Implausible Tales chapter 9
Kneeling in the sand, drenched in sweat, Naruto picked his head up. In front of him… was… in front of him was someone he thought he'd never see again. Someone he had hoped he would never see again. Dressed in a very ragged and torn pair of black pants and his chest bare, very long and jagged black hair that fell down his back and a black bang that covered half his face. Even with his eyes shut, the power oozed out of them.
Naruto knew this man all too well. The ninja world knew this man all too well. He was responsible for the greatest of all the wars. A war of monsters like him. But… why was he here? What was here, come to think about it? It wasn't home… it wasn't Zetsu dimension. It was something else.
There was sand. There was definitely sand. He ran his hands through the soft substance beneath his palms. There was also wind. He could feel it on his skin, but… there was no sky. It was… purely black. There was no sound. He couldn't even hear himself breathing even though he was panting... He couldn't hear his heart beating. He couldn't hear or… even feel Kurama… Was he dead? He had to be. Madara was here… When did he die?
The last thing he remembered was a steamy night of passionate love making with his wife in some bed that wasn't his own. They weren't home… they were… they were somewhere else. Where were they? Before that… they were… in a… in a hot spring? Yeah. Yeah, they were in a hot spring.
That must mean they're on vacation. Just him and Hinata… wait… why were they on vacation? Was he hallucinating? Was this a Genjutsu by Zetsu? Thinking back, he remembered… making it home… he remembered seeing Boruto again… and meeting his daughter… his daughter… he had a daughter? What… what was her name? Hi… Wamahi… what was her name?
Why was he here? Looking up, the man before him was saying something… What was he saying? Was he saying his name? Who was this man again? What was this?
"Naruto…" Oh… that's what he was saying… Wait… he could hear him. But… who was he? "You've returned at last…"
That voice was familiar. Who was this man? Slowly, his one visible eye opened, displaying a very strange pattern. It was red. The eye was red and the pattern within it was… dizzying. Oh… that's right. Naruto knew this man… he knew him all too well. It was the man he had hoped he would never see again. "Madara…" He spit out with venom dripping from his tone. He felt incredibly angry all of a sudden.
"You've finally returned." He stated again. "…I have waited for far too long… I waited too long for the end I deserve." He said ominously. Naruto didn't get a chance to reply as the ground beneath him seemed to shake. Looking down, it steadied almost instantly, but when he looked back up, the world around them changed. They were now surrounded by rubble, and he was kneeling on nothing but dirt.
Where were they now? It looked familiar… it felt familiar. Looking around, his eyes landed on something that shook him to his core as the sight brought back memories. There was nothing more than six stone heads on the side of a cliff. Faces he knew very well.
This was the hidden leaf? What happened? Who did this? Looking up, he eyed the Uchiha man intensely. "What do you want?" He didn't know why that was the question that reached his mind, it just seemed right to ask.
"I think you know what it is I want." He said cryptically. Naruto thought it over but came up with nothing. Was it revenge? Did he want to destroy the hidden leaf? It would seem like it with the scene playing on around him. "I want you to fight me. I want you to fight me to the death."
Fight him to the death? Was this… was this like with Zetsu? No… no this was Zetsu. He was still in Zetsu's dimension. Everything he had seen… everything he saw was nothing but an illusion. Looking back up, the scene changed again, and just as he deduced, Zetsu stood before him. He was kneeling in sand again and all around him were various landmarks and random climate changes that seemed too close together.
"Meet me where it always ends… in two days." Zetsu's voice rang out cryptically. Naruto wasn't sure what he meant by that. "If you do not show up… it could make me take drastic measures."
As he began to fade away, Naruto had to know what the hell he was talking about. "What does that mean?... What does that mean!?"
"If you have even the slightest feeling that I am speaking the truth, I'd advise taking it." He demanded, now completely out of view. Naruto had to figure out what that meant.
Thinking it over, he knew their war began. How long has it been? How long has he been here? It's been a few years already. But… it was so vivid… he was home… he made it back. Zetsu's illusions were never this vivid before. Looking up again, the scenery changed yet again. It returned to the first scene. The sanded location with wind and nothing else. Looking up to the black sky, he was alarmed when a pair of red eyes shot open unexpectedly.
Jerking his eyes open, he was staring at the bare back of his beautiful wife. It was morning time, and they were in a bed that was not their own. Picking his head up, it was a beautiful hotel room of all white. He had been dreaming. That's right. He was just dreaming.
Getting up, he slipped his pants on and went to the bathroom. Standing in the mirror, he stared at himself. He had to just tell himself, it was just a dream. But, it seemed so real. Too real for comfort.
