Disclaimer: I don't own anything I didn't create myself. All the characters and the Naruto universe belong to Masashi Kishimoto. This applies to every chapter in this story in advance.

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 going to be probably the best evening of her life. At least Hinata was sure it would be – she simply couldn't imagine ever feeling any better.

Why?

The answer was simple – because they had won the war. Madara was gone, and Naruto was alive. Quite in fact, almost everyone she cared for had somehow managed to live through this nightmare... almost. 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 to mourn her deceased brother a little bit later, whenever she would be able to do this in solitude, for there was absolutely no way she could do it right now, with them being around.

Kurenai, Kiba and Shino. Her team. Her only friends. They were standing there with Hinata at the central square of the recently rebuilt village of the Hidden Leaf. All the four of them were attending a huge festival, easily the most spectacular one she had ever seen. Such a scale wasn't any surprising, though; in truth, somehow she would have expected it to be even bigger and much more grand than it was, because... well, how could it honestly be any less than that?

Their world was safe now. They had all been rescued by her very comrades, Team Seven. And of course, these ones received most attention from everyone.

Well, except for the Uchiha.

She would never admit it to anyone but herself, but Hinata actually feared him. Not that she still considered this shinobi an enemy, no, absolutely not. After all, Naruto had told everyone that this young raven haired man − she just couldn't bring herself to call him a boy, even though he was only so much older than her, knowing everything she knew about him and his past − had actually saved their lives. Everyone's, as a matter of fact − instead of leaving them all trapped inside the Infinite Tsukuyomi for good, or even murdering them like, they presumed, he had originally intended to do. In the end the Uchiha had made his choice, and it was them he had chosen.

He had returned to Konoha.

But, the village hadn't exactly welcome him. People were tolerating his presence at best, but that was it. Nothing more. Everything from his name to his boots was disliked there to say the least.

He didn't look bothered by this fact at all, though.

The man was now 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 and looking completely relaxed − apparently, he didn't care one bit about whatever was going on around. Hinata couldn't help but stare at the Uchiha as she noticed him, enchanted by his frightening mystique and not listening to her teammates' carefree jabbering at all.

His features sure were beautiful for a man. Although she had never done that herself, Hinata understood why every girl in her class had constantly chased the avenger back in the years of the academy − some of them still did, even now, after so many years... after all those horrible things he had done. Fortunately or not, looks weren't something of the Hyūga girl's concern when it came to the opposite sex. That, however, didn't mean that she wasn't able to estimate someone's attractiveness, especially when it was so apparent. Although his appearance wasn't what dominated her thoughts whenever she looked at him, of course. 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 from time to time on the enigma that Uchiha Sasuke was.

To her he was completely blank. Even though she could literally see everything inside of him thanks to her special eyes, Hinata was absolutely unable to read this person she found herself watching carefully every now and then. Her only reason to believe in his good intent was Naruto's word − the boy she adored and loved trusted the Uchiha with his life, it was beyond question for him. And she did trust the blond's judgement, too − after all, Naruto was the only one, save for maybe Sakura and their new Hokage, Hatake Kakashi, who could honestly say that he truly knew the Uchiha heir.

And if Naruto put his trust in him, then Hinata would do the same, too. But, she couldn't help the anxious thoughts flowing through her head sometimes. For some reason, they disturbed her whenever she looked at this man. What was he thinking, looking so distant and lonely in the middle of this merry chaos of the celebration? Why did he seem so indifferent and cold when everyone else around him was so happy? On top of that, he looked a bit scary. His hair had grown wild, much unlike what it was during his childhood as she could remember from their years in the academy, nowadays slightly reminding her of his mythic ancestor with whom Hinata, just like everyone around them, was now somewhat familiar − Uchiha Madara.

His movements were always smooth, yet keen at the same time, quite like those of a deadly snake. The Rinnegan in his left eye that he either never bothered to or, which for some reason seemed more plausible to her, simply couldn't deactivate, made the disturbing resemblance even more dreadfully clear... There had been too many painful events in her life associated with this dōjutsu that she could never forget. And even though it was vastly considered legendary, with some people even calling it a gift from gods, no less... to her, it was a nightmare. Quite literally, being completely honest, as this ripple pattern had been stalking the girl and making her wake up in cold sweat in the middle of nearly every night ever since the day of Pain's invasion.

She wasn't aware of how and when exactly had Sasuke acquired it, but with this eye the young ninja reminded her of Madara even more. And when the girl thought about it, being as observant as she was, the connection between the two of them seemed to be stronger than that from just being born to the same clan. It was in their expressions, in the way both of them moved, in the way they spoke. Perhaps Sasuke was more than only distantly related to the man who had started the war, but was, in fact, his direct heir Hinata didn't know, and she wasn't sure if she really wanted to find out either. This man was scary enough as he was right now.

Fortunately, he never noticed her stares. Not that it was somehow surprising to her − seldom did people notice the girl at all. But, make no mistake, she was perfeclty fine with that.

Well... almost.

She would like her beloved one to notice her for once.

