Mari Makinami
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_______________________________________________________
Chapter 23. Where There Is No Us
"What's the meaning of this, Sasuke?"
To her, the actions of the Uchiha didn't make any sense whatsoever. Why would he want to save father from her vengeance? Hadn't he been preparing her for this moment all along? Wasn't it her rightful duty to finish this monster off ...?
The frightening, poisonous suspicion crawled slowly into the back of her mind, making the young woman's legs start trembling at the upcoming feeling of despair once again.
What if he actually had decided to betray her …? What if her father was right, and she was wrong to trust him? The Uchiha certainly was smart enough to pull such a scheme, fooling all of them for his own benefits …
...trust me. Please.
The swarm of paranoid thoughts quickly got brushed away by the memory and by Sasuke's warm, nearly kind expression which was such a seldom thing to witness that it made Hinata frown in confusion, feeling herself even more baffled than a second ago when the fight had been interfered.
"I've found out some interesting things concerning these two, as well as your former clan ... and now I'm going to make them reveal all the secrets to both of us before we decide their fate together, as husband and wife."
Her pale eyes widened and her mouth opened in a silent question as she stared at the raven haired ninja, forgetting to breath for a second.
Husband and wife? What on earth was he talking about? They didn't … did they …?
"Interesting …," he mumbled suddenly, taking a step closer and giving the black flames that were surrounding her a studying look. "So you have managed to maintain the perfect version of your Lion Fist technique, which allowed you to form the complete chakra avatar, exactly as we predicted … you didn't tell me that you have reached this level of chakra control already, though," he frowned slightly, and it seemed to her for a brief second that there was a tiny note of hurt in his voice.
"I didn't know myself … until today. It was … kind improvised," Hinata replied quietly, lowering her eyes in shame. Even in a situation like this, when she had every right in the world to be angry, she still felt bad for making him sad ...
But Sasuke only chuckled, completely ignoring Hiashi who stared at them silently with his eyes open wide in utter horror, as well as Kō who glared at the Uchiha hatefully, yet was unable to grasp a single word – he looked as if something invisible was clenching his throat, rendering the shinobi completely speechless.
"You never cease to amaze me … and on top of that, the activation of the Cursed Seal changed your new Lion Avatar's chakra element from simple Katon to my Enton. Even though it is only possible thanks to my chakra that we sealed into your body back then … such power rivals that of an imperfect jinchūriki. Very impressive … don't you think so, Hiashi?" He finally turned his head and glanced at the man who still stared at him in disbelief, looking completely lost and desperate, as if he was trying to convince himself that everything around him was merely a miraculous genjutsu of some sort.
"What … what …?" the older man whispered, sliding down the cracked wall and falling onto his knees, panting heavily and spitting blood onto the dirty floor.
Sasuke sneered joyfully.
"You should be able to see it yourself if you use your Byakugan and inspect the chakra system of your daughter. Let's spare the hollow talk – you are not that dumb not to understand it yourself at this point." Sasuke looked at Kō who finally fell onto the floor as well, coughing and trying to catch his breath as the Uchiha's invisible Limbo clone moved slowly towards its owner's body. "As for you–"
"Sasuke! Hinata! Are you alright?" Karin, wrapped into her Akatsuki coat and looking quite disheveled, landed next to the older Hyūga sister whose chakra avatar was still there, blocking any possible way to come close to her. In spite of it, the red haired kunoichi fixed the glasses on her nose with her pointer, narrowing her eyes at the large round shaped gaping hole on Hinata's clothes that revealed her blood stained abdomen which was already completely healed thanks to the regenerating capabilities of her kekkei genkai.
"Yeah … It seems like Hanabi could use some help, though," replied Sasuke, raising his head to look above and meeting Orochimaru's slightly quizzical gaze while Karin nodded busily, running towards the unconscious girl.
Next to the sannin stood Yutaka and Fugaku, looking down at the scene before them. The revived man gasped, noticing Hiashi who in turn, surprisingly enough, apparently calmed down by this moment, simply staring silently at some point inside of his older daughter's chest with his Byakugan active.
"My, my … it seems like your naughty little plan has failed, after all. Not that it's any of my business, Kō-kun … but to be fair, I warned you not to underestimate Sasuke-kun's intelligence. I assume it's safe to say 'game over' now?" Sasuke's former sensei drawled lazily, jumping down alongside the alive and the dead Uchiha.
"You owe me a good explanation later," Sasuke barked slightly irritatedly, turning away from the three shinobi and looking at Hinata who was gazing at him patiently all this time and panting – her skin was still covered with the familiar black magatama pattern.
"Can you deactivate the seal?" She shook her head quickly, and the next moment her gloomy expression changed into a surprised one.
"I … I can sense it ..." Sasuke's eyebrow cocked while everyone else in the room gave the young woman baffled looks.
"Really? I wonder …," the Uchiha hemmed, scratching his chin. "Although it makes sense, I suppose. You've tapped into my chakra, after all."
