly, although grinning as well as they stopped before the door to the sealed room that didn't let anyone aside from the Akatsuki members open it. "Try to not screw everything up, will you? This operation is essential to the entire plan."
"Got it, got it. Don't ya worry, it's gonna be a piece of cake," Naruto winked, raising his thumb up, but then his expression shifted, becoming unusually serious. "Don't fail your part yourself, Sasuke. Hyūga are a real pain to deal with. I'm afraid you might underestimate them."
The Uchiha flinched at the unexpected line, frowning at his brother in all but blood. Apparently Naruto had managed to figure his secret plan out … he knew exactly where he was about to head and what he was going to do. And he didn't sell him out to Kakashi ...
"You are not the idiot you used to be," he finally said, looking into the blue eyes of the jinchūriki.
"And you're not the douchebag you used to be, either. Times change, y'know. And so are we." Naruto grinned, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder and clenching it reassuringly.
Sasuke smirked, returning the gesture.
"True that."
"By the way … Orochimaru has finished our rings. Though I guess it's not the best idea for you to take yours to Konoha … "
"Just tell him to hand mine to Hinata. I'll take it after we're finished."
Naruto nodded, smiling cheerfully as Sasuke grinned before turning away and entering the room.
Just like they had planned, Yutaka was already there, leaning against the wall with his hands crossed on the chest and his eyes closed.
"Thank you for not being late," said Sasuke, closing the door behind his back and coming closer to the man.
Yutaka's eyes snapped open as looked at his senior impassively.
"We are shinobi. We can't afford being late. Anyway … how may I assist you here?"
The teen came to the middle of the room, rapidly channeling his chakra into the Rinnegan.
"I'm going to Konoha now. Should anyone ask, you don't know where I am, even if Hinata asks you. If it feels to be necessary, tell them that I went to Kusa to ensure the success of Jun, Hidan and Naruto."
The man nodded, frowning a little bit as he felt the immense mass of chakra accumulating nearby.
"Got it. Anything else?"
"Yeah," Sasuke turned his head to his clansman. "When I come back, I probably won't be alone. If you see me, pretend that I'm an intruder and act accordingly."
The man's eyebrow cocked skeptically, but he didn't ask any questions to the younger Uchiha's relief.
"As you wish."
"That's all, then. Alright … I guess I've infused more than enough chakra. Let's try it," Sasuke mumbled, wincing at the flash pain that pierced his skull, but not closing his left eye, focusing on the certain spot right in front of him.
It happened nearly instantly; the rift in the space has opened, making both the Uchiha gasp in awe.
"T-That's ..." Yutaka just stared at the rift, too impressed to formulate his thoughts.
"Yeah …," Sasuke muttered, staring into the clearly visible empty room of the hospital in Konoha. "It's another technique of my left eye … I've seen a certain person use it before, so I assumed that I could attain it as well. Although it seems that it doesn't take as much chakra when I'm not going into another dimension … I guess I've wasted a bit too much," he frowned but then grinned excitingly, studying the rift that looked exactly like the ones that Kaguya had used in their faithful fight.
"A different dimension …?" Yutaka mumbled, clearly puzzled as Sasuke waved dismissively.
"Yeah. I'll tell you more about it when I return. For now, you have your instructions. I'm going."
"Take care."
Sasuke flinched, stopping just before entering the rift.
Just what was wrong with all of them? Did they really think of him as if he was some weakling who couldn't do anything on his own?
No, Hinata's soft voice echoed in his imagination, We care for you because we love you.
Shaking his head and dismissing the mirage, Sasuke stepped forward, crossing the border between the two places and then severing the chakra link, letting the rift close itself the same second.
It only took a few seconds for the door of the room to open, the familiar back covered by strands of notably grown pink hair showing up to the man.
"Yes, just take the report to Tsunade-sama. Be careful, they contain very important data concerning the condition of Gai-san's leg, so don't lose anything like you usually do!" Sakura exclaimed discontentedly, facing somebody Sasuke couldn't see as she stood with her back to him, not noticing the man's presence.
"Yes, Sakura-senpai! I won't fail you!" The girl squeaked, bowing down and thus letting the Uchiha see her face partly, as well as her bright orange hair.
"You better not, Moegi …," Sakura nearly growled, making the girl flinch and run away, nearly tripping on her way. "What a clumsy brat ..."
"She reminds me of someone from back in the days, now that I think about it," Sasuke said casually, making the pink haired kunoichi jump in surprise and turn around instantly with her jade eyes open as wide as possible in surprise and shock.
