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(Disclaimer) I do not own Naruto. Characters and setting copyrighted to Masashi Kishimoto. All rights reserved, etc, etc. The plot and any character unrecognizable from the manga or anime are mine as well. Please do not use anything that falls underneath those categories without my permission. I am writing this for the sole purpose of entertainment and am not making any money off of it.
(Written) Start: July 4, 2006 3:34 PM EST End: July 11, 2006 9:34 PM EST
(Published) July 12, 2006 1:06 PM EST
(Word Count) 3369
(Author's Note) A rather... strange one-shot on Sasuke. It is rather dark, but other than that, I don't have much to say. There are quite a few swears in it, mainly closer to the end. That's all though, and I hope you enjoy. It's the product of a bunch of frustration at my own life and the reading of a stupid book that made war seem all glorified. It's not. This one-shot gives a darker outlook on future possibilities. Darker, but just as likely.
Dedicated to Ladii-Chocolate, who said she wanted to see another SasuHina one-shot from me. Unlike Canvas and Silent, this one is more Sasuke-centric than Hinata-centricIt's probably not what you were looking for, as it came out as more SasuNejiHina than SasuHina... I hope you like it anyways. (n.n)
A Crack in the Wall
Taiyoukai Lady
The ANBU squad had just finished its mission, and was therefore returning to Konoha. He was kept in chains, under a paralyzing jutsu at all times. His wound was treated, but there was no doubt that he would die by it if he attempted to escape. Half the time they were traveling, he was asleep, knowing they wouldn't kill him just yet. He was, after all, still a valuable bargaining chip. His death would not help them.
When they first arrived at Konoha, he didn't say anything. What was there to say? He was a prisoner of war. The squad would've been fully within their rights to kill him the second they saw him. There was nothing for him here. There was nothing for him anywhere else.
They put him in a small cell. Guards twenty-four seven. Barrier jutsu. At least five. He could probably break through them all at full strength, but he was still wounded and he knew they wouldn't be healing him completely anytime soon. So, he sat, and he brooded.
Uchiha Sasuke had come back to Konoha.
-
He had expected his old team to come barging in at anytime. That would be what Naruto would do, and that would be what Sakura would do, and Kakashi would probably follow just for the hell of rubbing it into his face that he had chosen wrong.
But days passed and nobody came. Sasuke didn't know whether to feel relieved or insulted.
Actually, the first visitor he had was the Hokage. Tsunade stared down at him silently, and he stared back. He must've looked pretty pathetic; he hadn't bathed in weeks and he still had on the same cloths he wore with he was with Orochimaru. Parts of him was still covered in blood that he hadn't bothered to scrape off.
She didn't say anything for a long time. When she finally did speak up, her words weren't very cheerful, “The only thing I can guarantee is a quick death.”
Sasuke nodded, understanding.
“An interrogation squad will arrive tomorrow.”
Another nod.
She watched him in silence for a little longer, and then turned around and left.
What was there to say?
-
He was up at dawn the next day, the sun's rays just barely visible through the puny hole he called a window. Barely five minutes after he had done so, someone stepped in front of his cell. His eyes darted over, scanning the figure once before returning the hole in the wall, unblinking.
“Uchiha Sasuke.”
He turned his head slowly to meet the eyes that stared at him. He didn't recognize them, yet there was a strange sense of familiarity. He knew they were of the Hyuuga clan - who else in Konoha had such blank eyes? He could tell it was a female, but the rest of the face was hidden in the shadow cast by her hood.
“Who are you?” he croaked out. His voice was rough and harsh due to weeks of silence.
She blinked in slightly surprise, but otherwise showed no sign of outward emotion. “That is of no concern to you. Please rise. I will take you to where you are to be held.”
There was a heavy tension as the silence fell once more. Finally, Sasuke gave the cloaked figure a curt nod. The cell's door was unlocked, and Sasuke stood, allowing her to handcuff his hands behind his back before stepping out of the cell.
She led him through corridors and halls until they finally reached a small room. There, she pointed to the solitary chair in the center of the room, indicating that he should sit. He did so without complaint, waiting for the actual interrogator to appear.
