The Shadow's Embrace

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor am I affiliated in any way with Naruto. I just like the show and mangas so I wrote this fanfic.

This fanfic belongs to me. If you want to use it in any way shape or form, you'll need my permission first.

This is the calm before the storm. A nightmare waits in hiding across the horizon, ready to ensnare it's victim in a new darkness. In his time with his friends, Naruto will need to gather what strength he can if he is to endure the coming shadow.

Hope you enjoy the next chapter.

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Chapter 6 - The Embers of Love

To most in Konoha, Kakashi Hatake would easily be considered one of the most gifted shinobi to be known throughout the world. In fact rumors of the infamous copy ninja have struck both fear and awe in anyone who heard about his numerous exploits. These stories were not without their merits of course, because Kakashi was indeed worth every praise and fear. Right now, as he and a vibrant team of some of the most interesting (to say the least) ninja on the face of the planet made their way to Suna, something was bothering the jounin. He couldn't help but feel that something was definitely off about their trip and it wasn't the near dead sanin he was supporting over his shoulders, although that was pretty bad in itself. As Kakashi looked around through his barely open and severely bruised eye, his instincts and intuition that he had gained over the years were telling him that their journey had been far to quiet up to this point. Sure, he knew that they probably wouldn't run into any other enemy ninja, but they hadn't even been confronted by any of the bandits that usually plagued the dusty secluded path they were all traveling on.

It was almost felt... unnatural, although he could hardly blame anyone for not wanting to confront a group consisting of such... interesting members. The great copy ninja, one of the legendary sanin, members of two of Konoha's most prestigious clans and two potentially deadly Jinchuuriki made a party that was hardly approachable. In fact, Lee and Sakura were the most relatively normal shinobi out of the lot of them, if you could really call them that. Still, he couldn't help but feel that this was just the calm before a violent storm. Something terrible was coming, he could feel it in his gut and his instincts were usually on the mark. But before Kakashi's mind could wonder on it any further a loud voice called out back to him, snapping him from his troubling thoughts. "Hey! Are you two gonna speed up or what? You're slowing us all down!" Kakashi gave out an exhausted and painful sigh,propping up Jiraiya to keep him from hitting the floor. The blond haired genin staring back at them glared at the two with an annoyed scowl, obviously frustrated by their diminishing pace. Although he wanted the trip to last as long as possible, he was still a very impatient boy when it came to others holding him back.

"Give us a break will you? In case you hadn't noticed, we're not exactly brimming with health at the moment" Kakashi sighed, desperately trying to push back the headache that was consuming his barely palpable mind. Jiraiya also mumbled some incoherent words, seemingly delusional from the numerous blows to his head. The words 'women' and 'evil' somehow managed to escape his mouth in a reasonably tangible form. "Who's fault is that I wonder!" Naruto growled back, earning another defeated sigh from his jounin sensei. "Yea, you're lucky we arrived in time to save your necks" Sasuke smirked, joining in on the torture. "It took us half an hour of lying just to convince those women that the two of you were homosexual and it's a good thing they eventually believed us too." Kakashi tried to push back the painful embarrassment of it all, hiding his shame behind his mask. He would never live any of this down if Naruto had any part in the matter, but his hopes lifted when the blond haired genin opened his mouth once again. "Um, Sasuke... what's a homosexual?"... Yes!! The gods were good after all!!

Of course, the only answer the poor boy received was a fist over the head from Sakura and a furious blush from Hinata. "Hey! What did I say?!" Gaara just thanked his lucky stars that no one could hit him over the head like that. Who knows how mentally unstable he would have been by now. Before that line of thought could go on any longer, their green clad companion, who had been unusually quiet for a while now, began tospeak."So Naruto-kun, how are you feeling? Do you still have any more injuries hindering you?" Lee murmured, swiftly changing the subject. Naruto scratched the back of his head in confusion, trying todecipher the reason for Lee's sudden interest in his health. He then remembered the genin's own traumatic ordeal with his operation and began to understand his concern. "Well, I'm perfectly fine now. Apparently I heal pretty quickly, so now I'm just about as good as new!" Naruto beamed, flashing the biggest grin he could muster. His bubbling expression seemed to put Lee at ease, although Naruto hadn't notice the older boy's tension until it actually fell away from his face.

