Hi there people… this is my first fanfic, so be nice. Also, is my first fictional work in english (I'm italian), but not my first fictional work at all… in fact, I used to write quite a lot, and even if I'm not english, I'm quite confident about my language skills
Back to the story! This is not a one-shot, it's a multi-chapter story that I'll update… uhm… how does it sound "on a week regular basis"?
Summary
The story start after the news of the death of Jiraya reaches Konoha… just as a reminder, Sasuke just killed Itachi and joined the Akatsuki… no time skip, no AU, hopefully no OOC or OC… Category humor/romance, so be prepared for ankwards situations & a lot of fluff. Now for the pairings: NaruHina will be the main pairing, there will be also a SaiIno and I'll pair Tsunade for sure; there will NOT be ShikaTema, LeeTen, SasuKarin, LeeSaku, NejiTen… but u can influence the choice of the pairing! (read at the end of chapter for the review-poll)
Ok, stop… the time for the talk is over… from now on, you only R&R!
Disclaimer
Obviously, I don't own Naruto or any of his character… Kishimoto-sama does, and trust me I really envy him for owning Hinata T.T
Chapter 1
Back (in black?)
It was a dark and cloudy night in Konoha, and our favourite number one knucklehead hyperactive ninja sat on top of the Hokage monument. Strangely enough, he was quite and still, cerulean eyes staring in the void, tears slowly crossing his whisker-marked cheeks.
In the morning, Naruto has learned about his former sensei's death. He had walked aimlessy in the town all day, lost stare pointed between his feet, reminiscing all the moment passed with the ero-sennin during the two-and-half year of his training. At first, in Naruto's opinion, the frog heremit was simply a pervert… a kick-ass pervert, yeah, but nothing more… as time passed by, the blonde started developing a family bond with the sannin, slowly coming to consider his as a grandfather, like the Sandaime … and now he's gone, exactly like the Sandaime.
Sure enough, both their deaths were honourable, the kind of deaths you would expect from a legendary ninja, giving their lives for their village, for Konoha, but thinking of that did not help when the third died, nor did help now that Jiraya too is gone.
Naruto growled… "Who am I fooling? 'giving his life for Konoha'? Bullshit! He was fighting Akatsuki… Akatsuki are not after Konoha… they're after ME! he died for ME! Ero-sennin is no more, and it's all MY fault!" he shouted to no one in particular… he didn't mean to be heard but… well, someone heard him…
"A-ano…" Naruto turned himself to the source of the voice… a young kunoichi, long indigo hair, lavender robe, partially hiding in the forest behind him, blushed a little under his glare "go-gomen nasai N-Naruto-kun… I-I didn't mean to e-eavedrop" she apologized, poking her fingers together and staring at her feet, her cheeks turning more and more pink
"Ah…" mumbled Naruto "Hinata…" he quickly wiped out his tears with his sleeve, and grinned hes his trademark grin "It's okay, don't worry… it's not like I was paying any attenction at all, by the way" laughed the blonde, and patted the ground next to him "…come…"
She blushed ten shades of red at his offer, and started shivering at the mere thought of sitting next to Naruto… but managed not to faint, and even to whisper "Ha-Hai"
Slowly, breathing deep at each step, trying her best not to faint on him, she reached the edge of the cliff and sit down, quite far away from Naruto in fact, but anywhere nearer and she would have fainted for sure…
He followed her with the gaze, still grinning ear-to-ear.
"Ne, Hinata, what are you doing up there at that time of night?" he asked
"A-ano…" she answered, poking her finger together and staring at a very interesting spot in her lap "I-I… was j-just taking a wa-walk …" she dared to look up to her long-time-crush face, finding that Naruto was still grinning like nothing appened.
"Nani?" he asked "You sure walk a lot, Hinata! There are at least a couple of miles from the Hyuga estate to here!"
