Mari Makinami
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Chapter 24. Requiem for the Past
"Are you sure that this is what he really deserves...?" Naruto drawled doubtfully, glaring at the back of the man who was walking away from them, slowly deepening into the heavy fog, limping and hunching slightly as if he was afraid that they could change their mind in the last moment and finish him off.
"Who do you think I am? You?" Sasuke scowled, turning away and striding in the opposite side, making the blond sigh and charge ahead to catch up with his friend and the third figure that was accompanying them all along.
"Well, you didn't want to kill him, obviously ... or at least you didn't want Hinata to either do that herself or to see him dying. But, eh … to be honest, I was pretty sure that you were going to bury him here. And as a matter of fact, this time I wasn't even going to try to stop ya, teme." The Uzumaki frowned, staring at the horizon thoughtfully.
Sasuke didn't need to look at his friend to realize that the blond was deeply concerned with what had happened a day before in the Tower. Despite his reasoning being understandable, Hyūga Hiashi was a criminal who had murdered ruthlessly more than a few of his own clansmen ... by the law of Konoha and any other Great Country, he was to be executed on the spot for committing such a serious crime that, in a way, could be compared to the Uchiha massacre. And as much as Naruto despised the idea of killing criminals since it always led to prolonging the chain of vengeance and hatred, he had put up with the fact that Sasuke most likely would end the man's life as soon as they'd leave Amegakure by using the Uchiha's newly discovered ability to open dimensional rifts.
And now that Hiashi was going away from them freely in the direction that, according to Sasuke's word, led towards one of the godforsaken settlements of the Land of Water, the jinchūriki felt quite confused by his friend's decision. It was fairly obvious that Sasuke didn't let the man get away just out of his forgiving nature, and somehow the Uchiha's barely notable satisfied grin led the blond to the belief that there was something else beneath such an act that seemed so generous and kind at the first approach.
"Come on, teme … what's your plan for him?"
"Haven't figured it out yet, huh? And they say you grew smarter lately." Much to Sasuke's surprise, Naruto didn't respond to the childish taunt at all, waiting patiently for the reply to his question, which in turn made the Uchiha realize that his friend has truly matured ... a little bit.
"Don't you think it's a bit too harsh, Sasuke …?" Fugaku muttered, finally breaking the oppressive silence. "Leaving a Hyūga in a place full of Kekkei Genkai hunters … it's actually worse than killing him considering how far they always go in order to protect the secrets of their eyes."
Sasuke shook his head without looking at either of his companions.
"No … it's not. I'm merely putting him in Hinata's shoes. He forced her to spend the last six months as a nukenin, and she had to stay on guard every second of this time thanks to his actions. I think it serves him right," he snapped, to which neither Naruto nor Fugaku responded, walking quietly across the bleary field.
"What a creepy place … I don't even have an idea where we are," the Uzumaki groaned, squinting and trying look through the haze to figure their location out.
"You don't really have to know. It's not like we're ever coming back here."
"Yea, right, ya didn't have to take me here to begin with, y'know … I'd prefer a more comfy place to spend my day off."
"Speaking of which … why did you want me to follow you two, Sasuke? I was pretty sure that I've answered all of your questions …," asked Fugaku, looking at his son's nape curiously, which made the younger Uchiha stop, finally turning to them and meeting his father's anxious gaze.
"Yes … you have. And that's precisely why both of you are here now. Naruto … you still have some chakra of Ichibi, is that correct?"
The blond blinked a few times with a baffled expression, evidently taken by surprise with his friend's sudden question, but nodded nonetheless.
"Yea, I do. Why?"
Sasuke nodded approvingly as well, closing his eyes and sighing deeply.
"For the same reason why I made Orochimaru perform the jutsu in the first place. Father is one of the strongest ninja the Uchiha clan has ever produced. That's why I want to seal this Edo Tensei somewhere Orochimaru would never be able to find it. And that's also why I brought both of you here. I will not allow him to control any member of my clan ever again, dead or alive. Therefore I want you to use your Jiton chakra to seal it away, Naruto."
The jinchūriki swallowed hesitantly, moving his gaze to the older Uchiha who snorted, closing his own unnatural black eyes.
"I see … it's a wise decision, son. I'm happy to see that you care for the honor of the Uchiha clan so much. I can go back to the afterlife with peace of mind." The revived man smiled happily, which made his son look away.
"I hope you don't condemn me for my decisions … father."
Fugaku came close to his son, rustling his hair and making Naruto hold back a giggle at his friend's childishly embarrassed face.
"I have no right to condemn you, Sasuke. Nobody has. Seeing that you are still alive and sane is all that really matters to me. And since you have your wife and Minato's boy to help you achieve your goals, I can rest assured that our clan's mistakes of the past haven't ruined your life completely." Fugaku winked at the Uzumaki, making him smile cheerfully. "Besides, Minato was my friend, too. If not for his demise, perhaps the tragedy that happened to the Uchiha could have been avoided. And now the two of you have a chance to fix it all. To change the village … and this world. I believe in you."
A single tear rolled down Sasuke's cheek, making the young man wipe it away as soon as possible.