He realized that every now and then he would have dreams of his time in the dimension, but they were always memories. This one was just… made up. He was sure he never had that conversation. The context of what he was saying didn't exactly connect either. He said 'meet me where it always ends' but he was sure there wasn't a place like that in that world. Unless he meant the place they had their final battle.
In his thinking he didn't notice Hinata walk in. She snaked her hands around his stomach and hugged him from behind. Naruto smiled and spun around in her arms. She was wearing his white shirt which draped down to the top of her thighs. "You ok?" She asked him, somehow sensing his unrest.
Naruto smiled down at her. "Uh, yeah… Yeah I'm fine." He said pushing a stray piece of hair from her face behind her ear. "So, what do you want to do today?" he asked her. They had one more day of fun before they had to leave tomorrow. The resort they came to had absolutely everything they could have asked for. There was of course the hot spring, a couple's massage, a beautiful area in the recently man-made lake for them to swim in, and then there was a theater here with the most professional actors and play writes.
"Um… let's go swimming." She suggested receiving confirmation from him. A few minutes later, they were dressed and ready to go. On the way to the lake front, they were stopped by almost everyone who saw them. People asking to take pictures with them and begging them to sign something. The entire ordeal was as strange as it's always been.
It became a common occurrence to Naruto a while back, but for Hinata it was still strange. It was like she was some kind of an idol for the young women who came up to her. The wife of Naruto Uzumaki was her previous title which she was fine with, but lately it's become simply Hinata Uzumaki. Her name was one held in high regards as well. It was even more esteemed than when she used to be known as the Hyuga heiress.
When they finally made it to the lake front, they found out the owner of the resort caught word of their arrival and closed off a section specifically for them. It was nice that they had their own little area to simply relax and enjoy each other's company. They did feel a bit awkward being praised like this, but it was still nice. After swimming and playing around for a few hours, they were finally finished and resigned to relaxing in the sand.
Hinata sat between Naruto's legs listening to a bit more of the story regarding Zetsu's world. He had still yet to get to how the war actually ended or even began. It seemed like such an unorthodox and amazing adventure yet somehow still a nightmare. "It must have been beautiful…" she remarked absent mindedly, hearing him speak of the unusual terrain.
Naruto chuckled through his nose. "…Yeah… yeah it was…" Staring down at her, she was looking out towards the water as she hugged his left arm against her body. "At the time… I hated every second of it, but… looking back at it… it was amazing." Hinata's smile only deepened as she shut her eyes, letting the afternoon sun rush across her body in an intoxicating warmth.
When their day time activity came to an end, the two headed back for their hotel room. Along the way, they were greeted with the same amount of attention and just as they had on the way there. Of course they stopped and greeted everyone who approached them, both too kind to turn a blind eye to anyone.
When they made it to their room, they both got dressed and headed out once more. They dressed in their regular clothing, unaware that the restaurant they were headed had a strict dress code. Of course, they were allowed in with absolutely no hassle. When they first entered, they had to once again greet everyone in the eating establishment before they were allowed to eat. It was now becoming a bit of a problem, but once they took a picture with everyone and signed whatever it was they were offered, the buzz wore off a little, allowing them to peacefully enjoy their meal… well, with prying eyes constantly watching them as if they were some kind of romantic movie.
Hinata ended her string of laughter at Naruto's joke and took another bite of her food. Naruto chuckled as well. "Heh, yeah. Then uh… after he got caught, I found him in the dumpster behind the bath house with blood just pouring out of his nose." Hinata laughed again. "Yeah… Pervy sage was an idiot sometimes…"
Hinata smiled at the way Naruto's unfocused look spoke wonders about his old teacher. She could tell he loved him a lot.
"So… what was your mom like?" Naruto asked suddenly.
Hinata raised an eyebrow at that. "My mother?" she asked in thought. "My mother was kind and very beautiful."
Naruto chuckled. "Heh, well of course she was. I could've guessed that just by looking at you." Hinata blushed and shook her head. "Your dad always talks about how much you two look alike." He informed her.
"He's exaggerating a little. We share similarities, but I don't look exactly like her. I wish I did."
Naruto smiled back. "I'm glad you don't." Wait… that sounded like he was calling her mom ugly now. Looking over, Hinata seemed to have the same thought. "n-Not that she's ugly! I just meant, that I'm glad you look like this.. like you." God his entire leg was in his mouth at this point. "uh.. just forget I said anything." He said with an awkward laugh as he scratched the back of his head.
Hinata chuckled at his nervous behavior, finding it funny. "Don't worry, I got it." She reassured him, calming him down.
