Naruhina "Always By My Side" ch. 1
It was the 4th great ninja war. Naruto ran with his teammates and all of the allied shinobi forces behind him as everyone rushed Obito, the misguided Uchiha under the command of legendarily evil Madara Uchiha.
Naruto's eyes widened as they fixated on the metallic rods flying toward him. Before he could move, think, or even exhale, something, or someone, cloaked in black swooped in and fell at his feet.
The shock that overcame him left him stunned silent as he watched another figure clad in long, Raven colored hair, float in front of him.
"Neji...Hinata...," he said in a low whisper as his legs gave way and dropped him to the ground. The konoichi turned toward him with tears in her eyes before she kneeled and bowed her head down at her broken cousin's side.
Neji was pierced through in several places by the rods, all in his chest. He coughed and moaned before straining to speak. Before the sound reached his lips, Naruto spoke again, horsely, "why?"
Neji laughed, "you know I used to hate you Naruto," *cough* "but I'm not the only one who would give their life for you." Blood spilled from his mouth as he struggled to stifle another cough. Neji's upper body moved jaggedly to face Hinata as she looked down at him from her now sobbing state. "Hinata knew long before everyone else, what a great person you would become, she's always had faith in you." He began to shudder and shake, violently coughing, when he turned back to his old rival and said, "take care of her Naruto, take care of my cousin." Neji's silver pupils went dull as his head rolled to the side and he released his final breath.
Naruto could not stop the heavy tears that flowed from his stinging eyes as he crawled on his hands and knees toward Hinata and her lifeless cousin. He draped his arm around the girl's shoulder to offer what comfort he could and she nearly fell into him shaking and sobbing. Hinata soon blushed at herself when she realized how close she was to Naruto, but it was so comforting that she couldn't let go until their enemy spoke up.
The gritty voice of Obito Uchiha sounded from atop the ten tails beast, "What happened Naruto? I thought you said that you would never let your comrades die? But look around you!" Naruto's body drooped as he slowly turned his head to the left and to the right. The bloody carnage that surrounded him made him grow pale and weak. "Your friends won't be dying when the Tsukuyomi plan is complete. Join me Naruto, and you'll live in a world without death or complications of life," Obito called out.
Tears forming once again, Naruto bowed his head and let his arms drop into his lap. He stared blankly, his body aching dully all over, when a voice cried out, "No!"
Naruto looked up to see Hinata's silver eyes staring back at him, dewey from crying, but fierce and commanding. He then felt the soft cool touch of her hand in his. He looked down to see her small smooth hand enveloped by his large rough hand. Her voice then rang out loud and clear, "We will never join you!" She faced the Uchiha with no fear. Seeing such strength in her made his heart jump unexpectedly. She looked back at him and his heart throbbed again when she smiled and said, "Neji was right." He felt confused, disoriented. "I have always believed in you," she continued, "and I am not going to stop now! I've seen you Naruto, I've watched you, your determination, you never give up, it's your nindo way! You've always inspired me and I've adopted the same nindo way, I too will never give up! Stand with me Naruto, let's win this together!"
He squeezed her hand as they rose to their feet. He smiled at her, "Hinata, I..." he started to say, but the fox demon inside him, Kurama, spoke in a low growl from within, "I am ready. Go now Naruto, spread my chakra to your comrades and defeat the Uchiha scum!"
Hinata began to glow red-orange as the chakra radiated from within her and two translucent ears appeared atop her head and a fox tail appeared behind her. She was in Naruto's tailed beast cloak mode! She looked down at her hands in amazement and then at Naruto who said, "Thank you Hinata, I couldn't have done this without you!" She blushed as he ran off to spread the nine tail's chakra to his comrades in the allied shinobe forces.
Obito began to snarl at the sight of the glowing red sea of ninja warriors when all of a sudden, he went limp and the ten tailed beast beneath him stood still. Ino had performed her mind transfer jitsu on Obito while Shikamaru and his clan used their famous shadow possession jutsu to stop the beast.
As Naruto shared his chakra with the final ninja, a familiar voice rang out above the rest, "Let's FIGHT!"
"Hinata!" Naruto said, impressed by her strength, as a smile spread across his face. Everyone raced toward the enemy attacking with their individual Jutsus. All of a sudden Madara Uchiha appeared out of the darkness. Obito snapped out of the trance he was under and the beast reeled his arms once again toppling over many ninja including Naruto who went sailing through the air from the force of the monster.
Luckily Sakura saw Naruto and came running to help. As she applied her medical ninjutsu, Naruto protested, "please help the others, you know I heal fast!" She made him stay put as she sharply said, "You're almost out of chakra!" Then more endearingly while massaging the healing ninjutsu into his back, "plus you've done more than enough, let our comrades..." she was cut off by the sight of a yellow flash before them.
"I was wondering when you would show up," Naruto said, "...Dad."
Sakura was bewildered, "Lord fourth?!... Wait, your father? But you're... you're dead! Reanimation jutsu?!"
The fourth hokage, Minato, spoke up, "I was reanimated, but I am on your side and I am here to help. Naruto is my son..." he paused and then carefully added, "are you his girlfriend?"
