Chapter Text
Sasuke sighed as he walked away from the Hokage Tower. He knew he needed to repent for what he had done, to redeem himself. He wanted to. He was content with doing it for the rest of his life. He’d spent five years deep in the Konoha prison cells, had his chakra sealed and was on house arrest for the next two. He was anything but free, but at least that part he had at least gotten through with. He wanted on the mission roster, but Kakashi didn’t think the council would agree to that for another couple of years. So, he was to wait.
But in the meantime, he wasn’t sure he was completely on board with the council’s next suggestion – it was anything but. He understood their thought process, but it didn’t mean it was still a sensible thing to ask someone to do. He wanted to argue that having a wife and family didn’t stop his father from planning to overthrow the Hokage, but didn’t think it would help his case given the affiliation. Probably not the best idea to remind them of his own past sins and planned assassinations.
Well, they had just said to find a wife. He could worry about further suggestions after that.
***
He didn’t know how she found out and he wouldn’t until years later. He knew her of course. Sasuke had never been a very sociable person and though he craved more social interaction, after all he had been through, he didn’t know how. He tried and let Naruto or Sakura drag him out to hang out with their friends. They were all people he’d known since his genin days and none of them seemed to resent him. He was content even though he rarely saw anyone beside Naruto and Sakura outside of their get togethers.
Hinata was one of those people. She was soft spoken, usually only engaging in conversation when spoken to – not that it mattered, everyone included her as much as they did Sasuke. He’d talked to her a handful of times, the only other person to be as quiet as him during get togethers – well, Shino was even more so. He considered her a friend, he supposed, as much as the rest of the rookie nine.
But it still surprised him to see her standing on his doorstep.
“Hinata?” He looked at her confused after opening the door. She was out of uniform and in a lilac dress that brushed her ankles.
She gave him a nervous smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Sorry to come so out of the blue, Sasuke. Are you busy?”
“No. Did you want to come inside?” Sasuke glanced behind him. He’d only gotten his house recently and it wasn’t very furnished, not really suitable for guest. Kakashi had offered for him to keep the house he’d stayed in while under house arrest, but he’d grown so sick of those walls, he’d rejected the offer immediately.
“I had something I wanted to talk to you about if you don’t mind.” She held up a small woven basket like an offering. “I made cookies?”
The corners of Sasuke’s mouth turned up slightly and he nodded, stepping aside so she could come in. She bowed her head towards him. “Thank you.”
Sasuke led her to the living room where a sole bedroll lay next to a low table. He gestured for her to sit down and went to the other side. He scratched the back of his head – a habit he’d picked up from Naruto – as he told her awkwardly, “I’m sorry the house isn’t very ready for guests since I recently moved in. I didn’t really… own anything.”
Hinata shook her head as she opened her basket and pulled out the cookies wrapped up neatly in a white cloth. “Don’t be. I understand. I apologize for intruding.”
“Not at all.” He glanced at the cookies placed in front of him – chocolate chip – and wondered if this was going to be the most painfully polite conversations he’d ever have. They way Hinata acted sometimes reminded him of the kind of life clan heirs are raised to lead – polite bows, gifts to a host, the way she folded her hands on his table.
She cleared her throat and Sasuke watched as she played with her fingers. She caught his eyes and moved them to her lap. “I have a… proposition for you, Sasuke.”
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, picking up a cookie. “A proposition?”
“Yes.” She met his eyes and Sasuke couldn’t think of a time she looked so serious. “What do you think about getting married?”
Sasuke’s hand fell from his lips, the cookie hovering awkwardly in the air. “Getting married?” He dumbly repeated her.
“Yes.” Hinata nodded and then added with a hint of nervousness in her voice, though her eyes were steely, “To me.”
Sasuke looked down at the cookie in his hand and finally took a bite of it, warm and delicious. She must’ve made them and instantly came over. He replayed what she’d said as he chewed. To me. He swallowed and looked back at her dubiously. Where was this coming from?
“Hinata, how did you know the council wants me to get married? Did someone… put you up to this? Your father – ” It was a possibility, though he had no idea what the head of a noble clan would be thinking to marry off his eldest daughter to the Uchiha Traitor.
Hinata cut him off, leaning forward. “No! No, he didn’t. No one – Sasuke, I am here of my own violation.”
Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at her. He just couldn’t wrap his head around how they got here. He highly doubted she harbored any romantic feelings towards him and even then, Hinata wasn’t the kind of person to jump so many steps if she did. “Hinata, why would you even want to marry me? What would you gain from that besides to be ostracized along with me?”
Hinata looked down at her hands in her lap. “I had thought… rather foolishly that after everything I might be able to reclaim my title and become the head of my clan when the time is right. But my father has made it very clear that it will not be happening and Hanabi will inherit his title. My only purpose now is to be married off to benefit the clan.”
“Hinata…” Sasuke looked at her sadly and uncrossed his arms. He leaned towards her and tried to make his voice sound kinder. “Marrying me won’t benefit your clan in the slightest. The Uchiha name has been dragged through the mud and covered with blood.”
Hinata picked up her head. “I know. But I don’t want to be married off.” She ran her fingers through her hair, making her bangs go every which way in her frustration. “I saw the list of men my father was considering. They’re all outside the Leaf, outside of my home. Sasuke, if you could just think about it. I was raised to be an heiress. I’ll be a good wife. I know how to run a clan and – “
“I don’t know if I want to rebuild my clan,” Sasuke interrupted her before this went too far. “It would be difficult with just one person anyway. You may be fit for all of that, Hinata, but I’m not.” Sasuke’s eyes fell to the crumbs on his table. “I have no desire to be a father. I don’t have the state of mind for that anyway.” He stood up from the table. “You should find someone else, Hinata.”
He started to walk towards the kitchen but then Hinata stood up and grabbed his wrist stopping him. “I’m fine with that. I don’t – I have had a lot of time to think about all of this, Sasuke. I am willing to be that if you want to me to, but I am also content with not running a clan or being a mother.”
He turned towards her with a raised eyebrow. Her cheeks had a dust of pink on them, but she continued on, “I would be good at it. I would probably be even able to find some enjoyment out of it. But I am proud to be a shinobi. I enjoy it despite what some people may assume. It would be difficult to do both with how much running a clan takes.”
Sasuke sighed, a part of him wondering why he was looking a gift horse in the mouth. “Why me, Hinata? I’m sure you have people you are closer to that would do this for you.”
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t ask them of that.”
“Then, why are you asking me?”
Hinata dropped her hand from his wrist. “Because you also have something to gain from this.”
Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek and looked away from her. He was quiet for a minute and then Hinata continued, some of the passion having left her voice. “I am asking this of you because it also helps you, Sasuke. You don’t by any means have to accept on my behalf if you have someone else in mind. But out of all those men, I’d rather be married to you. You are my friend and I think if I can’t have a marriage out of love, I would be the most comfortable with you. If you could… free me from the kind of fate that awaits me, I would forever be in your debt.”
Sasuke’s chest felt tight at hearing her sound so vulnerable and honest. He felt for her, for all of it. While everyone liked to awe at noble clans, they didn’t realize the ugliness to them. And here it was, in Hinata asking someone who was barely her friend to marry her, so she wasn’t sold off like cattle to a stranger in a foreign land.
He looked back to her to see her head bowed slightly. He sighed, silently admitting defeat. “I don’t even know how long I want to get married for, Hinata. I am willing to do a lot to repent, but the council asking me of this… is a little cruel even to me. To take away what little I have left for a life.”
She looked up and met his eyes with a soft smile. “I can understand that.”
And well she could, couldn’t she?
Before he could reply, Hinata turned and grabbed her basket making sure all the cookies were laid out on the table. She didn’t turn to him as she spoke, “Either way, my offer still stands, Sasuke. I would like to ask you to at least think about it before making a decision.”
“I will, Hinata.”
She glanced at him with a smile before walking towards the door. There was a soft, “Thank you, Sasuke,” before the resounding click filled his empty house.
***
It was another day of training with Naruto. It felt like most of his time was filled with training, but it had to be done if he ever hoped to be put on the mission roster or even advance to jounin. He’d spent so long without his chakra and locked up; he was more than a little rusty. Some things felt like riding a bike, while others he struggled to relearn.
“I know it frustrates you,” Naruto huffed in between kicks – today was taijutsu. “But I think you’re picking everything back up faster than you think.”
