All artwork belongs to the wonderful artists and the characters do not belong to me. <3
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Itachi stood against an old wisteria tree, watching the scene play before his eyes.
It was his wedding day. The Hyuga compound was decorated lavishly, with paper lanterns strung across the trees and bright flowers decorating the reception area. The air was filled with a sweet floral smell, and the wind scattered fragile sakura petals over the garden. It was a truly beautiful sight.
Wedding guests conversed around the Hyuga gardens, their eyes wide as they scanned the impressive site around them. It was a grand wedding with no expenses spared. Hyuga Hiashi made sure of this: the union of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans was a momentous event, after all. And after seeing the mass destruction a handful of Uchiha were able to bring during the 4th Shinobi War, Hiashi wanted to ensure the success of the union. The wedding was beautiful and the Hyuga head did an amazing job, but Itachi found all the commotion unnecessary. He would have preferred to have a small, private wedding with only his loved ones present. And he knew Hinata shared his opinion. It was one of the reasons Itachi fell in love with the Hyuga ex-heiress and later asked Hiashi for her hand in marriage.
Hyuga Hinata was not superficial, not in the least bit. She looked deeper than what was at surface-level. Hinata looked beyond gossip and the prejudices held by many Konoha residents. That was why she was so forgiving towards the Uchiha brothers.
Itachi miraculously survived his fight with Sasuke. He was brought extremely close to death and suffered life-altering injuries, but his Akatsuki partner Kisame found him in such pathetic state on a table in "Madara's" lair. Sasuke had taken his eyes, and Itachi later had Sasuke's eyes implanted in their stead. Itachi was well-aware of the effects of overusing the Sharingan and was able to reverse some of the damage to Sasuke's original eyes. His visual prowess never returned to its original glory, but Itachi Uchiha remained as one of the strongest shinobi in history.
Itachi recovered his strength while the 4th Shinobi War was brewing. He was believed to be dead by Tobi and Sasuke, and he planned to keep it that way until the peak of the war.
He made his grand re-appearance during the fight with Tobi, aiding the past Hokage to the best of his ability. Itachi's presence and obvious loyalty to the Allied Shinobi Forces came as a shock to everyone present. Before the Edo Tensei was lifted, Hiruzen, the third Hokage, confided in Naruto, Tsunade, and a few other Konohagakure shinobi that Itachi was, indeed, innocent. After the war, Itachi was reinstated as a Konohagakure shinobi and allowed to reside back in his clan district. It brought back harsh memories of his past sins, but he forced himself to stay as a form of repentance.
Although they both played major roles in the war and prevented a lot of further bloodshed, the Uchiha brothers were not received well by the people of Konoha. They were met with harsh glares and rude whispering every time they made a public appearance. Even some of fellow shinobi refused to work with them. He never admitted it to his brother or any of their comrades, but Itachi was hurt by the way the villagers acted. He had sacrificed so much for Konoha, but nobody seemed to understand.
Itachi was proven wrong one day in the market-most people did not understand but there were some who understood and appreciated his sacrifice. The first person Itachi encountered who truly understood was Hyuga Hinata, the heiress.
While shopping for groceries (because he was never treated kindly at restaurants), Itachi was met with the common harsh treatment. He placed his basket full of groceries on the counter for the shop owner to count before reaching in his wallet for proper payment. After counting the correct amount, Itachi looked up to the severe glare of the shop owner.