Naruto put his hand on his chest and sighed dramatically. "Uh, ok. Sorry." He finished with another soft chuckle. After that, they continued eating for a few moments in silence. "Ya know, I'm surprised we actually beat Sakura and Sasuke like that." He said suddenly, finding that subject just randomly popping into his head.
Hinata nodded as well. "Yeah. I was unsure if the plan would work or not." She admitted. "I've been out of practice so long, I had honestly expected to miss most of my marks."
The match ended when it was revealed to the Uchiha couple that their major chakra points or Sakura herself for that matter were not the true targets. Their plan worked nearly flawlessly. It was to basically hit the dragon where he wouldn't expect it.
With the rules of the couples tournament being to incapacitate just one of the opposing team's members, Sasuke and Sakura must have known they would attack Sakura, as Hinata and Naruto knew they'd try and get to Hinata. Their formation was an obvious indicator they knew who the target was. The plan was to make it look as though they were going for more vital attacks at Sakura than Sasuke, when in truth, they were working down Sasuke while he split his attention elsewhere.
Naruto actually came up with the plan as he thought back to the battle between Hinata and Neji when they were younger. The question going into the match was how they would beat Sasuke's Sharingan. His Rinnegan was banned from use just as Naruto's chakra mode was off limits. So, Naruto's thoughts traveled to ways people have beaten 'all seeing eyes' before in the past. Draw someone's attention away from the insignificant areas that could in time become vital. With Sasuke having only one arm as it is, you'd think he'd notice the little jolts of chakra Hinata sent within him every time she 'missed' her attacks.
Eventually, they were able to incapacitate the big hitter of the two to everyone's surprise, leaving them the victors of the couple's tournament. It was a miraculous victory and a surprise to everyone when they revealed the plan and who came up with it. When you're at war, tactics and ulterior battle strategies become an absolute must. Naruto had grown far more than anyone could have guessed.
"What? No way. You're amazing." He said, squashing her doubt. "I knew you had it the whole time." He said with a smile. "So did your daughter apparently." He said with a chuckle.
Hinata laughed at that. When they had finally regrouped with their kids, Himawari did as she had done to Boruto a while before and recounted the battle, using over exaggerated gestures to explain how she perceived it which in this case wasn't far off. Especially getting to the part in which Sakura completely rearranged the terrain. There were a lot of cool parts to her, so she was very adamant about explaining it.
"Boruto didn't seem too happy that we won though…" he continued in a sullen tone.
Hinata's chuckles ended there. "I'm sure he was… he's just… he has a hard time expressing his emotions sometimes…"
Naruto nodded, but Hinata could tell he didn't truly believe her. "He doesn't seem to like me…"
"No… no he loves you. It's just… you've been gone so long and..." She tried to explain. It wasn't hard to see the blatant distaste Boruto had to his father. She hadn't gotten around to talking to him about it yet. "He just needs time…"
Naruto sighed and nodded. "I don't know what else I can do… I mean… I don't even think he wants me to train him… I thought that maybe he would, but…"
Hinata put her hand over his, silencing his rant and making him look her in the eye. "Naruto... you've been gone a very long time." She restated. "Boruto has had many people teaching him things… he doesn't need a sensei… he needs a father."
Naruto let that statement hang in the air as he thought about what that entailed. When he was younger, he didn't have a father, or a mother. His idea of it was whatever he saw while walking around the village. Though that was mostly fathers pulling their kids away from his view. When that wasn't happening, they were training them. "Well… Shikamaru and Sasuke and them… they're training their kids… what am I doing wrong here?"
Hinata smiled at him. "They are training their kids because they have been here their whole lives. They have the whole father thing figured out."
"What am I supposed to do?" he asked showing a bit of desperation.
Hinata sat back and smiled at him again. "It's something you have to figure out." She finished.
With that weighing on his mind, he had something to think about that night when they went to bed. He had very little sleep and when he did, he had a similar dream to the night before. It was again Madara Uchiha making the same claim, this time stating 'Come to me or you will regret it.' As an even more unusual image, his father was there as well… and his mother. Naruto finally decided he was delirious and he needed help. The dream was telling him to go see these dead people… in other words, die to get there.
The next morning, he spoke with Hinata about his thoughts since he's been back. He told her about the nightmares, what he thinks about when he spaces out, everything. She was of course shocked that he was opening up like this, but her advice was to speak with someone about this. More specifically a doctor or a friend who may also have went through it.
Sasuke was the first person that came to mind at that point. He hadn't exactly been through the same thing, but he had done some horrible things in his past that he repented for. When they returned home, he would definitely speak with him.
