Note: Hello! Thank you so much for your interest. This is the first chapter of Rebuilding. It is a Sasuke/Hinata fic, but I do have a few things to say before you start:

1. There is some bad language. Sorry -_o

2. It might be a little slow to start off with. I'm trying to keep Sasuke in-character but he'll always be OOC in a SasuHina fic because they've never interacted in the manga/anime series.

3. To keep things manageable, I'm not incorporating a lot of Orochimaru or Sasuke's curse mark. It would get too complicated. So the fic will explain a little more on that later.

4. I'm about 80 episodes in to Shippuden so I'm aware that the things happening now might go against the fic. Just go along with it :D

5. I don't own Naruto.

The screech of the Chidori filled the air. It mixed with the electricity of the Ras-Shuriken. Sasuke felt blood on his hands as his surroundings exploded into black-ness.

"Sasuke."

His name echoed and he tried to find his footing. There was nothing to support his weight. There was no light. There was only darkness and the familiar voice saying his name over and over again. Sasuke struggled in desperation to find something-anything- to hold on to. The pain was unbearable.

"Sasuke."

He tried to figure out what was going on, but his mind was over loaded. What had happened? Where was he before the darkness? Thoughts in his head raced until he could put the puzzle pieces together… He was eye to eye with his brother. Sasuke was finally getting his revenge. He was finally doing what he set his whole life out to do.

"Sasuke."

Everything I worked for is gone. Every minute spent getting strong enough was a waste. Sasuke wished the pain would stop. It felt like he was being pulled limb by limb. Is this what it was to die? He couldn't tell if his eyes were open or closed; if he was falling or floating; if he was alive or dead. It was as if he was stuck somewhere in between heaven and hell with nothing to go off of. This was nothing that he had ever felt.

"Sasuke. Can you hear me?" The voice was getting closer. Suddenly he felt something soft below him. A bed. The pain went from sharp to dull. Sasuke was starting to get the feeling back in his body and he was suddenly aware of his eyelids. He attempted to open them to see who was calling his name.

"Well, he's a fighter all right. I'm surprised he's not dead." The voice was blunt. He felt a groan muster out of his throat and it burned. Everything burned- His skin, his bones and especially his eyes. Sasuke had been through his fair share of broken bones, lacerations and overall pain. This topped it.

"Sasuke-kun!" There was another voice. He was able to slowly open his left eyelid but the light was unbearable. It shot severe pain into his eyes and all the way down his spine.

"Sasuke, don't open your eyes!" The voice was harsh and it was a female's. If he was capable of frowning then he would have. His memories were starting to stitch back together and he put the voice to a face. It was none other than the fifth Hokage, Tsunade.

"You're alive and in the care of the top medical ninjas of Konoha." Her voice was monotone and for a moment he wondered if he was also in captivity. Sasuke wasn't exactly in good terms with Konoha. "You've been in a coma for the past 2 weeks."

"Sasuke-kun..." The second voice wavered and he felt something squeeze his hand gently. It was Sakura. The only thing he could do was swallow and try to say something. But what was there to say?

"Itachi?" He finally croaked. There was silence aside from the hum of the machines in the room.

"He's dead," Tsunade said flatly after a glace to Sakura. She crossed her arms and walked over to the window to shut the shades. Sasuke wasn't sure what to feel: Happy? Fulfilled? Satisfied? He felt like shit and he wasn't sure if it was because his body was on fire or because the realization of his brother's death finally sunk in.

"We'll talk more later on. Get some rest, Sasuke." Tsunade said, the sound of her heels filling the room. "And welcome back." He heard the door open and shut. The grip on his hand tightened.

"Sasuke-kun... I-" Sakura started to mumble as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Leave." Sasuke managed to say, his voice hoarse. He heard her gasp and could only picture the tears falling freely now. Sasuke scowled to himself. He didn't feel an ounce of pity or remorse for her. The door slid open and a man's voice followed.

"Sakura-san, we need you in room 213 stat."

"I'll be there." Her voice was full of poison with that statement. After all the years of searching for him, fighting for him, sticking up for him, and trying to help him... Sasuke would still push her away. He felt the warmth from his hand leave, and her footsteps disappeared behind the door. It didn't take long for him to fall back into a deep sleep.

Konoha was in ruins. Buildings had been completely leveled. The faces of the Hokage's on the mountain were unrecognizable. But there was hope as repairs had already begun.

"Shizune!" Tsunade's voice boomed in what was left of her office.

"Yes ma'am!" Shizune squeaked and stepped over a pile of papers.

"What's the update?" She said while she watched the people of Konoha from what used to be her window. The breeze blew back her blonde hair while honey eyes narrowed.

"Hai! Just under a third of the village has been damaged, if not completely destroyed." Shizune said as she shuffled through several papers. "Of course you're aware the hospital is in immediate repairs, as is many of the civilian districts."

"What have we lost completely?" Tsunade asked and closed her eyes.

"Well, the total losses around Konoha include the market streets, the

academy and the remainder of the Uchiha district."

"Ch..." Tsunade scowled under her breath and opened her eyes. The villagers were frantically working day and night to restore their homes, businesses and way of life. She was proud of Konoha. Not only were her ninja strong, but so were her townspeople.

"Tsunade-sama..." Shizune set down a pile of papers. "How is Naruto-kun?"

"He's not awake yet." The Fifth Hokage turned around and plopped down at her desk. Papers were finally beginning to get re-filed and things looked hopeful. Shizune looked down at her feet and sighed.

"He's stable," Tsunade continued before folding her hands. "Now it's just a waiting game." She leaned back in her chair and furrowed her brows. The Uchiha district was the least of her concerns, but knowing that Sasuke was back in Konoha made her worry. It was worth at least picking through and seeing what was left. The Academy was further down on the list to get repaired, unfortunately. The hospital and people's homes were top priority.

