Notes: Some people asked for more, so here it is. This time is from Naruto's POV, and it covers what you didn't see in the first part. Here's hoping I don't ruin it.

Branches

A Naruto Fanfic by

Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)

Part 2: Don't Eat Hanabi!

It is Ino who tells him, oddly enough.

Naruto realizes why only as he is rushing to the Hokage Tower, barely winning the battle to keep Kyuubi's chakra suppressed in his rage. Already he can feel the familiar fangs biting into his lip, and his blood tastes oddly sweet: never a good sign.

Ino has grown up, as have all of the rookies, but she is still unmistakably Ino. Even with her two days a week as a stand-in healer at the hospital, or her three days a week apprenticing under Ibiki (Naruto doubts anyone under jounin could stand much more than that), she still has her finger on the pulse of all of her friends' love lives, or lack thereof. Ino, more than anyone, would understand what Naruto means to Hinata, and in turn, what Hinata's being sealed would mean to Naruto.

It hurts, a little, that Sakura doesn't, or acts as if she doesn't, but so long as SOMEONE does, Naruto can go on believing there is at least some justice in the world.

Even if it rarely shows its face in Konoha.

Naruto bursts into the office, only to find Tsunade waiting on him. From the amount of empty sake bottles on her desk, she should have a good buzz going, but outwardly looks surprising sober (and rather disappointed by that fact, too).

"She's safe, and Neji is with her now."

The fox's chakra recedes, and Naruto feels guilty for the accusing rant he had perfected on the way over. The need to yell is gone in the face of Tsunade's guilt and obvious concern. It reminds him that, like the old man, this job is hell on the conscience.

And somehow, he still wants it for himself.

"Your friend Neji is very brave, Naruto. He put himself in a great deal of danger to keep me informed of the situation. Even if he does honor the clan with his performance on missions, I have no doubt they'd kill him if they knew what I know because of him."

Naruto says nothing, because he knows Neji is only like that now due to what happened between the two of them. Amazing, the things a good, solid butt-kicking can teach a person.

If only it had been so easy with Sasuke.

"What's going to happen to her?" The dullness of Naruto's voice startles even himself.

Tsunade sighs heavily. "Hopefully? Nothing. With any luck, they'll make her clean up after them and nothing more. We know they don't think she can fight well enough to protect anyone. It'll largely be up to her younger sister, and I don't think she hates Hinata. Not completely, from what I've seen."

Naruto can vaguely recall seeing Hinata out with a younger Hyuuga girl, but very rarely, and at no point had they seemed even remotely comfortable around each other, despite Hinata's best efforts. He didn't and couldn't understand that: who wouldn't love to have a big sister as gentle and loving as Hinata was? He would've killed to grow up with someone like that.

And he HAD grown up with someone like that, Naruto quickly realizes with a flinch. He'd just never realized it, or taken advantage of it. How stupid had he been back then?

"This sister. What's she like now?"

"Serious. A real brat when doesn't get her way. But she can't be all bad."

There was a time when Naruto might have thought the same of anyone related to Hinata, but he'd learned better, and quickly. "What makes you say that?"

"She always intended to be stronger than Hinata, but she never wanted to be heiress. Of course, she couldn't just say that: no one would believe her, and the Hyuuga wouldn't stand for it."

"Do you know where she usually trains?"

Something about the smile on Tsunade's face bothers him after he asks that. "Konohamaru does. He's her rival, or so he says. But before you rush off, I need a favor. Even though Hinata has the seal now, I have no intention of letting anyone activate it. But I can't be around her all of the time, or ask anyone who would be willing to without drawing suspicion. So can you think of anyone who-"

"When do I start?" Naruto asks.

Tsunade blinks, apparently surprised. "You? You can't do it."

"Why the hell not?!" he demands.

"For one thing, you'd have to pose as a member of ANBU."

"So?"

She sighs. "Naruto, don't take this the wrong way, but you're not exactly ANBU material."

