Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Clones	By : Perpetual159 Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female > Naruto/Hinata Views: 11145 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Disclaimer: Naruto is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto with an anime adaptation. The manga is published by Shueisha in Japan, and Viz Media in the United States, Canada, and UK, and it is serialized by Shonen Jump. The TV anime is directed by Hayato Date, and licensed by Aniplex in Japan, Viz Media in the United States, and Manga Entertainment in the UK. I make no profit out of this piece of literature, for it is only a simple labor of love.
Chapter I
Naruto panted, exhausted as he rolled onto his back. The bed sheets under him clung to his sweaty skin somewhat uncomfortably. This discomfort, however, did not take away from the blissful effects that afterglow brought to him after making love with Hinata.
"Oh, wow�!" he heaved.
He felt the careful movements of his wife shifting to press herself against him, placing the palm of her hand on his chest, above his rapidly beating heart.
"Naruto-kun�?"
Naruto snaked his arm under her and pulled her to him greedily, holding on tightly, almost jealous of the bed sheets under her that clung to her skin more than him.
She was so cute� trying her hardest to suppress her own panting, almost as if hoping her efforts would keep from disturbing him.
Naruto liked to consider himself an expert in recognizing the many different ways she touched him, and at that moment, her touch manifested a sense of elated awe. It was as though she could hardly believe he actually belonged to her� that he was there with her� happily loving her, holding her tightly. It was beyond his comprehension how Hinata could feel so much and love him as deeply as she did, but he didn't question it; he cherished it. He loved her just as much; so much to the point that just thinking about her left him breathless.
"Yeah�?" he replied, breathing deeply to control his enraptured heartbeat.
"Are you okay, Naruto-kun?" she asked quietly, now tracing her fingertips over his abs, his chest, and finally cupping his cheek. He could feel the trails of goose bumps her teasing touch left in its wake.
He turned his head and looked at her, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Never better," he assured, stealing a kiss from her lips. When he pulled back, he gave her that ridiculous smile of his. "You were something else, Hinata-chan�"
She blushed brightly, turning her gaze away from his, embarrassed with the way he "complimented" her.
Naruto smirked. It really baffled him how shy she still acted around him sometimes. It wasn't the first time they had made love, and surely it wasn't going to be the last time! Nevertheless, when she loved him, her touch could be as teasing as it was of adoration, and�even if it was hardly noticeable anymore�sometimes he could still sense a bit of insecurity. He knew she longed to touch him and hold him to her without reservations�there was always part of her that held her back, keeping her from indulging and completely letting go. Neither doubted how deeply they loved each other, but he could almost read her mind when she looked at him with that uncertain, yet loving gaze. He knew she was thinking she didn't deserve him but couldn't help herself because he made her so happy, but as far as Naruto was concerned, he was as perfect for her as she was for him.
When he asked her to marry him, he was surprised to discover that, at first, she had been more shocked than she had been happy. She had asked him, "Are you sure?" and he had looked at her wide-eyed. Her response hadn't been exactly what he expected, but the more he looked at her, the less reasons he had to be worried. In fact, after her state of stupor dwindled, for the first time in her life, Hyuuga Hinata had dismissed her prim and proper inhibitions and actually tackled him. Suffice it to say, she had been absolutely ecstatic, and so had Naruto, of course. Days after, she would look at him with a gaze of elated awe, as if she could hardly believe it.
It made his heart soar.
Over time, Hinata had made great strides in overcoming her shyness around him, and everyone else for that matter. She had virtually stopped stuttering�well, for the most part, anyway. If he put his mind to it and felt playful enough, it wasn't very hard for Uzumaki Naruto to embarrass his wife. In the grand scheme of things, he reasoned that if Hinata wasn't at least a tiny bit shy�or reserved, to be more accurate�then it wasn't really Hinata. Still, he couldn't help it if a part of him wished that, at least from time to time, she wasn't reserved with him at all. He already knew so much about her, but he really wanted to know all there was to know about Hyuuga Hinata.
He silently berated himself for having what could probably be considered unrealistic desires, accusing himself being too selfish. Hinata had already given so much of herself to him, and like everyone else, she was entitled to keep whatever part of her to herself. That he had given himself entirely to her�never holding anything back�had been his choice, and it was unfair of him to expect the same from her.