Hinata blush deepened, and her gaze returned to her lap… it hurted to see Naruto that way…
"A-ano… Na-Naruto-kun… You do-don't have to d-do that…" she whispered
"Nani? Whaccha talking about, Hinata?" the blonde asked, looking puzzled
"A-ano…" Hinata forced her eyes to look into Naruto's "Yo-you know… fa-faking a smile f-for me…" she managed to whisper.
Naruto's face immediately saddened, his gaze shifting from Hinata to an undefined point far away on the horizon
"So" he whispered "You heard?" his voice cracked a little
"Ha-Hai…" she said, turning to stare at her lap, again
They stayed like that, silent, still, for what seemed hours… finally, Hinata tried to break the ankward silence
"A-Ano…" "Do you know…" Naruto interrupted her, still looking away, still with a cracked voice "…what it feels like? What it feels like to be alone, heated from everyone? Do you know what it feels like to, finally, find someone who aknowledge you? Someone who respect, who love you like you're part of his family? And do u know what it feels like…" he stopped for a moment "…to lose that someone?"
"Na-Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered "Yo-you're not a-alone… Y-you have f-friends who ca-care about y-you…" she paused "…yo-you have m-me…" she finished, barely audible but still blushing like crazy…
"And do u know what it feels like…" Hinata sweatdropped… He didn't heard a word of what she said, didn't he?... "…to be the one responsible for their death?" he whispered… no, more like… sobbed…
"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata almost shouted, managing to get Naruto attenction – and glare – on her – and obviously, as a side effect, blushing an even more intense shade of red – "Y-you're not a-alone" she whispered, softly, staring directly into his sad cerulean eyes, deepening her blush at every passing second but unable to look away "a-and, mo-more important, yo-you're not re-responsible for J-Jiraya-sama's de-death…"
"Hinata-chan…" Naruto said, softly, reaching her cheek with his hand
"Hinata-CHAN??" her inner-self shouted "But more importantly, he's stroking MY CHEEK and staring into MY EYES!! Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!" Unable to blush more – she was actually as red as a tomato – she started to hyperventilate
"…you're wrong." Naruto continued "He died fighting my enemies…" she tried to argue, but he gently put his finger on her lips. Her eyes widened at that, and she found that breathing was becoming harder at every passing second "… so his death was basically my fault…"
They remained silent for a few moments – Hinata was quickly running out of oxygen, having her crush finger on her lips – when Naruto jumped up, grinning like mad and making Hinata's heart skip a beat or two
"Hahaha…" he scratched the back of his neck "That's not like me at all, right" he laughed "Don't worry Hinata, I'm not doing something stupid like cutting my veins, jumping off a cliff, or running out of the village, I'm not an emo like Sasuke-teme!" Hinata chuckled a little at this comment "But anyway thank you for cheering me up! Yup, I definetly appreciated that whole friends-stuff!" he grinned his trademark grin, whose skin had gone bluish from the lack of oxygen, to blush like mad at the mere think that his grin was for her "I definetly owe you one!" he paused a second to stare at her intensly… meanwhile, Hinata was experimenting new shades of red… "Ah, I get it! How does it sound if I treat you to dinner tomorrow at Ichiraku?" he asked, still grinning and offering her a hand to get herself up
"He's asking ME out? He's grinning at ME, and he's asking ME out? He's grinning at ME, offering ME his hand, and asking ME out?" she processed slowly… that was definedly too much! She blanked out. The last thing she heard before fainting was Naruto screaming "Hinata! Hinata! What's wrong, Hinata!" and then, darkness…
Meanwhile, at the main gates of Konoha
"Stop in your track!" the guard shouted "Identify yourselves!"
Right out the perimeter of lights, four figures stood in the night, features still hidden in the shadows. One of them slowly walked in the light, revealing a long, black cloak with red clouds on it that covered his entire body, except for his face. Long, spiked raven hairs framed a pale face with dark features, strong obsidian eyes staring at the gate guards without a single trace of fear or indecision.
