Chapter 1: Where the scene takes place, Naruto pesters a lot, Jiraiya is being childish and Hinata is a bit lost.
A/N :Because nudity advances the plot! No, really, it does.
Aunty Exposition is still amongst us today, but she promised to leave soon. *glares*
Many thanks to all who reviewed.
This chapter is dedicated to britata348, for her kind words.
Disclaimer:Been there, done that, never claimed I owned the NaruCast…
Writing is easy, writing in correct English is not. Many thanks to Ken and BoredomIsAnUnderstatement.
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Drastic Holiday
Chapter One : Drastic Beginning.
Takibana Inn, Waterfall Country.
.o0O0o.
As she neared the building, Hinata felt giddy. It was going to be her first holiday since she had been promoted to chuunin, so she'd better enjoy it!
The Takibana Inn was modest but lovely, built mainly of wood, its roof covered with shining green slate. It was typical of Waterfall Country architecture, built to handle the muggy heat of the Waterfall Country summer, with sliding doors and large windows to provide a constant stream of air. The Takibana Inn was reputed for two things: their production of high class umeshuu, a very delicate plum liquor, and their hot springs. It was situated near a natural lake that was well known for its high mineral density and the inn used that lake's water for its pools.
But in the inn's courtyard, a scene of devastation greeted her. Plenty of trees and bushes were broken or burned, wooden benches were destroyed, and deep holes here and there in the ground gave the moss garden a lunar aspect.
In the middle of this apocalyptic scenery, a blond woman in a dark blue robe tied with a white sash was scribbling something down on a note pad, examining a broken bench and muttering "So what if that bench was old and moldy, and we were going to change it next month? They don't need to know that, do they? This makes a total of three broken benches, two gardenia bushes burned down to err, next to nothing, four large clay pots crushed by a big toad's butt, one pine tree broken in half… This is so going to be added to their bill…"
As Hinata walked closer, the woman finally seemed to take notice her. She looked surprised to see someone at first, but then smiled and bowed to Hinata.
"Welcome to the Takibana Inn, my name is Minawa. What can I do for you?"
"I'd like a room for two days. Is that possible?"
The words had slipped out of Hinata's mouth before she had the time to think.
'Two days? I guess I really don't want to go home yet…'
"Oh, of course!" answered the woman, laughing. Seeing Hinata's quizzical look, she explained further, "It's soon going to be the country's foundation day, you see. Everyone is in the capital to celebrate. We only have two other customers right now, so don't worry, we have room for you! Follow me please."
The blond woman, apparently unfazed by the havoc surrounding them, led the kunoichi inside the inn and asked for her name so she could write it down in the register. As usual, Hinata gave the alias ( Nei Beniko) and fake occupation she used on missions.
The woman then led her to her room, while informing her of the particularities of the inn:
"The baths are open from 4 to 10 in the morning, and from 5 to 12 in the evening. They are closed in between for cleaning purposes. In your room, you will find a set of light clothes to wear during your stay, as well as towels. Soap and shampoo can be found in the bathing area."
"Thank you, I will remember that."
"If you need anything, just call for us," said the woman as she opened the sliding doors that lead to Hinata's room. "Please enjoy your stay at the Takibana Inn."
With that, she bowed deeply and left.
Hinata entered the room, marvelling at its decoration. The room was small but beautiful, with a balcony facing the forest. Hinata knew that she was really going to enjoy her stay.
She put her bag down on the floor carefully and took off her black jacket. As she caught her own reflection in the mirror, she was surprised to see her usually white face dark with dust and mud. No wonder the inn's employee had given her a frazzled look when she had first seen her. She desperately needed a bath.
After hiding some important documents under the floorboards, she checked the towels and the clothing set, composed of a yukata and a sash. The weather was so hot and muggy during the summer, these light clothes were simply perfect. She grabbed them, along with the towels, and set off toward the baths, padding softly down the hallways.
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.o0O0o.
Bathing Pools of the Takibana Inn
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There were actually three pools, each a different size and color. Hinata took off her clothes, folded them neatly, and left them in a bamboo case in the changing area. She took off the leather gauntlet encasing her left forearm last, revealing the red scars.
Sometimes, in the morning or after hours of meditation, Hinata could barely see them. But when she was tired, they tended to stand out, red and angry looking. This was when it hurt the most, too.
But she'd gotten used to the pain. After all, it was nowhere near as painful now as it had been in the beginning.
6 months ago, Mount Takao, Fire Country
Hinata bit her lip as she watched the unconscious boy on the table in front of her. He was lying on his back, his eyes glazed over. His body was twitching, wracked with nervous spasms, and saliva ran from his mouth down his cheeks. The old medicine woman bent over him and put her two hands on his brow before shaking her head.
"This is not good. It looks like he's been in that state for a while. Where did you find him?" she asked Hinata without sparing the young kunoichi a glance.
"In the forest, he was just lying on the ground. He was already unconscious when I found him."
Hinata had been on her way back from a mission in Sand Country. She had decided to cut through the Mount Takao forest to get back to Konoha faster. She'd stumbled upon the boy's body halfway down the mount's slope. "You were the nearest house, so I brought him here. Do you think I should take him to the village?"
The woman snorted. "If I can't save him, no one in the village can."
"What happened to him?"
"He is being possessed by a Tengu, a forest sprite," the woman spat on the floor, as if to rid her mouth of the word's taint. "Good for nothing, dirty little leeches, they are. The boy'll stay like that a couple of days, and then he'll die."
Hinata's heart tightened. This kid surely had a family, people waiting for him to come back. He could not be older than ten.
The old woman had started rummaging in a pile of dusty scrolls.
"Well. There's something we might try,"she quipped.
"Really?" asked Hinata, suddenly hopeful.
"Yes." The old woman stopped searching and turned around to face Hinata. "But I'm going to need your help."
"Anything!"
At this, the woman squinted at her. "Anything, really?" she asked in a suspicious tone.
