Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

ᗰOᑎᔕTEᖇ	By : Sessakag Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female > Naruto/Hinata Views: 44706 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Chapter Two
Hero

June 20, 2007

Naruto groaned, turning away from the luminous rays of light peeking through his curtains, disturbing his slumber. His eyelids opened half mast, lazily taking in the brightly lit room. The sounds of the rebuild effort beyond the walls of his bedroom reached his ears.
Reconstruction of Konoha was an ongoing but surprisingly quick endeavor.
Guess that was to be expected in a village of ninja, though poor Yamato-Taichou was running himself ragged providing wood and helping his fellow doton shinobi with landscaping. The rebuild was not only physical, but psychological. Working together, helping one another, being there for each other, went a long way towards repairing the wounds inflicted on the hearts and spirits of those that had witnessed and lived through the destruction Nagato had wrought with the Six Paths of Pain.
Direct attacks on the village had happened before, would unfortunately happen again, yet when placed side by side, even the previous attack on the village during the chunin exams, in which many shinobi lost their lives, most noteworthy of all, the Third Hokage, had not been nearly as traumatic as what had happened just weeks before.
The relative peace the villagers lived in had aided in the sense of safety they’d felt before Pain.
It was easy to forget how dangerous the world was beyond the walls of Konoha, how truly vulnerable they were and brought the harsh reality of shinobi life to the forefront in a way that couldn’t be ignored. The people of the Leaf had developed a new found appreciation for the ninja that put their lives on the line every single day. One ninja in particular was on the receiving end of their over zealous gratitude.
Turning over on his back, Naruto placed an arm over his eyes.
For a guy that had grown up largely ignored and sometimes out right hated, a guy that had fought his entire life for recognition and admiration, now that he had it, he wasn’t basking in the attention like he thought he would, but rather, he was avoiding it.
As thanks for his part in defeating Pain, his apartment had been one of the top priorities for reconstruction after the Hokage tower and hospital. The gesture had embarrassed rather than pleased him. It felt really selfish for him to have a fully functional home while everyone else were relegated to tents and makeshift shelters. He’d felt equally bad to decline the gesture, not wanting to seem ungrateful.
It was a confusing situation, one he’d never been in before, didn’t know how to deal with.
Hell, he was even worse when random people called out to him as though he were a cherished friend, smiling and laughing with him, asking for his autograph and to tell them the story of his epic battle with Pain.
It felt unfamiliar and to be completely honest, unwelcome.
Their actions felt suspicious. He was weary of the u-turn the villagers had made regarding his presence, in no way convinced the praise they lavished on him was genuine, that it’d last long.
He didn’t want to get used to this feeling of being admired and accepted only to be launched back into loneliness and indifference when the warm feelings wore off. When people remembered why they hated him the first place. When they remembered the failure he’d always been.
His teeth clenched.
Frustrated with his train of though, he sprang up, throwing the blankets off.
When had he become so moody and broody?
Who was he?
Sasuke?
No!
He was Uzumaki Naruto!
The guy who was gonna bring Sasuke back and then become the greatest Hokage that ever lived!
“Right!” he exclaimed with a nod.
Naruto slapped his cheeks before raising his fists with renewed determination. He wasn’t afraid of anything! He’d meet any challenge head on!
Nothing was gonna stop him!
“What the heck are you doing?”
Naruto turned.
Sakura was leaning inside his window, chin in hand, her face conveying annoyed confusion. A blush crept up his neck and into his cheeks. It seemed like he was always making a fool of himself in front of her.
“S-Sakura-chan, good morning,”
She sighed, ignoring his greeting.
“Tsunade-sama is calling for us. Probably another mission to buy more food rations and supplies from neighboring villages. She’s been putting all ninja on a rotation of building and supply runs. Looks like its our turn,”
“Really????” Naruto enthused.
Perfect timing.
This was his chance to get out of the village, away from all the fawning attention and clear his head. Once he had a chance to think things over, he was sure he’d figure out how to deal with all this.
“Let’s do it!” he proclaimed, rolling up his sleeve and holding up his fist for emphasis.
Sakura seemed less than impressed with his show of enthusiasm.
“Umm, you may wanna get dressed first. Somehow I don’t think pajamas are appropriate attire for a mission,”
Naruto looked down at his orange pj's, then back at Sakura. He let loose a goofy laugh, ruffling the back of his hair bashfully.
“Right, gimme a minute dattebayo,”
A speedy change of clothes and a quick toast of bread later, Naruto and Sakura walked through the streets of Konoha. Sakura watched with interest as they passed buildings in various states of repair, while Naruto finished off his toast.
“At the rate things are going, the Leaf will almost be back to normal in a few months,” she commented.
