Mari Makinami
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_______________________________________________________
And a boy
Wasted and worried and lone
And a boy
Tired of singing his song away...
Singing his love away...
And a boy
Ready to go anywhere
And a boy
Stepped on the road to nowhere...
- All That I Can See
Wasted and worried and lone
And a boy
Tired of singing his song away...
Singing his love away...
And a boy
Ready to go anywhere
And a boy
Stepped on the road to nowhere...
- All That I Can See
Chapter 27. Road to Nowhere
Wincing slightly at the gusts of icy wind that was blowing his hair and making him squint despite the lack of sunshine, Sasuke walked through the desolace that had once been a beautiful forest in the Land of Lightning, trying to figure out where exactly was his destination at the moment and, at the same time, thinking about multiple things that had been bothering him for weeks or even months by now.
Frankly speaking, he probably wasn't supposed to be there, and he certainly wasn't supposed to do what he was about to do. No... putting it like that would be a a huge understatement. Actually, should anybody have found out about his business here in this dead place that was feared across the world ever since the last Great War, the Uchiha would've been done for, of that he was pretty sure. After all, even in spite the small amount of trust he had managed to earn so far, nobody would understand his decision, his true motives. They would think that he intends to revive the jūbi once again, and even Naruto would most likely become highly suspicious of him should he find out...
Of course, knowing his former reputation, as well as the reputation of his clan and his previous incarnation, they would only be right to think this way in his opinion. That would be logical, and which was why he couldn't allow anyone to find out.
For their own sake...
Fortunately enough, the Uchiha was smart enough to plan it all through flawlessly, and at the same time, he was powerful enough to execute this tricky plan. So far, everything had been going smoothly save for Naruto noticing his departure back in Konoha. He had been able to trick his friend, though... and as painful as it was for him to lie to Ashura's incarnation, Sasuke knew that there was no other choice.
Because he was by no means a fool. In fact, it seemed like he was the only one to see what was coming...
Kaguya had foreseen their every single move up to this very moment, as if she just knew for sure what they would do. She was now waiting patiently in her incorporeal form for Toneri to make his move towards Hinata, and thus for the opportunity to come back into their world in flesh. And no matter what they could try to do, seeing Kaguya's intelligence so far, Sasuke had come to the simple conclusion – they had no logical way of preventing her return by outplaying the progenitor of all chakra in her own game.
No, in order to get rid of her for good, they needed something else. The element of surprise had a chance to work, recalling Naruto's Reverse Haremu no Jutsu. After all, she was pretty arrogant, and that's why he needed to come up with something unexpected that would break all of her plans with a single move. Something insane enough for her not to even consider such possibility seriously...
And Sasuke was just the person to pull such thing exactly because of the reputation he had. In fact, the more he thought about it, the stronger was the realization that he was the only one who could make it real. The Uchiha was the only one capable of saving his world, his village and his family, and no matter what sacrifices must be made for that purpose, he would do everything, including sacrificing himself should it ever become necessary.
He smirked grimly, noticing the small hunched figure on the horizon that was wrapped in a simple dark brown loose overall.
Yes, his plan definitely sounded very similar to sacrificing himself, both figuratively and literally. But he had already made this decision.
There was simply no other choice, after all. Otherwise they would all die soon, with Hinata going down first.
According to his plan, Sasuke needed to find a way to enter Kaguya's realm and destroy her very essence once and for all. No matter how much power and chakra she possessed, he was positive that she wasn't exactly immortal – just too powerful for anyone from their world to kill her.
However, Madara had claimed to be immortal as well, and where was he now?
No, there had to be a way to end her life, to obliterate her very spirit. Something was binding her soul to their world... he just had to find the anchor, which, as he assumed, logically was located somewhere in the same realm where she was currently residing.
In other words, his plan was rather simple in nutshell. To make Hidan show him the way to enter said realm, gather enough power to withstand another fight against her supposedly weakened version, and during their fight, he would need to figure out a way to end her existence.
Initially, he had been considering asking for Naruto's help, which at first approach seemed like the best possible idea in this situation, but after some thinking, Sasuke realized that there were a few reasons why he didn't want his friend to join him this time.
The most important one of these reasons was that should Sasuke die himself... being completely honest with himself, he could say that nothing would change all that much. The future of the Uchiha clan was already relatively secured with Yutaka in that case, and the world... Naruto was powerful and influential enough to maintain peace on his own, without Sasuke's help, especially with Kakashi by his side. On the other hand, the accidental death of Naruto could lead everything to unpredictable drastic consequences regarding their organization and Kakashi's plan.