"Yes! If it can save him!" Hinata was desperate. She just couldn't let this boy die if there was a way to save him. She had stumbled on him by chance, it had only been sheer luck that she'd activated her byakugan to check on her surroundings. Now, Hinata felt responsible for the boy's life.
"Then we're going to try to lure the Tengu out of him. Tengu always go for kids, because they have the most life energy. But it could work with you. You're young and you're still pure, so we have a chance."
Hinata felt her cheeks redden at this, but she remained focused. "What should I do?"
"Give me your arm. We'll trap it in your body, somewhere it can't reach your spirit. If it can't connect to a human spirit, it should die pretty quickly."
Hinata took off her overcoat and extended her left arm trustingly toward the old woman, who was holding a strand of black rope. She spat on it and muttered a few words before tying it tightly around Hinata's arm, just below the elbow.
"Put your hand on his forehead. I'll push the Tengu out of him. As soon as you can feel it in your arm, let go of the boy. Understood?"
"I understand."
The medicine woman stood on the other side of the boy and started massaging his neck.
At first, Hinata felt nothing. But suddenly, a searing pain was burning her fingers. It felt like putting her hand on a red-hot poker. She almost took her hand away, in reflex.
"Do not let go, you silly girl!"
Using all her will power, Hinata pressed her hand firmly on the boy's forehead, gritting her teeth.
The pain was excruciating. She could feel something moving under her skin, tearing through her arm.
"Let go! Let go now!" yelled the old woman.
Hinata let go immediately, and collapsed to the floor. Her skin was starting to break and blood was already pooling on the ground. In a second the old woman was beside her, she slapped another strand of black rope just over her wrist and the pain subsided a bit. But the blood did not stop, and her chakra holes were leaking dark blue chakra, instead of the pale color it was normally.
"You did a good job my girl. You're tough," said the woman, patting her shoulder.
"How… How is the child…?" gasped Hinata. She managed to get up, slowly, her legs barely supporting her. The medicine woman pointed at the table and huffed, "He's right as rain, the lucky brat," before leaving the room.
The kid was sitting on the table, his hair damp with sweat. He gave Hinata a panicked look.
"Nee-chan, what happened to your arm?!"
"YOU happened!" came the muffled reply from another room. The old woman came back with a white sheet she had ripped to create a makeshift bandage for Hinata's arm.
"Her arm will be okay, you silly boy. Who are you?"
"I'm Takeshi, ma'am, son of the smithy."
"And do you often walk alone in the forest, Takeshi?"
The boy seemed to sense that this was a trick question and hesitated before answering "uh… Sometimes?"
"From now on, you won't. Not until you're adult. You bear the mark of a Tengu. If you go back there, you're going to die, There won't be another young lady to save you next time."
"Uh…" the boy gave a hesitant look at Hinata.
"Listen to me!" snapped the medicine woman, "you must not go back!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Good. Now, off you go," said the old woman, opening the front door and shooing the boy outside.
Hinata gathered her overcoat and her bags. She couldn't use her left arm at all, the pain nearly made her scream out. She bowed to the old woman.
"I'll go too. I'll walk him back to the village."
The woman gave Hinata's arm a pointed look. "You and I both know that you need to rest," she said.
"No, no, I'm fine, I should have left already," answered Hinata with a bow.
The medicine woman raised an eyebow. "I guess you're more foolish than I thought. You want to go for a hike after what you just did, be my guest." The woman waved towards the open door.
Hinata felt her cheeks burn slightly but she said nothing as she stumbled out of the hut and on her way. She walked Takeshi back to his village, which was only ten minutes away from the old woman's hut.
The boy kept chattering happily all the way, holding onto her right hand, but Hinata couldn't focus enough to understand what he was saying. In front of the village Torii, the boy let go of her hand after a last squeeze. "Thank you for picking me up, nee-chan. I won't forget you! Ever!" And he ran away with a last smile.
Konoha was only 10 Ri from Mount Takao, and Hinata could cover that distance in a couple of hours on her good days. That day, it had taken her nearly 15 hours to walk back to the Leaf. When she finally arrived in Konoha, it was already pitch-black. In a daze, she went to the Hokage's office to deliver her report, but when she arrived in front of the torch-lit building, everything went black.
When Hinata woke up, she was in the hospital, her left arm bandaged and numb. The Hokage was sitting beside her bed, reading her report. Noticing that Hinata had regained consciousness, she spoke.
"Tell me what happened. And I'm not talking about the Sand Country bit."
After Hinata finished talking, Tsunade rubbed her eyes wearily.
"You've been a foolish girl, Hyuuga Hinata. That was very rash of you," she sighed. "There isn't much I could do. The seals messed up the chakra flow in your left arm. I tried to undo them, but they were really botched. I did what I could, but it's far from being perfect."
"Thank you," whispered Hinata.
"Don't thank me," retorted the Hokage, "your chakra is flowing freely for now, but I can't say what will happen when you're under duress…" the Hokage stood up and started walking toward the window, before resuming, as if talking to herself, "if only I had a seal expert here with me… But the only one who might know something is not available right now, and isn't to come back to Konoha for another two and a half years…"
"It's okay," said Hinata softly. "But, please, could you not tell my family about it?"
At this the Hokage turned around and gave Hinata a thoughtful look. "Why not?"
"Well," Hinata swallowed, "they don't like the idea of me going to lone missions, to begin with. I had to talk a lot with them, make a lot of concessions. If Father or the Elders were to learn that something like that happened, I'm afraid I wouldn't be allowed to go on lone missions anymore."
The Hokage's expression softened at this. "You really like these, huh?"
"I do."
"Then it's a deal. You do realize that that family of yours is not exactly easy to fool, when it comes down to chakra, Miss Hyuuga?" asked the Hokage.
Hinata looked intently at the ceiling.
"Well, I guess it can't be helped. I think I have something you could use though, a gauntlet to conceal charka flow or something like that. They won't be able to look at the chakra pathways if you wear it. If they ask you why you're wearing it, just tell them it's an order."
"Thank you so much, Hokage-sama."