“Hmmm, think so?” Naruto mumbled over a mouth full of bread.
“Yeah, I mean they’ve got the framework of more than half the village done already and with Yamato-Taichou’s help, things are moving even faster than anticipated,”
“That’s-”
“Uzumaki-san!”
The two stopped, turning to watch as a man ran towards them. Within seconds, the man was toe to toe with Naruto, face full of enthusiasm.
“You’re THE Uzumaki, right?” the man questioned, “the Uzumaki-san that saved the village from Pain, right??? The hero of the Leaf, right????”
Naruto leaned back as the man leaned forward with every word he spoke. A nervous and uncomfortable smile made its way to Naruto’s face.
“U-uh yeah, I’m Naruto Uzu-”
“My kid has been talking about you non-stop, can I-uh he have your autograph???”
Sakura giggled at the disgruntled look on Naruto’s face as he took the pen and paper the energetic man held out for him.
Sakura smiled.
Who’d have ever thought that knuckle head would actually become famous? All that bluster and bravado had certainly paid off, though watching him fumble with how to handle his new status was nearly as painful as it was funny.
Sort of surprising too.
She’d have thought this kind of thing would have him preening and bragging. She’d even wondered how many times she would have to pound his over inflated ego back down to size. Strange, but he seemed like he wasn’t enjoying it much, let alone getting a big head over the fawning.
She wasn’t sure what his deal was and hadn’t really asked him about it.
She shrugged and chalked it up to simple social awkwardness. He was used to fighting to be seen, he probably hadn’t adjusted to not having to fight for a kind word any more.
He’d get used to it.
Naruto said goodbye to the man and the two continued on, stopping whenever someone called out to him. Twenty minutes later, Naruto had signed more than a dozen autographs and taken several very awkward pictures with excited villagers and shinobi. Fed up with the delays and unwilling to test Tsunade’s limited patience, Sakura grabbed the bumbling celebrity by the scruff of his collar and launched them atop the completed roof of a nearby building.
“T-Thanks Sakura-chan,” he said, taking a breath.
“Jeez, Naruto, don’t you know how to say no? Tsunade-sama called for us twenty minutes ago. You know she doesn’t like waiting. I’d prepare myself if I were you,”
“B-B-But it’s not my fault!” he whined, “The villagers showed up outta nowhere, I could hardly turn them down! She can’t beat me for that right?!”
Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes.
“Right, Sakura-chan?”
Ignoring him, Sakura hopped to another rooftop, heading in the direction of the tower.
“Sakura-chaaaaaannnnnn!,”
xxxxxx
Naruto gulped as they stood before the Hokage door. Sakura knocked and opened the door as casually as you please.
“Excuse the intrusion,” she called out.
Naruto felt sweat bead his forehead. Tsunade-baa-chan was scary when she got mad.
Sure enough, the Hokage blasted him the moment he stepped through the door. A vicious forehead flick sent him flying right back out into the hall.
‘How come she assumed it was my fault we were late?’ he complained to himself as he peeled himself from the floor and rubbed his throbbing forehead.
“Maybe you should have at least let him explain himself first, Tsunade-sama,” Shizune commented when he’d made his way back into the room.
“Hmph, I doubt he could come up with an excuse good enough to explain his tardiness,”
Pouting, Naruto crossed his arms.
“Oiii, how come you automatically assume I was the reason we were late Baa-chan?”
“Because Sakura has always had perfect attendance, while you barely make it in time to hear what the mission is about more often than naught,” Ino supplied, hand on hip. “Face it Naruto, you aren’t exactly the face of responsibility and punctuality.”
Naruto and Sakura looked over at the sound of the voice. In the back of the room, next to a bookcase stood Ino and a fidgeting Hinata. The pout left Naruto’s face at the sight of the blue-black haired girl standing silently against the wall, her face already flushed.
He hadn’t spoken to her since the fight with Pain.
Dull heat crept up his neck.
With everything that had been going on, it shamed him to admit, even to himself, that he’d forgotten all about her.
Hell, he hadn’t even checked up on her, to see how her wound was, to thank her for saving his life, to yell at her for being so reckless on his behalf.
He was grateful and angry about what happened.
It was a confusing clash of emotions. Friends had risked their lives for him before and outside of Sasuke, who he despised being saved by, he’d always felt gratitude and a sense of bonding with the person. With Hinata, it was different. It felt……
He thought hard.
Wrong?
Yeah.
It felt wrong for her to do something like that and he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. She was a shinobi, strong and willing to risk her life in battle just like he was but there just seemed like there was something fragile about her, something too gentle to be crushed. Watching her be thrown about by Pain had torn him apart. Seeing her try so hard to save him when she could barely see through the blood dripping down her face, to move her body forward when only one of her legs moved properly had nearly done him in. He’d had to stop himself from begging Pain to take him away and leave her unharmed.
