Author's Note: I know I shouldn't be starting another project, what with graduation coming in June, my missing assignments piling up like garbage at the local land-fill and my already started projects being neglected but I have been up all night because of this effer. This takes place roughly three weeks after the invasion but about four days before those Kumo nin get to the village.
I will place flashbacks strategically throughout this story (as I'm half certain it's going to reach up to thirty or more chapters, not including interludes) and try to cover all angles (a challenge for Naruto fics)
And look! It's het! I've only ever really written for yaoi couples before... I'll have to remember to be extraaaaa careful not to type "his" instead of "hers" or "he" instead of "she".
Okay, so... just assume that Hinata got more screen time in this than she did in the original and try not to oust Sasuke completely. Keep an open mind while reading this and please... no flames? This is my first Naruto fic since those disastrous attempts almost four years ago. I will try my best to keep the characters in character (save for Naruto because OOCness in his case is a given) but if I don't, pointers are well appreciated.
Pairings:NaruHina, SasuSaku, LeeTen, ShikaTema, SaiIno, KibaKarin (crack?) and possibly a few more... be sure to add a pairing in a review if you can think of any you may or may not want to see but since het romance isn't really my strong point, I don't promise direct pairings.
Naruto had asked Hinata to talk, pointedly not looking at her and scratching the back of his neck in a gesture that she'd come to associate with nervousness. The doctors had cleared her for duty a few hours previous and she could honestly say she was ready to go. Kiba growled at him threateningly but he made it a point to ignore him which only riled the Inuzuka up. A whop to the head courtesy of Hana made him stop.
Hinata agreed, allowing him to gently guide her by the hand into a clearing that wasn't far from where Lee and Chouji were wrestling playfully with the watchful eyes of some of the more familiar faces—people like the parents and siblings of the Rookie Nine, the Jounin that assisted in their training as well as their respective sensei and a few Chuunin here and there. There was a break in business and they were taking full advantage of it.
Hinata can feel her heart skipping several beats and wonders absently if Naruto could hear it too. It certainly seemed that way. Her cheeks are dyed red as she recalled the words she wanted to say for a long time and how much she truly meant them.
"Hinata," Naruto said, somewhat strained. "I've… wanted to talk to you for a while now." He said slowly, not sure how to go about this. Hinata flushed and looked down, feeling shame creeping up her throat and threatening to swallow her whole.
"Wh-what… are you saying?"
"Argh!" Naruto raked his hands through his hair exaggeratedly, his frustration evident. She blinked, taking a step back as hurt seeped into her core. "Look, I… I just wanted to say… I feel…" He wasn't looking at her. "I feel the same way."
Hinata feels as though a weight has been lifted off of her soul which is quickly followed by an elated feeling that she can't quite manage to overcome in time because Naruto starts flailing about like the hopeless idiot he was.
But the feeling is quickly shattered when a Chuunin—Izumo, she recalls, having done her fair share of missions with the man and his partner—appears. "Sorry to interrupt." He says, his lips thin. "But there's a woman that claims she is here to see you."
A woman?
Hinata feels her heart wrench.
Naruto's brow puckers in confusion, "Did she give a name?"
"No. I considered turning her over to the T&I department but she said that she had important information regarding the Akatsuki and she would only speak to you directly."
Naruto squeezes Hinata's hand once and she realizes he hadn't let go of her. It makes the euphoric feeling return again but only slightly and when he does let go, she feels somewhat disappointed. Naruto obediently follows Izumo into the clearing with Hinata trailing somewhat behind her.
The woman is beautiful with long, flossy emerald terraces—an unusual color, she supposes, but then Shinobi were always known for being eccentric—with a pair of sapphire blue eyes that poked out under messy bangs. She wore a simple black yukata with an obi that matched her hair. Behind her, Kotetsu stood with a hand on her arm, keeping her restrained. Hinata wonders how Naruto knows her…
…but the feeling is abruptly replaced when a sharp, cold aura envelops the clearing. Lee and Chouji both stop wrestling and turn to stare at Naruto in shock. The entire clearing suddenly seems heavy, as though the air itself held an invisible weight.
