1. New Beginnings! Wonka-San Goes Too Far!
The last time we saw Hinata Hyuuga, she was walking to Ichiraku ramen with Naruto in the light of a sunset. Only a short while before, Wonka-san had told her that the whole gigantic fabulous Chocolate Factory would someday be hers, she had achieved acceptance by her begrudging father, Hiashi Hyuuga, and had reunited Wonka-san with his estranged father (who also just so happened to be Orochimaru).
That, of course, was almost three years ago. By this, I mean that almost three whole years had passed since we had last left Hinata and Naruto; and this is a very long time.
In this time, Hinata Hyuuga had blossomed into a fine, fifteen year old shinobi. Continuing to train with her team, her skills and abilities had increased, making her worthy of succession of the Hyuuga's Main Branch Family. Along with this, she had continued to work with Willy Wonka, helping him to invent a variety of creations.
If all of this good news and happiness weren't enough, there was also something else that made Hinata feel that her life was finally at its happiest:
This, of course, being Naruto Uzumaki's return to Konoha after training with Jiraiya for three years; which Hinata couldn't have been more excited about.
A few months had passed after Naruto's return, and Hinata had decided to meet with him for the day. She had received an invitation from Wonka-san to visit the factory, and decided to invite a few others to tag along. She had decided to invite Naruto and his other teammates.
It was early in the morning as Hinata waited along the streets of Konoha for them to arrive. Soon she could see a familiar shape bounding along in the distance.
"Oi! Hinata-chan!" Naruto called out to her as he began to cross a bridge to her. Hinata waved to him as he approached, shying away a little. Her heart began to race as he drew nearer. Despite how close they had come before Naruto had left Konoha to train, after such a long time Hinata found she was as nervous and uneasy as ever; her fingers fidgeting.
"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata stammered as arrived, "I-I'm glad you c-could make it."
"I'm glad you invited me!" He grinned, "I would never pass up an opportunity to see the factory again…" he trailed off a little, staring down at Hinata, "Hey, you look really nice! Your new clothes…"
Hinata blushed furiously; her arms moving up to her new, darker coat. In the three years that had past, the two of them had both changed drastically in appearance. Hinata felt her now much longer hair brush against her neck. She looked up to Naruto, who sported a much more mature looking style of orange and black; but above all else, he was much taller than she ever remembered.
"Thank you…N-Naruto." She managed, blushing. "I-I thought you were bringing the rest of your team to c-come along today. I-Is it going to be…j-just the two of us" she asked carefully. While she had wanted to get to know the rest of Team Seven under Kakashi-sensei better, she couldn't help but hope that the two of them would be able to be alone together. After all, three years is a long time apart.
"Oh? You mean Sakura-chan and Sai?" Naruto smiled, rubbing his nose, "They're right behind me." He pointed to the small bridge he had just crossed, and, sure enough, two figures began to make their way over it. "Eh heh…I kinda left them in the dust…I hope they're not too mad."
Sakura was dressed in a red vest-shirt and black shorts; her usual attire. Another boy with short black hair, tight black clothing, and an odd smile followed her closely. Hinata assumed this was the "Sai" person Naruto had mentioned.
As soon as Sakura caught up with the two, she took a moment to smack Naruto upside the head, sending him sprawling.
"Oi! Naruto-baka! What do you think you're playing at, leaving us behind like that? You could have waited you know!" she said angrily, then, changing her expression completely, turned and smiled at Hinata. "It's good to see you again Hinata-san. Thank you for inviting us to come with you."
She nudged Sai, who bowed and continued to wear his odd grin. "We are…very grateful…" he said awkwardly. Hinata had only heard about Sai from the bits and pieces of information Naruto had given her, but had never met him before. He was supposed to be Sasuke Uchiha's replacement for Team Seven, but Hinata couldn't help but notice how he was somehow similar to Sasuke. The only major difference (and a welcome one at that) was his constant smile.