"Don't thank me, I'm only doing my job… But you have to promise me, no more listening to old crones, okay?"
"I understand, Hokage-sama," answered Hinata meekly.
"And please do not put me in that category too."
Hinata spluttered, "Hokage-sama, I would never-"
"Just wanted to make it clear," said the Tsunade, waving Hinata's explanations away. "I mean, you could have lost your arm, here."
"I understand, Hokage-sama."
She gave Hinata a long look and exhaled heavily before leaving the room.
Hinata shook herself out of her reverie and stepped into the bathing area, a small towel folded under her arm. She was alone.
She knelt down by the showers, and let hot water run down her long hair. She grabbed the shampoo bottle, gently squeezed some into her palm, and started washing her hair. When she was done, she rinsed it carefully, and combed it to get it straight. She started plaiting it, beginning with the hair at her temples, slowly incorporating strands in the braids as she progressed toward the crown of her head. She twisted the thick tresses in a bun and fixed it at the back of her head with a simple hairpin.
Hinata had changed her hairstyle a few years ago, when she was sixteen. She had wanted long hair, so she had let it grow. Since it was a hassle during training, she had came up with the braiding and the bun hairstyle, keeping short bangs loose on her forehead.
This had earned her a rare compliment from her father. He had said that, with her hair pulled back in that way, she looked exactly like her mother. He had even added softly that she was turning into a beautiful woman.
Hinata didn't think of herself as beautiful. She was convinced that parents were naturally biased when it came to their children. But still, that comment had touched her. Her mother had not been the most stunningly beautiful woman in Konoha, but she had a nice oval face, and purity and kindness practically radiated from her features. Hinata had always thought of her mother's face as reassuring,
Having conscientiously washed her body twice to get rid of all the dust and mud accumulated during the trip, she prepared herself to enter the nearest pool. It was said that the milky white water of these pools was the best for the skin in all of Waterfall country.
Hinata dipped a foot in it and hissed. It was so hot… Well, better get in quickly or else she'd still be here by tomorrow morning. She couldn't help but let out a small moan of pain as the hot water engulfed her, as her left forearm was burning her the most.
She snorted, clenching her teeth to ignore the pain.
Soon, her body adjusted to the scalding heat and she could feel all her muscles beginning to relax in the hot water. She dipped her small towel in the water and wiped her face with it. The water had a slightly salty taste. It was … truly paradise.
Hinata leaned her head backward, and let the hot water wash away her fatigue.
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.o0O0o.
Takibana Inn, Room 24
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Naruto was not exactly happy.
"Damn, damn, DAMN! Jiraiya, get your ass down here, NOW!"
They had an agreement, for fuck's sake! They were supposed to share the hotel fees. The old pervert had actually sworn that he was going to respect the deal.
B, A and S rank missions paid well, so Naruto had to admit he wasn't exactly poor. But still, they had agreed to share! They had fucking agreed! And now that it was time to pay, the old pervert had run away again. Jiraiya was filthy rich, but that damned penny-pincher was STILL using Naruto's money to pay the bills.
"JIRAIYA!" Naruto bellowed, fuming, while running out of his room and down the hall. He was in a bad mood. A really, really bad mood.
Since they had arrived he hadn't had a single second to relax; he had to get things ready for the next mission, to check plans and weapons, and since the old toad was NOWHERE in sight, he had to do it all by himself. He'd wanted to eat and to get a bath, but nooo, he'd had to work. And now Minawa had just given him the bill for the destruction in the courtyard and he had to pay, while it was Jiraiya's attacks that broke most of the trees and benches.
On top of that, the perverted side of the hermit was running amok. Before he was only peeking, but since a couple of months ago, he was groping too. Senile dementia, here it goes… They had had to change their hotels twice last week. Nearly desperate, Naruto had resorted to going back to the Takibana Inn. Here lived the only woman Jiraiya was afraid of.
Love can be scary, indeed. Neither of them knew what her name was, they simply called her 'Okami-san', like the rest of the inn staff did. She was the owner of the Takibana estate. She was surely over fifty, and apparently thought that make-up could put up with the years passing by. Naruto shuddered. The most terrifying thing about her was the insane glint in her eyes each time she saw Jiraiya.
Last time they stopped by, Minawa had to ask them to leave, because Okami-san sporting a décolleté was scaring the others customers off their meal.
Suddenly a shrill voice stopped Naruto dead in his tracks.
"Naru-chan, sweetheart, come here."
'Crap… her, of all the luck…'
"Yes Okami-san, right away," answered Naruto with faked enthusiasm. He walked deliberately slowly toward her, a bit apprehensive. He wasn't too fond of the 'chan' and 'sweetheart' parts.
"What can I do for you, Okami-san?"
"Did you see your wonderful master?"
'Master…?' Naruto couldn't help but twitch in displeasure. "No, Okami-san, I have not seen my teacher recently."
"Oh, pity. If you see him, tell him that I terribly miss his wonderfully male and powerful body. I've been waiting for him, you know… His memory helped to keep me warm in the long, cold, winter nights…"
Naruto's face contorted at this. 'Uh oh. Too much information.'
Okami-san went on, apparently unfazed by Naruto's reaction.
"You know, he has much more presence than any other man I ever knew. And trust me, I've seen my fair share of male bodies… But Jiraiya-sama is … so… so overwhelming! When I see him, I feel all...hmmm."
'Yes, definitely too much.'
"You know, Naru-chan, I'm going to tell you a secret."
'Nonononono. Please don't.'
"I can feel that one day, you're going to turn just like your master. You're still too young, but one day, you'll mature into a beautiful love fruit, ripe for the picking…"
Something in Naruto's mind just keeled over and died. 'Agnnnn.'
"Want me to help you mature faster, Naru-chan?" purred the woman.
That was too much for Naruto.
He jumped backward, arms flailing, "Hey, no, really, I'm afraid I'm not worth your time. But you know what, Okami-san? I'll go look for Jiraiya, and I'll send him to you straight away! See you later!" This said, he sprinted away from her as fast as he could.
