Branded

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and ocs. Enjoy, and please tell me what you think.

Chapter 1

" You are nothing but a disgrace to the Clan. You are not fit to hold the title of Heiress. You will never be fit to be the Head of our clan," she listened with her head bowed as the Clan elders spoke, the Senior Elder's wispy voice held disdain. She ignored the sting of the tears that begged to be released. She was determined to keep the salty tears at bay, refused to show the Elders how truly weak she was.

" Hiashi, we demand that you revoke the title from your eldest daughter. She is not fit to hold it. She is a weak shinobi, an even weaker Hyuuga," her lavender gaze was trained intently on her feet, refusing to look up, refusing to argue that they were wrong, that she wasn't a weak Ninja. Yet she couldn't. That would be showing these men disrespect, and that would only strengthen their arguments.

She sat upright in her small bed, the memories fresh in her mind from the dreams that constantly haunted her. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes as she fought them, refused to allow them to fall. A cold sweat covered her skin, her heart beat erratically against her ribcage. She slowly drew her legs to her chest, wrapping her slender arms around her knees as she rested her forehead against her knee caps. She inhaled a deep breath in an attempt to calm her racing heart, to control her panting breath. Silently she counted to ten, practicing the exercise her Sensei taught her. The full moon illuminated her pristine bedroom, her lacy curtains blowing in the gentle night breeze that entered through her open window.

She wasn't the same girl as when she was disowned. She wasn't weak, she wasn't shy. She had changed, she was stronger, yet her Clan refused to acknowledge it. She shook the thoughts from her mind, pushing her sheets from her body and swung her legs over the edge of her bed. Her bedroom was large, her apartment was large. She didn't live a life of comfort, yet she was able to buy an apartment closer to the Hokage Tower, to the Hospital where she spent most of her free time. Once she was disowned she had went to see the Lady Hokage, requesting to be trained by her as well, along side Haruno Sakura. She was a capable Kunoichi now, one of the best medics the village had. Yet she would always be a disgrace. She exhaled a sigh, pushing herself to her feet, shivering once her bare feet touched the cold hard wood floor.

Silently she padded across the quiet room, pulling her bedroom door open. Her apartment was dark, yet she could see perfectly. She lightly ran her long, delicate fingers through her indigo colored strands, her fingers snagging on the tangles her hip length hair created. She groaned in annoyance, tugging her hand free.

" Hinata," A voice spoke, causing the young woman to activate her blood line limit, her hands glowing with concentrated chakra.

" Neji, can I help you?" the girl spoke, her voice soft as the chakra infused veins around her eyes slowly faded, her posture relaxing at the sight of her cousin.

" Lady Hokage has requested your presences at the hospital. She needs your help with a matter," her cousin answered, watching as she nodded her head, darting back into her bed room and sliding a pair of faded jeans up her legs, ignoring the button as she ran bare foot out of her apartment, her cousin leading her through the quiet streets of Konoha. They moved easily bounding from one roof top to another until they landed gracefully in front of the large double glass doors. Neji glanced to his left, finally noting his petite cousin's appearance. He understood the urgency with which she was needed, yet he hated that his sweet younger cousin was hardly dress.

Her hip length indigo colored strands were a tangled mess. She wore a snug plain white tank top that hugged her torso as if it were a second skin, revealing a patch of her ivory skin. The faded, well worn jeans barely stayed on her narrow hips, the button undone and the front of the legs shredded. Her feet were bare, yet she stood beside him, not uttering one complaint as the hospital doors slid open. He shook his head at her dedication, amazed at the young woman racing before him. He rushed to catch her, leading her to the private Hospital room the Hokage and her two apprentices were in.

" Do you know why Lady Tsunade needs me?" her quiet voice drifted to his ears, causing him to glance down at her smaller frame. He could only shake his head in answer, stopping once they reached the metal door.

Hinata inhaled a deep breath before she took a step forward, pulling the heavy door open . Sakura glanced up, her jade green eyes widening at the disheveled appearance of Hyuuga Hinata.

