Chapter Text
Disclaimer: I don't own anything I didn't create myself. All the characters and the Naruto universe belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
29.01.16. The chapter has been rewritten and fixed by my beta. Thank you very much, Alice!
I've come to paint the sky white and black
And when the morning comes I won't be looking back
I know there's still beauty in the colors left to see
Somewhere inside I'll find the other half of me...
−Born of Osiris
Chapter 1. A Ruined Life.
It was probably going to be the best evening of her life. At least Hinata was sure it would be. She couldn't imagine ever feeling any better.
Why?
Because they'd won the war. Naruto was alive. Madara was destroyed. In fact, almost everyone she cared for had managed to live through this nightmare...
She didn't want to think about Neji at the moment. Not now. Not like this, when everybody around her was celebrating their victory and survival. She would take her time mourning her deceased brother a bit later.
Kurenai, Kiba and Shino. Her team. They were standing there with Hinata at the central square of the rebuilt village of the Hidden Leaf. There was a huge festival, easily the most spectacular one she'd ever attended.
That wasn't any surprise; in fact, somehow she would have expected it to be even bigger and much more grand than it was, because how could it be any less than that?
Their world was safe. They had all been saved by her very comrades, Team Seven. And of course, these ones received most attention from everyone.
Except for the Uchiha.
She would never admit it to anyone, but Hinata actually feared the man. Not that she still considered him an enemy, no. Naruto told everyone that the young raven haired man - she just couldn't bring herself to call him a boy, even though he was only a bit older than her, knowing everything she knew about him and his past - had saved their lives. Everyone's, as a matter of fact - instead of leaving them all in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, or even murdering them like, they supposed, he originally intended to do. In the end the Uchiha had made his choice, and it was them he'd chosen.
He'd returned to Konoha.
But the village hadn't exactly welcome him. They were tolerating his presense at best, but that was it. Nothing more.
He didn't look bothered by this fact at all, though.
The man was standing on top of the Hokage residence which her team was currently resting nearby. He was gazing at the horizon, seemingly lost in his thoughts - apparently he didn't care one bit about what was going on around him. Hinata couldn't help but stare at the Uchiha, enchanted by his mystique, not listening to her teammates' carefree jabbering at all.
His features were beautiful for a man. She understood why every girl in her class had constantly chased the avenger - some of them still did, even now, after so many years ... after all those things he did. Fortunately or not, looks weren't something that interested the Hyūga girl when it came to the opposite gender. That, however, didn't mean that she wasn't able to estimate someone's attractiveness.
But his appearance wasn't what dominated her thoughts whenever she looked at him, no. Ever since he had rejoined them on the battlefield, announcing his intention to protect Konoha and to become the next Hokage, she couldn't help but think on the enigma that Uchiha Sasuke was. To her he was completely blank. Even though she could literally see everything inside of him, she was absolutely unable to read this person Hinata was carefully watching from time to time. Her only reason to believe in his good intent was Naruto's word - the boy she adored and loved trusted the Uchiha. It was beyond question for him. And she did trust his judgement - after all Naruto was the only one, save for maybe Sakura and their new Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, who could say that he truly knew the Uchiha heir.
And if Naruto was putting his trust in him then Hinata would do the same, too. But she couldn't help the thoughts flowing through her head. For some reason, they disturbed her whenever she looked at the man. What was he thinking, looking so distant and lonely in the middle of this chaos of the celebration? Why did he look so indifferent when everyone else was so happy ...?
On top of that, he looked scary. His hair grew wild, quite unlike what it was during his childhood as she could remember from their years in the academy, reminding her of his ancestor with whom Hinata was quite familiar - Uchiha Madara.
His movements were always smooth, yet keen at the same time, like those of a deadly snake. His Rinnegan in the left eye that he either never bothered to or, which for some reason seemed more likely to her, just couldn't deactivate, made it even worse.
There were too many painful events in her life that associated with this dōjutsu.
And even though it was considered legendary, the gift of gods ... to her, it was a nightmare. Quite literally, being completely honest.
And with this eye, he resembled Madara even more. Come to think of it, the connection between the two of them seemed to be stronger than just being born to the same clan. Perhaps he was more than only distantly related to the man, but was, in fact, his direct heir?
Hinata didn't know, and she didn't really want to find out either. He was frightening enough as he was right now.
He didn't notice her stares, of course. Not that it was somehow surprising to her - people rarely noticed the girl at all. And she was fine with it.
Well, almost.
She would like her beloved one to notice her for once.
Turning her head, she almost instantly found him in the crowd. The blond was currently dancing with his teammate, Haruno Sakura, accompanied by loud folk music, laughs, shouts and clapping of people around them, cheering on the pair.
The Hyūga girl liked the female member of Team Seven, but couldn't help the jealousy that overwhelmed her every time she saw how happy they looked together.
"Oi, Hinata! Come on, you should try this! Stop being dull, let's have some fun!" Kiba gave her a glass of something, and she, nodding distantly and still deep in thought, drank it all without checking what was in there.
She better shouldn't have.