"Uchiha Sasuke" he stated "and those are Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo, my travel buddies"
The guards stared wide-eyed at him and his party, not believing their ears. After a couple of seconds, one of them snapped out of the trance, and shouted an order at the strange party "Do not come any near, Uchiha. Wait here for my return." than tourned to his buddy "I'm gonna get the Hokage…" whispered "…if they try to break in… try to stop them!" "Hai"
The guard, now alone, stayed still, staring – a little preoccupied – at the group. Was that really Uchiha Sasuke? The only left survivor of the Uchiha clan, one of the strongest clan in the whole world? The boy that left three years before to follow Orochimaru, the traitor sannin, and – according to the rumors – has killed the legendary ninja, as well as his brother – Uchiha Itachi, one of the strongest ninja in the whole world – and another member of the Akatsuki – the one that kidnapped Gaara, the Kazekage of Suna? And whasn't he wearing an Akatsuki cloack right now? 'Shit, things are going to get ugly here', the guard thought, a shiver running down his back. His party seemed dangerous as well… first, there was that strange guy, his skin that pale it seemed bluish, a serial-killer smile on his face, and a sword as huge as himself on his back… then, the other guy, at least six foot tall, and as big as an Akimichi, the only difference being he was not fat, but muscular… and, last but not least, the girl, eyes as cold as ice…
"Well well, what we have here?" a voice from inside the village inquired. It was undoubtedly the Godaime, Tsunade, and she seemed pissed… "Uchiha Sasuke…" the last remaining sennin came out of the gate and stopped in front of the group, her hands on the hips, eyes narrowed "… I was having a nap after a good bottle of sake, goddammit! You better have a good reason to wake me up, you traitor mourdeous fuck!"
Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. She was probably a little drunk, otherwise she – the Hokage – wouldn't probably address him – a missing nin – that way. Fine, he would play her way "Godaime-sama" he started "As you probably know, I left Konoha three years ago to train with Orochimaru and defeat my brother. As things are now, both the first and the latter are dead by my hand. Today, I'm simply here to stop your ridiculous attempts to bring me back to Konoha"
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched "And how do you plan to stop them?" she inquired, a little pissed of the young Uchiha's attitude
He smirked "I figured out that coming back would be a good way…"
The blonde Hogake bursted in laughing "Very funny, boy. I hope you would forgive me if I don't trust you entirely, expecially when you come here dressed like that. Ibiki!" the jounin appeared next to her in a puff of smoke, as well as six other ANBU "You asked for me, Hokage-sama?" Tsunade turned to look at the jounin "Ibiki, the guest are all yours. I expect a report on my desk by tomorrow morning…" he simply nodden "…and…" she continued, turning to look at the young Uchiha "… I expect full collaboration" the missing nin nodded too, then the ANBUs grabbed his and his teammates' arms and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving only the Hokage and the gate guards, one of wich let out a sigh of relief.
"Well well…" Tsunade mumbled, smirking "…tomorrow will be an interesting day…"
Next Chapter – Reunion
Sasuke meets with his old friends… the rookie nine are finally back together, and Tsunade has great plans for them… and don't forget, Hinata and Naruto are on their first date!
Author Notes
Well well… finally I finished that first chapter… sorry for it being short, the next one will definetly be longer and more fun, believe me
Remember to review, and if u want to help me develop the story (I alredy have in mind the main story line, but u can help me with side ones) try to answer some of those questions in the reviews:
- u prefer a I-want-to-restore-my-clan-so-the-more-the-better Sasuke, or a "traditional" one? (in other words, a single pairing for Sasuke or a multiple one?)
- how does JuugoxSakura sound to you? (the idea is: she tries to help him overcome the curse and they fall in love... not so easy obviously :P)
- and SuigetsuxTenTen? (well they're both weapons maniacs, right?)
- KarinxNeji? (I want a pink-haired hyuga boy xD)
- ShikamaruxTsunade, ShikamaruxShizune or ShikamaruxAnko? (yes, I want Shika with an older woman )
P.S. I'm lookin for a beta but I don't have a clue on how things works here… what do I have to do to get a beta? (possibly a chibi-uber-kawaii one, I'll give him cookies and hug him all day, I promise)
