The blind Uchiha Shikamaru FF

Chapter 71

Hinari had been out all night until she realized that she needed a break after all. Shortly before she reached the Iron Kingdom, the sun had risen, which is why the Uchiha had taken a break after all. Thanks to Sakura, she still had some food pills to help her temporarily. But the Uchiha couldn't take a long break, because time was running out and she hadn't found her friends yet. Only for a brief moment did she feel small waves of chakra, which disappeared again immediately. Hinari was surprised because they were not too strong.

When she saw a crow fluttering away, Hinari shook her head. "Don't go mad now..." Nevertheless, Hinari wondered if this meant something. Why would crows show themselves to her? Itachi was dead after all.

What she didn't understand, however, was that the crow flew exactly in the direction from where she had sensed the chakra. Her eyes focused on the border to the Iron Kingdom, which was in a beautiful snowy landscape. Hinari was unsure what to do and thought about it. What should she do now?

"Itachi-Nii?" the little Hinari asked the taller one, who had been training her since Shisui's death. "Why do you use the crows?" she wanted to know, as he usually dissolved into them when she attacked him. Smiling, he crouched down in front of the Uchiha. "It's part of my exchange jutsu. Instead of using a tree trunk, I use the crows. It confuses the opponents."

Hinari tilted her head questioningly. She had never thought about using anything other than a tree trunk before. "But you could also use other birds." said the black-haired woman.

"That's true, but the crows are magnificent animals. I took a closer look at them for the first time when I was thinking about life. You know, Hinari, the crows have been with me since that day and I have faith in them." Itachi smiled and tapped her on the forehead. "One day you'll understand."

Without looking at the iron kingdom again, Hinari jumped off behind the crow. Although Itachi was no longer with her, she had to trust the crows as he had done. Her legs carried her through the whole forest until she arrived at a path and looked questioningly at the three people and Akamaru lying on the ground in front of her. "What's wrong with them?"

When Hinari felt her pulse and realized that they were only sleeping, she realized that Sakura must be responsible. Smirking, the Uchiha shook her head. Since the crow was still flying, Hinari couldn't help her comrades now. Whatever had happened, she would soon find out.

As quickly as she could, she continued to run after the crow. As it seemed to her, this crow would still belong to Itachi. Were they really so loyal to him that they would watch over her even after his death? Hinari had to smile a little at this thought and sped up even more. "Thank you, Itachi."

Breathing heavily, the Uchiha came to a halt on a destroyed bridge. From the looks of it, there must have been a fight that didn't end well. She recognized a red-haired girl on the ground who was breathing in and out exhaustedly. Who the hell was she? Just as she was about to speak to the girl, Hinari heard the sounds of fighting and turned her eyes down to the lake. Her eyes widened when Sasuke almost caught the Haruno with a kunai if Naruto hadn't intervened. "Just in time!" Kakashi called out in relief.

Hinari's breathing quickened and before she knew it, she jumped down to her friends, Sasuke immediately getting into a fighting stance. He hadn't expected another chakra. "Sasuke." a bright voice spoke and his eyes tried to look into the girl's face. Slightly disappointed, Hinari looked at her best friend, who now had grayish eyes. He had probably used the Mangekyou Sharingan too often. If he didn't want to go completely blind, he had to get Itachi's eyes.

"Why didn't you come back to Konoha? Why did you go to Akatsuki after Itachi's death?" Hinari asked, which was why Sasuke now knew exactly who was standing in front of him. "Because it's Konoha's fault!" he roared and clenched his hands into fists. "You knew everything! So why did you stay in Konoha?!" he asked his best friend. "Because Konoha is my home. Shisui and Itachi wouldn't have wanted me to be consumed by hatred."

Hinari was looked at questioningly by her comrades. Kakashi and Naruto in particular looked at the Uchiha questioningly. They had heard the truth from Madara Uchiha. So Hinari had known all along. "They wouldn't have wanted us to turn our backs on the village. That's why I tried to dissuade you from going to Orochimaru back then."

Sasuke tried to look at his best friend with his limited vision. He remembered that Hinari had followed him. At the time, it had hurt him to leave her alone. But his anger towards Konoha and the elders was greater than towards Hinari, who was always there for him. He looked at her with a grin. "I killed Danzo! For us, but especially for you because he stole Shisui's eye!"

Hinari's eyes widened. What had he just said? Danzo was dead? She wasn't the only one surprised by this statement. "He...is..." "That's right, Hinari. I killed the man who is responsible for everything! Isn't that nice? Now we can take revenge on the others together and destroy Konoha!"

Hinari closed her eyes and walked a few steps closer. "I don't want revenge, Sasuke. I want peace, just like our brothers would have wanted. And as far as Konoha is concerned, you're late. Pain has reduced the whole village to rubble. Everything we had in the apartment was destroyed, except for photos that Naruto had found for me. Sasuke, I don't want to fight you and I don't want to lose you. But I'm asking you to stop this and come back home."

Sasuke absorbed every single word. Madara had already said that Konoha had been attacked. The way Hinari spoke, it hurt her to have lost the apartment. It hurt him that Hinari had lost something again. "Please." the young woman breathed and held out her hand to him. But just at that moment, two other people who Hinari had seen before appeared behind the Uchiha.

"So you want to give up your revenge just because a weak girl asks you to?" asked the cool voice of Madara Uchiha. For a moment, Sasuke knew what to do and swallowed. Hinari was not weak, the black-haired man knew that. But he couldn't forget the hatred, the revenge.

"Sasuke, listen to Hinari and come back with us!" shouted Naruto, which caused Sasuke to scowl. "I'm not coming back!" he shouted back and turned his back on his breath team. "Sasuke..." he heard Hinari's wounded voice, which he had heard before. He had not forgotten that she had fought for him in the Uchihas' hideout.

"If we face each other and fight, no one will survive. But when the time comes, I will endure all the hatred you have inside you. Forget about hating Konoha and wait until we fight each other!" The corners of the Uchiha's mouth went up. He couldn't refuse this offer, no matter how hard he tried. His head turned to Naruto and laughed softly. "Alright Naruto. I'll wait until we fight. But I have one question. Why are you doing all this?"

Grinning, Naruto looked at the Uchiha. "Nah, because we're best friends!" he said, making Sasuke laugh slightly. The conversation was over for him and he turned to Madara, who took him into the whirlpool. Sasuke smiled for a moment as he thought of Naruto. Yes, he was his best friend and the only one he would ever have.

And at that very moment, his heart shattered when he had to leave Hinari again. But this time not because of Itachi, but for the war that was soon to come. "Forgive me, Hinari."