"Thank you."
Fugaku smiled warmly, stepping back.
"Goodbye, son." He looked at Naruto who formed a Rasengan in his hand the same second – the swirling blue orb was covered with the Ichibi's sealing pattern.
"Farewell … dad."
Waiting for a moment to make sure that Sasuke didn't want to add anything else, Naruto slammed the Rasengan into Fugaku's chest, making the bizarre pattern cover the damaged fake body rapidly, sealing it away within just a few seconds.
They stayed like that for a good minute, looking silently at the motionless mass of sealed chakra while the fog around them thickened to the point where it became hard for the two shinobi to recognize the features of each other.
And then Naruto flinched suddenly, turning to his friend and giving him a slightly troubled look.
"Hey, Sasuke … we should get going. My clone has just dispelled – Hanabi is waiting for you not far away from the gates of the village. She says everything is ready."
The Uchiha kept gazing at the remains of his father's artificial body for a few more seconds before nodding slowly, turning backwards and channeling the chakra into his Rinnegan.
"Let's go." The familiar rift opened in front of them, sending chills down Naruto's spine – the memories of Kaguya using the same technique were still pretty fresh.
"Are you alright?" The blond asked suddenly, making the Uchiha who was about to step through the portal stop midway, albeit not turning around to face his friend.
"Yes. I am. Though I'd feel much better if you stopped trying to be my caring mommy and stuck to the plan instead."
The Uzumaki grinned contentedly without saying anything in response. Instead, the shinobi performed Hiraishin no Jutsu and disappeared, happy to finally leave the unsightly place for good.
***
"Evidently Hiashi's plan has succeeded … in a way." The gray haired man with white eyes uttered quietly, watching from the broad balustrade as a few Konoha's chūnin walked slowly towards the gates of the Hyūga clan's compound, holding a large wooden coffin and led by the young heir to their clan along with Uchiha Sasuke and the Sixth Hokage.
"Yes … that it has," the old woman that stood next to him replied quietly after a short pause, activating her dōjutsu and checking the insides of the coffin with her eyes.
"He's not back, though. I think it's safe to assume that he's dead. What are we going to do now?"
The woman frowned, massaging her aching temple with her fingertips.
"We need to find a way to get to his older daughter. She was the only one to awaken that Kekkei Genkai in centuries … and now she's left the clan. Such a waste ..." She sighed, shaking her head.
The man's wrinkled eyes narrowed in apparent displease as he glared at the Uchiha's impassive face with his on Byakugan.
"He has fulfilled his promise. We'll have to give him a bride when he asks to. And to deal with him as with our ally from now on, too."
The woman shrugged indifferently, looking away from the humble procession that was closing in to them.
"So what? Given that we'll have to accept Hiashi's daughter, who, if I need to remind you, is the Sixth's agent, as our new head, it's not the worst of our problems. At least the boy is ridiculously strong and smart at the same time. He will be of use to us."
"I still don't like the idea of cooperating with an Uchiha," the man groaned willfully, looking away as well.
The woman smirked, tapping his hand gently.
"Our time is long gone, Hiruka. All we still can do is maintaining the well being of the clan. And with the Uchiha's protection, we are relatively safe. Besides, we are going to be related to him one day. Don't forget about it."
He gripped the railing of the balcony tightly and clenched his teeth, suppressing a hateful growl.
"His father has killed my son."
The woman shrugged indifferently again.
"Your son was a nukenin. He got what he deserved."
"Yet still …!"
"Listen now, you old fool," she hissed, and her expression changed dramatically, making the man gasp and shut up under her piercing glare. "After all the years you've spent living a useless life, you should have realized by now that the world isn't just painted white and black. It's always about the opportunities we receive from fate. Right now, we should be thankful to this brat for getting us rid of Hiashi."
"Even if he gets the virtual control over our clan?!"
"Yes."
Hiruka gasped, staring at his sister in disbelief.
"How can you say something like that? I thought we have protected ourselves from that genjutsu of his ...?"
She blinked a few times before starting to laugh, shaking her head.
"No, you really are an idiot … you always were. Listen here. It is at this point obvious that the Uchiha has sided both with the Sixth and with Hiashi's daughters. Considering that the Fourth's son is his childhood friend, it's safe to say that Uchiha Sasuke is the one who currently holds the entire world in his grasp. Do you seriously think that we can do anything to oppose him?"
Hiruka gave the woman a long, conflicted stare before lowering his head in defeat.
"You are right … we can't. I suppose I just hate the idea of losing to this brat …"
"Whether you hate it or not, we've already lost. Right now, the best thing we can do is to take the bait and to pretend that we believe whatever story they are going to feed us with. We must not let them know that his genjutsu hasn't affected the two of us. And in the meantime … we'll try to earn his trust, very slowly, step by step, year by year. Rumors say that he's already on the level of Uchiha Madara … and considering that he wants to restore his clan, he's going to become a father to many children with incredible potential. And it's safe to assume that some of them will be born with Byakugan. Can you see all the opportunities it would provide us with?" Her greedy gaze made Hiruka shudder, looking away thoughtfully.