"What about you. Any problems after your operation?" Lee looked up with a renewed smile on his face. "Not too many. Although it was a bit difficult for me at first, I think I'm finally through the worst of the pain. It still comes back at me every now and again, but it's much better than it used to be." Lee remained silent for a brief moment, almost as though he were contemplating his next words. He remembered the fears and emotions he felt at the time. The thought of never being able to remain an active ninja still haunted his dreams. If it weren't for Gai, he may have never found the hope to continue on with his operation. "It... it must be great to heal so quickly like you do, never having to worry about being injured or crippled for the rest of your life. What I wouldn't do for that kind of assurance."

Naruto's face seemed to drop at Lee's words, much to the dismay of the green clad genin. "You wouldn't want it" Naruto mumbled, allowing his eyes to fall to the ground. "Although it's great at times, it's also a curse. It just gives everyone a chance to hurt you even more, over and over again." Everyone grew quiet after Naruto's spoke, but the genin shot back into a big grin soon afterwards. "And it also makes youlazy"he continued. "It's easier to drop your guard when you know you can heal allot of damage, but that can also get you killed even quicker." Lee seemed to cheer up at Naruto's statement. Although the blond haired boy neverallowedhis apparent regeneration to affect his combat abilities, he didn't want Lee to envy what he thought was just another curse of the nine-tailed fox. "So! Where are we camping tonight?!" he smiled, noticing the diminishing sun falling across the horizon.

Kakashi's semi functioning eye scanned the area for any possible locations for them to sleep for the night, but it was hardly useful in the failing light. "What about over there, it looks like an inn. They might have rooms available for the night" Sasuke grumbled, catching sight of the distant building. Kakashi gave off another sigh of relief. That was the second blessing in one evening, the first being Naruto's innocent cluelessness. Sleeping on the bumpy forest floor was definitely a no go right now and the thought of falling into a warm soft bed definitely sounded promising after today. Once they all agreed, without any protests, they made their way over to the inviting structure andapproachedthe entrance. After a few knocks on the door, Sakura pushed it open, staring into the warmly lit room that was revealed inside. "Ooh! I have some new customers!" a young women yelped, jumping up from behind a counter that stood further inside. "Please come in, I haven't had any guests in a while."

The genin proceeded inside at the woman's invitation, followed shortly by their two seniors. Kakashi and Jiraiya both looked worse for wear, which only prompted the kind lady into a frown. "What happened? Were you attacked by bandits?" she gulped, looking over the bruises that covered their bodies. "Oh no, they were just..." Sakura quickly covered Naruto's mouth before he could say anything more. Sometimes the boy was too talkative for his own good. After she dragged the struggling genin to the side, muffling his cries, Kakashi looked over to the two with a sigh and then back up to their host. "Don't worry, it was just one of our rigorous training exercises" the joinin smiled, reassuring the woman with his seemingly cheery disposition. "Oh yes, where are my manners. My name is Harumi, the owner of this inn. Well, at least after my father gave it up to me" the woman smiled, bowing down in courtesy. "So" she continued. "Will you all be staying here for the night?"

