In light of realizing his feelings for the Hyuuga heiress, Sasuke had made a resolution. If Naruto was blind to Hinata's love even after his road to redemption, he himself would pursue her to the ends of the earth. SasuHina/NaruHina [T for cursing]

Warning: If your a Sasusaku fan or a Sakura fan in general please don't read this fic.

To understand what's happening in the fic, you must have watched at least the Hinata-centric episodes, The Last movie, and Boruto the movie. If you didn't I think it'll be okay, but major spoilers, so up to you.

Re-revised/Edited/Slightly Lengthened [6/2/2020]

A/N: (This is a note to past followers of this fic): I've come back to write for this fandom again. I left before because of some hurtful comments and with the recent situations of having to stay home I decided to start writing again.

I edited everything and cut off part of the original ending to be rewritten and lengthened as an epilogue. You don't have to read it if you don't want to but I think I've improved with all the years of experience(?) and it may not be the best writing but it's certainly better than before.

I'd also like to say that I will no longer read comments. Maybe when I've become stronger, but if I read another not so nice comment that's just out to get me, I might not write again so I'm going to avoid that for a while.

I'll get my motivation and idea of the how much you guys like it from the alerts of follows and favs.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

He didn't mean for it to get this far…but it wasn't exactly something he could control.

It started out as a simple interest of trying to understand. Sasuke knew not all of the female population looked at him the way most did. There were thankfully a select few who weren't obsessed with him. What he couldn't understand was how any girl could possibly like someone like Naruto. Of course now, that they were friends he could see why, but back then, it made absolutely no sense.

In a way it angered him…bothered him to the point where he would catch himself observing her to try and understand why someone from a high-class clan would look at that idiot with such eyes. It made him hate Naruto more, and so he decided it was because she was just as weird. Although that thought didn't make much sense either cause he knew she wasn't…

When Naruto boasted about the ointment Hinata had given to him, Sasuke stole it and kept the small circular container on his person. It was at that point he had to admit to himself that he had a crush on her. It wasn't a big deal of course since it made sense. She was quiet, soft-spoken, kind, nurturing, came from a strong blood line, and from her loud teammate's constant boasting, he found out she was a great cook. She was a perfect match for him in every way for his goal of continuing his bloodline but why…just why…of all the people in the world did she like Naruto?!

Working as a team with Naruto, he understood to some point the good qualities he had, but after seeing his brother again, he'd decided what he needed was power. Part of his decision to leave Konoha was to get away from these thoughts. It would only distract him from his priorities of avenging his clan. Starting a family would come afterwards. His only hope was that the idiot would never find out and she would never confess.

He didn't want to think about her…he really didn't…but at times when he thought he would fall to insanity as a result of Orochimaru's experimentations, it helped to think about her and wonder how things were, how things could be…

After Sasuke killed his brother and soon afterwards found out the truth…he decided he must hate her.

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It was only after all the conflicts and war that he saw her again, and he was overcome with unexplainable feelings. Feelings he thought he pushed away, feelings he thought were gone…

With a clear mind he saw the small timid girl had grown into a woman and seeing her appearance, the first person that came to mind was his mother. Her long indigo locks cascading down her back dancing with the breeze. Her attire was quite simple. She wore a grey sweater over a peach shirt and long pale skirt, but even in wearing such modest clothes her beauty shined in his eyes. Under the shine of the moon and the stars, she was illuminated and without even seeing her face, he recognized her.

It was a chance meeting. Sasuke had avoided going out because of the wary eyes of the people of Konoha but even he needed fresh air after being cooped up for so long. The darkness and silence of evening welcomed him that night. As always he had worn a black sweater on top of a grey shirt and black pants. Taking a walk through the familiar yet foreign streets, he met the one person he wanted to avoid meeting. For the first time in a long while, he was afraid…afraid of her rejection…afraid of her fear…afraid of her hatred…

Thinking of running away Sasuke had stepped back, but in that moment their eyes met and time stood still. He was several feet away from her but he could see her so clearly. Her unique eyes were snow white with a hint of lavender, her porcelain skin was tinted with pink from the night breeze and her features had matured yet still retained pure innocence. He had pictured her to grow into a beautiful woman but to actually see her become so…it made his heart stop.

They stared at each other for a moment and when he woke up from his trance he turned to leave but he was stopped again by her soft-spoken voice.

"A..ano…Uchiha-san…"

His heart wrenched again at the sound of her voice and he was surprised for a moment thinking maybe he heard wrong…but that was an impossibility. A million thoughts went through his head in that second and knowing he could not deny her, he turned to her keeping a stoic face.