Coughing, the dark haired girl dropped the glass, jumping up from the bench and trying to catch her breath. What on earth was that swill ...?
"Easy, easy ... come on, softie, it can't be that bad, can it?" The Inuzuka laughed, lightly slapping her back to help her overcome this sudden ... feeling.
She never tried alcohol before.
Her head began swirling, but somehow Hinata felt funny now, and way more courageous than a minute ago. She looked up at the Uchiha again.
Come on, it can't be that bad. After all, she promised herself that she'd stop being a coward. She must face her fear once in a while!
Quickly apologizing to her teammates, she picked a piece of strawberry cake from the plate that rested on their bench and walked towards the rebuilt Hokage residence, trying not to bump into someone accidentally, which was likely to happen in her current unusual state.
What was she going to say to him? Not much, but Hinata wanted to overcome her fear of the Uchiha and, for some weird reason, she wanted to see him smile.
He deserved it, after all, didn't he? He had saved them all. Her, too. A cake couldn't possibly hurt, could it?
Still deep in her thought, the girl carefully walked the ladders that led to the roof of the building, finally getting up, only to flinch in surprise as she gazed perplexedly at the spot where Sasuke stood just a minute ago.
Instead of him, Uzumaki Naruto was there, scratching his nape and staring anxiously at the direction of the abandoned and, thanks to Pain, currenly half-ruined Uchiha clan's district. The boy looked a bit sad - apparently he'd approached Sasuke and the Uchiha didn't want to share a talk with his friend.
"N-Naruto-kun ...?" she quietly mumbled in surprise, taking a step towards the blond jinchūriki.
He turned to look at her, the smile returning to his face the instant he noticed the shy girl.
"Hey, Hinata-chan! What's up? Why did ya come up here?" he asked curiously as he walked to her.
She stopped, unsure what to do with the cake. Should she tell him or not ...?
He came close enough to see her blushing terribly. But that didn't surprise him, of course - it was just Hinata, after all. "Are you alright?" he added, giving the girl a soft, reassuring smile.
"Um−" she started, feeling utterly insecure in his presense. She hadn't expected to see him there at all. The initial plan that the Hyūga had formed in her head while she was getting up there was now rapidly disappearing in the swirl of emotions.
At least the alcohol helped a bit.
Before he could say something again, the girl raised her head, looking him in the eyes.
"Naruto-kun ... I wanted to ask you–" she stopped again, not exactly sure how to formulate her question.
"What is it, Hinata-chan?" He smiled even more widely now, encouraging her to continue.
Could it be that this was it? The moment she feared and waited for so long, imagined so many times ...?
"I ... I w-wanted to ask you ... if you r-remember what I told you b-back then ... when ... when you ... when we fought P-Pain …," her voice dropped by the ending of the question as she was unsure how to continue. Her face was now bright red and she clenched her teeth, trying desperately to not faint of the stress.
"Oh," was all he said, his smile suddenly dropping.
Did she do something wrong?
She looked up at him with a frightened expression, terribly afraid that she could've just spoiled it all.
There was a moment of awkward silence that nobody seemed to want to break. He looked confused - apparently he didn't forget that ... accident, which she feared he would.
The boy then finally opened his mouth, quietly uttering,
"Yea. I do."
She peered at him searchingly, waiting for the blond to continue.
The Uzumaki probably never felt so uncomfortable before. Her eyes were so full of hope, and he avoided this conversation for so long ... why did he?
The answer was obvious.
"Hinata-chan ... I understand your feelings, I truly do ... but–"
She felt her heart skipping a beat.
"But you see, I like someone else ... Sakura-chan, y'know."
Hinata's hands started trembling as her eyes were filling with tears to the point where she couldn't see anything clearly.
"Sorry, I just don't feel that way about you, Hinata-chan ... but we're great friends, right? I'll never stop being your friend, I promise you that, believe it!" he exclaimed cheerfully, but the girl never heard the ending of his phrase - her ears suddenly became deaf, not a sound breaking through.
She couldn't even hear her own voice as she said distinctly, being surprisingly calm:
"S-sure, Naruto-kun ... I'm s-sorry, I need to go now." The cake Hinata had been holding fell onto the surface of the roof as the girl turned away from the blond who now looked worried and sorry, yet not daring to follow her.
Or rather not willing to, she thought. Why would he? She'd always been a burden to him, failing to help the boy every time she tried to. Moreover, she was burden not just to him, but to everyone else as well.
And now, with tears streaming down her face and her numb legs barely able to let her stand straight, the Hyūga girl knew it - she always had.
She was laughable.
Hinata didn't notice how her feet brought her to her room in the seemingly empty at the moment Hyūga compound. Apparently she was the only Hyūga that wanted to go home so early in this special evening. But that only made it better for her. She wanted to stay alone, to calm down and to let her mind heal itself, just like it always did whenever she got hurt.
Falling onto the humble bed in the corner of the room, Hinata hugged her pillow and sobbed.
Why? Why was this all happening to her ...? Always to her ...