She was right. After all, if this Uchiha was anything like his great ancestor, should his child really have Byakugan instead of Sharingan, it would get kicked out of the Uchiha clan the instant it's born. And then, they would be able to claim it as their own … the true heir to the Hyūga clan. The one that would make them great once again!
"I … I see now, Hikari. You are right, as always. I was too hasty to judge ... the whole situation."
The old woman's lips twisted into a sinister grin.
"It's good that you understand now. The Uchiha intends to use the strong genes of our clan to empower his future off-springs, but he fails to realize that this is exactly what we will do to him. We will use him, and not the other way around. He is our blessing, not our curse, Hiruka. That's how we should see him from now on."
The old man nodded quickly, looking at the raven haired young man with his Byakugan once again.
"You are right, sister. You are always right."
***
"Nukenin number one hundred ninety three, Hyūga Hinata, is dead. Genin Uchiha Sasuke took care of this mission. Therefore I hereby declare his promotion to jōnin, if nobody objects." Kakashi looked around the round shaped room, meeting the multiple incredulous gazes of the Village Council's members directed at him.
"Is this information accurate? What about Hiashi? His name has disappeared from our clan's scroll as well." The white eyed man in the corner of the room barked, staring at the Sixth with apparent suspicion.
"Hyūga Hiashi has been killed in action by Hinata. Hyūga Hanabi has confirmed this earlier when we carried Hinata's body into the domain of her former clan, according to the existing tradition. We also had received a message from Hyūga Kō earlier, stating the same," came the emotionless reply of the Hokage, which made the older man turn away, snorting contemptuously.
"Suit youself, then. The brat did a good job, after all."
Nobody else said anything against Kakashi's decision concerning his former student, so the gray haired man put the seal onto the paper that was lying on the table right in front of him.
"It's settled, then. According to the tradition, the burial of the deceased Hyūga ninja will take part immediately after this meeting is over."
"What about the survivor?" Shikamaru asked calmly, looking curiously at the Hyūga elder who closed his eyes, seemingly ignoring everything that was going on around him.
"Kō, huh …?" Kakashi drawled, scratching his chin under his mask. "He's under my personal protection as a member of the top secret ANBU black ops squad. His mission was to ensure the elimination of the nukenin and to provide us with the detailed report concerning Uchiha Sasuke's performance, which he did. Since he also didn't take part in the combat, he's free from any charges. Besides, considering that Hyūga Hanabi is to become the new head of the Hyūga clan, her duty as an ANBU will have to stop, naturally. Kō shall replace her under my direct command starting from tomorrow."
"It's all nice and very interesting, but what about the situation between Amegakure and Kusagakure? Akatsuki have finally made their move, and I think it's far more important than discussing the children's play," said Koharu, gazing at the Sixth gloomily.
Kakashi's eyebrow cocked as he turned his head towards the old woman.
"What do you find so important about it, Koharu-san? According to the Pact, we are not allowed to interfere unless they attack us or any other Great Country directly. Our hands are tied here."
"Hiashi sure chose the perfect time to infiltrate Amegakure. Right when they were busy in Kusa … speaking of which, their performance there was pretty impressive. To take over the entire country within just one night … that's quite something," Homura sighed, shaking his head. "We're going to face a big problem should they decide to attack Konoha."
"Not while Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke are on our side. That's most likely the reason why they don't dare to meddle with the Land of Fire," Akimichi Chōza reasoned, giving the elder a small, prideful grin. "By the way … aren't we supposed to have problems with the other Great Countries? After all, Uchiha Sasuke is a shinobi of Konoha, and he virtually attacked another country, which is against the terms of the Pact. Have you received any protest notes from the other villages, Hokage-sama?"
"Yes, we have received an inquiry message from Kumogakure. Because of what happened, an urgent Gokage summit will be held in Suna in three days. Don't worry about it, though. Me and Nara-san have already worked out the plan to back up our actions, so it most likely won't lead to anything serious. After all, Sasuke only took down a single kunoichi, and a nukenin of Konoha at that. As far as I'm aware, we have the right to do deal with our nukenin in the other countries so long as no collateral damage is inflicted. Hiashi-san chose the right time to attack indeed. He was a truly bright man." Kakashi sighed sadly, lowering his head in a silent mourn, and so did everyone in the room.
A few seconds later, the Sixth looked around the council, taking the papers from his table and handing them to Shizune who was standing quietly next to him.
"Since we've discussed everything relevant for today, the meeting is over now if there is no objections." None followed, and the Hokage walked out of the room, followed by his assistant and by the Nara genius.
"It went relatively smooth … I expected more trouble to deal with," Shikamaru mumbled as the three of them passed through the doors that led out to the sunny street.
"True … although Sasuke's improvised move sure took me by surprise for sure. And pissed me off a little bit, too."
"It seems like he still doesn't trust you, Hokage-sama," said Shizune with the notes of both sadness and concern in her voice.
"Of course he doesn't. Sasuke is anything but an idiot, and trusting anyone in his position is nearly suicidal … no offence, Kakashi-san," Shikamaru smirked which made the Sixth let out a loud sigh.