Turning her head and smiling softly at the pleasant smell of bakery that was flooding the square, she found him in the crowd almost instantly. The blond was currently dancing with his teammate, Haruno Sakura, accompanied by loud folk music, laughs, shouts and clapping of motely people around them, cheering on the famous pair.

The Hyūga girl lowered her eyes and bit her lip. She liked the female member of Team Seven, but she still couldn't help the jealousy that overwhelmed her whenever she saw how happy they looked together...

"Oi, Hinata! Come on, you should try this! Stop being so dull, let's have some fun!" Kiba handed her a glass with some liquid, and she, giving him a distant nod as she was still deep in thought, drank it all in one gulp without checking what exactly was in there.

She better shouldn't have.

Coughing and hugging her chest tightly, the dark haired girl dropped the glass inadvertently, jumping up from the bench and desperately attempting to catch her breath. What in the name of heaven was that swill...?

"Easy, easy! Come on, softie, it can't be that bad, can it? Just a bit of booze!" The Inuzuka laughed at her, slapping her back lightly to help her overcome this sudden... feeling.

She had never tried alcohol before.

Her head began slightly swirling, yet somehow Hinata felt rather nice and funny than bad, and also way more courageous than she had just a few moments ago. All of sudden she looked up at the Uchiha again and smiled.

Come on, it can't possibly be that bad! After all, she had promised herself that she would stop being such a coward. She must face her fears once in a while!

Having quickly apologized to her teammates, she picked a piece of strawberry cake from the plate that was resting on their bench and walked towards the still not completely rebuilt Hokage residence, trying not to accidentally bump into someone which was likely to happen in her current state.

What was she going to say to him, though? Probably not much, but Hinata really wanted to overcome her fear of the Uchiha and, for some reason she couldn't fathom herself, she also wanted to see him smile, as simple and probably foolish as it was.

But, he deserved it, after all, didn't he? He had saved everyone! Including her. A cake, as a gesture of gratitude, couldn't possibly hurt, could it?

Still torn by these thoughts, the girl carefully walked the stairs 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 had been just a minute ago. Instead of him, Uzumaki Naruto was now standing there, scratching his nape puzzledly and staring anxiously in the direction of the abandoned and, thanks to Pain, currently half-ruined Uchiha clan's district. The boy looked notably sad – Hinata figured that he had just approached Sasuke and the Uchiha probably refused to share a talk with his friend.

"N-Naruto-kun...?" she mumbled quietly in surprise, taking a hesitent step towards the blond jinchūriki.

He turned to look at her, the smile returning to his face the instant he noticed the shy girl.

"Yo, Hinata-chan! What's up? Why did ya come up here?" he asked curiously as he walked toward her.

She stopped, unsure what to do with the cake. Should she tell him about her initial intention or not...?

He came close enough to notice her blushing terribly. But, it didn't surprise him, of course − it was just her, after all. Just Hinata. "Are you alright?" he added, giving the girl a soft, reassuring smile.

"Um..." she started, as always feeling utterly insecure in his presence. She hadn't expected to see him here at all. The plan the Hyūga had formed in her head while she was getting to the roof was now rapidly disappearing in the blustering whirlwind of various emotions.

At least the alcohol in her blood helped a bit.

Breaking the unwanted pause before he could say something again, the girl suddenly raised her head vigorously, looking directly into those deep blue eyes of his.

"Naruto-kun... I-I wanted to ask you−" Against her will did she pause once more, not exactly sure how to put it.

"What is it, Hinata-chan?" He smiled even more widely and cheerfully now, as if encouraging her to continue.

Her pearly white pupilless eyes widened at his happy expression. Could it be that this was it? The moment she had feared and waited for so long... had imagined so many times...?

"I−I w-wanted to ask you... if you r-remember−what I told you b-back then−when−when we fought P-Pain..." her voice dropped by the end of the question as she was unsure how to continue. Her face was now as red as a ripe tomato and she clenched her teeth tightly, trying desperately to not faint of this terrible stress.

"Oh," was all he said and his smile suddenly disappeared, which made her heart skip a beat.

Did she do something wrong...?

She looked up at him with an utterly frightened expression, terribly afraid that she could have just spoiled it all somehow.

There was a long moment of awkward silence which neither of them seemed to want to break. He appeared to have been taken by surprise and confused, but there was a clear sign of recognition in his suddenly sorrowful eyes − apparently he hadn't forgotten that... accident, which she was afraid he would.

The boy finally opened his mouth then, uttering quietly,

"Yea. I do."

Hinata just peered at him searchingly, waiting for the blond to continue. She had never seen him looking so uncomfortable before... Her trembling heart was so full of hope, but now it seemed that he had been avoiding this conversation for so long... why?

The answer was obvious, of course.

"Hinata-chan... I understand your feelings, I truly do. But, well−"

She felt her heart skipping another beat.

"You see, I like someone else... Sakura-chan, y'know."

Hinata's hands started shaking slightly as her eyes were quickly filling with tears to the point where she could barely see anything around 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! Believe it!" he exclaimed cheerfully, but the girl never really heard the ending of his phrase − her ears suddenly became deaf, not a sound breaking through, as if an explosive tag had just been triggered right next to her. She couldn't even hear her own voice as she said distinctly, sounding surprisingly calm:

"Sure, Naruto-kun... I'm s-sorry, I need to go now." The cake Hinata was holding fell onto the surface of the roof as the girl turned away from the blond who now looked very worried and sorry, yet not daring to follow her.

