The cloaked figure looked upon the looming gates of Konohagakure, and the Hokage tower just beyond. This is it, the figure thought, my time has come. They rushed to the gate with the grace and speed of a ninja, merely another shadow in the dark of the night. Approaching the gate, the figure slowed down, noting two tired shinobi standing guard.
Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki were indeed tired, but when they noticed the hooded person gracefully approach them, they perked right up.
"Halt, who goes there?" Izumo shouted across the space between him and the stranger.
"I'm just a traveler. I'm here to speak to the Hokage," said a soft, feminine voice. Kotetsu and Izumo glanced at each other, communicating that there was something suspicious about this self-proclaimed traveler arriving in the dead of night.
"The Hokage doesn't take appointments at this hour. State your true business," Kotetsu reached behind him for his weapons as he said this. The woman sighed; she sincerely hoped she wouldn't need to resort to violence but it looked like she had no choice. She leapt forward and with two precise strikes took down the men before they had a chance to react. Sparing a single look back at the two passed out bodies, the cloaked woman hurried onward. It seemed that her path would be fraught with obstacles, despite her wishful thinking.
She hurriedly slunk through the streets of Konoha, making her way to the Hokage tower. There were no civilians out at this hour, and all the lights in the houses and stores were turned off. Nevertheless, the woman knew she couldn't be too careful in a ninja village, so she kept to the shadows and back alleys until she made it to the imposing structure. Her next obstacle was the heavy, double door entrance to the tower. The lock was easily picked. Too easily in fact. There wasn't a need for great locks when there was a platoon of ANBU available for security, after all. The hooded figure stepped into the tower and immediately pivoted to avoid a senbon needle aimed at her neck. In the same movement, she raised two fingers through which she sent a chakra pulse in the direction the needle came from. A second later, there was a thud as the ANBU soldier slumped to the ground.
Not wasting time, she ran up the tower steps to where she knew the Hokage's office would be. Standing guard at the office door were two more ANBU who noticed her immediately and went for their weapons. They were on the ground before they knew what hit them.
With a deep breath, the woman opened the door to the office. There stood the Nanadaime Hokage, the embodiment of the will of fire, staring out the window with his back to the intruder. He was tall, blonde, and wearing a white cloak with red flames emblazoned on the bottom.
"You've done well so far, I'm impressed. But you've gotta be crazy if you really think you can assassinate me," Naruto Uzumaki turned to stare at the cloaked trespasser with a gleam in his blue eyes.
"I didn't come to assassinate you," replied the woman, "I came to congratulate you…Naruto-kun. You did it. You finally became Hokage."
"I've been the Hokage for the last three years. What are you playing at?" He narrowed his eyes at the stranger.
"I know. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner."
"Come sooner? Who are you?"
The woman paused, then raised a hand to take off her hood. She revealed shoulder length indigo hair, porcelain skin, and, most notably, pale white eyes.
"Hinata?" Naruto asked disbelievingly. "Hinata Hyuga?"
Hinata nodded somberly, "It's me."
"But…you've been gone for almost seven years. We all assumed…" Naruto tapered off.
"I suspected as much," she sighed.
"So, if you're not here to assassinate me, why attack my shinobi?" Naruto wondered.
"It was the quickest way to get to you. And I suppose you can consider this my application," Hinata responded.
"Application?"
"To rejoin Konoha's ranks as an active kunoichi and your personal bodyguard."
It was rare for Naruto to be struck dumb; he always had the last word and a comeback for everything. Yet there he was, staring into the eyes of a kunoichi he never thought he'd see again, who pummeled through his security and asked to be his bodyguard, and he had absolutely nothing to say.
Hinata continued, "You obviously need the protection. Considering what I went through to get here, your security is subpar." Naruto sat down behind his desk and activated the office privacy seal, ensuring that no ANBU would disrupt them.
"That's pretty forward of you. Not like the Hinata I remember."
"I'm not the Hinata you remember."
"I suppose not." Naruto leaned back in his chair and appraised his companion, "Why don't you tell me, then. If you're not the Hinata I remember, who are you? Where have you been all these years?"
Hinata looked down in defeat, "I can't say."
Naruto nodded, "So you expect me to invite you back to the village, as the Hokage's bodyguard no less, based on nothing more than the fact that you took down some of my shinobi?"