Hinata stared in to the empty spot in the space in front of her, not moving her eyes away.
"Is this … Is this Madara's–"
"No, it's Indra's," he snapped, interrupting the black haired kunoichi who moved her eyes at him and peered at the ninja searchingly for a second before giving him an understanding nod, not noticing the weird glance Hiashi gave Sasuke when he mentioned the name of his first incarnation.
She realized that he most likely didn't want to reveal the secrets of his abilities to the others in the room, especially to Kō and her father. That's why Hinata didn't move as she felt the shadow passing through the black flames and stopping right next to her.
Nobody in the hall aside from Sasuke and Hinata could see or feel it, but the kunoichi flinched as the shadow's lips touched her own, sending the reassuring wave of warmth through her body and making her smile unwillingly while the intangible Limbo clone absorbed the black flames with its Rinnegan, suppressing her seal at the same time.
"Now then … I'll deal with you first." Sasuke suddenly charged onward, gripping Kō's neck and meeting his white eyes which were burning with hatred and rage directed at nobody but the young Uchiha who looked at him impassively, with a nearly bored expression on his face.
"You are an idiot if you assumed that binding Hinata to me like that could force me to protect her from Hiashi. Everything you have achieved by doing such a foolish thing against her will was spoiling something that was meant to happen afterwards anyway. Aside from that, I hold no grudge against you, silly worm … so unless Hinata disagrees, your only punishment will be this." Without any warning, he punched Kō's face heavily, breaking his nose and making the man cover his bleeding face with his palms, falling down to the floor.
"Sasuke … I still don't understand … what has he done?" Hinata muttered suspiciously, passing through the shadow and coming closer to her former bodyguard who was crouching on the cold floor next to her lover.
"Just check your chakra signature, and you'll see it yourself. Aside from being a complete moron and an Itachi wannabe, he has ruined our wedding ... or rather made it happen faster than we wanted it to without asking for our agreement. Not too polite of him, if you ask me." It was clear that Sasuke nearly felt triumphant for some reason, and she certainly didn't understand why. Was he so happy with the mere fact that he didn't let her stain her hands with her family's blood?
Although she still didn't understand completely what was going on, Hinata couldn't help but chuckle herself as she noticed the risible notes in the Uchiha's voice, which certainly wasn't a common thing coming from him. And seeing how he was nearly having fun with the situation they found themselves in, no matter how serious it seemed to be just a minute ago, made the kunoichi smile as well, barely managing to suppress a sneer.
But then her grin disappeared as she noticed what he was talking about.
The former Hyūga insignia that had once been a part of her chakra signature was now replaced with that of an Uchiha.
Which could only mean …
"I … Sasuke …?" She looked at the man, feeling absolutely lost and shocked, not knowing what to do or to say for the first time in a very long time.
He shrugged, pointing at Kō with his hand.
"As I've just told you, it was his plan all along. I had nothing to do with this. That time in Tanzaku-gai, back when he had poisoned you, he told me inside my Tsukuyomi that I should go to Orochimaru in order to save you. And Orochimaru knew beforehand that we would come. They anticipated that you would eventually give up on your clan's name given all that happened, and that Hiashi would force you to activate the seal at some point after that, which he did. This worm wanted to bind the two of us by forcing you to become a part of the Uchiha clan … as my wife."
Hinata let out a loud, fitful sigh.
"Is … is this true?" She moved her eyes to the sannin who nodded affirmatively, giving her a small grin.
"It is, Hinata-chan. Don't be mad at me, though – neither you nor Sasuke ever asked me about it, and I didn't really have any reason to reveal this small detail since you didn't seem to be interested anyway. If you asked, I most certainly would've told you everything."
The kunoichi turned away, gazing at Kō again. She wasn't really angry because of Orochimaru's actions – after all, it would be silly to expect anything else from someone like him. No matter how flawed and maybe even insane this man was, he saved her life back then, and the fact that he knew about this ridiculous plan of her former bodyguard paled in comparison with that. She was still grateful to him for being alive, and for many other things as well.
Ko, on the other hand …
She walked towards the man, coming close to him, and the Hyūga man raised his head slowly, meeting the pained look of her eyes.
"Hinata-sama … I–"
"Why did you do this to me?" she uttered quietly, kneeling down and touching the man's chin gently.
His expression softened and tears rolled down his cheeks as he sobbed,
"I ... I just wanted to protect you ... from this monster ..."
"By forcing me to become Sasuke's wife? Knowing that should he turn to be what the rumors said he was, he would've given me back to the clan right away or perhaps even killed me?"
The man bit his lip, nodding vigorously and closing his eyes, as if expecting her to kill him the next second after his confession.
"I love you, Hinata-sama. I always did, and I still do. And I would do everything in my power to protect you. It was the only option, or perhaps I just failed to find a better way … but it doesn't matter. Just … please … kill him. Liberate the Hyūga from this bastard once and for all, and never come back to our cursed clan. You deserve better … so, so much better ..."