A bath. He needed a bath.
Now.
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.o0O0o.
Bathing Pools of the Takibana Inn, Women Side.
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Hinata looked at her left arm. It was completely white now that she was relaxed, there were no traces of her scars.
'If I don't get out of the pool now, I'm going to pass out from the heat…'
Reluctantly, Hinata sat up and stepped out of the water. She got up too fast, though, and became slightly dizzy. With a grunt she closed her eyes and tried to get a grip on her senses. Within seconds, her mind was thankfully clear again.
She couldn't help but smile at her own clumsiness as she began to walk toward the changing room, using her small towel to wipe the water droplets running down her neck and between her breasts. Hot springs were great, with or without the dizzy part.
Still drowsy from the heat, she never noticed the shadowy silhouette moving toward her from behind. She just had the time to hear a man's chuckle before feeling two arms sneak past her waist, knocking her arms aside to seize her breasts.
Suddenly, the kunoichi's world went very still, and years of training were forgotten. Hinata could only stay numb in shock, stiff as a board as cold shudders started running down her spine.
The man's hands were now openly … groping her breasts.
No one… had ever… touched her… and now she was being assaulted by… some kind of disgusting pervert… she was alone… her body not responding… she couldn't move at all, she was rooted to the spot… and he had his hands on her breasts, the towel wasn't doing a great job at keeping his hands away...
HIS hands… on HER breasts…
"Hmm, young lady… Nice round ones you have here, yup… Quite big to boot… My lady, your boyfriend must be one of the happiest men in this country..."
When the man's words finally reached her brain, Hinata almost died of shame. In her misery, she found her voice.
For the first time in her life, Hyuuga Hinata got really loud.
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.o0O0o.
Bathing Pools at the Takibana Inn, Men Side.
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Naruto was just beginning to relax in the warm water when he heard Jiraiya's voice and the terrified scream that followed. A very woman-ish scream. Typical scream one would produce if some old pervert just happened to pounce on her and started to grope her. Yup, definitely that kind of scream.
The blond ninja cursed through gritted teeth. He got out of the water as fast as he could, and grabbed a towel to put around his waist before easily jumping over the ten-foot tall bamboo palisade separating the male and female bathing areas.
He immediately spotted Jiraiya standing behind a naked woman, his hands dangerously near her breasts.
"Stupid old LECH!" yelled Naruto as he covered the distance between them in a few jumps and launched his fist right at his teacher's chin. Jiraiya didn't have the time to dodge and was abruptly sent from Heaven to Hell, careening across the room, ending in a pool with a loud splash.
Naruto ran after him, letting the woman fall to her knees, her head bowed down in shock. He would take care of her later. Now he needed to make sure that the old toad didn't run away.
After jumping into the pool, the young shinobi grabbed his teacher's shirt and bodily hauled him out of the warm water before snarling, "That's it! That does it! That FUCKING DOES IT! I've had it with all these problems! You're going to pay the bill this time!"
Jiraiya spat some water before smirking. "Keh, as if you could make me, brat."
At this, Naruto smiled. A nasty smile, with teeth. Lots of teeth.
His mentor was still underestimating him. Very well. He would show him his true strength, here and now. "You might be right, old crap. But you know what? Someone offered to help." Seeing the older ninja's blank face, Naruto mouthed 'Okami-san' with some cruel pleasure.
"Nooo..." Jiraiya blanched, "you wouldn't..."
"Ohh, try me, will ya? In normal times, I wouldn't go that far. But I'm quite fed up with you now. I planned to have a nice relaxing week in this calm little inn, and what do you do? Behave, just for once? Nooo, that's too much to ask you… You had to harass the ONLY other customer, didn't you? Now come on, we can't have Okami-san waiting for you any longer, can we?"
Naruto climbed out of the pool and walked toward the woman, trailing his now limp teacher behind.
As she slowly stood up, trying to cover her front with a small towel, he stopped a few feet away from her, and bowed deeply. With his head still down, he started speaking.
"I'm truly sorry for everything that occurred. We are willing to compensate for the trouble." Naruto had lost count of how many times he had had to say that sentence in the last six months. He glared down at Jiraiya who was currently whimpering on the floor, and he had to fight the urge to kick him. "Ready to pay the bill, old perv?"
The white-haired man clutched pathetically at his student's legs, eyes watering. "Yes, anything, my prized pupil, just don't take me to that harpy..."
Jiraiya was trying his best to look miserable, Naruto had to admit. But still, a little fright never killed anyone… He was about to reply when suddenly the woman spoke. She had a small, fluttering voice.
"Naruto-kun...Is that you?"
"Huh?"
Naruto stood up and gazed at the woman's face. Did he know her?
Hmm… Average height, maybe a tad on the small side for a woman… She was quite pretty with her small oval face, complimented by the two glistening braids running from her temples to the back of her head. Wet bangs were clinging to her forehead, a stark contrast between the white skin and dark hair. The fright she'd just had had left her cheeks rosy, and her nose slightly pinched. That gave her a kind of suffused frailty Naruto found touching.
All in all, a simple but lovely match. And Naruto wasn't the kind to forget a woman with such a nice pair of knockers, nope… Then, where? Hmmm….
Hm...
Hmmmmmm….
"HAH!" Suddenly, realization dawned upon him. Those eyes, that face… Letting immediately go of Jiraiya, he started gushing happily "Hinata! I didn't recognize you with those b…braids! You've changed so much! I can't believe it! Someone from Konoha! It's been sooo long!" Naruto moved forward to hug her, in spontaneous joy of seeing someone from his old village.
"Ah…" Hinata's face turned red as she took a step backward, almost losing her balance over the wet floor.
"Huh...?" Naruto looked lost for a second, but then comprehension came to him. Hinata was pretty nude, the towel and her small arms weren't covering much flesh. Naruto had the grace to blush, before rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Ha.. haha... hahahaha, I'm sorry, I didn't notice that you were… huh we are...err... kinda... Well, that's not the point. We'll go put on something, and, err, we'll meet outside, okay?"