"S-Sasuke-kun! What … how …?"
"Be quiet and close the door. I want to talk to you in private, so let's avoid drawing the unnecessary attention."
The girl nodded quickly, slamming the door and coming closer to the Uchiha, still staring at him in disbelief.
"How come you're here in my office all of sudden, Sasuke-kun …? When did you return?" she mumbled, unable to move her eyes off her old crush.
"Just a few seconds ago. I've used my Rinnegan to teleport to this place. Say now … are Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino in the village at the moment?"
The medic-nin frowned, and her expression changed quickly. Apparently she realized that he didn't ask about these two specifically without a good reason to it, and said reason obviously had to have something to do with Hinata.
Not to mention that his rather cold greeting didn't make it any better to her for sure, but the Uchiha knew that he hardly had any time for sentiments.
"Yes, they are supposed to be here … why …?"
"Good. I need to talk to them, as well as with Nara Shikamaru. And to you as well."
Sakura blinked a few times, feeling her cheeks reddening as he mentioned her along with the others.
"I … did something happen to Hinata …?" she mumbled quietly, feeling baffled and confused.
Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of the name of his bride. Has Sakura figured it out on her own …? Or rather somebody had told her?
"No … yes. A lot of things have happened, but it doesn't matter at the moment. Are you aware of the plans of Hyūga Hiashi?" he asked a bit impatiently, wanting to finish his business in the village as soon as possible. He didn't expect it to feel so bothering to be here again all of sudden, and his former teammate that stood right in front of him now was a perfect reminder of where exactly he has come to.
"The plans …? No … I ..."
"It's an S-rank mission concerning the security of Konoha. They are going after Hinata soon, intending to execute her for joining Akatsuki."
Sakura nodded slowly in understanding. Of course, the rumors about their former humble classmate had spread around Konoha at the speed of light. And until this moment, the kunoichi actually suspected that Sasuke certainly had something to do with her shocking betrayal … it even made Sakura start wondering if he had decided to betray the village again as well.
Yet here he was. He had come to Konoha bluntly without really trying to hide, apparently intending to go and look for Kiba and Shino after they would be done talking.
Which could only mean ...
"You know where she is, don't you?" The pink haired girl whispered, receiving the well expected nod in response.
"I do. Listen …" He took a deep breath, clearly having a hard time staying patient and gentle ... well, in his own way. "I'm sorry that I don't have enough time to explain everything to you. It's a really long story, and I believe that I'm very short on time. Right now, I have to ask for two things." His gaze was warm and empathic, which made Sakura's suspicion get washed away the instant she looked into the depth of his eyes.
"Of course, Sasuke-kun. What is it?" she asked, finally feeling relieved.
He didn't hate her. And he was truly sorry, just like he had been back when he had left the village half a year ago. He hadn't changed back to the worse, and he wanted to protect Konoha.
That was all she needed to know.
"First of all, don't mention seeing me to Kakashi or anyone who can spread the news, at least not until the morning. It's essential for him to not know, because I suspect that he wants to use me just like the Third had used Itachi. I don't want to become the public enemy of Konoha for him to be able to divert the people's hatred to me, so I've come up with a plan to prevent it."
"Huh?" Sakura gasped, looking at him in disbelief as if he had just made a horrible joke. "Kakashi-sensei would never–"
"Neither of us know what he could or couldn't do. I have my right to ensure my own safety, and I will do so, because I intend to return to the village for good when this mission is complete. Besides, nobody's going to lose anything in case if I'm wrong. So … will you do as I ask?"
She looked at him for a few seconds, unsure how exactly to react.
He had just said that he was going to come back to Konoha … it made her feel truly happy, because deep in her soul she had suspected that this wasn't going to ever happen.
On the other hand, he had made such an accusation towards Kakashi-sensei … was he just being paranoid, or perhaps Sasuke actually knew something she didn't which led him to think this way?
In either case …
"Sure. I won't tell anybody. What else did you want to discuss?" she asked, smiling sheepishly.
"This," his only hand slid into the pocket of his black cloak, taking out and showing the kunoichi a tiny vial with familiar dark red liquid.
"Is this–"
"It's a blood sample. I want you to test it as soon as possible, and tell me your conclusion on the analyses."
Sakura frowned again, taking the vial and looking at it incredulously.
"Whose is this …? And what exactly do you expect me to see or not to see?"