They had to check out by this morning as yesterday was their last day. Their vacation wasn't over just yet however as they had planned to take Himawari and Boruto on a trip to some kind of new water park in Kiri. They passed it on the way and sent a letter back to Hanabi asking her to bring the kids that way. Of course it would be during the school year, so they could only stay for a day at most, but even so, it was going to be a full family vacation with Hiashi as well. It was a half days walk for them but a full day for the others. Their plan was to leave now and book a few rooms in a hotel near the place.
As they left the resort, they were once again barraged with things to sign and pictures to take. It postponed their exit by a good hour or so, but they were still on track to make it by their scheduled time. When they arrived, yet again they were bombarded by fans asking them for autographs and what not, but luckily it wasn't as many people.
When they arrived, they split up as Hinata went to pay for their rooms and tickets and Naruto went elsewhere.
Hinata walked down the hall, heading towards a room they were given for free! She had planned on paying for two rooms at the least. One for her, Naruto, and the kids, and then a separate one for her father and sister, but giving her name was enough for the receptionist and the manager to completely gush out over the esteemed couple, granting them the penthouse suite on the top floor. It would be more than enough to fit all of them.
When she arrived at the room, there were two very beautiful wooden door. Opening them up, she walked into what would appear to be the living room. It was absolutely huge with a beautiful couch set in the middle, looking out towards the amazing ocean side view through the thick glass windows. Walking further through the suite, there was a kitchen, a dining room, three bedrooms, including the master suite, and what's more, the couch in the living room was a pull out. It would be far more than enough for one night.
Walking back to the main room, she stood at the window overlooking the beautiful body of water down below. It was mesmerizing. She wasted time and waited for a few hours until finally the door was opened with a click. Hearing the voice of Himawari chatting continuously she went to greet them.
"Mommy!" yelled the little girl as she charged forward. Hinata cooed as she scooped the little ball of joy off her feet.
"Hey, Himawari. I'm glad you're here." She said with a happy quip to her tone. After greeting all the others and hearing Himawari's long and breathless story of their journey here, including the hilarious detail of having one of the escorting Hyuga members carry her on their back, Hiashi asked the obvious question.
"Where's Naruto?"
Hinata thought it over for a second. "Actually, I don't know. He said he had something to do before he came to the room." She said looking back to Himawari who was calling her again. Boruto rolled his eyes hearing that. His dad wouldn't even walk his mom to the room before going off on his own? What a loser.
-With Naruto-
Slowly but surely ending his string of laughter, he took another sip of the wine in his hand. A brown haired woman sitting on the edge of a desk was apparently telling a hilarious story about the blue haired man behind it. "It's every girls dream to hear about her husband's undying love for another woman isn't it?" She asked sarcastically receiving another chuckle from the blonde hero.
"Come on, Rai." He said in amusement. "She was the Mizukage. Every guy was in love with her." He argued his case. Naruto laughed once more at the blue haired Kage's misfortune.
"Yeah, but I doubt any other guy tells his wife that." She mocked him as she leaned over and pecked his lips. "Just because you're the Mizukage doesn't mean you're above the obligations and restrictions of a husband. To you, every other girl who isn't me, your daughter, or your mother is hideous." She informed. "You remember that too Naruto, for when Hinata asks you something about another girl." She said as he waved her off.
"Of course. I don't think Hinata would let me forget it." He said receiving a laugh from the two of them. "Well, it was very fun Mizukage. But, I should be heading to my hotel now. I thank you for having us here." He said still chuckling at the ridiculous story they had told.
"Ah, come on Naruto. It's just Chojuro." He said bashfully. "And you guys are welcome any time. It's really great to have you back." He said with a nod.
Naruto nodded to him as well and bid the two a goodnight before heading to the hotel they were staying at. He hadn't expected to be there all day, but Chojuro offered him a drink and he accepted. Then, his wife came in and began telling Naruto the most ridiculous tale about how they came together. It was so entertaining watching the Mizukage fumbling with his words that Naruto just lost track of time.
Now, on his way back, he was virtually unbothered as most of the people just waved at him from a distance. He was stopped a few times, but he made it to where they were staying before too long. After hearing the gratitude of both the receptionist and the manager, both female ladies who cooed about how perfect Naruto and Hinata were, he was finally told where to go.
Opening the door, he looked around but didn't see anyone in there. The place was absolutely huge. "Uh… Hello?" he called out cautiously. Walking further in and shutting the door, he looked around at the scenery for a bit until he heard small pitter patters rushing from the right. Turning that way, Himawari came bolting around the corner.
"Daddy! You're here!" she yelled leaping into his arms.