He’d thought that would drive him insane, but seeing her impaled by that rod, to watch her blood ooze over those jagged rocks.
Rage had sprang forth from the darkest pits of his soul. Hatred, the likes of which he’d never felt before consumed him. The urge to kill hadn’t been all the kyuubi’s doing. A large portion of it had been his own bloodthrist.
Never had he wanted to rend flesh and bone as he had at that very moment.
To have his sensei’s murderer try to do the same to Hinata right before his very eyes….
To see her so still on the ground. Her broken body bleeding and defenseless and he himself, unable to move, unable to do anything but watch.
Helpless.
Powerless.
He pushed aside the mental image of her that day.
Even now, he didn’t like to remember seeing her hurt that way.
It turned his stomach.
The rest of the battle was a blank emptiness of missing time in his memory. He’d been told he had transformed instantly into four tailed kyuubi, gaining more tails as the battle between him and Pain continued. The aftermath of his rampage had stunned him.
He was lucky his father had been there to help reign in the transformation. He shudder to think what more he could have done had he not been stopped….who he would have hurt.
Sakura elbowed him in the ribs, bringing him out of his thoughts.
“You four are next on supply run rotation,” Tsunade was saying, “You’ll leave here together and split up into two groups once you reach the crosswords along the eastern border. Ino and Sakura will head to the Land of Healing and pick up the supply of medical equipment. Naruto, you and Hinata will pick up the food rations from the Land of Rice. Hinata,”
“Y-Yes ma’am?”
“You’ll be particularly instrumental for this mission. The last shipment we received was contaminated either before purchase or somewhere along the way. You’ll need to use your Byakugan to inspect each bale of food for mold or insects before its purchased to ensure the rations are contaminant free at the time of purchase,”
“Of course, Hokage-sama,”
“Naruto, you’re pretty much muscle for this trip. We’re expecting a big shipment so we’ll need your clones to push the carts back to the village,”
“Ehhhhhhh? Push the carts?” Naruto sulked, “That sounds exhausting, dattebayo,”
“Oh quit you belly aching and get going. You’ve wasted enough time as it is,” Tsunade dismissed.
Minutes later, the group was headed to the eastern border, Ino and Sakura chit chatting ahead of Naruto and Hinata. In contrast to the two girl’s lively conversation, Naruto and Hinata walked in awkward silence.
Naruto brought his hands up, locking them behind his head as he walked, his blue eyes roaming the scenery, trying hard not to look at girl beside him. Hinata’s gaze remained downcast, her face a bright red beneath her dark hair.
Their reasons for avoidance couldn’t be more opposite.
Naruto was drowning in shame at his lack of interest in her health until now, while Hinata’s heart was pounding with trepidation over what he might say while they were alone.
She hadn’t spoken to him since she had confessed her love for him and attempted to save him from Pain. He seemed to be avoiding her since then, or at least hadn’t actively sought her out at all. Over the weeks as she recovered from her injuries, she’d come to the conclusion that her confession had ruined their friendship and driven him away. The sadness that had gripped her heart after coming to that realization had been painful in its intensity.
A true nightmare from the depths of her soul come true.
With them alone on this mission together, she was terrified he would use the situation to confirm her fears. That he’d tell her that he didn’t return her feelings, that they couldn’t be friends any more because of it.
For what felt like the hundredth time, she wished she would have kept her mouth shut or at least died as she had anticipated instead of walking here along side of him looking and feeling like an absolute fool.
She had cried so many nights, regretting she had ever said anything in the first place.
The only reason she’d told him was because she had been so sure she would die. She had been more than willing and ready to die to protect the boy she loved, but in a weak, selfish moment, she hadn’t wanted to leave this world without letting him know what he meant to her, what she felt for him, and how significant he was in her life. A moment she had thought would come with no consequences as she lost consciousness, believing she was drawing her final breaths.
….Only to wake up in a makeshift infirmary later on.
While recovering, she had gone over in her head what she would say to Naruto when he visited. How she would explain her feelings to him, but as weeks passed and she hadn’t caught sight of him, not even once, she had gotten the message loud and clear.
He didn’t want anything to do with her or her confession.
Depressed and heartbroken, she had instead focused on recovering from her injuries, hiding her broken heart and convincing Kiba not to “beat the crap” out Naruto for not even thanking her for saving him. The very thought horrified her. She hadn’t told anyone about her confession. Naruto and Pain were the only ones who had heard her passionate words. If Kiba did try and drag Naruto here, she was worried Naruto might think she was trying to force him to reply to her.
She didn’t want that.