It didn't take long. Soon, another figure with an ANBU mask on appeared, this time male. Sasuke watched him calmly. They didn't need to do an interrogation. He would tell them anything they wanted to know. Not out of fear of punishment, or hatred for Orochimaru. Rather, he just didn't see the point of not telling them. He was going to die anyways; they could torture him all they wanted. Or they could just ask. It would have the same end. He would tell them all they wanted to know, simply because he just didn't care anymore.
“A pity. You were the strongest in your year. You probably could've gained as much power and influence as a Kage, even without becoming one yourself. And yet, you threw it away.” The male had removed his mask. Sasuke blinked as he stared at an older Hyuuga Neji. He didn't reply. Neji continued, “You threw it away for a chance to kill your brother. Now that you know that this is where you would end up, would you still do it?”
Sasuke didn't answer.
Neji nodded, as if he had learned something already. Turning to the female, he said, “Hinata-sama, you can ask him anything you want. You will have no need of my presence.”
The female had already lowered her hood, but Sasuke had not been able to remember her name. Now, he remembered, but put it out of his mind once more. Hinata nodded at Neji, “You may go then, cousin. Give Tsunade-sama your report, and tell her I shall hand mine in as soon as I am done.”
Neji nodded his acquiescence and left the room. Sasuke and Hinata were left staring at each other.
On impulse, he spoke, “You're that girl with the stutter that was always chasing Naruto.”
“And if I was?”
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, “How could they let such a weak girl like you interrogate me? I could overpower you easily.”
Hinata declined to reply. Instead, she walked over to Sasuke, standing in front of him, and slapped him. Hard. His eyes widened, and he looked at her with shock on his face.
Her face was still calm, her voice serene, “Let me tell you something, you bastard. People change as the circumstances force them. I'm not that blushing girl that chased after Naruto anymore. You would do well to remember that I hold your miserable fuckin' life in my hands.”
He said nothing. She nodded, apparently satisfied. “This room will now be your cell. The futon is over there,” she gestured toward a corner. “I shall see you tomorrow. I suggest you forget any attempts to escape. They will not succeed.” And with that, she left as well, and Sasuke was alone.
-
The next day, he was waiting for her when she arrived. She asked a few questions, and he answered them without resistance. At the end, she pulled out a small jar of healing salve and gave it him, telling him to take care of his old wound with it. He insulted her, and she slapped him again and left, but she didn't take away the salve. He used the salve on everything but the bruise on his cheek.
She didn't comment.
It continued like this for a week, though she did stop asking him questions. He found it strange that she continued to visit him even though all the information that could possibly be gleaned from him had, but he didn't point it out.
By the time the week was over, the only mark he had on him was the bruise on his cheek.
-
One day, he asked her about his old team, about her old team, about everybody he was knew. She looked at him a little strangely at the question, but answered readily enough before walking out the door once more, leaving Sasuke quiet and stunned.
The world had not stood still in the years he was with Orochimaru.
His old team was gone. Sakura had died in a Sound ambush. She had been acting as a medic, and had been trying to save a dying man as a Sound-nin slipped behind the defenses of the others and slit her throat. Kakashi had been the man she had been trying to save. He died just barely three feet away from Konoha. Naruto had just disappeared. Tsunade had been trying to relocate him, but he had just vanished. Nobody knew whether or not this was the work of the Atatsuki, or something else.
“Ironic, is it not?” Hinata had said. “That the traitor is the only one still in Konoha?” Her words cut more than Sasuke thought they would.
But his old team weren't the only ones gone. Rock Lee had been killed too, captured by the enemy and slaughtered like a pig when he refused to give up any information. They had brought his body back in pieces. Tenten was still alive, but barely. She had been nearly killed on numerous occasions, and at the moment was in the hospital, severely injured. Neji was an ANBU captain, and one of the few who had survived through several missions. Gaara was still Kazekage, but Hinata said that Kankurou had died protecting his brother from an assassination attempt. It was heard that Temari was around her remaining brother every second she could be, determined to protect him at all costs.