But still�
He sighed, supposing it couldn't be helped. Being reserved was a major aspect of her personality�her trademark, so to speak, or at least one of the most prominent ones�and despite it all, it had been one of the main things that eventually drew him to her.
She intrigued him, actually. He wanted to know why all the mystery.
He discovered very quickly that this wasn't going to be easy and considered his courting like an adventure into finding out who she really was under all those layers of quiet modesty. That's not to say he didn't find this quest to be a bit frustrating sometimes, but it wasn't that big of a deal, and he made sure to never let that faze him, because despite it all, he had no regrets in choosing to spend the rest of his life with her.
He heard Hinata sigh� a sigh that if he didn't know better, depicted how secretly pleased she was.
Naruto smirked. Although he felt he was still missing something�however small it was�he was still pretty proud of how good he had become in deciphering her little gestures and quirks. He was an expert at interpreting and identifying the many different ways she sighed, laughed, or looked at him�just to mention a few�and as her husband, he certainly had plenty of bragging rights. No one knew her as well as he did. Not Kurenai-sensei, not her old teammates, not her little sister, and certainly not her father.
He nuzzled the bangs against her forehead before placing a moist, lingering kiss against her temple.
No doubt about it. Hinata was an amazing lover. He didn't have any past experiences to compare her to, and yet he couldn't imagine himself in the arms of another woman.
But Hinata was so much more than just his lover.
She was his wife, his best friend, his most precious person. She was the one he loved beyond comprehension, and for a long time, he had been so inconceivably foolish.
If there was anything Uzumaki Naruto would ever regret, it would be how close he'd been too missing out on Hinata and all the joy she brought into his life, and all because his own stubbornness was hell-bent on denying him the chance at happiness. Lucky him, she had come along at just the right time, convincing him otherwise without really meaning to or even knowing she had.
Naruto felt silly for ever considering the possibility he'd never be able to fall in love after finally coming to terms with the fact that Sakura would never look his way. He had always hoped that in time, she would come to appreciate his devotion and loyalty and have a change of heart. But it didn't turn out that way, and just like when he was a teenager, he could never understand why. He tried to, he really did, but eventually he just let it go.
Not surprising, he finally figured out the answer with Hinata. They hadn't been dating, yet, from what he could recall, but he remembered his feelings for her had been steadily evolving from simple esteem into something deeper. He couldn't remember what it was that they had been talking about, either, or what brought it up. All he remembered was that she had said it in passing, never imagining her words would have such an impact for him.
"It's the strangest thing," she had remarked, "but the heart actually doesn't need to rationalize why it loves. It doesn't matter how good or bad, how attractive or plain, how quiet or loud, how weak or strong, how funny or boring, or even how weird or normal a person is; a heart just loves. Deep down, neither virtues nor flaws have anything to do with it. Only the mind and its prejudices cares about those things. The mind is one capricious little thing," she had mused with a small smile, "always at war with the heart because of biases and outside influences that aren't always a good thing. It's for those very reasons the mind always has a difficult time accepting someone's flaws, resulting in conflicting emotions and heartache. But the heart is a funny thing." She had smiled, and his eyes had widened, shocked with the boldness of her declaration.
"The heart has a tendency to be stronger," she continued, "and if stubborn enough, then it convinces the mind to look beyond those flaws, or simply learn to cherish them. Of course," she smiled again, "things are always easier when the heart and the mind are on the same page. To begin with, we always take an interest in people because of how we think, what we like, what we respect, admire, and appreciate, but the heart always has the final word. Only the heart can decide who we love, and who we fall for. How it does that, I don't know; all I know is that it does."
Still, Naruto struggled to believe it at first�there was no way people would chose to ignore others' flaws!�but when he really thought about it, it actually made sense. He was, after all, the type to wear his heart on his sleeves, and one to always look beyond all the superficialities and appreciate people regardless of their shortcomings.
Imagine that!
Taking in his revelation, and her words into consideration, it wasn't so hard to believe it anymore. Furthermore, as a teenager, he could never understand how he continued to desire Sakura's affections when she made it perfectly clear she wasn't interested and never had qualms about beating the daylights out of him.
How stubborn that big, silly heart of his had been, he mused chuckling. For a while he had wondered if he had been a masochist.
