A Dream of Future

Dream of Future

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

A re-write of Josie Litton's novel and taken to the Narutoverse.

Spoilers: Up to manga chapter 380. Obviously I tweaked a few things to fit my story. There are some parts/dialogues that I took directly from the manga. Let's see who'd recognize them… :o)

Rated: T (To be safe)

(It may change later to Rated M?)

Chapter 1

- Konoha, South Gate -

At their posts, the guards nod, negligent in their duties. Nothing stirs save for a stray cat hunting for its next meal. It crouches on the timber wall… waits… leaps…

Three men silently made their way over the wall, making sure to mask their chakra. Within minutes they reached their final destination – the most secluded part of the Hyuuga compound. In a private chamber at the top of the innermost tower, a young woman murmurs in her sleep, turning her petal-soft cheek against a scented pillow, restless as her dreams.

…the cat sits, delicately disassembling her prey. A whisper of wind troubles her fur. She looks up, frozen by the swift, silent shape that disturbs the quiet and the darkness. Suddenly the shape vanished. The cat returns to her meal. The young woman asleep in the high tower, cries out softly but does not wake.

The silent, dark shape, having easily scaled the tower, stood in the corner of the room to gaze at the sleeping form before him. Light and shadow played over the exquisite form. Uchiha Sasuke stood rooted on the spot fighting an inner battle within him for the self-control that had always been as natural as his next breath. No more.

She is close enough fro him to touch, a vision of pale beauty, caressed by starlight. He heard her sigh, saw the rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed deeply. It was more than any man could be expected to bear and he had no intention of doing so. Still, he was oddly loathed to disturb her peace. She would know little enough of that in the days – and nights – to come.

Finally, Sasuke bent and reached over to pick up Hinata, awakening her in the process. Hinata's eyes opened and widened in shock at the sight of a looming shadow over her. Sasuke immediately slammed over a merciless hand on her mouth upon seeing her eyes open. Hot piercing terror tore through Hinata. She struggled with desperate strength, but uselessly. In an instant, she was lifted high against a rock hard chest and felt herself being carried through her room, down the winding steps of the tower and out into the night.

The two other men with him had done their job with expected precision. The guards outside the tower lay unconscious, bound and gagged; so, too, the guards on the wall. They are now keeping vigil by the main entrance to the great house just in case any other arose, but there was slim likelihood of that. They were all snoring deeply, all due to the powerful genjutsu he'd cast on the entire compound.

That left Hinata, the Hyuuga heiress unprotected. It was not a coincidence that both Lord Hiashi, the current clan leader and the father of Hinata, and the Hyuuga prodigy, Neji, considered to be the strongest Hyuuga of his generation, are both out of Konoha, thereby leaving the compound vulnerable for infiltration. Sasuke made careful plans to ensure that nothing goes wrong with this mission. Keeping careful and close watch of these two men's habits and schedules, he timed his attack for when they are both absent from Konoha. It was easier and simpler that way.

Sasuke quickly whispers to her, "Be silent. If you scream, anyone who comes will die."

He looked down into her eyes to see if she understood. She did. He released her mouth so she could breathe more easily, but did not lessen his hold on her or slow his stride.

Hinata was dimly aware of the other two men moving alongside them. She caught a glimpse of the gates of the Hyuuga compound, and then of the tall south gates. Before she knew it, Konoha was behind her and there was only the night and the wind – and fear so great it threatened to swallow her.

Sasuke glanced down at the woman in his arms. Her pallor worried him, as did her silence. She hadn't fainted as he'd thought she might, but she was un-naturally still. Her eyes were very wide and he felt her heart beating like the wings of a frantic bird against his chest. Yet she had conquered her fear when he warned her it would mean death for others.

Uchiha Sasuke, the last surviving member of the once prestigious Uchiha clan of Konoha. He was only seven years old when his entire clan was massacred, leaving him the sole survivor of the attack.

This event in young Sasuke's life was a turning point for him. What once was a young and carefree boy, turned into a morose and quiet child.

An episode during the chuunin exam, when he was twelve year, Sasuke had an epiphany – HE is an avenger. His main purpose in life is to avenge the wrong done to his clan by killing the person responsible – his brother, Itachi.

He left Konoha shortly after the chuunin exam to train under the legendary Sennin – Orochimaru. He left everything he knew and cut all ties from Konoha and any bonds he'd somehow managed to create in order to get stronger and obtain the power necessary to defeat his brother.

Sasuke felt nothing but contempt for the power hungry sennin, but he stayed with him to learn and gain all the power all he could. He is fully aware of what Orochimaru wanted from him, but he was prepared to do anything and pay any price if it means the attainment of his goal.

Soon, there was nothing more Orochimaru could teach him. "Orochimaru, you are weaker than me. There is no need for me to give you my body anymore," said Sasuke to Orochimaru, while he had both his arms impaled in a sword made of his own chakra.

"You wanted to get closer to the Uchiha's power so badly, you immerse yourself in medicine and take over other bodies. Your actions… From me who bears this name, it looks ridiculous. …and all for selfish reasons. You make me sick!"

It was during this attack that Orochimaru attempted to take over Sasuke's body. It was then that Orochimaru found out that Sasuke had surpassed him in power and strength and was made clear to him that the power of the Sharingan is permanently out of his reach. Little did he know that that is the least of his worries, for it was then that Sasuke put an end to his miserable existence.

Before he turned seventeen, Sasuke had fulfilled his destiny. He is an avenger no more.