Naruto's head tilted back as he laughed whole heartedly. Sakura began to turn red with anger, and folding her arms across her chest, she looked down at the ground in annoyance. Naruto's cackle slowed down to a giggle and as he gazed to his right off into the distance. He stopped in silence as he saw her running toward them.
He finally answered his father, never taking his eyes off the girl as she approached, "Sakura is my teammate, my comrade."
"I see," Minato said, as Hinata finally reached Naruto's side. She kneeled beside him, her hands falling loosely onto her lap. Out of breath and looking him over intently she said, "Are you alright Naruto?"
Naruto placed his hand over Hinata's hand, causing her to instantly blush. He smiled at this and said, "I'm fine Hinata," he then gestured with his free hand, "meet my father."
Hinata looked up to see a man as handsome as Naruto, same golden blond hair and blue eyes, but with a few more lines around his eyes and mouth, giving him an older, more distinguished look. "Lord fourth!" She said in shock as she looked back at Naruto and then Minato again. She bowed down out of respect to the former hokage and said, "It is an honor to meet you sir!"
All of a sudden Minato was kneeling before her and his hand gently tugged her chin up to face him. "It is I, who am honored to meet you."
Minato thought to himself as he curiously looked into the girl's eyes, 'A member of the Hyuga clan...interesting and impressive Naruto.'
"Lady Hinata," he said, "please take care of my son." He smiled at the two teenagers as he put a hand on both their shoulders before he left them to join the battle. They could see him doing so only by the yellow flash that trailed away from them towards the battlefield.
Sakura, who had been stunned silent by the 4th hokage's approach, noticed Naruto and Hinata's joined hands. She fumed at this and snapped at Naruto, "Well, don't just sit there!" As she stormed off, Naruto and Hinata chuckled lightly as they looked each other in the eyes, but as Hinata's blush deepened, she looked away.
"Hinata," Naruto said seriously, earnestly, "Fight with me, stay by my side." Before she could think, she looked him in the eyes and blurted out, "Always." Her eyes widened and she looked down as she mentally kicked herself for saying such a thing, but she had meant it.
Naruto guided her chin back up to face him with his free hand and as she looked into his eyes again, she noticed how they twinkled slightly as he blushed and chuckled softly. 'He's looking at me so... intently,' she thought, 'My heart is racing. Is he...?' She was enthralled with the look of him. But they had a job to do, and no time for reflection as he soon stood and helped her to her feet. They nodded at each other with determination and ran to face their enemies together.
They soon reached Minato and the other fighting shinobi.
"If Madara is controlling the ten tails, I'll use my Byakugan to see and sever that connection," Hinata said with determination.
Everyone nodded to her as shikamaru said, "just a minute Hinata, my clan and I almost have him in our shadow possession again."
After a moment, shikamaru said,
"OK!"
Hinata's temples showed their veins as her eyes activated the kekkei genki of the Hyuga clan, the byakugan. The ten tail's chakra network became visible to the girl and she traced a central line that led to two smaller chakra networks. 'Madara and Obito,' Hinata thought to herself and as she prepared her jutsu, she looked around at her surroundings for that familiar face. Naruto was in fact looking at her expectantly and blushed when their eyes met.
'He blushed?!' She felt a sharp pang in her chest, as an electrified shock went throughout her body at the sight of him.
She shook her head to dismiss such thoughts as another familiar face stood out to her right. "Father!" She called out.
"You take the left, and I the right." Hiashi Hyuga yelled to his daughter and in an instant they landed right in front of the enemy lines and attacked with their clan's specialty, the gentle fist taijutsu.
Their enemies' chakra network soon went dark as the 2 generations of he Hyuga clan used their gentle fist to quickly disable their opponents.
Naruto then formed a few hand signs that transformed him into tailed beast mode and he soon gained his glowing red cloak. After nodding at his father, they both raced to the ten tailed beast with mirrored attacks.
There was a calm buzzing of noise and activity when Naruto finally woke. Before he could open his eyes, he felt gentle fingertips run through his hair at the temples and down his neck.
"Mm...Hinata..." the words escaped his lips before he could fully process them. The hand that had stroked him stopped and he looked up to see their owner blushing wildly with a confused look on her face.
She couldn't say why she had been running her fingers through his hair, it was some sort of compulsion she couldn't explain. But when he said her name, the way he said her name, her heart must have stopped.
A calm wave of relief overtook her though as she spoke to him, "I'm glad you're awake," she said with a smile, "you had me worried."
Naruto looked at the surrounding crowded hospital waiting area and blushed when he realized he was looking up at her because his head was lying in her lap. He asked sheepishly, "uh, what happened?"
"We got them Naruto! My father and I took out the Uchiha and you and your father took out the ten tails!" She said excitedly before a frown came over her face, "But you collapsed out there from exhaustion, and I..." she blushed, "well, I helped bring you here... and you literally fell into my lap!" She laughed and smiled again and her face reddened even more so, "there were no beds left, and you looked so comfortable..." she trailed off, looking away.
He noticed how tired she looked and smiled, "you've been here, by my side all this time?"
She let out a small chuckle as her eyes began to water and she whispered, "...always."