"S-Sakura-chan! That was mean," Naruto grumbled as he massaged his bruised everything, "Hey, Hinata, where's Wonka-san? I thought he was supposed to meet us hear to pick us up or something."
"I-I don't know…he should be here by now." Hinata had received a letter from Wonka-san not too long ago, instructing them to meet him just off of the small bridge on the way to Konohagakure's main gate in the morning.
But it was nearly the afternoon now.
"Ne, what's this Wonka person like in person? You two know him the best." Sakura asked Naruto and Hinata.
Hinata smiled, "H-he's a wonderful person…he's kind and generous…"
"A total genius at chocolate making…" Naruto continued.
"He's m-magnificent…"
"He's amazing"
"He's spectacular!"
"He's stupendously charming, outrageously witty, and a snappy dresser too…" said a voice from behind all of them, "He's also a champion squash player and devilishly handsome. Did I mention he was single? I should have. Make sure to tell your lady friends."
"Wonka-san!" Hinata cried out as she turned around to face the man. Even though almost three years had past, Wonka-san didn't look as if he had aged a day. He wore a velvet, plum coloured coat and a bottle green vest. His soft, chocolate-brown hair fell neatly along the sides of his head, and atop it laid a tall black top hat. Wonka's shimmering eyes were filled with energy as he looked upon everyone.
"Hinata! Oh, very cute!" he grinned, sizing her up in her new clothes. "You're shaping up to be a fine young woman, and I don't just mean your clothes; you're filling out quite nicely as well. You look absolutely nothing like your father, which is very lucky for you I must say." He winked, causing her to blush profusely.
"And you!" he cried, ringing Naruto's hand, "You're positively ginourmous! Much taller than before! I'm sure you've gotten brighter too. Positively fabulous to be seeing you again my boy!"
"And you two!" he said, moving towards Sakura and Sai, "Why you've…" he put a hand to his chin, "…actually…who are you two? We've never met." Wonka clapped his hands together. "Introductions are in order I believe."
Naruto stepped over, "Ah, these are my two teammates."
"I'm Sakura Haruno. Pleased to meet you, Wonka-san" Sakura smiled, bowing to the man, "I've heard many interesting things about you." Wonka reached over and took her hand.
"I see," he said. "I'm glad. Pleasure to meet you, overjoyed, enthralled, enchanted, and a couple other good words starting with the letter 'E'. Now, who might you be?" he asked, looking to Sai.
Sai continued to smile, "I am called Sai. It is…good to meet you." Hinata couldn't help but notice how awkward Sai's speech sounded. His expression began to change, showing a hint of confusion as Wonka-san shook his hand. She felt Naruto nudge her.
"Hinata-chan, I should tell you…" he whispered in her ear, "…Sai isn't able to express emotions the way other people do. He was a secret member of the ANBU since he was little, so don't mind him if he acts a little odd." Hinata nodded, not quite understanding what Naruto meant.
"I have also heard much about you…" Sai said to Wonka-san, "…Mr. Tall Hat man…" he grinned. Wonka-san gave him an odd look.
Naruto and Sakura both cringed. "I forgot to mention…Sai's gotten into the habit of giving everyone he meets nicknames based on their appearance." Naruto whispered to Hinata.
Wonka-san gave Sai a half smile. "You're a pretty interesting guy, aren't you? I'm sure we'll get along famously! Ooh, speaking of which…" he turned around, "We'd better stop dilly dallying around. I've got something extraordinary to show the lot of you!" he began to make his way forward.
"How're we getting there, Wonka-san?" Sakura asked. "Your factory is all the way on the other side of the village. It'll take us at least the rest of the afternoon to make it all the way up there."
Wonka only smiled. "That's true, but we won't be walking. Heavens no, that'd take far too long. This is precisely why I brought the great glass elevator to help speed things alo-" and at that precise moment he had turned around and walked into something, knocking him over. Hinata, of course, recognized it immediately as the same fantastic elevator that she and Naruto had rode in years ago.
