white silk, blood eyes - Impractical_Dreamer (2024)

"The Core Disciples of the Mirror Eye Sect arrives!"

The head servant announces as the doors to the Hall of Supreme Tranquility open, and Sasuke is ushered in with his brother, Itachi, and his lǎoshī, Kakashi. The disciples ranking lower than them follow them next, and the rest of the Sect's attendants follow suit like a short procession.

The throne room of the of the Mirror Eye Sect is reputed to be one of the largest throne rooms in the Land of Fire. Huge red pillars flanked either side of the hall, which is at least ten bays wide and five bays deep. It is further covered in elaborate motifs of the Mirror Eye Sect and the crest of the Uchiha clan, which was the founder of the said sect. Red and black drapes decorate the hall, with a translucent piece of crimson cloth covering the raised platform of the seat of the sect Patriarch.

What was supposed to be the seat of the Sect Patriarch at least.

At the moment, it is occupied by Lord Fugaku Uchiha, the Leader of their Sect Elders and Sasuke's father.

Their clan Patriarch, Madara Uchiha, was a man of legend, said to have lived since the Warring States period of the Land of Fire. He has been cultivating in the Scarlet Fan Pagoda for as long as the sect stood, which made him at least three hundred years old now, if that was possible.

But Sasuke does not know if such was the truth; he has never seen the sect Patriarch for the twenty-three years of his life, although the Sect Elders always assured their disciples that their Patriarch was alive and well and cultivating throughout centuries.

As if someone could live that long anyway.

They stop one hundred paces before the raised platform, bending down to kowtow to the sect leader. "Your disciples kneel before the Sect Leader," the head servant announces, and everyone else repeats it.

"How did the expedition go?" Lord Fugaku asks as they eased from the formalities, his silhouette behind the drapes moving slightly.

"It was a success," Kakashi says, producing an item from his black robes and presenting it to the rest of the people in the Hall.

Kakashi is not part of the Uchiha Clan, but he was part of the Mirror Eye Sect and a dear friend of Lord Obito, another Sect Elder. They had shared a close and familiar friendship; so close indeed that Lord Obito had given Kakashi one of his sharingans, the Uchiha Clan's most revered Bloodline Limit. Everyone from the Clan agreed that it was not in vain, for Kakashi was as competent as he was loyal, and he has proven himself time and time again to be an asset to the Sect.

The item presented to the Hall was a small fruit the size of a fist, emitting an ominous red glow inside two protective coverings.

"Is this—" Lord Fugaku breathes raggedly at the sight of the item, dislodging from his seat to get a better sight of it. Red orbs glow through the fabric of the platform, and Sasuke instantly knew that his father was studying the presented fruit.

"The chakra fruit, yes," Kakashi confirms. "The informants were right; it had been hidden in the Land of Ancestors by a cult who seemed to be worshipping it. We have confirmed in scrolls and documents dating from the Dawn Age that was stored in the same cult. This is indeed the legendary chakra fruit. However, they have also cut down the god tree that bore it."

"You may also want to know the oddity of the cult, Fùqīn," Itachi pipes up beside Kakashi. "These were white-clad men who fought with blindfolds on. We clashed with them when we tried to obtain the chakra fruit, and they had the unusual ability to block tenketsu points accurately without the aid of sight. It has given a number of our disciples lasting crippling disabilities, and some of them had even died on the way back to our District."

"But we have already killed all of them," Sasuke assures. "We investigated them after they were slaughtered, and we have noted that there seems to be nothing wrong with their eyes physiologically. They may not have even been blind. Other than the gray discoloration around their black eyes and a seal on their forehead representing crossed lines, there seem to be nothing else that is out of place.

"Regardless of the fate of their cult, we have achieved what no other clan or sect has achieved," Lord Fugaku murmurs, dismissing the odd cult that they had faced. "Lord Madara will be pleased. With this fruit by our Clan, we will be able to achieve godhood without wasting years on cultivation. And with this, we may already be able to crush our rivals."

"That is true, Lord Fugaku," another core disciple, Shisui, tells him. "While the Will of Fire Sect of the Senju Clan is poised to be the ruling sect of the Land of Fire, they will not be able to stand in our way if we were to invade. Even if they take the Uzumaki Clan, Aburame Clan and Akimichi Clan under their Sect, they will be nothing against our god-like powers."

An excited murmur passes through the Hall, though the enthusiasm is cut short when the beating of the gongs was heard. "It is the Hour of the Pig," the head servant announces. The moon shines. The court withdraws. Peace to all."

"It seems to be the time to retire," Lord Fugaku tells them. "We will resume the discussion tomorrow morning at a more auspicious time, perhaps during the Hour of the Dragon. Kakashi and Itachi, hide the chakra fruit until our meeting tomorrow. To the core disciples, the Sect is indebted to your hard work. Take your well-earned rest."

After a long bow during which the Sect Leader left the Hall before them, everyone filed out of the Hall in another short procession. Once the entire formality was over, Sasuke stops to meet his approaching brother. "Will you be cultivating tonight, dìdì?" Itachi inquires.

"I think not," Sasuke says thoughtfully. "I wish to retire after our long journey."

"And spend a night with one of your consorts? Lady Sakura and Lady Ino seem to be eager for a night with you in their letters," Itachi teases and Sasuke glares at him. His brother had gone through his personal items again, which he has warned against before. "Then I'll take the Flame Illusion Pagoda to cultivate, if you don't mind."

"Hn," Sasuke closes, and he knew that his brother already understood that. No other words are needed between them, and they part after a short bow.