“If you say so,” Sasuke shrugged him off, aiming another hit. He didn’t think so but there was no telling Naruto that. He was a good sparing partner, but no where near an expert in taijutsu. Sasuke dreaded when he finally caved and accepted Gai and Lee’s offer to train. He didn’t know if he could handle that kind of energy even with having Naruto as a friend.
They spared for a couple more hours before breaking for lunch. Naruto had brought them bentos and Sasuke teased him about finally growing up. “Won’t Ichiraku go out of business if you start making better life choices?”
Naruto shoved him with a laugh. “Shut up, teme. I’ve been eating better these last few years and I still see the old man every now and again.”
“Yeah, I know.” Sasuke looked down at his bento, remembering the beginning of his house arrest and how Naruto would drop in with food when he was too depressed to cook.
Naruto must’ve sensed where his thoughts went – he had gotten rather good at that – and tried to distract him. “What was that ramen you liked from there? We haven’t gone in a while now that you mention it. Maybe we should stop by for dinner.”
“Sure,” Sasuke agreed easily, his thoughts wondering down another path. It had become a habit for his mind to drift to Hinata whenever it was free, much to his frustration. He still had a few things to do before he made his decision.
He glanced at Naruto happily stuffing rice in his face. He raised an eyebrow at Sasuke when he caught his eye and spoke with his mouth full – because some things don’t change, “What?”
Well, now was as good a time as any.
“Naruto, what do you think of Hinata?” Sasuke asked him bluntly.
Naruto looked at him confused and swallowed down his food. “Why?”
Sasuke looked away from him, picking at his food. He shrugged. “I vaguely remember her having a crush on you when we were younger. Did you ever date?”
“No.” He heard Naruto set his bento on the grass, the chopsticks clinking loudly in the quiet field. “She… confessed to me when we were teenagers, but nothing ever happened. I didn’t feel the same.”
“Think she ever got over you?” Sasuke had to ask. He knew how out of nowhere this all sounded but he wanted to know everything before diving in.
“Yeah, she did.”
Sasuke finally looked at him to see Naruto staring at him with that look he had whenever he was trying to figure Sasuke out. Sasuke ignored it and continued his questioning. “So, you didn’t ever have any feelings for her? And you still don’t?”
“No. Sasuke, what is this – “ Naruto’s eyes widened slightly and he leaned towards him. “Is this about what the council said? About getting married?”
Sasuke shrugged and stood up, handing his bento box to Naruto. “I have to go. I promised Sakura I’d go furniture shopping so she can visit the house without sitting on a bedroll.”
He started walking away, knowing full well Naruto was going to chase after him. But it was amusing to hear him clumsily stuff everything into his bag and jog after him. “Wait! Sasuke! Are you going to ask Hinata to marry you? Is that why you were asking those questions?”
Sasuke shrugged and answered simply, “Well, whatever happens, I wouldn’t want to marry someone my best friend had feelings for.”
Naruto bumped his shoulder with his and Sasuke glanced at him to see a wide grin. He rolled his eyes with a slight smile. He was such a puppy sometimes.
***
Sasuke didn’t remember ever visiting the Hyuuga compound but he figured he might’ve when he was a kid with his mother. Either way, it wasn’t difficult to find. He could feel his nerves grating at him but tried to ignore it as he crossed over the threshold. Sasuke didn’t get training as an heir when he was a child – that was always Itachi – but he knew how things worked from growing up in a noble house. He hoped he could play the part well enough.
A maid led him to a small meeting room and asked him to wait there. Sasuke sat down, recognizing the tactic of having him ramp up his anxiety while he waited for Hiashi. Sasuke thought it was a bit overkill since he was already at a huge disadvantage before even walking in here.
Hiashi arrived a few moments later with a smile Sasuke was ready to doubt. He made a move to stand up but Hiashi gestured for him remain seated. “No need, Uchiha-san. Please stay comfortable.”
Sasuke bowed his head. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Hyuuga-san.”
Hiashi sighed as he sat down across from him. “I must admit, I almost declined when I saw the name.”
“Understandable.” Sasuke had been surprised when his request for a meeting was accepted. He had been wondering what his next approach would be if he were rejected.
Another maid came in then and placed a tea set on the table, pouring them each a cup. Hiashi still had his easy smile as he gestured. “I assume tea is fine, Uchiha-san?”
“Of course.” Sasuke nodded to the woman and took a sip from his cup.
“Well then,” Hiashi started after taking his own drink, “Why don’t you tell me why you requested to see me?”