Or rather not willing to, she thought. Well, why would he? She always was just a burden to him, failing to help the boy whenever she tried to. If anything, on top of that she wasn't a burden just to him personally, but to everyone else as well. She knew it for sure. And now, wiping the streaming tears off eyes and cheeks with her jacket's sleeve while her numb legs were barely able to let her stand straight, the Hyūga girl knew it − she had always known despite attempting not to think about it.

She was laughable.

Hinata never noticed how her feet brought her back to her room in the seemingly empty at the moment Hyūga compound. Apparently she was the only person that wanted to go home so early in this special evening, but that only made things better for her. She wanted to stay alone, to calm down and to let her wounds heal themselves, just like it always happened whenever she got hurt.

Falling onto the humble wooden bed in the corner of the small room, Hinata hugged her pillow and sobbed.

Why? Just why was this all happening to her...? Always to her...

The girl kept crying, blaming herself for all the bad things that happened in her life, thankful that nobody could hear her. Well, who possibly could? She believed herself to be the only egoistic loser that could stay in such a pathetic state today of all days. Wasn't she supposed to be grateful for being alive and not being enslaved in the world of everlasting illusions? Wasn't she supposed to appreciate the fact that her clan, her village, and everyone else didn't have to suffer such horrible destiny either? Why was she feeling like her world was being torn apart now, and not a few days ago, when they all were still captured inside Madara's jutsu?

The girl couldn't answer these questions, and this fact was making her hate herself even more than she usually did.

That was when she realized that she actually deserved it all. Because no matter how hard she tried, despite all her strive, even with everyone around trying to aid 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 who feared to talk to her peers and to look into the eyes of her superiors. Was there even a point in adding that she considered basically everyone superior to her...?

And what had given her such a ridiculous belief that a failure like her could ever ask for happiness in their world? In the world where only strong ones survived, weaklings like her were worthless. They were merely dirt under feet of those who were better than them. That's how things always worked anyway. For instance, her former classmate Uchiha Sasuke was a prime testament to this. No matter what crimes had he committed, no matter how much pain had he caused to others, and what mistakes had he made in past, he would always end up on the very top in present just because of who he was. Because people feared him, because they respected his power and his achievements. And Naruto was no different from his best friend on this part, too, albeit he probably had yet to realize it himself... They were simply special. And she was not.

Turning her head a bit to the right, she reached out and grabbed the doll from the nightstand − her birthday present to Hanabi which her sister had refused to accept. Hinata had created this doll with her own hands, yet for some reason her younger sibling didn't quite like it, having said that such toys were of no use for a kunoichi.

She understood that Hanabi's decision was justified. She, Hinata, was the only one in their entire clan stupid enough to come up with something as juvenile. It was just a waste of time, after all. And yet, some part of the girl, deep inside, felt really hurt even now that she stared at her handwork blankly.

Even her own sister rejected her...

Was that any unfair? Hardly. Because Hinata knew they had every right in the world to treat her this way. She was a disgrace to this 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 had to be ridiculous and disgusting to them. What leader could she make anyway, for the sake of the Will of Fire...? But, that wasn't exactly what made it so bitter. The fact that she actually tried hard did. She wasted everything, all her energy and time on trying to become better... for their sake. And she had become better, had she not...? Or...

Feeling another burst of tears incoming, she clutched the doll tightly and buried her face into the pillow again.

No matter what she did, no matter how hard she worked on improving herself, she was still a disappointment to everyone. To Hanabi, to her clan... even to Neji who died because she was not strong enough. And, of course, to Naruto as well.

She whimpered quietly.

What was she going to do now? In a case like hers, what was the point in trying any further? Apparently all these years of training and education, they hadn't given her anything at all. She had achieved nothing. Was she even capable of being a kunoichi? A leader? A Hyūga?

A woman...?

The girl bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. It seemed like there was no way out. Her entire life was a joke. Just some cruel joke of fate...

Still, she couldn't simply give up, could she? Until she was completely cornered she would keep trying, that was her ninja way. She had her clan to care for. Her family. Her village. She wasn't completely useless so long as she could help... And she couldn't simply forget about them. They always did everything for her, and she had yet to repay them for that.

And then there was the knock on the door.

Raising head in surprise, she wiped her tears as fast as she could, 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 the person's identity with her Byakugan never crossed 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, entered her room silently.

Hyūga Hiashi. Her father.

He slowly eyed her up and down, impassive as always. Why had he come here now anyway? Wasn't he supposed to be dealing with some important things if he wasn't celebrating the victory with everyone? Her father never wasted time on anything unworthy. Whatever reason brought him to her now, it had to be something very serious, without a doubt.

She then belatedly realized that it obviously had something to do with her. Was she in a trouble?

Hinata looked at him sheepishly, unsure if she should open her mouth first.

"Daughter." Unfortunately his eyes gave away nothing.

"Father..." she nearly whispered, afraid of whatever he was going to say. When it came to him talking to her, it was never anything good.