The Uchiha sighed, looking away.
"It's Hinata's. Orochimaru had done something to her, so she's received Kaguya's kekkei genkai, the bone manipulation. I want you to study the changes in her DNA, because I'm afraid that he did something of what nobody else is aware."
The kunoichi gasped, squeezing the vial in her hand.
"Do you think that it could've led her to join Akatsuki ...? That he affected her mind somehow?"
"Yeah. He's a member of the group as well, after all," he lied instantly without hesitation, looking into Sakura's eyes. "So, will you do this?"
She quickly nodded, putting the sample into the pocket of her white robe.
"Yes, of course. It will be ready in three to four hours, so you should come back by midnight."
"I don't know when exactly I'll be able to come back. Do you usually lock this room? Perhaps you should just leave it here on the table instead of waiting for me for who knows how long. I bet you're pretty tired by the evening, so don't exhaust yourself anymore. I won't be able to stay for longer than a few seconds anyway."
She nodded, looking a bit disappointed at first, but then smiling widely, apparently realizing that he actually cared for her well-being, which was new and very … pleasant.
He turned away, gripping the door's handle.
"Sasuke-kun!" the young man stopped, turning his head slightly and glancing at her questioningly. "I …," Sakura blushed, lowering her head. "I'm truly happy that you've returned. And that you're going to return again. Please, be careful ..."
Not that again …, he fought the urge to growl and roll his eyes.
"I will," he said, turning away. "Please, be quick. I don't have much time," saying that, he walked out of the room, followed by the worried gaze of his former teammate.
Fortunately enough, most people in the hospital were too busy to pay him the amount of attention necessary to recognize Sasuke who hadn't quite showed himself in public in Konoha for more than five years, so he went out of the building without any trouble, breathing the warm air of the familiar streets and feeling happy as the passionately hated smell of the hospital changed to the vast spectrum of flavors of different flowers, food and the other things he hadn't smelled for a while by now.
Which reminded him that he also hadn't eaten anything for longer than two days, and his stomach wasn't very fond of it.
Closing his left eye to hide the Rinnegan just in case and letting a burst of chakra out of his body in the different directions, the Uchiha took the hood of his cloak on and, lowering his head to hide his face, walked down the street, glancing around to find the suitable place.
Both Inuzuka and Akimichi were the sensory types. If Sakura was right and they were in the village at the moment, they certainly would feel his chakra soon enough and track him down themselves. Without a doubt, they would try to contact him the instant they'd spot him.
And Sasuke could allow himself to enjoy some dishes meanwhile.
Stopping at the entrance of one of multiple small eateries and carefully looking for any sign of somebody he used to know back in the years, he walked in, coming close to the table in the corner of the room and sitting down, picking the list of laminated paper – a short menu.
There weren't that many visitors at the moment, so the hall was half-empty, and the waitress came to him in no time, smiling cheerfully.
"Are you ready to make an order?" she asked, clearly not recognizing the man as his left eye was still closed.
"Yeah. I want some onigiri, a steak and a salad. And a cup of beer."
"Will be ready in no time!" she winked at him, turning around and striding toward the kitchen.
Sasuke let out a heavy sigh, finally relaxing and taking his time to look around.
There weren't many ninja in this place; in fact, aside from himself, only three genin were eating and chatting on the opposite side of the hall, and they clearly couldn't care less of anything what was going on around them.
The Uchiha smirked. Just a year ago, such naivety probably would've irritated him. But right now, he couldn't see it as something different than the beauty of life. That's how children were supposed to be – careless, goofy, naive. That's what they were fighting for – to allow the future generation to prolong the heavenly time of ignorant childhood as much as possible.
Children were not supposed to kill and die.
The waitress came back shortly with a large cup, carefully putting it on the table in front of him and smiling again, blushing a little bit.
"Here, your beer. If you'll be needing anything else, just call me. My name is Megumi!"
Oh. This again. He already managed to forget how attractive he seemed to the opposite gender after being basically isolated from the commoners for quite some time by now.
But this time, somehow he didn't feel any negative emotions towards this woman. After all, she was a simple human with a supposedly very boring and monotonous life. Could he blame her for the desire to find somebody who could make her existence less drab?
"Alright. Thank you. My name is Sasuke," he said politely, giving her a tiny yet fascinating grin. He would probably never see her again, but it didn't matter – it was nothing for him, but perhaps now her day would seem to be much better to her.
