Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, Masashi kishimoto does.

A/N: Except for this chapter, expect updates at least every 3 days at the earliest

Chapter 1. A Victory. A Failure.

She held onto him making sure he wouldn't fall, She heard him whisper and Hinata was shocked at his suggestion, his head was resting on her shoulder, lazily held her with his left arm, his right hand entwined around hers, she was clutching him, holding on to dear life trying to get a hold on the multitude of emotions she felt. His body went limp and for a slight second she started to panic before light snoring was heard. She wanted him to ask to confirm what he said. She slowly kneeled down to ground bringing him down with her, to get some weight off her, after all she was exhausted too.

If the last bouts of adrenaline wasn't coursing through her at the moment, and concern for Naruto and the fact that the war ended just several minutes ago, She would have blushed deep red except it wasn't a casual setting, She looked around to see the shinobi alliance cheering at their victory, She also saw many medical ninja run through, picking up the critical injured in an attempt to save them. Equipment was quickly summoned from scrolls to help with emergencies. She was about to call for help when Hinata saw the hokage walking towards them, worry evident on her face.

"He's fine I t-think... he's just asleep, hokage-sama" Hinata said, When Tsunade got closer, She relaxed a bit at this. While hinata was still supporting him, Tsunade made some medical diagnostics on him and after being fully satisfied with it, her expression fully relaxed. Hinata Also relaxed at this, Her body had been unnoticeably stiff with worry.

"He'll be fine, just major chakra exhaustion... already recovering though unsurprisingly, Can you carry him? He'll need a place to rest" Tsunade asked. Hinata nodded, she released his hand, and awkwardly placed him on her back, his arms dangling over her shoulder and his feet dragging on the ground. She followed her lead but they quickly reached their destination after a few minutes.

A tent was surprisingly up already , a square moderately sized one, that was tall enough to stand in. Following Tsunade inside, A light fixture hung to the ceiling revealing what was inside. she looked to find two mattresses at the corners of the tent opposite from the entrance of the tent, along with white pillows and blankets, the bed reached the height of her knees, other than that the tent was empty. she walked to the bed on the right,and after Tsunade took off his tool pouch, Hinata gently lied him down.

Tsunade watched with interest at hinata, The gentleness in the way she carried him, almost in a way a mother carried her child, She lied him down with such carefulness as if he might break if she had been any rougher. Her eyes were evident with Love and worry.

Before all this, when she saw naruto deal the final blow, Tsunade saw the look in his eyes, He looked absolutely lost before Minato carried him off somewhere. When he returned back alone, he looked slightly better, a tiny spark of conviction was left as he walked off somewhere, She was confused at this and tried following him when she left shizune with sakura but when he found hinata she found her answer.

"Get that jacket off of him... It's messy" Tsunade ordered. Seeing the bloodied and torn state of it. The girl nodded, and awkwardly tried to get him out of it while still trying to be gentle. Tsunade sighed in her exhaustion her hand over her face as she tried to collect her thoughts. Being hokage, she'd have to worry about the state of the village. She'd be lost without naruto and the village would be as well. She worried about him after he had killed the person he'd been trying to get back nearly his entire ninja life. They'd won yes, but Naruto had looked like he'd just been defeated.

Orochimaru had disappeared, not before promising he'd never be seen again, Sakura had been traumatized at the event, and naruto looked just as bad as her before Minato Hiraishin'd(Flying Thunder god )away along with him, their heartbroken expressions had filled her with the painful reminder when she lost dan and Nawaki. 'Whatever you said to him Minato... It helped' She thought, and could only hope that whatever influence hinata got over him would heal him, whatever what was broken in him.

Hinata had finally gotten him out of the jacket, she was tired as she carelessly threw the jacket somewhere. She didn't want the blood to get on her, not when it didn't just have the owners blood on it. She sat on the bed, making sure naruto was comfortable, she put the blanket over him, Her eyes fluttered, and her eyes began to get heavy as she finally calmed down, knowing he was safe.

"You can sleep in here if you wish" Tsunade said, mentioning to the other mattress, she doubted the indigo haired teenager would use it, her affection was quite obvious.

"This is my personal tent along with Shizune, but you can use it" Her eyes casted a look that she would not take no for an answer. Hinata seeing this could only nod.

