Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Never have, never will.
A/N: Wow...it has been a while since I've updated. I want to thank you all for patiently waiting for the update. I'm so sorry it took forever to do but hopefully this chapter will make up for it. On with the show!
Chapter 10: The Masks We Hide Behind
The forest was pitch black with only a slight hint of moonlight to guide the way. Two men jumped from branch to branch, making their way deeper into the forest. They hadn't said anything to each other since their loss earlier in the day. One of the men grunted, signifying that he was slowing down.
"Are we almost there? Misumi is getting pretty heavy." Yoroi adjusted the limp man on his shoulders for better balance.
"We are almost there, quit complaining," Kabuto said with an irritated tone. They had been following Orochimaru's faint chakra signal through the forest ever since their defeat. There was only one thing running through the man's mind right now, and he was going to confront his master about it.
They finally made it to the marked location of the sounds hidden base within the forest. The cave was dark and remotely hidden away from plain sight. It was the kind of cave that ran deep with many twists and turns along the way almost as if it was designed for a snake, the kind their master liked.
Yoroi set his partner down as soon as he stepped into the cave. Kabuto completely ignored his teammate's actions and marched down the cave. He made his way through the damp cave by following several torches which were lit along the walls. Finally nearing his way towards the end, he could make out three figures walking to him. Upon getting closer, his suspicions were confirmed that they were the three sound genin that had entered the exam. They must have received an order.
Both parties passed each other, but not without exchanging a quick glance. The glares easily showed their feelings for each other. Kabuto let out a smirk when he caught a glimpse of the black-haired boy's broken arms. Quickly turning his attention back towards the hallway, he continued down his path as if nothing had happened. He had to focus on more important matters, like facing his master after the failed mission.
The silver-haired man gave a heavy cough and spat out some blood. His wound from Hinata's attack was taking a toll on him. He could see the dark figure sitting further ahead in the tunnel. The shadow's physical features began to match with his masters as he neared closer. "Lord Orochimaru, I have returned."
"And without the Hyūga's eyes I see." The figure's voice was chalky like an old man's but he didn't sound too surprised.
"There were some…implications," Kabuto said with a defeated tone. His black eyes looked away to avoid the incoming glare.
"How so?" Orochimaru raised an eye at the boy in front of him. His arms slithered along the chair's armrest until it rose to support his head.
"Apparently team eight decided to meet up with team seven. If it hadn't been for them, the job would have been completed easily." Kabuto tried his best to reassure his statement.
"Please continue the report," the pale-skinned man gave a slight chuckle. He originally planned to have his three sound genin test his newly found host's strength, but Kabuto's recent interaction with the group sparked his interest.
"The battle was in our favor until the boy with the nine tails awakened his powers." The man stopped talking after he heard the cackle from his master.
"That's not surprising. Please continue." The straight-haired man motioned for the teenager to continue.
Kabuto's eyes narrowed. "Not surprising? You told me that you sealed his demon chakra completely."
"If you're going to work under me, then you must learn how to adapt to situations." The master's voice quickly retorted. "I guess you could say that this was another one of your tests."
The man with glasses tightened his fists. "Another test? Haven't I proved myself enough for you with your tests? Do you still not trust me?" his tone started to rise.
Orochimaru chuckled again at his student's anger. "Now now, settle down. We don't want any unwanted attention drawn towards us." A small smirk grew on his face. "I need to you stay undercover a little longer. Does anyone know your intentions?"
Kabuto let out an irritated sigh. "Only team seven and eight. Everyone else should have no clue." His teeth began to grind at the end of the sentence.
"Good, that shouldn't be too hard to keep covered up. For your next task, go help the sound genin recover a set of scrolls needed to complete the exam. Apparently the team with the Nara managed to steal their scroll of earth and run away before they knew what hit them." Orochimaru let out another chuckle.
"If that Zaka pisses me off one more time, then I'll do more than just break his arms." Kabuto adjusted his glasses only to see his master get up and walk away from him.
"Do what you must. Sometimes sacrifices must be made." The older man's voice faded as he ventured further into the tunnel.
