Dear, anon… Something like this is to your liking, I hope.
Itachi knew his brother well.
At eighteen, Sasuke had yet to grow out of the habit of disliking everyone he met upon first meeting them. Most people either gave up on trying to be on good terms with Sasuke or were persistent enough to where Sasuke could tolerate them.
But…Sasuke disliked Hinata, and she was neither someone who cared to get into Sasuke’s good graces nor did she hide her contempt for his attitude towards her.
Neji was just as perplexed when it came to Hinata.
At seventeen, Hinata had no true enemies despite the superficial ones acquired by being a Leaf shinobi. It took him a while to realize that her indifference towards Sasuke was actually genuine coldness towards him.
Neji wouldn’t have cared, but even he had to admit that out of all the enemies she could have had, Sasuke Uchiha was not a wise choice. He honestly had no clue what could have happened between the two to make them dislike each other so strongly.
So, from one brother figure to the next, Itachi and Neji decided to settle the issue once and for all.
Sasuke stood at Itachi’s side at the entrance of the Training Grounds. On the other side, he could see Neji and Hinata situated under a tree. The two had been talking, but once Hinata heard Sasuke’s voice, she turned towards the Uchihas, wide eyed then stone faced.
“Hear us out,” Itachi said as he urged Sasuke towards the Hyuugas.
“What is this?” Sasuke demanded again, glaring hard at the Hyuugas.
Or perhaps the one deeming the trees more worthy of her glare than the youngest Uchiha.
When the two pairs were face to face, Neji and Itachi wondered if they were making the right choice. The tension between Sasuke and Hinata was so thick, it was amazing either of them still remained where they were instead of storming off or attacking each other.
Neji cleared his throat. “Hinata, it has come to my attention that you are not particularly fond of Sasuke.”
Hinata looked at Neji slowly, her stone expression unchanging.
“And, Sasuke,” Itachi said, “for whatever reason, Hinata seems to irritate you more than most.”
Sasuke glared at him, fists clenched at his sides.
“With that being said,” Itachi went on, “Neji and I have concluded that whatever unresolved issues you both have should be settled. We think a spar is in order.”
Sasuke stared at Itachi for a long minute. “What?”
“You two should spar,” Itachi said.
“We’ll supervise,” Neji said. “We think both of you are past the point to talk through whatever animosity it is that has both of you so cold towards each other.”
“And you’ve never actually sparred with each other without interference,” Itachi said. “We promise to not intervene unless it becomes life-threatening.”
Hinata and Sasuke didn’t say anything. They stared at their respective family member for a thick moment before turning their stern stares on one another.
“Fine,” Hinata said, pulling out a hair tie and tying her hair back.
Sasuke waited a moment before pulling out a headband to hold his bangs back.
After Hinata threw her jacket to the side, she and Sasuke walked to the center of the field in silence. Neji and Itachi watched from underneath the tree with the sickening feeling that they had both made a mistake.
And then Hinata and Sasuke clashed before either Itachi or Neji knew what was happening. Chakra sprayed and metal collided, each attack strong enough to be felt on the edge of the field. In a blur, Sasuke and Hinata were savagely engaged in hand-to-hand combat, making both Itachi and Neji cringe when an attack landed successfully.
“Maybe we should stop them,” Neji said.
Sasuke’s foot narrowly missed shattering Hinata’s hip.
“It’s not life-threatening,” Itachi said.
Hinata sent a forceful jab of chakra intended for Sasuke’s shoulder cratering into a tree on the opposite side of the field.
The two kept this up for another minute before Hinata unexpectedly turned heel and ran into the thicket of trees. Sasuke hesitated a second before giving chase, catching up with her quickly. They disappeared into the trees, but soon after, destructive crashes and ground-shaking booms filled the air.
Neji and Itachi stared in stunned horror as the sounds continued.
Neji and Itachi shared a worried glance before darting across the field. Before they entered the trees, Hinata screamed, sending the two into a new wave of speed and worry. They followed the mess of splintered tree trunks and torn bushes until they could hear the two up ahead.
“I’m tired of this,” Sasuke panted hoarsely. ‘I’m tired of you.”
“I can’t take this,” Hinata whispered miserably.
Neji and Itachi finally got Sasuke and Hinata in their sights but stopped abruptly feet away from them.
Sasuke had Hinata pinned to the ground, holding her hands firmly above her head. He was in between Hinata’s legs, but it appeared as though Hinata was keeping him there, whether or not it was to keep him from coming closer or getting farther away was unclear. The bruises and torn clothing could easily be explained away by the sparring, but every so often Sasuke’s hips would press into Hinata, causing her back to arch, causing an unintelligible groan.
“I can’t take it.” Hinata freed one of her hands and tugged at the top of Sasuke’s pants. “I can’t wait.”
Sasuke leaned his head back, taking a deep breath, shuddering. “Fuck it.”
Itachi snatched Neji away before they could see any more. The two walked back in silence, ignoring any sounds they heard, and didn’t stop walking until they were out of the Training Grounds all together and back on the main road. They stood in a stupor, their minds unfortunately working very well, and tried to beat down and sort through all the events that led up to this point.
In mutual agreement and silence, they located a bench and sat down. Itachi was the first to speak.
“I have no idea,” Neji said mechanically.
“At least they don’t hate each other,” Itachi said resignedly.
