It was a time of adjustment for the blond. The war ended, he "saved" his friend at the cost of his arm, which he definitely had some mixed feelings about but he kept his promise and there seemed to be an era of peace on the horizon. He should be happy and for the most part he was. It's just, there were some things that were off. The first was the new found attention from the villagers. He'd always wanted acknowledgement but to receive all of it so suddenly was overwhelming. He managed to be polite as he knew how it felt to be dismissed but he truly didn't know how to handle it all, it was just so unrelenting. That, however was minor compared to the other issues.
The first was he was slowly getting memories back of the times he had lost himself to Kurama's chakra. It wasn't anything major until he started to remember Hinata sacrificing herself from him. Those were memories were hard and it had taken him months to fully recall the event as he'd wake up in a near panic before he could. Cold sweats and shortness of breath were not uncommon. It was only with Kurama's help that he pushed through and saw it, her confession of love. The amount of guilt he felt for having, seemingly, ignored her bold declaration couldn't be quantified. He wanted to talk to her, to tell her he hadn't refused to respond but he didn't know how he felt about her.
Well, that's not the entire truth. While he doesn't know her incredibly well, Naruto sees much of his struggle in Hinata and the desire to improve and better for those you care about. It's admirable and his fondness for her grew when she helped him not lose himself after Neji died. Since he remembered, he'd seen her around more and was slowly getting to know her. She was truly a kind, amazing person. One he could see himself in a relationship with and given his past with Sakura, one wouldn't think Naruto would be reluctant to state his intention but he was and the reason being leads to problem number two.
He doesn't know why. He could guess but it'd only be speculation but truly he doesn't know. What Naruto is confused about is how his friends had been treating him lately. It wasn't noticeable at first but it seems that every group outing, when he's brought up they only mention his screw ups or his faults. They so easily call him an idiot as if, of course, what else would they call him. He's the first to admit his faults and since the war he's been working overtime to treat and fix them. He initially thought it was good natured but it just never stopped. He could say something but a part of him fears they'll just look at it as the "Hero" only wanting to be venerated and can't take a joke. He knows it's not that, no one else receives this treatment. He, for the life of him, just doesn't get it. He doesn't want his friends to see him as this big hero but can't they at least see he's grown and has struggled every step of the way to do so?
It was with these mixed emotions weighing on him that Naruto approached Neji's gravesite. It had been just over six months but Naruto still hadn't fully gotten over the guilt of Neji's sacrifice. It hadn't helped that he fully understood Neji's final words and knew the prodigy had sacrificed himself so Hinata and he could have a chance at something more. It was just all too much and Naruto felt he was floundering. It needed something to give, something to change but he didn't know where to go. Jiraiya was no longer here, he didn't feel comfortable with Kakashi-sensei and Baachan was on vacation. As distracted as Naruto was, he still noticed someone was going through a great deal of emotional distress. It was a graveyard so that wouldn't be out of the ordinary but during his final approach he noticed it was Hinata. Rushing over to comfort his friend he'd never believe what happened once he reached her, once he made his presence known. He couldn't handle it, couldn't deal with what had been revealed to him. Never had he regretted gaining Kurama's negative emotions sensing ability before now. He didn't even wait for her to speak, he disappeared in a shunshin as far and as fast as he could.
His heart was breaking as he made his way to the Hokage's office. He didn't understand it, any of it. Why had his friends turned on him? What had he done to make them resent him so? Hadn't he always tried to do his best, to support them whenever they needed it? Things were supposed to change but they wouldn't let go of the past; no, they wouldn't let go of his past. How could they prefer to see him as a loser and a screw up? It just didn't make sense. He barged into Kakashi's office and requested, just short of a demand, to take an extended training trip where he'd complete whatever missions Kakashi assigned him. He stressed that he just needed to leave now. Kakashi, reluctantly, granted the request of his student and Naruto was out of the village within the hour.
Visiting Neji was always emotional for her. So much guilt over his sacrifice, of lost time, of him not getting the future he richly deserved. It threatened to swallow her whole. Like most people, when their burdens become too heavy they seek to take off some of the weight. It just so happens that today some of that weight landed on Naruto. It wasn't just the loss of Neji, the progress with removing the Cage Bird Seal had stalled as her father was dragging his feet on the issue. Also, she was battling long simmering insecurities surrounding Naruto as all of his newly acquired fans so readily view him as a hero. She wondered, bitterly, why the great hero couldn't save her cousin. Only because it was easier than blaming herself again for jumping in front of Naruto and having Neji do the same for her.
