Chapter Eleven

While politics were the talk of the village, Hinata was more concerned with talking to Naruto again. She was sitting in the woods on a log for bench thinking about it.

"I screwed up that time." Hinata said to herself. "I should have been more supportive back there."

Hinata was taking her time to think about what to say to Naruto next time. But she knew that it would have to be something nice to make him feel better. But would that just fuel Naruto's ego and make him talk about himself? He did tend to be immature still about that but the last time they talked he wasn't like that. But Hinata didn't want to brag about herself either. Planning what to talk about was hard and frustrating.

"Maybe I should just go with the flow and let the conversation carry itself." Hinata thought. "Or maybe I should let him start it. Yes, that's what I'll do."

As Hinata walked off to find Naruto, she bumped into someone. She looked up to see who it was. It was Naruto.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Hinata asked him. She wasn't as shy this time.

"Actually I'm just a shadow doppelganger. The real me is trying to train create a new technique. This is just a quicker way. Once I disappear, whatever I know will be known by the other doppelgangers and the real me. I was taking the woods as a short cut to Shikamaru's place." The doppelganger said.

"Oh, I see." Hinata said. She felt disappointed thinking that even his doppelganger wouldn't want to talk.

"I have time though." The doppelganger said. "Talking with me is equivalent to talking to the real me."

"Okay. " Hinata said. She felt very awkward talking to Naruto's doppelganger.

The doppelganger took a seat at the log Hinata was just sitting on and Hinata took a seat next to him. The two were distant from each other but not too far apart. Both were in some way nervous.

"So how are things with you?" The doppelganger asked.

"Nothing too new." Hinata said. She was surprised to see that he wanted to learn about her. But then again, he never really did get to know her and she never really got to know him. "My squad's mission went well. We may just get a more difficult one next time."

"You're lucky." The doppelganger said.

"I'm sorry that your mission to rescue Sasuke didn't go so well." Hinata said. "You'll definitely do better next time."

"Thanks. I hope so." The doppelganger said. "That blows the celebration me and Sakura had planned. What are you doing tonight?"

"Tonight my clan is having a reunion party between the Main and Cadet Branch for the success of bringing in that mob criminal from the Grass Village. My father is hoping that it will bring the two branches closer together." Hinata said. She couldn't help but feel that maybe Naruto was trying to arrange a date. She knew that it was too early to take their relationship that far.

"Sounds fun. At least you have something to do." The doppelganger said. "I have to train. Not that it's a bad thing but still, I wish I had something better to do."

"Don't you have anything else going on this week?" Hinata asked. "There has to be something else you can look forward to."

"Well, my birthday is coming up." The doppelganger said. "I'll sixteen already. I guess I should be happy about that."

"You know, I couldn't help but notice something about your birth date." Hinata said.

"You've noticed too? I'm not surprised." The doppelganger said. "I was born the day Yondaime Hokage slayed the Kyubi. That has always driven people away from me. They think I'm a bad omen because of it."

Naruto's doppelganger knew very well the real reason the villagers hated him. But he couldn't tell Hinata that he was the Juinchuriki for the Nine Tailed Fox. Not if he wanted her to stay with him for just a while longer. Even if there was no future for them, Naruto wanted Hinata to stay with him as long as possible.

"I see." Hinata said. She felt hurt in a way.

Hinata grew up being told to beware of Naruto but she never understood why. Her mother was one of the few people who felt sorry for him. Though she was picked on for being the weakling back in her academy days, she knew what she had gone through would never be anything compared to what Naruto went through. But it still hurt her that Naruto did have such a terrible childhood. She felt so sorry for him that sometimes she wanted to cry for him since he didn't. Hinata didn't want her emotions to ruin things for her but she did want to let Naruto know that he wasn't the only one who hurt.

"Naruto, there is something I want to tell you." Hinata said to the doppelganger. She called it by Naruto's name because there was nothing else to call it. "I don't talk about this very often and I have never talked to Kiba or Shino about this. It's personal but I feel I can trust you when I talk about this."

"Okay." The doppelganger said.

"I want to tell you about when my mother died." Hinata said.

"I can slightly remember her." The doppelganger said. Naruto did have some memories of Hinata back in the academy and one of them was seeing her with her mother. Back then she always smiled and it made Naruto feel happy somehow. Even though he never knew the love of a mother, he couldn't believe that Hinata's mother had died the day he found out. It was shocking news for everyone. Hinata and her mother were so close.

"Thanks. After Hanabi was born, my mother fell ill. The doctors said she only had a few months to live. Apparently after giving birth to another child, her body couldn't repair itself from all the energy put into nursing the fetus in the womb. Her body grew weak soon after Hanabi was born and couldn't recuperate after being pregnant. I sat by her bed side every day until she died. Before she died, she told me to be my sister's sunny place and always carry the smile I had when she was with me. After that she stopped breathing." Hinata said. A tear welled up in her eye once she was finished.

"I'm so sorry." The doppelganger, Naruto's doppelganger, said. He felt heartbroken and almost like crying. He couldn't believe that Hinata had lived with this all her life.

"Hinata, why are you telling me this?" The doppelganger asked.

"Because," Hinata said looking into Naruto's eyes, "It's not fair that you by yourself have to feel lonely. I just wanted you to know that you're not the only one who is hurting."

"I…" Naruto paused. He looked down trying to think what he wanted to say.

Naruto's doppelganger shifted his hand while he thought but then looked at where he put. He had put it on Hinata's hand. He then looked Hinata in the eyes again. Both were silent and blushing. Neither knew what to say. Naruto's doppelganger wanted to say something but his heart was beating too fast. Hinata felt the same way. Suddenly a piece of information had popped into the doppelganger's head. Another doppelganger had learned the secret to wind based chakra.

"I have to go. Sorry." The doppelganger said as he dispersed himself.

A cloud of smoke was all that was left but Hinata felt that she had really reached Naruto. Her heart felt lifted, like she could let some of the sadness from her childhood go. And when she Naruto touched her hand, she could feel his pulse in sync with hers. Hinata felt a rush of joy. There was a beautiful heart inside Naruto and she wanted to get closer to it. She still wanted to go slow but she felt something so good coming to her and she knew that deep down Naruto felt the same.

Hinata wasn't aware but Sakura had been watching the entire event. She had gone out to find herbs for medicine but she stumbled upon Hinata and Naruto and heard everything they said. She saw them touch each other's hand. She had hidden herself well, but at the moment she was struggling to contain this unexplainable rage she was feeling.