In other words, the jinchūriki was far more important for their world than his best friend.
Aside from that, the Uzumaki had already helped him way too much unknowingly. By giving Sasuke the small piece of his power through regrowing his limb, and also by telling him exactly how he had acquired Kyūbi's chakra in the past for the first time... it was probably the most important piece of information as it was hinting up the way spiritual fights usually went.
Now, after hearing Naruto's story, the Uchiha was nearly sure that should everything go according to his plan, he would have fight Kaguya under the same conditions as Naruto when he had fought the demonic fox. Which was basically the only thing Sasuke could count on in this gamble, but that was already a lot in his opinion.
Back in that fight, both Naruto and the Kyūbi had unlimited chakra. Basically, it was the battle of skill and willpower... and in these aspects, the young raven haired man knew for sure he could rival Kaguya.
Which in the end only meant that he had to seek for as much power as possible just to ensure everything going the right way.
And today, he was going to make his first step in that direction...
"You are two hours late. What have you been doing?" The familiar raspy voice echoed across the wasteland, making Sasuke grit his teeth in annoyance.
"Your daughter," he barked, fighting the temptation to smirk as he saw the man's eyes narrow hatefully as his face paled in the intense wrath he felt towards the Uchiha. "I hope you haven't been wasting time either. Have you found it?"
Hiashi nodded hesitantly as Sasuke glared searchingly at his wrinkled, nearly unrecognizable face.
The last few years certainly weren't easy for the former head of the Hyūga clan. Living in hiding, basically being a hermit that's been wanted by many ninja around the world, having no money or home, he now looked exhausted, sick, nearly broken. Although it was actually pretty surprising for Sasuke that the man was even still alive, the Uchiha wasn't going to show any mercy to the the Hyūga after all the pain and trouble he had caused to his wife and himself.
No, it was quite the opposite... Sasuke was going to use Hiashi as his pawn until the old man's last breath, exactly as he was doing it right now.
"Yes, I have. It's not far from here, I think you should be able to either sense or see it with your left eye. There," he coughed and pointed to the east, to which the Uchiha nodded vigorously and strode in the hinted direction.
"Anything else you have discovered? Any intel is welcome," Sasuke said causally, not looking at the man who was trudging after him.
"Not much," came the laconic reply after a few seconds of silence and panting, "To anyone who hasn't seen what exactly happened here, it looks like an insignificant anomaly in the natural chakra flow which is impossible to notice for anyone without either a dōjutsu or the ability to utilize senjutsu. But since I was there when it got wrenched off, I was able to remember the exact spot, so I can say for sure. There is no mistake..."
The Uchiha stopped, frowning and studying the space around them with his Rinnegan.
Hiashi was right. The natural chakra around them flowed strangely, twisting in the bizarre way, as if bypassing the small spot a few yards right ahead of the ninja.
Evidently the Hyūga happened to be pretty useful for his plan. Letting him live for a few more years turned to be a right decision, after all...
"So... what's your plan? How are you going to destroy it?" He coughed loudly again, this time spitting some blood onto the ground – apparently the man was indeed sick, which was hardly surprising considering how miserable his life had been lately.
Sasuke nearly flinched as his gaze slid to the old man at his last line.
What a naive fool...
"I have my ways," the Uchiha finally replied evasively, moving his eyes back to the space in front of them. "Are you certain that there is nothing else around? Seals? Traps? Anything?"
Hiashi nodded, panting heavily.
"I am sure... there is nothing. I need to deactivate my Byakugan now... I'm too exhausted..."
"Yeah, go right ahead. In that letter you sent me... you mentioned that Kakashi had used his Kamui on the Mazō right here, just before Madara had summoned it. I need to...," he turned around and rushed forward the next second, noticing that the older shinobi was about to collapse and gripping his forearm, allowing the man to slung the weak hand over his shoulder.
"T-Thanks...," mumbled Hiashi, and it sounded... sincere, much to Sasuke's displeasure.
He had grown way too soft lately.
"Yes, I think he has... and..." He stopped, feeling the foreign presence in his mind and gritting his teeth, although not making any attempts to back off. "Are you... reading my memories?"
"Yeah. I need to get the precise picture of what happened here." The Uchiha frowned, focusing, and then, a few seconds later, he grinned contentedly as he found exactly what he had been looking for.