Looking back on it now, he still loved Sakura. He would always love her, but not in the way he thought he did during his adolescent years. He loved her like the sister he never had, much the same way he loved Sasuke like a brother. He got in their faces, worked his way into their hearts, not giving them a choice in the matter, and before they knew it, they had become a family, Kakashi-sensei included. Once Naruto came to terms with how his and Sakura's friendship turned out, he had been surprised at how easy it had been to move on.
In the meantime, even before becoming Hokage, Naruto wasn't alone because he couldn't find a girl. On the contrary, he was well aware of the so-called "Naruto Fan Club," composed of both civilian and kunoichi alike. He had been flattered by the attention at first, but eventually grew weary of it, especially after he was declared Tsunade's successor. When word about him being the next Hokage got out, the number of fangirls grew, propagating throughout the village and most likely beyond. Hell, even he knew that Gaara, for example, had fangirls in Konoha!
At any rate, the only reason Naruto wasn't clueless about the girls' interest in him was because they had been rather forward�vicious against the competition, even�and on occasion, straight out shameless. It was disappointing to watch. He knew their affections weren't entirely genuine, so he'd been happy to have enough work to keep him busy at the Hokage Tower.
But life had other plans for him.
Hyuuga Hinata.
Probably the last woman he ever expected to fall for, let alone as hard as he had.
When he began thinking about her in the beginning, it had really been incidental. As always, he would see her at the village council meetings, and for the life of him, he could never understand why she would get so red around him. Sure, his fangirls also blushed whenever they came across him, but they had oftentimes thrown themselves at him as well, which was something Hinata never did, so he saw no need to categorize her as a fangirl. Furthermore, he never picked up any strange vibes from her like he did from all those other girls. She was always kind, overly respectful, and even if she was one of his biggest supporters at the council meetings, he figured that was only because they were good friends and knew each other since childhood.
So, he had to wonder� was she allergic to ramen, or maybe even him? It sounded silly at first, but over time, he discovered that there were two main reasons why Hinata would ever put a tomato to shame: embarrassment, and his mere presence.
Naruto was certainly no medical expert, so he approached Sakura and asked her about any possible allergic reaction to ramen. There was just no way he alone could be a source for allergies, and since he was so addicted to the dish, even he could tell the scent of the food stuck to him. When she questioned his curiosity, he explained his concern was due to Hinata turning red every time he was around.
Not surprising, he was even more confused when Sakura burst out laughing, shooing him away and ordering him to stop being such an idiot and to use his brain for a change. Sakura's lack of concern for Hinata annoyed him as much as the fact that he got no answers.
A few days later, and hoping he'd be taken a little more serious, Naruto once again expressed his concern. He insisted there had to be something wrong with him. Earlier that same day, he had to stand particularly close to the Hyuuga clan leader at the council meeting. He seriously thought the poor girl's head was going to burst from how quickly the blood rushed to her face, and how it stayed there the entire time. It wasn't about ramen anymore, he determined. He had yet to slurp any that day�it was still early�and he was even wearing a clean set of Hokage robes. There was absolutely no trace of ramen on him, so that had to be it.
Hinata was allergic to him.
Pouting, he explained that she probably didn't say anything or move away because she was such a nice person and didn't want to make him feel bad. Naruto recalled how Sakura had laughed again and shook her head as she listened to his story. It wasn't the ludicrousness of his story that made it so funny, but his gullibility.
Naruto remembered how, slumping in his chair, he had crossed his arms and glared at Sakura, who had been at the verge of falling off her seat from laughing even harder when she saw his face. Finally, after clearing her tears and taking deep breaths to subdue any remaining giggles, she urged him to use a little common sense and to be a little more observant.
But her cryptic explanations had only made him snap.
"Is she allergic to me or not!" He didn't have time for lallygagging, and if he already knew, he wouldn't have been wasting his time or hers.
"Don't yell in the hospital, you idiot!" Sakura ordered after she had walked around her desk to bonk him on the head.
"Owww! Why'd you have to do that!" he asked, frowning in pain and massaging the growing lump.
"Naruto� Hinata is not allergic to you," Sakura stated with conviction and that stare of hers that always made him feel like a moron. "Nor is she allergic to ramen. I've seen the girl hanging around Ichiraku's more times than I care to remember, and so have you."
"Then what's wrong with her!"