Hinata sighed, shaking her head and caressing his cheek lightly.
"Sasuke is right … you are such an idiot. Can you imagine how much pain have you caused to me? And now you even ruined something I've been looking forward to …" She turned her head to meet her husband's eyes who watched the scene with uncovered curiosity. Apparently now that he saw that she had calmed down and understood what had happened, he wanted her to decide Kō's destiny herself. And he was correct, because now, when her anger had already evaporated, Hinata realized that she didn't really have any grudge for this man who was now waiting for her judgment meekly.
After all, he truly loved her. He was there for her for many, many years, and even though he had done some really foolish and hurtful things ... in the end, he only wanted to save her. There was no ill intent coming from him … and, after all, the only damage he really had caused to them was making her marry Sasuke unwillingly … which she had been going to do soon anyway.
Therefore …
The loud sound of a slap echoed across the hall, making Karin who was busy healing Hanabi flinch and snap her head to check what was going on.
"This is for all the mess you made," Kō winced as the former Hyūga kunoichi gripped the collar of his white shirt that was now covered with dirt and blood, forcing him to stand up – he looked away, rubbing the reddened spot on his face where her palm had landed a second ago.
Letting go of the beaten up man, Hinata turned to the Uzumaki medic, as if finally remembering something important.
"Karin, is she alright?"
The red haired girl nodded quickly, fixing her slipping glasses again.
"Y-Yeah, she'll be alright. I've put her into a comatose state so that she would heal faster and also to prevent the permanent damage." The Hyūga nodded at her friend, quickly catching up with Sasuke who was slowly walking towards Hiashi – he was still sitting near the heavily damaged wall, looking completely spaced out and mentally demolished.
They stopped hear the man whom she had once considered her father and the leader of her clan, and then, all of sudden, Hinata realized that she felt nothing as she looked at his blank, bleeding face.
Without a doubt, the Uchiha made a right decision when he didn't let her kill them. Now that the hatred and rage weren't boiling inside of her anymore, the young woman knew that she would regret it if he didn't stop her.
Because she felt nothing. They had been her most precious people once, but that time was long gone.
They weren't even of the same clan any longer.
Hinata flinched slightly at the realization and then, as if feeling her uncomfortable reaction without even looking at the kunoichi, Sasuke took her arm into his own, turning his head and giving her a small, reassuring smirk.
So warm … and so calming. I love him so much ...
As she was lost in her feelings for a second, Hinata's Byakugan stopped for a second on Orochimaru, Yutaka and the Edo Tensei with whom they were quietly talking. She was only able to eye him up and down briefly, making a mental note to ask Sasuke later who was this dead man and why he was here to begin with.
On top of that, his face reminded the kunoichi that of her own husband … was he an Uchiha, too?
"Hiashi," they stopped near the man who raised his head slowly, meeting Sasuke's eyes with an absolutely impassive gaze. "Even though your treacherous subordinate nearly ruined it all, our agreement is still valid since I haven't broken a single point of the covenant. As you could've guessed, I'm taking your daughter as my bride … and, well, just as you asked for it, you have witnessed the ritual yourself, so I suppose we can consider this matter is settled." Surprisingly enough, he wasn't even smiling – apparently this was really important to the Uchiha for some reason Hinata didn't quite understand. Did it have something to do with the relationship between their clans?
"I'm not going to lie … your chances of staying in the position of the head of your clan after this night are nonexistent. The Sixth is already aware of what happened. Therefore from now on I'll consider Hanabi the current head of Hyūga instead of you and thus I'll be dealing with her whenever it comes to any interaction between our clans, all according to our covenant. Thus if you don't mind, I'd like to close this topic unless you have any questions."
The man didn't react, to Sasuke's relief and to Hinata's irritation. Why wasn't he even saying anything ...?
"I'm willing to offer you two options now – I can ravage your mind with my Rinnegan and salvage all the information I need by force, or you can tell us everything yourself in a civilized manner. Are you willing to cooperate?"
The man's white eyes finally slid to the side to meet the disdainful glare of his daughter. He was silent for a few seconds, and just when Hinata felt Sasuke's motion to let go of her hand so that he would be able to touch the man's skin and to use his eye's technique, Hiashi opened his mouth slowly, licking the gore off his dry lips.
"I agree ... I will tell you everything."
"Just like that?" Sasuke frowned – apparently he didn't expect to receive such a response at all.
Hiashi sighed simply, shrugging indifferently.
"I failed to see who you really are, Uchiha Sasuke … and now that I finally realized it, it's pointless to fight any longer. I have lost, and so did my clan. So … yes, I will tell you it all. Although I suppose you should settle down – both of you … this is going to be a long story."
***
That night wasn't the most pleasant for Hyūga Hiashi to say the least, for many reasons simultaneously.