"I know, I know … I should've expected him to pull something like that. Fortunately enough, the only consequence I'm going to suffer is attending the summit … and a lot of bureaucratic stuff to spend my evenings on. Just like always … sometimes I miss just being a jōnin." He scratched his nape as they turned to the lane that led to the Hokage's residence and stopped, seeing quite a big crowd blocking their way to the building. "What on earth is going on?" Kakashi frowned, squinting in the warm rays of the sun and trying to see what earned so much attention of people.
"I'll ****ing kill you, Uchiha! Did you hear me? I swear, I'll kill you one day! You will pay for what you've done! You will pay!"
The Hokage slapped his forehead, sighing tiredly.
"I only left him alone for an hour, and he's already made a fuss ..."
"Yeah, I think they went a bit overboard with the show," Shikamaru sneered as he finally saw what was going on just a hundred yards ahead from them.
Sasuke leaned against the wooden fencing, gazing impassively at the brown haired boy who looked like he was about to explode, being held by four ninja at the same time and trying desperately to break out of their tight grip to reach the raven haired man.
"You can try it anytime you want, just don't be so noisy and cocky about your intentions, it's annoying and embarrassing," came the calm and nearly polite reply, which made Kiba's face redden even more.
"Let me go, you bastards ...! I'll free this village from this monster for good!" He growled, slamming his elbow into the face of one of the shinobi that were holding him, making the man let him go and grip the bleeding nose with a cry of pain.
"What monster are you talking about, you idiot? He killed a traitor, a terrorist and an enemy of the village!" Somebody from the crowd yelled at the Inuzuka, making him turn in the direction of the voice and nearly scream,
"Shut the **** up! You know nothing …!"
"No, you shut up! Somebody, take this retard away already!"
"Silence!" Kakashi's voice made everyone close their months and turn the heads in their direction. "What's going on here? Kiba?" He peered at the teen demandingly, waiting for the answer.
"I … Hokage-sama, he killed Hinata …!"
"Yes, I'm aware of that. Sasuke took down the nukenin in accordance with the mission I gave him. Thanks to him, Akatsuki have suffered a significant loss, and now they will think twice as much if they decide to attack Konoha in future."
"But …!"
"Wait a second … so the Uchiha is on our side, after all?" Another voice came from the crowd, sounding doubtful yet hopeful at the same time.
"Yes, he is. Sasuke is a competent jōnin of Konoha. Hopefully this will put and end to all the rumors once and for all. Now, everyone, please, get back to your business. I'll take care of the situation myself. And let Kiba go already, he won't do anything stupid anymore." The Inuzuka fell onto his knees the next second, and despite the polite tone of the request of the Sixth, everyone around realized that it was more like an order, so the crowd started to disperse reluctantly.
Once the space around them became more less free, Shikamaru, Kakashi and Shizune came close to the two former classmates who refused to look at each other – Kiba still looked absolutely murderous, and Sasuke was his exact polarity, looking at the three of them with a completely bored and indifferent expression.
"Kiba, Kurenai was looking for you, so I think you should go and find her as soon as possible. Sasuke, proceed to my office, we need to talk. Now." The Inuzuka gritted his teeth hatefully, turning around and running away while the Uchiha just snorted in his usual depreciating manner, but followed the order nonetheless.
"I see you really want to whitewash your name in the village, Sasuke," Kakashi glanced at him over his shoulder, making Sasuke raise up his eyes at his former sensei as they entered the building and walked up the wooden spiral stair.
"I do. We intend to come back to the village after we finish this grand mission you gave us," he replied calmly, as if not understanding what the Sixth was referring to, following the three of ninja into the familiar room.
Kakashi sighed, sitting down to his chair and locking his hands in front of the masked face, looking at the Uchiha searchingly.
"I'm not going to pretend that I don't know why you've done what you've done. But I must say that it hurts me to see that you didn't believe me when I said that I'd never use you like that."
"Not that you gave me any reasons to believe you. Furthermore, everything seemed to be quite the opposite lately."
They stared into each others' eyes silently for a few seconds while Shizune looked at them worriedly, and Shikamaru just turned away, gazing at the street through the window lazily, as if their conversation was far too boring for him to even pay attention, though in reality he just wanted to stay out of their conflict.
"True. And I'm sorry for that," Kakashi finally uttered, lowering his eyes shamefully, to which the Uchiha just shrugged casually.
"You don't need to apologize now that I have ensured my safety anyway. And even though I tend to believe you now, it doesn't really matter since from now on. You don't have anything to blackmail me with even if you wanted to."
Kakashi shook his head, sighing and smiling sadly under his mask.
"Fair enough. You still have ruined Hinata's reputation in the village, though. Doesn't she care?"
"No, she doesn't. When we come back to Konoha, she'll be known as another member of the Uchiha clan, presumably one of the outcasts I've found during my journey around the world. In other words, nothing interesting to the villagers. Hyūga Hinata will remain dead to everyone bar a few of us who know the truth. Besides, it also solves the problem of her own reputation as a nukenin around the world. I don't think you'd be able to back her up after you've already done that with me once. And this way, she'll be able to live a relatively calm life when our mission will be completed."