Back during the war, Kakashi had indeed used Kamui on Gedō Mazō after it had gotten extracted from Obito's body, trying to send it into another dimension before Madara would be able to retrieve it. Of course, his former sensei had failed, but only partly so – the statue's right arm got wrenched off, and it was clear that this part of it was still there, in the dimension of Kamui.
Sasuke's heart began beating faster. Something was very wrong here... no, even more so.
If Hiashi still remembered about this incident, Kakashi most certainly hadn't forgotten about it as well. And it would be very reckless on Hatake's part to just leave the piece of Kaguya's shell there, without anything or anyone to guard it. Of course, remaining in that dimension could be considered the same as being sealed, much like the the rest of the statue was now sealed in one of Kaguya's worlds by Sasuke and Naruto, given that there was nobody alive with the same Mangekyō ability as Obito and Kakashi himself.
However... it had been proven that in time, another Uchiha with the same ability could very well be born. And although the possibility of him locating this piece of statue in another dimension was relatively small, it was still there, and as Black Zetsu had proven, even the smallest chances could be used to cause another catastrophe.
In other words, Kakashi was leaving this opportunity on purpose, but why? What for and for whom? Was he intending to provoke him, Uchiha Sasuke? But there were no warding seals around, Hiashi had just confirmed it. Besides, he was aware of his ability to travel through dimensions, which meant that Kakashi either didn't seriously consider the possibility of him going after it, or was sure that they had a way to stop him should it ever happen.
Which could only mean...
Sasuke's eyes widened at the shocking realization.
It was very unlike the Sixth to leave any possibilities unconsidered, especially when it came to the matters of utmost importance. Which was leaving only one possible option considering that Kakashi just couldn't have simply forgotten about it.
He had to be absolutely sure that there would be no Uchiha capable of awakening Mangekyō Sharingan... or, simply put... that the Uchiha clan would cease to exist soon...?
Could it be that the Hokage weren't going to let his clan be revived...? That he had been using him all along, after all, exactly as Sasuke had been suspecting for a while by now? That when his power wouldn't be needed any longer, they would all get purged, and this time – for good?
The young man could feel his heart clench as he felt the familiar pain...
That must be why Kakashi had assigned them for the mission of finding the remaining possible Uchiha survivors, starting in the next few days. He just wanted to make sure that all the remaining parts of their cursed clan would be gathered together in order to exterminate all of them later...!
Sasuke's body began to shake and he felt his eyes filling with searing pain. Once again, he felt betrayed... betrayed by Konoha!
"Are... are you alright...?" Hiashi wheezed, sounding touchingly worried as he saw Sasuke's face paling as his hands began to tremble.
"Yeah... let's go," the younger ninja mumbled indistinctly as his tongue wouldn't obey him, focusing his chakra in the left eye and opening another dimensional rift.
Fortunately enough, he still remembered well enough how Kakashi's dōjutsu worked, and he could calibrate his own power in the right way to open the portal into the dimension of Kamui.
Neither of them noticed the small white snake creeping after the two shinobi as they stepped forward, entering the empty lifeless space and standing on the flat light gray stone pillar that was going down into the black, endless abyss.
"Here it is...!" Hiashi gasped, pointing at the huge arm of the statue that rested on the similar pillar next to them and leaning onto Sasuke, too weakened to stand on his own. "So... you said you have your ways... you and the Uzumaki boy have already destroyed the rest of the statue, is that correct?"
Sasuke swallowed heavily, nodding hesitantly, as if he didn't really hear what Hiashi said, but then he replied quietly after a short pause,
"Yes. I will take care of it." He gripped the man's hand on his shoulder tightly, making the Hyūga gasp in slight pain.
"What... what are you doing...?" he hissed, suddenly feeling as if his soul was being slowly ripped out of his body.
"Don't worry. It won't hurt at all, and your memories can still be useful to me."
The white eyes widened in fear.
"What's the meaning of this...? What are you saying, Sasuke...?!" But it was clearly visible on his face – the man had already realized what was going on.
"I can't let you go again now that you know what I'm after, Hiashi. You have served your purpose by leading me to this place, and you also suffered long enough – I think it's a fair punishment for everything you've done. Nobody will find your corpse here... not that I think anybody will bother to look for you anyway. You may rest in peace now. Consider that my gift to you."
Feeling as his soul was leaving his body, Hiashi tried to focus his eyes on Sasuke's slowly waning image for the last time.
"Will you... save her...?"
"No matter what."
