Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Protector	By : djserani Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1759 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 28
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The next morning, they started even earlier. More tea, more notes, but around mid-morning, Hinata came across something that gave her pause. She re-read it a couple of times before allowing herself to get excited.
"I�" she swallowed, "I�think I may have found it." She pulled her notes over and took out a fresh sheet of paper. Carefully outlining the list of hand signs she would need, she looked up at Neji.
He was as calm as ever. "I believe in you," is all he said.
She was terrified. There was no way to practice. There was no way to try it out without risking someone's life. She stared at Neji for several minutes before looking back at her paper. She shook her head.

"I�I can't do this, Neji. What if�" she couldn't even finish the thought. She looked at Tenten and Lee, both sitting close to her. Tenten put her arm around her shoulder in comfort. Lee ran his hand up and down her back.
"We know you can do it. You've researched this for weeks, you've studied this stuff backwards and forwards. You know it. Neji believes in you. We believe in you." Tenten kissed her gently on the cheek.
Mori came over and sat down opposite of her. "I will volunteer. You can try it on me first. It's possible that nothing will even happen."
Hinata stared at the paper again. "Inu, mi, tori, tora�" But what if� Tears started to run down her face.
"No. I will be the first." Neji spoke quietly, but there was a world of confidence in his words. Hinata knew, however, that it was as much because he would not risk any other clan member's life if he could do something about it.
Her mind went back to the time they were kids. He'd stolen her stuffed rabbit and she'd pulled his hair. As they got older and the events surrounding his father caused him so much pain, she'd left him tea, flowers, anything she could think of. The Chunnin exams, where he'd pushed her to come out of her shell, even if that's not what he'd intended. The training they'd done together. Through it all, he'd been there, in the background sometimes, supporting her, encouraging her.
Inu, mi, tori, tora� She closed her eyes, trying to gain control over her emotions. She had to be able to focus her chakra. She had to be confident in her signs. The slightest slip could do permanent damage�
And just a few short months ago� they'd recognized their relationship for what it was. Waking up in his arms in the abandoned village, holding hands� Then he touched her, kissed her and their world was never the same. She carried his children. If anything happened, if she didn't do this right�
She looked up at Neji again and he smiled at her. He took her hands in his. "This is a step that you must take. You are strong, you are The Hyuuga. You can do this, I know you can."
She took a deep breath. She closed her eyes once more, this time focusing her chakra. She read over the list of hand signs and began. Inu, mi, tori, tora� The list was long, but as she formed each sign, her confidence grew. When she finished, she raised her right hand to Neji's forehead and touched it with her thumb.
He closed his eyes as a warmth spread across his brow. It lasted only a few heartbeats and he opened his eyes to see his wife with a stunned expression on her face.
"I� did it. It's gone. Oh, Neji, it's gone!" She was crying openly and she threw herself at him.
He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him. "Thank you." Was all he could say. He was choked up. He knew she could do it, but to feel it gone�to know it was no longer there� He took a shaky breath.

When they looked over at Mori, he was grinning. He backed away from the table, got down on his knees and bent to Hinata, his face almost completely on the carpet. "Hyuuga-sama, you are truly worthy of your title."
Hinata went around the table to him and touched his shoulder. "Please, Mori-san. Don't." He sat up and looked at her. "Are�are you ready?"
He nodded. She began the list again. Once again, she touched her thumb to the forehead of a former branch member and again, the brand cleared.
Mori stood up and went in search of Yasashii. When he brought her back into the library, she had tears on her face. "You've done it! You've removed the brand! Oh, Hinata-chan!" She hugged her close, crying.
Hinata smiled through her tears and bid her sit down. Once more, she formed the hand signs. Once more, she touched her thumb to a branded forehead and once more, it cleared.
"No one will ever use something so cruel in this family again." Hinata's voice was quiet, but full of strength and authority.
Yasashii jumped up. "This calls for a celebration!!" She hugged Hinata who was now laughing giddily.
"We did it! Oh, I can't believe it!!" She turned to Neji and smiled at him and proceeded to fall over and pass out.