He laughs in her face. "You're kidding, right? Is it, or is it not ANBU's job to handle threats to the village that no one else can handle?"

"Yes, but-"

"Who beat Gaara single-handedly?"

"You did, but that-"

"And who was kicking his butt before I got there?"

"No one, but-"

"So I think that qualifies as something nobody else could handle, right?"

"Yes, damn you, but-"

"Who brought you back to the village? Who got stabbed by Orochimaru for you? Who can call you 'baa-chan' to your face and get away with it?" Naruto is forced to duck as a sake bottle just misses his head. "Those all sound like things that are unique to me. Do I still need to play the 'Yondaime-screwed-up-my-life-to-save-this-ungrateful-village' card? Because you know I will, and that alone should make me ANBU Commander forever."

Tsunade glares at him. "It's not about being qualified, Naruto. We both know you are. But when was the last time you saw an ANBU, in uniform, pigging out on ramen or fist fighting with Kiba in the street?"

"First of all, I obviously wouldn't wear the uniform to meals, and second, you have NO idea how much fun it is to slug him. And I had him until Akamaru tried to eat me!"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about! You can't keep doing things like that if you're going to help Hinata!"

"She wouldn't care. She's Hinata."

"The whole idea is that the only way you'll be able to do this is if other people think you really are ANBU. I don't care if Hinata knows, but I'd never hear the end of it if the council finds out. So you can't act like... YOU, and pull this off, okay?! If you're going to do this, you have to be professional, got it?"

To her amazement, Naruto salutes and answers crisply, "Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Now you're just trying to creep me out," she mutters, shaking her head and tossing a mask at him.

Naruto catches it and frowns. "I'm not a fox?"

"Hmm, let's see. You vanish one day, and at the same time, a new fox-masked ANBU appears. Did you hear ANYTHING I just said?" Tsunade smacks the desk hard enough to leave a dent. "They can't know it's you, idiot!"

"But this is-"

"It was good enough for Sarutobi-sensei, and it's good enough for you."

Naruto fumbles the mask and nearly drops it. "You mean this was the old man's?!"

She rolls her eyes. "Of course not! But you're going to wear it for him either way, and you will not be a complete moron when you have it on. Do me a favor and tell the same lie to Konohamaru, though. Something tells me you'll need him to do the same thing one day."

It is only after Naruto leaves that Tsunade chuckles softly and downs the last of her sake. "I suppose I could've just admitted that I had him in mind for the job all along, but this way he won't get a big head about it."

It is terribly easy these days for Naruto to track down Konohamaru, even if he hasn't left his usual trail of property damage and complaining citizens. It isn't that he himself is destructive, but most people generally get a bad shock upon seeing an eight-foot tall monkey flying overhead. But there was no reasoning with Konohamaru about such things: his monkey companion, Inju, had been a gift from Enma himself upon the boy's graduation.

Naruto is in no position to scold Konohamaru: he was becoming more and more like Jiraiya in that he summoned certain toads for simple companionship, or when he was in no mood to walk through the village and feel the hateful stares on his back. He could certainly understand why Konohamaru might feel more at ease with Inju around. Naruto had come to think of Gamakichi and Gamatatsu as some of his closest friends, and rarely needed a good reason to summon either of them.

Ironically enough, when Naruto does find Konohamaru, he also finds Hanabi. The two are locked in a heated sparring match, or at least Naruto hopes it is a spar. Hanabi is releasing more and more killing intent by the second, but if Konohamaru feels it, he pays it no mind. Of course, there is good reason for this: Konohamaru is winning, or at least taking less hits and has less holes in his defense.

Naruto just watches for a few minutes, admiring Konohamaru's quickness, which he is partially responsible for. They spent months increasing the boy's speed by having him dodge Gama's tongue, which is lightning-quick even at its slowest. Hanabi is nowhere near that fast, and paying for it. She has some pretty nice bruises on her arms where she's been forced to block his punches. But Naruto can see she is a real scrapper, and there is no sign of quit in her. She is either too determined or too proud to stop.