First of all, he hated bad weather in general and especially thunder in particular, and now it was there in its full power, piercing the night sky of Konoha with multiple flashy lightnings every few seconds while the unending flow of unusually strong rain was falling down from the sky, constantly knocking at the roof of the building he was currently in, which was already pretty annoying as it was.
Another unpleasant event that took part earlier that day was his long debate with the clan's council concerning his daughter's behavior. It would've been justified, of course, if not for the absolutely ridiculous reason – his three years old Hinata had gotten into a fight with his twin brother Hizashi's son who was a year older than her, and their clash resulted in Neji being taken to a medic ninja afterwards with a few bruises as well as a shoulder dislocation.
Thin incident made him realize once again how flawed and corrupted their clan truly was, because apparently such an innocent accident like the fight between two children was capable of shaking the very foundation of the Hyūga, creating the ludicrously high tension between the Main and the Branch Houses – it was beyond any stupidity, but a mere children's quarrel had been discussed in all the seriousness for a few hours straight, which was pretty exhausting itself, not counting the fact that Hiashi still had to come up with an idea how to deal with Hinata's wayward temper. It was the third time in the last few months when she had gotten into a brawl with another kid, and although normally it would only make him proud of the fact that she was a natural born fighter whose skills desperately craved for training and testing, she needed to learn to behave unless he and Hitomi wanted their older daughter to grow up to become someone like those barbarian Uchiha clan's members.
And of course, on top of everything else that had happened that day, his beloved wife, Hitomi, was about to give birth to his second child – another daughter, to his slight irritation, as hey had confirmed by checking it with the Byakugan as soon as it had become possible a few months ago.
And now he wasn't even able to be there to support her because of the the impossible stupidity of his clansmen. Just what kind of a clan's head could he make by allowing them to do all this nonsense as if it was the most important thing in the world, while in reality it was absolutely nothing …?
Shaking his head in disappointment, Hiashi sighed, finally stepping away from his workplace and walking through the door that led to the corridor which connected the two wings of the massive building.
He wanted to get to Hitomi as soon as possible, and a short glance at the clock made him realize that he could still manage to come there in time to welcome their newborn child into their world.
"Tō-chan! Tō-chan!" The familiar voice that he loved so much made Hiashi stop, turning around and seeing the little girl who was dressed into a set of simple black kimono, smiling happily as he looked at her – apparently Hinata had been waiting patiently for him to get out of his office for a good hour, hiding behind the door all this time.
The man sighed, bowing down and gripping the giggling child with his arms, putting her onto his shoulders and holding her ankles carefully, wincing slightly as she closed his eyes with her tiny palms the next second, giggling even louder.
"Let's go to kā-chan! I miss her!" Hiashi let out a short laughter, feeling the annoying headache he had been suffering for hours by now rapidly fading away as his daughter's fingers massaged his hair in attempting to get a better grasp so that she wouldn't fall back while he walked down the stairs, picking the shortest route to get to their clan's hospital wing as soon as possible.
"No, young lady. You are going to your room now. This is your punishment for being a tomboy and for bullying your cousin." Her room wasn't on the way at all, and it was actually a good question how he was supposed to take his daughter there – the man certainly didn't feel like letting her go outside under the rain, but on the other hand, letting her see the process of childbirth wasn't something that seemed like a good idea either. Besides, Hitomi probably needed tranquility and rest right now, and it was hardly possible with Hinata around.
"I didn't bully him! He started it! He called me bad words!" The sincere resentment in her voice made Hiashi sigh sadly, shaking his head.
Of course, it was fairly obvious. Ever since Hizashi's death, Neji was noticed to constantly show disrespect towards the Main House members, especially towards his peers. And since the issue was pretty touchy, everyone including himself preferred to ignore the matter until now.
Yet still, even though Hinata didn't really start the conflict with her older brother, she still was demonized by the Branch House for beating him up, which was understandable. After all, she didn't have to be so harsh with a member of her family, no matter what he said. But then again, even though Hiashi would never admit it out loud, her actions really made the man feel proud.
She would make a splendid clan's head in years. Perhaps a far more gifted one than himself.
"I know, sweetheart. I know. But you still need to go to your bed. It's pretty late already. I promise, you'll get to see mommy tomorrow. And if you behave now, there will be a surprise for you in the morning."
"A surprise …?" the girl babbled perplexedly, thinking about it for a moment. "A present?"
"Yes, a present. One that you will like a lot, I promise. So, do we have a deal?"
The girl thought for a few more seconds, apparently weighting out the pros and cons, and then she giggled again, pulling Hiashi's ears.
"Yes! Deal!" The man smiled, but his expression changed quickly as he noticed the kunoichi from the Branch House in the end of the passage.
"Konoko … come here," he ordered, and the black haired woman reached them in just a few seconds, bowing down in respect.
"Hiashi-sama, I'm at your service."
"Please, take Hinata to her bedroom. I need to go and see Hitomi as soon as possible. But please, be careful – the rain outside is really heavy."
She nodded and bowed again, waiting for her superior to hand his suddenly wincing daughter to her.