She didn’t want to force him to do anything he didn’t want to do.
As much as it hurt, she had always suspected that this would be the outcome should she ever grow bold enough to confess to him. She had known for a long time she was out of her league with a guy like Naruto, not to mention he was very open about his feelings for Sakura.
She didn’t stand a chance.
He was strong, she was weak.
He was outgoing and confident, she was shy and meek.
He was smart and cunning on the battle field, and she hesitated even in training.
He was brave and fierce and she was timid and soft spoken.
He was everything she was not. A force of nature in his own right. A strong man that needed an equally strong partner.
Someone like Sakura.
It was a hard reality to accept. Harder than she had thought it would be. Watching him from a distance, she had always thought anything that made him happy would make her happy as well, even if he found that happiness with another girl. Now that her resolve to be happy for him had been put to the test, she was ashamed to find, while she did hope for his happiness wherever he found it, having definitive proof that it could never be with her had broken something inside of her.
Had shinned light on the small nugget of hope she’d been harboring, that maybe one day fate would smile down on her and give her a chance with the guy of her dreams.
To have that foolish wish dashed had left her with an emptiness inside.
When she was released from medical care, she had automatically sought him out, and as she watched him from her place in the shadows, she had felt the greatest of joy to see him so recognized and celebrated in the village, and the greatest of agony knowing she would never have a place at his side.
His smiling face warmed her heart while the distance between them chilled her soul.
After comforting him through Jiraiya-sama’s death, she had never felt so close to him. Had seen that night as a turning point in their friendship. Now, it was almost as if that night had never happened.
She peeked over at him, then back to the ground.
That wasn’t entirely true. Watching him for so long, she was intuitive to his moods and thought process. That night had given her a deeper understanding of what made him tick. It was surprising, but as open and blunt as he was, Naruto bottled up the worst of his feelings and emotions, preferring to deal with them alone.
“Alright, this is where we split up,” Sakura informed the group.
Jerked from her thoughts, Hinata looked up, surprised to find they were at the crossroads already. Her blush deepened, her heart pounding even harder.
“We’ll meet back here at dusk,” Ino chimed in.
“Try not to break anything while in town,” Sakura needled at Naruto.
Hinata couldn’t help the small smile that traced her lips at the sour look on Naruto’s face at the comment.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, lips pursed.
“It means be on your best behavior for once and stay out of trouble,” Sakura clarified.
“Pfft!” came Naruto’s sound of dismissal.
“As if I go out looking for trouble,” he mumbled under his breath, “Trouble comes looking for me….”
“I mean it, if I hear one word of-”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it,” he said, moving passed the group and heading down the dirt road to the Land of Rice.
“Keep an eye on him, would ya, Hinata?” Sakura asked with a roll of her eyes.
“O-of course,”
Of course she’d keep an eye on him. It came second nature to her. It was why she had noticed that he was using that face lately. That placid expression he donned when he was highly uncomfortable and unable or unwilling to express it.
As she caught up to his silent figure she mulled it over.
During his mourning of Jiraiya’s, she had seen subtle changes to his normally bright and sunny disposition. Even at his saddest, he still exhibited a glow from within. That glow had been snubbed out completely.
The depth of his hurt had been there for her to see in the smile that didn’t reach his eyes, the slight tension in his jaw, the way he hunched his shoulders in discomfort, almost as though he were retreating within himself physically as well as mentally.
There’d been this panicked, trapped look on his face, like he couldn’t get away from everyone fast enough.
It was when she had noticed him retreat at a clipped pace away from the village that she’d known he had reached his limit. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from following, worried about him hurting alone. He made it a few miles, to a clearing atop a hill before a panic attack had driven him to the ground.
Tears had blurred her vision as she watched him gasp and wheeze for air, to see his strong shoulders tremble with such great force.
And when it was over, he had tried his hardest not to cry, not to give in to the pain eating away at his soul. Considering he had come out there alone, far from the village to fall apart left her in no doubt that he hadn’t wanted anyone to know the depth of his anguish.
Even so, she had been unwilling, unable to let him fall apart alone, with no one there to pick up the pieces.
Her mind hadn’t even registered her feet moving until she was halfway across the field. His silence in response to her calling his name had made it clear he wanted her gone. Rejection of her had radiated from him in powerful waves. A warning that someone as timid as her would normally heed. What strength she called upon that night to push forward, to comfort him in his time of need despite the rebuff was a mystery to her.
While not as severe as that night, she knew he was again burying his discomfort with the attention of the villagers.
He donned that face every time he singed an autograph or took a picture. She wanted to talk to him about it. To let him know if he wanted talk about it, to get some things off his chest she’d be more than happy to listen.
She couldn’t do that now.