The match finally ends when Hanabi simply loses her patience and lunges forward, sinking her teeth into Konohamaru's forearm. He is so startled that this allows Hanabi to drive her palm hard into his chin, although not before he buries his fist into her stomach one last time. They go flying apart, crashing to the ground in exhausted heaps.

Naruto barely resists the urge to clap. Instead, he dons his mask and decides to have a little fun, assuming Konohamaru is willing to play along for a bit.

Konohamaru is just sitting up when Naruto lands between he and Hanabi. Almost at once, a taller figure lands behind the young Sarutobi, and Naruto is not surprised to see Inju leaning over him protectively, sniffing warily. Inju recognizes Naruto's scent and relaxes. Konohamaru notices and eyes the masked figure before him curiously, but makes no move to rise.

Naruto turns his attention to Hanabi, who is finally sitting up. "Hanabi-sama," he says in a gravelly voice, immediately getting her attention. "I am to inform you that the Hyuuga council has marked your sister for death. She will shame the clan no more. Her execution will be carried out shortly."

Something flickers in Hanabi's eyes, and she quickly forms a hand seal.

Naruto tenses, expecting an attack, but nothing happens.

Hanabi's eyes widen in fear and shock as she stares at him. "It didn't work? Then you're not...?"

"From the Branch House? No. But I think the council will be interested to know how you reacted."

Whatever pain Hanabi still feels, she ignores it completely and leaps at Naruto, obviously intending to keep him from reporting back to the council.

She doesn't want Hinata to die, and that is all Naruto really needs to know.

To her credit, Hanabi is fast, and if Naruto was still summoning the old-fashioned way, she'd be fast enough to stop him. But such is his bond with the toads that blood is no longer needed: convenient seals on his wrists have the same effect, with a small (for Naruto, anyway) application of chakra. This time it is the right one, designated "Travel," and an instant later, Gamatatsu is beneath Naruto's feet. These days he is slightly larger than Gama when Naruto first met Jiraiya's preferred travel toad, and fairly imposing to anyone that has never seen him.

But in many ways, Gamatatsu is still the slow-witted, forever hungry little toad that Naruto first met, which he proves by opening his mouth wide and inhaling Hanabi headfirst, all the way to her waist. He cannot be blamed for this reaction, and in fact, Naruto was counting on it: many toads would do the same when faced with a speeding object, if only to bat it away with their quick tongues. Gamatatsu is different in that he attempts to swallow most things.

Hanabi kicks and screams fruitlessly until Gamatatsu decides he doesn't care for her taste, and promptly spits her out.

"Hey, no fair, Boss!" Gamatatsu complains. "That was the worst candy you've ever given me! It tasted like sweat and hair!"

Naruto gives the toad a brief pat on the head. "Sorry, Tatsu. I'll make it up to you at dinner, okay? But for future reference, Hinata is the only sweet Hyuuga, and you can't eat her, either."

Hanabi quickly figures out that Naruto is an imposter, and it doesn't take her long to connect Naruto's size to his ability to summon toads, as there are only two living shinobi that have signed that contract. "You! Why did you do that?! I thought...!"

"Exactly what I wanted you to think," Naruto replies. "I needed to know how you felt about Hinata. Now that I do, I know you won't try to get in my way."

She stares at him, growing more confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I won't allow Hinata to be hurt anymore. She deserves to be happy, for once."

A long silence settles over them, and then Hanabi breaks it with a grunt. "If you really want my sister to be happy, that's easily accomplished."

What she says next turns Naruto's world upside-down. But he really only has himself to blame.

"Hinata... loves me?" he whispers for what must be the hundreth time. "But... WHY? How?!"

The answer is obvious, though.