Had Naruto approached her just a minute later or earlier, the thoughts would not have been in her mind but they were and before she could get a grasp on her emotions or work through them the object of her resentment, insecurity and ire made his presence known. For that moment, and only that moment, she hated him. The spell was broken just as fast as it was cast, seeing his face morph from concern to anguish before departing view shunshin. At first Hinata was confused as to why he left so immediately. She racked her brain before she remembered their time fighting the Zetsu. Thanks to the Kyuubi, Kurama she reminded herself, Naruto can sense certain emotions. 'Oh no!' she thought, coming to the conclusion he felt her hate for him. She was so consumed with even more guilt and remorse that she was paralyzed, breaking down in pitiful sobs and didn't attempt to find Naruto until a few hours later, where she had no luck. She eventually went to Kakashi-sama to ask if he'd seen Naruto to which the Hokage replied Naruto departed on an extended training trip. Kakashi then asked if something had occurred between them and it took a great deal of discipline to not breakdown in a fit of sobs once again. She could only say there had been a misunderstanding, one she greatly regretted and hoped to set things straight.
Hinata was a mess for a month after Naruto left, blaming herself for his departure and fearing he'd never forgive her for her slip. She had thrown herself into her training, missions, and clan politics after that first month as wallowing would do her no good and Naruto would never wallow over his problems. It was also during this time Hinata really noticed how dismissive and mean spirited much of the talk surrounding Naruto was within the Rookie 12. She started to wonder if she wasn't the sole cause of his absence, just the breaking point. It didn't make her feel any better, not really, but it did give her some hope they could reconcile.
The first year of his absence followed like the month after her initial depressive episode. She was improving as a kunoichi and as a voice within the clan, managing to get more and more of the main house on the side of removing the seal and replacing it with a humane one for the entire clan. She still found her father to be somewhat intractable but couldn't fully figure out why.
As Naruto's training trip approached the two year mark, Hinata had gone from depressed, to remorseful to outright angry. She had a moment of weakness, a desire to not drown in her own guilt but he was punishing her. That, pissed her off. Her friends continued pattern of running him down didn't help, he wasn't even here to defend himself. She had reached a boiling point and told each of the group off. She questioned why they were so eager to put Naruto down, so casual with their cruel words. Sakura tried to defend the practice as keeping him humble and it being good natured but Hinata didn't buy that for a minute. She pointed out that after the war, Naruto had been nothing but humble as he was clearly overwhelmed by the attention; attention he'd never received as a child.
Outside of missions and training, he did very little to raise his profile so she demanded they explain why they continue to focus on his faults. None had an answer before she left but had she stayed she would have seen the group all come to terms with their unacknowledged jealousy of their friend. They didn't begrudge his status, he deserved to be acknowledged as a Hero but they felt inadequate when compared to his abilities so discussing the times before that was a balm to their egos; one they hadn't realized they needed.
Hinata marched to Kakashi-sama's office and demanded, at politely as she could, to be sent to retrieve Naruto. It was time, she argued, for him to come home. Luckily, Kakashi agreed and she was assigned a solo mission for the retrieval of one Uzumaki Naruto. She set off immediately, making excellent time. She smiled when she saw the bridge dedicated to him and found no lack of people willing to talk about their blond hero as she awaited transport. Hours after arrival, she was on a boat, headed for the island of Uzushio. Kakashi said as a stipulation for his leaving, Naruto had to inform him where'd he bet and apparently, outside of missions he spent his time in his ancestral home.
Hinata arrived to the island without incident and asked the Captain to wait as she planned to be leaving no later than tomorrow morning. It didn't take much effort to find Naruto, he wasn't far from where she landed but she could tell he had been seriously training for the last two years. His musculature had changed and she could see his chakra capacity had expanded as well. But the look in his eyes were wrong, something had been lost and he hadn't been able to find it away from the village. He needed to return, no matter what even if he didn't want to.
"Kakashi-sama has sent me to retrieve you, you are ordered to return home." she said, proud she managed it without a single stutter.
"Oh, it's you." Naruto said flatly. "Tell Kakashi-sensei, I'll be home when I'm done. It's too soon."
She flinched at his greeting but acknowledged he is still operating under the impression she hates him and has had two years to obsess over that. "That's not an option, Naruto-kun."
"Naruto-kun? Are we friends, Hinata? You shouldn't be overly familiar with someone you hate."
"I don't hate you, Naruto-kun. That was just a really bad moment and a big misunderstanding. I wish you had stayed so I could explain. The guilt over losing Neji had just gotten to be too much, I blamed you in a moment of weakness but it wasn't how I sincerely felt. I'm sorry you've been allowed to think that. Please, just return home and we can sort this out."
Naruto felt a serious burden lift from his shoulders when she said she didn't actually hate him but he still wasn't ready to return. She might not hate him but most of his other friends sure didn't seem overly fond of him and he just wasn't ready to deal with that yet. "Thank you, Hinata. I mean it but I can't go back just yet, I hope you understand." Naruto said, almost pleading before turning his back to the heiress, preparing to walk away.
Seeing him show his back to her infuriated Hinata, moreso than she had been before demanding this mission. "You will not turn your back on me, Naruto Uzumaki!" she shouted before rushing him; the blond barely dodged the palm thrust aimed at his lower back.