"Shizune, I know it might be too soon, but I need you to call Team Kurenai to my office immediately."

The sun was warm but it was also a nuisance as it shined through the windows. Hinata shielded her eyes as she carried old scrolls and important documents into a storage room at the Hyuuga mansion. Her long dark blue hair tickled the backs of her arms as she set the box down in a corner. At the age of 17, Hinata had grown not just physically but mentally. She raised her arm up to wipe the sweat from her forehead. It had been an emotionally charged few weeks in Konoha. It would be a long time until things were normal again.

Her lavender eyes peeked out the window to watch the repairs on the mansion. It was true, they had gotten lucky and there was minimal damage to clan's district. But Hinata knew that other parts of Konoha were much worse; some even non-existent now. She gazed in the direction of the hospital. Naruto came to mind and she closed her eyes to keep from becoming emotional. Hinata felt so helpless. She couldn't help him then and she couldn't help him now no matter what she did.

"Oy, Hinata!" A voice echoed down the hallway, and she turned from the window. She walked out of the room to see Kiba and Shino looking rather urgent.

"A-Ahh. Kiba-kun...Shino-kun..." She offered them a small smile while she brushed dust from her shirt.

"The Hokage has summoned us." Shino said, his eyes hidden behind the shades. Tsunade-sama? What could she possibly want with Konoha in ruins?

"Mm. What the hell does she want us to do? Orochimaru is dead, Sasuke is back in Konoha, and Akatsuki is gone." Kiba said as he began to walk towards the entrance to the mansion. "I say case closed!" Hinata pulled on her shoes before she followed them outside with her jacket in hand.

"Akamaru! Get outta there!"

The dog trotted away from a hole in the yard of the mansion and whined slightly when Kiba flicked his nose. Hinata smiled brightly and slipped on her jacket. Her team always knew how to cheer her up and she was grateful for it. Shino and Kiba felt like her brothers more than her team mates. Akamaru greeted her with his usual "woof" and she scratched behind his ears. Her thoughts began to run wild in her head as they walked through what was left of the streets. What DID Tsunade-sama want? She hoped they didn't have a mission, because she wanted to stay as close to Naruto as she could.

Hinata visited Naruto every day and she helped Sakura replace his bandages from time to time. His condition was always the same: unresponsive but stable. Visions of Sasuke and Naruto colliding played in her mind. Their conditions were similar. Combining the Chidori and the Ras-Shuriken (which Naruto was forbidden to use anyway) ended up causing an explosion big enough to take out almost a whole street of shops. Hinata's eyes moved toward Kiba as he walked alongside Akamaru.

"How is your arm, Kiba-kun?" She asked and her eyes fixed on his right arm in a sling. He looked back at her with a grin.

"Still a bit painful, but…" His voice trailed off. "Sakura says it should be okay to start training in another week or so which can't come soon enough! Right, Akamaru!?"

Hinata remembered it clearly when Itachi invaded Konoha his eyes set on nabbing Naruto and the nine-tailed fox spirit inside him. That fight ultimately led to the destruction around the village…and Itachi's own death. It was a strange thing—Itachi was after Naruto, Sasuke was after Itachi and Naruto was after Sasuke. That led to a confusing match while the ninja of Konoha tried to contain it the best they could. Many were injured, some were killed, and a few were still missing in action. Hinata knew that being a ninja was dangerous and she knew that people were going to die. However it never really hit her until the third Hokage's funeral. She started to accept it at Asuma-sensei's funeral. And now Hinata lived it as a Chuunin. She was just thankful her team survived.

They arrived at the door to the Hokage's office and Hinata scurried out of the way of a repairman. Things really were progressing around the village and she silently hoped that it didn't mean it was time for missions. Shino knocked on it gently.

"Enter!" The door was stuck due to the structural damage so Shino had to use force to get into the office. Tsunade exhaled when they piled in.

"Just one more thing for them to fix around here," She said, leaning forward with her hands folded. "Team Kurenai!" They stood at attention and awaited their orders.

"Hai!" They said in unison.

"As you know, the village is being repaired. There are no current missions in the books for the next few weeks so this really isn't an official mission. It's more as a personal request." Tsunade observed the ninja before her. Hyuuga Hinata stood confidently, but her eyes were placed on the hospital in the distance. Inuzuka Kiba had scratches that were in the process of healing and his arm was placed in a sling. Aburame Shino was expressionless. Tsunade frowned and continued.

"Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino… You have been summoned due to your scouting skills. Each one of you will go to different districts in Konoha that have been leveled and see what you can find: important documents, tools or anything that is of use."

Hinata's stomach did a flop in relief knowing that they would be staying within Konoha. Now she would still be able to help tend to Naruto and hopefully he would awaken soon. However, she wasn't sure why the Hokage wanted them to dig through rubble. Her thoughts were interrupted as more instructions were given.

"Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino, you are assigned to the academy. Be on the lookout for important files, documents and anything that would need saving before we have repair crews begin to discard concrete." Tsunade glanced at the two boys before her. "Work together as Kiba's injury will require more teamwork than usual."

"Yes ma'am." They said together. Tsunade's eyes fixed on Hinata.

"Hyuuga Hinata. You are to go to the Uchiha district and make sure that no important artifacts were left behind. Whatever you find, report to me immediately."

"Y-Yes ma'am," Hinata said confused. The Uchiha district? Why? Were they going to be rebuilt, too?

"You're dismissed." Tsunade said without revealing anything more.

Final note: Thanks for reading! I already have Chapter Two finished, and am starting on Chapter Three.