The girl continued crying, blaming herself for all the bad things that happened in her life, absolutely sure that nobody could hear her.
Well, who possibly could? She was the only loser that could stay in such pathetic state today of all days. Shouldn't she be grateful for being alive and not being enslaved in the world of everlasting illusions? Shouldn't she appreciate the fact that her clan, her village, and everyone else didn't have to suffer such terrible destiny? Why was she feeling like her world was being torn apart now, and not two days ago, when they all were captured in Madara's jutsu?
The girl didn't know, and because of it, she hated herself even more than she usually did. That was when she realized that she actually deserved it all. No matter how hard she tried, despite all her efforts, despite everyone trying to help her to finally grow a spine and to become strong ... inside of the matured shell she was still the same shy and fragile twelve years old girl that feared to talk to her peers and to look at her superiors.
Was there even a point in adding that she considered basically everyone superior to her ...?
And what had made her think that a failure like her could ask for happiness ...?
Turning her head a bit, she reached up and took the doll from her table – her birthday present to Hanabi which her sister refused to accept. Hinata had made this doll with her own hands, and yet for some reason her younger sibling didn't like it, saying that such toys were of no use for a kunoichi.
It was a waste of time.
She understood that Hanabi was probably right. She, Hinata, was the only one in her whole clan stupid enough to come up with something like that. And yet, some part of the girl, deep inside, felt really hurt.
Even her own sister rejected her.
Was that unfair? Hardly. Because Hinata knew they had every right to treat her like this. She was a disgrace to the glorious clan. Weak, shy, soft, clumsy, and stupid; what could she possibly expect them to do and think about her? The sole fact that she, Hinata, was going to lead their clan in a few years must be ridiculous and disgusting to them. What leader could she make, for gods' sake ...?
But that wasn't what made it so bitter. The fact that she actually tried did. She wasted everything, all her energy and time on trying to become better ... for their sake. And she did become better, didn't she ...?
Feeling another burst of tears coming, she hugged the doll and buried her face in the pillow again.
No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried to improve, she was a disappointment to everyone. To Hanabi, to her clan ... to Neji.
To Naruto.
What was she going to do now? What was the point in trying any further? Apparently all these years of training and education, they didn't give her anything. She'd achieved nothing. Was she even capable of being a kunoichi, a leader, a Hyūga?
A woman ...?
It seemed like there was no way out.
Her life was a joke. Some cruel joke of fate.
But she couldn't just give up, could she? Until she was completely cornered she would keep trying. She still had her clan to care for. Her family. Her village.
She couldn't simply forget about them. They always did everything for her, and she had to repay them for that.
And then there was a knock on the door.
Raising head in surprise, she brushed away her tears, quickly getting up and sitting on the edge of the bed. Hinata tried to make herself look decent in front of her clansman, whoever it was behind the door. For some reason, the idea of checking it with her Byakugan didn't cross the girl's mind.
"E-Enter!" she squeaked, cursing herself for how pathetic it sounded.
The door slid open and the tall figure with long, straight brown hair, dressed in a formal white kimono, silently entered her room.
Hyūga Hiashi. Her father.
He eyed her up and down, impassive as always. Why did he come here now anyway? Wasn't he supposed to be dealing with some important things if he wasn't celebrating with everyone?
Her father never wasted time on anything unworthy. Whatever reason brought him to her now, it was very serious.
She then realized belatedly that it had something to do with her. Was she in trouble ...?
Hinata looked at him sheepishly, unsure if she should open her mouth first.
"Daughter." His eyes didn't give away anything at all.
"Father–" she nearly whispered, afraid of whatever he was going to say. When it came to him, it was never something good.
Hiashi waited a bit, eyeing her thoughtfully as if he felt conflicted inside, which was very unusual for him.
"I've come to tell you something important concerning your future."
Her future ...? What could it possibly be? Was he going to bring some special new training upon her? Was it for the purpose of her becoming a better leader as soon as possible? It had to be something like that. After all, her father was a tired man, and the war had drained a lot of his energy. He deserved some rest.
"What is it, father?" she quietly asked, not really interested in the specifics at the moment, but of course too polite and submissive to show it in any way.
He was silent again for a few seconds, and that was what made her wary. It was too unlike Hyūga Hiashi to be hesitant in general, and especially when it came to dealing with his hapless daughter.
And then he finally said it.
"The council of our clan has decided that you are not suited for the role of our leader. Hanabi is going to take your place as my heir. Furthermore, since you've already been taught too many secrets of the Main House, you will have to receive the seal. This will occur this morning, in a few hours. Be prepared." He turned away without looking at her and walked out of the room, leaving her as alone as she'd been before he appeared.
So that was it. It had taken them long enough.
They'd decided that she was unworthy.
Not only Naruto. Her own family, too.
There was no one in this village who wanted her there anymore.
A few hours later, when it was already close to dawn, she was sitting on the ground near the Memorial Stone of Konoha, hugging her knees and sobbing. The best day of her life suddenly became its worst. Was it surprising? Barely. It could surprise anyone but her, Hyūga Hinata.