"What's wrong with you, Hinata? I said I'm not ready. Just respect my decision, ok? I don't want to fight you."
"No, you're coming back. You can't just run away. If you'd only just stayed you'd have known it was a misunderstanding. We could have worked it out but you just left and left me to feel horrible. No more, Naruto-kun. You aren't exactly blameless in this mess. You never even acknowledged that I said I loved you!" she said slipping into her Gentle Fist stance.
"Because I didn't remember initially. It was months after the war, weeks of waking up with panic attacks trying to remember what you said before I thought I saw you die. It was a short time before I left when I finally got the entire memory back and I felt like an utter bastard for not speaking with you but I didn't want to rush things. I just wanted to say the right thing, to say what I felt but I didn't know how I felt! Knowing Neji sacrificed himself for us, it was just all so much I just didn't want to mess up which I assumed I would."
"Why" she asked, not dropping her stance.
"Because that's how everyone else that knew me was treating me. I fight a Goddess and instead of immediately getting a promotion I got stuck in a classroom with Iruka-sensei. Seriously?! All my friends only spoke about my failings and failures, mocked me for still being a genin. How was I supposed to feel?"
"I don't know, Naruto-kun but running away wasn't the option. Just come back, I don't want to hurt you."
"Hinata, I respect and acknowledge your strength but you can't beat me."
"Yes, I can. You're likely the weakest you've been since becoming a shinobi, defeating you won't be a problem."
"Why, because I'm still just a dead last?" he asked, angrily.
"Because you have no resolve! You're not fighting for anyone, certainly not your precious people. This is just so you can hide. With that weak of a resolve, you won't beat me."
"Hinata, don't do this. I don't want to fight you. I understand if you're still angry but we can fix things without fighting."
"Last chance, return with me now Naruto-kun or I'll make you."
"No."
"Fine, force it is." Hinata said as she darted toward Naruto. The bluenette had indeed gotten faster over two years, Naruto noticed her improvements but he hadn't been slacking, as he left an intense desire to be acknowledged as the strongest shinobi of his age without Kurama had taken hold and Naruto had pushed himself beyond his limits so while Hinata was indeed fast, Naruto was that much faster. He managed to slip, dip and dodge her onslaught of palm thrusts, broken up with occasional low kicks, her agility and grace allowing her to continue the assault and never be out of position even if her target was faster. It appeared as if Naruto had lost his footing so Hinata focused a strike to his solar plexus only to hit a rock he replaced himself with. It wasn't difficult to see where he had gotten off to as Naruto decided to simply run away from his attacker.
Hinata gave chase, using kunai and shuriken to slow down his retreat and attempt to herd him toward the boat. She was having limit success as Naruto displayed very little intention of engaging in direct combat, the blond shinobi opting to bet on his superior stamina to escape the kunoichi. Hinata, growing tired of the chase performed a series of hand signs before whispers Lightning Style: Thunderball Jutsu and watched as the raiton technique sped toward Naruto. She was surprised when she saw Naruto perform the Wind Style: Blade of Wind Jutsu to cut through her technique and then perform some hand signs himself to shoot a blast of wind her direction.
Naruto had no intention of aiming his Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu directly at Hinata, he aimed it toward the ground to hamper her vision and impede her pursuit. As soon as he completed the jutsu he started to flee again. The process repeated itself, Hinata using either lightning or fire techniques to slow him down and Naruto countering with wind, water or earth techniques before running some more. It devolved into one big game of chase but neither party would admit to it.
Hinata soon grew tired of the game and her chakra reserves were running low so she performed a replacement with a rock ahead of Naruto, hoping to get the drop on him. Her plan worked, she was within striking range before Naruto could think. Unfortunately, Naruto could form a rasengan without thinking and his natural reaction was to form one if someone invaded his defense. However, he had enough control and fast enough reaction time that he realized what he was about to do, how he was going to harm his friend and immediately ended the technique. He didn't, however, leave himself enough time to counter her attack and was struck multiple times and subsequently fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
Hinata quickly rolled Naruto to his back and mounted the incapacitated shinobi. "I told you I was going to beat you, Naruto-kun. Now you're coming home. You'll straighten things out with your friends and then you will take me out on a date because that's what I want. We're going to talk, clear the air between us and have a good time. I think it'll lead to more dates and who knows, maybe something else but if we never become nothing more than friends or I'm as big as a house with your child YOU WILL NEVER RUN AWAY FROM ME AGAIN, NARUTO UZUMAKI!. Do you understand me?" Hinata said while glaring at Naruto.
"Yes, Hinata, I understand. Besides, I figured you'd carry small anyway." he said, unthinkingly.
"Something you've been considering, Naruto-kun?" she said and watched as the shinobi under her blushed.
"Nevermind that but what's the rush? I really was coming back soon."
"Because no one is promised tomorrow, Naruto-kun. Besides, I've waited long enough."