This is part two of my seven part fanfic. Lots of NaruHina love here. Naruto has learned the awful truth, Jiraiya has met his end via the leader of the Akatsuki, the very organization that is set upon capturing him and killing him. Hinata has decided to go to him, deciding his wellbeing trumps a debriefing with the Hokage, but how will Naruto take her sudden appearance and concern?

Pick a box! Any box! Out of the box? A new chapter!

(One of these days, I'm going to run out of these intros)

Title: Finding the Broken Pieces
Genre: Angst, AU
Timeline: Post Sasuke's Return
Summary: Sasuke's back in Konoha, but Naruto learns of the events that occurred while he was away and his past. Sasuke, meanwhile, ponders his own life and the battle with his brother. When the pieces are broken and left astray, someone must come and put them back together. NaruHina, SasuSaku
Pairings: NaruHina, SasuSaku
Rating: G
Author's Note: This fanfic is AU past Naruto Chapter 384. It's mostly the end result that differs. Basically, I wrote it different from what Kishi wrote (primarily because this fic was imagined before Chapter 384).
Disclaimer: I really wish I was a successful mangaka, however, I'm not, I can't draw period so therefore Naruto doesn't belong to me in the slightest. Naruto belongs solely to Kishimoto.


Part Two: Walking Across Shattered Glass

It did not take long for Hinata to get Naruto within the range of her Byakugan. Naruto stayed at the very edge of her range until he came to a stop in the forest near a waterfall outside Konoha. She did not understand what was special about this place, but she did not ponder his reasons. When she got to the area Naruto was at, she slowed down to a walk.

The whole idea of approaching Naruto made her nervous. She still had not confessed her feelings to him, putting off because she was not ready, because they had a mission together and he was so focused on Sasuke. There was no time to do so now, with Naruto grieving over his teacher.

Hinata winced. Could she really help Naruto? She had done so before, when he became depressed over his match with her cousin, but that had been a different situation. He had doubted his abilities, doubting himself. This, grieving over a loved one, she did not know how to help him.

"Hinata?" She almost jumped at the sound of his voice. She moved into the area he was in. He was sitting on the ground, hugging his knees and letting his chin resting them. His eyes were narrow, almost like he was half asleep. "Why are you here?" he asked.

"I – I came to see – see if you were okay…Naruto-kun," she responded. She moved closer, carefully watching to see how he reacted. Finally, she sat down next to him, he did not respond at all, but continued to stare blankly ahead.

Hinata wondered where she should start. She only knew Jiraiya through history books. The only times she saw him was a brief glimpse nearly three years ago when he and Naruto left for his training and before this mission. However, she was saved from starting the conversation when he spoke up, his voice hollow and monotone, "This is where he trained me, you know? During the Chuunin exam." He hid his head in his knees, which muffed his voice. "This is where I learned the Kuchiyose jutsu. I didn't really know who he was then, not like I had cared who he was. I wanted someone to train me and he was the only one around."

A concerned look came up on Hinata's face. She felt anxious, she wanted to do something, but could not figure out what to say. And it hurt, it truly hurt to see Naruto this upset.

"He was like…I don't know what he was like." He squeezed his hands into fists and shook visible. "He was always spying on women, sometimes he left me alone to train and I…I felt…lonely, but I still felt something when I was with him." He raised his head and Hinata saw his eyes were red from where he was trying to keep himself from crying. "It's like with Iruka-sensei; he's like a father to me if I knew what that was like. But it's still different."

Hinata bit her lip, trying to figure out what to say. "Was he like a grandfather?" she asked, factoring in Jiraiya's age and remembering what Naruto called Tsunade all the time.

Naruto blinked, but his facial expression did not change. "Maybe…" he whispered. "Why…" asked Naruto, his voice sounding desperate. "I last saw him when we left for our mission. Why did he have to fight their leader…?"

"I'm sure…" started Hinata, not really thinking what she was saying, "I'm sure he was just trying to protect you…"

Naruto jumped to his feet, his eyes closed tightly as well as his fists, like he was angry. "Protect me??" he said in a calm voice. "He shouldn't have…why couldn't I have been there? To help him?" He walked over to the creek flowing near them, his voice starting to rise in fury. "But I couldn't. Because I'm the one they're after and I know, I just know I'm not strong enough to fight them!"

Hinata wanted to shake her head, say he was strong enough, but as she had not fought an Akatsuki, she would not know how strong they were. She could not reassure him and tell him he could have fought them, no matter how much she wanted to like she did with Neji. These people were after Naruto, a serious threat to him and the village, not a tournament with a referee who could call the match when he saw fit. It upset her to realize that the words of encouragement she so wanted to tell him would not work this time.

His voice became low, but the ire remained, dangerously seething underneath like boiling water. "Why? I know I'm in danger, but…did he have to…did he have any choice…AAAHHH!" Naruto fell to his knees and punched the rocky ground. "I know it's important to die for a cause, but…" He screamed again and hit the water flowing in front of him. He stood up, breathing deeply and squeezing the place where his heart was.