"You keep yelling in here, I'll make sure your hospital visit won't have anything to do with your concern for Hinata's health!" Sakura threatened with annoyance. Finally when she saw him cower and calm down, she smiled. "Naruto� why don't you go ahead and ask her or something?" Good luck trying to get an answer out of her, though, Sakura thought to herself, snickering. "You're the only person who doesn't know why she is the way she is around you."
"You mean you know?"
Sakura sighed exasperatedly. "Naruto, everyone knows!"
Smiling at the memory, Naruto looked down at the Hyuuga leader's shiny, long mane. He also remembered that after leaving the hospital, he had decided he'd look for Hinata and ask her once and for all what the deal with her blushing was.
Finding her proved to be a lot easier than he had anticipated. Strolling down the street, perplexed, he had wondered if the lavender-eyed clan leader had clones of herself throughout the village because, if he didn't catch a glimpse of her in just about every corner he turned, he would catch her hiding behind boulders, random stacks of boxes, vendor carts, and even beam poles.
That was weird. Could she be stalking him?
If so, why?
He was under the impression that she'd always be cooped up at the Hyuuga estate running her clan, but, of course, at the time he didn't know Hinata made it her mission to spend any given amount of free time tailing after her long-time crush, if only but to get a glimpse. The little activity simply made her day, and as far as the "Naruto Fan Club" was concerned, they never gave Hinata much thought. They knew she blushed at the mere thought of him, and could barely speak to him without stuttering, so they didn't even consider her serious competition.
When Naruto finally decided to approach her, he acted like his normal, loud self and greeted her with that goofy grin of his that never failed him.
"Hiya, Hinata! Wha'cha doin'?"
"Eep!" Immediately the soft paleness of her cheeks turned into a bright crimson. She turned slowly to face her childhood crush and prayed his question was just a formality. "Hello, Ho-� Hokage-sama�" God, how she wished she would stop stuttering once and for all!
"Hinata�!" he chided, like a child about to throw a tantrum. "How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Naruto? You know you being all proper to me is just stupid! We've known each other ever since we were kids."
"I'm� I'm s-sorry, Naruto-sama! Please forgive my insolence!" she begged, bowing rigidly.
Naruto groaned. "Man, Hinata! Will you stop it already? You're making me feel like some old fart or something! I'm only 25!"
Hinata straightened carefully, literally with the downcast eyes of a puppy that just had one of those accidents which required newspapers.
"Anyway� what were you doing around here, anyway? I figured you'd be busy with clan stuff."
"I� I� I was�"
"Hey! I was on my way to Ichiraku's. You wanna come?" Well, he had been meaning to go eat, but he got sidetracked when he decided to try getting an answer out of Sakura at the hospital.
She nodded shyly, thankful for Naruto's short attention span when food beckoned, and they crossed the street to the humble establishment.
Twiddling her fingers, Hinata sat next him as he shouted an ungodly ramen order to Teuchi and Ayame, who simply grinned and said, "Coming right up!"
Hinata, on the other hand, managed to whisper something along the lines of miso ramen, to which Ayame smiled and winked at her.
Naruto relaxed on his bar stool and looked at Hinata with those deep and vivid blue eyes of his� the same ones that were practically the light of her world. She couldn't help but to blush fiercely, and to cover for her nervousness, she pretended to be interested in an almost microscopic scratch on the tabletop, fiddling with her fingers.
"Hey, Hinata�?"
"Yes�?"
"Are you nervous?"
If it were possible, Hinata wished that a hole could appear and swallow her at that very instant. When had Naruto become so observant? She supposed that, at one point or another, the Hokage would eventually learn a thing or two about assessing people's body language, and chided herself for not giving her crush enough credit. Though Hinata was used to him being so impulsive, she had hoped he'd at least never be perceptive enough to see the nervous wreck she was.
"Naruto-kun� I mean, Naruto-sama!� No, I'm� I'm okay�"
"Hmm� if you say so� I mean, you do look like I make you uncomfortable, or maybe you're worried about something�" His brow furrowed in deep thought, and then he looked at her closely. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Hinata looked anywhere but his eyes. She knew if she took another look at those beautiful blue pools�especially as close as they were�she'd start getting dizzy.
As she thought of a response, she immediately noticed how uncharacteristically quiet Ayame and Teuchi were while taking care of Naruto's massive order. No doubt they were eavesdropping on their conversation. Great...