Hiashi waited a little bit, eyeing her thoughtfully as though he felt conflicted inside, which was very unusual for him.

"I have come to tell you something important regarding your future."

Her future? What could it possibly be? Was he going to bring some kind of new special training upon her? Was it some assignment for the purpose of her becoming a better leader as soon as possible? She reckoned it had to be something among these lines. After all, her father was a tired man, and the war had drained a lot of his energy. He deserved some rest for his great efforts.

"What is it, father?" she asked quietly, not really wondering about the specifics at the moment, yet too polite and submissive to show her disinterest in any way.

He remained silent for a few seconds again, and that was what made her wary. It was too unlike Hyūga Hiashi to be hesitant in general, and especially so when it came to dealing with his hapless daughter.

And then he finally said it:

"The grand 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 and the head of the clan. Furthermore, since you have already been taught many invaluable secrets of the Main House, you will have receive the seal. This will occur this morning, in a few hours from now. Be prepared." He turned away without looking at her and walked out of the room, leaving his daughter as lonely as she had been prior to his appearance.

She lowered her head and stared at the wooden dark floor.

So that was it. It had taken them long enough, but it finally happened.

They had decided that she was unworthy.

Not only Naruto and Hanabi. Her entire family thought so, too.

She sighed, covering her face with her shaking hands.

There was no one in this village who believed in her anymore.

A few hours later, when the sun was already about to show up on the horizon, Hinata was sitting on the ground near the Memorial Stone of Konoha, hugging her knees and quietly sobbing. The best day of her life had suddenly become its worst. Was it any surprising? Hardly. It would be unexpected to anyone but her, Hyūga Hinata.

Because she was an utter loser.

No, this fact alone didn't bother her all that much. She was also a very kind person, and so long as those she loved were alive and happy she could bear the misfortunes fate brought upon her from time to time, here and there. As a matter of fact, she had learned to accept the inevitability of that long ago; however, it didn't matter that she could just ignore the pain it always caused to her. For as long as she could remember, the girl had been trying to hide it as hard as she could, and up to this very moment she had been doing a great job at that. Nobody had noticed her leaving the fest, neither did anyone know that she was here now. Her father most likely rested assured that she was still sitting in her room, doing nothing useful... as usual.

After her conversation with Naruto she had decided to visit her late brother. He was the only person she had ever trusted enough to open up to a little bit, always telling Neji about the things she would have never discussed with anyone else. And as horribly cynical as it might sound, now that he was dead Neji was an even better listener to her as he at least wouldn't be worried no matter what she told him, retaining the peace of the afterlife.

She had always hated making him worry about her.

That's what she told herself whenever she had fought the urge to cry as the unavoidable thoughts about the injustice of his death crossed her mind over and over again. It should have been her instead of him. He was far better than her in literally everything. As a ninja, as a Hyūga, as a friend.

Fate was truly so twisted in its cruelty...

She sniffed, raising her head a tad before frowning.

In fact, there wasn't even a grave for Neji 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 official burial of Konoha's fallen warriors was only going to happen tomorrow, after everyone had celebrated their so hard-won victory. After all, there were just too many corpses − nobody wanted to do the job now when they craved this long awaited feast of life so much.

That was why Hinata was there now, alone and completely broken. Nobody would come here at this moment, even if they decided to look for her for whatever bizarre reason they could possibly have for it.

She sniffled again and pursed her lips, rubbing her eyes with her palms before hugging her knees.

Who was she trying to fool anyway? Had she not expected such an outcome? Had she not known how Naruto would react to her confession? Had she truly not 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 at some point, too?

She realized that deep inside she had, and that was what hurt the girl the most. Right now she was closer to believing in Neji's words concerning fate than she ever had before. Those things he had said to Naruto back when they were kids, during the chūnin exam years ago...

It turned out that her brother had been correct back then, as always. She was a loser, and she was clearly destined to remain as such forever.

Naruto, on the other hand, despite the popular opinion of him, was a true winner. Only a completely blind person could still deny it at this point. Sometimes it seemed as though he had some miraculous shield of fate that always protected him from losing, helping him overcome every obstacle on his way at the end of the day. To become even better after his every failure than he had been prior to it, rising up from the ashes every single time people thought he was finally broken.

They called Sasuke, his rival, the winner... and Naruto the loser?

That was complete nonsense; right now she saw it more clearly than ever. And although she found it slightly disturbing how her thoughts of late inevitably came to his mysterious grim figure so often... Come to think about it, she couldn't deny that the Uchiha was probably one of the most tragic and forlorn persons she had ever known – or rather met, for she couldn't really say that she knew him at all.

Still, the man had lost his parents, his entire clan, his childhood, and some people were certain that he had lost his sanity along the way as well. After all, he had spent his entire life chasing after his brother, resulting in him having killed the last one of his relatives with his own hands only to find out later on that Itachi had been manipulated by one of Konoha's elders named Danzō all along. Sasuke had also joined Akatsuki only to realize what they truly had planned to achieve ultimately, and to stop them later. And then, on top of everything else, he had sought revenge against Konoha... only to end up returning to the village he (and even she couldn't deny it) had every right in the world to hate with great passion.

