a little bit of OOC, but only in this chapter! please comment or fave this story (not forcing anyone but ya know)
Hyuga Hinata gulped before bowing, acknowledging the man in front of her. He gave a nod.
Silence fell between them.
"Both of you must start travelling, Hiashi-sama would not be happy to have you late." Natsu cut the silence, the last of the heiress' bags in the carriage. "Uzumaki-san, do take care of milady, a scratch on her is something the head would not want."
Another blunt nod, Naruto gave. The young woman climbed on the carriage, her fan not leaving her hand.
"Onee-sama. Take care!" A brunette Hyuga waved off with a smile, the older sister did as well. The Uzumaki then flicked the reins before exiting the compound.
Hinata's heart did not refrain from beating, it was the beginning of their journey she wished would end immediately.
Uzumaki Naruto wasn't fond of the woman.
Not that he was judgemental or anything, but when her overly modest clothes covered self and when she did not utter any word to him when they met. He had thought, that she too, is conceited.
Normally, the village hero would stir up a conversation to entertain both parties, but he would probably just be ignored by the pampered princess.
The ride was silent and slow. Naruto groaned, travelling by foot would be much faster and livelier.
His eyes were only glued to the slow horse.
One might ask, why not make the horse walk a little faster.
The heiress might get mad, he thought but a sly smirk covered his lips, mad she'll be then.
Besides, he was bored. The shinobi with endless stamina doesn't need a lifeless journey.
He hit the back of the horse with a whip, the speed of the animal accelerated. He heard a gasp inside the carriage, smirking, he pounded another strike on the animal. Dainty whispers were released from the site where the young woman stayed.
Whispering a prayer, he concluded. Naruto expected a screech or even a beating from the heiress, but she only mumbled.
He pulled the reins of the horse when an old vendor, carrying what seems like a heavy load, tried to cross the forest peacefully. The carriage stopped abruptly, a shriek from the woman heard.
The good inside of Naruto won over his responsibility, he jumped off the coach, running to the old man before taking the load in his hands. "Sorry, princess. I'll be back in a second."
It was a relief that he'd be walking again. He didn't like not moving, everything is fast-paced and ever changing when it comes to Naruto Uzumaki, so to say the mission was such a bore is an understatement.
Without any haste, both men walked to the banks of the river. The older man narrated his way of life, selling sweet potatoes and dried fish to keep him and his wife kept and alive. The Uzumaki can only nod and listen. A small house built alongside of it, an old woman knitting on a rocking chair waited for the vendor. "Anata, okaeri!"
Naruto bowed to the old woman, the couple interacting when the man kissed his wife's forehead. "Ah, I see you brought a visitor. Come, I have prepared porridge."
"Sounds good, obaa-chan!" The hero replied enthusiastically.
"This young man helped me with my books." The old man sat the sack down and pulled out four novels. "I could only repay you this much."
"Arigatou, oji-san. You must be a collector, eh? You have a lot." He analyzed the books handed to him, the covers not really getting his attention.
"Oh no. The next village had been invaded by bandits, rumor has it that they took out the villager's eyes before cooking and serving it to orphans." The old man replied, Naruto's eyes widening in hearing this. "Took it as an opportunity to collect books."
The Uzumaki nodded in silence, curiosity in his mind.
"Young man, you know the area is known to have bandits in hiding." The old man told, a disapproving tone in his voice. "I do hope the person you left behind isn't as hopeless as a damsel in distress."
"No need to worry, I'll return to her right now." As he replied, he began to run back to the carriage, passing by trees. His gut fell as he had felt something wrong with the situation. The place was silent. Too silent, even for the heiress.
Only a few hours and he already screwed up his mission.
"Hyuga-sama!" Naruto called, activating his sage mode to sense any chakra signals. A kunai flew by him which he dodged.
He looked around to see a mob of men surrounding him, it was unusual of him not to register their signals. Men with horrendous attires had disgusting looks plastered on their faces. Two men emerged from the crowd, pushing a woman in front of the Uzumaki.