With a light push, the lifeless corpse fell into the abyss, and the last thing Sasuke noticed before the darkness consumed the Hyūga was the small smile of relief and tranquility on the tired, wrinkled face.
***
Hinata opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times as she didn't realize it right away where she was. Everything around her was bright blue... was it the sky? Was she floating...? Or...
The woman frowned, but apparently it was merely a coincidence – she couldn't really move a muscle on her own. Was this... a dream? Another vision from Indra's past she was seeing thanks to the Cursed Seal on her neck? But if that was the case, then why wasn't she controlling her own body...? It had never happened before... and she couldn't see Indra anywhere around...
"Hagoromo … Hamura. I have made my decision. Step back now, children."
Hinata wanted to gasp, but she couldn't, of course – she wasn't the one to say this sentence... but this voice was hers, wasn't it? Her lips were moving on their own...
"Wait, mother …! There are still...!"
"Silence, Hagoromo." She realized it belatedly that her voice was sounding loud enough to reach the town hundred yards below as she was floating midair, staring with her Byakugan at the two teens who were standing at the the central square of the vast settlement, surrounded by the crowd of frightened people.
Both the teens were dressed in similar white coats with multiple magatama on the collars and cuffs. Although they faces looked very similar to each other, one of young men had long straight white hair, and his eyes were the same as her own, with the Byakugan activated, staring back at her with no fear or any emotion for that matter.
The other one's hair was short, dark brown, whereas his eyes were purple...
No. They were the same as Sasuke's left one...
The Rinnegan!
And although the familiar eyes looked nearly identical to those of Madara and Sasuke, something about them was significantly different. They were...
Compassionate.
Unlike the young man with Byakugan, this one was looking at her with sadness, passionate determination and also with... kindness. His gaze was soft, nearly weakly so, and it was so unlike what she was used to see whenever she met someone with Rinnegan... he reminded her of someone from the past, but Hinata couldn't figure out who it was.
The second man, on the other hand...
"Just stop it, brother. Let it go, there is nothing we can do. It's useless, she's too stubborn to be reasoned with," he whispered, but she could read his lips with ease. At the same time, as confusing as it was, it seemed like she couldn't – or at least the person that possessed her body clearly didn't since Hinata felt no reaction to it from her.
"No, I...!"
"That's enough. I'm going to destroy this settlement, as well as these bugs. They broke my law by attacking the Land of Demons, and they have be punished for committing this sin. Don't make me force you out of there, Hagoromo."
The brown haired teen gritted his teeth, although there was no sign of anger in his eyes – more like despair and prayer.
"Mother, please! Just hear me out! We've been investigating this issue, it's much more than just–"
She could feel as her left arm raised, and before she could study her pale white long fingers with nearly creepily long and thin nails, the rift similar to the one Sasuke utilized for traveling opened in front of her. Reaching out forward, she grabbed Hagoromo's collar from behind, but then Hinata felt that someone pushed her hand away, as well as a burst of foreign, burning anger inside of her – it was at this point clear that she could only see and feel through this person's eyes and body, but she had no control what so ever over what was going on.
And said person was apparently no one else but Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
Which meant that these two were her children, Hagoromo and Hamura... now it made sense, at least.
"Fine then. You shall be punished for your insolence, too." The rift closed, and she lowered her hand, meeting Hagoromo's vigorous gaze.
She formed the sign of confrontation in front of her, and then, before anyone could react, multiple lightnings struck the town from the clear sky, turning everything below into dust, fire and flinders and gore within an instant.
But her... no, Kaguya's children were still there, standing on the same spot. Hagoromo was covering them with his shining white chakra avatar that looked very similar to Sasuke's Susanō, whereas Hamura covered a bunch of children and infants with his body and multiple bones that formed a shield around them, clearly not fully believing in his brother's capability of protecting them all.
"That should be enough," she muttered, lowering to the ground and walking towards the survivors slowly while they just stared at her – the kids were too shocked to react to her approach and to the hell their world turned to become all of sudden, whereas the Ōtsutsuki twins remained firm, stepping towards her and hiding the others behind their backs.
"Should you have listened to me and moved away, I would only destroy a half of this settlement. You need to learn to obey me, Hagoromo," she uttered quietly, but her voice sounded frightening even to Hinata herself. This Kaguya was probably the most scary person the Uchiha matriarch had ever met... even worse than Madara.
No... actually, she was far worse than him. At least Madara's intentions were noble, and his heart was kind.