She stepped closer and it took Sasuke all of his willpower not to step back from his place under the streetlight exposing him to the world.

"I…I'm sure you don't remember me but…"

"Hyuuga Hinata."

Her lowered head shot up to look at him in surprise and seeing her expression almost made him smile, but he had held himself back. She looked like a deer caught by headlights and it was just…adorable.

It took her a moment to get a bit of her composure back. "…Ano…thank you…"

For a moment he was puzzled and wondered if it was because he remembered her. As if she saw that thought pass by, Hinata became flustered.

"Not that you remembered me of course! Not that I'm not thankful about that too! But um..not to say you're rude or anything..but..but…I'm sorry…"

"Pfft.."

He let out a small laugh and it seemed to calm her. She looked at him properly with a soft smile and he was mesmerized by that alone.

"Thank you."

"…"

"Thank you for coming back."

Two simple words…two words that held so much meaning…so much feeling…two words he never thought he'd hear from anyone…especially her. It had almost made him think that maybe she too felt what he felt but that thought had quickly died with her next words.

"Naruto-kun was so happy…"

Sasuke knew she didn't mean to hurt him…how could she when she didn't know…when nobody knew…when even he didn't know…but he'd never been so hurt as now. Overcome by rage in the next second Sasuke could not hold back his words.

"If you're brave enough to tell me such a petty thing why haven't you confessed to that idiot."

In that moment he himself had confessed to her that he knew of her love for Naruto, of her shyness, of her weakness, but it went unnoticed by both as her face turned bright red at the accusation. Sasuke had recognized that it wasn't just embarrassment, but that she has confessed and seeing as to how she didn't immediately look crestfallen, his heart had dropped.

"…"

"..."

Hinata calmed down to say with a sad smile, "I did, but he must have thought of it as a something between friends."

It shouldn't relieved him, but relieve him it did… that fact had made him happy, and for the first time he had been glad his best friend was an idiot.

"I've been thinking of thanking you. We were all worried after finding out about everything that happened and a lot of people had given up hope…but I knew Naruto-kun could do it."

In that moment he had almost told her how he nearly killed the man she loved several times and how even now, he wanted to hurt him.

"But I'm really more thankful to you."

As minute as it was, Sasuke could not hold back his look of surprise.

"Thank you for being strong in all those hard times…I couldn't possibly know or understand the hardships you faced…even just hearing about it what little I heard...I was ashamed of how difficult I felt my life was…"

"…"

"Thinking about how conflicted and difficult it must have been to forgive us…to forgive yourself…"

"…"

"It's a bit silly for me to say this when I don't even know you that well, but I was very happy to hear you were coming back…so thank you."

It was the warmest smile he had ever seen. He had felt like an idiot for getting angry and he took that moment to just stare at her smile, remember it, and lock it away with all his other precious memories. Everyone, even he, thought himself incapable of tears, but in that moment Sasuke felt himself tearing up. As best he could, he said."…Why?"

"…I just felt like you needed it…I've regretted not saying things, not doing things in the past because I was afraid. If I had extended out a hand, had been more confident…then maybe I could have made things better. So I wanted you to know."

Sasuke kept silent; taking in her words he kept his eyes downcast. She gave him that moment of peace and he had been very grateful for it.

"Why aren't you scared of me? Why don't you hate me? I killed a lot of people…I almost killed him…"

He looked up at her again expecting her to flinch, but Hinata only looked more determined.

"Partly because he trusts you. But also because I understand."

"…You're a fool…"

The obvious harmlessness of his words made her giggle.

Sasuke turned away from Hinata to hide the stray tear and he vanished from sight to his current place of stay. That night Sasuke let down the many the burdens upon him fall down with the tears.

It was also that night that he realized he loved her.

It was quite ridiculous really. He only knew about her by silently watching her from afar and having had only one conversation…but that was enough…he had tried denying it once but now…he couldn't.

She had grown so beautifully. No longer did she stutter or lack in confidence. She had become a strong kunoichi and if possible an even kinder person than before. What took him and many others years to realize, it took but a moment for Hinata to see Naruto's qualities. Her ability to see and understand someone such as Naruto…someone such as himself…not to say that she was not attractive, but the beauty which she had within was what made her truly beautiful. And it was because of that…that he did not belong with her…

He now understood Naruto to be a great man and seeing how much she loved him, the only way for her to be truly be happy was for Naruto to be with her. He couldn't do that for her…

He would never admit it to his friend but the only one he knew who deserved such a pure love was Naruto. As much of a hard life he had lived, Naruto had also gone through the same…the difference was in his optimism and the choices he made. His greatest friend and greatest rival. Maybe it was also because of that, that he also felt so jealous. He wanted to follow that dark voice within him…steal her away…

…

….