Cautiously, Hinata crept up to him. He did not move, but instead allowed her to put her arms around him. She felt her face burn as he hugged her and buried his face in her shoulder. "Why…why did he have to go? Why couldn't he just stay?" he whispered.

Hinata felt surprised she continued to stand up, but she remembered that Naruto needed her and willed herself to stay conscious. She stayed up this long, during their mission, she could continue to do this. So she held him, as he shook, struggling to hold in his tears, ever so often a wretched sob came out. She just held him, letting him let go.

--

His eyes were red. At least he thought they were. Whether from crying or holding back tears he did not know nor care. He did not know what caused him to let go like that. It seemed like, in front of Hinata, he could be himself, not wear the mask he so often wore around others…just like what had happened before his match with Neji. He did not understand it very well, but then again there was a lot about Hinata he was finding he did not understand.

The strange feeling he got before they reached Konoha or the time he asked her to stay behind while he chased after Sasuke or the feeling he got when he thought for sure he heard her voice when he was unconscious and Kyuubi took his body over again.

"Ano Naruto-kun?" He turned his attention to her. They were sitting back down now, leaning back on the rock. "If – if it'll help any, I can tell you about when my mother died."

She was not looking at him, but he could see her pale eyes held a lot of pain, which made him think that this was a sore subject with her. If she had felt any amount of pain he felt over Jiraiya, well, then he did not want to put her through that. "You don't have to, Hinata."

"I know, but at the same time I do want to." Hinata poked her fingers together, like she used to. "My mother died when I was a child. She had just given birth to Hanabi, my sister. It was difficult." Her voice broke at the end, making Naruto feel terrible about letting her talk about this. "I think – I think my father took it hard because he became very strict with me afterwards. Before mother died, he was strict, but when it was just us three, I felt very happy." She smiled, sadly. "It was like those moments made up for his treatment of me during training."

"I'm sorry." Two words just did not sum up what Naruto wanted to say to her, but at the moment, it was all he could think of, the jumbled emotions and his brain could not come up with anything better. He never thought such words would not be enough to say to someone.

"My mother never judged me and, no matter how low my confidence was, that made me feel better about how terrible I was with Jyuuken, but when she…well, it became worse. I just could never get over my father's constant criticism. Not again." Hinata hugged herself and Naruto, not knowing what else to do, drew her close, holding her shoulders, squeezing them to reassure her.

"It was awful," she continued and Naruto could almost hear the tears in her voice. "I felt terrible, depressed nearly everyday and no one would help me. There were days when I thought it would never end, that it was a nightmare that would never end."

That summed up how Naruto felt right now. He felt wretched, that the whole situation felt unreal, drifting alone endlessly and no one could help him. Jiraiya, gone? It just did not seem possible. He would wake up, go to Tsunade's office and Jiraiya would be standing there, just like before this mission started.

"How…so how did you…get through it?"

A small smile appeared on Hinata's face. She took one of his hands and squeezed it firmly. "It was you," she whispered softly.

Naruto blinked. Did he hear that right? "What?"

"It was you. I saw you one day. Remember that day, when I told how much I admired you. The day I first saw you was when it all started." The smile became brighter. "Even on the days when I felt my worst, I would think of you or see you and I would feel more confident and better. I still miss my mother, terribly, but I can handle it better now."

As he stared at Hinata's glowing smile, Naruto felt something strange. He distantly remembered feeling something like this at the training field two years ago before his match with Neji. But this time, it felt different, it felt…well, he felt light-headed for some reason, but that would not be the right term.

Hinata tapped her fingers together, lowering her head. "I know that can't happen with you because this is different…"

Naruto smiled. Actually, Hinata had reminded him of something very important. He still had friends, friends who would be there for him when he needed them. "Thanks, Hinata. This helped, a little bit anyway." He frowned, thinking of Jiraiya again and the long road ahead. "I don't think I'll entirely be okay with Ero-sennin's death, but I think I'll be okay, as long as I have you and the rest of our friends."

Hinata nodded, a slight blush spread across his cheeks. "Of course, Naruto-kun. We'll always be there for you." The two of them stood up, Hinata kicked the ground and glanced in the direction of Konoha. "I suppose we should be getting back."

"Yeah, I suppose…" Naruto sighed and looked around at the area he trained at during the Chuunin exam. It stirred up a lot of memories, most of them of him yelling at Jiraiya for not being a proper teacher. It was everything he could do not to fall back into sadness again. It would take awhile, he knew, for him not to choke up every time a memory came. Or maybe never, but he knew at least he had at least one person to lean on if he needed to.

Turning back to Hinata, he smiled, took her hand and started walking back to the village. "Let's go, Hinata…"


Hmm Naruto seems to be doing fine. Hinata seemed to have just the right effect on him. Yea! Cheer! Whee! Ack! Black cloud on the horizon! What can this be? More troubles for our poor oblivious young blond hero? Or…perhaps it's for a young former avenger? Or both! I can be evil like that! Mwhahaha!

Thanks for reading! - NessaMoon