It's All A Lie 8
Jan. 9th, 2011 02:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catriana_fictionSeries: Naruto
Pairings: SasuHina, some mildly implied one sided NejiHina. More to come if I feel like it.
Genre: Drama/Romance(?)
Rating: M from 6 on
Chapters: 8/??
Summary: Set during the 4th Shinobi war. Sasuke encounters the two Hyuuga and Hinata's words make the Uchiha strive to prove her wrong. No matter what it takes. Madara, however, has bigger plans for this unexpected scenario...
Notes: No SasuHina this chapter, mostly just important background stuff. Should be some next chapter.
8
The moment he could, he separated from the others, finding a location that would provide him with some privacy. Finding the perfect spot in the forests, he summoned eight clones and sent them out in various directions to examine the battle field. It was only then that Uchiha Itachi took stock of the situation.
He knew that Kabuto had used the Edo Tensei and that was how he was back in the land of the living. For some reason, however, the puppet master had stopped stringing quite a few individuals along. It meant that he was more than likely straining his chakra, but there could be many reasons why. Be it that he was focusing on just a few of the ones he brought back or he was losing overall control. Itachi assumed it was the former.
But why let him run around? Wasn’t Kabuto afraid of him running to find his little brother? What was truly going on in that creature’s head?
Ignoring that for now – the why didn’t matter so much at the moment – the deceased Uchiha shifted his thoughts to his current body. He knew it truly wasn’t his body, although he could feel himself at full strength. He wasn’t wracked with disease and he knew that despite not having his real eyes, he had the Mangekyo. What a terrifying jutsu the Edo Tensei was.
Activating his Sharingan, he glanced around the thick forest once more and then settled down by the back of the tree he was standing on. Crossing his legs as he sat, hands shifting through various hand signs. When completed, he closed his eyes just as a floating eye appeared right at his forehead.
The moment he used the connection between his real eyes to enter his brother’s head, Itachi realized a few things. One, his death had drove his brother insane. The deep, oppressing darkness that had been slowly growing inside of Sasuke’s mind had exploded and consumed him. Two, Madara had manipulated his brother through words and genjutsu to enhance his insanity. Just like the previous Mizukage, the old Uchiha was using his Sharingan to keep his brother from seeing logic and reason.
It was too subtle for Sasuke to sense it and even if he could, Itachi had a feeling his brother didn’t want to. He had been sitting in pain and loneliness for too long, him defecting to Orochimaru had severed the chain that could have healed him just enough...
No, I did this. This is my fault.
Itachi had known what would happen when he had pushed Sasuke that day. He had known his brother would go to Orochimaru for power. In fact, it was what he had wanted; because he had known he was running short on time. It had been his one mistake and it ended up doing more harm than good. If only he had done things differently, Naruto could have reached him.
But that no longer matters. This is the reality.
A plan began to formulate as Itachi continued to move through Sasuke’s memories. He saw Naruto’s promise and could sense his brother’s determination to prove him wrong. Itachi shared the sentiment, but for a different reason.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to be. Sasuke was supposed to return a hero. He and Naruto were supposed to work together to change the shinobi world. They were supposed to be friends, rivals, not bitter enemies. His little brother would restore the Uchiha clan, to make it bigger and better than it had been before. Everything had gone so horribly wrong.
I must fix this. I was the one who drove Sasuke away due to my desperation. At this rate, no matter what, Naruto will be unable to reach him. This is not something he can do on his own, not anymore. This final battle, we of the old shinobi generation caused it. It wasn’t meant to happen this way.
He would have to play his hand carefully. Kabuto brought him back for a reason, he was sure it was because of Sasuke. However, if he moved too soon, the snake would yank the chain. If he moved too late, Sasuke and Naruto would die. The downward spiral needed to stop once and for all. The cycle had to end. But he could not do it alone.
That was when he sensed her.
Hyuuga Hinata, he could not even believe it. She was somehow with Sasuke. Was it Madara’s doing? It was becoming more and more difficult to scan through his brother’s memories. The darkness was moving towards him, deeming him a foreign threat. If he faced it head on, there was a chance of seriously damaging his brother’s already broken mind. He decided he would probe another time and settled for merely looking through Sasuke’s eyes.
The heiress was lying down on a bed, clad in nothing but Sasuke’s shirt. He could sense Madara’s influence and knew Sasuke had also used genjutsu on the Hyuuga. Madara’s meddling knew no bounds, it seemed. If she discovered the truth, it would seriously affect his plans. That meant he would have to somehow get alone with the girl. Damnit, if only he could tell Sasuke the real truth, not the truth Madara had given him. It would change so much.
