Naruto and its characters © Masashi Kishimoto.

Yo! Hope you like it; this ones will be kind of shorts, but is kind of on purpose... see ya!

Chapter 7: Blood color chakra.

In the afternoon, the plan was put in action. "The enemy bit the hook" smiled Kiba in a teasing mood, alluding to the kunoichi´s great accomplishment, who seem to have gone mute ever since she came back as a walking marmaid.

Everyone got ready in their posts. The anticipation on a mission is essential.

Naruto spoke loudly about of how easy it was to take control over the parchment, and Shino just nodded. A bomb fell down between their legs. …There you are, bastards… Kiba thought as he followed an invisible line. Between the smoke of the recent impact, a figure with crossed arms was laughing pompous and sharply – kind of ennoying actually.

"If you give me the parchment without resistance, maybe I won´t hurt you two, kids."

!" Naruto recognized the voice he heard in the basement the day before, and with a finger pointing towards the enemy spoke loudly "As if we were to surrender that easy, and especially to someone as ugly as you! My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I will definitely kick your ass."

Shino remained calm… No doubt, he is only a puppet, it would be rather odd someone like him could get to the top of anything, doesn´t appear to be smart at all… his followers must be even less bright…

The temporal veins of the intruder began to twitch. "What did you just said? Baka! You ask for it!" Touching his ear he said "keep them coming, but this time, do it seriously!."

A quartet of bombs wich released kunais and shurikens under pression at the moment of the impact, collided near them. Both man dodged them with ease, but… Oh ... I didn´t anticipate that… Shino looked to where Hinata and Izumi were, having a bad feeling… Be careful… he tougth, before getting back his attention to the figth.

**********************

The bombs got closer to the improvised medical corredor, and although some people got just superficial injuries the situation began to desestabilize to everyone. Naruto-kun´s clones can´t block all trajectories, especially ones as unpredictable as those… I…

" Hinata! Be Careful!" Naruto screamed to her.

The girl appeared to avoid every single flying object without even thinking about it, she just gave the impression of been in deep thoughts… I must protect them!!... As Hinata walked forward, a delicate purple halo of light was surrounding her. She jumped onto the closest roof … if I could make my chakra ticker and more resistant... I would be able to create a barrier… The chakra around her feet changed between lavender and purple as it formed a kind of platform beneath her, and then all of the villagers saw her raised up through the air, farther anf father until, if she would have look down, she would have thought the view down there were little dolls staring at her. But, well… she actually didn´t have time to even think about it, she just prepared herself, breathed once and then closed her eyes, took the proper position at once and whisper without hesitation "¡Shugohakke Rokuijuu Yonshuo! (guardian of the adivination)"

Take… care… Hinata… Hime…

Her eyes – closed – were bleeding, her hair was floating, and on the blink of an eye, she formed a marmoleum blood color shield above all the villagers. She kept it steady, unbreakable, impenetrable, and below her all could feel what a tremendous among of energy was been used, and how insignificant part of it were soaring like ephemeral birds flying away as some of the kunais try to crossed the barrier and unmistakable got pushed far far away.

Minutes later Kiba and Akamaru ended with the last of the elusive weasels, thus stopping the dangerous rain; Shino sought information from the enemy with his many insects coming in through the enemy´s ears and sneaking away at his brain cortex. After getting the truth, he left him at the mercy of his starved insects. Naruto looked fixedly at the incredible strength of her teammate kunoichi with his lips slightly opened and feeling a little bit intimidated…Amazing, she´s the strongest girl I´ve ever seen, how come she never does that at training?...

In the absence of bombs – danger –, her chakra vanished, and her body fell freely. The ninja reacted immediately, and in the exact place and time, he catched her in his arms. "Hinata? Ca you hear me? Hinata!" Naruto walked into the forest looking for asylum under the shade of trees nearby, he sat, recovering from the emotional impact. "Hinata ... you ´re the best" he muttered.

There he stayed until Shino, Kiba and Akamaru found them together and all retured to Konoha after finished their business. Although Akamaru wanted to carry her, Naruto hugged her stubbornly until a few hours later, under Tsunade´s watching care.

*****************************

Waking up in hospital beds was something Hinata had came accustomed lately, and she could recognized Konoha´s hospital by her sense of tact and smell …I'm home… On one side of the table there was a vase with a pair of irises.

"Eh? Who would bring me flowers…?" The young girl murmured as she carved her sleepy eyes. There had been two days since they came back. Shino delivered a full and detail mission report, making emphasis on Hinata´s participation as a med-ninja and kunoichi, both exceptionally successful. Izumi leaved soon after the attack; apparently a relative came to picked her up. The villagers received another doctor, and swore eternal gratitude to the unconscious kunoichi. Also he included, perhaps as a curiosity – but rather more like a call for attention to recognized her as all she was now – the fish and water story. Tsunade however was eager to hear it directly from the source. Soon it will be 2 months since she became her apprentice, and she knew soon she couldn´t be the teacher she needed. The blonde woman thought she should better start looking for a med-ninja with some skills other than med-jutsu, and she had the ANBU perfect for the job… Aa she nodded to herself ... that´s how it supposed to be…

The Hokage entered Hinata´s room, and found her awake. Embraced her fulled with emotions, and she hugged her back. Then Tsunade escorted her to Hyuuga compound, told her to rest – more like an order though –, and report at 8:00 am the next day in her office.