After settling down in front of a small log fire, everyone began to relax in the comfort of its warm radiance. Naruto's playful nature got the better of him as he slowly nudged the burning wood with a small stick he had found on the floor. Gaara watched on with fascination as the blond boy's eyes seemed to go into a blank stare, almost lost in the beauty of the flickering flames. "You're going to burn yourself you know" Sakura sighed, jarring Naruto out of his trance. "Hey, what do you think I am? I'm not stupid!" Naruto snapped back, shooting around to glare at the pink haired kunoichi. Sakura pulled back in surprise, she had never seen the boy react like that. His eyes seemed to fill with a hint of both anger and frustration. Naruto suddenly realized his harshness and his face fell back into a more somber expression. "Sorry... I didn't mean to..." It's alright Naruto" Sakura cut him off. "We're all a little bit edgy that's all. I... didn't mean to make you feel stupid." Gaara watched on with a sigh as Naruto lowered his head again and then turned back to the flames.

Kakashi and Jiraiya were both recovering from their wounds upstairs and, luckily for the copy ninja, the hermit was finally coming out of his delusional state of mind. After going through all that painful trouble, the jounin ultimately reached the conclusion that reading the toad sage's books was a much safer pursuit. After all, books don't beat their viewers into a bloody pulp, unless of course they were controlled by some crazy jutsu. Back downstairs, Lee dropped straight into doing pushups right in the middle of the room near the fireplace, much to the surprise and disbelief of the other present shinobi. Didn't that kid ever take a break? Sasuke and Sakura sat on a sofa next to each other and, much to the Uchiha's discontent, Sakura once again proceeded to chew of his ear, pausing only to admire the dark haired boy. Hinata on the other hand, had eyes that were just as fixated as Naruto's. Only it wasn't the glowing fire that had captured her gaze, but rather the blond boy sitting in front of it. She had always liked Naruto, but was never confident enough to honor her feelings. Sometimes the timid Hyuuga silently cursed herself for her weakness and her unwillingness to act on her emotions. She just wished she were more like Sakura. That girl never seemed to have a problem with telling someone exactly how she felt about them, or publicly fighting for their attention.

Hinata just resigned to watching as Naruto went about his business. For her, it was just enough to observe his body in motion. Seeing him sleep so calmly at the bathhouse was comforting in a strange kind of way. The way his gentle whiskered face looked so relaxed and peaceful in the warm sunlight filled her with a soothing comfort. She wished she could just sit there watching him every time he slept, seeing him breath gently as his dreams swept him to unknown worlds. As her mind became lost in thought, Harumi suddenly walked into the room carrying a tray filled with steaming mugs. "Dinner time everyone!" At the sound of her words, Naruto shot around to face the cheerful woman, his face lighting up with glee at the prospect of food. Harumi couldn't help but smile at the bright expression on his face and proceeded to hand out the warm cups of soup to her guests. She really enjoyed the company of others and would often go out of her way to make her visitors feel at home. She was also very fond of children and seeing Naruto's bright eyes and excitement had her bubbling inside. Naruto stood from the floor as he was handed his serving. After grinning a cheery "thank you" he walked over to the nearby sofa, sitting next to the white eyed Hyuuga.

"Ahhh!! just what the med-nin ordered" he sighed, taking a careful sip from the warm tasty broth. Hinata sank down into the chair, blushing in the presence of the boy next to her. Sakura immediately noticed the development and nudged Sasuke in the side, gaining his attention. The Uchiha looked up to share her view, before smirking in understanding. "Ehem! Well I think Sakura and I should go to check on Kakashi and Jiraiya." Sasuke coughed, signalling to the other genin in the room. Gaara immediately knew what was going on while Lee on the other hand was completely oblivious as usual. "I've got to check the strap around my gourd. I think it's coming loose again." With that Sakura, Gaara and Sasuke made their way out of the room. Just before they were out of view, the Uchiha stuck his head back inside and 'coughed' again. "EHEM!!" He finally managed to get Lee's attention, causing the boy to look up over to a now desperately confused Naruto and a furiously blushing Hinata.