She was a loser.
No, this fact alone didn't bother her that much. She was also a very kind girl, and as long as those she loved were fine, she could bear the misfortunes that fate brought upon her from time to time, here and there.
But it didn't mean that she didn't feel the pain.
She'd always tried to hide it as well as she could, and up to this moment she did a great job at that. Nobody had noticed her leaving the fest, nobody knew she was here now. Father most likely thought that she was still sitting in her room, doing nothing useful as usual.
After her talk with Naruto she'd wanted to visit her brother's grave. He was the only one she'd ever trusted enough to open up to a bit, telling Neji about the things she'd never discussed with anyone else. And now that he was dead he was an even better listener to her as he wouldn't be worried no matter what she told him, retaining the peace of the afterlife.
She always hated making him worry.
That's what she'd been telling herself every time she had fought the urge to cry when she had thought of the injustice of his death. It should've been her instead of him ...
In fact, there wasn't even a grave for him yet – just a tiny memorial plank with his name on it. Although the ceremony of mourning the war's victims had already taken place earlier, the burial of Konoha's ninja was going to happen tomorrow, after everyone had celebrated their so hard-won victory. There were just too many corpses - nobody wanted to do the job now when they needed this celebration of life so much.
Which was why Hinata was there, alone and broken. Nobody would come here even if they would've decided to look for her.
Who was she trying to fool anyway? Hadn't she expected such an outcome? Hadn't she known how Naruto would react to her confession? Hadn't she truly realized that he didn't love her? That he would never return her feelings …? Had she honestly not expected the elders to decide to put the seal on her?
Deep inside she had, and that was what hurt the girl the most. Right now she was closer than ever before to believing in Neji's words about fate, those that he'd said to Naruto when they'd been kids, during the chūnin exam years ago.
Because her brother had been correct back then. She was a loser, and she was destined to remain as such forever.
Naruto, on the other hand, despite the popular opinion of him, was a winner. Only a completely blind person could still deny it by now. Sometimes it seemed as if he had some miraculous shield of fate that was always protecting him from losing, always helping him overcome every obstacle in the end, to become even better than he was before, rising from the ashes every single time he seemed nearly broken.
They called Sasuke, his rival, the winner and Naruto the loser?
That was bullcrap; right now she saw it more clearly than ever.
Come to think about it, the Uchiha was probably one of the most tragic persons she'd ever known.
Not that she really knew him, of course, but still. The man had lost his parents, his entire clan, his childhood, and some people were sure that he'd lost his sanity as well; he'd spent his whole life chasing after his brother and killed the last of his relatives with his own hands only to find out later that Itachi had been manipulated by one of Konoha's elders named Danzō. He had joined Akatsuki only to realize what they had truly planned to do, and to stop them later. And then, on top of everything else, he had sought revenge against Konoha ... only to end up in the village he had every right in the world to hate.
Not to mention that there was probably a lot of stuff she didn't know about his past. After all, she could only rely on Naruto's words when it came to the Uchiha.
And thinking about her former classmate made her hate herself even more, if that was even possible. Because even after all these horrible things that had happened to the Uchiha, he wasn't broken. He seemed a bit lost after returning to Konoha, but other than that he still stood strong, not even remotely looking defeated or shattered by the cruel hand of fate. He was a true shinobi, unlike her.
He could endure.
And she ... she was crying as if her life was over after being rejected by a boy.
Ridiculous.
Sure, she also was in pain after Neji's death, but there probably wasn't a single person in Konoha who hadn't lost someone dear in this war.
She was simply terrified by the fact that her clansmen were going to put the seal on her; the same seal that the biggest part of her clan had worn since they were born.
And yet, she didn't see them breaking like she was at the moment.
She was pathetic.
Grasping the wet grass under her palms, Hinata gritted her teeth, trying to calm down.
There had to be a way out. She just knew there was one.
Thinking of Neji couldn't possibly solve her problems. Not now, not ever.
Naruto couldn't help her either. He actually already did help her more than she could ever ask of him - he'd taught her not to give up no matter what.
And she wouldn't.
But what could she possibly do now? That was the million ryō question. She wasn't able to come up with a solution on her own.
And then the sudden realization hit the girl; the pieces of the puzzle that had been swirling around her in those past few days finally formed a picture in Hinata's mind.
If there was a single person in this world that could help her find the answer, it had to be that man. Fate itself had been driving her to him, she just hadn't realized it until this moment, refusing to see the signs. Refusing to figure out why his image and his story filled her thoughts so much.
He was the only person she knew who had overcome the unbelievably terrible things in his life, who knew how to deal with cruel twists of fate.
Uchiha Sasuke.
She needed to find him.
Slowly getting up and flicking the dirt off her knees, the girl activated her Byakugan.
He wasn't anywhere around, obviously. And she had no idea where he could possibly be at such time.
But there was no other choice. That's why she ran straight ahead towards the center of Konoha where her range of view would cover the whole village. It was already nearly morning, so Hinata realized that she had to hurry up – she needed to find him as soon as possible so they could talk before she would get sealed.