"-speed things along…" Wonka said, regaining his composure. "…I really should watch where I park this thing. Okay, everybody inside. We've got so much time and so little to do!"
Sakura stepped into the large glass elevator first. "What exactly is this thing? How come we didn't hear you arrive in it?"
"Well…that's because it's got a new 'whisper quiet' function. Now come on, everybody squeeze in." Wonka said, ushering them all inside.
Hinata felt along the smooth, glass surface of the transparent elevator, remembering her adventure three years ago. The elevator was positively amazing. She remembered how it could go in any direction; even if it defied gravity. She looked across to Naruto, who seemed to be trying his best to explain to Sakura and Sai how they were going to travel a great distance in what seemed to be an enormous glass box.
"Well…it's like…um, it can do anything. It can go up, down, backways, frontways, sideways, um…slantways? It can fly and everything! Believe it!" he said to them, still a little fuzzy on the concept.
"Believe it? Of course you'll believe it." Wonka-san said excitedly, "We're just about ready to go! Everybody hold on!" He pushed a button across from him, sending the elevator whooshing into the sky with a tremendous WHOOSH! Sai and Sakura crumpled to the ground in a heap. Naruto and Hinata grinned at each other, having learned by this point to hold on to things very tightly.
The great glass elevator had rose to almost a thousand feet up and cruising nicely. The sky above Konoha, and the entire Fire Country, was a brilliant blue. Naruto and Hinata helped Sakura and Sai back onto their feet as they all rocketed upwards.
"What in the world keeps this thing up in the air?" asked Sakura.
"Skyhooks" said Wonka-san.
"You amaze me," said Sai.
"My dear boy," said Wonka-san, "You are new to the scene. When you've been with us a little longer, nothing will amaze you."
"These skyhooks," said Sakura as she regained her footing, "I assume one end is hooked onto this contraption we're riding in. Right?"
"Right" said Wonka-san.
"But then, what's the other end hooked onto?" asked Sakura.
"Y'know, everyday," replied Wonka-san, "I get a little deafer. Remind me to see a doctor soon after we get back. Besides, you strike me as a mumbler to be honest."
Sakura made a face, and then leaned over to Naruto. "Oi, I don't think I trust this guy very much…he's really weird."
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined, "Wonka-san is a genius. He knows exactly what he's doing. C'mon, don't spoil this."
"Alrighty then! We mustn't dilly or dally! We've got to go up even higher!" Wonka-san cried. Almost everyone gasped.
"Higher! We're thousands of feet above the ground!" Sakura said, "How much higher can we possibly go!"
"Much higher! Way way higher!" he replied. He pushed a small brown button across from him. The elevator shuddered, and then with a fearful whooshing noise it shot vertically upward like a rocket. Everybody clutched hold of everybody else and as the great machine gathered speed, the rushing whooshing sound of the wind outside grew louder and louder and shriller and shriller until it became a piercing shriek. Hinata found the only way to be heard above the terrible sound was to shout.
"Stop!" Sakura shouted, "We're going way too fast!"
"No no!" Wonka-san yelled back, "We've got to go up even farther!"
"But why?" Sai asked.
"Because the higher we are when we start coming down, the faster we'll be going when we hit," said Wonka, "We've got to be going at a tremendously sizzling speed when we hit!"
"When we hit what!" everyone cried.
"The factory of course," replied Wonka, "If we don't build up enough speed, we'll never break through the roof."
"Break through the roof! You're crazy!" Sakura shouted, "We'll be scrambled like eggs!"
"Well, you know, that's a chance I'm willing to have all of you take. Tee hee." He giggled a little. Sakura turned white as a sheet.
"W-Wonka-san, you've g-got to be joking!" Hinata said quickly.
"Hinata, I never joke," He replied, "…well, except for that one joke I told last week…and those few I told a while ago. Oh, and have you heard the one about how a genin, a chuunin, and a missing nin all walk into a bar? It's priceless!"