"Y-yes� Naruto-sama, I'm okay."
"Oooookay�" He was not convinced, but he would let it go for now. He then smiled. "Ano sa, ano sa! How's the clan doing, and all?" Maybe she'd relax a bit if he changed the subject.
Hinata allowed herself to sigh almost sullenly. "As good as it could get, I suppose." Her blush expanded briefly, surprised she didn't stutter.
"Hmm�" Naruto nodded. Not a good topic, either, I guess.
"Well, could be worse, I guess� I mean, I hardly ever get the chance to talk to clan leaders one-on-one these days. Even if I see you guys at the village council meetings, I always have to go right back to my office once those are done and assign missions, complete paperwork, and do all kinds of other Hokage stuff that keeps me busy, so this is a nice change of pace."
Hinata had to smile at his way of expressing himself. He was still a child at heart, and, unsurprisingly, it was one of the things she loved the most about him. Other leaders would have rephrased his statement with something along the lines of "I've been rather occupied with village matters that I seldom get the opportunity to confer with clan leaders"� or something like that. It was, in fact, exactly that kind of talk she got a heavy dose of any time she had to interact with Hyuuga elders. She could swear they were trying to cast a Nehan Shouja no Jutsu on her sometimes.
To hear Naruto express himself so lightly about running the village�which indeed was very serious business�was refreshing, and in a way, made it seem a lot easier than it actually was. She loved the way he tackled every situation at the Hokage Tower with a goofy grin and such an undaunted determination that allowed him to overcome the most trying situations.
"Ne, ne!" Naruto nudged her with his elbow, a playful grin on his lips. "How are Neji and Tenten doing? I heard that he popped the question!"
Hinata smiled, happy to engage in a lighter topic. "They are doing well. Tenten is very excited."
"Heh! I bet she is. You could tell a mile away she had the hots for him," he remarked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Hinata smiled kindly, but deep down, his words slightly dismayed her. It was ironic, really. Everyone knew that the Hyuuga leader had "the hots" for the Hokage.
Can't he tell that a mile away?
"I guess�" she said quietly.
Naruto might have been as dense as a rock, but he knew sadness when he saw it.
"Hey� are you okay? You seem so blue all of a sudden�"
Hinata only slumped further, and if she hadn't been too self-conscious at the moment, she would've turned into a little ball.
"I'm okay�" she almost whispered.
"Um... ooookay�" He regarded her with a deep frown and scratched the back of his head. Did he say something he wasn't supposed to? He could've sworn that was a "happy" subject!
Ayame and Teuchi both brought platters full of ramen bowls�all of which were Naruto's except for one�with disappointed expressions written all over their features. They only wished Naruto wasn't so thick, and that the Hyuuga girl wasn't so spineless. The two would make such a cute couple, at least they thought. Furthermore, they concurred that the two deserved to be happy after all the hardships they both had to endure; hardships in very different ways, but difficult nonetheless.
Naruto, very much aware that the girl next to him was not okay, donned his best goofy grin and told himself that he would do whatever it took to cheer her up� even if it meant making clones pop out as clowns and act like dorks in front of her for the sake of comic relief.
"Hey!" he said with excitement. "Food's here!"
Ayame and Teuchi smiled as they set the platters full of bowls in front of their customers. "Enjoy!"
"You bet'cha!" Naruto said with excitement as he reached across to grab two pairs of chopsticks, chanting: "Itadakimasu!"
Hinata took one of the pair of chopsticks he gave her, giggling at his excitement over ramen and muttering a shy, "Itadakimasu."
When Naruto heard her giggle, his ramen-loaded chopsticks stopped halfway and he turned to watch her giggle� to observe her quiet mannerisms and the simple, yet elegant way she carried herself. He knew the way she moved was probably the result of being a Hyuuga. When he looked at her, fancy words like "regal" or "princess" would come to mind. But that was beside the point. What he noticed the most was that when she smiled, she was very pretty. Her delicate skin took on a gorgeous glow, and there was a sudden gleam in her eyes, one which he assumed only appeared when she was truly happy and at peace, even if it was for a fleeting second.
When she noticed she was intently being watched by the loud, hyperactive ninja, she stopped giggling and fiddled with her chopsticks.