"You never mentioned that, mother! And besides, why didn't you just listen to me?! All these people didn't need to die! They were innocent, just like these kids...!"
"Innocent, you say?" she nearly whispered, coming close to them and looking at the last survivors of the Town of Chi. "What makes you think that anybody is innocent? What gives you the right to judge anyone? To define innocence?"
Hamura just frowned, but remained silent, whereas Hagoromo snarled, staring into her eyes with frustration and, for the first time, with anger.
"Isn't it obvious? Just tell me, what did they do to you? What did all these kids do for you to just kill them?!" The brown haired teen yelled while the little girl, not older than five, gripped his leg from behind, peeking at Kaguya with her black eyes filled with fear and reverence.
"They were raised up by sinners, and they are going to grow up into sinners as well one day. Nobody is innocent, my son. Including you."
"So what, then? Are you going to kill me as well?!"
The woman frowned, raising her hand again, and Hinata wanted to scream in horror and despair, but she still couldn't do anything. Was this monster really going to kill her own child for such an idiotic reason...?
Her long fingers touched Hagoromo's cheek, stroking him softly which made the teen gasp and flinch in surprise. Clearly tenderness wasn't something Kaguya's children received from her very often...
"Of course not, my child. Both of you are simply misguided, being corrupted by these rotten people for too long. We need to come back to our temple now and cleanse your spirits. Your exercise here is over."
Hagoromo brushed her hand away with his own once again, stepping backwards and clenching his fists.
"I'm not leaving these guys here. You can kill me if you want, but I'd rather die than let these poor little things stay alone in this hell you created in this place."
Hinata was disgusted by the bloodthirsty smile she could feel her lips twisting into as she lowered her eyes to look at the children Kaguya's sons were protecting.
"Is that what you think too, Hamura?"
The white eyed teen's face remained impassive.
"Does it really matter what I think? You've already made your decision," came the calm reply from him, and although it could be considered as a mark of resignation, something in his voice was wrong... nearly threateningly so. No, strangely enough, it actually sounded more rebellious rather than indifferent.
Her smile became wider at that.
"That is true... fine, then. I will play this game of yours. Hagoromo," she moved her gaze to him, and Hinata noticed that the teen swallowed heavily while his chakra flow hastened. He was preparing for a strike, she could tell that much. "I'm giving you a gift, and a curse at the same time. You will be allowed to take two of these children to the Temple and to raise them in the way you find the most suitable." The purple eyes widened in shock and surprise as the young man loosened visibly, not believing his own luck while his brother's face, on the contrary, darkened at their mother's words.
"Thank you...! Thank you, mother! I swear, I won't fail you, I will prove that–"
"The rest of them will be executed."
The small smile that had appeared on his face at her previous line died off immediately as Hagoromo's eyes widened even more, filling with tears.
"No... no... you can't–"
"It's up to you to choose the ones that will die. The curse of their deaths will haunt you forever, Hagoromo. You will have to live with the consequences of your choice. Are you ready to do it? To stand up for your false ideals to this extent? Your other option is to leave them all here, on their own. Make your decision now."
He remained silent for a few seconds, but before he could reply, Hamura raised his arms – a few bones shot out of his hands, piercing the skulls of six children and killing them immediately, leaving only two screaming infants wrapped in the dirty towels and crying weakly as the others fell to the ground.
"Hamura! No...!"
"It's already done. You don't have to make this choice, brother," the white haired teen put his hand onto the other young man's shoulder, looking into Kaguya's eyes with a cold expression. "Mother said that they will be executed, but she never said that she will have to be the one to kill them. I've decided to make this choice instead of you. You said that it was a gift, and a curse, mother... well, I'm taking the curse. The gift is yours, brother," he bowed down, picking the babies and handing them to his twin. "Let's get out of there. This smoke isn't healthy for them. I hope it's settled now, mother," the white eyes met the similar ones of Kaguya, to which she nodded slowly much to Hinata's relief.
"Very well, then. We are going home now." Another rift opened, revealing a spacious, well lit marbel covered hall and leaving the humane hell behind the divine beauty.
As they walked through the long passages of the temple, Kaguya didn't really pay any attention to her sons, apparently lost in her thought, but Hinata could hear their quiet whispers.
"Why did you do this, Hamura...? You didn't have to...!"
"It's alright, brother. I didn't want you to bear this burden on your own. I can handle it on my own, don't worry about me. Your path is light, Hagoromo. Not darkness."