“Of the nine rookies in our year,” Hinata had said calmly, “only you, me, Shikamaru, and Shino still live. Of us four, only you and me are in any condition to fight. Shikamaru is paralyzed from the waist down. He makes himself useful as a strategist and a tactician. Shino was infected with a poison during a mission that slowly kills him from the inside if he uses his bugs. Naruto and Kiba are both missing, their status unknown. Chouji was unable to protect Ino's body as she was vulnerable in the midst of her jutsu, and they both died on a mission. Among the jounin instructors, Asuma dead with Ino and Chouji. Gai is in the hospital due to overuse of his taijutsu, and Kurenai has joined the ANBU.”
-
It was a month until she returned again. Her arm was in a sling and there was a cut on her cheek. She had obviously just been on a mission. That day, she was unusually talkative; not that he minded.
“The number of deaths has slowed somewhat, but it's still piling up. There are more and more people training to become shinobi everyday, no matter what age. The fear is growing among the ordinary townsfolk, and there are refugees coming in everyday. If Tsunade-sama wasn't the only Sannin left on our side, things might be easier, but -”
“Wait,” Sasuke interrupted. “Tsunade's the only Sannin? What about Jiraiya?”
Hinata looked at him, “You really have been locked out of the world, haven't you?” She went on before he could retort. “Jiraiya was killed by Orochimaru when he led a group of some of the most powerful shinobi to attack Otogakure directly. That just barely over a month ago. Apparently, someone was a spy because Orochimaru was waiting for the attack like he knew exactly what would happen. The force got slaughtered.”
She left it at that that day. The next day, she didn't come again, but next to his noon meal, there was a small stack of papers with neat, even handwriting all over them. Reports on information and such.
The day after that, she came, and he thanked her. She nodded, and kissed him on the cheek. Right where the bruises had been starting to fade.
-
Another week went by before she visited him again. Every meal, there had been a new report, always in the same neat handwriting. Bit by bit, Sasuke was getting a better picture of the world he had left.
Not that much of it was really left.
Not only was the shinobi world completely caught up in wars and treachery, the normal world of the lords was in shambles as well. Several of them, too many to count, had joined Orochimaru and his campaign. Others were scared and desperate, pleading for the shinobi nations to protect them. There was almost always a continuous fire at the south of Konoha, where they dumped body after body, the graveyards and cemeteries already full.
The shinobi world was in even worse shape. Konoha had been the stronger nation, and now, its power was fading fast. Smaller nations were joining with Orochimaru, attacking Konoha from all borders, not just one. Suna was also under attack, and though Cloud, Mist, and Rock had claimed neutrality, it was rumored that Cloud and Rock were secretly aiding the Sound shinobi. Mist was silent, something it could afford, as it was an island.
It was chaos.
It was war.
-
He lost count of the days by then. His windowless room gave no indication of the time, and he had no idea how long he slept. But soon after the visit, Hinata came to him again. This time in tears.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Hanabi died,” she croaked out before flinging her arms around his neck and crying into his shirt.
He held her for a while, but as the sobs began to dissipate, he tilted her face up to meet his eyes, “Hinata. Hinata, look at me.” She did, and he kissed her.
She kissed him back with a desperation that surprised him, but it went no further than that.
When she left that time, he knew he would not be seeing her again for a long, long time, if ever.
-
Days morphed into nights without his knowledge. The stream of reports lessened until he was lucky to get one a day rather than one a week, but they still came. He waited at the door, waited on his futon, waited and waited, but she never came.
He began to do sit-ups, push-ups, crunches, stretches, genjutsu, taijutsu, ninjutsu, anything to relieve the boredom. Sooner or later, somebody would come for him. Until then, he would keep himself in top condition.
It was during one of these sessions that the door creaked open once more. He stopped in mid-kick, turning, only to see Neji. Sasuke stood, nodding a greeting, letting the silence ask his question for him.
“Your brother is dead.”
The words shot into Sasuke's mind, but he didn't register it. Itachi... dead? How was that possible?
“The bastard...” he whispered. “I was supposed to kill him. I was supposed to kill him, damn it, for killing my entire family. The bastard -”
He smashed into the wall.