"By the way, I wanted to ask you ... how did you create the fake corpse? It looks so genuine that if I didn't know about your plan beforehand, I would've easily taken it for real," Shikamaru asked, turning to the Uchiha and giving him a quizzical look.
"I've put everyone under a genjutsu."
"Everyone?" Shizune gasped while Kakashi frowned, and the Nara grinned in satisfaction – apparently his assumption had just been confirmed.
"Yeah. Everyone in the village. It's pretty weak and hardly notable, though – it's only purpose is making everyone see Hinata instead of the dead woman from Ame should they take a look at the corpse. I didn't put much chakra into it either, so it will dispel shortly. Probably by the evening, so I suggest you to hurry up with the burial."
Kakashi took a paper from his table, reading a few lines before looking at Sasuke again, suddenly smiling.
"We will to just that, then. There is no point in delaying it any further. I will go to the Hyūga compound right away. I suppose you'll be going back to Ame for now?"
"No. I have to find Hinata's old sensei and have a work with her before I depart. There is something I want to discuss with her and her former teammates." Kakashi nodded, standing up from his working place and putting his hands into the pockets of his pants, heading toward the exit of the room.
When he was about to open the door, Sasuke suddenly sighed and winced, as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to say something or not, which made his former sensei stop and look over his shoulder questioningly.
"Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?"
The teen shook his head and smirked, apparently finally coming up with a decision concerning something that had been troubling him for a while.
"Not really, no. I just wanted to say that you're invited, too. And I think I don't mind if your girlfriend comes along as well." Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise while Shizune blushed, gasping and covering her mouth with her palm.
"I … thank you, Sasuke," the Sixth finally uttered, making the teen grin and look away.
"Don't mention it. Just make sure that nobody spoils the evening. We've had enough of trouble lately, so be so kind and do your job accordingly."
He disappeared using Shunshin no Jutsu, leaving everyone in the room in a speechless shock.
***
"You are so beautiful, Hinata-sama," Kō uttered quietly, standing near the door to the room that belonged to her and Sasuke and watching as the young woman was fixing her hair that looked pretty different from what her clansman had grown used to see ever since her childhood – she didn't have the forelock anymore, and the regrown straight strands of the black hair already reached her shoulder blades, but were still far from the length he remembered from back when she still had been living in Konoha. She was brushing them now with a silver comb, staring at her reflection in the mirror critically.
"No, I look like a mess. I've spent the last ten hours on sleeping, but I still feel pretty exhausted thanks to you and ... father," she murmured, narrowing the white eyes and putting the comb aside, taking her favorite lipstick from the nightstand instead.
The man's lips curved into a sad smile as he lowered his eyes.
"You will always be the most beautiful woman in the world to me, no matter how you look, Hinata-sama."
She rolled her eyes, glancing at him through the mirror.
"It doesn't sound very convincing after everything you've done to me. Besides, it's not a good idea on your part to say such things to a married woman."
He smirked sheepishly, cocking his head slightly.
"I thought we have agreed to be honest with each other from now on. And that's merely the way I feel, I'm being sincere. I don't need you to return my feelings, Hinata-sama. Just being around you and serving your interests is all I want."
She gave him a long, thoughtful look before going back to working on her makeup.
"That sounds pretty freaky, to be honest. I'd prefer you to stay away from me and to assist Hanabi in Konoha instead. I don't need your help, whereas she certainly does, considering her new position in the clan."
Kō sighed, lowering his eyes shamefully to the floor again.
"I understand, Hinata-sama. I just wanted you to know that I'll always be there for you. Should your husband ever–," he stopped, nearly feeling her burning, murderous glare on his skin.
"Try to meddle into my relationship with Sasuke, and I won't hesitate to kill you the second you do it. Don't even think about saying the nonsense about your feelings in his presence."
He sighed convulsively, as if cringing a little bit under her piercing gaze.
"But I can't help it. I just love you too much, and besides, I told you before that I'm ready to accept the death from your hands if that's what you really want, Hinata-sama," he mumbled, closing the eyes and wincing, apparently expecting her to hit him.
"If you keep irritating her like you're doing it now, it will be my hand that will bestow death upon you, idiot," the familiar voice that Kō hated that much sounded from the door, making Hinata flinch and turn around, rushing towards her husband.
"Sasuke! You're back!" She hugged the man tightly and pecked him on the lips, ignoring Kō's presence completely and looking into the Uchiha's slightly displeased eyes. "How did it go? Is everything fine? How is Hanabi? What–"
"Everything went just splendid, calm down already," he interrupted her jabbering, making the kunoichi blush. "By the way, you look gorgeous. Have you already tried the dress I had brought for you?"
She blushed even more, giggling quietly and looking away sheepishly.
"No … not yet. Speaking of which … I still don't understand what I'm doing it for. Why don't you just tell me what's your mysterious plan about?" She nearly pleaded, fixing the high collar of his light gray shirt.
"You will find out in due time, be patient. It's supposed to be a surprise."
The black haired kunoichi frowned slightly, pouting childishly.
"The last time you prepared a surprise for me, I had to spend the whole week high in the mountains without any food."
