I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
Italics mean thoughts.
"Italics with quotes mean conversations between animals."
Worth The Wait
Naruto stared at the Sun Bear standing on it hind legs and staring at him with beady green eyes. Naruto realized with a shock that it wasn't a normal bear. He recognized the eyes.
"Sakura?" Naruto asked. "I gotta say, your animal form fits. Short-tempered, powerful, volatile. You earned this."
Sakura roared and charged forward but Naruto kicked her back and she landed glaring at him but sat down.
"Hinata, find the others," Naruto said.
Hinata activated her Byakugan and searched the village.
"They've all turned into animals, or a bug in Shino's case," Hinata said.
"Alright," Naruto said. "Take me to Kiba."
Hinata nodded and they both turned and ran into the village. After a few minutes of searching, they found Kiba and Akamaru scratching fleas in the middle of the street.
"Fleas?" Naruto asked grinning. "Akamaru, can you turn yourself into a human?"
Akamaru barked and transformed into a Kiba clone.
"Good boy, can you speak?" Naruto asked.
"Yes can," Akamaru said.
"Close enough," Naruto said. "What did the ninja that hit Kiba look like?"
"Silver," Akamaru said. "Fast. Shiny. ITCH!"
He suddenly turned back into a dog and began scratching furiously at a spot behind his ear. Naruto smiled then the smile faded.
"Silver huh?" Naruto asked. "Damn, it's the First Lieutenant. He's second in command and second strongest. He's also the brains but his brother the boss forgets it sometimes. Don't worry, I'll kill him for you Kiba. Hinata, I know I didn't want you to get involved but, we're out of options. The First Lieutenant is extremely curious where women are involved. I need you to stand at the intersection over there and scream. But first, how many are left?"
"I can see two chakras," Hinata said. "Both strong but one slightly stronger than the other. I can't see the source though. They've covered the entire village with their chakra.
"Okay," Naruto said. "Go ahead. When he gets here, I'll kill him."
Hinata nodded and walked to the intersection. Their friends had killed all of the other ninja and were far from secretive about it yet for all the noise and light during the attack, not a soul was out in the streets helping them. Naruto realized this at the same time and opened a random door looking in. What he saw was not what he had expected.
Just then Hinata screamed bloody murder and for half a second he forgot she had done it on purpose. He sped out into the street just as a ninja wearing golden armor stepped out from around a corner. He was perfectly calm and walking toward Hinata with measured and purposeful strides.
"HINATA!" Naruto shouted. "RUN!"
Hinata was confused and looked around seeing the ninja. Her eyes widened and she turned to run just as he held his hand out and a bright white sphere shot out of his palm and exploded on the ground to her right sending her flying at Naruto. He caught her and set her down then leapt over her at the ninja who was already making signs.
"Ninja Art, Feral Mirror Jutsu!" he said smashing his fist into the ground.
A glowing fissure shot out from his hand at Naruto then under him and straight at Hinata. Naruto's eyes widened when he realized this.
"Hinata!" Naruto said somehow stopping mid air and leaping in the other direction.
The fissure reached her and her eyes widened just as a column of light shot into the air and she screamed. Naruto landed at a full sprint but the light faded as soon as it had appeared and left a small white rabbit in its place. Naruto slid to a stop beside Hinata looking back to see the ninja backing away.
"Come to me if you wish to save her," the ninja said. "I'll release the jutsu and spare all of your friends in exchange for your life."
Then he was gone. Naruto turned back to Hinata to see her brushing against his arm.
"I'm sorry Hinata," Naruto said. "I didn't think he would be the one to answer. I'm going to fix this."
She looked up at him and, despite her rabbit form, he knew she was afraid he would allow the ninja to kill him.
"Don't worry," Naruto said. "I'm going to kill him. Kiba, summon the others if you can. Keep Hinata safe and keep her here. I'll be back soon."