"Don't worry, Hiashi-sama. Hitomi-sama is doing well," the kunoichi smiled warmly, hugging Hinata who looked like she was about to start crying.
"Is that so …?" the man drawled timidly, looking at the door to the final passage that led to the room he was heading to.
"Yes. But I'm afraid you're a bit late ..."
"Late?!" He gasped. "You mean ..."
"Yes." Konoko smiled again, making a welcoming gesture with her free hand. "Please, go to her. She needs you now."
The man nodded quickly, activating his Byakugan and rushing towards the hospital ward.
He could see her small frame even before he entered the room – it was a tiny brown haired girl, just like they had anticipated. Coming close to Hitomi's bed, he smiled softly, meeting the exhausted yet happy gaze of his wife who was holding the newborn tightly to her chest.
"I'm so glad you have come …," she whispered, closing her tearful eyes and letting out a long, tired sigh.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you … it's just that the Branch House–"
"Shush," she smiled again, nodding at the child who was already sleeping peacefully. "Look at her."
He did as she told him, bowing down and giving his daughter's face a long, studying look.
"She inherited your looks … unlike Hinata," he didn't reply, suppressing his own tears of joy. Hitomi was right – their child's features already resembled his own, whereas Hinata was nearly a carbon copy of her mother.
"Yes … so I take it it's my turn to choose a name?" He smirked, and Hitomi giggled. Although it was an old tradition in the ancient clans for the father to choose a name for his child, he had agreed with the name his wife had chosen for their firstborn three years ago, because he loved this woman with everything he had, and also because Hinata was a beautiful name in his opinion anyway, so he had no reason to argue, and neither did he really want to.
"Yes. It's your turn. Have you decided?" She looked at him curiously, unable to suppress a light sneer at his overly serious expression.
The man was silent for a good minute before he finally opened his mouth, uttering,
"Hanabi."
"Huh? Fireworks?" Hitomi blinked, apparently not expecting something like that.
"Yes. You don't like it?" He bristled, making the woman let out a weak laughter.
"No. I just didn't see that coming. But it makes sense. You always loved watching fireworks, after all. I hope you will love watching her growing up just as much."
He blushed sheepishly which made his wife take his hand into hers and brush it reassuringly with her fingers.
"I like it," she added, making him look into her happy eyes.
"Really?" She nodded, and Hiashi smiled as well, kissing her on the lips.
"How is Hinata?" Hitomi asked suddenly, making Hiashi frown – her expression changed to an anxious one nearly instantly, which was strange. Where did this even come from?
"She's alright. She wanted to come along to see you, but I made Konoko take her to her bedroom. She has beaten Neji up, can you believe this?" He laughed, but his expression changed as he noticed that Hitomi didn't react to the news at all. "What's wrong, honey?"
"I have a bad feeling, Hiashi … can you please check Hinata? I'm still too weak to activate my Byakugan–"
"You don't really need to do it. She's right here," the foreign voice broke through the heavy air of the room, making both the ninja hold their breaths and glance at the balcony.
Hiashi jumped up, and Hitomi nestled Hanabi, as if afraid that the mysterious man would steal their daughter from her.
"Who … who the hell are you? And what–"
"Be quiet. You don't want me to kill your precious children right away, do you?"
The eyes of the parents widened simultaneously as they finally noticed it – Hinata was levitating midair behind the stranger's back, seemingly unconscious.
And the man himself was probably the weirdest person Hiashi had ever seen in his life.
His skin was pale, far paler than that of any of the Hyūga clan's off-springs which were known for this exact trait. His eyes were cyan, and it seemed like they were shining with some barely notable yet a bit frightening dim light. His messy silver hair was only making his appearance seem even more weird than it already was, and on top of that, he was wearing the pretty unusual for their country rich-looking white kimono – its collar and the cuffs covered with multiple black magatama, and there also were nine of them on its back as Hiashi could see with his dōjutsu, and above them was the symbol that reminded of a ripple pattern.
"Who are you?! Let our daughter go, you filth!"
"Hiashi …," the man gasped in surprise when Hitomi's fingers clenched around his wrist tightly. Her own dōjutsu was now activated despite what she said a minute ago, and apparently she was checking the foreigner's chakra system ...
Which made her husband's eyes widen in fear when he did the same.
The amount of the mysterious stranger's chakra, as well as its potency were easily on the level of a bijū, and seeing as he could float in the air, making Hinata levitate nearby, too, made Hiashi realize why Hitomi stopped him a second ago.
This man, whoever he was … his power was far beyond their comprehension.
"Wise decision, Hyūga Hitomi. You are still as bright as you were back in the years."
Hiashi's eyes widened and he looked at his wife in confusion and shock.
"You … do you know him …?" She shook her head slowly, biting her lip.
"Oh, there is no need to hide it anymore. The chakra of my clan runs through your older daughter's system, after all."