Hinata has always been blessed (or perhaps cursed, given her duties as kunoichi and heiress), with a large and loving heart. Of course she would fall in love with someone who no one else could ever love. But for the life of him, Naruto cannot think of a single time when Hinata might have even hinted at the idea of their becoming a couple. Certainly she had always been nice to him where others rarely were, but she was nice to everyone! She had never asked him out, never given any indication that she might want HIM to ask HER out, never even mentioned being asked out in general! How was he supposed to KNOW?

But what Naruto does recall is the many eye-rolls, head shakes, and frustrated sighs from his friends whenever he made some offhand comment about not understanding why Hinata acted a certain way around him. He had just assumed they were annoyed with him, as most of his friends were rather frequently. Had he really been expected to just KNOW that Hinata was in love with him from that? If it was that obvious, surely Kiba or Ino would've blurted it out years ago! Neither was known for keeping secrets, and the only way for Naruto to miss out if THEY knew was if absolutely everyone ELSE knew, and simply hadn't told HIM.

All things considered, that was not only possible, it was very likely. He was either the demon incarnate, or just Naruto, and neither one was kept informed of gossip. Not unless all of Ino's girlfriends were sick or away, and she just HAD to talk to someone, anyone, and Shikamaru and Chouji were hiding from her again. But those events almost never happened, and certainly not simultaneously.

It was still a little hard to accept, though. Had everyone just been willing to sit by and watch Hinata suffer needlessly? Then again, that, too, was an old trick for Konoha. Hinata had been suffering in one way or another since he'd first met her, usually at her so-called family's hands.

But even with all that he now knew, thanks to Hanabi, Naruto still had a big problem: he wasn't in love with Hinata. He liked her, sure, and cared about her as a friend, but that was pretty much it. His fruitless chasing after Sakura had left Naruto with the impression that maybe he was better off NOT actively searching for a girlfriend. Briefly, very briefly, he'd thought about asking the few girls he did consider friends. Tenten was hung up on Neji, Ino had just smirked and rolled her eyes, and, well, Naruto had never really approached Hinata, for some reason. Perhaps he'd only vaguely thought of her as a girl, since she'd always worn those bulky jackets and never talked much. She never really did anything to draw attention to herself, and even if she had, Naruto most likely would've glanced and then focused on Sakura again. He was nearly as bad as Sakura, in a way, but at least he had the excuse that he honestly had NO idea Hinata loved him. Hell, Sakura should've said something! She was the one that supposedly hated all the attention from Naruto, so why wouldn't she point out Hinata's feelings?

He knows better than to depend on Sakura for much, though, unless it's a good jab to the head or a sharp reprimand. Lately, she has less and less time for him, claiming she has patients or more to learn from Tsunade. Either could be true at any given moment, but Naruto knows that he is easily the strongest ninja of his generation, and he always manages to find some free time for friends that matter. That Sakura can't, or won't, speaks volumes.

And Naruto has finally reached a point in his life where he's ready to listen.

None of Gamabunta's children drink sake: they all chug it.

Naruto drinks sake merely because Gamakichi and Gamatatsu do, and it is an easy way to pass the time with them. Kyuubi takes care of any ill effects almost immediately, because the only thing worse than fighting while drunk is nearly getting killed while drunk, a lesson Naruto will not soon forget.

Currently, the trio is holed up in Naruto's apartment. Gamatatsu has passed out on the floor, while Gamakichi and Naruto take turns drawing on his heaving belly.

It is at this point that Naruto recalls something important: Gamakichi is easily one of the smarter toads that he is acquainted with, and even if he doesn't know the answer to something, his advice usually points Naruto in the right direction.

"Hey, Kichi. What do you do when a girl likes you, but you don't feel the same way?"

"Hinata asked you out?" Gamakichi asks at once.

Naruto throws his marker across the room in disbelief. "YOU knew?!"

"I had to. For months, I thought the Hyuuga were spying on you. Then I figured out it was just her following you around."

"Why didn't you say anything, then?!"