Crossing the main street that led to the gates of the village, the girl suddenly stopped as she noticed something familiar.
There! There he was, to her left. Pretty far away, but she could see him clearly. The Uchiha was wearing a simple black travel coat, a sword on his back – much like the one he'd had during the war; his wild dark hair was slightly fluttering in the light morning breeze, and his expression was impassive as usual. He was talking to the Sixth and Sakura - the three of them stood near the main entrance of the village.
And for some reason the kunoichi looked quite upset.
Hinata stormed towards them as fast as she could. She turned away from the main road, trying to avoid getting seen by anybody, just in case.
Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up ...!
Apparently the three former teammates ended their talk rather quickly, seeing as Sasuke turned around and started walking away from them after committing something that seemed like a ... gesture of affection ...?
Hinata frowned, stopping for a second. It was unusual to say the least, seeing him with an expression like this. Even if it was barely notable, the smile was still there nonetheless as he tapped Sakura's forehead lightly with his fingers.
Had she even seen him smile before at all ...?
And now he was walking away.
Away from the village.
So he's decided to leave again, after all ...
Running over the massive, high wall that surrounded Konoha, the Hyūga jumped down, wading through the trees while trying to not get too far away from the road the Uchiha was walking. She didn't want anyone to see them together - Hinata intended to talk to him in private.
And just as she decided that it was private enough and shifted her direction a bit to get closer to Sasuke, she saw him.
Naruto stood there, leaning against a tree not far away from her current position, apparently waiting for his friend.
She stopped, panting, and waited, trying to catch her breath. Surprisingly enough the two friends shared only a few words before parting, walking the opposite directions - Naruto went back to Konoha, and Sasuke continued heading away from the village. She couldn't hear them from this distance, and although Hinata had been taught to read lips with her Byakugan, not that she wanted to overhear them anyway.
She had her own business with the Uchiha right now.
But watching them with her dōjutsu and seeing the way they parted, she realized that this was a goodbye. Sasuke was leaving Konoha for real, and this time, surprisingly enough Naruto didn't seem to mind it.
Perhaps she should leave, too? What was there remaining for her in the village anyway? The boy who couldn't care less about her? The clan that despised her? The teammates that laughed at her whenever she ashamed herself with her clumsiness?
The friends that didn't even exist ...?
Now that she thought about it, there was absolutely nothing holding her in Konoha anymore, aside from her cowardice. Did she want to get the seal on her forehead? Hell no – she was shy and submissive, of course, there was no denying that. But that wasn't enough to just accept such a horrible thing as if it weren't a big deal. To her, it was probably the most frightening thing ever since her childhood.
Deep inside, she'd always feared her brother's destiny and that of his fellow Branch House members.
Because she knew that she deserved it more than any of them.
And that was the deciding factor for her at the moment.
She needed to leave. Now. If not now, then never. She was a coward; she knew she wouldn't be able to find the required willpower to do it in future. This was her only chance.
And following the Uchiha was the best opportunity she could ever hope for. He knew everything about leaving the village, didn't he ...?
And then again, now that she finally realized why exactly she felt so puzzled whenever her thoughts turned to this man ... fate itself brought her to him, of that she was sure now. He was the only person in this whole world who could help her. Who could understand her. Who could ... possibly fix her?
She was surprised by her sudden audacity and resolve. But that only made Hinata smile for the first time after long hours of crying and mourning Neji as well as her own life.
She finally found the right path. It just has to be that.
Walking along the road as she followed Sasuke through the trees, Hinata watched him carefully, not sure how she was supposed to approach the man. He didn't seem to notice her - either she was very stealthy, which she doubted, or he was just too deep in his thought to pay attention.
What was she going to say to him anyway?
Hello, I'm Hyūga Hinata, please tell me how to stop being a wimp!
So embarrassing ... her goal was so close, yet she didn't even know what to do now ...
And then he suddenly stopped, almost making her squeak in surprise, looking directly at the spot where the girl was standing behind the big oak.
"Show yourself. I know you're there. There is no point in hiding now."
Busted. There was no way out of it now.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly stepped out from behind the trees, walking obediently towards the Uchiha. There was no danger in his voice, but it was so ... demanding. The thought of running away didn't even cross her mind as she heard his deep voice.
Coming out of the shadows, she avoided looking into his eyes, waiting for his reaction. Would he even listen to her? Did he even remember her to begin with ...?
"You ...?" came the surprised comment.
Okay, he recognized her, which meant that he did, in fact, remember her. But now she already wasn't sure if that was good for her.
"Your name is Hinata, isn't it? What do you want from me?"
Come on, you can't embarrass yourself any further. Talk, stupid ... talk!
But she couldn't force herself to open her mouth and utter a single word. She didn't know how to tell him ... how to make him understand ...
"Look, if you came to ask me to come back because of the idiot – I won't. Naruto is aware why I'm leaving, and–"
So this was what he thought? How truly pathetic was she if the only reason he could possibly associate with her approach was Naruto?