The brown haired man frowned, not replying anything for a few seconds before finally muttering,
"Why did you choose these two? Is it because they are the youngest ones?"
"Not really," came the equally as quiet, a bit reluctant reply. "It's because they are brothers, just like us. Can't you see their chakra?"
"O-Oh...! Yes, I see now!" Hagoromo whispered excitedly in a second, apparently checking it with his own dōjutsu.
"And besides, it's not fair that you can't have your own children just because you were more affected by the chakra of Shinju than me. This way, you'll be able to raise them as your own sons, and to bestow ninshū, as well as your power upon them as they grow up.
"Yes... yes, I suppose you're right, as always," she could hear him smiling, which made Hinata feel warmth for the first time during this strange vision from the past.
"How are you going to name them?" Hamura asked curiously, and this time Kaguya's head turned to the side slightly, indicating that she was actually listening to their conversation.
"Hm-m..." Hagoromo thought silently for a while, mumbling something illegible. "Ashura... and Indra."
She could feel Kaguya's heart skipping a bit, but then something even more weird happened. She heard the voice very similar to her own in her head,
You've seen enough. Wake up now. You are not allowed to know what happened next... for now.
Hinata screamed in the overwhelming panic, opening her eyes and sitting on the bed, panting heavily.
***
"Now then, all that remains here is to add a little more... would you please stop moving unless you want me to screw up this seal of yours?" Hinata cringed a bit, feeling the touch of Orochimaru's cold fingers on the soft burning skin of her shoulder.
"Sorry... I'm still not feeling well," she mumbled, lowering her eyes to the floor of his laboratory.
After seeing the weird vision, the young woman used her now upgraded ring to activate Naruto's Flying Thunder God jutsu and thus returned to the Tower, heading directly to Orochimaru's quarters as she felt the seal's restrains broken once again, and the searing pain in her neck and shoulder was too strong for her to simply ignore it until the morning.
The sannin, however, clearly didn't mind her visit seeing as he wasn't even asleep – she had no idea what he had been working on before her arrival, but knowing him, it had to be something very boring seeing how enthusiastic he was about helping her out as soon as possible. Usually he was much more wayward, and the last time her seal started going wild, she had to wait for a good hour until he finished his... whatever he had been doing back then.
Not that she minded his sudden cordiality, though. As confusing as the vision had been, it frightened her to no end, and considering that Sasuke had apparently left for a while due to some important reason, she needed someone to make a company and to help her.
Orochimaru suited for this role just perfectly.
"Interesting...," the sannin murmured, scratching the skin under the seal with a needle and touching it one more time.
"What? Is there something wrong?" Hinata asked worriedly, turning her head slightly.
"No, not really... or maybe, yes. It depends on the perspective, I suppose."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing important, don't worry about it. Say, this vision you mentioned... you said it was different from the previous ones about Sasuke-kun and Madara's past. Different how, exactly?"
She sighed deeply, a little afraid to give a straightforward answer – Orochimaru was aware of the fact that Hinata was the potential vessel chosen by the Rabbit Goddess for whatever reason she'd had in mind, and saying it as it was could make this pretty smart and calculative man become suspicious of her... but on the other hand, she was innocent. It wasn't like she was plotting something. What would she lose if she told him the truth?
"I... I was in Kaguya's body. I could hear, see, and feel the same things as she. I didn't control anything, though."
Hinata couldn't really see him as her Byakugan was deactivated at the moment and the snake master was behind her back, but the young woman heard him hemming, apparently thinking over what she had said.
"Was it about their fight? Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun and this Kaguya..."
"No," she shook her head quickly, though hesitating a little more, "it was about her children. The Sage of the Six Paths and his brother."
"Oh?" He touched the seal again, making the Uchiha wince. Was he really trying to fix it, or just experimenting with her body...? It was getting more and more painful with each second, and albeit Hinata had very high pain tolerance, it was becoming really annoying at this point.
"Yes," she continued, ignoring the pain. "In the beginning, I was wondering why am I seeing it. I mean... there was no Sasuke... Madara... or Indra. And it's supposed to be Indra's memories I'm seeing... it's his chakra, after all..."
The motion of Orochimaru's hand stopped, and for a second she thought that he even paused his breath.
"And?" the man said on the exhale, still not touching her.
"He was there... but he was an infant, just like Naruto... ugh, I mean Ashura. And, well... it seems like they aren't really the Sage's children. He... adopted them, in a way."
"Adopted them...?" Orochimaru remained quiet for a minute, returning to the work on her seal then. "Actually, that explains a lot."