" Hinata, come over here. I need you to help me knit his chest back," Tsunade commanded, moving to the side to allow the young woman enough room. Nodding quickly Hinata took a step until she stood beside her Hokage, her sensei. She gasped in shock at the sight of their patient. She quickly shook it away, her blood line limit activating as her hands began to glow a soft emerald color from the medical jutsu that was needed. Laying prone on the hospital bed was none other than the notorious Uchiha Sasuke. His chest possessed a deep hole from a powerful jutsu, obviously performed by his old teammate and self proclaimed best friend, Uzumaki Naruto. She watched as she internally healed his ribs while her Hokage focused on his mind, praying she could heal it.

Hinata inhaled a deep breath, ignoring the sweat that was beading in her hair line, ignoring the tired exhaustion she was feeling. She glanced up at the painful cry Sakura released, her jade colored eyes closing from obvious exhaustion. Tsunadae glanced up from her work, growling in annoyance.

" Sakura, go rest for a while. Get something to eat, anything. I can't have you dying while trying to save this bastard," Tsunade bit out, frustrated. Sakura feebly nodded, leaving the room while Shizune, Hinata, and the Hokage continued to work in silence. Hinata opened her eyes once again, watching as the muscle began to knit itself back together with the help of her chakra. She only had one more layer to go before she could move onto his other injuries.

" Hinata, how are you holding up?" she glanced to the side, seeing only the chakra network of her lady Hokage.

" I'm fine, Lady Hokage. I'm almost finshed," she answered, finally deactivating her blood line limit once the muscle was healed, watching the skin. Sakura entered the room once again, looking refreshed as she found another wound to work on. Hinata exhaled a breath as she stumbled away from the Uchiha's body, pressing her hands onto the tops of her knees as she waited to regain her breath. She was a master when it came to chakra control, she excelled when she needed to perform continuous jutsus. Yet healing a wound of that magnitude would exhaust anyone, and Hinata was not Tsunade. She wasn't as gifted a medic as Sakura. Yet the last surviving Uchiha was breathing, he was stable because of her control. Tsunade acknowledged as much, nodding her head towards the door.

" Once I finish with his mind we're done. Sakura, Shizune, go rest. Hinata, you may go get something to eat. However, I wish to have a word with you, don't leave the Hospital," Tsunade commanded, watching the three women offer curt nods as they left her in the room alone. She exhaled a breath before she concentrated all of her energy on the last Uchiha's mind. This part was tricky, knowing when to stop and when she needed to help just a little bit more. Her mind remained clear, calm as she focused, listening intently to the Uchiha's ragged breaths. Finally, finally his breathing evened out, became calm. She dropped her hands to her sides, moving away from the bed until she could glance on the figure she and her students had helped. His chest as scarred, as she knew it would. Naruto couldn't control his chakra and had applied to much. The Uchiha was the same, yet Naruto's wounds had healed much quicker, namely because of who he housed.

She left the private room, entering the deserted hall way of the hospital. She knew it was cruel to keep Hinata out of bed at this late, or rather early, of an hour. However she couldn't trust another with this job. She noted that the young woman was leaning back against the opposite wall, her eyes shut as she waited for her Hokage.

" Hinata," Tsunade spoke quietly, watching as the girl's eyes snapped open, alert in an instant.

" Lady Hokage, what is it you wished to discuss?" the once timid Hyuuga questioned, watching as her Hokage shut the heavy metal door quietly, standing before it. She was gathering her thoughts as she watched the woman no older than nineteen standing a yard away from her. Hinata had grown, not just as a shinobi but as a lady as well. She no longer were baggy clothes that hid her well defined body. She had grown her indigo locks from the boyish bob she had kept them in as a child.

" I want you to stand guard over Uchiha Sasuke," she answered, waiting for the girl to refuse. Instead she watched as pale lavender eyes widen, obviously thinking.