He sneered, apparently recalling the event she was talking about and enjoying the nice memories it brought up.
"Yeah, well, I wouldn't buy you a dress for something like that, don't you think so?"
She peered at his face for a few seconds before letting the man go, walking back towards the mirror.
"Fine, don't tell me. When are we going to that restaurant, again?"
The Uchiha looked at the old watch on the table, taking the scabbard with the blade off his belt and throwing it into the farthest of the room.
"Nice try, but I still won't tell you where we're going. As for your question – we'll go in an hour or so. I need to have a word with your fanboy here before we go, and besides, I need to change, too. You," he looked into the eyes of Kō who swallowed, apparently bending mentally under Sasuke's gaze. "Follow me. You're not that much of a lost case to hope to get to see her naked in the meantime, are you?" He gripped the man's tunic and pulled him out of the room, closing the door with a kick and walking to the end of the long corridor before stopping next to the closed window, meeting Kō's suddenly indifferent gaze again. "What the hell are you trying to achieve, you moron?"
"The same thing as before. I want her to kill me." The blunt reply made Sasuke grit his teeth angrily, grabbing the man's collar with his only hand and slamming his back into the wall.
"You are a completely hopeless idiot, aren't you?"
"Maybe I am. So what of it?" There was no fear or any emotion for this matter in the white eyes – only the depressive, nearly suicidal indifference.
"She won't kill you."
"How can you be so sure?" His grim smirk was unnerving, but the Uchiha still managed to maintain the control over his wrath.
"I've put her under a very strong genjutsu. No matter how much she wants to kill you, she won't be able to."
Kō narrowed his eyes, giving Sasuke a long, testing look.
"You're lying."
The Uchiha sighed, letting him go and sitting on the windowsill.
"I am. But so are you. Tell me why are you so determined to get killed by her, again? Don't feed me with the bullshit about your unrequited love, I'm not buying it. Tell me the real reason unless you want me to take it out of your tiny brain by force."
There was another long pause before Kō finally opened his mouth.
"You, of all people, should understand why, Sasuke. I want her to become stronger to oppose that Ōtsutsuki clan, and in order for it to happen, I want her to kill me just like you killed Itachi. After all, would you have become this powerful if your brother was still alive?" The Uchiha's eyes widened, and Kō was pretty sure that an outrage would follow inevitably, but instead, Sasuke just laughed at him a second later.
"What made you think that the sole fact that I have killed Itachi made me who I am, fool? Stop being so obsessed with the idea of imitating him, and be thankful to fate that you won't have to live in the same hell he lived in. Killing Itachi was the biggest mistake of my life. There is nothing I regret as much."
Kō's eyes widened in shock as he finally realized what Sasuke was really saying to him.
"Do you mean that …?"
"It's Itachi's word, not mine. He told me back when Kabuto had revived him during the war that his decisions concerning me were always wrong. That he failed miserably in the end. That because of him, I nearly fell into the darkness completely. I nearly destroyed everything I loved and lived for. He wanted me to become a hero, but instead, his actions nearly led me to becoming a monster far worse than Madara was. Do you understand it now?"
The Hyūga's mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally managed to squeeze out a sound, nearly whispering,
"So that's why you were so determined not to let her kill me and her father …?"
"Precisely, genius. Revenge doesn't bring you anywhere but to a lonely death."
Tears streamed down Kō's face while he sobbed, making the Uchiha feel pretty awkward all of sudden – he certainly wasn't used to seeing grown up men crying like girls, even though the man smiling at the same time.
"I … I'm sorry, Sasuke. I'm so sorry for everything I've done. You are right ... I was an utter fool. I could never be as good as him."
The Uchiha rolled his eyes.
"You still are a complete idiot. I'm not the one who you should apologize to. Although I suggest you not to come close to her anytime soon. You've annoyed her enough by now, let Hinata have a rest from you and the other ghosts of her past." There was the tiniest threatening note in his voice, and Kō noticed it, nodding quickly in agreement.
"I understand. Of course. You're right. So … should I go back to the village now?"
"Yeah, Kakashi is waiting for you." A dimensional rift opened behind the Hyūga, making him flinch as he felt the incredibly potent chakra tearing the space apart.
"Is this …?"
"Get lost already," Sasuke snapped, making the man nod quickly before turning around and stepping onto the ground of the forest near Konoha's walls with the portal closing behind his back the next second.
Being finally left alone in the empty passage, the Uchiha let out a sigh of relief, brushing his hair tiredly and looking at the door to their room in the opposite end of the corridor.
I certainly need a drink … hopefully Naruto hasn't failed his part of the arrangements …
Half an hour later, when Sasuke already changed into the fresh white shirt and a pair of dark blue pants, he walked into their room again, stopping at the entrance and eyeing Hinata, who still was standing in front of the mirror, up and down.
"You sure haven't wasted that hour …," he mumbled, suppressing the urge to whistle appreciatively.
She flinched as she heard his voice, turning around to face him and blushing terribly, although having enough courage to look Sasuke into the eyes.