Gamakichi shrugs. "Why would I say anything? If you liked her back, you would've done something on your own. If you didn't, you probably wouldn't do anything. If you wanted my advice, I knew you'd ask for it. I guess I could've pointed it out, but she wasn't hurting anybody, and I figured she didn't want me to say anything, or she wouldn't have been so quiet about it in the first place."

"And how long has this been going on?"

"Long as I've known you."

It takes a great deal of effort for Naruto not to snatch Gamakichi's marker and throw that, too. Instead, he sighs loudly and runs a hand over his face. "Okay, let's go. Help me roll Tatsu over so that his snoring sounds like a guard dog."

"Where we going?" Gamakichi asks, grunting a bit as he and Naruto slowly shift Gamatatsu.

"I sent some clones to watch over Hinata earlier. No problems so far, but things always get worse at night around here. I'd rather be there myself."

"Why don't you love her?" Gamakichi adds unexpectedly.

"Don't know," Naruto admits. "Guess things would be easier if I did."

"Yeah. She's a nice girl. Cute, too."

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Naruto demands, immediately suspicious.

Gamakichi blinks. "No reason."

The next time Naruto enters his apartment, Gamatatsu is wide awake and bored.

"Hey, Boss! Got any can-"

"SHHH!!!"

Gamatatsu blinks, finally noticing the sleeping girl in Naruto's arms. She is a bit larger than the one he almost ate earlier, but other than that, they mostly look the same to him. "Why'd you bring her? Is she moving in?"

The look that Naruto shoots him is more than a little unfriendly.

"What'd I say?"

"Can we do this later, Tatsu? I've got a lot on my mind, and-"

The girl shifts in his arms, burying her face in his neck. "Naruto-kun," she murmurs happily.

Naruto turns a spectacular shade of red, and Gamatatsu decides that this night has suddenly gotten a lot more interesting.

"Hey, where's she going to sleep, Boss? Your bed isn't really big enough for two. Well, unless she sleeps on top of you, but why would she want to do that?"

"Why, indeed," Naruto sighs.

"This wasn't part of the plan. I just want to point that out again."

"Give it a rest, Kichi. Please."

They both pause to take a long glance at the girl sleeping in Naruto's bed, sigh, and shake their heads.

"Okay," Gamakichi says after a few minutes. "Explain to me again why you kissed her."

"She wanted me to!" Naruto snaps defensively.

"She's wanted that for years, no doubt. What was different this time?"

"Well, it was obvious. To me, I mean!" he quickly adds, noticing Gamakichi about to retort. "And I... I just... I know what it's like, to finally realize that someone you love with all your heart thinks less of you, or not at all. I didn't want Hinata to feel that way, ever."

"So you lied."

"For a good reason! What would you have done?!"

"Me? Well, for starters, I would've told her she was a cutie back when she first started following me, and asked her out then. So we wouldn't even be in the current mess, would we?"

"Shut up," Naruto grumbles.

"Hey, you asked."

"I know!"

Gamakichi allows Naruto a few minutes to calm down before bringing up another pressing issue. "Where are you going to sleep?"

"I didn't think that far ahead, obviously. And I don't think I can sleep right now. Too much on my mind. I have to figure out what I'm going to tell her tomorrow. She's going to be hurt no matter what I do, and that's what I didn't want!"

"Actually," Gamakichi says slowly, "there may be one thing you could do. And if it works, you might never have to tell her the truth."

"You know some super secret toad jutsu I can use on her?" Naruto asks eagerly.

Gamakichi blinks. "Sure, whatever. You spent most of today telling me what a swell girl she is, how you'd do anything to spare her from pain. The only problem is that you're not sweet on her, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

Gamakichi's tongue whips out and smacks Naruto in the face. "Then YOU'RE the only problem, idiot. Not only would she be good for you, she deserves to be happy with you. No one else would put up with you for this long, I can tell you that much. So if you don't love her, spend as much time as possible with her until you do. It can't be that hard. That way, what you told her won't be a lie, and she'll never have to know."