"If you need anything just call, and you'll get help" The hokage added before she left, And Hinata was left alone, She took out a water canteen and a clothe to wash out the dirt and dried blood left on her hands and face. Too tired to think properly she washed his face as well. When she was done she sat next to his bed, unwilling to leave his side. She clasped his right hand with hers, she lied down her head and her last thoughts were of what he proposed, and how she was going to take care for him, uncaring if he didn't return the sentiment.

Naruto opened his eyes and saw the familiar sewer-like place that was his mindscape, The events before he passed out flowing through his head. He fought them off as he didn't want to see 2 of his comrades dying before his eyes, and one of them he considered a brother. He wasn't awake yet in the real world, but his psyche was. He picked himself up from the water flooded floor and sat up, seeing the opened cage that contained Kurama, he saw his now teammate, twice as larger than he was before signifying his full power, he lied down, and a eye looking at him accusingly.

"You Fucking moron...If didn't intervene, you would have been killed...along with me" The giant fox stated. Naruto looked at Kurama sadly, depressed.

"Sorry Kurama... I guess... I don't know... really" Naruto whispered. He'd almost got killed again, like what happened last time he faced him, except there wasn't going to be next time. Ever. There wasn't a whim that time that he could count on, He didn't know why he did it honestly.

"I'm tied to you now... You're lucky I'm here" Kurama growled. " You're going to wake up soon"

Naruto didn't answer, and merely nodded. 'Pathetic' Kurama thought, thinking of a plan for nearly getting him killed.

Naruto opened his eyes truly this time, meeting the darkness of the ceiling of a tent. He looked around to take his surroundings. He was on a bed, a small blanket covered over him, He felt something graciously soft that held his right hand, and a bit of weight on his stomach, He was confused by this, and wondered who it was in his confusion. Until he recalled his very last memories until he passed out.

Naruto walked slowly, trudging past many of the shinobi of other villages. He hadn't noticed how exactly tired he was until now. But there was something he wanted to do, For her benefit, but his need as well. He walked around the battlefield, the sound of cheering was heard around the survivors of the shinobi alliance, He struggled to stay conscious to reach her. Naruto looked around to see different reactions around him.

Sad smiles graced the faces of many shinobi, A few desperate embraces of lovers, Some had their arms around comrades happy that they survived. There were very few that had destroyed expressions on their faces, as they clung to their unmoving loved ones, others weeping silently for the lost ones. Naruto was among them. He found who he was looking for. She was standing, her face down, bangs covering her face.

"Hinata" Hardly a whisper, and yet she heard him anyway, as she put her head up, some tears flowing down her cheeks from her lilac eyes. A question lingered within them but she didn't voice them Being far too exhausted he leaned on her for support. He wanted to comfort her, to tell her it was alright, but he couldn't even do so. He couldn't even cheer himself up. Even still he wondered how to.

He was far too exhausted and was fading into unconsciousness, He put an arm around her in a attempt to comfort her, unknowing if it had any effect, too tired to notice she returned the gesture. he found her right hand and wrapped it around his, His chin rested lazily on her shoulder, Tears coming down his cheek now. He found a bit of comfort being around her and wondered if she thought the same, He whispered to her, hardly paying attention to what he was saying, Wondering if she heard him before slipping into darkness.

Naruto looked at Hinata's sleeping form , she sat on the ground beside his bed, leaning on him. With her being here, he took some comfort in it. If she was here then she accepted what he proposed, and he was grateful for it. They knew the same pain of losing someone they considered a brother. After all she did for him the least he could do is help her through a death of a close one. She couldn't do it alone, nor could he. After all He didn't get this far without the help of his friends.

He unclasped his hand from her and sat up, he didn't want to admit it but he missed the feeling of her hand, this movement caused her to stir from her sleep, wondering what the movement was from, until she realized she had fallen asleep on naruto's bedside. She popped up and looked wide-eyed at naruto thankful he was awake and ignored the aching of sleeping in such aa awkward position,. When she looked at him, naruto couldn't help but stare in awe at her beauty even in her disheveled state. 'I don't deserve her, not after I couldn't save neji and sasuke', He thought to himself sadly.

"N-naruto-kun Y-you're awake?...when?" She asked. Not missing the sadness in eyes, and wondered if he saw them in hers too.

"Just now... how long was I out? and do you know what's going on?" He asked, his voice uncharacteristically low.

She reached into a pack on the side of the bed, fiddling around for a bit until she found a watch checking the time, to see it was 4 in the evening and gave her reply

"I-I'm not sure, I heard some commotion b-before I f-fell asleep though" She replied, also clueless at the situation.