"Is this it?" a girl to the left of Hinata asks under the moonlight. "Is this the Uchiha District?"

They are on top of a tall pavilion in the compound, feet glued to the rooftop. Activating their eyes through the blindfolds that they were wearing, their eyes determined a vast amount of land with an elaborate array of compounds and complexes, almost like a small city. There were five tall pagodas dotting the borders of the district, as well as a dozen training grounds, at least half a dozen courtyards and a series of natural hot springs.

"Yes, this seems to be it, Lady Hanabi," her cousin, Neji, confirms to her right. "This is where the stolen chakra fruit disappeared to."

"And this is the Sect that has slaughtered our branch members on Earth?" Hinata inquires, voice quivering slightly.

"Yes, Lady Hinata," her cousin confirms again, adjusting the edge of his wéimào—a white-veiled, wide-brimmed bamboo straw hat. The veil landing below his shoulders hides the fairness of his face underneath.

"P-Please skip the formalities, gēgē," Hinata requests despondently, though she knows that it will go unheeded. "You've already ascended to the Main Branch, there is no need for hierarchical customs when we are already on equal footing."

"Old habits die hard, Lady Hinata," Neji murmurs respectfully. "Besides, Lord Toneri will not appreciate it if I do not give the Byakugan Princess the respect she deserves."

"His opinion does not matter," Hinata grumbles indignantly through her own veiled straw hat. "We're not engaged."

"Yet," Neji adds to her statement.

"Whatever," Hanabi cuts through their small banter. "What are we waiting for? Let's get the chakra fruit back and kill as many disciples!"

"A few words, Lady Hanabi," Neji says calmly, tempering her enthusiasm. "Let us not give too much attention to ourselves. Revenge is a mortal notion that we must endeavor not to cross, so please minimize the number of disciples you wish to kill tonight."

"You're no fun," Hanabi huffs in disappointment.

Neji ignores her, continuing, "You also have to be warned: the Uchihas are one of the most notorious clans on Earth. They have an eye bloodline limit similar to our own byakugan, which they call the sharingan."

"Copy wheel eye," Hinata murmurs under her breath.

"Yes, Lady Hinata," Neji says. "At its base form, it is not as impressive as our byakugan as it can only see chakra flows but not the entire chakra pathway system. It can predict movements and copy some techniques, hence its name. However, its evolved form can create grand illusions and can cast strong mystical techniques that we may not be impervious to."

"Great," Hanabi mutters sarcastically. "Any other good news?"

"The good news is that not everyone in the Mirror Eye Sect or the Uchiha Clan has them," Neji explains. "Only a handful of the clan has it, mostly higher-level warriors that form part of the Inner Core Disciples and the Uchiha Elders. It is best for us to be careful so as not to run into their stronger disciples."

"How do we do that?"

"By identifying the strength of the chakra they've already cultivated in their chakra signatures," Hinata offers and Neji hums positively.

"Better not to use too much chakra, though," Neji says thoughtfully. "Our chakras have the signature of the line of Hamura, which they may be suspicious of. We only need enough chakra to be able to identify the chakra fruit somewhere in the Compound. Use more of your chakra only if needed."

"Got it," Hanabi announces as she readies to descend.

"And be sure to keep your veil and your blindfold on at all times," Neji reminds them. "The secrets of our byakugan must never be revealed."

"Yeah, yeah, Fùqīn," Hanabi says irritably, and Hinata can practically see Hanabi's eye roll underneath her veil. "Better hurry with the instructions, Gēgē, else we'll stay here for decades."

"Lady Hinata will check the Inner Courts, and you can check the Outer Courts," Neji says just as Hanabi descended from the roof excitedly. "I'll disarm the guards and check the Pagodas."

Hinata nods her head and joins her sister. Soon, they make their separate ways into the night.

Sasuke's compound was structured in such a way that the rooms were built around the hot springs naturally occurring in the area. As such, his bathing chambers was a large hot spring in the middle of a spacious room, white marble shaping its outline. Steps were installed on either side of the pool for easy access, and since he liked practicing with his skills before bathing, a mini armory was also fixed around the pond for his convenience. His small armory may not be as distinguished as his brother's or as diverse as his teacher's, but it housed his favorite weapons: from the pointed qiāng to the sturdy gun, from the sharp dao to his favorite blade, the jian.

Sasuke immerses himself in the waters of his pool, the steam in the pond easing his mind, and the petals adorning it providing for a pleasant scent. The light of the lanterns and candles dotting his chambers emanate a soft glow around him, though it does not rival the light furnished by the Moon, which was especially exquisite tonight.

He remembers the nights when he'd spend the area together with two or three of his consorts, and he debates with himself if he still has the energy to spend a few hours with one of his wives. A soft movement above the water interrupts his thoughts, though, and he resurfaces from the water when he senses an unusual chakra signature.

"You!" Sasuke calls out from the pool, spotting a slender frame clad in white robes on the other side of his chambers. The person had a veiled bamboo straw hat on, the fabric of its veil reaching past the shoulders and offering nothing but a faint silhouette of the person wearing it. "I haven't called for a concubine yet. What are you doing here?"

The figure whips around to face him, veil and ornaments swishing with the person's movement. "I-I-I—" the figure stammers in a mellow feminine voice, obviously shocked and panicked to see him. "I-I'm here to clean," she finally finishes, the panic in her voice not diminishing one bit. "F-Forgive me, I didn't think one of our l-lords would utilize the baths this evening."