"O... oh yes!" He yelped, jumping to his feat. "I… I... I've gotta do warm-ups outside. See you two later!" With that, Naruto watched in complete bewilderment as the genin made his way out the room, leaving only him and Hinata behind. As he turned out of the doorway, he flashed one last nice guy pose back at Naruto and then disappeared. "O... okay... see you guys later" Naruto muttered, before turning back to face the girl beside him. "I wonder what's up with them. They're acting really strange." Hinata didn't answer, she was too afraid to even speak. She was now alone in the room with only Naruto at her side. It was both terrifying and inspiring at the same time, but mostly terrifying. There was a long moment of silence between them, neither one saying a word to one another for what seemed like an eternity, only stirring to sip at the warm cups of soup in their hands. After a few more uncomfortable moments had passed, Naruto finally broke the silence. "So... it... was nice at the bathhouse today wasn't it?" the boy murmured, taking another uncomfortable gulp from the tasty liquid. "Y… yes it was." Hinata stuttered in response. There was another brief moment of silence between them until Naruto finally spoke again.

"Hinata... I'm sorry about what happened today. You know, when I crashed into you in front of everyone. I guess all I do is mess up all the time." A smile managed to etch itself onto the Hyuuga's lips, despite the flushed cheeks that now radiated her obvious embarrassment. "It's... it's alright Naruto-kun. I really... I really had fun with you today." Naruto grinned with a sigh of relief. He was worried he had upset the girl, but it seemed she was still alright. "Good, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I did too" he responded, looking at the blushing girl beside him. Then something happened that the boy didn't expect. In either a moment of sudden bravery, or just plain emotional turmoil, Hinata shifted over to Naruto and snuggled up against his side. Naruto raised his arm where she pushed up against him, looking down in surprise as the girls head rested firmly on his chest.

After the initial shock of what was happening brushed over him, he let his arm relax, gently lowering it around the girl's shoulders while his face flushed red. The two of them just sat there quietly, neither one knowing what to say to one another, or what these knew emotions where swelling up inside of them. All they knew was that it was warm and comforting, something they neither of them wanted to let go of. Naruto allowed his own head to shift over sideways, resting on the arm that wrapped gently around the the girl. The warm light of the fire brushed gently over their faces, slowly lulling them into the comforting embrace of their dreams. Quietly peering from the doorway, his friends watched on with smiles etched into their faces. "Looks like those two are finally getting into the picture" Sakura sighed, relieved that her plan had born some fruit. "I think we should go to bed and leave them in peace." With that, they all made their way upstairs and into the rooms they would be sleeping in for the night.

After about another hour had past, the tired shinobi eventually succumbed to the relentless call of their exhaustion, except for Gaara who simply sat on his bed waiting for the next day to arrive. Harumi quietly made her rounds around the structure, checking on the different rooms in which her quests stayed, ensuring everything was in order. After patrolling around for a few moments she suddenly realized there were two people missing from her count. "Hmmm, I'm sure there were seven of them. I wonder where the loud blond and the dark haired girl are?" Searching around for her two missing guests, Harumi made her was down stairs, checking the living area where the once brimming fire was now just the smoldering remains of glowing embers. There on the sofa, two young kids slept quietly in each other's company, neither one shifting an inch from their original position, almost as though they were aware of the other's presence.

The young inn owner smiled at the sight before her and fetched a nearby blanket to protect them from the icy chill. As she gently covered the two, careful not to wake them up, Harumi looked on their glowing faces as they both gently breathed in the cool night air. They looked so peaceful in each other's company, like a brother and sister relishing in the safety of one another's arms. Harumi always did want to settle down and have children of her own and seeing these two sleeping so innocently only reinforced her desire even further. It was a good thing she never found out that Naruto was an orphan, or the young genin may have never been able to leave without a struggle on her part. Harumi watched as they both shifted slightly before making her way back up stairs and leaving them to their dreams.

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As you can see, this new story has some NaruHina moments in it. I am still not sure how far I'm going to take their relationship yet, but I can tell you that Hinata will play a big part in the upcoming events.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please Review! (Pretty please!) O.O