Kiba managed a nod then howled. Naruto waited for a moment before a lion walked around a corner sitting beside them and A boar around another corner with a sloth laying on its back.
Naruto nodded to Kiba then turned and ran after the ninja. As he ran his anger grew rapidly. Soon, he was covered by the Nine-tails Cloak. When he reached the ninja, his feral state traits were present and he had two tails. The ninja stood against the wall calmly staring at Naruto.
"Welcome," the ninja said. "We didn't have a proper introduction last time did we? My name is Erodai. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jinchuriki."
"I'm going to tear you in half!" Naruto said.
"By all means," Erodai said waving a hand.
Naruto leapt at him and Erodai instantly blasted him with a sphere of chakra. Naruto landed on his back and looked down to see a gap in the protective chakra just before it sealed up.
"I'm stronger than you freak," Erodai said. "Come on, get mad! Don't you care about the Hyuga bitch?"
And with that, Naruto snapped.
Hinata hopped forward a few feet and Kiba stepped in her way.
"Where are you going?" Kiba asked.
"To help Naruto," Hinata said.
"No," Kiba said. "You're staying here where you won't get in trouble."
"I can still use my Byakugan," Hinata said. "I'm not useless. I can help him fight."
"She's right," Neji said. "I could help too."
"No," Kiba said. "Naruto will be fine."
Just then the ninja with sliver armor stepped out of a nearby building and grinned at the animals assembled there before heading toward Naruto and the other ninja.
"What was in there?" Hinata asked.
"I don't know but Naruto seemed unsettled by that house," Kiba said.
Hinata hopped over to the house he had indicated and Kiba himself went to the other house. What they found was extremely worthy of unsettling Naruto. Inside were two of Naruto's, understandably, least favorite creatures, snakes and spiders. The snakes were about the size of tree trunks and were everywhere and the spiders were covering the ceiling. The residents were either in a snake's mouth or stuck to the ceiling in cocoons of spider web.
That's why no one's answered. Hinata thought. But who's summons are they?
Hinata turned and took off in a blur after Naruto. She was going to save him no matter what form she was in.
When she reached Naruto, she froze. Naruto was fighting both ninja and was losing badly but that wasn't what stopped her. He was covered in boiling red chakra forming the outline of a fox with two tails.
"Give up Jinchuriki," the ninja in the gold armor said. "You've lost. Do you really want to continue this fight?"
"I'm going to tear you apart!" Naruto said standing after being blasted by both ninja at once.
"Have it your way," the ninja in the gold armor said throwing a kunai at Hinata.
Naruto suddenly appeared in front of her catching the knife at the last second now sporting three tails. The ninja in the silver armor took a step back and the other stopped him.
"Don't worry Bureizu," Erodai said. "I'm going to handle him, you just need to watch for a chance."
Bureizu nodded and walked to his left while Erodai walked away from him.
"Come Naruto," Erodai said. "Let's have a rematch."
Naruto charged at Erodai and Erodai met his charger. When they met, Naruto swung at Erodai but Erodai ducked under the fist then stood back up punching him in the jaw and sending him flying. Naruto landed in a heap then stood and punched the ground. A moment later the chakra from his arm shot out of the ground under Erodai in the form of a hand. Erodai dodged the hand by millimeters then blasted it destroying it. Naruto suddenly appeared behind him and smashed him into the ground then spun throwing him.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Bureizu said summoning hundreds of spiders which instantly began to use their webbing to restrain Naruto.
"Ninja Art, Feral Mirror Jutsu!" Erodai said sending the jutsu at Naruto.
It hit before Naruto could react and a moment later there was only a cocoon of web. Suddenly the cocoon exploded and a fox shot out in a blur and smashed Bureizu into the ground slashing his chest and ruining his armor as well as leaving scratches. He kicked the fox away and Erodai took a step back.
"He's so strong," Erodai said. "What gives?"