Not after ruining their friendship the way she had.
“Hey….Hinata,”
She looked over at him, butterflies in her belly.
“Y-yes, N-Naruto-kun?”
He stopped, rubbing the back of his neck, a fierce blush staining his cheeks.
“About what happened, with Pain…”
Her breath caught in her throat.
‘Please don’t’ she prayed, ‘Please don’t say you can’t return my feelings. Please don’t say we can’t be friends anymore,’
She felt light headed and mildly nauseous.
“I’m sorry, with everything that’s been going on, I…sort of…forgot to check up on you,” he looked away, discomfort in the stiff way he held himself, “I know its no excuse not to check in with a friend that got hurt for my sake, and I’m not normally so inconsiderate,”
Hinata let go of the breath she’d been holding, stars dancing before her eyes.
That’s what he was worrying about?
Not only that, he’d called her a friend.
The grip around her heart eased a fraction.
“I-It’s okay, Naruto-kun. I-I know you’ve been busy and I didn’t hold it against you,”
“Still….I’m sorry. I know its a bit late to ask but, is your wound okay? Are you all better now?”
Pleasure unfurled in her heart. Smiling, dull heat in her cheeks, she nodded at his inquiry.
“I’m as good as new. Sakura-san took great care of me,”
His lips curled up.
“I’m glad you’re alright…but….there’s something else we need to talk about,”
Just that quick, Hinata was thrown back into a pit of nervousness and uncertainty.
‘Oh no…’
“Hinata,”
The look in his eyes turned fierce and determined, the way he said her name strong and forceful and deadly serious.
She was scared.
Scared of what had brought out such strong determination on his face.
The only thing she could think of was the words she spoken from her heart. She braced herself for hurt, gripping the bottom of her jacket and lowering her head.
“Don’t ever do anything like that ever again,” he grated, “If Pain had killed you…If you had died protecting me I wouldn’t…..Just promise you won’t ever do something like that again,”
She looked up, reeling at his words. Those fierce blue eyes stared back at her, not only determined but with a tinge of anger swirling in their depths.
“Y-you’re angry about what I did? Not about what I said?”
Confusion marred his blonde brows.
“Said? I don’t really remember what any of us said,” he admitted, “Just bits and pieces. Anyway, that’s not the point! Promise me you’ll never do that again!”
Relief crashed through her, threatening to knock her off her feet. He didn’t remember, didn’t realize her blunder. Fate had smiled down on her after all. She was getting a second chance.
Tears swam in her eyes as she looked at his beloved, confused face.
He didn’t hate her.
He hadn’t been avoiding her.
It was almost too much to take in.
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
“Oi! Don’t cry!” he exclaimed worriedly, waving his hands about frantically, “I didn’t mean to make you cry, I’m not mad at you exactly, more the situation a-and ah, crap. Sakura-chan’s gonna kick my ass,”
Hinata dried her tears with back of her hand.
“I really didn’t mean to make you cry, Hinata. I just…I’m upset that you had to step in. That you got hurt because of me. I’ve trained so hard, but I guess I’ve still got a long way to go. I’m sorry,”
Hinata shook her head, watery smile on her lips. She took his hand, happiness radiating from her very core.
“Don’t be. W-What I did was my choice. You’ve put your life on the line for everyone more times than I can count, of course any of us would do the same for you. That’s what friends are for, right?”
“Even so, just…..don’t do that again…” he said softly, “I couldn’t handle that a second time, Hinata. Promise you won’t,”
Promise to sit by and watch him be hurt or worse?
Never in a million years. She knew in her heart, that if given the same choice, she would stand and protect him with her last breath, without hesitation, over and over again.
She wasn’t going to lie to him about that.
“.…..I’m sorry…Naruto-kun. I can’t make you that promise, knowing I may end up breaking it….”
That spark of determination filled his eyes once more.
“If you can’t make that promise to me, then I’ll make it so you never have to protect me again. I’ll get stronger and-”
She squeezed his hand.
“You don’t have to do everything alone anymore,”
“Hinata…”
“Even the future Hokage needs someone he can depend on once and while. No matter how strong you get, your friends will be here to support you every step of the way,”
His smile, though small was like the sun after a storm.
“Thank you, dattebayo,”
He looked down at their joined hands.
“Ah! S-Sorry!” she exclaimed, face aflame as she dropped his hand.
He looked a bit befuddled before laughing.
“You’re so weird, Hinata,” he said with a grin, “but I like weird people like you,”
To hear those words again…such simple, nearly insulting words had the strange effect of warming her heart.
“Anyway, we better get going, dattebayo,”
She barely noticed as he turned and continued down the path. Her heart was full, near to bursting. She felt like laughing and crying at the same time.