Sakura's face changed several different colours before deciding on a pasty grey. She looked as if she was about to freak out. Sai merely continued to smile in a bemused fashion, obviously completely unaware of the danger they may have been in. Only Hinata and Naruto seemed reasonably calm; each holding each other's hand, smiling a little at each other. But as the great glass elevator continued to streak upward, farther and farther away from the earth below them, even Naruto and Hinata began to grow a bit nervous.
Higher and higher rushed the great glass elevator until soon they could see the countries and oceans of the world spread out below them like a map. It was all very beautiful, but when you are standing on a glass floor looking down, it gives you a nasty feeling. Even Hinata was beginning to feel frightened now. She hung on tightly to Naruto, looking anxiously into his eyes. "Naruto, I'm s-scared."
Naruto wrapped an arm around Hinata's shoulders and held her close. "I'm as little scared myself…" he whispered to her.
"W-Wonka-san! Don't you think this is h-high enough?" Hinata shouted.
"Very nearly," Wonka-san answered. "But not quite. Don't talk now please. Don't disturb me. I must watch things very carefully at this stage. Split second timing, Hinata, that's what it's got to be. You see this green button? I must press it at exactly the right instant. If I'm just a half a second too early or too late, then we'll go too high!"
"What happens if we go too high?" Naruto asked, worried.
"Um, okay, please stop talking. Didn't I just say I need total concentration?" Wonka-san said.
At that precise moment, Sakura peered down from where she was standing. Through the glass floor she saw the entire continent which contained the Fire Country nearly three hundred kilometers below and looking no bigger than a piece of candy. "This is way too insane!" She shrieked. Panicking, she grabbed at Wonka-san, pulling on his coat. "Way too high! Way too high! You gotta' do something!"
"No, no," cried Wonka-san, struggling to free himself. "Let me go! I have to be in control! Please, don't disturb the pilot! That's me, by the way!"
"You're crazy!" shrieked Sakura, shaking Wonka-san so fast that his head became a blur.
"Let me go!" he cried, "I've got to press that button over there or else we'll go too high! Hinata! Press the button! The green one, quick!" he called out.
Hinata leaped across the elevator and banged her thumb down on the green button. But as he did so, the elevator gave a mighty groan and rolled over onto its side, and the rushing whooshing noise stopped altogether and an eerie silence took its place.
"Oh bother…" Wonka-san said calmly, "Oh snap…this might not be good." As he spoke, the four ninja along with Wonka-san began to gently lift off of the floor and hung suspended in midair. Hinata clutched onto Naruto as the two, along with everyone else, began to float around like balloons inside the great glass elevator.
"What happened?" Sakura called out, bobbing along.
"Did we go too far?" Hinata asked.
Wonka-san wore a somewhat confudled expression. "Yeah, I'd say that about sums it up. Do you know where we are, dear children? We've gone into orbit!"
They all gasped, they gaped, and they stared. Only Naruto looked confused. "Okay, but how does that explain why we're all floating like this!"
Nearly everyone gave him a look. "Y-you don't know what 'orbit' means, do you?" Sakura asked sarcastically.
"Well…no." Naruto chuckled. "I figured you'd explain it to me later."
"I can't breath! I'm choking." Sai said suddenly, gagging.
"Well of course you can't, silly. There's no air in space." Wonka-san pushed a button nearby labeled 'Oxygen'. "You'll be alright now. Breath away."
"This is the w-weirdest feeling," Hinata said, swimming about. "I feel like a bubble."
"It's great," said Naruto. "It feels as though I don't weigh anything at all."
"You don't," said Wonka-san, "none of us weighs anything. Not even an ounce! Things are weightless in space."
For a few moments, all of them tried to get their bearings, floating about within the great glass elevator. Hinata laughed a little, watching Sakura chase Naruto about, followed by Sai, as they floated along.
She found it oddly amusing that, while she was pretty sure they were in mortal peril, they were still having a pretty good time.