"So... I'm been out for 13 hours... and that means it's my..."He didn't finish, other birthdays were filled with loneliness, except those times with ero-sennin. But now this date would forever be a reminder of deaths of his comrades. Hinata seeing more sorrow filling his eyes couldn't bare seeing her love like this.

"H-Happy birthday naruto-kun" She said. Eliciting a response from him, he looked up at her, a sad smile appeared on his face. She somehow had a soothing presence on him. Naruto decided to he needed to get out, he didn't want to think of his failures. He got up from his bed, knocking the blanket off him, Hinata seeing what he trying to do hovered protectively over him, he sat on the side of the bed and he attempted to stand but nearly fell, before hinata caught him.

"N-Naruto-kun p-please you should rest" she stated, seeing him struggle to stand on his own.

"No.. I-I need to get out" He said. Hinata heard the subtle pleading in his voice, and nodded reluctantly, concerned for his health. Truthfully she didn't want to dawdle in her thoughts either.

"Where's my jacket?" He asked, feeling a little bare. Hinata gulped, a blush adorning her her cheeks, finally noticing he was only clad in his tight fishnet shirt, outlining his muscled frame. She was holding him up as well, It didn't help hinata that the bottom of his shirt was shredded a bit, revealing a small bit of skin. She looked away before he noticed, trying to help find his jacket. A bit ashamed that she felt like this after what happened.

"There it is" He pointed towards a corner. She helped him cross the distance, To his disappointment he found it was shredded, a visible hole, and some blood on it, not all of it his. At this realization, he couldn't wear it not with the dried blood on it, He put the jacket down. Hinata tried to control her breathing as she realized she would be helping him around like this. 'This isn't the time!' She scolded herself. unnoticing that naruto was looking at her.

Naruto briefly took in the appearance of young woman holding him up, Her pale lavender eyes were a bit red from crying, he noticed an odd struggle that was present in it, her cheeks were a bit flushed. He wondered if it was about him, he looked at what she dressed in, she was in her attire that he saw yesterday, only difference that her chuunin vest was unzipped, He couldn't see from his perspective. 'I wonder what it reveals when in fron- WHY THE HELL I'M I THINKING ABOUT THAT NOW!' He yelled to himself.

"W-we should get going" he suggested. beating down a blush that was coming up.

"Y-yeah" she agreed.

She helped carry him to the entrance of the tent before she noticed her jacket, and promptly zipped it up, she didn't want anybody to stare there. 'except maybe naruto-kun' she thought quickly before she quickly brushed it away before another blush could form. She put her arm back on his waist, his arm still on her shoulders. Her heart still beating strong at their closeness. They exited the tent, letting their eyes adjust to the more brighter scenery.

they were surrounded by several other larger medical tents, others being dismantled. Some ninja moving on with their business, carrying supplies. The pair decided to move, heading in a direction hoping to find anyone they knew, and wondering where they were.

"Well I see you two are finally up" a familiar voice called out from behind them. As they turned they saw it to be one-eyed jonin, his usual orange book missing.

"Kakashi-sensei... what happened while I was out" Naruto asked.

"Well, Tsunade-sama, her apprentices and most of the force decided to go back to the leaf this morning, bringing most of the wounded with them, all the kages have also gone back to their respective villages" He recounted the events since naruto was out. Leaf shinobi moving in groups to get back to their village.

"I was actually on my way to wake you love-birds up" They couple blushed at this but didn't get the chance to deny as kakashi continued. "Anyways, along with your friends and Gai, we're one of the last groups, we want to get going within the hour" He finished.

"Huh?... why didn't they go on?" Naruto asked.

"Well They wouldn't want to leave one of their comrades behind now would they?"

"T-That's nice of them" Hinata said, still trying to recover from kakashi's remark.

Naruto's stomach growled loudly enough for other ninja to see where the strange sound came from, "Woah! I'm starving... I don't remember the last time I ate" Naruto proclaimed. an embarrassed smile on his face, his free hand rubbing his neck. Kakashi smiled at this showing where the food is being cooked.

"I wonder if they have ramen" Naruto said as the pair followed the jonin. They came upon a large clearing, dozens of ninja were eating on rows of tables. They grabbed a plateful of food that was not ramen, much to the chagrin of Naruto. Hinata still, carrying Naruto hardly heard him mumble "why'd mom do this to me?" Confused she put it aside and ask later when they were alone... or something. Hinata blushed at this. They were about to set down when they heard some shouts from the side. they looked at the commotion to find lee nearly sprinting at them.