Hiashi recoiled from Hitomi's bed, moving his shocked gaze from his wife, who started crying, to the man that eyed both of them impassively, with the small polite smile being the only indicator of his emotions.
"No … no, Hiashi …! I love you! This isn't what you–"
"Shut up!" He barked, moving his eyes to the stranger. "What do you want? And who the hell are you?"
The man smirked, still levitating in the air and not moving at all.
"I've come to collect what is rightfully mine, as well as to save your own clan, so please, do not interfere."
"My own clan …?" The Hyūga patriarch murmured, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"
"Our clans originate from the one and same source, Hyūga Hiashi. My name is Ōtsutsuki Toneri. As I said a minute ago, I've met your wife before, and I have something to do with your older daughter. Albeit …," he stopped, suddenly glancing at Hitomi. "It's none of my business, but think you should do something to help her before it's too late. I can sense that heartbeat is weakening."
As if getting snapped out of a some lucid dream, Hiashi looked at Hitomi to check her condition, and stormed to her the next second, gripping the woman's hand – evidently the stranger didn't lie. She had lost consciousness and paled notably, and her heart was indeed slowing down. Apparently the stress was too much for her, especially after the childbirth …
"No … no! Hitomi …!"
"Since it doesn't concern me, I'll continue from where we stopped, it's up to you if you'll be listening or not," the man kept talking casually, completely ignoring the devastating scene that was happening right in front of him. "Like I said, our clans originate from the certain person named Ōtsutsuski Kaguya. Aside from being the most powerful being in existence, she was also the mother of the two sons – Hagoromo, commonly known as the Sage of the Six Paths in your world, and Hamura of whom you most likely know nothing, naturally."
Hiashi formed a few hand seals, hitting Hitomi's tenketsu in order to innervate her Gate of Death and thus her heart as well – it was the most common and also the most effective first aid technique of their clan.
"As the older brother, Hamura was the one who took the leadership of our clan and kept the legacy of the Ōtsutsuki, as well as gave the beginning to you, the Hyūga," Hiashi glared at him, still trying to revive his wife but mesmerized by Toneri's words at the same time, as if forgetting about everything else for a moment.
"Centuries ago, Kaguya decided to rule the world with her tremendous power. No … actually, all the existing worlds, but it doesn't concern you. What really matters is that she wanted to enslave every single human being in your world. Fortunately enough, her sons have stopped her by sealing her shell into the moon they have created together, which became the home to our clan later, and by splitting her chakra into the nine parts, leaving them in this world in the form of …
"...the bijū," Hiashi whispered, finally understanding what Toneri was talking about.
The man nodded, confirming his assumption.
"Precisely. This way, it has become nearly impossible to revive her, but make no mistake – Kaguya is still alive. And she will come back, according to the old prophecy of the Ōtsutsuki."
"What do we have to do with this?!" Hiashi cried, gritting his teeth – Hitomi's heartbeat was becoming weaker with every second.
Toneri smiled kindly.
"Be patient. We are about to get to that part. Your wife is an enormously wise woman for someone of your kind. Back when she was a teenager, she was reading lots of the old scrolls of your clan which you probably have never cared to look at, and eventually it led her to deduce the truth about your ancestors and about their connection with us. The idea of finding a way to come in contact with the people on the moon never left her ever since that moment."
"You are saying that your people live on the moon, yet it's clear that nobody has ever seen any trace of your presence there, otherwise the moon wouldn't be considered uninhabited. How is this possible?" Hiashi asked, letting out a sigh of relief – thanks to his jutsu, Hitomi's heartbeat rhythm became steady again.
"Because you can see only one side of the moon, Hyūga Hiashi. The other one is always hidden from your eyes. But that also is the weak spot of our defense."
"A weak spot …?" Hiashi babbled confusedly, staring at his nonchalant face.
"There is a reason why it is impossible to maintain a connection between the moon and your world most of the time. It is because of the barrier Hamura created in order to prevent anyone of your world from coming there. It is impossible to use any, as your people call it, 'space-time ninjutsu' to come to our home – it only works in the opposite way and only for the descendants of our clan, which is why I'm here now. But, like I said and pretty much like it is with everything in our universe, there is a weak spot. And your wife was lucky, or rather unlucky enough to stumble upon it.
"And of course you won't tell me what that weak spot is, will you …?" Hiashi growled quietly, but to his surprise, Toneri smirked.
"I will. It doesn't matter if you know or not. The barrier wanes during eclipse when it focuses all of its power to protect the other side of the moon from the solar radiation. And your wife tried to send the message to us just exactly during an eclipse. That's how we found out that the other group of Hamura's descendants is here, alive and well, which confirmed the words of the prophecy. That's why we needed to come here as soon as possible in order to prevent the upcoming doom. "
"This prophecy you are talking about … what does it say?"
The Ōtsutsuki sighed, closing his eyes – his annoying smile finally disappeared, to Hiashi's relief.