The simple yet very stylish long black dress with open shoulders was fitting her figure perfectly, narrowing the curves of her body nicely. The black gloves that were going a bit past her elbows were making her hands look even more elegant than they were, and the makeup the kunoichi had chosen for the evening was a splendid masterstroke to her image, making the young woman look like a real princess, but at the same time without the unnecessary pomposity. There was nothing left in her appearance from that shy and preposterous stuttering girl that had asked him to allow her to tag along to him back in Konoha six months ago … and now Sasuke realized it clearer than ever before that this woman who was standing right in front of him was the Uchiha matriarch. Strong, passionate, wise and incredibly beautiful.
And she belonged to him.
"So … I'm ready. What are we going to do now?" Instead of replying, Sasuke came close to her, touching her chin and kissing the kunoichi on the lips gently, feeling her hands wrap around his neck reflectively as her chest pressed against his own, making the young man realize that they really should stop if he wanted to give her the present he had been preparing the whole day.
Backing off slightly, he smirked, making her giggle as well.
"I need you to close your eyes. Don't use your Byakugan and don't peep."
She raised her eyebrow slightly at his words, albeit doing as he told her nevertheless.
"Just make sure that I don't hit something with my head while we'll be walking like that," she teased him, making the shinobi sneer.
"We won't be walking more than a few steps."
"Oh …?" Another rift opened right in front of them, making Hinata gasp in awe at the feeling while Sasuke wrapped his hand around her waist, stepping forward.
"So … can I open my eyes now?" she asked, looking slightly baffled – the kunoichi was feeling that the place around them has changed, but it also was dead quiet, so she couldn't figure out where they were.
"Yeah. Do so."
"SURPRISE!" The collective chorus of familiar voices made Hinata flinch for the third time that day, nearly jumping up at the totally unexpected explosion of sounds.
They were in Kurenai-sensei's home – the young woman could say that much since he had been to this place dozens of times in the past, so she recognized it instantly. But the shockingly unusual thing there was the amount of people present in the hall.
Naruto was standing next to Orochimaru, Kakashi and Shizune who were sitting at the improvised bar in the corner of the hall – apparently the now smiling cheerfully blond was filling their glasses just when Hinata and Sasuke appeared in the room.
Kurenai was dandling her infant daughter, sitting on the couch along with Kiba and Shino on the opposite sides from her. In the chair right next to them was sitting Shikamaru who apparently was discussing something with Suigetsu who, in turn, was leaning against the wall, glancing from time to time at Karin who was sorting the various dishes on the broad table in the middle of the room.
As they heard everyone greet the newly arrived couple, Chōji and Ino showed up from the kitchen with two plates filled with roasted seafood and meat.
And now every single person was staring at her and Sasuke, looking so glad and happy to see them – even the usually emotionless Yutaka and Jūgo who were sitting on the floor, playing Shogi silently, let out tiny smiles as they raised their heads to looked at the Uchiha family.
"What … what's the meaning of this …?" Hinata nearly whispered, looking around the room with her eyes open as wide as possible.
"You didn't think we would miss the opportunity to celebrate your wedding, did you, Hinata?" Kiba grinned, jumping up from his spot and coming close to her and Sasuke, meeting the onyx black eyes of the man he seemingly had wanted to kill just a few hours ago.
But instead of showing any sign of aggression, he clapped the Uchiha's shoulder in a surprisingly friendly manner, winking at him.
"Quite a show we've pulled earlier in the village, eh?"
Sasuke smirked, hugging Hinata more tightly.
"Yeah. You did a great job. Who could've assumed that you actually have some talent, even if it's mere acting?"
Kiba rolled his eyes, turning around in a dramatic manner.
"Once a douchebag – always a douchebag … I gotta have a drink. Hey, Naruto …!"
Sasuke turned his head to meet Hinata's perplexed eyes, finally letting go of her waist.
"I just thought you should be missing our old friends … and the village, too. It's been a while, after all. That's why I decided to arrange this party for you … and besides, we didn't get to celebrate our wedding, so–," before he could finish the sentence, she jumped up and hugged him tightly, closing the eyes that were filling with the tears of happiness.
"Thank you … thank you, Sasuke! I love you so much …!" she kissed him on the lips passionately, making everyone in the room let out a collective cheerful cry once again.
"Go now. I'm sure you have some things to discuss with your old team," he smiled warmly, and Hinata nodded happily, coming close to Kurenai and Shino and followed by Kiba who was holding two glasses himself – all of them looked very happy despite the chaotic atmosphere in the house, but apparently it didn't matter to them all that much.
After all, they have been missing her quite a lot, too.
Greeting Yutaka and Jūgo with a wave of his hand, Sasuke proceeded to the bar, sitting next to Orochimaru and taking the glass of wine that had been providently prepared for him by Naruto beforehand.
"So, I see everyone's here and everything is okay," he concluded, clinging with the Uzumaki and taking a sip. "Are you sure that we won't attract the unnecessary attention? After all, gathering nearly the whole lineup of Akatsuki in the middle of Konoha for a party is a risky thing to do."