Everything was alright.
“Oiiiiiiiiii, Hinata!!!!! You’re gonna get left behind!!!”
Wiping a rogue tear, she took off after the boy she loved.
She caught up and walked happily at his side, too overjoyed to be shy at the moment.
xxxxxx
Naruto looked over at her, wondering what had put her in such a good mood. Earlier she had looked more gloomy than usual, sad even. She’d gone from that, to crying to happy without much warning, and from what he could tell, no real explanation for the mood swings.
He just couldn’t figure her out.
Girls were really hard to understand, that was a given.
But it was pretty easy to figure Sakura out most of the time, she wasn’t shy about telling him how she really felt with words or her fists, Ino as well, come to think of it.
Heck, most girls were less complicated than Hinata.
“Oh yeah, you said something about what you said to me during that time with Pain,” he commented as the Land of Rice came into view, “What did you say to me that would make me mad?”
“O-o-oh that,”
She was back to blushing again, eyes to her feet. Naruto watched, fascinated and perplexed all at once.
“I-It was nothing, I-I don’t really remember myself either,” she stammered.
“Hmmmmmmmm….”
He didn’t believe that for a second.
The duo reached the village and sought out the shop filling their ration orders. The shop owner informed them it’d be a while before everything was loaded up and secured to the carts. They agreed to return for pick up.
“So what should we do while we wait?” Naruto asked as they moved through the busy village.
“Mmm….we could….uh….get something to eat…I ended up missing breakfast and could have something to eat….”
At the mention of food, Naruto’s stomach growled.
“Great idea, Hinata! I only got to grab a piece of toast on my way out. Hmmmmm, wonder where we should go,”
“Um, Naruto-kun,”
He looked over at her. She was pointing at a ramen stand a little ways away.
“Ehhh, nice going Hinata,”
Fifteen minutes later, Naruto was three bowls deep into ramen. It wasn’t as good as Ichiraku ramen but it still hit the spot. Though she was more delicate than him while eating, he was surprised to find Hinata was also three bowls deep with no sign of being done.
He was kind of impressed.
Most girls weren’t too keen on having more than one bowl of anything, let alone ramen. They were always on a “diet” or wanted something “better” than ramen to eat. As if there was such a thing as better than ramen.
More than that though, he’d been rambling on and on for the past ten minutes or so, doing his normal routine of boasting about past battles and future ambitions, something everyone he’d ever met got sick of within the first five minutes. He always felt the need to build himself up as something great whenever he talked to people, despite the fact that they tuned him out.
This time was different.
Hinata was actually….listening. Interested in the things he said. Attentive to what he was saying.
It was something he picked up on within the first two minutes of his blustering. She looked him in the eyes when he spoke, smiled and giggled when he made a joke, even asked him to elaborate every now and then in a soft, hesitant voice.
He didn’t know what to make of her.
She was easy to talk to, made him feel comfortable expressing himself without the fear of being ridiculed or dismissed.
As they left the ramen shop and moved to a less populated area of the village and closer to a grassy, tree shaded knoll, he found himself speaking about his newly acquired fame and his aversion to all the attention.
“I feel dumb complaining about something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a brat,” he was saying as he laid flat beneath a shady tree, arms behind his head, “It’s hard to explain…Its like…I’m not sure if….”
A cool breeze brought her gentle scent to his nose as she sat next to him.
“Are you worried that all the attention is only temporary?”
“Yeah, that!….What happens when I screw up again? Or I…do something that I can’t control…”
“Like lose control of the kyuubi’s chakra,”
Heavy silence.
“Yeah,” he confirmed, “With the Akatsuki after me, its bound to happen again. This time I was lucky, that I used the power to protect the Leaf but….I could just as easily….”
“.…..I can’t tell you that won’t happen, Naruto-kun, but I think you’re forgetting something important,” she began, tracing patterns on the grass beneath her fingers, “You have people that know your heart, know who you really are, people that would never look at you and call you a monster, even if you lost control,”
Naruto clenched his teeth as she laid bare one of his biggest fears. That the day would come that, not just the villagers, but his closest friends, the friends he’d work so hard to make, would call him a monster, would look at him with horror, fear and hatred.
That he’d end up alone again.
Hated and unloved.
“You’re not perfect and no one that cares about you expects you to be. You don’t have to be something you’re not just to please the villagers, and you don’t have to beat yourself up for not meeting someone else’s expectations. At the end of the day, you have to live with you, no one else. You have to look at yourself in the mirror and love or hate what you see there. The friends you made, you made them just being you and you’ll keep those friends, just being you. Even if you lost control, even if the villagers no longer looked at you as a hero, you have people behind you that would never abandon you, people that believe in you…people that will always be there to pick you up when you fall,”
His eyes burned.