He had come back for redemption and here he was thinking of stealing what he also knew Naruto desired the most and was also too ignorant to see. It made him think of Sakura and how much she claimed to love him…he didn't love her in the same way but he was willing to try, to be there for her, to marry her for all the sacrifices she made for him.

He'd decided to run away again. Told the others he was going because he wanted to see the world in a new perspective. It wasn't a complete lie as he had been planning to leave, but not so soon and not for so long. At that time he had also set an ultimatum for himself. If Naruto didn't realize or rejected Hinata in realization, if Sasuke's own love for Hinata did not die over this journey, he would pursue her. A part of him understood that Hinata and Sakura's love would not die, so he left it up to Naruto and himself. In the case that things worked out between Naruto and Hinata, even if he still loved her…he would take this love to the grave. He would give them time and hope that things would go well, hope he made the right decision for the first time…

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In his long journey his love had not died. If anything it may have grown. Looking at the sights before him in a with a new perspective Sasuke found himself thinking, imagining Hinata next to him. What he thought she would be awed by he kept in mind.

On Sasuke's travel back to Konoha, he had found an unconscious and beaten Hiashi Hyuuga before him. He could not help but think it was a sign. Here he was going back to Konoha still in love with Hinata and an opportunity, a chance to connect himself with Hinata had fallen at his feet…quite literally.

He quickly trekked back to Konoha, saved the nation from what was apparently a piece of the moon, and patiently waited for Hinata to come; to fall into his arms in tears of gratefulness…or so he thought…

Sasuke had wanted Hinata to approach him first as he felt that to be more appropriate, but in his anticipation in wanting to meet her after so long drove him to take off to where the team would most likely be spotted in coming back from their journey to the moon. Sensing their chakra he looked up to see a sight he had hoped to never see…

Naruto and Hinata sharing a kiss in the light of the moon.

The embarrassment, the betrayal, the pain…it made him numb…He stayed rooted to that same spot for what seemed like centuries…

The one to break that silence was the one person he really did not want to face…in his current state, Sasuke knew he would lose control

"Oooyyy~~~ Sasuke~~~~!"

He turned to look and he saw…a truly happy Naruto. Of course he had seen the idiot smiling all the time but this…this happiness that was radiating off of his friend, it was nothing he'd ever seen before. What Naruto had been looking for his whole life…he had found it. It was of course not because he had come back from his long journey…it was because of her.

If it had been me she was with…would I also have made such a face?

"Oy teme! I heard you came back! Why the hell are you here though?!"

"…"

"Silent treatment already? Heh, well if you didn't do that it wouldn't be you would it. Welcome back man~~!"

"…"

Unfazed by his friend's silence, Naruto's expression changed to a grateful one. The look in his eyes and his posture were serious but his smile was sincere. "Kakashi-sensei told us you saved Hinata's father and Konoha. Thanks a lot."

Naruto continued to talk but only hearing up to that point, Sasuke started to drown him out. He was consumed by resentment.

What he had wanted to hear from Hinata, he was hearing from Naruto. What he had wanted to do with Hinata, he witnessed Naruto and Hinata do. The love he had wanted to share with Hinata, Naruto was the one she shared it with.

"Hinata is with her father right now and she wanted me to relay her thanks to you. She wanted to thank you in person but of course her father comes first. Speaking of Hinata, I wanted you to be the first one to know. You don't know how happy I am you're here right now cause I don't think I could've held it in much longer. Hinata is officially my girlfri-" Before Naruto could finish his sentence a kunai was thrown at his head. It was easily avoided but the act of violence was completely uncalled for. Naruto had imagined his friend wouldn't respond with any kind of enthusiasm save for a maybe a small congratulations, but this reaction was far from what anyone could foresee.

"What the hell teme! No greeting and the first thing you do is try to kill me! I'm trying to tell you something very important! I know you love fighting but couldn't it wait a few seconds!"

He was yelling but Naruto was trying to make light of the situation. He didn't quite know how to react to the shocking response until he saw Sasuke's eyes. His Sharingan was activated.

"You…you do not deserve her."

"…"

"If you were going to take this long to realize, then you should have stayed blind to it."

"…"

"An idiot like you wouldn't have been able to figure it out all on your own. You probably had to have someone shove it at you until you realized."

"..."

"And you, so thirsty for love, so ridden by guilt...that's the only reason why you think you love her."