Hinata straightened and looked him dead in the eye, "I may not be the Hinata you remember, but I am still Hinata."
Naruto sighed, "The Council's gonna have my neck for this."
"Surely, they're not the worst adversaries you've faced, Hokage-sama."
"And Hinata Hyuga is teasing me. Now I've seen it all!" Naruto let out a chuckle. He got up from his desk and crossed the room to stand in front of the kunoichi.
"I'm glad you're back," with those words, Naruto embraced the rigid Hyuga. Hinata was frozen in place, not expecting to be so close as to feel Naruto's body heat, his strong muscles against her frame. She could smell a hint of ramen amidst his overall earthy scent. Hinata's cheeks dusted over with a light pink hue, something that hasn't happened in years. Naruto cleared his throat and disengaged as soon as he realized Hinata wasn't reciprocating his hug.
"Of course, you'll still need to go through the formal reinstatement process. I'll vouch for you so you don't have to go through interrogation, but there's nothing I can do about the probationary period before allowing you to take B rank missions and above. As for being my personal bodyguard…well the Hokage doesn't usually have a personal bodyguard. It's usually up to the ANBU to take shifts," Naruto explained.
"How about this: I'll take on your standard security detail singlehandedly. When I best them, it'll prove I have what it takes and that you'd be better off with me as a bodyguard," Hinata countered.
"You sure you wanna do that?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"You don't think I can do it," Hinata accused.
Naruto waved his arms in defense, "No, it's just that I'm sure there's an easier way than taking on five ANBU at once."
"There may be, but I can think of no better way to prove my worth. Shinobi speak the language of violence, and converse through battle," Hinata stood her ground. Naruto was a bit taken aback by her use of proverb; nonetheless, he nodded in agreement.
"Alright, you win. Tomorrow morning at nine we'll meet at training ground 37. For tonight, feel free to stay in the barracks and later on I can set you up with an apartment. Unless you want to stay at the Hyuga compound?" Naruto inquired.
Hinata's face turned stone cold, "No, I'll stay in the barracks."
Naruto let out a soft chuckle to relieve the pressure in the room, "Sorry about the lack of good accommodations but you did kind of show up unannounced."
Hinata hummed in acknowledgement.
"Well," Naruto rubbed his hands together, "I can sense about ten ANBU eagerly waiting at the door. We should pop out and say hi."
"Nine."
"Huh?"
"There's nine ANBU outside the door." Hinata explained as she put on her hood again to mask her face.
"Then let's get out there and let the nine of them know you're not a threat," Naruto's lips spread into his signature wide grin and Hinata's traitorous heart skipped a beat. She couldn't believe that after all these years he still had such an effect on her.
Naruto walked past Hinata to open the door. As Hinata announced, there were nine ANBU standing at attention just outside.
"Stand down, there is no threat," Naruto proclaimed to the group, "Boar—make sure no one bothers our guest. She'll be spending the night in the barracks. Ram—get the word out that we'll have a new kunoichi joining our ranks. I'll get started on her paperwork first thing tomorrow." Boar and Ram nodded and body flickered away.
"As for the rest of you," Naruto continued, "get back to your posts and resume your duties."
The group scattered and Naruto faced Hinata once more, "Now you're free to go around Konoha unscathed."
"Thank you, I'll be going now," she replied with a small bow.
"Wait, Hinata?" Naruto called out to her as she started leaving. Hinata turned around.
"Yes?"
"It really is good to see you again," Naruto finished. He couldn't see Hinata's face, as it was shrouded with her cloak's hood, but he could sense her small smile when she gave him another bow. Hinata turned to exit again. As she made her way out of the Hokage tower, she felt the eyes of hidden ANBU on her, distrustful despite the Hokage's words. As they should be, considering their injured comrades.
She made her way to the barracks without incident and found herself a room. It was completely utilitarian, made up of a metal bed with a thin mattress, a side table, and a sink and mirror in the corner. Much better than camping in the woods, thought Hinata, grateful to finally have a roof over her head. She lay down on top of the threadbare pillow and finally allowed herself to relax.
Hinata couldn't believe that she was actually back in Konoha—it was all rather surreal, especially seeing Naruto again. He was different than when she last saw him, taller, surer of himself, but his smile was the same. It was that smile that littered her thoughts as she fell into a deep slumber.