Naruto's stare is cold—much colder than they've ever seen. His aura is like an embrace—warm and enticing but deadly all the same and for the first time since he returned almost a year and a half ago, they wonder if they truly knew him.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice a hard tenor. The woman stares back at him as though she's unaffected but the scent of fear clings to the air, even to those who don't have an Inuzuka's sense of smell—and beyond that, the scent of raw power.
"I went through a lot of trouble to track you down." The woman says, her azure eyes boring into his. "And this is the welcome I get? I thought we were friends." She smiles blithely and yet, it doesn't really touch her eyes which are as hard as sapphires. Naruto's eyes flicker purple for a bare moment before they return to their cerulean shade, although the slit pupils remain.
He takes a very deliberate step towards her and then another and another until he's close enough to reach out and touch her. "Master Jiraiya is dead." He says clearly, his face bland as though he hadn't mourned him for weeks before the invasion.
"I know." She says. There's an emotion in her eyes now—mourning. "He will be missed."
"Master Jiraiya is dead," He repeats, this time firmer. "So that means that there is nothing stopping me from killing you where you stand."
She licks her lips, as though they are suddenly dry, and looks him dead in the eye. "But you won't."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because I have information about the Akatsuki." She states. "And I have a list of names for you to memorize. As you are Master Jiraiya's only remaining apprentice, I've come to assume that you are going to take over his information network… or am I wrong?"
Naruto stares at her and she shifts her weight from her left leg to her right. "You were correct in your assumptions," He paused delicately. "However," His aura became heavier and it seemed as though there was a chill in the air. "You are an outsider and we are on the verge of war. Your information better be damn good for it to be worth your life." He motions for Izumo and Kotetsu to release her and they do so without question since it is very clear that they do not want that killer intent focused on them. The woman brings her wrists forward and rubs them, momentarily lowering her guard.
That was her mistake.
Naruto is in front of her in a flash, holding her by her throat against the wood paneling that would be used to rebuild the rest of the village. She makes a strangled sound as her back audibly connects with the wood. She claws at his hand but he does not release her—in fact, he lifts her off the ground a bit and that's when they see it. They see fear flashing in her eyes.
"W-wai…" She tries to say but Naruto squeezes a bit and she cuts off with a breathless cry.
"Get one thing very clear." He said, his body almost touching hers. It was to ensure that only he would hear the information she was going to give but his voice was carefully measured so it would carry throughout the clearing without him having to raise it. "You are in my village, on my territory, without official permission, therefore you are an intruder. I have no reserves about turning you over to the T&I department and I certainly have no reserves about killing you in cold blood." Somehow, they can tell he's lying but the fact that it was said makes their blood freeze nonetheless. Even Ibiki gives a pause. "I'll say this again, in case you missed my point the first time around. You'd better make damn sure that your information is worth your life or you won't be walking out of here. Do you understand?" He loosens his grip just a little, enough for her to speak.
"I… I understand." She rasps. Naruto releases her and she slumps to her knees. She kneels there, him standing over her as she tries to regain her breath. The KI lightens just a bit but still embraces her like a vice. He kneels down so that they are on level with one another.
"Start talking." He orders.
"The Akatsuki has a few new recruits." She says, although to the others it just comes out as a rushed whisper. "One is a former missing-nin from Kirigakure, the younger brother to Hozuki Mangetsu and great-grandson of the first Mizukage. Another is a woman with crimson red hair and sensory abilities. I believe she may be a medic as well. The third is a young man—probably about your age—by the name of Juugo. It is believed that he is the source of the curse mark that Orochimaru favored and the forth, you should know. His name is Uchiha Sasuke." Naruto gives no reaction to the name, doesn't show that Sasuke's outright betrayal cuts him deeper than it already has. "He recently went after the Jinchuuriki of the Eight Tailed Ox. It is unknown if he succeeded or not but since the Jinchuuriki is missing, it is very likely that he has fallen into the Akatsuki's grasp."