"It's not the brat in control anymore," Bureizu said as a second tail sprouted beside the first.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Erodai said as a massive ball of spikes appeared. "Try this!"
He slammed his foot on the ball and the spikes all shot at Naruto. He leapt over them and they crashed down where he had been then he landed in front of Erodai and slashed his throat. Erodai stumbled back and fell onto the ground where a lion walked over and took hi head in its mouth. Then it bit down and crushed the head killing Erodai.
"Brother!" Bureizu shouted as Naruto and Hinata were both enveloped in a blinding light.
A moment later they were both standing in their human forms again fully clothed, to their infinite relief, and glaring at Bureizu.
"You've been busy," Naruto said as all of the others walked in in their animal forms.
The snakes and ball of spikes all disappeared leaving anything the snakes had been in the process of digesting. A moment later, shinobi began pouring into the square but stopping seeing the animals and the fact that Naruto and Hinata were about to fight.
"Fifty Rio says they lose," one shinobi whispered to another and the two shook hands.
Naruto drew his kunai and threw it at Bureizu.
"Eight Trigrams Air Palm!" Hinata said blasting the kunai and sending it shooting at Bureizu.
The kunai hit him in the chest and came out the other side making him stumble back a few feet. This had happened in the blink of an eye so by the time it hit him, he had barely noticed they had moved.
Naruto held his hand out and Hinata held hers over him. They both channeled their chakra into the space between their hands and a pure white Rasengan appeared.
"Bureizu," Naruto said. "I know you've got a plan so feel free to try it."
"Just kill him Naruto!" someone shouted.
"Why?" Naruto asked. "The only bad thing about me letting him fight back is that Sakura will hit me which she probably will anyway."
"True," Hinata said quietly. "But just kill him."
Naruto nodded and leapt into the air over Bureizu. Bureizu looked surprised right up until Naruto smashed the Rasengan into his face forming a crater with Bureizu in the bottom.
Everyone cheered as the others changed back and Sakura walked over to Naruto.
"I...I'm so sorry for being so abusive," Sakura said.
"You're forgiven," Naruto said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, there's one other thing I have to do."
He leapt over the crowd of shinobi and began running along roof tops away from the other glancing back each time he jumped to a new one. As he had hoped, Hinata was following him, clearly worried.
He stopped in the same clearing the Konoha 11 had met at and pulled his shirt up to reveal a cut. The injury was from a knife Erodai had used and was not something he was proud of. He could have dodged it but he had been tricked into the obvious trap by Bureizu.
"You're hurt," Hinata said.
"Nothing fatal," Naruto said. "Just a scratch from a stupid mistake. Seems I've been making a lot recently."
"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.
"Getting hurt, letting my emotions get carried away, letting you be put in danger," Naruto listed. "Not telling you the truth."
"The truth?" Hinata asked.
"You saw right?" Naruto asked. "The chakra?"
"Yes," Hinata said.
"It wasn't mine," Naruto said then smirked at himself. "I'm the Jinchuriki of the Nine-tailed Demon Fox."
"You...oh," Hinata said. So that's why everyone hated him when he was young.
"You probably hate me now right?" Naruto asked miserably staring at the ground.
"No," Hinata said walking over and forcing him to look her in the eye. "Naruto, I could never hate you. I...I love you."
Naruto stared at her in shock for a moment then kissed her. Her eyes grew to the size of saucers and her face turned redder than a tomato but she still kissed him back. The other members of the Konoha 11 all arrived and watched silently and approvingly from the trees on the other side of the clearing. Finally Naruto pulled away.
"I love you too," Naruto said smiling.
"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that," Hinata said smiling as her blush faded a bit.
"Was it worth it?" Naruto asked clearly meaning did she think he was worth all the trouble them being together would bring.
"Yes, it was," Hinata said before kissing him again.
He kissed her back but this time she pulled away.
"And if any of you tell my father, you're dead," Hinata said looking over her shoulder and earning laughter in return.
THE END
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