Hinata nodded slowly.
Naruto gave her one last smile before grabbing Jiraiya by the arm and turning on his heels, jumping back to where he had come from.
Once they were back in the male side, Naruto let go of his teacher, who huffed and straightened his clothes, taking an offended look.
"Brat, you didn't notice that she was 'kinda nude'? Psha, I sure did. Don't tell me I've raised you to be so slow-witted…" Jiraiya mumbled before sitting down on the floor, rubbing his sore chin.
Hearing this, Naruto turned down at him and hissed, eyes ablaze, "You, you shut your trap! What did you do to Hinata? She's a very old friend! I swear, if you laid a finger on her, I'm going to-"
Jiraiya looked totally scandalized. "One finger? Don't you know me or what? I laid my two hands on her lovely breasts, thank you very much. Who do you take me for?"
Naruto felt his own aura flare in a surge of anger. Baring his teeth, he grunted, "Wrong answer…Old crap... THAT was a VERY wrong answer..."
The hermit stuck his tongue out at his blond student in a childish manner, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto nearly stomped his foot on the ground in frustration but just yelled "Shit! He ran away again! But just you wait, old toad! Just you wait!"
Naruto briefly wondered if he should chase after the old man. Usually, he would spend the night pestering after the hermit, or booby trapping his sake jar, but tonight he didn't felt like moping around. After all, it was not every day that he had the chance to meet someone from Konoha, and to be honest, he wanted to spend some time with Hinata. He really missed his village, and learning about the latest gossip from the Leaf would do him some good. He'd booby trap the sake jar another day.
He went to dress into one of the Inn's blue and white yukata and yelled to Hinata through the palisade. "Come on Hinata, we'll drink some tea and talk 'bout Konoha!"
"O… Okay Naruto-kun."
"Great! I'll wait for you! I'm in room 24! See ya!"
A few seconds later, Hinata trotted outside the female changing room, tugging at her yukata's sash before pulling on her gauntlet.
"A… Naruto-kun … your room?"
But Naruto had already left.
'Well, I guess it's okay… I just hope he isn't sharing his room with… with…'
The dark haired kunoichi couldn't repress a shiver.
That had been the most shocking thing in her life. Being assaulted and not being able to react. Hinata had thought she was going die of embarrassment.
And when a young man who had been the spitting image of the Fourth Hokage, down to the scowling and serious set of his jaw, had jumped in and ran toward her to smite her assaulter in righteous fury, Hinata had been sure she was turning crazy.
When she had been a child, there had been that weird story running around. According to it, if you were a good kid, and if you prayed hard enough, the Fourth Hokage's ghost would come to rescue you if you had problems. Villagers had loved Minato so much he'd became part of the Village's lore after his death.
But then the apparition had started yelling, and Hinata had realized that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her, and that she actually knew that voice.
Everything in the young man's appearance was screaming 'Minato Namikaze'. Except for the whiskers on his face, and the shorter hair. Th was how she had recognized Naruto.
And,well, a nearly nude Naruto.
Judging by the burn she felt on her cheeks, and by the erratic beatings of her heart at the memory, it looked like her old crush on him was not so dead after all.
Hinata sighed.
'I didn't need this…'
.
.
.o0O0o.
Takibana Inn, Room 24
.
.
The room number 24 was … beautiful. It was decorated in the traditional Taki style, with tatami mats covering the floor and large sliding wooden doors opening out to the inn's garden. The decoration was simple and perfect. 'I really love that inn…' Hinata mused.
Naruto and she had been talking for almost an hour now. About Konoha, friends, teachers and gossips. It was really enjoyable, to sit down and relax, for once…
Slowly, she turned her head toward Naruto, who was currently sitting on the wooden balcony, feet dangling, sipping his tea while commenting on Konoha's latest news. He had changed, Hinata realized. He was taller now. Really tall. Nearly a foot taller than herself. But he still was leaner than the hermit. His hair had not changed, though. Blond, spiky, seemingly having a life of its own. His eyes too were the same vivid blue, but… There was something strange about his eyes. Something almost feral, like the eyes of a wild beast. As a child, his round cheeks were keeping his blue eyes to two small slits. But now that he was adult, that his cheekbones had replaced the baby-fat, the eyes were the most impressive thing in Naruto's face. She wouldn't want to have to face one of his glares...
Naruto's cheerful voice shook her from her reverie. "I swear, I can't believe Lee convinced Sai to do that! This is so... unlike him! That's priceless... I wish I could've seen that!"
Hinata laughed softly and nodded her agreement. "So, Naruto-kun, what are you doing here, so far away from Konoha? Everyone misses you!" As soon as she'd asked the question, she regretted opening her mouth. Naruto's face had suddenly closed up. He sighed and twirled an empty cup of tea between his fingers.
"It's a bit… complicated. After what happened three years ago, Jiraiya was worried about me. He thought I was going to.… I don't know, maybe turn into something nasty or whatever…. He said stuff about not wanting history to repeat itself…. To him, it looks a bit taboo, so I never really pried, but I think he was afraid to see me turn into some kind of lone wolf, you know. Anyway, he insisted on having me as a student for five more years. He said he still had stuff to teach me. Which is a brazen lie, if you want my opinion. He just enjoys having someone to pester, that's all. But Tsunade-baachan kinda got pig-headed on it and…. well here I am… It's not as if I had something else interesting to do, since the old toad forbade me to be an Anbu."
"Really? But why? The Anbu institution is a prestigious one. All former Anbu are respected..."
Naruto shrugged, tilting his head slightly. "He says I'm not fit for assassination."
"I see…" Of course. She was stupid…. How could she not realize? Being an Anbu meant being an assassin. Naruto had so much empathy, killing people must be-
"He says I'm too loud. He says I can't kill someone without waking up the whole damn town."