It's a stupid plan, and Naruto is about to say so when Hinata rolls over in bed. There is a dreamy, sugary smile on her face, completely unlike any other he has ever seen there. He knows it is because of him, and that knowledge breaks his heart, but it also makes his decision for him.

Hinata wakes up the following morning in Naruto's bed. There is a large, orange toad sitting on the floor nearby, wearing a simple blue vest and staring at her calmly. She immediately recognizes him as the same toad that was with Naruto last night. "Hello?" she offers hesitantly, assuming he can speak.

"Hey," he answers calmly, waving at her. "Sleep good?"

"Yes, thank you." Hinata doesn't mean to stare, but she can't help it. "Are you, um, normal-sized, for a toad?"

"Well, I haven't really hit my growth spurt yet."

Her eyes widen. "I see..."

"I can go away, if that would help. Only Gamatatsu, my brother, is in the next room, and he's even bigger, although not as good with conversation. And Naruto did ask us to watch the place while he was gone. I'm sure he was including you in that, since he doesn't usually bring people here."

"Oh. Well, you probably know this, but I'm Hyuuga Hinata."

"Gamakichi. Nice to meet you."

Hinata pauses for a moment, and something occurs to her. "Do you often have to... watch the place?"

"Yeah. Most of the visitors aren't welcome, if you get my drift, and the few that are know to identify themselves before they try to come in. Naruto couldn't really keep anything nice in here until he started leaving us behind. Oh, but don't worry, you're safe with us. Nobody's ever gotten past Gamatatsu, and if they did, they'd have to deal with me."

"You don't... seem very threatening, though."

"There's a lady present," he reminds her gently, "and I happen to be Naruto's personal battle toad. Gamatatsu's mostly for traveling and pigging out, but you'd be surprised what he can do in a pinch. Anyway, we wouldn't let anyone hurt you. Gamatatsu owes you for almost eating your sister, and nobody that's precious to Naruto gets hurt on my watch."

"...he almost ate Hanabi?!"

Gamakichi sighs. "How did I know you'd get stuck on that part? Okay, it was like this..."

Naruto is counting on Hinata remaining asleep until he gets back.

Instead, he finds her giggling on the couch, while Gamatatsu tells her embarrassing stories that seem to feature Naruto himself.

Well, at least she hasn't been bored all this time, he decides. It's a relatively small comfort, but it's the only positive he can think of in this situation.

"You know, I hear some summons are actually loyal to their summoner," Naruto says loudly.

"What?! I am SO loyal!" Gamatatsu shouts, whirling around to face him. "Nobody broke in or anything! And your girlfriend thinks I'm cute, so you're lucky she's still your girlfriend!"

Hinata bursts into another fit of giggles, and Naruto is sorely tempted to dismiss Gamatatsu, except he suspects that might ruin Hinata's good mood and leave them to deal with more pressing business that he really has no desire to get into just now. So he settles for distracting Gamatatsu with candy, and then leading Hinata back into his bedroom.

"Your friends are very nice, Naruto-kun," Hinata says before Naruto can get a word out.

He blinks. "Um, thanks. Listen, Hinata, about last night..."

She blushes prettily and lowers her gaze to the floor, which only makes Naruto feel more awkward. "I didn't mean to fall asleep on you like that. But I just felt so safe, and I was still a little tired from Hokage-sama's examination, so..."

"Oh, that's okay," Naruto says quickly. "I didn't mind that at all. It's just... um, why do you love me? Can you tell me?"

Hinata's face only goes redder. "Ah... that is... because you are everything I am not, everything I wish I could be..."

Naruto's face goes blank. "You want to have a demon sealed in you?" he asks in total disbelief.

She quickly shakes her head, before slowly reaching out to place a hand on his abdomen, where she knows the seal is. "You are so very strong, Naruto-kun. Each and every day, you save this village, and the entire world from destruction, simply by continuing to breathe."