"Hn," Sasuke all but replies, eyeing her curiously. Her chakra is faint, nothing too dangerous, but it was… different. Different from his Clan's anyway.

And he does not recognize it.

"I-I-If you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way," she finishes, approaching the double doors leading outside his chambers. "Please forgive my disturbance."

Sasuke throws a nearby bucket her way, prompting her to stop in her tracks. He quickly removes himself from his pool and dons his black robes bearing the Uchiha Clan symbol, approaching a nearby arrangement of weapons.

"You're not from the Mirror Eye Sect," he declares nonchalantly.

"O-Of course I am," she tries, though the nervousness in her voice gives her away. "I serve the Uchiha Clan. A-And I must really be on my way."

Sasuke throws two daggers in her direction when she tries to move again. To his surprise, she dodges them easily without even facing him. He tries throwing another set of knives at her back, but she avoids them smoothly, moving her body slightly. "Are you from either the Senju or the Uzumaki clans?"

She shakes her head, her veil following her movement. "I-I don't even know anyone from those clans."

"Liar," he snaps when he approaches her figure, throwing another set of daggers her way while running. This time, though, her figure whips around to avoid the blades, hastily advancing to a weapon rack near her. She plucks a qiāng from the rack, facing him just as he descended upon her with his straight sword.

The unknown maiden parries the spear in rapid succession against him, taking advantage of the length of the spear against his short straight sword, targeting his vital organs. He proves to be a formidable foe for her though, gliding his body together with the movements of the spear, such that it could not hit his vital organs. It effectively blocked her attacks without even giving much effort.

He tries charging through the spear with his blade in a counterattack next, though she deflects his charges, using the tip of her spear against the blade of his sword. In his next quick move, he gets a hold of the spear when it is parried against him, and he pulls her body in while hacking at the wooden shaft twice. She grabs the sticks that was left from the broken spear, using them instead to defend herself against the next onslaught of his sword.

When he puts some distance between them after flipping away from her, he throws the tip of the spear at her body. She dodges it effortlessly without the need to take off her veil that was blocking her vision.

Sasuke huffs in insult. How insolent of her to hide her eyes in the presence of a sharingan wielder! Was she looking down on him?

Hinata curses the day that her curiosity had gotten better of her.

Which is, incidentally, that very same day—or night, rather.

She was scanning around the Inner Court of the Uchiha District to check for any chakra signatures belonging to the chakra fruit, mindful of the chakra that she was consuming. She was almost done in her round, when she noticed a gigantic pool inside the last palace complex.

If she hadn't taken a peek of the beautiful pool room that doubled as an armory, she wouldn't be in this predicament where she had to face an Uchiha.

But she has not been on the surface of the Earth for years now, and she longed for the feel of warm water on her skin, of flowers and plants around her. She missed gardening, a small hobby she had when she was still a mortal. The water on the Moon was always so cold, and the vegetation almost inexistent. It would only be for a few seconds, she had told herself, but in that time frame, an Uchiha was able to detect her.

And here she was now, unwillingly engaged in a battle with what may be a Core Disciple.

Tossing her regrets and the broken spear aside, she braces herself to focus on the fight before her.

He's a power user, Hinata realizes as she grabs the tiger hook swords available from the side rack. His attacks were like fire: swift, destructive and powerful, with the finishing move delivered in one blow. Most likely he'll end her next attack by breaking the blades of her weapon again.

She inwardly sighs; this was going to be difficult. Their clan's Gentle Fist was the antithesis of his fighting style: focusing on severe internal damage to critical parts of the body with slight taps as opposed to destruction of limbs.

She uses the tiger hook swords to defend herself against the straight sword, clashing the blades against his in rhythmic succession. In one swift move, she gives him a side kick while hooking the swords together, and in the next instance, she brandishes the length of the connected swords in a rotating motion in an attempt to hit him at a longer range. The man immediately avoids her twisting blades by flipping away in tune with her attacks.

Hinata grabs hold of the handle of both tiger hook swords just as the Uchiha charged against her again, seeking to slice her. She catches the straight sword in between the hooks of her swords, locking the blade in a trap. The man immediately twists the trapped blade in the hooks, rotating his blade with his strength to break against the blade-lock trapping it together. In one power-fueled move, he slices through the blades of the hook swords, and she withdraws her weapon from him.

He jumps forward to slice her in his next attack, to which she avoids by splitting, and he is sent rolling on the ground behind her. Both scramble to assume a fighting stance before the other, and while Hinata is the first to regain her stance, he surprises her by performing a rotating kick out of nowhere and hitting her hands, sending what was left of the tiger hook swords flying upwards. He throws his straight sword up just as his hands grab the tiger hook swords, and he sends both flying in her direction.

Hinata immediately flips on her back to land on her shoulders and palms, steering clear of the flying blades, and kicks herself up to smoothly transition to a standing position without breaking momentum. No sooner than landing on her feet, however, a blade had hit the skin of her neck, and she realizes that she has already been cornered.

Well crap.

The damned Uchiha lived up to his Clan's reputation.

The maiden stills under the threat of his blade against her throat, the tip of his straight sword disappearing under her veiled straw hat. Even throughout the whole ordeal, her headdress is still miraculously on top of her head, albeit now all crooked. Sasuke itched to throw it out; secrecy of an identity was not a luxury in a sect that largely used a sight Bloodline Limit. Despite efforts, an attempt to hide was futile under the watch of the Uchiha District.