At farewell she said "Excelent work, little one."

Hinata just blushed… and gave a bow before quickly turned to see her house, looking for a certain young man who most likely were waiting for her; he always worried when she had to spent some time at the hospital before coming home after a mission, specially when he had been told it wasn´t an easy mission. But, when it happened to be a simple one… for that ones she got two things: a bow and a teasing smkir.

*********************

Naruto couldn´t stop thinking about Hinata floating like a fairy, with her eyes closed and blocking every threat as if there was nothing more in the world. With that chakra halo of changing colors... with her skin as withe and pure as snow, and that exhausted, happy expression that she had while she was sleeping in his arms… Almost two months taking care of her, and suddenly, I see what she is capable of!!. She doesn´t need someone taking care of her... Hinata… he sighed… doesn´t need me...

That afternoon Naruto was supposed to continue his mission of escorting Hinata to her house, but ... simply he saw no case in it, and sincerely, that only thought made him wanted to stay on bed all day.

*******************

"Ohayo gosaimazu Tsunade-sensei." She bowed.

"Ohayo Hinata. Come in. How are you feeling today?"

"Refresh. Arigato sensei." She smiled.

"I would like to hear your version of the history, Hinata".

"You… you know that something odd happened, don´t you Tsunade-sensei?"

"Aa…" The Hokage nodded "I would like to hear the WHOLE story."

"Hai…" She took a deep breath, like she was preparing to jump some real distance and began "when we were near the village…"

A BRIEF EXPLINATION LATER

"So… you felt like a whirlpool in your chest rigth before executing your tecnique…" Tsunade seemed to have found out something…

"Hai…" and Hinata got curious…

"By the way, the sea-water thing was pretty clever." She smiled … there´s some variation in her statement… she seems to lose some pieces of the event…"And… you don´t remeber how you got home… right?"

"No…why Tsunade-sensei?" she asked worried "Has something bad happended to Naruto-kun? Shino-kun? Kiba-kun?" Hinata saw her with trouble eyes.

"No… relax" …she has the rigth to know at least this... "Very well, I shall tell you what happened afeter you black out."

ANOTHER BRIEF EXPLANATION LATER…

"There´s something I haven´t told you Tsunade-sensei." She waited until her boss had finished until she brought up the very thing she was most interested at.

"And what could that be?"

"The last words I heard between the waves were: Take care Hinata-hime. Do you, by any chance, know what could that mean?"

"Well… it sounds like a goodbye to me." …Obviously Mother Earth and Sister Sea knows a lot more of this than me, has someone discovered her identity? I cannot put her at risk, we´re too far away from deadline, besides there´s no way to know if after the second visit I will need to take care of her, my job is to make sure she reaches at least until December 21 in one piece, and then, depending how things develope... I´ll make another plan ...

"Ho... Tsunade-sensei, why do you belive me so… I mean… sometimes I don´t even belive it my self, why… don´t you..?" she spoke kind of trouble.

"I don´t have reasons to think you´re lying, why? Should I doubt of you?

"No… not… sensei, that´s not it, its just, all seems so confuse…" she confessed.

"I see. The experience must have been really profound" observed Tsunade "but remember Hinata, everything we are, is best in ligth, than hide."

"Hai…" … though i don´t agree completely…she nodded.

"Oh right!" she stood up "We have lots to see. Today we'll start with the basics of chakra surgery. I warn you, this section of the medical-jutsu normally takes years, I´m actually eager to see how that Byakugan of yours works when you educate it in surgery. We won´t stop working for at least 3 weeks to get the basics, there will be no missions for you for a while. Do you feel ready today or would you prefer to continue tomorrow?" she asked in a motherly tone.

"What about my team mates?" Hinata petrified.

"They will be assigned to regular missions, and Naruto will soon come back to the team 7. From now on, you're just a ninja-med under my orders, until I say so…" Tsunade spoke frankly.

Shino Kun… Kiba-kun… Naruto…kun…the young girl felt a sharp pain in her chest and on the pit of her stomach; she tried very hard her facial expression gone unnoticed, but… we know well she can´t hold her feelings to her self, can she?

"Are you willing to do it Hinata? These lessons will be the most useful ones in case that a careless, reckless, unpredictable ninja destroys his body for the village´s sake."

"Hai" the girl jumped a little.

She is just a child… look at her… how she gets all clumsy and tender… I must tell team 8, and… Naruto, something tells me nobody will be happy with this, except her…

******************

"Are you sure?" asked a voice deep in shadows.

"Haii!! I saw her with my own eyes, the sea was shaken, offering her fish, and the force of gravity resigned for a few seconds to locked her... and her eyes were a withe moon color." answered a voice, whispering as a bunfon taken order would do it.

"Earth & Sea ... Who is she?"

"Hyuuga Hinata, the heir of one of the most prestigious clans of Konohagakure.

"A princess, huh?... How interesting. I want to see her in action. Pull your threads and bring her near by, where I can see her."

"Hai... Sensou-sama."