Hinata had been running for what seemed like hours to escape from her culprit. Jumping over moss-covered tree roots, ducking under hanging vines, there was no escape in the forest of death. If she would have turned her head around, she wouldn't have seen anything. However, the growing cackle always seemed to be noticeably behind her.
"Why are you running, can't we at least talk?" The silver-haired man had been chasing her ever since she was separated from her group. His stamina seemed to be limitless because his voice only grew louder as time passed.
Her legs carried her as fast as they could. That proved to be a tougher task as her feet became tangled with the random vines and branches on the forest floor. "Ah!" she shouted as her body plummeted to the ground with a thud. Coughing the dust away, she quickly sat up to begin running again only to find the man looming over her.
"You picked a nice spot to begin the procedure. The vines should hold you still." He began cracking his knuckles in anticipation.
She cringed in terror at the sight of him. Her hands moved to free her legs but it proved no use. His hands slow neared toward her with each passing second. Please no, someone save me! Her eyes closed in a last ditch effort to protect herself. They only opened after a loud crack sounded above her. She didn't see an assaulting hand, but instead the backside of the ramen loving shinobi she adored. "Naruto-kun?"
It didn't take her another second to notice something was different about him. His head slowly turned around to the quiet call of his name. The girl's voice seemed to choke upon seeing his fierce red eyes glaring down at her. His snarls grew louder when he turned his body towards the helpless girl. White fangs grinded together even more when she was within his sight.
Naruto-kun, what's happened to you? Tears started to pour down her face at the sight of him. The one she looked to for inspiration was now turned into some kind of beast whose killing intent radiated off of him. One twitch from the girl sent the fox like boy into action. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed was Naruto lunging at her.
Hinata's eyes shot wide open only to find herself staring at the blond boy from her dreams. Naruto had insisted that they roll out their sleeping bags next to each other for protection purposes. The girl didn't want to refuse him. Now he was sprawled out on top of his sleeping area, snoring like no tomorrow while his hands clenched around the corner of her sleeping bag. I wonder if this is what it is like to wake up next to him. The Heiress couldn't help but develop a slight blush from her thought and his childlike antics.
The slight jerk from him tugging on her sleeping bag caused her to sit up. After wiping the sleep from her eyes, she looked over at the boy once again. It was amusing to her that she found someone who could compete with Kiba's snoring. The indigo-haired girl turned to gaze up at the night sky with a sigh. I guess it's my turn to keep watch.
Hinata slipped out of her sleeping bag trying to cause as little of a disturbance to Naruto as possible. Her efforts proved to be in vain when he immediately pulled her sleeping bag into a tight hug after she was out. After putting on her pale hooded jacket, she gave a sweet smile to the boy and made her way out of the tent into the dark forest.
However, when the Hyūga girl was one step out of the viewing distance of their tent, all the images of the cheerful ramen-lover she knew vanished. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath only to be met with the mental image of Naruto's burning red eyes. Her eyes swiftly shot open while her breathing started to stagger. She did her best to control herself as her feet carried her up the slight slope towards the watch point.
That had to have been Naruto-kun, there's no other explanation for it. But his eyes did turn red. I thought he didn't have a bloodline limit. Hinata stepped over a tree root trying to be as graceful as possible, but her thoughts kept preoccupying her mind. A slight frown came over her face. Bloodline limits aren't supposed to change personality though. He broke that man's legs without even a second thought.
The dark haired girl came to an abrupt stop as thoughts ran through her head. "i_like_noodles: It's not what I did…It's who I am." "You know father hates him for some reason." "If you knew what was inside of me, you wouldn't be taking my chakra right now." Once again, her lavender eyes shot wide open while her hands instantly covered her mouth in sudden realization. Could that be the reason why my father, the villagers, everyone hates him?
Whatever is inside of him is the reason for everyone's hate. But I don't get it. It's not like he attacked us, rather, he was defending us from Kabuto. And it was Naruto, but at the same time, it didn't even feel like it was him. Hinata began to take some more steps towards the top of the hill, but not without letting a sigh escape from her lips. What could do that to a person?