And he probably was right in his assumption – the woman smiled widely, blushing even deeper and covering her mouth with her palm sheepishly before quickly walking away again.
Taking a small sip, the Uchiha couldn't help but reflect on what had just happened. The strangest thing was that now he felt better as well – as if something intangible changed in the air, making his unwilling presence in Konoha a little more pleasant than it was supposed to be.
But it couldn't last long, of course. Just as he had anticipated, the familiar pair of shinobi showed up in the hall, instantly turning towards his corner and coming close to Sasuke resolutely, stopping before the table and peering at him searchingly with suspicion, suddenly losing all of their resolve as their eyes met.
"Long time no see, Shino, Kiba," he said flatly, taking another sip.
"Sasuke! What's the meaning–"
"Be quiet, Kiba. Somebody might her us," Aburame interrupted his teammate, making the brown haired teen scowl. "Sasuke. Mind if we sit down as well?"
The Uchiha shrugged.
"Feel free."
They sat in front of him, not even caring to look at the menu – apparently they felt really impatient and worry due to the continuous lack of the news concerning their third teammate, especially since they most likely knew about her joining the new Akatsuki.
"So … we've received your signal. You wanted us to come, which makes me assume that you have something important to talk about. And considering the small common ground we share, the topic is fairly obvious," said Shino quietly, staring at Sasuke from under his dark glasses.
"Yeah … first of all, both of you may calm down. Hinata is perfectly fine and safe."
"Oh really?! And here I thought that being a member of–"
"Kiba!" Shino barked, making Inuzuka groan in irritation.
"Okay, okay! But you got my point! How the hell can she be safe with them around?"
Sasuke sighed, sipping the refreshing liquid again.
"Said 'they' are, in fact, me, Naruto, Hanabi and some other people you probably are not familiar with. The group is fake; it's been formed by the Sixth in order to stop the attacks coming from Ame and to protect Konoha from other possible threats."
To his surprise, both of the teens simply looked at each other understandingly, being quiet for a few seconds.
"So the attack of Kusa ..."
"It's being dealt with right now. Naruto is in charge. In disguise, obviously."
Shino let out a sigh of relief while Kiba covered his face with his hands, shaking his head.
"Damn it … and here we already thought that you bastard have betrayed Konoha again."
The Uchiha's expression remained impassive – after all, they had their reasons to assume that he had.
"No. It's actually quite the opposite. I intend to come back to this place for good after we're done with this mission, but I need the two of you to help me."
"And Hinata? What about her?" asked Shino. It surprised Sasuke that they didn't refuse to cooperate with him the instant he mentioned it, which was good. Apparently they somewhat trusted him, after all, even though they probably should've not in his opinion. But it would be stupid to complain, of course.
"She will come back with me, obviously. It would be ridiculous to let my wife stay away from the place I've chosen to live in, don't you think so?" he asked, barely holding back a childish smirk as their faces slowly changed.
Shino remained silent, just staring at him with his eyes open wider than usual under the glasses, while Kiba gasped, nearly whispering,
"No … you didn't … it can't be ..."
The Uchiha shrugged casually, finishing his beer.
"Sorry for not inviting the two of you, we've decided to make it private. Which brings me back to the reason why I've come to talk to you in the first place. It has something to do with my plan, but we need a more secure place to discuss it. Let's make it this way; the two of you will now go and find Shikamaru Nara while I'm finishing my meal. Meet me at the entrance of the Uchiha district, and we'll talk about everything."
Shino nodded calmly, gripping Kiba's sleeve who still was a bit spaced out, apparently too shocked by Sasuke's words, and taking his teammate out of the table, walking him to the exit.
And just as they had left, Megumi showed up with the tray filled with plates of food which he could smell even from the opposite side of the room.
He was dead hungry, after all.
***
The night was unusually quiet and warm for this time of the year, which wasn't a very good sign in the eyes of the superstitious head of the Hyūga clan. Not that it mattered that much to him – barely another thing that made his mood a bit worse.
He had spent a few days on planning and thinking of the possible consequences of the upcoming secret raid to Amegakure, and as much as he wanted to believe in their success, the man had realized it rather quickly that they were most likely doomed to fail.
If Hinata truly was a part of Akatsuki now, it meant that she had become very powerful and dangerous as she was. And although he had the ultimate counter for whatever power she could've acquired, it was meant for her and her alone. His plan didn't consider nine … well, eight, counting Orochimaru out, dangerous S-class ninja to deal with as well. And even if the Sannin took his subordinates out of there for a while, there still would remain at least five more deadly foes to deal with.
