I woke up with screams. Stupidly known screams.
I scoffed and cursed Hatake Kakashi with all my might before opening the door.
"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed and hugged me, then he let go of me, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back to the village?"
"I was going to tell you later," I said, a little annoyed while he entered the newly built house.
"This house is new, isn't it?"
"Yes, I started building it a while ago," he raised an eyebrow, "secretly; I didn't want anyone peeking in the Uchiha District to see what the Village traitor was up to"
"You should have told me," he said, a little resented and I snorted, "I would have helped"
I sighed, "Anyway, what are you doing here right now?"
"Kakashi wants to see you, he says he have something important to talk about."
I sighed again, and went directly to the bathroom, not caring about what Naruto would do.
When I left the bathroom and exchanged clothes, Naruto looked up at me from the couch and grinned.
"Let's go" he got up and led the way.
#
"Good morning, Sasuke," Kakashi greeted me as soon as I entered the room, "thank you, Naruto, you can go now."
Naruto waved goodbye and left, Kakashi sighed.
"So you're coming back for good?" the Hokage asked, scanning me with his eyes.
"Yes,"
"And you intend to rebuild your clan?"
"Yes"
"And may I ask with whom you intend to rebuild it?"
I raised my eyebrow, but answered anyway, "I'm not sure yet, I ought to find a suitable wife yet"
"What about Sakura?" he asked looking away from me.
I frowned.
"What about her?"
He looked at me again, narrowing his eyes.
"Haven't you considered her?"
I sighed, "I had, but she is… Sakura," now Kakashi frowned, "she is a great friend, but I don't have those feelings for her," I explained, "she is kind of pretty, I guess, but I don't want to live my life by her side as husband and wife, I don't want her to have my children."
"Oh," he said, apparently shocked, "so you want someone to love?" He grinned amazed, "Uchiha Sasuke is in a quest for love," he chuckled, "who would've guessed?"
"Hey!" I fidgeted and Kakashi laughed, "I am not in a quest for love! I just want someone that…"
Someone knocked on the door and Kakashi stopped laughing, putting on a serious face.
"Come in," he said.
"Good morning, Hokage-sama," I heard a squeaky voice and turned to stare at the person who stood by my side.
"Good morning, Hinata," Kakashi said and the woman finally looked at me, lifting her head up to look into my eyes. I stared back at her with curiosity. "I believe you know Uchiha Sasuke from the times of the Academy and also from the times of war." She looked back to the Hokage and nodded.
She blushed and I almost smiled with that sight.
"Anyway, Sasuke came to town last night and said he plans to live here and rebuild the Uchiha clan," the Hokage said and I turned to face him again. "But now he will work in the village and will help in the preparations for the Chuunin Exam, which will be headquartered in Konoha this year," the Hokage stared at Hinata. "Hinata, you will prepare and oversee the first phase of examination," he turned to me. "And you will prepare and supervise the second stage."
"Hai," we said together.
"You are dismissed," Kakashi said and took a book from the table.
I stared at Hinata for a few seconds, blurs from the past came to my mind and I started remembering her.
She shook her head, like if she was shaking an idea away. I sighed and left, heading back to my house.
###
It was being a great day; Naruto didn't come to visit and chat as he was doing on the last few weeks, I slept all day and when I woke up I even started to plan the second stage of the Chuunin Exam.
Then I went to Ichiraku to eat ramen. Ichiraku, as everyone knows, is the place my best friend loves, because he loves ramen.
I forgot about that.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura waved at me when I got into the restaurant; she and Naruto were sitting in a table on the back of it. "Haven't seen you in weeks!" she exclaimed, got up and hugged me unabashedly. I patted her shoulder awkwardly, and then pushed her away.
"Hi," I greeted them both stoically and sat down at Naruto's side when some girls came to talk to him and give him gifts.
He did not seem very happy about it, and his face got even worse when his girlfriend got in the restaurant and stared daggers at the younger girls.
"They are not here for Sasuke, you know," Sakura said to Ino when she got closer to our table. The blond girl frowned, and so did I.
"What?" she asked as she sat down by Sakura's side.
"You don't need to threaten them, they are here for Naruto."
"Oh," Ino realized that her staring at the girls was too explicit and her face flushed, "I just don't like girls who keep tormenting boys when they have someone."
"But Naruto is single," Sakura frowned, "I thought you thought they were here for Sasuke-kun."
"Actually, that's why I called you here, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, finally diverting his attention from the ramen and staring at the pink-haired girl in front of him.
"To show me the girls flirting with you?" he shook his head 'no' and her frown deepened "to tell me that you're single?" he shook his head again and Sakura's eyes grew wider.
"I am engaged," he said with a happy smile.
"What?" Sakura bellowed, "To whom?"
"To me," Ino answered and I swear to god that Sakura's expression was the funniest thing I have ever seen. Her front was all crinkled, her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open. Naruto let out a laugh and so did I, while Ino tried to calm Sakura down, scared that she may destroy the restaurant.