Naruto took note of all of this, recognizing that him watching her the way he was now�almost as if entranced�made her particularly uncomfortable. He looked at the noodles he had been holding halfway to his mouth, and finally decided to consume them.
Well, ain't that something? he thought to himself.
Was he really the only one she had a problem with? But that didn't make any sense. He had always supported her and cheered her on, and she had always been nice to him, so he never got the impression that he ever inconvenienced her. Plus, he knew she didn't act that way with everyone else. Sure, she was still quiet, but never nervous.
What's so different about me? he asked himself.
They both sat eating their ramen in silence�Hinata worried more about not making a fool of herself and Naruto engrossed in his own thoughts.
One thing is for certain, Naruto decided, I know very little about her, but I'm curious. I want to get to know her, not just in passing, or talking about work during council meetings, but become her real friend and maybe find out why she gets all wound up around me.
"Ano� Hinata�?" He watched as she flinched when he spoke, and couldn't help but to smirk. Despite how strange it was, it was still kind of funny how jumpy she was around him.
"Yes, Hokage�I mean, Naruto-sama?"
"Can I ask you something�?" Here it is, the moment of truth�
Unconsciously, the shy girl had put her chopsticks aside and started fiddling with her fingers. What could he possibly want to know?
Not trusting herself to speak, she simply nodded, and hoped he wouldn't drop a bomb on her� in a manner of speaking.
In the kitchen, Teuchi and Ayame suddenly dropped everything they had been doing and turned to very intently watch the pair from the window, hoping the knucklehead Hokage would ask something promising for a change.
"Ano�" He took a deep breath as he tried to think of the best way to ask his question. "Why are you always so nervous around me�? I mean� you always start blushing like crazy and� and then sometimes you even pass� Hinata�? Hinata!" Naruto watched as the poor girl started swaying in all directions until eventually her eyes rolled up and she tipped back.
"What the hell did I say?" he asked no one in particularly as he scrambled to check on the passed out clan leader.
Teuchi and Ayame couldn't help but to sigh in disappointment again and shake their heads sadly.
Naruto, on the other hand, couldn't decide whether to be glad or sad that she had fallen back. Had she fallen forward, her face would've no doubt landed in the steaming ramen bowl. He supposed he could live with the lump on her head. It would eventually go down, whereas any burns would mar that flawless, beautiful skin of hers.
Wait�
Beautiful? Naruto thought with a frown and a blush he probably didn't even know he had. Well, there's no doubt she's pretty cute. I mean, all you have to do is look closely enough and you'll�
He cradled her petite body against his, curiously awed as he regarded her features. Her milky skin was pretty delicate, after all.
Slowly, an idiotic grin spread on his lips.
With Hinata blacked out, the eternal redness that seemed to always adorn her face had faded and was replaced with a lovely and tranquil expression, and what a difference! Well, not that her blushing made her ugly or anything�quite frankly it was kinda cute and funny in its own way if you asked him, even if before he used to think it was just plain weird. But with her blush came a look of anxiety that tended to distract him and sometimes make him restless because he always got the feeling he somehow had something to do with it.
The peaceful expression that washed over her features took his breath away. He recognized that if Hinata wasn't as shy or jumpy as she was, and perhaps made an effort to look at ease, or even confident, for that matter, there'd be plenty of guys in and outside the village trailing after her like lost little puppies, hopelessly in love.
This made him frown, and it made him feel oddly protective of her. The idea of horny men trailing after his shy friend did not sit well with him at all. Hinata was just too sweet and she always saw the best in people without ever questioning their motives. He imagined she'd find herself in a tight situation�he just knew how devious and sleazy some men could be�and even if he knew she was quite capable of taking care of herself, still�
He cocked his head to the side curiously. Maybe, if he got to know her better, he'd be able to spend more time with her and his presence would automatically discourage any idiot from getting fresh with her. After all, if they knew Hinata was a personal friend's of the Rokudaime, would they really want to risk upsetting one of his precious people?
That wouldn't be so bad, would it?
And, hey, maybe in the process he'd help her unfold all that confidence he knew she had kept underneath all that modesty and self-consciousness she�intentionally or not�layered herself with.
His shoulders sagged. Are you even paying attention to the things going through your mind right now?
He looked at her and took a deep breath. Well, he did feel a little guilty that his interest in her hadn't been piqued until he saw her so relaxed, or how much cuter than usual he found her for that matter. But then again, he defensively thought to himself, better late than never!