Which was why Hiashi had decided that it was a sign of fate when the Sixth informed the council of the village that, to their luck, Akatsuki had launched an attack against Kusagakure the instant said hidden village had stricken Konoha, and that three out of the five ninja that would be on their way should the Hyūga clan have initiated their operation before this moment had been spotted on the battlefield, leaving only two aside from Hinata herself to deal with.
In other words, right now was the best possible opportunity to make their move. They wouldn't get a better chance, of that the man was absolutely sure. Which was why he was quickly packing the multiple scrolls, already dressed up in his combat outfit, preparing to depart as soon as possible.
Like many people in his clan, Hiashi believed in fate. And right now he also wanted to believe that they were destined to succeed. The only thing he could ask for now was a bit more luck … perhaps one more trump card into his sleeve to ensure the completion of their sacred mission …
A knock on the door made him flinch, raising his head and looking through it with his Byakugan.
"Enter." The door slid to the side, letting Kō walk into the small storage room.
"Hiashi-sama. Everything's ready. We can go any second now."
"Good … good." The man nodded to himself, raising up from the floor and sealing the package of various scrolls into his wrist. "What is it?" he barked, seeing as Kō's face appeared a bit troubled. It was barely notable, but like everyone else in their lineage, Hiashi was naturally good at reading facial expressions, so the tiny sign of disarray didn't slip away from the head of the noble clan.
"It's … we have a visitor."
Hiashi's eyebrow cocked in confusion as he frowned.
"So? Tell them to come tomorrow, we don't have time for this right now."
"It's the Uchiha."
The older man gasped indignantly, clenching his fists.
"What? Why … did he say anything specific about the reason to his visit?"
"He wants to talk to you."
That treacherous bastard … what game was he playing, coming to them bluntly like this? Still … whatever it was, Hiashi couldn't refuse to meet him now. Aside from many other things, on top of everything, it could put their plan at risk … the boy was very smart and could easily figure out that something was off.
"Well then ..."
Nearly storming towards the gates of the Hyūga compound and passing by the group of fifteen Hyūga ninja who were standing there in the yard, prepared for the operation and waiting for his orders, Hiashi spotted the teen nearly instantly – the former nukenin was leaning against the fence, gazing impassively right at him.
"Hyūga Hiashi," he nodded politely in acknowledgement as he approached him, greeting the man which nearly made the usually calm and collected older shinobi scowl.
"Uchiha Sasuke," he said, nodding as well. "How can I help you?"
"I know about your plan … I've come to join your group."
Hiashi gasped as his heart began racing. What on earth was the meaning of this …?
"I beg your pardon …?"
Sasuke's face remained as emotionless as before.
"Don't pretend, there is nobody around who can overhear us. I know that you're going to Amegakure in order to execute your daughter. I've come to assist you at that."
The Hyūga clan's head frowned, refusing to believe his ears.
"Last time we talked, you promised me to track her down, and–"
"And I've done just that. I know where exactly she is, and I'm ready to take you there, as well as to help you to deal with the other Akatsuki members."
They stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds while Hiashi was rapidly thinking, weighting out the possibilities and opportunities the Uchiha's offer was providing them.
"What's your gain in this deal?"
The sinister smirk the teen gave him sent a shiver down Hiashi's back.
"In return, I want us to form an official alliance between our clans right now, as well as announce it in public that I'm helping you to secure the safety of the village. You see, I'm rather infamous in Konoha. I intend to whitewash my name to get a fresh start afterwards. If you agree, as my part of the bargain, you can have my vow that Hyūga Hinata will cease to exist very soon."
Hiashi was impressed and pleased to say the least. Not only the boy was very cunning and smart, but he also wanted to be on friendly terms with his clan. Who knows, perhaps one day he would become a perfect match for one of the Hyūga female off-springs … the older man couldn't hope for a better future for his clan.
However …
"I'm afraid we don't have enough time for the official procedure right now, Uchiha-dono. We must hurry to reach Amegakure as soon as possible while they are busy with Kusa."
"If you accept my offer, then you have much more time than you believe you do. I will take everyone to Ame with the space-time jutsu of my Rinnegan the instant we are done with the formalities." The young man smirked, and Hiashi couldn't hold back a grin as well.
This was the trump card he had been hoping to receive. Fate was on his side, after all.
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Perhaps I'll even write chapter 19.5 later :th: Anyway, did u like this chapter? 