"Yosh! Naruto-kun, Hinata-san!, and kakashi-sensei!, I request your youthfulness at our table!" mentioning to a table where other leaf ninja were waiting.

The trio quickly replied quickly before Lee could go on more about youthfulness, and joined the surviving former members of team 10, 8 and Gai. They sat down with them, when they did Kiba yelled out.

"Yo Naruto!... Hanging around with Hinata I see" He teased. He got the reaction from hinata he expected, as he saw the faint blush on her cheeks, But definitely not from naruto, who instead replied with a nod, a "I guess so". The others heard of his uncharacteristic response, already knowing of the cause. Before anything else could get more awkward, Kiba decided to bring his birthday, getting caught off by Lee as soon as his said so.

"YOSH!.. It's a day of celebration!...It's Naruto-kun's birthday!" He yelled out. Catching the attention of all other shinobi when they found who exactly who it was. Lee began singing happy birthday by himself, but the other konoha ninja joined it too, along with all other shinobi in recognition of the hero. Naruto was surprised at this, and looked with wonder at his friends, and the person beside him as he heard her voice.

While they sang, he looked at hinata and thought about what they agreed upon. 'I'll take care of you, If you'll take care of me'. He had no idea what possessed him to say those words, but he was thankful. Somehow her singing had more effect on him than the others.

As they finished and cheered, all of them glad of the distraction, a lighter mood replaced the darker one as they continued with their day bit a more cheery, all of them did it for themselves to at least subdue the thoughts of yesterday. Except for Hinata, she did it just for him.

OMAKE

(A/N) Because the chapter wasn't as long as I thought it would be

The little things

While Kushina was slowly eating through dinner, She noticed a few odd things about her minato, She already knew it though, he wanted to tell her something that was bothering him and it made him a little nervous, as told by the constant circling of his thumb on his left hand. It's true that Kushina Uzamaki definitely did not pay attention to a few things...'Ok alot of things' She reluctantly admitted, but she definitely noticed tiny details to things she cared about. Like her Minato or how big her belly got every week.

"Now tell me what's going on Minato-sama?" she asked. When she sat down at the table. Minato looked visibly startled as he dropped his spoon, and starting rubbing his neck. Whenever she starts with those honorifics was when he started to worry. She was not beating around the bush

"Umm N-nothing's wrong honey" he started to sweat. He was reluctant to tell her,sometimes he'd be able to get out of it, If it involved classified intel. Except she'd noticed if he was lying about that, something that he cursed for, but more thankful that she'd noticed such things.

"Minato-sama, I've known you for a long time ya know" she started to raise her voice. After seeing a slight tremble on his bottom lip. He shuddered at the 'you know' part, she was getting riled up 'I could Imagine myself on the couch right now' He thought. Kushina noticed his reluctance and decided to threaten him with the ultimate weapon.

"You better tell me or not going to let you touch my tummy anymore you know" she stated. Minato paled at the threat. 'What an evil thing to do' He thought. He immediately spilled his thoughts.

"It's just that... I've been thinking about a name for our baby" he said.

Kushina looked at him at for a moment, she could see the pleading in his eyes to touch her pregnant belly, she nodded and he quickly went to caress her belly, she could hear the whispers as he talked to her belly, she couldn't help but smile.

"Is that all you're worried about?" she asked disbelievingly. Minato nodded at this, completely serious. Kushina couldn't help but laugh loudly at this.

"I was starting to think that you set up an arranged marriage with our son to be you know" She said between her laughs.

"Hey...A name is very important" Minato replied. Kushina looked lovingly at him while he did the same.

"Well, we still have a long way to go before we decide" She said to him. "and like I said before, if you can't decide until then, I'm calling him Menma"

"You're right, maybe I should get an inspiration instead of thinking of a name for you" Minato said to her belly. Kushina smiled at this.

"But for now let's go to bed I'm tired" Kushina interjected. Minato heard this and quickly scooped her up bridal style and traversed the stairs to comfort his red-haired wife. "But...I'm sure you'll pick the perfect name for him Minato" She reassured him before they entered the bedroom.

end

A/N:How'd you like the omake if you can call it that, I'm not sure what to call it.

As for other pairings, I only got one other one planned for now.

Please tell me if you have any complaints