* * *
Neji caught her as she fell. "Hinata? Hinata!" He shook her slightly but she didn't move.
"Could she have used up too much chakra?" Lee asked worriedly.
"I don't know." He stared in fear at his wife's pale face. He closed his eyes a moment, trying to gather his wits. He activated his Byakugan and the fear got worse. Her chakra was horribly drained. He could see the babies who were, at the moment, fine, but his Hinata wasn't in such good shape.
He released his bloodline trait, picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. "Get Kiba and Shino."
Tenten ran, full-tilt, to find them. A moment later, she came back to the bedroom, Kiba and Shino with her.
"What happened!?" Kiba ran to the bedside and stared. Shino stood back, but the tension rolling off of him was palpable.
Neji refused to look away from her. "She collapsed after she finished removing the brands. It must have taken an insane amount of chakra."
"What do we do?" Tenten's voice reflected her fear.
Neji finally looked up. "You have to calm down. The fear and stress won't be good for the baby and when Hinata gets better, she'll kill me if anything happens to you."
Tenten closed her eyes and made a concerted effort to calm down. "You're right. You're right." She took several deep breaths.
Mori spoke up from the back of the room. "Is there someone you could send for? Perhaps someone who could check on her?" Yasashii stood next to him, wringing her hands in her worry.
Shino spoke up. "I'll send a messenger bug out. But it will be tomorrow before anyone could be here."
Neji stared at his wife. "It's the best we can do. Send a message to Suna, too. They may be able to get here faster."
Shino nodded and left.
* * *
A short time later, he returned. He'd sent a messenger bug to Konoha and a bird to Suna. It would be hours before they knew which one might be able to help.
Neji sat on one side of Hinata and Tenten on the other, each holding one of her hands. They'd taken her clothes off so she would be more comfortable and tucked her under the covers.
Neji kept watch over her chakra network, but it was horribly slow. With the babies taking what they needed, her chakra couldn't replenish itself fast enough. Why hadn't he realized the kind of chakra something like that would take? Why hadn't he thought of it?
Tenten stretched out on the bed next to Hinata, lending her a bit of warmth. She curled around the hand she held, silent tears making tracks down her face. Lee sat next to her, his hand on her shoulder, trying to keep her calm, his eyes glued to Hinata.
They kept a vigil, no one moving from the spot they were in. Neji watched her chakra network, but keeping his Byakugan activated for too long wore him out, too. Mori and Yasashii took turns, but neither of them were shinobi and their concentration was not what Neji's was.
Over the next few hours, her chakra began replenishing itself, but it was still slow going and she was still in a very dangerous position. Another couple of hours later, Shino's messenger bug returned. "Sakura-chan is on her way. Do they know how long it'll take? No."
Another hour and the bird from Suna returned. Neji took the note from its leg. "Kankuro and a medical nin are on their way. No real ETA, though." He let the bird out the window and returned to the bed next to Hinata.
Shortly after nightfall, they heard a knock at the front door. Yasashii hurried out of the room. She opened the door to see a young woman with bright pink hair, a tall, skinny young man with spiky blond hair, another young man in face paint and a full jumpsuit with a headband she recognized from the Sand and another young woman, also from the Sand.
"Hello. I am Uzamaki Sakura, this is my husband Naruto. That is Kankuro and Kusuri of the Sand." They all bowed to Yasashii.
"Welcome, please, this way." She turned and led them into the bedroom. Tenten and Lee moved out of the way, but Neji wouldn't budge.
Sakura hurried to the side of the bed, followed by Kusuri. She wasted no time. Placing her hands over Hinata's chest, they glowed green and her face turned serious in concentration.
Naruto walked over and stood next to Neji. He placed a hand on the other man's shoulder. "She'll be fine. Sakura-chan's here now." Neji nodded absently. He'd reactivated his Byakugan once more and was watching Hinata's chakra network again.
"Naruto, I need your hand." Sakura reached up and took his and placed it over her other one. Together, they worked to restore Hinata's chakra and get her out of the danger zone.