Embarrassed, he threw an arm over them.
His jaw tensed. His heart hurt, but in a good way.
“N-Naruto-kun…..did I say to much?….I don’t meant to make you upset,”
He removed his arm, eyes wet, a grin on his face.
“I’m not upset at all, dattebayo,” he assured her, using an elbow to lift himself up to face her, “I’m glad to have friends that feel that way about me,”
Her smile was gentle, her lavender eyes soft and shinning with some emotion he couldn’t identify.
It made him feel strange.
“You know Hinata, we should hang out more, you’re really cool,” he frowned, “We’ve been friends forever but I don’t think we’ve ever really talked and hung out,”
Her eyes dropped away.
“W-well, ummm, I’m not very…outspoken and I get shy really easily….people think I’m really strange so I kind of keep to myself,”
Her words shamed him.
He was one of those people wasn’t he? Hadn’t he called her weird more than once, hadn’t he thought it almost every single time he saw her. Hadn’t he dismissed her as the weird childhood friend that he didn’t really care to be around?
He had written her off since childhood, thinking her too depressing and dark to spend any length of time with.
Shame reddened his cheeks.
“I’m sorry…I don’t mean it in a bad way when I say you’re weird,”
“Ah! I-I didn’t mean you, Naruto-kun, I never thought you were making fun of me,” that soft smile returned, “it never felt mean spirited. It made me happy that, someone as flawed as me, that you still like weird people like me,”
She giggled, a happy sound that puzzled him. Again, he couldn’t figure her out. She was happy he called her weird? She made his brain dizzy trying to find out what made her tick.
Guess he’d just have to unravel the mystery that was Hinata.
He was fine with that though.
He looked at her smiling face, feeling a churning in his gut.
He was more than fine with it.
Naruto laid back down and the conversation turned to more lighthearted subjects. He found out they had more in common than just their Nindo. They were both fighting to prove themselves. Him, to prove he was worthy of being the Hokage, her to prove she was worthy of the name Hyuuga. Thought they didn’t have much time for it, they both enjoyed playing cards and video games, something that shocked him, he couldn’t see her with a controller in her hand.
He was curious to see if she could beat him, but doubted it.
They both liked swimming and camping, something Naruto hadn’t been able to do at his leisure in at least a year. Strawberry ice cream was a favorite of theirs, and neither one of them were a fan of spicy food.
By the time they made their way back to the food supplier, Naruto knew more about Hinata in those few hours than he had over the years.
She was kind and really sweet, a great listener and seemed to know him better than most people, something that had really shocked him. Hell, some stuff she knew about him that even he didn’t realize. He’d gotten that gut churning feeling again after realizing that not everyone had shunned and ignored him his whole life.
There was at least one person that had paid attention to him even when he’d been a snot nosed brat pulling pranks for recognition.
They met up with Ino and Sakura a little before dusk and the group headed back home. The two girls carried square shaped backpacks on their backs and weaved baskets full of medical herbs. A crowd of Naruto clones pushed eight carts loaded down with rations behind the original Naruto and Hinata. As the group made their way back, Sakura and Ino couldn’t help but glance back at the two. The two were conversing comfortably, Naruto speaking animatedly while Hinata smiled and giggled.
“Hmmmm, those two certainly look comfortable, don’t you think?” Ino commented, a sly look on her face.
They looked more than comfortable. They looked really…intimate. Sakura frowned. Were they dating or something? What had happened between them?
And why did it….irritate her?
“What’s with that look all of a sudden?” Ino asked, snapping her from her contemplation, “Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”
“J-j-jealous? What the hell are you talking about?”
“You look like someone who just saw their crush kiss another girl,”
“You’re delusional,”
“Yeah right, I’ve known you too long. You had that same look whenever any girl got too close to Sasuke,” Ino leaned over, “Do you have a crush on Naruto now? I thought you were a hardcore Sasuke lover,”
She did love Sasuke…that wasn’t the issue. It was just….weird seeing Naruto take an interest in another girl besides her.
And not only that.
She looked back at him.
She’d never seen him smile like that. Had never seen him look so at ease, so interested in the person next to him.
It was different than how he was with her.
“Of course I don’t like Naruto,” Sakura hissed back, “And I’m not jealous. So drop it,”
Heat bloomed in her cheeks.
She was jealous.
“Are you kidding me Sakura? All this time, and now you’re interested in him? You’ve been his teammate for how many years now? If you liked him why didn’t you say anything? He’d have jumped at the chance. He’s been chasing you since the academy,”
Sakura endeavored to ignore the annoying blonde.