"The woman of the other world that would possess the chakra of both of our clans will reunite Hamura's descendants once and for all one day, and this reunion is supposed to either destroy all of us by allowing Kaguya to get revived, or to let us rule the world together until the end of time."
"And this woman is Hitomi? Is that what you're trying to say?"
Toneri opened his eyes, looking at him as if Hiashi was a silly child that didn't understand the simplest things.
"Her name was never specified, Hyūga Hiashi. But we are pretty sure that it happens to be your older daughter."
"What …? Hinata? But why?! Why does she possess the chakra of your clan?" He blurted out, standing up – Hitomi was still unconscious, but at least stable thanks to his effort.
"When Hitomi summoned us to this world unwillingly by sending that signal, she's become the link connecting the two realms, which led her to receiving a portion of Hamura's chakra from the barrier she had broken through. Unfortunately for all of us, she already was pregnant with young Hinata at the time. And it was only natural that her child inherited this chakra. Your wife's curiosity has caused all this, and there is nothing either of us can do about it now. Because the last part of the prophecy states it clearly. The countdown has already started, Hyūga Hiashi."
"What does this last part say?" The Hyūga clan's head whispered, feeling himself completely drained and defeated.
The man was right – there was nothing they could do. They were completely at his mercy now, so the only option remaining for him was trying to understand the stranger's reasoning. Perhaps if he got it right … he would be able to come to an agreement with this alien man. Or, simply put, to fool him.
"There is an Ōtsutsuki in your world, Hyūga Hiashi. No … actually, there are two of them. The two sons of Hagoromo are still alive."
Hiashi frowned.
"How is this possible? Weren't they supposed to live centuries ago?"
Toneri nodded in agreement.
"Yes, they did. But these two have attained immortality, as far we know. Whenever their physical bodies die, they are being reincarnated into this world again. And right now, they are alive and well. I can sense their presence, even from here … although they are merely children at the moment. But that's not the point. The older brother, Ōtsutsuki Indra. He is the only one who matters when it comes to the prophecy. If your daughter meets him and if he corrupts her enough, it's an inevitable end for both the Hyūga and the Ōtsutsuki, because it will lead your daughter, this innocent little girl, to becoming the new vessel of Kaguya. We can't allow this to happen."
Hiashi swallowed heavily, nodding slowly. He understood it, at last – if what Toneri was saying was true, and there was no reason not to believe him considering all the evidence that supported his words, it couldn't be allowed to happen.
"On the other hand, if I take her with me now, I will be able to teach her the ancient techniques of our ancestors, and she will grow to be able to lead us to rule the world. It's the other option that is mentioned in the prophecy, and it's the only way to prevent the possibility of her meeting the current Indra's incarnation. And I intend to do just that."
The Hyūga clan's head clenched his fists, rapidly thinking what to do.
This Ōtsutsuki only needed his daughter to corrupt her himself, that much was obvious. The lust for power was the only thing that really drove him – he wanted to enslave the world himself instead of this Kaguya, it was pretty clear by now.
But what could he do to stop him? To stop all this?
"Look … you're saying that Hinata, my daughter … she is supposed to be very powerful and gifted, isn't that right? In case if your prophecy is correct, that is, " Hiashi muttered slowly, watching the man's cyan eyes carefully as they narrowed at him.
"Yes, that is true."
"But see, here is the problem. She's not gifted at all. If anything, until now she's only been a disappointment to everyone in our clan," he lied without even blinking. "Besides, the amount of your ancestor's chakra she received from her mother should be ridiculously small, close to nonexistent. Think about it."
The Ōtsutsuki's eyebrow cocked skeptically as he turned his head to give the unconscious girl as thoughtful look.
"Is that so …?"
Hiashi nodded.
"Yes. I understand the importance of your mission, and I want to cooperate. But at the same time, it would be horrible if you turn to be wrong, wouldn't it?"
Toneri listened silently, allowing him to continue.
"You said that this Indra is still a child, just like her. What if we wait for a few years just to make sure that you're not wrong? And in the meantime, I swear that I'll be careful not to let her to come in contact with anyone whom I will at least remotely suspect in being Indra's incarnation. This way, I'll get a chance to save my daughter … you won't have to deal with a child, and we'll negate the possibility of making a mistake."
The alien was silent for a few seconds, apparently thinking over Hiashi's words. It took the Hyūga all of his willpower to remain calm – since the Ōtsutsuki apparently could feel his heartbeat, it was mandatory to remain as cool as possible while he was making his decision.
"This sounds reasonable, Hyūga Hiashi," he finally said. "And you seem to be sincere. Fair enough. I will let you raise this girl. But I will be coming here to check her from time to time, and if I find out that you are wrong, I will take her to our realm without notifying you. Be prepared. Until then, beware of Indra. He is said to be incredibly smart and cunning."
"I will!" Hiashi blurted out happily seeing as Hinata's motionless body was lowered onto the wooden floor.