" Why me? Wouldn't Sakura or Kakashi-sensei be more suited. He would wake up to a familiar face," Hinata spoke in her quiet tone, her delicate eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

" As much as I adore Sakura and Kakashi, Uchiha seeing them might cause a negative reaction, which I am hoping to avoid. You always present a calm, this is why you're a favorite in the pediatric ward, Hinata. Seeing you might be a breathe of fresh air, so to speak," the Hokage explained her reasoning, watching as the Hyuuga narrowed her eyes in concentration, before exhaling a sigh.

" I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" she questioned, watching as her sensei shook her head in answer. Her shoulders sagged as she pushed away from the wall, nodding her head.

" Think of this as a mission, you'll be his body guard. No one besides Sakura, Shizune, Naruto, you, and myself know the Uchiha has returned. I would like to keep it that way. However, this village is very gossipy, it will only be a matter of time before they know their precious Prince has returned," she watched as the Hokage twisted her face in disgust at the word prince, knowing she held nothing but disdain. Slowly Hinata nodded, moving until her fingers wrapped around the metal handle of the door.

" He won't be able to move for a while, Hinata. However if he does get out of line or try to attack you, you may block his chakra points," Tsunade answered, watching the former Hyuuga Heiress nod her head once before she pushed the metal door open.

Pain. That was all he could feel as he woke. He groaned, his hands searching for the source of the pain, yet he couldn't find any open wound, nor could he smell any blood. Infact all he could smell was the sterile scent that usually accompanied Hospitals. His stormy grey eyes opened after that thought, glaring at the pristine white ceiling. The methodic beeping of machines finally reached his ears, an annoying buzz he wouldn't be relieved of. Slowly he pushed himself into a sitting position, glancing around the rather large hospital room.

" I wouldn't move to much. We were only able to heal your major wounds. However you could still open a few we were forced to stitch," a quiet voice commented, drawing his attention to the shadows of the room. He finally saw who he was looking for, his obvious guard. She was a small woman, standing at five feet six inches.

She wore a plain white tank top that clung to her well endowed chest as if it were a second skin. Faded jeans rode dangerously low on her narrow hips, the legs were shredded. She was bare foot, the button of her jeans undone. Her long indigo colored hair was a tousled mess, and he noted the wide patch of ivory skin she revealed. It was her eyes that caught his attention the most. He couldn't see any noticeable pupils and the color themselves were unique. She possessed a pale lavender shade, something he hasn't seen before.

" Where am I?" his voice was rough, a growl. He watched as she shrugged away from wall she had been resting against, her long, slender fingers wrapping around the handle of a water pitcher.

" Konoha," she answered, pouring him a glass of water before holding it to his lips, aware that he would most likely be to weak to do so himself.

" How did I get here?" he growled the question after he sipped the water she offered him, refusing to show any type of gratitude towards a Konoha Shinobi.

" Uzumaki Naruto," she replied as a way of answering his question, offering him more water. He turned his head to the side, his storm colored eyes narrowing into a glare.

" You mean he won? He finally dragged me back to this god forsaken village by my hair?" she listened as he spat the words. She remained quiet, knowing he would react this way once he had awakened. However she was expecting him to wake for at least a week. Yet here he sat, awake, merely after a few hours of being treated.

" Am I going to be arrested for treason?" he hissed the question, venom dripping from his words. He glanced towards the woman standing to his left as she turned her back to him, drawing his curtains open.

" That is for Lady Hokage to decide. I wouldn't know if that is her intentions for you or not," Hinata finally answered, offering him a lazy shrug.

" You're useless," he bit out, snapping his head in the other direction. He didn't notice how her shoulders had visibly tensed at his words, didn't notice how her small hands fisted in the fine fabric of his curtains. He was ignorant to everything around him except his own hatred, his own bitter anger he felt towards this village. She inhaled a deep breath, releasing the curtains from her grip and turning to face the Uchiha once again.

" You should let me change your bandages," she commented, watching as he refused to look at her. She acknowledged that as silent consent, moving about the large hospital room as she gathered her supplies. He allowed his eyes to shut, falling back against the mound of pillows and ignoring the quiet woman as she treated his wounds.