Slowly raising his sword upwards, his blade lifts the cloth hiding her face, and he is almost startled by the smoothness of the skin hiding underneath it. Her throat was long, almost swan-like, fair and unblemished; it was hard to believe that she was so skilled a fighter when her skin was so flawless. Dark blue strands cascade down the whiteness of her robes, his sword tipping her veiled straw hat even further. Finally throwing the headgear away, Sasuke is baffled to find that even underneath all that covering, she had the audacity—the idiocy, really—to put a white silk blindfold on. What even was the point of her veiled straw hat?

He is not sure if he's angered at her impudence, humored by her foolishness or just outright frustrated at all her preparations; clearly, she came here without the intention of being controlled by his clan's sharingan. The white blindfold stirs something in his memory however, and he is reminded of the blindfolded men who defended the chakra fruit in that small village. Was she one of them as well?

What a stupid question. Of course, she was.

And the reason that she was here in the Uchiha District was because of—

"The chakra fruit," he voices out, the tip of his straight sword settling between her eyes, almost touching the fabric of her elaborately embroidered silk blindfold. "You're after the chakra fruit, are you not?"

She stiffens even more at his words, and he internally takes pleasure at her discomfort. The thought that she has succeeded in getting the fruit, though, cuts his amusem*nt short.

Activating his eyes, he scans her over, taking note of any chakra signature belonging to the chakra fruit. He does not find anything out of the extraordinary, though this fact does not prevent him from distrusting her one bit. What if she has concealed the signature of the chakra fruit? Was such a feat even possible? Her people seemed to have hidden the chakra fruit so effectively throughout the years, they must have had some sorcery involved.

He lowers the tip of his blade from her face to her chest, where the swell of her bosom was emphasized by the low-cut collar of her robes tied at the waist with a silver ribbon. His blade grazes over the smoothness of her chest, which was now breathing erratically, down to the ribbon holding her robes together. He severs the fabric with his blade, and the robes open to reveal her in her nightgown. He gives her a quick appraisal.

No chakra fruit.

A wave of relief washes over him, the thought of losing the chakra fruit now gone. Nevertheless, he does not bring his guard down. She may have another trick up her sleeve, and he was having none of it.

Just then, the bells of his sect ring—just one at first from the northern side of the District, then several more in quick succession. He knows what that meant.

The chakra fruit has been stolen.

The chakra fruit has already been recovered. By Neji, most likely.

Hinata inwardly smiles. The mission has been partly accomplished now, which means that she must already get out of here.

Hinata takes advantage of the young man's distraction to kick the straight sword out of his hand, and the blade flies out of his grasp to land unceremoniously away from him. Wasting no time, she activates her eyes to see his entire chakra system through her blindfold and attacks his pressure points with her open palms, overwhelming him with the swiftness of her hands. He blocks off her attacks, jumping in tune with her speed, and she would have already complimented him had she not been his opponent. She uses the swift, circular motions of her Gentle Fist against him, and he meets her attacks head on with his wrists and fists, blocking the palms thrown his way. She delivers a power push against him, and she smiles to herself at her opponent's startled expression at the strength of her palm.

Getting up from his fall, the man before her weaves a couple of hand seals in rapid succession—boar, horse, tiger according to her eyes—and breathes a giant orb of fire aimed at her. She hastily performs a series of flips to get away from the heat, sloppily landing on the edge of the hot spring.

Curses. She was a close-range fighter, and all this fireball mischief was not letting her get closer to her opponent to maim him.

Hinata scrambles to get away from his reach when he performs the same hand signs, flipping on her back into the pool of the hot spring just as another fireball launches unto her. Her body crashes into the water at the same time the fireball explodes above the surface of the water, and she resurfaces as soon as the chakra flames disappear. Alas, she does not get a break when the young man jumps into the spring to join her, fists and arms ready for another round of attack.

Their standoff continues into the pool, the water and the petals adorning it splashing and flying everywhere to follow their movements. She meets his fists with her palms, keeping up with the incessant barrage of punches thrown her way. Soon, they were both delivering high kicks at the same time against the weight of the water on their limbs, never stopping until the other was out of breath.

In a mad effort against him, she pivots towards him as he sends a high kick her way, bending on her back so that his leg was above her. She grabs his leg at the same time he reaches out to grab her blindfold, and when she twists their bodies to the side to render him out of balance, she drags him down with her. They are a tangle of limbs and hands underneath the water, a struggle between hands and feet, between robes and chakra.

When they untwine themselves from the other, it was a race on who will reach the surface of the water first.

Sasuke steels himself when he untangles his limbs from the maiden underneath the water, getting into his fighting position with half of his body submerged in the spring. He raises his left fist in her direction, the tomoes in his sharingan spinning as he clutched her silk cloth in his right hand.

As soon as she emerges out of the water, however, his stance almost falls apart at the sight of her.

Arising from the surface is the same maiden, snapping into a fighting stance to mirror him, eyes refusing to open and palms raising to point head on against his closed fist. Her damp hair clings to the sides of her face in waves of dark blue silk, contrasting the fairness of her delicate visage. The thin fabric of what is left of her robes cling to her body like a second skin, outlining the curves of her physique with such transparency she might as well be naked. The light from the moon outside casts an ethereal glow upon her, highlighting the refinement of her form and the flawlessness of her frame.

When she opened her eyes, he is greeted by shining white pearls with just the tiniest tint of lavender to them, almost as if two moons had been plucked out from the sky and deposited on her countenance.

His heart skips a beat and his jaw just drops.

Her elegant fighting stance, surrounded by the petalled water around her, contrasting against the backdrop of the night and drowning in the light of the moon outside looked so devastatingly unreal he almost thought it a dream. She looked so unconventionally enchanting that even if he wanted to use his sharingan on her, he doubted any other illusion can surpass this vision of her.