But, come to think about it, that was only fair. She deserved it.
The girl hurried to shake her head in disagreement, though, interrupting him.
Now he looked confused.
"Then what the hell do you want? Talk already!" He was clearly losing his patience with her. Well, who wouldn't ...?
"I ... Uchiha-san, I–" It was now or never. Come on, Hinata! "I want to go with you. Please, let me!"
The first rays of morning sun lit up the Hokage Monument towering over Konoha, marking the beginning of a new day. A few early birds were already lazily showing up on the streets of the village, leaving their houses for whatever reason, be it work, training, studying or just going for a walk. But the majority of people still rested in peaceful sleep. It seemed as if nothing could ever ruin the tranquility that embraced everyone in the Hidden Leaf village that beautiful morning.
And that would be correct.
The greatest war the ninja world had ever witnessed had ended just two days ago. But nobody seemed to be rested enough yet, or to be over what happened during that catastrophe called war. It was perfectly understandable, of course. Nothing that destructive ever happened before in their world, at least as far as they were aware.
Which was why nobody, not even the deadliest criminals, dared to disturb the fragile peace everyone craved so much.
That's probably also why the Sixth Hokage, Hatake Kakashi, was in his best mood, despite the rather sad event he was currently participating in. Sad not for him alone, but for everyone in Team Seven.
But that was it. Nobody aside from them really cared. Not that Kakashi minded it, though. If anything, it was probably a relief to people of his village, since most of them still felt uneasy with him around.
"Well, I'll be honest with you. Under normal circumstances you'd be imprisoned for life. The only reason you've been pardoned is because of your assistance in undoing the Infinite Tsukuyomi and ending this war. Try to not to forget, however, that all of this is thanks to Naruto. He's the hero of this war and well ... I did put in a few comments as the Sixth Hokage, too. So take it easy and don't go crazy on me again ... it'll be my head they'll take this time."
Sasuke's face was calm and blank as he simply said in response,
"Yeah ... sorry." Despite his usual emotionless expression, somehow Kakashi could see that his former student really meant it.
"… you're leaving already? Tsunade-sama's just about to complete your artificial arm with the First Hokage's cells," muttered the beautiful pink haired girl - Sakura, another teammate of theirs, lowering her eyes. She already knew that nothing could stop the Uchiha once he'd decided something, which was obviously the case right now. But the girl still didn't want to let him go. After waiting for him to return for so many years ... he was finally there with them, without any ill intent towards Team Seven or Konoha.
And he was going to leave them. Again.
"I ... I need to see it for myself. How the world looks." That was one awkward reason to her, but she wasn't going to argue with the boy. She'd tried a few times in her life - it never led to anything good.
But it seemed that he, for once, cared to elaborate.
"All those things I've overlooked, I have a feeling I'd be able to see them better now ... and if I miss this chance ... I don't think I will get another one. Plus, there are a few things that have been bothering me."
So that was it. For the first time in her life Sakura felt like she finally understood him. But it didn't make it feel any better for her.
Still unable to look at him directly, the kunoichi nearly whispered,
"What ... what if I told you ... that ... I'd like ... to come ... too ...?" She finally found the courage to look him in the face.
The Uchiha closed his eyes.
"It's my road to redemption. You have nothing to do with my sins."
Sakura sighed, lowering her head and shoulders in defeat.
"Nothing to do, you say …," she whispered, closing her eyes and trying to suppress the tears. And then she suddenly flinched and looked up, feeling the light tap of his fingers on her forehead.
He smiled, looking into her light green eyes.
"I'll see you soon."
She was unable to look away, hypnotized by the gaze of his own black eyes that was, for once, soft and gentle.
"… thank you."
Her cheeks reddened. Sakura wanted to say something in return, but he'd already turned away from them and slowly walked out of the gates of Konoha.
He was leaving them.
Leaving her.
But he will definitely return soon, won't he ...?
That was the sole thought that saved the girl from sobbing as she looked at his back one last time. Somehow she was feeling like she had a déjà vu. Even though Sakura knew that things were different now, she couldn't help the memories of him leaving the village years ago.
But, just like Konoha itself, the Uchiha had changed quite a lot since that time.
After walking down the wide road for a few minutes, he suddenly stopped, turning his head to the left.
"Huh ... I didn't think you'd come."
Leaning against a tree, Naruto looked at him thoughtfully for a while without saying anything, so Sasuke started to wonder if his friend was going to try to convince him to stay, just like he tried it last night during their brief speech on the roof of the Hokage residence.
"Here ... I'm returning this," the blond finaly said, handing him something shiny.
Sasuke took his old, scratched forehead protector, carefully hiding it in the pocket of his black coat.
"I'll keep it ... until we really settle things between us."
They stood like that for a few seconds, and then both of them smiled, turning away from each other and walking into opposite directions. Neither turned around to see the other's back for the last time.
Moving forward alongside love and hatred, they took their paths with ease, knowing that they would cross again, sooner or later.
Deep in his thought Sasuke turned to the track that led to the the east. He already knew where he was heading, but the Uchiha wasn't in any hurry.