Alarm moved through him when he felt his brother’s rage. More probing revealed that Sasuke knew Madara had manipulated him into sleeping with the Hyuuga girl. The moment Itachi saw the light of the Chidori, he reacted.
Sasuke, stop! He could not kill her! She was too important to the plan. As important as Naruto if not more.
“Aniki?”
Good, he had reached him. Unfortunately, his time had run out. He had to dismiss the jutsu soon.
Don’t kill her.
“Why?”
He wanted to tell him, but he had to withdraw. Sasuke called for him, pleaded for him to stay, but he could not. The jutsu dispersed and Itachi opened his eyes. Standing, his face set to grim determination.
The Hyuuga girl was unfortunately going to be a pawn in this savage game...but wasn’t everyone? In order for there to be true peace, many people would be hurt physically and emotionally. As much as he hated to admit it, he hoped the girl was pregnant. In fact, her pregnancy was almost a necessity. He would speak to Sasuke again once his brother’s mind settled, but for now the girl was safe. For Itachi, Sasuke would protect the girl. If she became pregnant, then it would be all the more reason for him to protect her.
Her old life would be ruined, but the world would be that much closer to peace. He almost pitied her. Almost. The life of a shinobi was hard. The life of a shinobi was brutal. The life of a shinobi was unfair. The life of a shinobi was about sacrifices; something Itachi understood better than most.
Her sacrifice would be worth it.
~~~
“So,” Madara began, tilting his head slightly. “You’ve come out of hiding.”
Amusement was evident in his voice as he and Killerbee walked in a circle around each other. Neither male took their eyes off each other. Mismatched eyes took in Bee’s sword and blinked.
“You still have Kisame’s Samehada?” the Uchiha chuckled “Interesting. I wonder how you managed to completely win it to your side.” Killerbee didn’t respond and they continued circling, sizing each other up.
He didn’t let the silence last. “You know that this isn’t going to keep me from getting to the kyuubi.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re only postponing the inevitable. All of you keep putting your faith into a sixteen year old boy with the intelligence of a grapefruit. Fools.”
“Madara,” Bee began, his body shifting. Tentacles emerged as he only partially transformed. He planned on wearing the other down and then kill him. Well, try to. The serious chance of him defeating Madara was slim to none. He just wanted to give Naruto some more time. “You talk too much.”
The old Uchiha couldn’t see what everyone else saw. He obviously didn’t get why everyone was putting faith in Naruto. Someone like Madara would never understand and that was fine. It was that lack of understanding that would be his downfall.
Do you think he’ll master it in time? It’s...going to take three days. Hachibi asked him.
“It’s cool. He’s got it.”
Bee.
“It was a good run, wasn’t it?”
...Yes. I suppose.
“Heh. Gonna miss me, big eight?”
Hmph. Absolutely not. I’ll finally be free of your ridiculous rapping.
“Aw, why you gotta be so rough? You know it’s hard to find the right stuff! You know I was gonna be the best. Guess now dat kid gonna hafeta pick up the rest.”
I doubt he’s going to pick up rapping, Bee.
“We’ll see. We’ll see.”
“Alright!” snapping out of it, Killerbee pointed to Madara. “You ready, mothafucka? Cuz’ Bee’s about to get this party started right! Gonna rock it till the morning light! You ain’t gonna get me dat easy!”
Chuckling, Madara reached for his fan. “This should be fun.”
You got dis, kid. Bee thought as he rushed forward with Samehada. We all gonna be countin’ on ya. When it’s time, kick this muthafucka’s ass!
The two weapons collided and behind the mask, Madara smirked as he felt his chakra being drained. It was definitely going to be a fun fight.
~~~
The moment Neji sensed the familiar chakra, he sat up in bed, his hand moving over his heart. It still hurt and his body was still very weak. It would be a while before he’d be back on the battlefield. None of this showed on his face as his uncle entered his room, though. Neji’s face remained stoic as Hiashi entered. The moment he looked at the older Hyuuga, he found himself startled.
The haunted look Neji supposed he should have expected. It was the guilt and the sensation of something more that currently had him surprised and confused.
“Hiashi-sama,” Neji did his best to bow from his position on the bed when the Hyuuga head approached. “Forgive me. I...failed the task given to me upon my birth. I failed to protect Hinata-sama.” A pause. “I am ready to accept any punishment –“
“Neji, enough.” Hiashi’s voice sounded strained and heavy. “It is not your fault. I was told of what happened, of how you faced Hizashi.” Sighing, Hiashi pulled a chair over and sat down at Neji’s bed. Smoothing out his robes, Hiashi leaned back and briefly closed his eyes. “So, it has come to this after all.” It sounded as if he was speaking mostly to himself.