He wills himself to breathe, almost frustrated. Instead of him entrapping the opponent, he is the one being captivated.

And he is startled to find that he doesn't mind.

This vision of her in his eyes spark an unprecedented excitement inside him, burning through his limbs and searing through his thoughts in an all-consuming heat. But a notion nags at the back of his head, cutting his enthusiasm short. Something is out of place here.

What clan in the Land of Fire had white eyes? He had wandered far from the Land of Fire even, from the deserts of the Land of Wind to the vastness of the Land of Rain, but he cannot think of any clan, sect or lineage with such unusual-looking eyes. Wait, no—perhaps—there was one, but that was impossible. She couldn't be a—

"Hyūga?"

The name slips out of his lips before he can think about it. But that can't be right.

The Hyūga was a lineage that was the stuff of legends, said to have descended from the twin brother of the Sage of Six Paths, who had sworn to keep the powers of the primordial goddess, Kaguyahime, at bay. Accounts differed on that family's fate and whereabouts, but the characteristics of their family members were always the same: a fair, slender frame, a mop of dark hair and a pair of mystical white eyes. And it was said that they had died out when the twin brother relocated to the moon to guard the body of Kaguyahime, or that the male line carrying the dominant genes had already disappeared. Right now, that clan was supposed to be a myth.

But here she is, a maiden with the telltale eyes of the said mythical lineage staring at him, boring into the depths of his blood red eyes without as much of a flinch.

"Uchiha," she acknowledges with a soft smile. She does not stutter like earlier, nor does she move, but her hand trembled as she spoke. He wonders if she is as taken aback as he is. "From the line of Hagoromo."

"And you're from the line of Hamura," he tries, and she does not refute him.

"Surely, you must jest," the young man in front of Hinata laughs. "The Hyūgas are not supposed to be real. That line has long been dead."

"Th-Think what you will," she says, almost cursing her stutter that had come back. She reminds herself to keep her eyes on his face, and not to be distracted at his ridiculously well-built body. Earlier, all she could see was his chakra pathway system underneath her blindfold, though she can tell that he was rather gifted—not too overly lean like her cousin and not too overly bulky like most earthly practitioners. But now that her full-color vision has been restored, she cannot help but admit just how devastatingly attractive he is.

His body is well sculpted, an elegant balance between muscle and form, between strength and—dare she say it—beauty. It does not help that he is practically naked, what with the pathetic excuse of a robe that he had on. Scratch that, he was practically naked and wet, and she finds herself suddenly envious of the droplets flowing down the smoothness of his neck. She reminds herself again to focus on his face.

She discovers, though, that even his face offered no respite, for his visage was just as utterly alluring as his physique. His bone structure is all defined lines and angles—jaw, cheekbones, nose—strikingly framed by damp, ink-like locks. His eyes are cold red flames, piercing her being as if she were naked.

His overall image is so… startingly attractive in the most primal, carnal way possible—a delicate balance between untouchable and delectable, a vision so irresistibly pleasing it was sinful.

"Your earthly notions do not matter," Hinata continues before she can forget herself. He glares at her, and she shivers under the intensity of his gaze. "I-I just need your family to return what you've stolen, and I'll be on my way. We don't even have to fight."

The young man scoffs, narrowing his eyes at her. "Don't try my Clan," he seethes. "The chakra fruit belongs to whoever has found it first. We'll fight for it. And you're a fool to think we'd easily give up something so game-changing as an immortality fruit."

"The chakra f-fruit does not belong to you, or to anyone on earth," she tries telling him solemnly. "I-It would be best if you would forfeit such a cosmic item. There are… things, concepts that mortals cannot grasp yet in the grand scheme of things of the divine and the heavenly. Besides, the Otsutsukis will not take it lightly if you covet what is rightfully theirs."

When his brows furrow, she realizes that her words had greatly confused him, and she wonders which part of it was incomprehensible. No one on the Moon had needed this much of an explanation.

"You speak as if you know about these things," he says carefully. "Who are you really? What Clan has sent you?"

She returns his gaze, trying to look for words to be able to explain herself more clearly. "If I tell you," she tries, "that I am an immortal on the Moon belonging to a clan that takes care of multiple earths across parallel universes and their respective god trees for the sake of the high gods and goddesses of the said parallel universes, would you believe me?"

She watches him as his jaw dropped ever so slightly, trying to process her words. A chuckle burst forth from his chest, then, progressing into a full-on laugh that was so unlike his stoic character. She rolls her eyes at his disbelief. She is about to admonish him when footsteps from a few yards away could be heard, and he cuts of his uncharacteristic laugh, his head snapping to the direction of the sound.

Hinata moves as soon as she hears the thunderous footsteps outside, activating her byakugan at once and brandishing her palms in attack. Her eyes tell her that the approaching men were of a lower level compared to the warrior that she is fighting now, but she is concerned that they might bring someone of a higher level to the fight. She can recognize the panic in her gut, though she knows that she can still keep the situation under control. If she could knock him out cold, then she could leave the area and the rest of his sect may not be able to find her. If only he was not so stubborn.

In a similar fashion, he activates his eyes in a counterattack, his irises swimming in pools of black and red. He deflects her onslaught with equal energy, meeting all her attacks. Soon, it became a dance—high kicks being deflected by crossed arms, closed fists meeting open palms, red eyes clashing against white orbs—a heatedly violent dance of style and technique between an Uchiha and a Hyūga.

