A/N: Hi there guys! I would just like to thank Sabatu no Tenshi, procon, 4everfictional, runner 7, XD, Boy of Darkness, kika04, 69, C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, MYK-ON, DASvicks63, Rose Tiger, gummy b3ars, Solvdrage, Guest, Buzz Tech, B.A.G-GOMEZ, Naruhinalover20, Missy the Cat, Hinatalicious, larryjc, and sonicboom111 for reviewing. Thanks so much!

And yeah, yeah, I know. I'm cutting it really close with this update. But I've been working really hard on updating one of my original stories all week, and I honestly thought I would be able to update it today. But I couldn't so...Yeah. You'll probably see it next week instead, so be prepared.

So yeah, unto the story!

'I really hope that mama Tsunade likes these treats. Especially the tea.' Hinata had specially grown and handpicked special herbs to make this drink. Her mother absolutely loved it, but Hinata had yet to give some to her grandmother. Today would be the first time the elderly lady would taste it. The blue haired maiden really hoped that Tsunade would enjoy it as much as Hitomi did.

The hooded teen was silently admiring all of the wildlife around her. She was coming closer to the place where the dirt path would split off into two different directions. Would take her to her grandmother's house, and the other would lead her to into the village. A place that she rarely ever went to anymore. Men would constantly be pestering her with marriage proposals. For some strange reason, the more she rejected them, the more they bothered her.

It was grating.

Worst of all, bother her mother and Tsunade had told her that the men wouldn't stop until she agreed to marry one of them. But Hinata wasn't attracted to any of them. They were each awful in her opinion. Every single one of them harbored arrogance akin to the Hyuuga's whenever they approached her. It was like they honestly believed they were doing her some great honor by asking for her hand in marriage. She managed to gain some satisfaction when their jaws dropped and their mouths opened and closed at her rejection. Hinata didn't care what anyone said about her living status, she was happy and comfortable for the first time in her life!

But as usual, the one thing that remained the same was the pesky suitors that wanted to control her life.

Hinata paused suddenly, her head tilted to the side as a couple of loud voices rang clearly through the silent air. Both of the voices were male, and she recognized them. It was almost like the gods were mocking her. The two voices she heard belonged to her most arrogant, and her most persistent suitors. Kiba Inuzuka, and Sasuke Uchiha. Both of them came from highly esteemed families, and she was positive that they didn't really want to marry her. The only wanted to bed her. She was a conquest, plain and simple. It was the same for the other men to, only their motives hadn't been as obvious at first.

Hinata hated being treated like some sort of prize to be won. She was worth more than that.

But still, she listened very carefully to what they were saying. Thankfully, she was hidden deep behind the trees. Once more, the wilderness was her friend. And people, were not.

"…and I told you! An animal like yourself could never tame someone like her!" She heard Sasuke's voice snap at the brunette.

There was a snort. "Oh please, she practically is an animal! And in case you've forgotten my family I extremely talented in taming wild beasts. Within one month, I would've bedded her and turned her back into a proper lady." His voice oozed out pure confidence in this "talent." Pfft, Hinata could tame a wild animal faster than any Inuzuka inside of the village!

"Oh really? Well the Uchiha men have a talent with women, in case you've forgotten. I could have her in my bed with a week, and have her proper in another." Sasuke shot back.

Hinata huffed silently as anger filled her veins. Her grip on her basket tightened, and her eyes tightened. She silently turned, and trekked away. She didn't want to hear the rest of their degrading conversation. She's heard it before, but it still hurt to know that at the end, courting her was nothing more than a competition. And it didn't matter who she chose, she would be the loser. None of the men she knew of enjoyed the woods as much as she did.

That was more than enough to turn her away from the idea of marrying one of them. Though, it did cause her to worry. Hinata wished to have children, and she would need to marry in order to make that happen. But she didn't have any type of desire to marry any of the men in her village. This caused so worry to flow through her. She feared that she may never make that dream come true.

But now was not the time to think about that. Instead, she needed to focus on the fact that she still wanted to head over to her grandmother's house. Usually, she would just turn around and head back home. After all, this wasn't the first time that she's been in this situation. It was rare, but men would occasionally stalk the path she would need to take. But today she would really wanted to head over to the elderly woman's house. Tsunade had come down with a cold and Hinata wanted to assist in taking care of her. That meant that she would need to take a different path to get there.

A problem arose from that fact. Hinata could go around the path to another one, but that would take her on an incredibly long time. She had taken that route once, and had left very early in the morning per her mother's instructions. She hadn't arrived there until very late at night. There was no way she was going through that again. She couldn't walk without shooting pains in her legs for week after that trip. But then again, the journey would've been shorter if she had just cut through the woods…

Hinata paused in her steps and frowned.

The innocent had never known why, but ever since she was a young girl, she had been warned about a certain part of the forest. It was a rather section too. Apparently, it was the most dangerous place in the entire village. Anyone with who had entered into this section would go missing for a certain period of time, and then they would be found dead in the most grotesque way possible. Their throats were either slit, or they were found with horrific claw marks that didn't match up with any known animals. So several hunters had been sent out in order to deal with the beast, and none of them ever returned alive. And every attempt to fence off that part woods would end with the fence being ripped apart. The best they could do was warn others not to enter into the woods.