Sasuke set his cup on the table. “I would like to hear your thoughts on an alliance with the Uchiha.”
Hiashi chuckled and looked at him confused. “An alliance? I can tell you both clans at different points have reached out for an alliance but could never get past the signatures. Not that it even matters now – excuse my rudeness, Uchiha-san, but there is not a clan left outside of you.”
Sasuke had expected this reaction but was relieved he wasn’t outright scoffed at. “I am aware of that. But don’t you think it might be smoother this time around considering you just have to convince me alone?”
Hiashi did scoff then and raised an eyebrow. “Convince you? My clan name is not the one that has become so tainted and my compound rubble. I am curious what you think you have to offer?”
“Would you not like to hear what I would want in return first? Before the negotiations?” Sasuke asked him, hiding a smirk in his tea at Hiashi’s face. He must have not expected Sasuke to come in with such self-assurance.
Hiashi placed his cup on the table and leaned forward with his arms crossed. “And what is it that you are wanting from the Hyuuga, Uchiha-san?”
“A wife,” Sasuke answered him simply, watching him closely.
There was a flicker of surprise across his face, but Hiashi hid it well. He stared at Sasuke as he thought, Sasuke remaining calm under his gaze. Eventually, he spoke, “I might concede to that depending on how negations go. There are a few women – “
Sasuke cut him off, “I would like Hinata.”
Hiashi’s eyes widened, his surprise not as well hidden as earlier. Sasuke was impressed at the concealed indignance though. “Hinata? You, the Uchiha Traitor, think I would let you have my daughter as your wife? The heiress to the Hyuuga clan?”
“It is to my understanding that you have given all rights of heiress to your other daughter.”
Hiashi huffed, obviously surprised and annoyed that Sasuke knew that detail. “That is beside the point. Hinata is still my daughter and there is value to be found in who she marries. For her clan’s sake.”
“I am also aware of that.” Sasuke placed his cup on the table and met Hiashi’s eyes. “Despite what the Uchiha were and have come to be, we were still a noble clan. I do understand the politics of this and the importance of alliances through marriages.”
Hiashi seemed to calm slightly at that but it didn’t mean this was going to turn out well for Sasuke. He wasn’t a fool and knew to tread carefully.
“Then, you understand that there is not much to gain from your clan compared to another I might be considering?”
“I wouldn’t say that, Hyuuga-san.” Sasuke gave him a smile. “I do believe that I have things to offer that might put my name above the other suitors.”
“What may that be?” Sasuke had at least won his intrigue.
“I have no personal attachment to the Uchiha compound.”
“Those buildings were destroyed in the Pein attack.”
Sasuke nodded. “True, but that is still a lot of land if the Hyuuga ever wanted to expand.”
Hiashi simply took a drink from his tea and gestured for Sasuke to continue.
“There is also the Uchiha archives to consider.”
Sasuke watched in satisfaction as Hiashi paused in bringing his tea to his lips. “You’re bluffing. They would’ve been destroyed.”
“No. They were actually underground so they remain unharmed from the Pein attack.” Sasuke took a drink from his tea. “And as I am the last Uchiha, I am the only person alive to know where and how to access it.”
“And you are willing to forfeit some of the records in this negotiation?”
“No. I am willing to forfeit all of them.”
Hiashi stared at him in disbelief. “The Uchiha and Hyuuga have been after each other’s secrets for centuries and you… are going to just give yours away?”
Sasuke shrugged. “No one outside of the bloodline can activate the sharingan, which is the only thing I would worry about. As for the rest, I could care less about it.” Forgetting etiquette, Sasuke poured himself another cup of tea from the pot.
Hiashi didn’t seem to care, still eyeing him dubiously. Sasuke continued after taking a drink. “Also, do not forget this is a negotiation and I am not giving anything away here. This is still all dependent on my marriage to Hinata.”
“Is there anything else then?”
Sasuke nodded, meeting Hiashi’s curious eyes with determined ones. “There is also the fact that Hinata has already agreed to marry me.”
Hiashi laughed and his shoulders relaxed the slightest, surprising Sasuke. He leaned forward across the table and Sasuke could see the resemblance to Hinata. “Do you have any more surprises for me, Uchiha-san?”
“Not at the moment.”