In a surprising move from her opponent, he manages to grab her wrists in his grasp, rendering her palm attacks ineffective. Before she can use her legs to kick him away, he violently pulls her towards him, her chest roughly colliding with the planes of his chest. He twists her arms around her so that the hands grasping her wrists settled at her back, locking her body in his embrace and pressing her body even more against his.

"Got you," he whispers arrogantly, and she turns her face towards him in defiance.

She is startled by how close his face is to hers.

She realizes that he is more than a head taller than her, his head dipping into her height to taunt her better. He also had the most enviable of lashes: long, thick and curled, framing his eyes which had now become pools of obsidian black. His dark eyes are still cold and piercing, but equally hypnotizing nonetheless.

His lips, curled up in a smirk, are so dangerously close to hers she could feel his breath on her.

"Lord Sasuke!"

A voice outside snaps her out of her thoughts, and she is startled to find that he has also noticed them and was about to shout to them. Racking her head for possible ways out—knock him out? She was practically bound and subdued! Read through his thoughts and feelings? Useless! Emit a chakra pulse? It would only serve to drive attention to her presence—no, she had to render his mouth incapable of speech first.

There was no other choice.

She had to do it.

Despite knowing that what she is about to do was indecent and desperate, she jumps to close the gap in their height, crashing her lips unto his to effectively cover his mouth. Using the weight of her body and the momentum of the jump, she pushes both of their bodies unto the waters of the pool, totally submerging both of their bodies underneath the surface just as the doors to his bathing chamber burst open.

He is so startled by her move that he barely has any time to react—one second he is about to call on Sect reinforcements and in the next, her body was pressing on his, her lips latching on to his mouth, his vision blocked by the proximity of her face so close to his. His eyes close as soon as the rush of water invade his senses, the weight of her body and the surprising turn of events preventing him from moving. He is surprised by the strength exerted by her body; for someone so slender and soft, it expended far more chakra than he had expected.

He does not know if he is pleased or vexed at her attempt. On one hand, he enjoyed the feeling of her lips on his, the proximity of their bodies together assuaging the curious heat in his body a bit. But on the other hand, he knows that this was a distraction, a way for her to prevent him from getting any assistance. Worse, she is a maiden from a questionable lineage, one that was most likely opposed to the Uchihas.

But her lips were so, so soft, the risk was almost acceptable.

Her lips soon left his mouth, and he realizes that his hold on her had loosened when her body departed his and sought for air. He is startled by the feeling of disappointed growing inside him, his body aching to ask for more.

He resurfaces together with her, discovering that his Sect has already left and he was alone with her again. After giving both of them the chance to gulp in copious amounts of air, he immediately grabs the maiden by her shoulders, willing her to meet his eyes and return his gaze. He bends down and promptly ravages her lips.

f*ck being an Uchiha. f*ck the chakra fruit.

What mattered right now was her lips on his own, the feel of her body against his. He has tasted her lips, and his head can no longer fathom anything else right now, what with his initial curiosity bursting into something more consuming, something more carnal.

The maiden squeals a soft cry of confusion, though she does not give a fight. Indeed, she seems to have melted in his arms, closing her eyes to lean into him. He drinks from her lips, thirst mingling with heat while his hand sought to hold her neck and keep her in place. To his delight, she kisses him back, shy at first but becoming more daring the longer the kiss lasted.

He runs the tip of his tongue over her lower lip, and he grins when she accommodates his request. Her mouth opens, and his tongue darts to explore her mouth, dominating the kiss. She struggles to keep up with him, though he can tell that she was trying.

His available arm wraps around her delicate waist, pushing her body ever so closer to his. With only thin robes to separate their bodies, he can feel the heat of her body, the hunger in her erratic breathing, the desperation in her mewls.

More, more, his body sings in equal desperation, demanding that they go beyond lips. He satiates his hunger as his mouth left hers to explore the expanse of her jaw, her neck, her collarbone. Before he can go even lower, she cups his face in her hands and kisses him again, eyes half-lidded in lust and hunger. Sasuke obliges her for a while, kissing her while pushing off what is left of her robes from her shoulders as her hand settles on his chest.

Suddenly, he feels the entirety of his body stiffen, his hands and feet beginning to go limp. The heat in his body is slowly fading, his chakra lowering at an alarming speed. He tries to recover his senses, forcing all of his muscles to move, but pain shoots through his entire being and he is rendered helpless as his body refused to do anything.

He snaps his eyes open at the feeling of weakness —the energy, the power, the life of him beginning to fade away. He sees her stupidly sensuous frame, and he seethes as she offers an apologetic smile on her face.

"I-I'm so so sorry," Hinata repeats over and over again, dragging the Uchiha's body from the pool towards floor of the bathhouse. She delicately set his body on the cold stone floor, checking him over. She can see the struggle to breathe on his face, the difficulty to activate his eye technique and the murderous intent reflected on his eyes. She tears her eyes away from him, smoothening out his robes and trying to make his body as comfortable as possible.

"Please forgive my cowardice and deceit," Hinata continues, ignoring his silent temper tantrum. "I-I swear to you, it was not my intention to lead you on, or to furnish such feelings of intimacy reserved only for your consorts. I must admit, you are a force to be reckoned with and I am not the best of warriors, so I had to resort to such a cowardly tactic. Please don't hold it against me."

"D-Die," he grits his teeth at her, still forcing his eyes to activate without success.