After a moment of silence – to which Neji sat, confused by his uncle’s actions – Hiashi spoke again. “I’ve received the reports that Uchiha Sasuke was the one who took my daughter.” Leaning forward, he pinched the bridge of his nose. Neji could only sit with wide eyed wonder at how much it seemed that Hiashi had aged in the past few months. No doubt it would only get worse now.
“Tell me, Neji,” white eyes slid over to the other male. “The reasons you believe Uchiha might have taken Hinata, are they true? There was nothing...overly familiar concerning it?”
The last question immediately had his mind working. Why would his uncle ask such a question? Why would there be a deeper meaning? “No, Hiashi-sama. I am of the strong belief that he wishes to use Hinata-sama against Uzumaki Naruto.” He decided to probe a bit. “I do not see why it would be anything beyond that, as the two have never really associated with each other prior.”
He had expected more of a fight concerning acquiring information, so he was floored by Hiashi’s next words. “That is incorrect, Neji. The two of them have associated before. They do have a history...one that the Hyuuga and the remaining Uchiha tried very hard to bury.”
What? The only tell tale sign that Neji was disturbed by this was the way his fists clenched the sheets a little tighter. He closed his eyes, let out a small breath, and opened them again. “What sort of history, Hiashi-sama? If I may ask. An arranged marriage?”
The man chuckled. “No, nothing like that. There is no way the Hyuuga would have approved of such a union, same with the Uchiha. You were not aware of this because after the incident with your father, you were lacking in your duties towards Hinata.” Neji flinched and moved to explain but Hiashi held up a hand. “I knew of it but remained silent. I’m sure I do not need to explain why.
“Neji, what I am about to tell you must never, ever leave this room. Do you understand?” Hiashi actually activated his Byakugan to ensure that they were alone. “Never.”
His heart began to beat rapidly at the sudden severity of the situation. What was so horrible about the two interacting that it would need to be kept such a secret?
“You have my confidence, Hiashi-sama.”
He nodded. “Very well. I will begin by saying that the Hyuuga were aware of the clan massacre that Uchiha Itachi committed that night. We knew it was to happen.”
“What? I...Hiashi-sama...” He was hearing things, Neji was sure of it. His uncle did not just tell him that the Hyuuga clan had known that Uchiha Itachi was going to murder his clan before it had happened. And kept silent about it?
“I can see your confusion.”Hiashi’s smile was grim and wry. “One day you will understand the true nature of all shinobi nations, Neji. For now, we will stick with this. Yes, I was aware of what would happen. Yes, it means that it was planned. There was a reason why we were informed. It has everything to do with the traitor himself.”
“Uchiha informed you of this?”
“Yes. My father and I are the only ones who know of this, save now for you. We were taken to Root headquarters. We were presented to Danzou and the Sandaime. I cannot give you the reasons why the massacre happened or what led up to it. All I can tell you is the role I had to play.
“Uchiha Itachi had been there to make a deal, which was to spare his brother’s life. In addition, he wanted to completely erase Hinata’s memories of Uchiha Sasuke. I have my suspicions as to why he was so adamant about it, but it was Danzou’s words that forced my hand. They perceived Hinata’s relationship with the younger Uchiha to be a threat to their plans. I will not tell you why, nor will I divulge the nature of their relationship. I can only hope it’ll stay buried.
“At any rate, it was basically told to me that if I did not allow for Uchiha to do as he wished with my daughter that it would not be assured he would not come after her at a later date.”
“That is absurd!” Neji could not hold back at this point. “What of the Hokage? The council? We are Hyuuga, to threaten us like that –“
“It was out of their hands.” Hiashi said and Neji was so stunned that he couldn’t even attempt to hide his disgust at it. The smile he was given in response was one of understanding. “I had another daughter to take Hinata’s place and you have not met Danzou. He is...was...a cruel man. Whatever Itachi wanted that night was freely given to him due to the circumstances.
“So I brought in Hinata, and I allowed Uchiha to use the Mangekyo Sharingan on her. I do not know what he did, only that she was different after that. She had always been a rather shy child, but her progress in Juuken declined significantly as did her self-esteem. It was as if...” Losing his cool for just a moment, Hiashi let out a small frustrated sound.
“It was as if he had handicapped her on purpose. To keep her from reforging the connection to his younger brother. I had been infuriated and frustrated, but had been assured that the residual damage could be fixed. I thought perhaps if I just pushed Hinata a little harder, she would go back to her old skill level.”
“So you mean...Hinata-sama’s declining skills, the way she had always given up without really trying...all of that was...?”