Hinata coughed a bit on her tea. Naruto didn't seem to notice as he went on. "So instead, I'm doing missions with him. We're not a bad team at all, and since I'm his student, our styles are pretty much alike…it makes it easier for us, even though we are lacking some stuff. I must admit that I'm not really great at Genjutsu, so the old toad has to put up with me…. But when it comes to very important stuff, the old hag asks for us, because she knows we'll get the job done well! Haha, of course, I'm going to be Hokage one day, so of course I'm efficient!"
"That's great!" Hinata couldn't help but smile at Naruto's delight. It was good to see that some people never gave up on their childhood dreams.
Naruto's face became serious again.
"But…. Ya know, in a way, I'm glad I'm not an Anbu…. I really prefer going on missions with the old toad, at least, it's not always the same thing, Plus, I keep learning interesting stuff, and I get to know myself better. It's really nice ya know," Naruto smiled cheerfully, " Jiraiya may be a pervert, but he has his good sides too!" He paused to turn around and smile at her. "Anyway…it must be damn boring, to always do the same thing, don't you think? Isn't Neji bored?"
"Hmm, Neji-oniisan doesn't speak much about his missions," Hinata thought a bit before adding, " but I think… he may be looking forward to the end of his Anbu years… maybe…"
Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, once I almost asked Sasuke how he felt about being an Anbu too, but I dropped it. It's mostly top-secret stuff too, so... Anyway, long story short, that's why I'm here with the old toad. Tsunade-baachan said she'd give me the jounin rank if I spent five more years training under Jiraiya. Technically, I'm still genin since I never had the chance to take the exams again. I've got two more years left, roughly. In two years, I'll be back in Konoha for good, and, well, I'll take things from there."
"I see." Hinata put down her teacup and straightened her yukata, smoothing out the soft clothing with the palm of her hand. She glanced at the rapidly darkening sky. It was not really late, but the darkness was already enveloping the garden.
"And you, Hinata, what's up? You've kept talking about everyone in the Leaf but yourself! Tell me, I want to know everything! "
Hinata squirmed a bit. Naruto, the Naruto, wanted to know things about her? "Hmm, well, nothing much…"
Naruto poured himself another cup of tea before slowly looking up and winking at her. "Ah, don't try to be shy with me…. You're going on Lone Missions, it means you're a jounin, right?"
"Yes."
"Woohoo!" yelled Naruto, flailing his arms wildly. The cup's contents flew into the garden. Naruto didn't seem to notice as he went on, "You made it, Hinata! I knew you had it in you! I knew you'd be a great kunoichi one day!"
"Thank you, Naruto-kun…" whispered Hinata, still a bit shaken by his reaction.
"So….When did you take the jounin exam?"
"Last year…. Father insisted that I take it then. I thought I was not ready, but he said that all Hyuuga heirs had always been nominated jounin before their eighteenth year, so…"
"So?" asked Naruto, leaning toward her.
"So he said I'd better make it too."
"Hmm," grunted Naruto, leaning back, "I see."
"And," she blushed softly, "hmm, surprisingly enough, I made it…"
"That's great! And what about your dad?"
"Since I became a jounin, Father's being really… well, nice to me."
"That's good to hear!" said Naruto smiling. He poured himself another cup of tea and started drinking.
"Father is looking forward to finding me a suitable husband," Hinata went on, "so I can retire and give heirs to the main house. I think he wants grandchildren, actually. I guess he is tired of being head of the clan, and he wants to pass it on to somebody else."
Naruto coughed violently and spluttered his tea, spilling the cup's remaining contents on the wooden balcony. "Ha? What the heck, you're still young, Hinata!"
Hinata looked at the cup, empty again. It looked like Naruto had unresolved issues with tea.
She shook her head and explained, "Father thinks that shinobi's lives are short, and that we must have children when we can. Father says that a shinobi does not know when his or her life is going to end."
"Well, that's true I guess, but still…. How are you feeling about it?"
"I …" Hinata paused. She'd never really thought about it. She knew it was going to happen, sooner or later, that was all. She didn't even know who her husband was going to be. It was up to the elders to decide. Of course it was going to be someone from the Hyuuga clan, to keep the Byakugan in the family, but who? To be honest, she didn't really care.
Hinata had found a long time ago that, when it came down to family matters, not caring was easier. She had tried, really tried to understand the clan's policy. She had really tried to get interested. After all, she was the main house's heiress. But she came to no avail.
Lately, she had been talking more and more freely with her father. She knew that he was not the cold-hearted man everyone else thought him to be. He was just trying to do the best he could, with the power he had. But he was completely overpowered by the elders. They ruled the clan with an iron fist, and they were not ready to relinquish that power any time soon. So Hinata had not exactly given up, no. But she had stopped caring, for the time being.
'It's like I don't really care. Like this is all happening to someone else.'
"Are you happy, Hinata?"
Naruto's sudden question surprised her a bit. She had to think about it before answering tentatively, "I can't say I'm miserable, because I'm truly not. But… I feel like there's something missing."
"Hear, hear," nodded Naruto, rubbing his brow, "I feel the same way sometimes." He slumped on the tatami mat, and looked off into space.
"Really?" asked Hinata. She didn't like seeing Naruto so glum. She smiled encouragingly, "Well, I guess that's why I like lone missions. They give me some time to myself!"
Doubt crossed Naruto's features. "But if you get married and you have kids, you won't be able to go on lone missions anymore, right?"
"That's true… I guess that's why I'm not really happy. But I can't put this wedding off eternally without a good excuse. I'm not sure I'm ready to surrender to the elders… I wish I could have some more time for myself." Hinata blushed furiously. What was she saying? She was disclosing private information, stuff she wouldn't even admit to herself normally. But now words were tumbling out of her mouth, too fast for her to hold back.
Naruto sat up abruptly and pointed a finger at her, saying with a serious face: "You need to do something drastic, Hinata!"
"What do you mean, drastic?"
"You need …" Naruto's fake seriousness dissolved into a smile as he gave her a victory sign, "to take a holiday!"
Hinata let out a small laugh. Naruto had always had a knack for presenting things in the most dramatic way. She slowly nodded.