"…"

Enough was said at that point to push even Naruto over the edge and a moment later the two fought with no real goal but to satisfy their anger. It was not until Sakura intervened that the two were stopped. She and Hinata were going to greet Sasuke from his journey back when they came upon the commotion.

It was unclear whether exhaustion or Sakura's fist knocked them out, but when they had woken up the two ninjas saw the familiar white ceiling of the hospital. Naruto and Sasuke could only listen to Sakura's unending lecturing until Hinata came to their rescue to escort the pink-haired kunoichi out of the room. She sent them both an apologetic look before her exit and it was but a moment, but Sasuke saw Naruto and Hinata exchange a look of a small smile and a blush.

They were the only two patients in that room and knowing that Naruto spoke up first after a few minutes had passed.

"I've always loved her."

Sasuke was taken aback at his friend's confession.

"When we were young, I thought she was weird at first for fainting whenever I got too close, but even then I knew that it was because she admired me…liked me…but I was in denial. All my life I'd been hated, scorned, turned away from...and to think someone might like someone like me…I couldn't believe it..."

"…"

"Confessing to Sakura and getting rejected constantly…that was what I thought I deserved…what felt right. If Sakura had ever accepted and confessed to me, I probably would have rejected her and run away."

"…"

"It was also because I was jealous of all the attention you got that I wanted her to look at me, but I never thought of Sakura like that. Liking her was really the same as how I liked all my other friends. It was just fun to get on her nerves sometimes."

"…"

"Being friends with Hinata though…I thought, this is what it's like to be loved and I was really happy. I felt things I had never felt before and somehow I knew it was what she felt for me, but I knew she would be scorned and hated if I were to accept her. So I strove to become stronger, become the Hokage, someone acknowledged by everyone so that maybe when that happened, we could be together."

"…"

"I was so thankful her feelings never changed over the years and she actually confessed to me...on the battlefield no less...she saved my life knowing she could die...she almost did.."

A great amount of willpower and reasoning with his inner demons kept Sasuke from grabbing Naruto at those words. Somehow he knew he needed to hear his best friends words to the end.

"I was so weak...I lost control..when I thought Pein had killed her something inside me broke and I went berserk, I almost gave into the darkness thinking I would never see her again..."

"..."

"After I calmed down, and when I felt her chakra, knowing she was alive was the greatest feeling, but it was also then that I realized I almost killed her along with everyone else. I knew I couldn't be with her… not until I got control of Kurama's powers, so I trained even more."

"…"

"I knew it hurt her but I feigned ignorance and everyone else seemed to accept that…expect it from me even…because I was afraid."

"…"

"When I did get in control, the war started and when I thought to confess to her after we won, after I had proven myself to the world…Neji died…and I just couldn't do it…"

"…"

"It took a lot of time for the guilt to die down, but when it did, I felt lost and looking at her so mature and strong…I thought I had lost my chance to be with her, that she had moved on but on our mission to the moon, we fell into a genjutsu where I saw her memories with mine and I saw that she still loved me…had loved me…for so long and so I confessed."

"…"

"Funny thing was, I got rejected and I concluded that the genjutsu was simply showing me what I wanted to see…"

"…"

"But after listening to Sakura, after really thinking about it and gaining confidence again, choosing to believe what my heart had been trying to tell me, I confessed again and she wholeheartedly accepted."

"…"

"I was a fool, a coward…and you're right…I don't deserve her…but she loves me…Hah…she loves me…"

Sasuke hadn't looked at Naruto through the whole conversation but he heard the tears within his friend's voice and he knew. Since the beginning of the conversation, reflecting on his own awakening to his feelings, Sasuke had no choice but to admit that he had utterly lost in every way. In Naruto's fits of quiet laughter and tears, Sasuke continued to listen. His friend wasn't a complete idiot after all…

After calming down Naruto continued on. "For all the years I made her wait, for all the love she's had for me, I'm gonna make it up to her and give her the world."

"…"

"I'm also sorry Sasuke…As my best friend, there are a lot of things I'd be willing to give up for you but I will never give up on Hinata."

Sasuke had made many discoveries that day. It was a lot to take in but he knew he had to. Not only had his friend also been in love with Hinata, but he had also been aware of her feelings for him. Naruto and Hinata were now together and now it was time for him to honor his promise…

He did not sleep that night.

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Naruto was set to leave the next morning and as he was about to leave Sasuke spoke to him for the first time.

"Don't fuck it up dobe."