Hiashi sighed and leaned back. “Well, then, I do believe you have left me with some things to think about.”
Recognizing the dismissal, Sasuke placed his cup near the teapot. “If I may ask one more thing?”
Hiashi waved a hand and Sasuke said, “While I know how noble clans work and why these negotiations exist, I am not foolish enough to think you don’t care for your daughter.” Hiashi’s face softened but he didn’t comment on Sasuke’s assumption. “I would also like to assure you, as her father and not just the head of a clan, that if these negotiations go the way I and Hinata would like, I will make sure your daughter is well taken care of and happy.”
Sasuke stood up from the table and bowed. “Thank you for your time today, Hyuuga-san.” When he was at the door, Hiashi cleared his throat.
Sasuke paused and looked back to him. Hiashi didn’t look at him and as he drank his tea, he said, “You have surprised me in many ways, Uchiha-san. I look forward to… further discussions with you.”
“Of course.” Sasuke slipped out of the room and a maid nearby walked him back to the entrance of the compound.
He wasn’t sure one way or the other, but Sasuke at least hoped he had changed one more person’s mind about who he was.
***
“So, I heard you put the bid out on Hinata,” Sakura told him nonchalantly as she pushed a bookcase to the corner.
Sasuke almost stumbled as he moved a couch to where he wanted it. “How do you even know that?”
Sakura chuckled and glanced at him. “You should’ve let me move the heavy stuff.”
“I’m fine,” he told her only a little out of breath. Sasuke would be thankful for the day he finally got back into the shape of a shinobi.
Sakura rolled her eyes but didn’t argue and grabbed the box of books Sasuke said went on the bookshelf. “Hanabi told me. She was eavesdropping when you went to ask for Hinata’s hand.”
Sasuke rolled his eyes back at her. “She shouldn’t go around spreading gossip. We haven’t even gone through negotiations. Also,” Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder and shook it before walking over to the armchairs, “probably not as romantic as all you women are trying to make it.”
Sakura simply hummed in response, unusually quiet. Sasuke looked over his shoulder at her after she hadn’t said anything for the past thirty minutes. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
“No, Sasuke.” She chuckled as she tried to organize the bookshelf in a way she liked. “Like I told you years ago, my crush on you has faded. I happily love you as one of my best friends.” She looked over at him and teased, “So you don’t have to worry about me crashing your wedding.”
Sasuke snorted. Like Sakura would do that even if she had romantic feelings for him. He had been debating telling her the truth but decided to only give away how much he had to Naruto. “The council wants me to get married.”
He heard a book hitting the floor and Sakura’s curse as papers went everywhere. Sasuke went over to kneel beside her and help pick everything up. She gently picked up the small photos. “I’m sorry, Sasuke.”
“No harm done.” He sighed as he slipped a handful into one of the sleeves of the album. He’d been surprised to find family albums in the Uchiha Archives but there they had sat. He had carefully carried them out and brought them home. It wasn’t like the Hyuugas would have any interest in pictures of his family. Sasuke hadn’t even had any idea that’s where they were kept, he’d thought they’d been in his family home somewhere.
After everything was put back, Sakura turned to him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Sasuke sighed and turned away from her, walking to another box filled with curtains he’d bought the other day ago. “I just did.”
“Don’t be a smartass.” Sakura closed the distance and grabbed his shoulder, turning him to face her. “Sasuke, I – “
“No, Sakura.” This was why he hadn’t wanted to tell her.
“But Sasuke – “
“Sakura, I wouldn’t ever ask you to do that for me.” Sasuke grabbed her shoulders and she looked at him ready for another retort. “You’ve done enough for me. You deserve a marriage filled with love with whoever that might be. As you said not even five minutes ago, that’s not us.”
Sakura still looked upset but was a bit calmer when she told him, “If you needed me to –“
“You would. I know,” Sasuke finished for her, offering a small smile. “But I wouldn’t ask for it and I don’t need it.”
Sasuke stepped back to work but Sakura hovered nearby. “If you won’t even ask me, then why did you ask Hinata? You two aren’t close. I had thought it had something to do with the clans until you told me about the council. Is it some other reason then?”
Sasuke paused before answering. “Something like that. I don’t want to… share anything that doesn’t concern only me.”
Sakura sighed but he saw her nod out of the corner of his eyes. “I understand.” She joined him in hanging up the curtains and dropped the subject.