Yes, although Hinata had never really hated anyone, she understood the concept itself and hence she could also understand the man's feelings... at least to an extent. Not to mention that there was probably a lot of things she didn't know about his past, too. After all, she could only rely on Naruto's words when it came to the Uchiha, and she didn't want to believe any rumors and gossips. They told mostly bad things about him, but even if some of them were true she couldn't really blame him even if she wanted to.

He was just another victim of fate, aftar all, though a far stronger one than her.

All of sudden, thinking about her former classmate made Hinata hate herself even more, if that was even possible. Because she realized that even after all these horrible things that had happened to the Uchiha, he wasn't broken. He seemed a bit lost and dazed after returning to Konoha, but other than that he still stood strong, not even remotely looking defeated or shattered by the cruel hand of his uneasy destiny. He was a true shinobi, so much unlike her.

He could endure.

And she−she was crying like a child, as though her life was over afte having been rejected by a boy once.

Ridiculous. But why did it hurt so much then...? Sure, she was also in pain after Neji's death, but there was probably not a single person in Konoha who hadn't lost someone precious in this war. Beside that, she was simply terrified by the fact that her clansmen were going to put the damned seal on her; the same seal the biggest part of her clan had been wearing since the day they were born without any complains. She had never seen any of them breaking like she was at the moment.

I'm indeed beyond pathetic...

Grasping the wet grass under her palms, Hinata gritted her teeth, trying to calm down and stop shaking.

No... I refuse...! The tremor suddenly stopped as she took a long, deep breath.

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. In fact, he had already helped her more than she could ever ask him for − he had taught her not to give up no matter what.

Hinata opened her eyes and clenched her fists vigorously.

No, she wouldn't. Giving up was certainly not an option. Not for her. She would rather die...!

The girl bit her lip then, lowering her eyes.

But, what could she possibly do now? That was the million ryō question. She clearly wasn't able to come up with a solution by herself no matter how much she tried to...

And then the sudden and shocking realization finally hit the girl; the pieces of this inelaborate puzzle that had been swirling around her in those past few days had finally formed a distinct picture in Hinata's mind. If there was a single person in this world who 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, not wanting to notice all those obvious signs. Refusing to figure out why his image and his story filled her thoughts a lot more than what she would normally consider appropriate. The truth was that he was the only person who had overcome such terrible things in his life that his experience was unparallelled, the only one who knew for sure how to deal with misfortunes like hers and who was within her reach at the same time.

Uchiha Sasuke...

She needed to find him!

Slowly getting up and wiping wet dirt off her pants, the girl activated her Byakugan. He wasn't anywhere around, obviously. And she actually had no idea where he could possibly be at such time. But, there was still no better option anyway − nor any other option at all for that matter. That's why she ran straight ahead towards the center of Konoha where her range of view would be able to cover the whole village. The sun was already showing, so Hinata realized that she had to hurry up – she needed to find him as soon as possible so that they could talk before her destiny would get sealed.

Crossing the main street that led to the gates of the village, the girl suddenly stopped as she noticed something familiar not far away from her.

There...! She blinked, unable to believe her luck. There he was, to her left! Not so close either, but she could see him clearly from this distance. The Uchiha was wearing a humble black cloak, and there was a sword fixated on his back – much like the one she remembered him wearing during the war; his wild hair was being slightly ruffled by the light morning breeze that felt like a frosty wind to Hinata at the moment, making her tremble even more than before.

His expression was emotionless and calm as usual. The man was talking to the Sixth and Sakura - the three of them were standing near the main entrance of the village. And for some reason the pink haired kunoichi looked quite upset...

Deciding that it was none of her business, 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...!

The three former teammates ended their talk shortly. Hinata could see Sasuke turning around and starting walking away from them after committing something that seemed like a... gesture of affection...?

Hinata frowned, nearly stopping for a second. It was unusual to say the least, seeing him with a different, warmer expression like this. Even if it was barely notable, the smile was still there nonetheless as he tapped Sakura's forehead lightly with his fingertips.

The dark haired girl felt baffled. Had she even seen him smile before at all...? And now he was walking away from the village... while Sakura was crying, not removing her sorrowful gaze from his back.

So he had decided to leave again, after all...!

Running over the massive, high wall that surrounded Konoha, the Hyūga jumped down, ignoring the painful whips of numerous twigs on her face and wading through the ancient trees while at the same time trying not to 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 slightly to get closer to Sasuke, she noticed him, and her heart almost stopped.

Naruto stood there, leaning against a tree just a few yards from her current position, apparently waiting for his friend.

She froze, panting, and waited, trying to catch her breath while studying the two of them carefully. Surprisingly enough the friends shared only a few quiet words before parting and 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, she decided not to. It wasn't like she wanted to overhear them anyway, because they clearly didn't meet away from the village and even from their teammates for no reason.

She had her own business with the Uchiha right now in any case.

But, watching them with her dōjutsu and seeing the way they parted, she couldn't help but realize that this was a goodbye, and a surprisingly friendly one. Sasuke was leaving Konoha for real, and this time, as shocking as it seemed, Naruto didn't appear to mind it at all.

Hinata frowned, pursing her lips and thinking frantically.