Sasuke knew that no matter how strong and powerful he had become, he required the help of others if only to ensure that nothing and no one interferes when he finally finds Itachi. So he formed a team whose members consisted of strong warriors with special abilities. For this, he chose a shinobi from the hidden village of the Mist, Suigetsu. His specialties are water element jutsu and a good sword fighter. A female shinobi named Karin – she had the special ability that could detect chakra, no matter how faint. The last member he chose was a giant of a man named Juugo. He was the originator of the curse seal that Orochimaru developed, of which Sasuke himself is a carrier. He called his team, Team Hebi.

With the help of Team Hebi, he was able to track the Akatsuki members, leading him to Itachi himself. Before his final confrontation with his brother, they had to battle with the other Akatsuki members. Unfortunately, Karin did not survive their battle with Itachi's partner, Hoshibaki Kisame.

Sasuke was able to finally defeat and kill Itachi at the Uchiha hideout. It was a battle between the two brothers that was a long time coming; and it was only fitting that the final battlefield was at a place previously used by other Uchiha warriors.

All that had happened almost seven years ago. It now feels like several lifetimes ago as far as Sasuke is concerned.

Having fulfilled his goal, Sasuke was at a loss. 'Now what, Sasuke? Now that you had accomplished what you set out to do, what are your plans?'

Sasuke felt empty, like he'd been cast adrift. He had no other plans. All that he'd been living for to this point had been to kill his brother. He didn't see anything else beyond that. Now that it's over, he just doesn't know…

He knew that there is no going back, though. Returning to Konoha is not an option for him. Konoha was his past and for him, that is where it'd stay. There is nothing there for him, but bad memories – of pain and sorrow. What he needed was a fresh start, a clean slate.

So, he decided to go back to the Sound. With the death of Orochimaru, the Sound village was left leaderless. Surprisingly, both Suigetsu and Juugo decided to follow him and stay with him. The two men became his trusted lieutenants and personal friends.

Sasuke spent the next few years cleaning up and re-building the Sound village. Those were turbulent years for the Sound. Due to Orochimaru's untrustworthiness and evil ways, the Sound did not have any allies and was actually in conflict with several other villages. If actual wars were not breaking, they were always in the brink of it. Sasuke tired of the constant fighting and came to crave for peace, especially with Konoha.

All this time, he thought that he had severed all ties to Konoha, and for all intents and purposes, he had. He never tried to re-establish contact with anyone he knew – not even with his former genin team, Team 7, consisted of Uzamaki Naruto – being groomed as the Rokudaime Hokage, Haruno Sakura – number one medic-nin of Konoha, and their former sensei, the famous Copy-Nin Hatake Kakashi.

But now, even though he knows that he cannot go back, he wants to make peace with his former village, his former home.

Sasuke knew that the head of the Hyuuga clan has a daughter of marriageable age. He vaguely remembers her as being in the academy the same time as him. He doesn't really know much about her except that she was a quiet and unassuming girl. After the chuunin exams he doesn't really know what happened to her then, as he never saw her again after that.

Since it has always been his goal to eventually revive his clan, what better way to cement an alliance than with a marriage? By proposing a marriage between the Uchiha clan, meaning him, and an old and strong clan in Konoha, such as the Hyuuga clan, to Sasuke, this is killing two birds with one stone.

So he sent a message to the Hokage and the Hyuuga leader and proposed an alliance between the Sound and Konoha and waited for the reply.

Hyuuga Hinata, known as the heiress to the proud Hyuuga clan, but that is all that is known of her. This is due mainly to the fact that she kept herself hidden away. She quit being a shinobi of Konoha, and no longer participates in any social functions outside of the Hyuuga compound. She has not been seen outside of the massive estate since her genin days.

Hinata only wants to lead a peaceful life, free of suffering and pain. She is a healer and that is all she wants to be. Her father knows that she will never take the mantle of clan leader and has accepted that fact. It is only a matter of him making the announcement and making Neji the next in line for the succession, as her sister Hanabi is also uninterested in the position, and had already declined it.

The change in Hinata occurred shortly after the chuunin exams. She remembers a memory of her young self screaming and screaming, unable to explain what was wrong. It happened many times… when a farm worker cut his foot on a scythe, when a kitchen maid was scalded with water, when a shinobi died of a wound that would not heal. That had been the worst, going on for days until finally her father had to have her drugged, holding her in his arms, through an endless day and night, and his face grim as he decided what had to be done.

It is said that all great healers are granted with the gift of affinity. They could feel the sufferings of others, but they have to be able to protect themselves lest they be destroyed by it. Hinata was given this "gift" in tenfold.

The Hyuuga compound, in the most secluded part of it, became her sanctuary. Safe within it, she learned how to control what was at once gift and curse. No one knows the struggle Hinata had waged. She'd won in the end, though at a great cost. Now she could care for the injured and ill, even for the dying, without making their pain her own. She still feels it, but she has managed to keep it apart from herself.

After traveling at a breakneck speed and putting enough distance between them and Konoha, Sasuke finally stopped before reaching Border Town, a small town in the border of Fire Country and Rain. They had to back track a few times and had to take the longer route in order to lose any possible pursuers.

"Alright, we'll stop and rest here for the night before continuing on to Oto," Sasuke said putting down Hinata on her feet.

"Don't move," he ordered and then released her. Sasuke turned and moved to prepare their tent for the night.

Hinata stood still for a several moments, unmoving but for the rapid rise and fall of her shallow breathing. The molten heat of terror had fled, replaced by paralyzing cold that owed only a little to the cool night air and her thin garment. She had never been so frightened in her life, or so angry. Gratefully, she concentrated on the anger.

'How dare they? How dare they? To penetrate the Hyuuga compound, take her from her very own chamber, and depart with contemptuous ease. What manner of men did such a thing?'

'No not men. Man,' Hinata did not doubt for a moment that the leader, the man who personally snatched her from her room, was responsible.