And it worked, as long as no one entered into that forbidden section, nobody died.

But that was decades ago. It was a very real story to the adults and the elderly, but it was more of a joke to the children. They all thought that the property just belonged to a very wealthy person, and the adults just didn't want them to mess around there. The only reason they didn't is because they didn't want to anger their elders. But Hinata believed the stories because she knew that her mother would never lie to her. But….

Hinata shifted her feet. The stories told were ones that took place almost sixty years ago. It was all too possible that the creature that was there before had died. It could be safe, and people were scared for no reason. The only way for her to find out was to venture into the forbidden territory. And she wasn't too sure she could do that.

'Come on Hinata! Grandmother needs us to be there for her! You shouldn't let your fear get in the way of helping her. She's done so much for us…'

Hinata took in a large breath. Her heart was pounding so fast that she could hear the blood rushing through her ears. Her grip on her basket had tightened to the point where she was hurting her fingers. She ordered her body to move forward, to just take the first steps towards the forbidden section. But the fear that bubbled in her gut was overwhelming her. She couldn't help but recall a certain story involving a young woman. She had been found savagely clawed, especially in her "private" regions. That could easily become her….

The hooded woman shook her head in order to clear her mind. She set her lips into a thin line. This wasn't her. She was supposed to be brave, and tough just like her mother! Then again, not even her mother would contemplate this idea. Still, this could be a very big deal. The people of the village would be very relieved if they found out they could enter into this forbidden territory. Plus, it would mean that Hinata and her mother would have a very large and new region to explore!

As a matter of fact, if Hinata told her mother before she told the other villagers; they would be able to explore a part of nature completely untouched by man!

The thought excited her. Hinata inhaled a large shaky breath, and decided to go for it. She took several steps into the trees that were next to the path. Hinata knew exactly where to go. The forbidden section of the woods was surrounded by a river. If Hinata wanted to get to her grandmother's house, she would either have to walk all the way around the large river, or just cross it into the woods. She was positive that crossing the river would be much shorter. She could hear the water rushing from the wide river which was only a few ways away.

Once Hinata reached it, she paused and looked at her surroundings.

It wasn't that menacing. Yes, it was wider than she was tall, but it wasn't a raging river. As a matter of fact, the water was very still. The river was surrounded by a wide open field on both sides. These fields had very green and oddly kept grass. The bright, yellow sun was also shining down upon the fields. It created a very beautiful scene. Hinata could even see some flowers on the other side of the river. They were a beautiful array of colors involving blue, red, and her favorite, purple. She spotted some that she recognizes, and others that were foreign to her.

But Kami, they looked absolutely gorgeous.

Excitement bubbled in her chest. It quickly replaced the fear she had been feeling just a few minutes ago. This could be a brand new adventure for her! Hinata now knew that she couldn't miss this opportunity! She was going to cross this river, no matter what! And once she did, she would be sure to spend the next year of her life combing through every single inch of the forest. She would pick and admire the different types of plant life, and she could gain some companions through the tiny critters that lived in this side of the woods. She might be able to take seeds from the other side, and plant them close to her home. There was no doubt that her and her mother would be able to figure out how to grow the strange new plants that lay ahead.

Now, the only thing stopping her from crossing the other side was the river. Thankfully, there was a quick fix to her problem. There was a path of stones going across the river. Most of them were in the river, which meant that they were slippery. Hinata knew that if she weren't careful, she could slip and fall into the river. Or even worse, she could slip and bash her skull against the rocks. She wasn't overly clumsy, but there was still large risk of very serious injury.

But Hinata was willing to take that risk. She already made it this far, so why stop now?

The blue haired young woman casually walked towards the potentially life threatening rocks. The first one came up to her was it, and it was, for the most part, dry. Hinata hiked up her dress, and carefully climbed on to the large rock. The next rock was inside of the river, and it was about the same size as the rock she was on. It was also about a foot away. Except this rock, like all the other ones behind it, was extremely wet. It was a dark grey color, nearly black, which was a stark contrast from the one she was currently standing on.

Hinata inhaled a small breath, and jumped forward towards the second rock. It wasn't a perfect landing, but she hadn't fallen, which was good enough for her. Now she only had to jump on to three more rocks before she made it to the other side. And each rock was about the same distance apart. She could do this!

And Hinata almost did. But once she reached the very last rock, her foot slipped, causing her to fly forward. She released a small 'oof!' as she landed face first on to the grass. In that moment, Hinata realized that it didn't matter how green the grass was on the other side, the ground was still just as hard. Hinata knew that she had several cuts and bruises on her body. Especially on her hands and knees. But she knew that she would be fine, and that the cuts wouldn't be too severe. She would be surprise if they were even bleeding.

And fortunately, her basket, which had been tossed from her hands, was fine. The contents inside of it may have been jumbled, but they had ultimately remained inside of the basket. Hinata, being the optimist that she was, took this as a good sign.