What if...

The sudden idea was so frighteningly insane, and yet... at the same time, considering all that had happened to her, it was so tempting...

She glanced at the Uchiha again and then locked her hands nervously in front of herself.

Maybe she should leave, too? To be honest, what was there remaining for her in the village anyway? The boy who couldn't care less about her feelings and probably considered her a miserable idiot? The clan that openly despised her? The teammates that laughed at her whenever she ashamed herself with her clumsiness...? The 'real' friends that most likely didn't even exist, just like the future she had always fantasized about...?

Now that she thought about it, as shocking as this revelation was to her, there was actually absolutely nothing tying her to Konohagakure anymore... aside from her cowardice. But, then again, did she really want to get the damned seal on her forehead? Hell no – she always was shy and submissive, yes, there was no denying this fact. Still, that wasn't enough for her to just accept such a horrible 'gift' as though it weren't a big deal. To her, it was probably the most fearful thing ever since her early childhood... Deep inside, she had always been afraid of her brother's destiny as well as that of his fellow Branch House members, even though she knew that she deserved it more than any of them.

And that was the deciding factor for her at the moment.

Yes, she absolutely needed to leave. Now. If not now, then never, she realized. Even though she wasn't a coward, Hinata knew that she wouldn't find the willpower to do it in future, not to mention that she wouldn't be able to do that if she received the seal. This was her only chance! And... speaking of leaving, following the Uchiha right now seemed to be the best opportunity she could ever hope for. He knew everything about leaving the village, didn't he...? He could teach her what to do. If only she managed to convince him to...

Then again, now that she had finally realized why exactly did she feel so mesmerized whenever her thoughts returned to this man... Something deliberately brought her to him, of that the girl was now dead sure. He was the only person in this whole world who could help her. Who could understand her. Who could... possibly... fix her?

She was shocked by her own unusual audacity and resolve. It made Hinata smile for the first time after many long hours of crying and mourning Neji as well as her own failed life. She had finally found the right path. It just had to be that, without a doubt!

Walking along the road as she followed Sasuke hesitantly through the trees, Hinata kept watched him carefully, not sure how she was supposed to approach the gloomy shinobi. He didn't seem to notice her − either she was very stealthy, which she somehow doubted, or he was just too deep in his thought to pay attention to his surroundings.

She let out a quiet sigh. What was she going to say to him anyway?

Hello, I'm Hyūga Hinata, please tell me how to stop being a wimp!

She cringed a bit. It was so embarrassing... Her goal was so close, yet she didn't even know what to do with it now.

And then he suddenly stopped, almost making her squeak and hicсup in surprise as he looked directly at the spot where the girl was standing behind the big oak.

"Show yourself. I know you're there. There's no point in hiding now."

Busted! Oh, no...! There was no way out anymore.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly stepped out from behind the trees, walking obediently towards the Uchiha. There was no danger in his tone, but at the same time it was so... demanding. The idea of running away from him didn't even cross her mind as she heard his deep, soft voice.

Coming out of the shadows, she avoided looking into his eyes, waiting for his reaction. Would he even listen to someone like her? Did he even remember her name...?

"You...?" he said, looking a bit baffled. Alright... he recognized her, which meant that he did, in fact, remember her. But, now she was already unsure if that was good thing for her... "What are you doing here?"

Come on, you can't embarrass yourself any further. Talk, stupid... talk now!

But, no matter how much she tried, the girl couldn't force herself to open her mouth and utter a single word. She simply didn't know how to tell him... how to make him understand...!

The man frowned, although he didn't appear to be annoyed... yet.

"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–" She bit her lip again, feeling the bitter taste of her own blood, and hurried to shake her head, interrupting him, which made the man look confused and slightly irritated.

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 actually deserved worse.

"Then what the hell do you want? Talk already!" Clearly, he was rapidly losing his patience with her.

Well, who wouldn't...?

"I−Uchiha-san, I–" Come on, Hinata! You can make it! "I want to go with you. P-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 their sentiment to go for a walk. But, of course, the majority of people still rested in their 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 their world had ever witnessed had ended just two days ago, but nobody seemed to be neither rested enough yet, nor to be over the things that had happened to them on the battlefield. It was perfectly understandable, of course. The history of shinobi knew no cataclysm as destructive and devastating to have ocurred before, at least as far as they all were aware.

Which was why nobody, not even the deadliest criminals, dared to disturb the fragile peace everyone now craved so much.

That's probably also why the Sixth Hokage, Hatake Kakashi, was in his best mood in spite of the event he was currently participating in. It was quite bitter not only for him alone, but for everyone in Team Seven... But, that was it. Only the four of them. Nobody aside from their bunch felt upset, naturally. Not that Kakashi seemed to mind it, though. If anything, it was probably a relief to people of his village since most of them still felt uneasy with him being around.

"Well, I'll be honest with you. Under normal circumstances you'd be imprisoned for life. The only reason why 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 words 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 remained calm and blank as he uttered:

"Yeah... sorry." Despite his expression remaining as emotionless as ever, Kakashi's former student was sure the gray haired man could feel that he was being sincere.