"What can I do?" Neji asked quietly. He looked up at Sakura with a kind of desperation on his face.
"Keep doing what you're doing. Watch her chakra network for me, hold her hand and keep her here." Neji nodded and turned back to Hinata.
Sakura moved her hands down over Hinata's abdomen, restoring the chakra to the babies, in hopes that it would allow her to rebuild the chakra in the rest of her body. Sometime later, though no one would be able to say how much, Sakura's hands lost their glow and she stood up. "I've done what I can for now. The rest is up to her. With rest, she'll be fine. Neji, you need rest."
"I won't leave her." He refused, even, to look away from her.
Naruto put his hand on Neji's shoulder again. "She's going to need you later. You'll be no good to her unless you get some rest."
Neji looked up at Naruto. This man had done so much for him. He sighed. "You're right. Help me."
Together, they shifted Hinata so as not to jar her and that there was enough room next to her for Neji to lie down. Sakura turned to Tenten. "Where are you sleeping?"
Tenten led the way over to the room she still "shared" with Lee. "Lie down and let me check you over. I can see the stress on your face."
Tenten stretched out and closed her eyes. She felt the warmth of the medical ninjutsu over her belly.
"You should be fine. The baby is almost a full three months along now. You and Hinata will probably be sharing a hospital room." She chuckled.
Tenten smiled. "Oh, good. That will be nice."
"Now, rest. You need sleep, too." She patted her shoulder and left.
Tenten lay in the dark, her thoughts whirling around in her head. Hinata had almost died. The thought terrified her. After all they'd been through recently, after discovering how much she loved her, she couldn't lose her.
A long time later, she drifted into an uneasy sleep.
* * *
The shinobi sat around the dining room table, Sakura leaning against her husband, Kankuro's arm around Kusuri, and Kiba and Shino by themselves. For once, no one was chattering. They sipped their tea in silence, the air of waiting tense.
Yasashii stood in the doorway from the kitchen. "Can I get anyone anything? Are you hungry?"
Naruto smiled. "I'm always hu-" he grunted as Sakura elbowed him in the side. "Hey. This time, I am." She glared at him and he quieted down.
"No, no." Yasashii hurried to explain. "Please, it'll give me something to do. What do you like to eat?"
"Ramen." Five voices spoke at the same time.
Yasashii laughed. "I'll get started on it."
"How long until she's better?" Shino spoke for the first time all day.
"I don't know. I think as long as she gets the rest she needs, she'll be fine. She probably shouldn't try to do too much for a couple of days, at least. What did she do that caused this?" Sakura stared into her tea cup.
"Didn't you notice?" Kiba asked.
Sakura shook her head. "No, notice what?"
But it was Naruto that spoke up. "Neji's brand is gone."
Sakura's head snapped up. "The brand? You mean�?"
Naruto nodded. "It appears she finally found the way to remove it."
"Wow. I guess it took a lot to do." Sakura considered her tea again. "She's going to have to watch how much she does that."
"That's going to take some doing. I think she's planning to do that for the entire clan." Kiba's voice was quiet and full of worry.
"It'll kill her if she does." Sakura's comment brooked no argument. The shinobi fell silent again.
"She won't let it kill her. And she won't keep from doing it because it drains her." The feminine voice from the hallway drew their attention. Tenten walked in and sat next to Shino. "We will have to watch her, that's all. Perhaps I can stay with her for a while when we get back. Help keep her from pushing too much. Maybe if she keeps it to a couple of people a day or something, it won't do so much damage."
Sakura nodded. "That's a possibility. I'll bring her in regularly to check her over, too. I just hope she's not biting off more than she can chew."
"Naw, Hinata? Not her!" The smart remark earned Naruto another elbow to the ribs. "Ow. Sakura, your elbow hurts."
"That's okay, Dear, I can fix you up again." She laughed at the disgruntled look on his face.
A few minutes later, Yasashii brought out the ramen and they all ate quietly. It was going to be a long night.
- 28
- 29
- 30
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