“Oh I see how it is. You were fine with leaving him on the back burner thinking shy little Hinata would never make a move, hmmmmm. No competition, no reason to seriously consider his feelings. That’s cruel, billboard brow, even for you,”
“Will you be quiet, Ino-pig, you have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t have those type of feelings for Naruto, and you don’t even know if they’re going out now or not so this whole conversation is pointless,”
“Hmm, that’s true, but even if they’re not going out yet he’s definitely into her. They’ve got more chemistry than a chemistry class,”
Sakura couldn’t help but take another glance.
Hinata was tapping her fingers together, eyes on the floor and speaking softly about something that clearly had Naruto’s full attention. He was leaning towards her to hear, those intense blue eyes fierce and rapt, hanging on her every word.
Aggravation gnawed at her.
“Shut up Ino,” she said before the girl could utter a word.
Tightening her grip on the basket, she pushed forward.
She wasn’t jealous…
She wasn’t…
xxxxxx
Nagato was dead.
Kohei closed the missive, sitting back in his chair.
He didn’t know what to feel about that information. He felt no relief, no sadness and certainly no grief. He didn’t really feel anything. Were these his own feelings or a side effect of the serum in his veins?
He wasn’t sure anymore.
Nagato’s death, while beneficial, hadn’t changed their circumstances much. Removing one obstacle didn’t change the fact that the threat still remained. Madara was still pulling the strings of the Akatsuki, or what remained of the group.
He closed his eyes as a surge of pain pounded behind his eyes. He clenched his teeth, careful of his newly developed fangs, unwilling to bite through his tongue again.
This transformation was painful.
How long the pain would last was uncertain. Takahiro and the others were no closer to predicting when the side effects would end than they were several months ago. Stabilizing the serum seemed to be an impossible task. Several people had already perished, some driven insane. He was keeping the results as quiet as possible but didn’t know how long that would last. One of the turned test subjects had escaped last week, wrecking havoc on the unsuspecting villagers.
It wouldn’t be long before panic spread and people stopped volunteering for testing.
The agony engulfing his eyes receded, and he opened his eyes.
His eyes felt warm.
In the dark room, he could see a faint red glow, knowing it was coming from his iris’.
He lifted a claw tipped hand to them, feeling the warmth they emitted against his palm. His lips curved up. As painful as it was, he’d never felt more powerful, more primitive.
Bloodlust coiled through him.
He was hungry again.
A chuckle escaped his lips.
He was forgetting why they’d began testing in the first place. Didn’t remember why he’d been against altering the people that depended on him. This feeling, this strength, this power, all of his people, all of his shinobi would be transformed.
The would become….
His grin slowly vanished.
He was losing himself.
Becoming something he didn’t recognize.
There was something inside of, something coming into consciousness, fighting with his own sense of self. It almost felt like a sentient being but not quite.
He shook his head.
He’d taken in more of the serum than the testers, unwilling to let others be a sacrifice for harsher testing.
It was backfiring.
Rationality was harder and harder to grasp, his mind no longer weighing consequence but instead his body acted of its own accord, acting on instinct that was violent and ruthless. His ability to govern had become tainted with a lack of mercy and forethought.
He was making mistakes.
Mistakes that could draw the attention of not only Madara and the Akatsuki, but the Five Nations as well.
As strong as he was, as strong as his ninja were becoming, they weren’t ready to reveal themselves.
Not yet.
The door creaked.
Kohei was up and over the desk in a flash, hand wrapped around the throat of the intruder. Takahiro stood perfectly still, not an ounce of fear in his eyes.
“Your reflexes are incredible now, Kohei-sama. Your tolerance is a lot higher than the others to take in as much serum as you have and still retain civility, let alone your sanity,”
Kohei moved closer, unable to help himself. The sound of pound blood through veins was like siren’s call. His mouth salivated, his fangs throbbed, claws twitching in anticipation of rending flesh.
“With all the data we’ve collected, we’re making a new serum, a bit different and more potent, its still years in the making but by that time, most of the population will have been turned, we may not even need it at that point but it never hurts to plan ahead,”
Kohei listened with half an ear. He was more focused on keeping his hand lose around his foster brother’s neck.
He took a breath, and let go, stepping back.
“Keep me posted and make sure we have surveillance on the upcoming battle. War is coming and we must keep our eyes on it at all cost,”
“Of course, Kohei-sama,”
“Takahiro,”
“Yes?”
“.………..I’m hungry….”
There was a pregnant pause.
“I’ll prepare your meal…”
xxxxxx
This chapter takes place in the time after Pain destroys the village and after Naruto goes through sage training, just in case I didn’t make that clear enough. Any questions let me know. Any mistakes let me know as I don’t have a proof-reader for this.
Tell me what you think of this chapter!
Laters
~Sessakag
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