Suddenly, team 8 showed up and sat down with us. Kiba and Shino not being as surprised as Sakura, and Hinata, well, she already knew about the secret relationship.
"My senses are sharpened," Kiba stated, "I felt, months ago, that your scents were mixed."
Shino shrugged, "and he tells me everything."
"Who else knew before me?" Sakura asked with a pout.
"Shikamaru-kun," Hinata said to which I raised an eyebrow, her cheeks flushed before she answered my unasked question, "we talk sometimes."
"Did Chouji know?"
"Never had a clue," Ino smiled.
"Since when is this happening?"
"The engagement?" Naruto asked and answered before Sakura could reply, "Only two weeks"
"Not the engagement!" she almost screamed. "You two! That… relationship"
"Oh," Naruto scratched his head, "it started last year"
Sakura snorted, "And neither of you ever thought about telling me?" Her face was red with anger, "I thought I was your best friend!"
"You are, but…" Ino tried to say but Sakura interrupted her.
"Not you!" She said and the blond girl frowned, "Naruto! I thought I was his best friend," she glanced at me and then back at Naruto, "or at least his best female friend."
Naruto scratched his head again, uneasy, "We thought of telling you, but…"
"We never had the opportunity to do so, and it was so new and weird for us that we kept it a secret from most people," Ino completed and held one of Sakura's hand.
"And we wanted to tell you before we told the village," Naruto said.
"At least I know before Chouji does," Sakura chimed bitterly.
###
"Hey, teme!" Naruto exclaimed, disturbing my training.
"Uh" I grumbled before turning my attention back to the logs.
"Who will be your date to my wedding?" He asked and before I answered, he kept on talking, "Because I was talking to Ino-chan and she said that Hinata-chan did not have a date as well and, well, I thought that maybe it would be nice if you went with her, I mean, she is nice and you are…" He paused.
"I am?" I stopped my training session to face him and he looked at the sky.
"A nice person… At least when you are not frowning or grumbling or saying bitter things," I rolled my eyes at him and he laughed, "anyway, what do you think about it?"
"About me taking Hinata to your ceremony?" I asked and he nodded, "I think it is ok, she is ok and perhaps…" I stopped talking, realizing that I was going to tell Naruto what have been in my mind these past weeks.
"Perhaps?" He gestured for me to continue.
"It's nothing."
Naruto crossed his arms in front of him and I sighed.
"Perhaps she is the one," I mumbled, but he heard it anyway.
"The one…" Naruto repeated curiously, not knowing what I was talking about, but then his eyes grew wide. "Oh!"
"I am not saying I have feelings for her or anything like that, I mean, we barely know each other and we did not have many conversations but she is suitable to help me rebuild the Uchiha clan"
Naruto raised both his eyebrows with my last sentence, "come again?"
"Well, she has the qualities I was looking for in a partner"
"Which are?"
I twitched my nose, not sure of what I was going to say because I did not have a list with the traits I wanted in a woman, I just kind of… I don't know, I thought that when I found the suitable woman, I would know. And something about Hinata made me feel that, maybe, she was the one.
"She is smart"
"And?"
"That's pretty much what I was looking for," I shrugged, "it's not like I can choose with whom I fell in love."
Naruto stared at me, stupefaction all over his face.
That is when I realized what I said.
"I am not in love with her!" I exclaimed and he chuckled, "It is just a supposition!"
"Well, my friend," he patted my back, "you can't fight love"
I frowned again, "I am not fighting love, and I'm not feeling it too"
"Oh, if you think she is the one, you are feeling something," he smiled, "and that something can turn to love in the blink of an eye"
#
I went to Ichiraku, I trained all day and all I ate were three fresh tomatoes. I sighed, making a mental list of what I should buy in the market the next day.
I sat on the counter and few seconds later a dark-haired girl sat by my side.
"Hey," Hinata greeted me with a sweet smile; I nodded in recognition. She ordered and then kept staring at me for some seconds before opening her mouth again, "Have you finished preparing the second stage of the Chuunin Exam?"
Oh, shit.
I had to do that. I totally forgot about this shit.
"No, not yet," I answered, "what about you?"
"I did nothing too," she said, "I am busy helping with the wedding and I totally forgot about it, and then I saw you and remembered that I have to do it and I am afraid that I will do no good," she blurted out and her face was red. She widened her eyes, before muttering "sorry".
I laughed.
"It's okay," I said and she smiled sheepishly before turning towards her food that just arrived and eating it in silence. "I think you'll be fine," I said after a while and she stared at me with surprise, "Kakashi wouldn't entrust you with this task if you weren't capable enough"
"Thanks," she said and gave me an honest smile.
"Here you are!" Naruto showed up and patted my back, grinning widely at Hinata and me. "So, Hinata-chan, will you go to the wedding with Sasuke?"
Hinata looked at Naruto, and then at me.
"Do you want me to?" She asked quietly.
"Um," I stuttered for a millisecond, "Yeah, it would be nice," I admitted. "Do you want to go with me?"
She smiled brightly at me.
"I'd love to," she answered and I felt some weird fluttering in my stomach.
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