So she was really pretty if she relaxed a bit�he nodded in agreement, grinning like an idiot again�and she was also pretty strong when she wanted to be�another nod, there was no doubt about that; he had always known that. Now it was a matter of unveiling her personality for what it truly was because, quite frankly, he was intrigued after his unexpected discovery.
He carefully lifted her like a bride and watched as she unconsciously burrowed her face into his chest like a little child, whimpering slightly. The simple gesture filled his heart with a gentle, maybe tender, emotion he couldn't quite describe; like his heart had melted, or something of the sort. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. All he knew was that he suddenly wanted to snuggle her, wrap her in his arms and squeeze her tightly until he heard that adorable squeak of hers, and then play with her fringes as he brushed it aside to kiss her forehead softly.
He immediately looked away from the unconscious clan leader, blushing brightly.
What the heck has gotten into you, Uzumaki! Being single is really starting to get to you! This is Hinata we're talking about!
Taking a deep breath�and quite frankly ignoring his logic�, he stood up and, still with the shy leader in his grasp, sat on his barstool, looking at her innocent features again. He might not get her to squeak right then and there, but there were other things he could do. Smiling gently, he moved one of his hands to her face where it lingered longer than necessary and boldly caressed her cheek tenderly. He watched as she took what seemed to be a contented sigh, and his smile turned into a grin.
It was truly surprising how a little patience could do wonders for him. Ten years ago�or hell, five years ago, even�he would've been exasperated and frustrated with her meekness and fainting. But after becoming Hokage, Naruto had taken a keen interest in understanding personalities, interpreting people's emotions, and�as Kakashi loved to say�looking beneath the underneath. Though� to his disappointment, he still had a long way to go. Luckily, he wasn't as bad as Sai.
But no matter! Hinata was different. She was a walking contradiction. She was stubborn, yet obliging and kind. She was strong and courageous, yet she flinched when he got loud or fiddled with her fingers whenever he put her on the spot, and that was only the beginning.
He couldn't wait to really get to know her, and he would, because he knew Hinata would never dream of defying the Hokage's requests. Okay, okay, so maybe he was pulling his weight a little, but he figured it was okay as long as it was for a greater cause.
He grimaced slightly. He only hoped that curiosity didn't kill the fox like it did the cat� or the mouse� or� yeah� he could go on, but it would do him no good.
Regarding her once again with a tender smile, he shook his head. How could he have missed what had been so obvious for so long? Hinata really was captivating in that adorable way of hers that only she could pull off. In the past, he didn't have an eye for that sort of thing, but he supposed he finally grew up.
"Well, what do you know?" he mumbled, grinning goofily and scratching the back of his head. "Hinata's actually kind of cute!"
Teuchi and Ayame grinned from ear to ear and sighed in relief as they watched the scene unfold before their very eyes.
"Well, what do you know?" Ayame retorted back sarcastically. "It's about damned time!"
Jutsu Name
Nenha Shouja no Jutsu (Temple of Nirvana Technique) - a Genjutsu technique that allows the caster to place a large body of people into an unconscious state. The target can avoid the spell by forming and using the dispel skill. Used by Kabuto during the Chunin exam right before the Sound Invasion.
Perpetual's Corner:
Many thanks to eternalshiva and TimeShifter, who are both working tirelessly with me in this new version of Clones. Also, many thanks to Juopunumies and SpacePirateGirl who edited the old version of Clones (chapters one through seven), before I decided start this new version. Even if that is no longer the main version, their suggestions and edits were still very helpful. I would be remiss to not thank them for their support and for their willingness to share their knowledge and time improving this humble project of mine.
To the readers, thank you for staying loyal, reviewing, favoring, and/or placing Clones on alert. Your enthusiasm (AND patience) is truly appreciated.
Oh, before I forget: I received a few PM's asking if I was changing everything entirely. I have answered these queries personally, but for those who are wondering, or may be disappointed that I am re-writing this whole story, you'll be happy to learn that my answer is no. I am not changing the main concept of this story. Several ideas from the original story will remain, but they will be told differently, and hopefully more efficiently.
I hope you have enjoyed this new "Chapter I." As always, your thoughts, questions, comments, critiques, etc., are welcome! :-3
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Clones