"Huh?" She turned her head again, noticing the part of his sleeve as he was weaving some hand signs – probably to empower the Cursed Seal once again.
"Yes, when you think about it... I recall Sasuke saying that neither Indra or Ashura looked all that similar to the Sage himself. And besides... the fact that they didn't inherit the Rinnegan from him is strange. I have always wondered why it happened this way, because if that were how the genes worked, just downgrading the dōjutsu with each generation, both Sharingan and Byakugan would've been long extinct."
It had never crossed her mind, but it made sense now that he put it this way. Orochimaru was probably right... it was only logical.
"Which means that the Sage most likely decided to give each of them a piece of his power... which their children inherited normally, up to the latest generations. Such a shame," he sneered, suddenly making the kunoichi smile reflexively in response, "Sasuke is going to be pissed when we tell him that he's a descendant of a commoner, and not of the strongest man to ever live."
Hinata giggled, feeling the long awaited relief – the pain was gone now that Orochimaru had finished whatever manipulation he had been doing.
"I guess. But I don't think he cares about it at all. His thoughts have been lying completely elsewhere lately..." She put the sleeve of her kimono back on the hand, readjusting it and finally feeling the pleasant warmth again – something she really missed this night.
"Is there something bothering him?" asked the Sannin, turning away and coming close to the desk with various test tubes as she finally looked at him.
"A lot, I suppose. He's not very fond of many things that happened lately."
"Such as...?"
Hinata sighed, looking away from his nape.
"He's afraid that he can go crazy again should Kakashi's plan fail. And now that Naruto has restored his hand, he thinks that he has received a portion of Naruto's power, much like Madara had attained the power of the First in the past. I suppose he's just being a little paranoid."
Orochimaru finally turned to meet her eyes, and somehow she didn't like what she saw in the yellow irises. He looked way too concerned with what she had just said, and seemingly not in a good way.
"Whereas I'm pretty sure that Sasuke isn't the type to go crazy for no reason, he isn't the only one displeased with how everything goes, so that is understandable. Kakashi-kun's plan is very fragile, and it can be ruined very easily, which he fails to realize. He's become too arrogant and self assured; that never leads to any good. Trust me, I know it better than anyone else."
The quiet, unusually serious words of the sannin made Hinata feel cold and uneasy again. What was he implying? Had he figured out a crucial flaw in said plan, and the Sixth ignored his advise? No... it sounded too stupid for someone like their Hokage.
Perhaps...
"Have you spoken with him about it yet? Kakashi, I mean," she asked carefully, watching the man's reaction closely.
He gave the young woman a sad grin.
"He is aware of my concerns. However, considering the past between us and all, he doesn't trust me enough to do what I suggest." The little white snake appeared out of his sleeve and wrapped around his arm, hissing loud enough to attract the man's attention for a second.
He smirked then, meeting Hinata's worried gaze again.
"You could try and help this situation, though. I'm sure he would listen if you were the one to approach him."
The Uchiha frowned. Of course, her relationship with Hatake could be called relatively good, and it was certainly better than that between him and Sasuke, but he knew how loyal she was to her husband. And if Sasuke was right in his suspicions about the Sixth, he... he was their enemy and vice versa.
Would he listen to his enemy's advise?
"Sure, I can try it if you say that it's important. I don't feel like sleeping anyway. What should I do?"
His smile was kind and friendly, probably overly so. Just on the brink of becoming suspicious...
"Just ask him to check the remnants' safety, and if he asks you how do you know about it, say that you promised not to tell anyone where did this come from. That's all. He will understand everything."
She frowned, feeling confused as she raised up from the fence.
"Alright... I will do it. Good night, Orochimaru."
He grinned, clearly satisfied with her answer.
"Good night. And thank you. Hopefully he will bother to listen this time. You might turn to be our only hope."
The kunoichi left the room, closing the door behind her back, and the sannin sat down onto the table, raising his head and looking at the ceiling.
"Check..." he hissed, and his body began trembling in the silent laughter.
No matter how much time passed, they weren't becoming any smarter. Outplaying them all was way too easy to his taste...
***
Hearing a soft knock on his door, Kakashi flinched, surprised by the unexpected late visitor. Not that he was really busy doing something important – actually, he felt pretty bored and wouldn't mind having a chat with literally anybody. Feeling sleepless for some reason unknown to himself, Hatake wanted to come back to his house back in Konoha now more than anything else, but that would be pointless without his lover being in there, and Shizune was currently busy helping Tsunade with something important in the hospital of the village.