It didn't take long for her to reach the top of the hill. As she neared towards the peak, a shadowy figure began to take shape. It seemed to be staring off into the vast jungle lost in its own thoughts paying no attention to her as she approached. Naruto's sudden change wasn't the only thing she couldn't explain that day. For this person, the darkness seemed to emit an aura of fear around him no matter where he was. Sasuke-kun…
Hinata remembered watching Naruto pick up the scroll that Kabuto had left on the ground. She sniffed while wiping away a tear in time to notice his fist tighten its grip on the scroll. What was that Naruto? Her thoughts were brought to a halt by a shrieking scream from Sakura. Naruto immediately stood up and turned around in response to her call while Hinata's hand rose to cover her mouth. Is that Sasuke-kun?
The boy that Hinata once knew was Sasuke was now covered with black flame like marks all over his skin. A dark aura radiated off of him. If that wasn't enough to tell that something was different about him, the crazed look in his eyes was. "Where are they?" he voice demanded in a cold tone.
Hinata saw Naruto give a questionable expression at the other boy's command. Something didn't sit right with her. Even Naruto doesn't seem to recognize what's going on. What happened to him? The blond's voice startled her out of her thoughts.
"I beat them and they just ran off just a couple seconds ago. But more importantly, what the heck is wrong with you?" his voice was a mixture of worry and confusion.
The other boy's onyx eyes narrowed into a glare. "Don't lie dobe. If you messed up and they got away, just tell me. I'll make them pay for what they did to everyone."
Naruto's voice sounded even more confused as he flailed his arms around. "Why would I lie about this? Can't you see that they are gone? Now what the hell is wrong with you?"
In an instant, Sasuke appeared in front of Naruto and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket with his left arm. "Shino told me everything! They took down Shino and Kiba like they were nothing. How am I supposed to believe that a dobe like you could beat those three ninja?"
Hinata watched as the two boys locked their eyes against each other. The tension between the two could easily be seen by their facial expressions. Sasuke-kun has never been this aggressive before. I thought Naruto-kun and him were friends.
Naruto grinded his teeth as he tried to struggle free from Sasuke's grasp. "Damn it, are you even listening to me? I told you I beat them!" He tossed several punches at the other boy's arm but his attempts proved to be vain.
The Uchiha never budged from his position, but his face quickly grew a crazed expression. The marks on his face began to move around as his eyes widened. The cheeky grin he had easily signified that something in his brain had snapped. He proceeded to bring his right hand back in preparation for a punch.
What's going on? Why is he doing this? Hinata's hands began to shake as the onyx-haired boy pulled his arm into a locked position. Her breathing started to get heavier while her vision began to blur from several tears. They aren't supposed to be fighting. Their teammates, their friends! "S-Stop it!"
"Stop it Sasuke-kun! Naruto is telling the truth!" The angered boy slowly turned his head to face two tear-covered, emerald eyes. "I saw everything. He really did beat them. We are all safe now and everything can go back to normal." Sakura's voice pleaded with him the best it could.
Sasuke turned his sights back towards the boy at the end of his other arm. The blond slowly began to open his eyes which he had closed earlier in anticipation of being hit. The black marks slowly began to retract to behind the boy's neck. Sasuke gave out a 'hn,' before he let go of the other boy and started to walk away from the battlefield.
Sakura blinked away a couple teardrops from her eyes only to see the boy she admired walk off. "Sasuke-kun, where are you going?" she called out.
"For a walk," the black-haired boy muttered as he wandered away from the group. He showed no signs of stopping because of the girl's call. It would be the last time the group saw him until later that night.
"Are you just going to stand there?" Sasuke didn't even bother to turn his head to address the girl behind him but his demanding tone was enough to startle her out of her thoughts. His head slowly turned to meet her with cold, dark eyes. "Well, are you?"
Hinata was trying to regain her breath from the sudden attention. When she was finally ready, she gave a quick bow. "I'm sorry Sasuke-kun. I'm here to relieve you from your watch for the night." The girl began to hold her breath, readying herself for his reaction.
But nothing happened. The boy simply turned his head back towards the dark jungle without saying a word. His eyes managed to spot a snake slithering towards a small, unsuspecting black mouse.