"P-Please don't struggle," she murmurs, kneeling beside his head to hold it, massaging the scalp to soften the blow. "The more you struggle, the harder it will be to breathe." When he continued to ignore her please and wrestled against her, she tries to comfort him, "It's only the Five-Point Palm Paralyzing Technique where I block the tenketsu points near your heart to render your limbs paralyzed. At least it's not the Death in Seven Paces Palm Technique where you die by walking away in seven steps." She attempts to give a comforting and reassuring smile, but his death glare at her only intensifies.

"What are you doing, Lady Hinata?"

Hinata whips her head around, recognizing the voice of her older cousin. His form appears on the other side of the pool, long white robes swishing with every step he took. He scoops up her veiled straw hat that was thrown away earlier.

"Gēgē," Hinata greets with a smile, bowing with her hands clasped together when he approached her kneeling figure. "Forgive my carelessness, I ran into an Uchiha with an activated Bloodline Limit."

"Your clothes, Lady Hinata!" Neji admonishes, ignoring the body on the floor and turning instead to his cousin, noticing her misaligned robes. He removes his beizi to set it upon her shoulders. "Here, take my cloak. I can't let the Byakugan Princess run around in such a scandalous state."

"Thank you, gēgē," she says, donning on his cloak properly and setting up her hair. "And please, no more formalities," Hinata adds when she receives her straw hat from him. "I've already told you that countless times."

"How I address you is not important, but how you dress when we go back to the Moon is. Lord Toneri is going to have my ass if something happens to you." Neji turns away, then, walking towards the tall windows in order to leave. He beckons her over. "Come, we must find Lady Hanabi and make haste to the Moon while the rest of the Uchihas are still dormant in cultivation."

Hinata nods, carefully removing the Uchiha's head on her lap and setting it on the floor. She gets up to follow her cousin, giving the Uchiha one last apologetic look before donning on her wéimào and following her cousin into the night outside.

In the largest courtyard of the Uchiha District, an explosion occurs.

Sasuke has never been so happy to see his older brother.

It has been a few excruciating minutes after that damned Hyūga maiden had left him to die, and Sasuke thought that this was going to be the end of him. But then his brother emerges out of his chamber doors, rushing to him and trying to revive his chakra energy.

"Sasuke," Itachi breathes as he opened his damp robes, activating his sharingan to scan him over and attempt to pinpoint the cause of ailment. Itachi places his hand on his chest in an attempt to unblock his tenketsu points, a process that he tries to do as carefully as possible. His sharingan may not be able to see tenketsu points clearly, but it would do. "I heard the bells when I was meditating. I thought that the other members of our Sect would be able to defend it, but I felt chakra spikes and I knew I had to get out of the Flame Illusion Pagoda."

Sasuke chokes off blood when his brother's fingers hover over a tenketsu point, an excruciating mixture of pain and power reigniting in his chakra flow. He takes it in stride, realizing that his chakra was soon flowing smoother, the energy in his arms and legs returning. He tries to reactivate his sharingan next, and he braces as a strong throbbing ache manifested in the nerves in his brain and eyes, forcing him to deactivate. He does not, though, and he compels his eyes to move despite the agony that he was currently suffering. When his sharingan comes back, he scans the compound and searches for her.

When he finds her with two other companions fighting Kakashi in the courtyard, he redirects Itachi's gaze to them.

"Th-The chakra fruit," he manages to choke out, and Itachi nods, finishing his assistance and leaving him to chase after the intruders.

Sasuke gives himself a few minutes to recover, nursing his newfound hatred for the maiden and her pearl-white eyes. When he hears an explosion in the courtyard, he urges his body to stand, ignoring its pleas of mercy and rest. He recovers his straight sword and rushes to the courtyard as soon as he is able, willing himself to join in the fray.

In the middle of the Uchiha District's largest courtyard are five figures: three dressed in white and donning on veiled hats, and another two in black and wearing the Mirror Eye Sect motifs. He recognizes Itachi and Kakashi dueling the three of them at the same time, and he inserts himself between his brother and his teacher.

"Welcome back, dìdì," Itachi murmurs as soon as he arrives. He sends Sasuke a reassuring tap on his forehead and launches to fight against the Hyūga male. Kakashi gives him a reassuring tap as well, and he leaves him to battle against a shorter Hyūga with surprising speed. This leaves him to duel with no other than the maiden that he had encountered earlier, the one who was called Hinata.

Sasuke raises his straight sword, pointing it against her as he neared her stationary figure that was clutching a longsword. Funny, it was as if she was asking for him to attack her head on. Sasuke bites the trap and sends a forceful strike at her from the side, which she greets with the longsword in her hand. Her blade breaks in accordance with his plan, but he does not anticipate it when the remainder of the broken longsword that was still in her hand soared straight towards his neck.

And just like that, he is held under the mercy of the Hyūga girl yet again.

Well sh*t.

He glares at the silhouette through her veil, sharingan spinning uncontrollably in hate and frustration. Around them, the other two pairs were still dueling on, oblivious to the turmoil that was happening between them.

Out of nowhere, they feel the ground beneath them shake, and the footsteps of at least a hundred people reverberated throughout the compound. Soon, a horde of his Uchiha clansmen appear, surrounding the courtyard and trapping the intruding trio in the area.

Sasuke smirks at her despite being held under her broken blade. The Uchihas will always win in the end.

"Please do the pleasure of repelling them, Lady Hinata," the Hyūga girl's cousin coaxes to their side, still clashing with Itachi, seemingly undaunted with the Mirror Sect Army that had come to greet them. "You have already released your blindfold after all."