In other words, he was completely on his own this night, and as per usual whenever he couldn't sleep, the shinobi decided to do some routine paper work, sitting in his cabinet in the Tower for hours by now and thinking, thinking, thinking... there were too many things on his mind, and that was probably why he couldn't sleep normally, especially when he had to sleep alone.
With everything set in motion, too much was at stake, and now that the man knew that every single decision of his led to deaths of people, he felt ashamed. Ashamed of the fact that he was willing to retire as soon as possible, allowing Naruto and Sasuke to take his position and to rule everything on their own. He didn't want them to bear the weight of this position... but eventually it would happen anyway, wouldn't it?
That was a weak excuse for him, but he didn't have anything else.
He felt too week to keep playing his role. Ever since the war, the stress he'd been going through was too immense. He had never got a chance to rest...
"Enter," he sighed, and the door opened, letting in Hinata who looked unexpectedly bad.
Her hair was wild, the bags under the white eyes were too easy to notice, and she was wearing a mashed kimono that looked surprisingly vulgar for her style.
Was it even hers...?
"Hinata? What happened?" he gasped as his eyes widened while she came closer, looking pretty nervous.
No... way too nervous. Nearly like that shy Hyūga girl he still remembered from years ago.
"Um... nothing serious. I just... well, I woke up, and apparently Sasuke has gone somewhere... that's why I came here. I didn't feel like remaining in Konoha alone."
He raised his brow a bit, confused by her answer. They were never any close, why would she come to his office instead of visiting one of the other Akatsuki members he was friends with?
"You are never alone in Konoha, Hinata. It's your home, please, remember it."
The Uchiha nodded absently, studying the angle of his table.
Something was very wrong with her...
"Did you want to discuss something with me?" he suggested, peering at her searchingly and activating his Sharingan to check her chakra flow.
There was no genjutsu... then what on earth...?
"Yes... yes, actually, I do. But... I promised not to tell anybody about it... I'm not sure how to put it...," she paused, still not meeting his confused gaze.
"Well?" he asked after a long, oppressive pause.
"I... I think you should check the safety of the remnants," she finally uttered, still refusing to meet his gaze.
He nearly chocked at the suggestion that was unexpected to say the least.
The remnants... he had already forgotten about them by now. The arm of the jūbi that's been left unprotected in his dimension... with nobody alive being able to reach it aside from him, the Sixth had decided that it's protected well enough not to care about it for a while, and this matter had totally slipped out of his mind long ago.
But now...
His eyes widened in the horrifying and shocking realization.
There was now a person capable of reaching it. Someone who had awakened the ability to travel between dimensions, as well as had the access to the chakra of bijū...!
"You... you said Sasuke has gone somewhere, didn't you...?" he whispered, feeling as his hands began to shake while she swallowed.
"Yes... that's why I came here, to the Tower. That's what I said."
He nodded slowly, clenching his fists and activating his Mangekyō.
"Thank you, Hinata. Thank you for telling me. You... you probably have just saved us all."
She gave him a confused look as he raised up from his working place.
"Really...?" she drawled doubtfully in a quiet, unsure voice.
"Yes. Please, go to your room now. You've had an uneasy night... I will go... check it now."
The kunoichi seemed to be even more confused now, seeing how nervous he had become all of sudden, but then she shrugged indifferently and walked out of his office.
The space around the man twisted into a swirl the next second, and he landed onto the familiar stone pillar, immediately recognizing his former student's back a few yards ahead.
Right next to the wrenched arm of the statue...!
"Don't make a move, Sasuke!"
The Uchiha flinched, straightening his back and turning around.
"Kakashi... your duplicity is hardly surprising."
The gray haired man's eyes narrowed while every cell of his body was ready to react to an incoming attack.
"Duplicity? What are you talking about...?"
Sasuke sighed, closing his eyes.
"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you and Konoha ever again. And now here I am, 'caught red-handed'... is that the excuse you were going to use in order to exterminate the remains of my family?"
The pair of the identically looking Mangekyō eyes widened in surprise and confusion.
"What on earth are you talking about? Sasuke, I was told that you are here and what you're after. I can't let you do whatever you have on your mind. It's way too dangerous, to anyone. I will stop you right here." He took a battle stance, taking a kunai out of the holster on his leg.
The Uchiha opened his eyes, activating his own Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Way too predictable... so be it, then."