He had plenty of time, after all.
And then he heard something to his right. Without stopping, he squinted, checking the dark between the trees. Someone was obviously following him, and the Uchiha was able to notice it only now, since his head was too overwhelmed at the moment so he wasn't really paying attention. There was no one who he could even remotely consider a threat to himself in this world anyway.
However, he didn't like being stalked.
Walking another hundred yards ahead, he focused on the sounds nearby, only to hear another twig breaking under someone's feet.
He then finally stopped, frowning. Who the hell was stupid enough to stalk him anyway? Someone from Konoha? He wasn't too far away yet; in fact, he could still see the upper parts of the huge wall that surrounded the village. But he'd already said his goodbyes to those few who still cared for him in that place.
Who the heck, then ...?
"Show yourself. I know you're there. There is no point in hiding now," the boy said calmly as he eyed the trees, not bothering to activate his Sharingan.
A few seconds passed before he noticed the slow, cautious movement in the darkness of the forest.
His eyes widened in surprise. He'd expected to see anyone, literally anyone but the person who slowly stepped out of shadows with a nervous, yet somewhat determined face.
"You ...?" was all he was able to mutter, not understanding what on earth she was thinking, following him like this. The weird, white eyed girl with long, silky black hair that reached her waist didn't respond. She just stood there, pale and nervous, peering at the ground. Aapparently she feared him too much, seeing as she wasn't even able to squeeze out a single sound.
Yes, that was one hell of a surprise, seeing the girl with whom he'd never shared a word throughout his whole life approach him like this ... she obviously wanted something. But what could she possibly want from him, of all people?
Collecting his thoughts, he stepped towards her, only to see the Hyūga's eyes shooting up to look at him, the nervous and shy expression of her face turning into an evidently frightened one.
She indeed feared him.
Not that it was surprising. Many people did, especially in Konoha. He didn't really mind it, though; in fact, he preferred them to be this way and stay away from him instead of being around, molesting and annoying.
But this one was just beyond ridiculous. She followed him all the way from the gates of the village, and for what? What on earth did this silly girl want from him?
Eyeing her up and down, he wasn't able to hold back a smirk.
He finally remembered her. She was that weird stalker, his former classmate in the academy and Naruto's only fangirl back then. This Hyūga was the only kunoichi of his age that had, in fact, never annoyed him. Probably because she'd never actually payed attention to him, which was exactly what he'd wanted from all the females after years of being chased and stalked by them.
Her identity explained a lot, but it left as many unanswered questions.
"Your name is Hinata, isn't it?" he asked, looking at her with slight despise. Even though she'd never disturbed him directly, he still hated fangirls, whether the object of their admiration was him or not. Of coruse, after the fateful fight with Naruto and everything that had happened recently, his paradigm had shifted significantly. But some of his views and beliefs just couldn't be changed. "What do you want with me?"
The Hyūga pursed her lips, eying him cautiously with uncertainty in the white eyes, as if she wasn't sure what to do. Or rather unsure if she should say what she wanted to say to him. After what seemed like a long minute of grave silence he frowned, taking another step closer to her. This time the girl didn't back off - she clenched her fists and took a deep breath to say something, but he beat her to it.
"Look, if you came to ask me to come back because of the idiot – I won't. Naruto is aware why I'm leaving, and–" Sasuke stopped as the kunoichi shook her head. Confused, he frowned even more. He was starting to lose his patience with this silly girl. He hadn't even heard her voice yet, but she had already managed to annoy him. "Then what the hell do you want? Talk already!"
"I ... Uchiha-san, I ...," she finally started murmuring something, to his relief.
At last, damn it.
"I want to go with you. Please, let me!" she blurted vigorously, meeting the cold glare of his eyes, one of them looking exactly like the ones that haunted her in her nightmares - the same eyes that had caused the destruction of her village a year ago, that almost had taken her own life numerous times and that had killed her brother. But the Uchiha couldn't care less about her feelings, of course. Not that he was aware of them anyway.
His expression was blank as he was stunned by her ridiculous request.
Taking her with him? Really?
He barely managed not to laugh. Was the girl completely out of her mind?
The Uchiha eyed her carefully. This had to be some prank, probably set up by Naruto. Only that idiot could have come up with something this stupid. Right?
But she looked dead serious. It obviously took her all of her willpower not to look away from him. There had to be something he'd missed; otherwise he was most likely hallucinating.
Yes, that had to be it. It wasn't her who'd lost her mind – it was him.
"Why?" he asked bluntly, not willing to confuse himself anymore by thinking any further on the matter.
Apparently she expected this question, because the answer followed almost immediately,
"I... I c-can't stay in ... in the v-village ... anymore," was all she said, finally giving up the pieces of courage she had managed to collect and lowering her eyes again, not able to stand his piercing gaze any longer.
"Oh ...?" he drawled thoughtfully, surprised and confused by her answer. So she was going to become a nukenin, just like he had in the past? Was that what she supposed he was going to do now, again?