A dainty hand flits between the veil that she is wearing, parting the cloth and revealing her white eyes underneath. Her white eyes stare directly into his red ones, a quiet clash between two Bloodline Limits. Just as he hears the rest of his Sect charging towards them, veins pop out of the side of her face as she softly mutters "chakra pulse", and a surge of invisible force pushes everyone away from her, including Sasuke.

All of the Uchihas are thrown at least a hundred paces away from the trespassers, all three who seem to be impervious from the surge of chakra. While they all scramble to get up, the temperature drops, and another kind of chakra surge envelops the entirety of the courtyard. Sasuke blinks, glancing over at Itachi. Their eyes meet, and it seems that they know what is happening.

Their Patriarch has awakened.

Their god has entered the battlefield.

Hinata steps back as another presence appears, this one stronger and more menacing than all of the Uchiha clan members present combined. It was rather frightening, this new appearance. She can tell that this… entity was something dangerous, almost otherworldly yet unholy, like a perversion of the essence of the divine. His presence was so strong and overwhelming it was suffocating, and she felt a fear she has never felt before bloom within her. She can feel both Neji and Hanabi step back as well.

And then the entity appears from the distance, pale with white hair enveloped by a cloak of chakra that stabilized into his white robes, with six magatama markings across his chest. He sports a pair of violet eyes which can only be the other great eye Bloodline Limit of Kaguyahime, the rinnegan. He is white as death and all-powerful and horned, almost like—

"An Otsutsuki?" she whispers in disbelief.

All of the Uchihas and Sect disciples around them kowtow as the entity arrives in the courtyard, and she knows right then and there that this was an enemy out of their league.

"Who dares disturb the tranquility of the Uchiha District?" he roars.

"Forgive us, dear Patriarch," the one of the Uchihas say, which Hinata assumes is the Clan Leader. "The chakra fruit has been taken by two intruders just now. But we are in the process of recovering it."

The rinnegan moves around the courtyard to the settle on the three of them, and she chances a glance at her companions, both of whom seem to be on high alert, trying to brace the impact of whatever attack was going to happen.

"Begone, cretins," the Patriarch bellows, sending what she recognizes is the Yin-Yang Release their way.

Hinata flips away to avoid the jutsu, but the Release only follows where she is headed, never colliding with anything else. More Releases come her way and into the rest of the courtyard's areas, following her and her two companions, but never touching a hair of the Uchihas. When she is cornered into one nook of the courtyard, she slips on her footing in her panic, and she is left to do nothing but brace for the impact.

The impact never comes.

Another presence enters the courtyard, and Hinata looks up to see pale skin and pale-blue hair kept up in a ponytail, the entity to which it belonged to sporting curved horns, white hunting robes, baggy pants and a transparent veil over his head. Ease washes over Hinata's face as she recognizes the Otsutsuki appearing before a time-space portal, his arm raised from having absorbed the Yin-Yang Release.

"L-Lord Momoshiki!" she exclaims in relief.

"I was wondering what would take the three of you so long," the Otsutsuki replies. A series of Yin-Yang Releases are thrown at them, and he nonchalantly absorbs it again, ignoring the gasps of surprise that erupted throughout the Uchiha Clan. He glares at the Uchiha Patriarch and the world watched as they commenced their showdown.

"I think not," Lord Momoshiki announces to everyone present, his voice reverberating throughout the entire District. "While I would love to destroy this world right now, it is not yet time for gods to play."

As if time itself had stopped, the rest of the Uchiha Clan freezes, and Lord Momoshiki takes her hand and breezes through where Hanabi and Neji where, both just as exhausted as she is. He creates a time-space portal for them to enter just as the time control wears off, and he beckons for the trio to get into the portal.

Hinata bows in gratitude before stepping into the portal, but a voice momentarily stops her in her tracks.

"Hyūga!"

She swerves around in confusion, and she sees the Uchiha that she has battled earlier running towards her, ignoring the shouts of his clansmen to stop and get rid of his stupidity, even going as far as to run past the Clan Patriarch. He stops a few paces away from them and holds up his hand towards her, offering her silk blindfold. "You'll have to fight with me first before you get this back, Hyūga!"

"Hinata," she says, bowing to him. "Keep it; it is of no use to me now."

Before it gets out of hand, she sends another chakra pulse towards them, throwing the Uchihas away at a considerable distance, disabling them from following their company. She proceeds to enter the portal, but his voice disturbs her once again.

"Then I'll find you," he promises, shouting through gritted teeth when he stands far off from them. "I'll find you and I'll beat your ass in a fair fight. Then I'll drag you back to the Uchiha District and marry you."

Hinata almost giggles at the absurdity, ignoring him and entering the portal. "Then I'll wait for you on the Moon," she calls after him.

She can almost feel Neji's scandalized gagging behind his veil as he enters after her, and Hanabi's mock-vomiting in her mouth. Lord Momoshiki appears to be unfazed, almost bored even.

"Call me Sasuke," he screams, continuing on the conversation just as a Yin-Yang Release was shot at them by the Clan Patriarch. The portal closes just before the jutsu reaches them, and they find themselves landing on the Moon in the next instant.

Hinata blinks, removing her veiled hat to look from the Moon's surface up the vastness of her sky, seeing the image of the Earth at a distance. She realizes just how far she is now to the planet that was once her home, and a pang of emptiness creeps up in her gut, the memories of earlier replaying in her mind over and over again.

She closes her eyes to weave through the flow of space and time, urging her Bloodline Limit to see past several possibilities, past several centuries, past the boundaries of the impossible and the mystical. She smiles as soon as she finds what she is looking for.

.