Ignoring the small jolts of pain, Hinata picked herself up and retrieved her basket. She then made sure to wipe off the dirt from her body as she could. Especially the dirt on her hood. The beauty took extra time to make sure that her hood looked as immaculate as when she first received it. This task, of course, was impossible with just her hands. There were still some very light dirt smudges on her hood, but Hinata didn't panic. She figured she could wash it out once she reached her grandmother's house.

So she straightened herself out, and took in the wonderful scenery around her. The beautiful flowers a few feet away called out to her, tempting her to smell, touch, and take them. And how could she, a nature lover, resist them? It was a very tempting offer, after all. Hinata bent down to purple petals, and sniffed.

A magnificent, lush smell entered into her nostrils. It was so sweet; she was tempted to eat it. But she, of course, didn't actually eat it, or make any attempt to do so, that would've been silly. She also didn't pick it. Hinata decided that she wanted to take in all of what this new section of the woods had to offer her. And then she would come back with her special notebook, which she would use to draw all of the new species of animals and plants that she stumbled upon. Only then would she dare disrupt the forests by taking away any type of plants.

The blue haired girl sighed and stood up straight. Although she would love to just spend the day sniffing at the pretty petals, she really needed to get a move on. The faster she could reach her grandmother, the faster she would be able to come back here before it became dark. She wasn't sure of the dangerous beast from before was still around, but she did know that at night, in any forest, it was near suicidal to be outside. It would be best if she were back inside of her home before sun set.

So Hinata stood on her feet, and treaded deeper into the new and unfamiliar territory towards the area she thought Tsunade loved. There was no path within the forest, which was a brand new experience for her. But she didn't complain. This was a chance for her to create a new path, her own original path. And maybe, one day, she would be able to create many paths within this forest that her children may use.

It was a dream that warmed her heart. The idea of her and her future husband being able to live out here, and raising just the most beautiful children together. And hopefully, her children would be able to live happier and more successful lives than she did. She also hoped that they also retained the love for nature that she had gained.

That had to be her ultimate dream.

Hinata was really lost in her own little fantasy with an unknown man, and their incredible children. She could imagine them running through the very same trees that she was exploring through at the moment. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice that she wasn't alone in the forest. In fact, she was being watched by a very upset predator, which wasn't happy to have someone else in its territory.

Especially one that was a human.

The unsuspecting you lady walked for several minutes, carefully observing the plants and the insects that managed to catch her attention. Yet, she wasn't as peaceful as she appeared externally. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up, and her sixth sense was warning her that something was terribly wrong. But Hinata was ignoring the voice in her head. She just thought that was her being silly, and allowing the stories she was told as a child to get to her.

But, there was snap behind her, one that sounded like another person stepping on a stick.

Hinata immediately halted, her ears strained, desperately trying to hear something, anything. The sound of birds was the only thing that greeted her though. So, she gathered up the same courage that had allowed her to travel into this part of the woods, and whirled around. She stood, facing the same direction that she had heard the stick snap in.

"H-hello?" She called out to the trees. "Is anyone o-out th-there? Pl-please c-come out. I d-don't b-bit, pr-promise."

At first, nothing happened. Hinata was all too prepared to continue her journey to her grandmother's house, with the belief that the noise she had heard was just apart of her overactive imagination. Or, more likely, it had been just some wild animal passing by. But, a figure did step out from behind the trees. It was a man, one obviously a few years older than her.

And boy, what a man he was!

Hinata's breath hitched in her throat as she took in his absolutely stunning features. He had shining golden hair that was tussled up like he had just gotten out of bed. His skin was a shade of bronze, one very rare to find in the village. As a matter of fact, Hinata had never seen a man with that deep of a tan. He was also someone who didn't mind getting down and dirty and doing hard work. This was extremely apparent by his shirtless chest. It was very improper for an unmarried, virgin such as herself to be so close to a man who was half naked. But that certainly didn't stop her from gawking at his delicious six pack. His arms were very well built.

Unfortunately, he was wearing pants, which prevented her from seeing just how well toned his bottom half was.

Once Hinata realized what she was thinking, a light blush covered her cheeks and snapped her eyes back towards his face. There, Hinata noticed three adorable whisker marks on both of his cheeks. They reminded her of a kitten, or a fox.

But what really caught her attention were his odd, yet mesmerizing red eyes.

They were beautifully frightening; Hinata could feel herself being drawn into them. It felt like she was drowning in a sea of red, and she liked it. An uncontrollable heat began to pool in her lower stomach. She was taken aback by the feeling of craving that suddenly filled her for this strange new man. She'd never felt that way about anyone else before, and that excited her.

She really liked it.

It was after a minute of two of this intense stare down that this man finally spoke.

"Excuse me," His voice came out in a near growl, one that made her light headed.

"But what are you doing in my territory?"

Hinata swallowed, not liking the anger in his voice at the last part of his sentence.

She really hoped this man was of the forgiving type.

A/N: There you have it! As usual, please leave me a review telling me what you think! And please be sure to check out my other stories! Oh, and I am also happy to know that Naruhina is canon! But I will patiently wait for the movie to answer the questions that I currently have. I am so pumped for it! Anyway,have a wonderful night! Bye!

(Sorry guys, I am way too tired to give out recommendations.)