Sasuke wobbled a bit, but his feet stayed stable, and he narrowed his eyes at Neji, who was glaring at him with equal hatred.
“You fuckin' son of a bitch,” Neji hissed, white eyes aflame with anger. “Shut the hell up. Don't you see? Your brother was doing you a fucking favor! At the time your clan got slaughtered, there was already hints of war with Orochimaru. It was quiet, but it was bound to happen in the future! As in your worthless future. He killed everybody else, so that when you were old enough, you would chase after him. You wouldn't go off on a mission and get killed. But then you had to go fucking mess it up by going to that snake bastard! If you had just stayed for another fucking year and then went off to chase your fucking brother, you probably could've avoided the war altogether! He was trying to safe your fucking life.”
Neji was heaving by now, looking positively murderous, but he wasn't done, “How does it feel, bastard? How does it feel to know that the one person you've been trying to kill was the one person who cared enough about you to kill his entire clan to save you? How does it feel to know you could've been free? Absolutely fucking free! Look at me! Caught up in some fucking war that I don't want to be in! My little cousin died because she was Konoha shinobi. How is that fair? The person I'm sworn to protect is in danger of dying every second of her life! And you! You're moaning about how you didn't get to kill someone when I would give anything just to put down my kunai and stop it! So shut the fuck up, Uchiha. Just shut. The. Fuck. Up.”
The door slammed shut.
-
Neji never came again, and Sasuke was left to his own devices. There was always food, and the reports still came, just less and less often. He started to get restless. He had returned to top form a while ago, and having nothing better to do than train, was getting better at certain taijutsu skills he had been slacking on before. Still, there was only so many times you could do a move without it getting boring.
As the meals started to come at infrequent intervals, he started to hoard the food he received, just in case they stopped coming all together. Sometimes, they just shoved canteens in with the food, as if cups were too much of a bother, so he saved the canteens too. It was an indication that something was happening.
But nothing ever happened to him, so he waited. And waited.
And waited.
-
It started in the middle of a long nap.
He was jolted awake by the sounds of screams and loud thumps and crashes from outside, beyond his room. He sat in the middle of the room, wondering what was happening, listening the crashes and the thumps and the screams. An attack?
It seemed he had been waiting for days before the door finally swung open. What walked in was not what he had been expecting.
Neji supported an injured Hinata, limping a little himself. They were both covered in blood, though it seemed to be mostly another's rather than their own. Neji's breathing was coming in quick, shallow gasps, while Hinata's was raspy.
“What happened?” he asked.
Hinata looked up. In a hollow whisper, she told him.
Orochimaru's forces had attacked at midnight. It was now dawn. Half of Konoha was gone, razed to the ground. Everybody was either dead, dying, captured, or fleeing. The fighting was over. Tsunade's head had been stuck on a pike and stuck in the center on town, the rest of her body hanging by the hands like a scarecrow.
“We were the only ones to remember that you were here,” Neji took over, voice quiet. “You're free now. Remember what your brother did for you? Well, this is it. It's your life. We're going to Suna. Temari had come a few days ago to offer refuge to anyone who wanted it, so a lot of people had already left. But that's us. You're free now. You can go back to Orochimaru, or kill yourself, find Naruto, what ever you want.”
That said, he turned around, Hinata in his arms, and started to walk away.
Sasuke stared after them.
Free...
Free...
He could do anything he wanted. Anything. He was completely free. His life was his. Everything was his choice now.
He saw Neji stumble, saw Hinata almost slip from his arms, saw him lean against the wall in an attempt to gather his strength.
What if he fell? What if he chose wrong? What if the same thing happened to them that had happened to him?
He could go to Suna with them. Live a new life. Live the right life.
Before he knew what he was doing, Sasuke was next to Neji, the pack of food he had stored and the canteens he had saved slung over his shoulder, taking Hinata's frail body from the other boy, and offering his shoulder as a handle. Neji nodded, and Hinata smiled weakly.
And together, they left.
In the room behind them, a crack in the wall allowed the sun to finally shine through.
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