She knelt down, her hands tied behind her back. One man took out a sai before placing on her neck.
Naruto's eyes widened, it was none other the woman he should be protecting.
"One move and she's dead." The man cautioned, cupping the Hyuga's covered cheeks to face him.
She's delicate and helpless, he thought. A plan in his mind popped up.
"Do what you want with her, I could not care less." The Uzumaki rebutted, crossing his arms in front of him. A gasp left the woman's lips.
"Did you hear him, baby girl? The gang will love you, well, what's down there for that matter." The disgusting man's mouth neared her ears, muttering unspeakable things.
The Hyuga's lavender eyes widened, tears forming on the rims. It was the end of her, the so-called village hero abandoned her to a mob of dirty men. How cruel can the world be? The time she can only be free and now she's going to be a sex doll for the-
A growl was heard, before clones of the said village hero attacked the men, be it in hand-to-hand combat or just plain ninjutsu. The man who had held her lifted her and carried her to the nearby river, escaping the fighting scenes.
The man placed her down to kneel, cupping her neck with one hand and the other trying to pull down her veil. His face neared hers. "Let's see what you look like, baby girl-"
A blue glowing palm stroke the man's vital chakra point, making him cough off blood, he took a few steps back in astonishment. "You bitch."
He raced to her once more, his fists ready to make love to her untouched cheeks.
Hinata placed her right foot behind her, her knees slightly bent, her palms ready to strike any moment.
In a span of a few seconds, another body flickered in between both parties. The sudden body then punched the man to the opposite direction, a clone punched him back, then another clone had a blue spiral ball in his hand. "Rasengan!"
The blond lifted the heiress before the impact could touch them, they landed on a tree, the Uzumaki cradling the woman in his arms.
The ball met the man's stomach, having him kiss the ground hard. The impact cracked open the ground with partial of it and a bright light shone from the epicenter.
What great strength, The Hyuga commented in her mind, his strength wasn't even forced and that wasn't all he had to offer. It was nothing to compare to his real strength. How is anyone capable of doing so…
Naruto placed themselves back on the ground, a relieved sigh left his lips. "It's been a while since I last fought like that."
"So, is Hyuga-sama alright?" He questioned, a hand flew behind his head, nervously scratching it. His eyes widened.
A scratch on her is something the head would not want.
The Uzumaki then lifted her skirt to inspect any scratches or bruises for that matter, when it was all clear, he then rose to pull down the sleeves to her elbow to see violet patches on her arms. Oh no… this is bad, very very very bad. How will I explain this to her father or to Kakashi-sensei. Crap-
Fingers stroke his stomach which made him take a few steps back, it reminded him of how Neji stroke him back then. "Hey!"
"Pervert, you should know better than to grope a woman's body without her consent!" The Hyuga shouted, her tears on the rim of her eyes, which showed anger and disgust, yet a blush on her cheeks was prominent.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I was just checkin-"
"Otou-sama was right, men are immodest creatures." She turned around to walk back to the coach, the Uzumaki infuriated by her claim. He chased after her and reached out for her wrist.
"A thank-you would be appreciated," Naruto turned her around to face him, their eyes connecting but with annoyance in each pair. "But I don't think someone who was pampered all their life could even appreciate anything."
"Nothing would've happened if you never had left me in the first place." She claimed, it was the first time she's ever been this frustrated. "You are the worst protector anyone could ever ask for."
That was it.
"You're a Hyuga, couldn't you protect yourself? I thought the 'Hyuga is the strongest in the leaf.'" The man spat, the heiress was being a pain in the ass calling him the worst. "Oh yeah, the little princess couldn't get her hands dirty."
A loud smack echoed through the forest. A red mark on his face, the outline of her delicate hand replicated on his cheek.
Silence fell between them.
Hinata left him, both of them still in shock.