Naruto caught her with a grunt of false effort. "Oh-ho! Yes! I am!" he replied, matching her intensity. "Where's everyone at?" he asked her, setting her on his hip.
"Everyone's eating at the table." She informed him as he nodded and began heading that way. On the way, Himawari began doing as she had done with Hinata and began telling him of her amazing first venture out the village. She was only interrupted when he asked her how she felt when they were away. "I was ok. Just sad that you were gone."
Naruto smiled and continued along, hearing of her amazing first journey. When they arrived, he was greeted to the sight of the others chatting among each other. Hinata and Hiashi were talking about the resort while Hanabi and Boruto spoke of the recent tournament and how she lost to Konohamaru of all people.
"Daddy's here!" Himawari called out, informing every one of his arrival.
Naruto placed her back in the seat and greeted Boruto with a rub of his hair much to his dismay. Naruto didn't notice as he continued on, greeting Hanabi with a hug and Hiashi with a handshake. "So, where'd you go?" Hinata asked, receiving his peck on the cheek.
"Oh, well last time I was here, I told Chojuro I would stop by. Seven years later, but it was a promise." He said bashfully.
"Who's that?" Boruto asked curiously.
Hiashi chuckled and shook his head. "You should really pay attention in class boy." He mocked him playfully. "That's the Mizukage."
"The Mizu-what a?" Himawari asked adorably.
Hanabi smiled and pinched her cheek. "Mizukage dear. It's like the Hokage but for Kiri."
"Oh!" she quipped loudly before seamlessly going back to her food.
Hiashi took a bite of his food as well. "So, I see you are still well connected with even the other Kage." He said receiving a nod from Naruto who had just been served by Hinata.
"Yeah, they're all great people." He replied, picking around at his plate. "It'll make the job of Hokage much more bearable than it was in the past, having to deal with people you like, ya know?"
Hiashi nodded. "Very true. Very true indeed." Looking down at his plate, he threw Naruto a rare comment that caught the three adults by surprise. "You will do great leading the village Naruto. There has never been anyone I believe has been born for the roll of a Kage until you came along."
Hinata and Hanabi shared looks that said their hearts were touched by their fathers words of affection, but they both suppressed their feminine 'aww's' as to not ruin the moment. Naruto was completely taken back however. It's not that he hadn't been complemented by the man before, it was just the weight behind his words, the conviction behind his tone. Snapping back to reality, he shook his head. "u-Uh, thank you Hiashi… I appreciate that."
Hiashi nodded. "It is the truth." He said as he stood to his feet. "Goodnight all. This old man here needs his rest." He said, receiving chuckles from Boruto and Himawari who he pinched on the way by.
Without another word, the table slowly fell apart as everyone finished their meal. Hanabi took the kids out to the balcony to stare out to the sea while Naruto and Hinata cleaned the mess. There weren't any dishes to wash as they had simply ordered take out, so they just threw everything away. Since there were three bedrooms, the sleeping arrangements were a little strange. They gave Hiashi and Hanabi a room each and they gave the kids the master room while they planned on sleeping on the pullout mattress in the living room.
As they were setting the bed up, the two noticed that Boruto was still outside looking at the water alone. Hinata nudged Naruto forward as he seemed unsure if he should go or not. With a hesitant step, he joined his son outside.
Shutting the door behind him seemed to get the boys attention as he finally turned around. When he realized who it was, he turned back, seemingly showing no interest. Naruto walked closer to him and leaned against the rail right next to him.
"Man… it's beautiful out here isn't it?" he asked, just to get the conversation going.
Boruto gave him a curious side glance before turning back. "Yeah." He replied simply.
Naruto nodded, thankful that he at least got a reply. Thinking of something else to say, he was drawing blanks. His mind continued traveling to Shikamaru and the guys. Since he's been back, he's seen a limited amount of interaction between them and their children, but he felt he saw enough to understand this whole dad thing. With Himawari, it was so simple, because she already loved him. But Boruto he could tell hated his guts. What would the guys do in this situation?
Once again coming up with nothing, his mind traveled back to what Hinata said. He doesn't need a sensei, he needs a father… "Boruto." Naruto called out, grabbing his attention. He turned his head and stared the boy in the eyes. "I want to tell you about the first time I met my father."
In a strange sight for Naruto, Boruto's expression displayed interest. It was much more than he was expecting. He was expecting… well the exact opposite actually. He was expecting disinterest, maybe some kind of excuse to leave, but no. He seemed as though he wanted to hear him. Feeling as though he was making things awkward by just staring at him, he looked back out to the water.
"Actually… I have to tell you a little more about when I was younger…"