And what on earth could make this spineless girl who adored his idiot of a friend since their childhood, not really famous for anything else as far as he knew, want to leave Konoha?
Were her pillows not soft enough or something ...?
He suddenly felt the urge to outrage her right away. Who the hell was this little shit thinking she was? Why was he even comparing her to himself when it came to the reasoning for leaving the village anyway?
She was nothing like him. She was just a spoiled little princess who had everything he always secretly dreamed of: her clan, her family, her home.
But then the sudden realization hit him. Something was off with her. One doesn't simply leave everything like this without a very serious reason. Especially not if their life is as perfect as hers seemed to be. Sasuke wasn't stupid; he'd actually learned his lessons from his past mistakes. From misjudging people, starting with Itachi and finishing with himself ... no, not himself.
With the girl that stood before him right now.
He wouldn't make the same mistake ever again.
"What happened?" he asked after thinking for a while. She winced again, embracing herself as if it were too cold around them.
"It doesn't matter at all, Uchiha-san …," did she just sniffle? "… please, just let me follow you. I'll ... try to be of use."
He noticed that her white eyes which he'd always found rather creepy and weird, were filling with tears.
He hated it when girls were crying.
"Yes, it does matter. I don't need you around. If you want to follow, you better give me some good reason to allow it."
She sighed, and so did he. He could clearly see that she wasn't going to tell him much more. Fortunately he had a way to find out everything he wanted with that left eye of his, even though he hadn't quite mastered the ability yet.
The Uchiha took his final step to her, and, before Hinata was able to react, he grabbed her wrist.
Ningendō ...
The last thing she saw before the memories of the last few days flooded her mind was that dreadful purple eye.
His Rinnegan.
Greetings everyone! If you are interested in continuing reading this story, let me make a few things clear first.
This is my first fanfic. I'd never tried writing before starting this. English is not my first language, and not even my second, hence there can and likely will be many mistakes and typos. Please, let me know if you find some, I'll fix them asap! There won't be any character bashing, at least not on purpose or without a very good reason. If you see something that seems like bashing, I guarantee that it will be explained later on in the following chapters. I don't hate any character of the manga, so it can only be based on the story's plot and other characters' perception, not on my personal preferences.
There also won't be any 'perfect' characters that do not have any flaws. Even those who had been made godly by Kishimoto will have weak spots in this story, though there won't be any unreasonable 'nerfs' or 'ass-pulled' power-ups (as in illogical power-ups that have no reasoning and backstory behind them, added just to make some character more cool).
I'll try to avoid using Japanese words if it's not a proper noun or honorifics attached to a character's name. I often see English fanfics filled with different Japanese words like 'hai, demo, nande ... etc' mixed in, and even though I have absolutely nothing against Japan or the language (in fact, I find it rather beautiful), personally to me it's alwasy a bit awkward and quite irritating to read, as well as most certainly unnecessary, because if you want to write in Japanese, why not learn Japanese and write in it for real?
The pairings I have in my mind won't be like 'oh, they've seen each other, now they are in love, and next chapter they already want to get married'. They will get long, slow and logical development as I want to make them believable. I want them to make sense. Also please keep in mind that some of the pairings you'll see existing/developing in the beginning of the story won't necessarily last 'till the end. People tend to break up from time to time, y'know.
Also sometimes I will probably make jokes (or you could call them tributes if you prefer :P) out of the most common and annoying cliches in SasuHina fanfics that I've read/was told about while I've been preparing to write this. Don't take them serious - none of them is going to end up being a part of the plot of this story anyway. It will be barely notable fanservice for those who are familiar with the matter so they can recognize these moments and smile a bit. :P
And the last thing for now that I feel necessary to mention. There are a few reasons why I had decided to start writing this.
The main reason is because I'm a huge fan of Naruto manga since like 2005, and I hate the ending that Kishimoto gave us. Well, not entirely so, there were a few interesting and good moments in there, but like 90% of it made little to no sense to me. IMO there were just too many rushed, illogical things, some of them were obviously ass-pulled and poorly written (like the whole Kaguya arc, Toneri, Kinshiki and Momoshiki etc), while at the same time some of the potentially very interesting side lines didn't get any development whatsoever and had simply been abandoned by the author.
Before writing angry comments, please keep in mind that this is just my opinion, I'm not trying to convince anyone, just explaining my reasoning to those who are interested.
The second reason is the lack of development of every female character in this manga, the pinnacle of this misfortune being, in my humble opinion, Hinata. I've decided that she must get the development and attention she really deserves. So the story will mainly focus on her and Sasuke, who is my favourite character of the series.
And the third reason is because I've been a member of NB (some of you might now what it is) for many many years, and I've both seen and written myself quite a few interesting theories, so I want to use some of those that still do not contradict the manga.
So, that's basically why I decided to write it. You could say that this story is basically 'how the manga should've ended in my opinion.' Please, let me know if you like it or not. There will be feedback to those who are interested in reading my work on regular basis. I also always welcome healthy and unbiased criticism! :)
Hope you enjoy it!