"...you're leaving already? Tsunade-sama's just about to complete your artificial arm with the First Hokage's cells," muttered the pink haired girl − Sakura, another teammate of theirs, lowering her jade eyes sheepishly. She had already learned the hard way that nothing could stop the Uchiha once he had decided to do something, which was obviously the case right now. But, the girl still didn't, just 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. Her dream had finally come true...

And now he was going to leave them. Again.

What a nuisance...

"I... need to see it for myself. How the world looks." He realized that it was probably one awkward reason to her, but apparently she wasn't going to argue with the boy, to his relief. Besides, she had tried that a few times before, so he reckoned that she had to know that it never led to anything good.

Yet still he, for once, decided 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. I need to check them out."

So that was it. For the first time in her life Sakura looked like she finally understood him. Still, it certainly 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 meet his abidingly impassive gaze.

The Uchiha closed his eyes.

"It's my road to redemption. You have nothing to do with my sins."

Sakura sighed sorrowfully, lowering her head and shoulders in defeat.

"Nothing to do, you say...," she muttered, closing her eyes too in a futile attempt to suppress the incoming tears.

She then flinched and looked up as she feelt the light tap of his fingertips on her forehead.

He smiled softly, looking at her with... compassion?

"I'll see you soon...," she was unable to look away, hypnotized by his eyes which were, for once, soft and gentle, "…thank you."

Her cheeks reddened as she lowered her head and smiled shyly. He knew that Sakura wanted to say something in return, but he had already turned away from them, and walked out of the gates of Konoha. Yes, he was leaving them once again. But, this time he would definitely return one day, wouldn't he...? At least that was certainly his intention. Hence there was no reason for any of them to worry so much.

That was also the sole thought that saved Sakura from sobbing as she glanced at his back one last time. Somehow she was feeling like she had a déjà vu. Even though she knew that things were different now, she couldn't help the pain coming from the memories of him leaving the village in a very similar way almost five years ago.

And yet, just like Konoha itself, the Uchiha had changed quite a lot throughout these years.

After walking down the wide road for a few minutes, occupied with many various thoughts as he still needed to reconsider a lot of things in his life, he suddenly stopped, turning his head to the left.

"Huh... I didn't think you'd come."

Leaning on a tree, Naruto peered 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 had tried it last night during their brief speech on the roof of the Hokage residence.

"Here... I'm returning this," the blond finally said, handing him something small and shiny.

Sasuke took his old, scratched forehead protector, carefully hiding it in the pocket of his pants the next moment.

"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 happily, 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 their souls at ease, knowing that they would inevitably cross again, sooner or later...

Still deep in his thought Sasuke turned to the track that led to the the east. He already knew where exactly he was heading to, 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 a little, briefly checking the dark between the trees with his eyes. 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 to anything around him. There was nobody he could possibly consider even a slight threat to himself in this world anyway.

However, he didn't like being stalked.

After walking another hundred yards ahead and feeling the increasing annoyance, he focused on the sounds nearby, only to hear another twig breaking under someone's feet.

He stopped then, frowning. Who on earth could be stupid enough to follow him anyway? Someone from Konoha? He wasn't too far away from the village yet; in fact, he could still see the upper parts of the huge wall that surrounded the settlement. But, he had 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's no point in hiding now," said the ninja calmly as he eyed the trees carelessly, not even bothering to activate his Sharingan.

A few seconds passed before he noticed the slow, cautious motion in the darkness of the forest.

His eyes then widened slightly in surprise. He had expected to see anyone, literally anyone but the person who stepped out of shadows slowly with a very nervous, yet somewhat determined face.

"You...?" was all he was able to mutter, not understanding what the hell was this girl thinking, having followed him like that.

The weird, white eyed kunoichi with long, silky hair that reached her waist, dressed in dirty and rumpled baggy clothes... She didn't respond to his question. She just stood there, pale and shaking, peering at the ground and looking as if someone was going to attack her any moment now. Apparently she feared him very 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 had never shared a word throughout his entire life approach him like this... It was clear that she wanted something and that it was incredibly important to her. Someone like her would never have come to face him in the first place without a very good reason to it.

But, what on earth could she possibly want from him, of all people...?

Quickly 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. Not that such reaction was any surprising to the shinobi – many people out there dreaded him, especially in Konoha. He didn't really mind it, though; in fact, he preferred them to be this way and to stay away from him instead of swirling around, molesting and annoying.

Yet this one was just beyond ridiculous. She had followed him all the way from the gates of the village... and for what? What could this silly girl possibly hope to get from him? It was almost curious.

Eyeing the strange thing up and down skeptically, he finally remembered her from their childhood. She was that weird stalker, his former classmate in the academy and Naruto's only fan girl back then. This Hyūga was also the only kunoichi of his age that had, in fact, never annoyed him. Probably because she had never actually payed attention to him, which was exactly what he wanted from all the females after all those years of being chased and stalked by them.

Her identity explained a lot, but it left as many unanswered questions.

"What are you doing here?" asked the teen, looking at her with slight despise. Even though she had never disturbed him directly, he still hated fan girls, whether the object of their admiration was him or not. Of course, after the fateful duel with Naruto and everything that had happened recently, his paradigm had shifted quite significantly. But, some of his views and beliefs just couldn't be changed no matter what.