“I do not know.” He shook his head at the question. “As I said, Hinata was always a shy child, but before that she had been determined to become heiress. When she had been around the younger Uchiha, she had been improving dramatically. It was why I remained silent and did not force them to stop interacting in the beginning. Although she was still my quiet and polite daughter, she had been growing at a good pace.
“After Uchiha Itachi erased her memories, it was as if he had crippled her somehow. It took years and...” Hiashi grimaced slightly. “Uzumaki Naruto for her to recover fully. Now, Hinata is the daughter I knew before the massacre.”
“I cannot believe this.” He really couldn’t. So somehow, Hinata and Sasuke had known each other and had been close enough for Itachi to see her as a threat. But why? What could Hinata have possibly done to influence Sasuke in any fashion? They weren’t engaged, so what was it?
And then the veiled threat by one of Konoha’s elders. How could the Sandaime and other council members just allow that to happen? Why did they give into the demands of a traitor? Better yet, why did they even let the massacre happen if they knew what was going on?
“I only had one brother and he’s dead! Konoha killed him!”
Sasuke had said that on that fateful day weeks ago.
“I understand Hiashi-sama.” Was what Neji eventually said. He would not ask his uncle any more questions, he already knew he would get no answers. Hiashi had told him what he could, but it was enough for Neji to make some educated guesses. “But no, based on this information, I do not believe it was anything personal. Judging from my observations, it seemed that Uchiha Sasuke did not seem to recognize Hinata-sama in that manner. If he did, he hid it well.”
That seemed to placate his uncle. “Thank you Neji. I know you’re worried about Hinata, we all are. But if what you say is true, she will not be killed. At least, not if he truly plans on using her against Uzumaki.”
Not physically, but what about mentally? He didn’t ask the question, for he could see that Hiashi was trying hard not to think about that possibility.
So many things made sense and yet nothing made sense. Neji understood why Hiashi had been so hard and demanding on Hinata. Part of it had been frustration, yes, but most of it had been guilt. He had felt responsible and had tried to push her, had tried to fix her. More for himself than for her, but Neji was sure a lot of it had to do with that as well.
However, Neji could not forgive Danzou or the council for their decision. How could they allow them to do such a thing to Hinata? Had there been no other way? And why trust Uchiha Itachi not to do something permanent to Hinata? Why did they give in to his demands? Why wipe out the Uchiha clan? Could it have been that...he had been ordered to do it?
“Konoha killed him!”
Neji suddenly felt very ill.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-01-09 07:01 am (UTC)But now I'm curious of what type of relationship Hinata had with Sasuke for her to have her memories erased of him.
This was a great chapter, one of my favorites!
no subject
Date: 2011-01-09 07:12 am (UTC)Every chapter of my original I complete, I'll do some fanfiction.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-09 07:39 am (UTC)I think I'm most anxious in reading ATB but I can wait for it until whenever you decide to work on it. x}
no subject
Date: 2011-01-09 08:07 am (UTC)I'm a little stuck on ATB, but it'll get updated, I promise.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-09 12:53 pm (UTC)I also wonder about Hinata's and Sasuke's prior relationship...
Great chapter and can't wait for the next one!
Momo
no subject
Date: 2011-01-09 03:21 pm (UTC)X3 You'll just have to wait and seeeeee.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-09 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-09 03:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-09 03:36 pm (UTC)I really wonder how Itachi coming back is going to effect Sasuke. And Hot Damn -- I wonder how Sasuke and Hinata's prior relationship -- gyuhh it just keeps getting better!
Best Bday Present to me ever!
no subject
Date: 2011-01-09 04:00 pm (UTC)Happy Birthday!
no subject
Date: 2011-01-10 11:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 09:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-11 11:29 am (UTC)Anyway, this is awesome. I swear I saw Itachi in the latest Naruto, so I was like "OMGEEE!!! Itachi, what are you gonna do!!??" SO yeah, this is like, answering my question..XXDD
fanfiction.net
Date: 2011-04-15 05:12 am (UTC)ps: i love all your stories!
Re: fanfiction.net
Date: 2011-04-15 05:31 am (UTC)Re: fanfiction.net
Date: 2011-04-16 04:17 am (UTC)Re: fanfiction.net
Date: 2011-04-16 02:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-20 04:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-20 01:56 pm (UTC)I might revisit this fic, but under a different pretense. I did enjoy writing it, and I love the SasuHinaNeji triangle, so we'll see. I'm just so busy with novel works and submitting things for publication that my time to devote to hobbies is becoming limited D:
no subject
Date: 2011-04-23 11:57 pm (UTC)Good to know you might revisit this fic, though. The plot is so great, and your writing is just plain awesome. Good luck with getting your work published!