"Don't worry about it. My ANBU have surrounded the place, and the warding seals put by Karin-san are blocking any possible sensory types from prying into this place," Kakashi replied, to which Sasuke gave a satisfied nod.
"Yeah! Not everyone's here yet, though. Sakura-chan told me that she'd be late. She also said that she's going to bring her boyfriend with her! Can you imagine it? I'm dying to see the poor guy!" Naruto laughed loudly, making Shizune frown and Kakashi let out a deep sigh, shaking his head.
"You really should work on your manners if you intend to become the next Hokage, Naruto ..."
"A boyfriend ...?" Sasuke murmured, cocking his eyebrow in slight confusion – even though he had visited Sakura at work just a day ago, somehow the idea of her dating someone never crossed his mind, although it was only natural for her to do it concerning that there wasn't much interesting things to do in the village with him and Naruto spending all their time in Ame.
A loud knock at the door interrupted his thought, making Naruto jump up and storm towards the entrance door.
"There they are!" He pulled the door handle with a triumphant grin, but then his face changed within a single moment – he just stared at whoever was there with his eyes open wide and his jaw looking like it was ready to fall down to the floor any second.
"Wha … what …?" He babbled as the pink haired kunoichi pushed him lightly on the chest, making the blond step aside and let her walk into the room, holding the bandaged hand of …
"Hello everyone! Have Sasuke and Hinata arrived yet?" she asked, looking around and ignoring the complete silence that suddenly fell upon the room.
"Yeah … we have," the Uchiha replied from their corner of the hall, making the kunoichi turn towards him and smile.
"Hey, Sasuke-kun! And where is Hinata …?"
"I'm here." The black haired kunoichi waved at her from the couch, making the medic-nin smile even more widely.
"Oh! You look absolutely magnificent, Hinata! Sasuke, I hope you don't mind if I give our present to your wife? You guys can talk meanwhile – after all, I haven't seen Hinata in ages unlike you!" She let go of the dark haired man, ignoring the shocked stares of Naruto, Ino, Chōji, Kiba, Kakashi and Kurenai.
"Did you know about it?" Hatake whispered into the ear of his assistant who nodded affirmatively, smiling mysteriously.
"Yes. I was there when they got hooked up – after all, we've been working on Gai-san's leg together all along, and he was there pretty often, helping as much as he could ... even though it wasn't very useful."
"I see ..."
Sasuke stared into the vigorous eyes of the taijutsu genius for a few seconds before pulling the stool, offering the man a seat.
"It's been a while, Lee."
"That it has, Sasuke-kun!" The shinobi bowed down in a respectful greeting, sitting down the next second – it was pretty evident that he still felt pretty uncomfortable under the stares of some of his peers present in the room, but then the jinchūriki handed him a glass with red liquid which Lee, surprisingly enough, refused to take.
"Thank you very much, Naruto-kun, but I shouldn't be drinking alcohol. Its usual effect on me isn't something I'm very fond of! Can I have some juice instead?"
"Yes, yes, you can, of course," Naruto's devilish smirk made the Uchiha think that juice was the last thing that Rock Lee would get to taste tonight, but he didn't really care.
For the first time in what seemed to him like ages, Sasuke felt like he was home. And his home was Konoha, once again, just like it had used to be many years ago – back at the times he was already beginning to forget.
"So, I take it you really decided to come back after we're done with all this mess, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru asked, sipping the wine from his own glass and looking at his former protegee thoughtfully.
"Yeah."
"Is it because of Hinata?" Shizune asked sheepishly, apparently still unsure how to talk to the former criminal that the Uchiha was to her.
"No," he replied after a short pause, turning his head to look at his wife who was now holding Kurenai's daughter, shaking the girl lightly and making her giggle happily, stretching the small arms in an attempt to reach out for Hinata's face. "It's because I want it."
"I'm glad to hear that, Sasuke," said Kakashi, looking at his former teammate and student in all the seriousness.
"Glad to hear my ass! It's the best news up to date, teme! Cheers!" Naruto exclaimed happily, making the Uchiha smirk.
"Now, everyone, come here and sit at the table like the civil people you are! You'll have the time to get wasted like some pigs later on, boys!" Hanabi showed up from the kitchen, holding a big metal plate with a large cake on it in her hands and putting it on the table.
Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke noticed the Uchiha symbol printed with dark cherry jam and cream on the upper layer of the cake.
"She has a point," Naruto smirked, getting out of the bar and walking towards the table along with everyone else.
The Uchiha followed his friend, sitting next to his wife and taking her hand into his, feeling as she leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Now then, I suggest a toast!" The Uzumaki raised his glass, and everyone else did the same, expecting him to say something incredibly long and pompous – after all, Naruto's speeches from the time of the war were still quoted around Konoha from time to time, and he certainly had earned the reputation of a charismatic speaker.
"To the Uchiha clan of Konoha!" He finally yelled, and everyone else repeated his words, making something deep in Sasuke's heart twitch as he felt Hinata's grasp on his hand tightening, making the long forgotten warmth fill every fiber of his being.
No matter what awaited them tomorrow, today he was home.
I've been waiting patiently 
Thank you for patience and understanding, and I really appreciate all of your reviews guys!