"Don't be so hasty to celebrate it. If it's not her, then it's most likely her mother. Unlike her daughter, she's undeniably gifted, isn't she? I need to get rid of her just in case."
"What …!"
Hitomi's eyes snapped open and she coughed – the blood streamed down her chin as she stared at Hiashi in pain and fear.
The man rushed to her bed, falling onto his knees and hugging his wife, as well as Hanabi who opened her eyes and started crying when her mother moved.
"I … I'm sorry … Hiashi … I'm so sorry …," Hitomi whispered weakly, not moving her loving eyes from his own.
He could see it with his Byakugan - her heart was literally crushed, apparently by Toneri's power.
Feeling his own upcoming tears, Hiashi touched the woman's forehead with his own, closing his eyes.
"What have you done, my love … what have you done …?" he whispered, biting his lip and suppressing the urge to sob like a little child.
Why? Why was this happening to them? Just an hour ago, his world was perfect, and now it had fallen apart completely. His beloved wife was dying, his heir would have to live a miserable life with her abilities being suppressed for the sake of saving her from this alien bastard, and he …
He could very well become responsible for his clan's extinction just out of his selfish desire to save his daughter's life.
"I … love … you …"
Hitomi's last whisper was faintly discernible, but Hiashi heard it nonetheless, as well as her last breath.
He turned his face to look at Hinata who was still lying on the floor, not moving but at least breathing.
"We'll meet again, Hyūga Hiashi."
The man disappeared, leaving the Hyūga family in the misery of the empty room.
A minute of silence passed before Hinata finally moved, slowly getting up from the floor and looking at the spot where Toneri stood not long ago.
Hiashi frowned, looking at his daughter distantly.
He had managed to fool the Ōtsutsuki, but his prophecy seemed to be accurate. And considering that he would have to turn the life of his daughter into utter hell from now on … did it even worth it? He would likely have to kill her one day should she get out of his control … this would be the only way to prevent the prophecy from fulfilling if its contents turned to be correct, in one way or another.
He shook his head with resolve, collecting himself.
If doing so would save his clan, or even their whole world … the end justified the means.
***
"Hey, Sasuke, Hinata! We did it! Kusa is under control now, it was a piece of cake!" Naruto landed onto the floor of the hall next to Karin, looking at everyone around himself with a baffled expression. "What's goin' on here?"
"The prophecy is wrong, Hiashi," said Sasuke, ignoring the unexpected emergence of his friend and wrapping his arm around Hinata's waist. The kunoichi looked like she was about to collapse any moment, but at the same time, she seemed to be eager to know more about the prophecy and the dark secrets of her family's past.
The older man gave him a small ironic smirk.
"Exactly how is it wrong? You are Indra, you have basically said it yourself. And now the two of you are bound ... I failed it all. Thanks to my actions, we're all on our way to our graves right now."
Sasuke sighed.
"Not quite. Whereas it's true and I am Indra, and me and Hinata are indeed bound, the prophecy is still wrong. You see ... Madara wasn't the one who initiated the Infinite Tsukuyomi back during the war."
Orochimaru smirked triumphantly while Hiashi's eyes widened slowly as he finally slipped out of his melancholic state, beginning to realize what the Uchiha was about to tell.
There were a few seconds of grave silence in which Sasuke turned his head to meet the troubled gaze of his temporary revived father's eyes - he and Yutaka seemed to be the most confused out of everyone else who were present there since both of them knew next to nothing about this part of his past, but it didn't matter at the moment.
He would deal with his clansmen later.
Meeting the blue eyes of Naruto for a moment and receiving an approving nod, he continued,
"Black Zetsu manipulated Madara to make the preparations for the great genjutsu as well as for the revival of Kaguya, which he did. But we stopped her. Me and Naruto ... or rather the incarnation of the other son of the Sage. We sealed her away by creating another moon, and this time it was done in a completely different dimension. I assure you, there is no way for her to come back. The prophecy is wrong."
Hiashi's shocked gaze moved to meet Hinata's eyes which were full of tears that rolled down her blanched face for a few minutes by now, but she didn't seem to pay attention to that, too shocked by all the revelations of the night.
"So ... this Toneri ..."
"He either lied to you or was wrong himself. I'm not going to corrupt your daughter, Hiashi. Until now, I've only been undoing the damage you've been causing to her for years.
The man opened his mouth, and his voice was completely shrunken as he murmured,
"I ... daughter ... I ..."
"I understand why you did this to me," Hinata suddenly said, and there was no sign of insecurity neither in her expression nor in her voice.
"You ... you do?"
"Yes. But I will never, ever forgive you. You can stay alive, you can come back to Konoha, I don't care. But if you cross my way again, I'll kill you without hesitation. The same will happen if you try to meddle into my clan's business."
Hiashi gasped, but he already realized what she was talking about before he even managed to finish his next question,
"Your clan ...?"
"Yes. My clan. I'm Uchiha Hinata. And you will have to deal with it. All of you."
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I understand you've already finished reading it until the recent chapter? 