"I'm doing that right now, Naruto-kun. I took two days off to stop here."
Naruto pulled a dejected face and went back to lying on the floor.
"Two days? That's nowhere near drastic enough! That's more like meek-holiday..." That said, he winked at Hinata who broke into another fit of laughter. After musing for a while, Naruto propped himself on one elbow, and asked:
"What about two years instead?"
That had cut Hinata's laughter short. "What?"
"I still have two years of training left with the old toad," explained Naruto. "Do you want to join? That way you could have some time for yourself! You'll see, the old toad isn't that invasive. And we could do with someone like you on our team! You're really good at taijutsu, if I remember correctly. You look like the stealthy kind too. And well, let's be honest, the byakugan could help." Naruto added sheepishly.
"Well,…"
"Come on, say yes!" Naruto sat up and grabbed her hands, shaking them enthusiastically. "It could be so fun! I get tired of the old perv', it'd be so much fun to have someone else to talk to!"
"I…"
"Yes, I know, we need ask Tsunade-baachan about it first. I don't think she'll be difficult about it, but we never know!"
Before Hinata could stop him, Naruto bit his thumb to draw blood, then executed a few seals, saying, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
With a faint "pop" and a puff of smoke, a small toad appeared in front of them. " Hm, food? Ah, no, duty calls again…What can I do for you, Boss?"
"Gamatatsu, get me Tsunade."
"Roger Boss!" The toad disappeared in another puff of smoke.
"Naruto-kun, what are you-"
The blond shinobi held his finger up to his mouth, and winked. "Hang on a minute Hinata."
At that moment, the toad returned in another puff of smoke. "Tsunade-sama says she's busy right now, she told me to tell you to contact her later."
"No, this can't wait. Tell her I ask for another member in mine and Jiraiya's team."
"Ok, Boss."
With a 'plop', Gamatatsu disappeared again.
Hinata stayed still, looking at Naruto. What was he doing? Obviously the toad was going back and forth between here and the Hokage's office in Konoha. But…. This must require quite a lot of chakra control and…
Her frown softened into a smile. Naruto had really grown into a fine ninja…
Puff!
"Boss, Tsunade-sama said no. She says you two are already too much of a hassle to control."
"Ok. If she doesn't want to play soft, then I ain't going to play soft. Tell her I'm not requesting her approval: I'm simply letting her know. Tell her that she's not the only one who can be a pain in the ass, I can too."
Plop!
'Naruto-kun…'
Puff!
"Tsunade-sama wishes to know who you want to include to your team. She added that you always are a pain, nothing new, and that she's definitely going to 'kick your ass til you bow in front of her' for bugging her like this." The toad paused. "She ain't really in a good mood now, ya know, Boss. Ya should leave it alone if you don't wanna be skinned alive the next time ya go back to Konoha."
"Oh, enough with that yapping. Tell her to go get milked, will you?"
Plop!
Puff!
"BOSS! She's really angry now! Boss, I don't want to go back, she'll kill me!"
"You're going back. You tell her the new member is Hyuuga Hinata," said Naruto, pointing at Hinata, "jounin kunoichi from Konoha."
The toad glanced at Hinata before sighing and disappearing again.
Hinata could only stare blankly. "Naruto-kun, what are you-"
"Just a bit, Hinata."
This time a couple of minutes went by. Naruto's eyes were closed in concentration. Hinata couldn't help but wonder. Was he really serious? Did he want her to join his team? But… what for? Was it some kind of joke?
Puff!
"Tsunade-sama wishes to know why. She says that Hyuuga Hinata is an excellent element for Lone Missions. She wishes to know if it is Hyuuga Hinata's doing or yours."
Naruto huffed impatiently. "Tell her it's entirely my idea, that I just came up with it and that Hinata has not agreed yet. And that I'm doing this because…" He hesitated, looking down at his hands. He suddenly balled them into fists, knuckles whitening. His jaw set and his eyes dark, he went on, "Because. Tell that old cow that she owes me one anyway. And I'm only asking for two years."
Plop!
Hinata was having trouble thinking straight. Was he crazy? First, the Hokage would never agree. Second, Hinata was utterly lame when it came to teamwork. Third, her father was never going to accept. Fourth, what use could she…
Puff!
"Tsunade-sama agrees for one year only."
Naruto narrowed his eyes and smirked. "Uh-uh, nope. Two years or nothing, and trust me, she won't like the 'nothing' part : either Hinata comes with us, or I go back to Konoha right now with the old toad in tow and I swear, I'll do my best to turn her life into hell.."
Plop!
Naruto smiled at Hinata and winked. "That's a big gamble. But this should work."
Hinata stayed silent, thinking over his previous speech. Two years…?
Puff!
"Tsunade-sama says that Hyuuga Hiashi is not going to be a happy bunny. He is planning a wedding for his daughter next month."
Naruto's lips twisted into a sneer at this.
"Then she'll have to tell him to put a sock in it."
Plop!
'Next month…? So soon?' Suddenly Hinata felt herself hoping … Hoping that Tsunade would accept Naruto's absurd request. She… she didn't want to get married yet. She liked being… by herself.
Puff!
This time the toad appeared in front of Hinata. "Hyuuga Hinata-sama, the Leaf's Hokage wishes to know your thoughts about this. Are you ready to be incorporated into Uzumaki Naruto's and the Hermit Jiraiya's team?"
"I…" Hinata glanced at Naruto. He was looking intently at her.
"Hinata, it's up to you now. You said you wanted some more time to yourself, right?" He shook his head and mouthed, "It's up to you..." before giving her the thumbs up and turning around to look outside the window, seemingly giving her some privacy.
Hinata was stuck, she had no clue as to what to do.
'Father is not going to be pleased with me for this… but … I'm not ready to... I'd just like to try to… to get to know myself better. I'm not ready to give up on that yet…' Her decision suddenly clear in her mind, she turned toward the toad and bowed slightly. Her eyes facing the ground, she tried to steady her voice long enough to answer: "I am ready."