He wants to tell her that it's the Yondaime Hokage's strength, not his own, that makes that possible. But from the adoring look in Hinata's eyes, Naruto knows she will never see him as anything less than a hero.

"If I were as strong as you," Hinata whispers, "my clan would not look down on me... and I would not have this seal..."

"I'm not so sure," Naruto disagrees. "I AM me, and I never heard any encouragement from anyone in your clan, except you and Neji. And as strong as Neji was, they still sealed him. I don't think any of us would've been safe, because that clan sucks at judging character."

Hinata is too startled to be offended, but she knows that he isn't including her in his harsh words. "Ah... w-well, that is-"

"You should stay here. With me," Naruto interrupts, unable to look at her as he says it. "That way Kichi and Tatsu can watch you when I'm not around, and you don't have to worry about anyone from your clan messing with your stuff. Maybe I can even convince Gamabunta to let you sign the Toad Contract, so you can have your own toad to hang out with. Of course, I'd have to teach you Kage Bunshin first, so we could get you to the point where you'd have enough chakra, but after that-" He stops after noticing that Hinata has turned white as a sheet, her mouth working in silence. For a horrifying moment, he thinks someone has activated her seal.

Suddenly she takes a deep breath, and the color comes rushing back to her face.

"Hinata?" Naruto asks uncertainly.

"I-I can't," she whispers sadly, shaking her head. "If my family found out I was staying here-"

"That isn't a problem," Naruto counters. "The seal can only be activated within a certain range, and besides, I've been using counter-seals on this place for years. Even if they could get close enough, there'd be enough interference where you'd probably only get an itchy forehead."

Hinata stares at him in shock. "H-How?"

"What? I'm not stupid," he mutters. "What did you guys think I was doing with Ero-sennin all this time? Peeking in bathhouses? I've been studying clan history and seal theory the whole time. I know things!"

Her face brightens. "You see? This is exactly what I meant, Naruto-kun! You're a hero!" She blushes and looks down again. "You're my hero..."

Although he has no idea why he does it, Naruto steps forward and hugs her tightly. Hinata offers no resistance, but when he starts to let go, she raises her head and kisses him, softly but eagerly. It is a huge shock, and Naruto almost shoves her away instinctively, unused to such intimate contact. But an amused chuckle in his head from Kyuubi makes him rethink that.

For years, the fox has told him that he will never find love, or if he does, that it will be cruelly ripped away before he has time to blink. It's fate, Kyuubi says, in a manner so reminiscent of the old Neji that Naruto is tempted to tell him what he can do with his fate crap.

But Naruto is determined to prove Kyuubi wrong, and beyond that, prove that he is worthy of love, of being loved, and loving in return. So for both the right and wrong reasons, he deepens the kiss.

End of Part 2.

Endnotes:

Something occurred to me while writing this. Perhaps Naruto IS somewhat aware of Hinata's feelings to start with, but mistakes them as something else entirely. Consider this: by the time Naruto first encounters Hinata, or indeed any of the other rookies, he is already set in his ways, and the villagers are set in theirs. By then, Naruto considers any interest in him beyond obvious hatred a scam, so even if someone were to look at him kindly, he would suspect treachery and either flee or refuse to fully trust the person. So instead of seeing Hinata as genuinely nice, he labels her as weird. Which, while somewhat true, is sadder than anything else, as Naruto effectively distances himself from the only person in his class that wanted to be his friend, simply because of the harsh treatment he's already gotten. And Hinata is far too shy to come forward and reassure him that her intentions are peaceful, so they waste ungodly amounts of time simply staring at each other from afar and never venturing forward. And to think, if Hinata really wanted Naruto to like her, all she really had to do was walk up, smile... and beat him into the ground while loudly proclaiming her love for her Sasuke. Hmm. Sounds like a plot bunny to me. A twisted one with evil Sharingan peepers, but a plot bunny none the less.