The Hyūga pursed her lips nervously, eyeing him cautiously with apparent uncertainty and hesitation in the white eyes, as though she wasn't sure if she wanted to say something or to just run away. 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, clearly preparing 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 quickly shook her head. Confused, he frowned even more. He was beginning to lose his patience with this stupid creature. He hadn't even heard her voice yet, but she had already managed to get on his nerves. "Then what the hell do you want? Talk already!" said the ninja impatiently.

"I−Uchiha-san, I..." she finally started murmuring something, to his relief. At long last, damn it. Her squeaky voice was still annoying, though.

"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 the girl in her nightmares unknown to him − the same eyes which had caused the destruction of her village a year ago, which almost had taken her own life numerous times and which had taken her brother's life.

But, even had he known all this, the Uchiha couldn't care less about her feelings, of course. His expression remained blank, yet he was stunned by her ludicrous request. To take her with him? Really? He barely managed not to laugh. Was the girl completely out of her mind?

The Uchiha then eyed her carefully. This had to be some prank, probably set up by Naruto, there was no other explanation. Only that idiot could have come up with something this stupid.

And yet she looked dead serious, and somehow he doubted that she was a good actress. It was obvious that it took the girl all of her willpower not to look away from him. There had to be something he had missed; otherwise he was most likely simply hallucinating. Yes, that had to be it. It wasn't her who had lost her mind – it was him.

Brilliant.

"Why?" he asked bluntly and simply, not willing to confuse himself anymore by reflecting on the matter any further.

Apparently she had expected this question, because the answer followed almost immediately:

"I−I c-can't stay in−in the v-village−anymore," was all she mumbled, finally giving up the drops of the courage she had managed to gather and then lowering her eyes shamefully again, unable to stand his piercing gaze any longer.

"Oh...?" he drawled thoughtfully, surprised and confused by her answer at the same time. So she was going to become a nukenin, just like he had in the past? Was that what she presumed he was going to do now... again? And what on earth could have made this spineless girl who had been adoring his idiot of a friend since their childhood, not really famous for anything else as far as he knew, want to leave Konoha? Were the pillows in her estate not soft enough or something...?

He suddenly felt the strong desire to outrage her right away, gritting his teeth in anger.

Who the hell was this little shit thinking she was? And 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...

Then the sudden realization struck him out of the blue.

Something was really off with her. One doesn't simply leave everything like this without a very serious reason. Especially if their life is as perfect as hers seemed to be. Sasuke wasn't stupid; he had actually learned his lessons from the mistakes of his past. From misjudging people, starting with Itachi and finishing with himself... no, not himself.

With the girl that was standing before him right now.

He wouldn't make the same mistake ever again. He was better and smarter than that.

"What happened?" he finally asked patiently after thinking for a while. She winced again, hugging herself as if it were too cold around them, which it really wasn't.

"It d-doesn't matter at all, Uchiha-san...," − did she just sniffle? − "...p-please, just let me f-follow you. I will be−will try to be of use."

He noticed that her white eyes (which he had always found rather creepy and weird, much like her entire clan) were quickly filling with tears.

He hated it when girls were crying. No matter who they were.

"Yes, it does matter. I don't need nor want you around. If you want to follow me, you better give me some good reason to allow you to."

She sighed, and so did he a moment later. 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.

But, there was no better choice anyway.

The Uchiha took his final step to her and, before Hinata was able to react, he grabbed her wrist and clenched it tightly.

Ningendō!

The last thing she could see before the memories of the last few days flooded her mind against her will was the glint of the dreadful purple eye.

His Rinnegan.

A/N

Dōjutsu − literally meaning: Eye Techniques, ninja abilities that utilise the eyes, a by-product of specific kekkei genkai or kekkei mōra. The word refers to both the eyes themselves, which have a number of passive abilities, and any jutsu dependent on the eyes to be performed; the former requires little to no chakra to be used, while the latter varies depending on the technique;

Kekkei Genkai − literally meaning: Bloodline Limit, abilities passed down genetically within specific clans;

Kekkei Mōra − literally meaning: Bloodline Encompassing, an advanced branch of jutsu unique to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and her direct bloodline. All of Kaguya's techniques were classified as kekkei mōra; beyond these examples, what exactly classifies a kekkei mōra is unknown. What can be determined, however, is that it does not strictly follow the same guidelines as a kekkei genkai or kekkei tōta, for instance: only Kaguya's Byakugan and Hagoromo's Rinnegan are classified as a kekkei mōra, while all others are kekkei genkai;

Kekkei Tōta − literally meaning: Bloodline Selection, an advanced branch of jutsu that is more advanced than the jutsu class of kekkei genkai. The only known example is Dust Release, a combination of three different nature transformations — earth, wind, and fire;

Shinobi − a male ninja;

Kunoichi − a female ninja;

Ningendō − literally meaning: The Human Path, grants a Rinnegan user the ability to read the mind of any target by placing his hand on the target's body. Optionally, it allows a Rinnegan user to yank the soul of his target out of their body as soon as the physical contact was made, thus instantly killing them.