Naruto inclines his head almost lovingly, as though he were admiring a lover but at the same time, he looks like a predator ready to strike down his prey. She seems to interpret this for what it is. "There is one more member—he is believed to be Uchiha Madara, a founder of your precious village." His eyes narrow and the KI doesn't need to spike any for the temperature to get colder. "I do not know if this is true or not," She puts in, almost desperately, "as he hides his face behind an orange swirl mask with a hole above his left eye."
"Do you know anything of a creature that calls himself Zetsu?" Naruto asks in what could be passed off as a lightly curious tone. The woman lowers her head, knowing that this is the final straw. If she cannot provide that information, she is as good as dead.
"They are clones, I believe. Clones that use the First Hokage's cells… but not like your friend over there," Her eyes flicker towards Yamato who tenses but Naruto's killer intent is sharp and almost overbearing when it spikes again. "They are organic and will probably turn into trees if they are touched by the positive half of a Biju's chakra. They… may be able to absorb chakra but I don't know any specifics on them."
And just like that, the killing intent cuts off and Naruto his grinning lazily at her, as though he hadn't threatened her very life only moments ago. "Thank you, Namine." He reaches into his weapons pouch and she tenses before he hands her a small pouch of ryo. "That should just about cover your usual fee. Is there anything else I should know?"
The woman, apparently called Namine stands and brushes herself off with as much dignity and disdain as she had entered with. "That should be all." She turns to leave but pauses, "There is… one more thing." She inclines her head back and makes sure her voice carries. "It is rumored… that they stole information that Iwa had gathered on a device that could potentially disable seals… I don't know the legitimacy of that particular bit of information, nor do I care to investigate it but I thought that you, as a Jinchuuriki, would want to know."
"Do you know who could potentially be developing this weapon?" Inoichi asks.
She shakes her head. "No." She replies. "But there is talk that it was being built by Orochimaru so he could end your life prematurely—again, I don't know the legitimacy of this information so it is all just speculation." Her lips curl into a smile as she lowers her head.
"And the list of names?" Naruto asks.
"I've already given the good chuunin the scroll as payment for letting me pass through the gates. You will have to ask them for it." And with that, she vanishes. Naruto looks at Kotetsu who is already taking out the scroll and handing it to them.
He pockets it instead of opening it right away. "Well now," He muses with a wry smile. "It looks like I have work to get done. Call me if you need any help." He locks eyes with Shikamaru who nods before they both vanish.
"Who was that woman?" Anko asked Sakura who was frowning.
"I don't know… Naruto's never mentioned anyone like that… before." It's obvious that this doesn't set well with her.
"Naruto didn't seem all that happy to see her." Ibiki comments, flipping the page of his magazine.
"Ex-girlfriend?" Kiba asks.
"Not likely." Tenten replies with a snort. "I mean, did you see the way she looked at him? Anko's snakes have warmer gazes."
"Not to mention that killer intent." Shikaku whistles. "I didn't think the kid had a cruel bone in him. I know now that that is not the case." He pauses, inclining his head. "Do you know anything about them, Kakashi?"
"No… but I know who the woman is."
"Who is she?" Neji asked.
"She's an information broker that sells information to the top bidder. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that she and Naruto have done business before." Kakashi turned a page delicately.
"He doesn't seem to like her very much." Sai commented, looking up from his drawing.
"No, you think?" Sakura said sarcastically and then she paused, as though something occurred to her. "What did Naruto want with Shikamaru?"
Shikaku frowned—he wondered about that as well.
Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated. Be sure to tell me what you think in the reviews? And, as always, thanks for reading!