Knowing all the underlying meanings of 'I'll kill you if you fuck this up' and etc., Naruto simply laughed. Turning around and giving him his signature smile he replied, "Of course not teme! Ore wa Naruto dattebayo!"

After his recovery, Sasuke set to leave Konoha again that night and as he took his first step past the border, he heard her voice again.

"Uchiha-san!"

Turning to the direction of her voice he saw her running toward him and so he waited. The distance to her current location from the training field she had been occupying was nothing, but it was only a few minutes ago that Hinata's hours of training were put to a halt as news of Sasuke's departure were made known to her. When she was but a few feet away catching her breath he said, "Call me by my name."

"Hai?" She looked up in surprise to meet his gaze and he spoke again.

"Sasuke."

"Ah, hai! Ano…Sasuke-san."

She had done what he asked but seeing his dissatisfaction, she tried again.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He smiled a little hearing his name in her voice. He had on the same outfit he had on when he came back to Konoha so his smile was hidden by his cloak, but she noticed the shine in his eyes and seeing it she smiled back. It was one of the topics he had planned on confronting her about when he came back, and even under the different circumstances, it was…nice.

"It's pretty ridiculous to be calling your boyfriend's friend so formally."

Her already slightly flushed face had turned an even brighter red at being confronted by Sasuke. Hearing 'boyfriend', Hinata had a quick flashback of her time with Naruto and she suddenly felt rather embarrassed. The remark seemed to revive Hinata's old habit of poking her index fingers together and it made Sasuke chuckle.

"Some things never change."

Catching herself in the act, Hinata quickly hid her hands behind her back and at this point her face reminded him of a tomato. She didn't know it but she was putting the Uchiha in a very tight spot. Dismissing the emerging thoughts Sasuke went on teasing her.

"You look like your about to faint."

She started waving her hands and shaking her head in denial at his accusation.

"I..I'm fine! Really! I'm just a little flustered! I just need to calm down a bit!"

His smirk got wider and he continued to poke fun at her. "If you say so, but how'd you know I was gonna be here? You're not stalking me are you?"

"Oh! No, I…I was…!"

He was smiling inside but his steady, deep voice did not help in any way to alert her that he was only teasing. Seeing how she might really faint at that point, he took a moment to look at her before he called her name.

"Hinata."

As if telling her it was okay, his deep and yet soft-spoken voice calmed her down. Getting back her composure her red face slowly turned to a light blushed pink and she spoke up.

"Naruto-kun told me you'd be leaving again tonight."

'So he wants me to say goodbye…what a bastard…'

Remembering why she had come here in the first place, she took a deep bow before him.

"Thank you. Thank you for saving my father. Thank you for saving Konoha."

A moment passed for Sasuke to understand the scene before him and decide on his response. He closed the distance between them to lift her chin up to face him. "What you have done for me…it cannot measure to what little I have done for you."

To say Hinata was surprised was an understatement. She could not form a response as she could not fathom his actions or words. He towered over her small form but for some reason...she was not alarmed. After a brief time of consideration Hinata thought maybe the words she had shared with him in their first and last conversation had somehow helped him in some way and it made her happy…but somehow, although she could see the hidden thank you within his words, there was something else he seemed to be saying with his eyes. She had never seen Sasuke's obsidian eyes so close. The longing stare held an overwhelming amount of underlying emotions. Before she could fully make sense of it, he let go of her.

Sasuke coveted what little he had shared with Hinata that day. It was a simple gesture of taking his hand away and stepping back, but in that motion, it was his first step to really letting her go. Since it was truly the end, he wanted the moment to linger if just a second more.

Somehow, she understood it was important to him for him to have this distance and she waited a few minutes before asking, "Do you have to go again so soon? You just came back. Sakura-san and Naruto-kun missed you a lot."

"…What about you?"

"Hai?" Hinata was again confounded.

"Did you miss me?"

There it was again…that look in his eyes. As she was about to reply, he cut her off.

"It's because of them that I have to leave." It's because of you…

It didn't make sense but Hinata didn't question him.

"Tell Sakura I'm sorry…and Hinata…"

"Hai?"

"…I hope you're happy."

"…"

"Sayonara."

Before she could say her goodbye, he had gone. Sending a silent farewell in his direction Hinata stood in the same spot for some time pondering what he had meant. As she could not come up with a clear explanation Hinata could only give up and turn away, but the question of how Sasuke knew of her old habits persisted in the back of the kunoichi's mind.

A/N: Thank you for reading. I wanted to write something completely based on the canon to show the possibility of Sasuhina and making better sense of Naruhina's love story. I hope you enjoyed it.