He noticed how she was strictly professional whenever she touched him. Her touch was cool, her hands didn't linger. Their was something odd about this girl, something he wished to know. He didn't notice the metal Hospital door opening, his gaze trained on the young woman as she worked.

" Good, I see you're awake Uchiha," the Hokage's husky voice commented as she watched his head turn towards her. His smoke colored eyes narrowed to slits, the venom apparent in his glare. She exhaled a sigh, knowing this was going to be more trouble than she truly thought it was worth. However the council was adamant about having the Uchiha reinstated as a Konoha Shinobi.

" Why keep me in the Hospital? Why not just throw me in jail?" he questioned, his tone flat. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, she really needed glass of saki.

" Because you aren't going to jail, however that will remain an option for you. I came here to make an offer with you," she began, watching as Hinata worked on changing his bandages. She smiled softly at the former Heiress, knowing her life wasn't as easy as everyone in the village believe. She had hear the shit the Hyuugas had spread about their former Heiress, claiming she wished to be removed from the position. She despised those old bastards with every ounce of her being. Slowly she shook the feelings off, returning her cool golden gaze onto the traitor.

" What kind of offer?" he questioned, cautious of what she had to say.

" It's very simple. You're branded as a traitor. If you refuse this offer you will most likely have your Sharigan sealed and enjoy the rest of your life in a jail cell. However, if you agree to this offer, you will be monitored constantly until you can prove yourself and your commitment to this village," she watched him closely, knowing the Uchiha wasn't a fool. He would weigh his options carefully, he would decide what he thought would be the best course for him.

" What are you offering me?" he questioned, his tone was flat, yet his eyes were guarded. She knew he was being cautious, knew he truly wanted nothing to do with this Village. However, the Fates were plotting against him.

" You will become a Konoha Shinobi. I will reinstate you, you will lose the title of traitor and you will be assigned to a four man unit. One of your teammates will be with you at all times, day and night. If you refuse, I will personally escort to the Konoha prison," she spoke, her tone daring him to argue with her. Sasuke's eyes narrowed to slits, turning his head away from the powerful woman. His gaze landed on the quiet Kunoichi who was acting as his guard. She had finished bandaging him, and had returned to the shadows, silently praying they would ignore her.

" Fine," he answered finally, turning his head back towards his Hokage, his face an impassive mask.

" Fine? Fine as in I will become a Shinobi? Or fine as in, fine take me to the prison?" Tsunade knew she was pushing her luck, however she wanted to hear the Uchiha verbally agree to the terms the council had set. She watched as his jaw clenched in frustrations before he growled the words to his answer.

" I will become a Shinobi of Konoha," Tsunade smirked at her obvious victory, pivoting on the ball of her feet before she forcefully pulled the metal door open once again.

" Hinata, do you mind staying just a little longer, until I have everything sorted?" her Hokage questioned. Hinata glanced up, her pale lavender gaze meeting her Sensei's. Quickly she shook her head in answer, watching as Tsunade offered her a small, delicate smile.

" I'll have Shizune bring both of you something to eat, you must still be exhausted for exerting so much chakra," Tsunade commented, allowing the door to shut behind her.

Hinata? That name sounded vaguely familiar, yet for some odd reason he couldn't place it. He turned his gaze towards the girl once again, attempting to place her. Finally he realized why her eyes looked so familiar as well as why her name sounded familiar.

" You're the Hyuuga Heiress. Why are you playing guard?" he snapped the question, watching as she glanced up, her pale clear eyes locking with his dark stormy ones.

" Their Ex-Heiress. I was removed from that title when I became a genin. That is why I am here," she answered, her voice guarded as she spoke.

" You were disowned?" he questioned, wondering how many of his questions she would willingly answer. Her only reply was a curt nod before she returned her gaze to her bare feet. He exhaled a breath, relaxing against his mound of pillows as he waited for the food the Hokage's assistant would be bringing.