It came out a bit shaky, but at least she hadn't stuttered.
"This means that you might not be back in Konoha for two years. Are you sure you want to?", asked the toad.
"I…" Hinata bit her lip before answering in a more assured voice, "I want to."
"Fine then."
Plop!
Naruto turned back toward her and gave Hinata the largest smile she'd ever seen. "Way to go, Hinata!"
Puff!
"Boss, Tsunade-sama says she's going to kill you for putting her in this mess. Worse, she's going to be sure you're going to die under a pile of utterly annoying paperwork if you ever live long enough to be nominated Hokage. But she validated your request. She's going to send Hyuuga Hinata's new assignment papers tomorrow."
Hinata felt relief wash over her. She'd done it. She'd decided to take her destiny back into her own hands, even if it was only for two years.
"Woohoo!" Naruto's sudden jump scared her half to death. He grabbed the small toad and started shaking it enthusiastically, much to its dismay.
"Great job Gamatatsu, as usual! Go back home now, and say hello to everyone for me!"
The toad perked up at that, "Roger, Boss! See you, Miss Hinata!" and disappeared with a final plop.
"I hope… " Hinata said hesitantly, "I hope I didn't cause Tsunade-sama too many problems…"
"Don't worry about that Hinata, she'll take it out on me, she always does. You don't have to worry at all.
"Still…"
"Don't make yourself sick over it. It's fine, really!" Naruto reached for his cup, and, realizing it was empty, he winked at her.
"Hey, Hinata, why don't we stop that 'thinking too much' thing and start having fun?"
"Heh?"
"I want to hear more from you," that had Hinata blushing , "and from Konoha! From everyone! Sasuke never writes about fun stuff in his letters, it's always about missions and jutsu... Let's talk all night, have some fun!"
Hinata felt her lips stretch in an involuntarily smile at Naruto's transparent love for his village. "Alright then, Naruto-kun."
Naruto ran toward the door and opened it hastily, "Mina-neechan!"
A distant reply came from the hall: "What do you want again?"
"Bring us something to drink! Something good! First class Umeshuu! And put it on Jiraiya's tab!"
He closed the door and bounced back in, smiling with all his teeth out and giving her the thumbs up. "We can't talk without some drinks, and I've never cared much for tea."
Hinata had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh. Naruto went on, completely oblivious. "From now on, Hyuuga Hinata's Drastic Holiday begins! Let's celebrate!"
Hinata whimpered.
'Oh my… What have I gotten myself into?'
.
.
Jiraiya was sitting cross-legged in his room, his back resting on the wooden wall. The cup of tea he'd poured himself nearly half an hour before was now cold.
But Jiraiya didn't care. He was deeply engrossed in the inspection of a thin paper square. The light-blue material was a diagnosing sheet of his own device. A few seconds' application on the skin was enough to get a passably good blueprint of the chakra pathways.
One of Jiraiya's main rules was to immediately check out the other customers when he stopped somewhere. He liked to know who was staying under the same roof as he did, and there was no such thing as 'too much information'. So when he'd heard from Minawa that a young woman had arrived, he'd naturally decided to look her up. The fact that she had happened to be nude in the hot springs had merely been a bonus point. Sure, the girl was lovely to look at. All girls were, in Jiraiya's opinion. But there was something else. Something really disturbing.
The chakra flow in the girl's left arm was horribly bunched up. It seemed to be clustered around the wrist and the elbow, as if it could not move freely around these articulations. The pathways were badly disrupted in between. As he watched, the accumulated chakra started flowing freely again, ever so slowly. The more the girl relaxed, the better the chakra flow.
He'd applied the diagnosing sheet to the girl's left arm, while she had been too shocked by the breast fondling bit to pay attention. Silly as it was, it worked all the time. However skilled a shinobi, if you drew their attention to something shocking enough, you could get away with almost anything. Naruto's timely apparition had been perfect. He'd had half a second to take the sheet away and the girl hadn't noticed a thing, too absorbed by Naruto's entry. But Jiraiya had underestimated the boy's speed, and had been too slow to dodge the punch, which had stung. A lot.
Anyway, back to that arm. According to the blueprint, the chakra pathways were a total mess. Two rough-looking seals were embeded into her wrist and elbow, completely cutting off the chakra flow. Bridging over these, small artificial chakra ducts were allowing the chakra to resume its flowing, trying to re-establish the connection. But they couldn't handle the outflow most of the time. Thus creating the congested area between her wrist and elbow.
That medical jutsu was Tsunade's, Jiraiya'd bet his left nut on it. That was top medic stuff.
The two primitive seals underneath were bad news. He marvelled at the fact that the girl seemed to be able to use her arm freely at all. Jiraiya had never seen something quite like that. Well, actually, he thought with a wince, he had. Forty years ago, on someone's leg. The seals had messed with the chakra so badly that it had almost immediately burst out of the pathways, driven through muscles and tissues, and literally torn the leg open. Blood had splattered on the walls, black chakra had came pouring out of the mangled tenketsu in great waves.
Jiraiya had nightmares for a week after that.
If these seals were what he thought, he had some pressing questions to ask his old friend, the 5th Hokage. But the pathways were so messed up he had to try to figure out their original pattern first. Grabbing a large sheet of paper and an ink brush, Jiraiya set to work.
One hour later, his cup was still untouched, and many crumpled sheets of paper were littering the floor.
.
.
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End of:
Drastic Holiday, Chapter One: Drastic Beginning.
.o0O0o.
TBC in:
'Drastic Holiday, Chapter Two: Drastic Hangover' (a.k.a. Payback is a bitch!)
Where :
-Much alcohol is drunk,
-Jiraiya muses over fate and students,
-Tsunade gets her revenge in a dirty way,
-Hinata and Naruto get hot and sweaty a lot (kind of).
._. melikes reviews *nom nom nom*
Note : "neechan" means "older sister", but can perfectly be used outside of the family, to adress any young woman. It's quite familiar, tho ^^