AND HIS WORDS sent chills up her spine, whether they were sarcastic or not. His words held truth: Konoha was no city built atop total cooperation, rainbows, and happy dreams. There were wars over this land and the deaths of many, and there was no telling what occurred here beforethe history books were being written. Hinata found herself at a loss for words. Her home. . His words were like an insatiable itch: They would not go away. She breathes deeply for a moment, trying to pick her words carefully. However; Hinata did not think that any word could be perfect in response. When she finally spoke, her mouth felt as dry as a desert.
❝ What’s— What’s important is remembering that these lives were not lost for nothing. A home was created, a home for people who want to do good in the world. But still. . I-It is a little unfortunate. ❞
AND SHE FALLS silent again, fingers toying with a strand of hair as her eyes dart between the landscape and his face. Hinata wonders what is going on inside the Uchiha’s mind: What brought on such a statement? Was he doubting something about their village? The young woman had adesire to reach out to him, to try to comfort him in someway. She stops fidgeting long enough to speak her mind. Her words are s l o w to leave her pallid lips.
❝ You. . You can talk to me, if you’d like. I’ll always listen. I know we’re not very close, though, so. . ❞
She spoke of sacrifices for the greater good, of the will to protect. Sasuke wanted to believe in these words but, sadly, he wasn’t sure he could. Where he had once trusted in justice or righteousness, he now saw schemes of deceit, aimed towards protecting some and discarding ‘the others’. What had his family done to justify the treatment they’d received? Nothing ever was fair and so, surely, this village could not adhere to the hymns it sprouted. The will of fire was selective in who it favored; those in power, those with the right family name.
And so Sasuke exhaled silently, eyes focused on a random spot, an inconsistency in the facade of a nearby building. He wondered if there was a point in sharing any of this, with a Hyuuga no less. The clan’s head and elders, they must know it already. Did Hinata? Her words indicated she didn’t.
“Don’t you wonder--- How can a place so pure of intent uphold its principles?” He did not speak it as a question. The rhythm of his voice was pleasant and showed little of the pain the topic evoked in him. He glanced at her shortly as if evaluating her reaction. While she didn’t seem apt at disguising her emotions, he would not trust what he saw. He wouldn’t trust her until she gave him good reason to. That was why, despite her offer, he had no intention of sharing his story with her.
“Shinobi die. Not all die for the sake of the people.” They died for the few, for those in power of this game. What good did it to erase those in the right other than strengthening the opposition’s hold?
“...Following--- Trusting ... is a dangerous thing.”