Hinata let the air out of her lungs as she walked a little closer towards Sasuke. She kept her distance from him however. After what the heiress had seen earlier that day, she didn't know what to think of him. The girl couldn't help but stare at him though. To her, it looked as if something was troubling him. Maybe it's about earlier today. I could try talking with him. After all, it worked with Sakura. She took a deep breath slowly before attempting to make a conversation. "Ano, Sasuke-kun, w-why did you try to hurt Naruto-kun earlier today?"
The pale-faced girl watched the boy carefully. He didn't make any sudden movements except for clenching his fist even tighter than before. Had she been able to see his face, she would have noticed the death glare he was giving to the snake and mouse. Hinata took a gulp to clear her throat. It had been easier to talk to Sakura, but just being in the same area with Sasuke was intimidating. "H-he was just trying to help us and he is your frie—"
"Naruto is not my friend," Sasuke quickly cut her off. His tone was sharp enough to cause the violet-eyed girl to let out a quiet gasp. He let out a slow, controlled sigh in order to calm himself. His eyes never deterred from the two animals.
Hinata kept her face pointed towards the ground as she tried to catch her breath. Her teeth began to nibble on her lower lip. Not his friend? But why? She looked up to see the boy who hadn't moved and also caught sight of what he was looking at. "But why not? He's on your team."
This caused the onyx-haired boy to look over his shoulder towards the girl. "Why? You want to know why?" He paused for a moment to analyze her with his glaring eyes. "Because failures like him are supposed to stay as failures. Not be better than the Uchiha, one of Konoha's elite clan." The tone of his voice began to rise with his anger. The very thought of Naruto succeeding was enough to make his blood boil.
The heiress had to take a step back at the boy's sudden outburst. Regaining her ground, she made her stand. "T-that's not fair! P-people have a right to change w-who they are. I-I mean, I entered the Chunin Exams so that I could c-change myself. Naruto-kun entered because he wanted to prove that he could change from being the failure he once was."
"There is no such thing as changing who you are. People only hide behind masks so they can prevent others from seeing their true self." Sasuke turned his head away from the girl. She was starting to get on his nerves, but he quickly thought up of a way to end the conversation. This time, he began to speak with a more calm tone. "It wouldn't surprise me if you've already been deceived by Naruto's mask."
His words hit her like cold water and she instantly lost the air in her lungs. N-Naruto-kun's mask? There's no way that's true. Her lavender eyes began to water at the thought. She tried her best to regain her voice, but only barely audible sounds managed to escape her lips. "W-w-why would he h-have to h-hide his true self?"
In his mind, Sasuke knew he had already won this conversation. It allowed his mouth to form a slight smirk. "Because he hates Konoha. He hates them because they truly know what he is. A failure that has no place in the village."
Hinata couldn't believe what he was saying. Every word that he spoke began to slowly chip at her wall of confidence. "I want to prove to everyone in this village that I'm not a failure" "You need to have the courage to change yourself" The words she had seen and heard from the blond ran through her mind. She tried once again to reason with the boy in front of her. "B-but Naruto-kun is kind and courageous. H-he uses those qualities as motivation to k-keep moving forward."
The black-haired boy scoffed at her remark. "Naruto has none of those qualities. The only thing driving him is his hate which is a result from being a failure. He simply hides behind a mask, one which you have obviously fallen for." He turned back towards the area with the snake. It was in the process of devouring the little black mouse which made Sasuke cringe slightly.
"He simply hides behind a mask, one which you have obviously fallen for." The words he spoke rang through Hinata's mind. The wall of confidence she built began to crumble down letting loose the waves of tears. Her knees gave way and let her slowly fall towards the ground. Weak arms tried their best to support her body so it didn't lie on the ground. She choked back some tears in order to attempt to speak. Her voice suddenly became very quiet and week. "I-I refuse to believe that."
Sasuke still managed to hear her voice and followed it with a sigh. "Believe what you want. However, you should worry more about yourself." He turned around to look at her but noticed no physical response from her. Only more tears began to fall. "I hear that the only promising prospect for the Hyūga is from the branch family."
Hinata couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew she was a failure, but did he really have to point it out to her? Especially now given the situation she was currently in. She brought her hands to her face and tried to wipe some of the tears the best she could. Her only response to him was the sound of more sobs.
"You like him don't you?" Sasuke paused for a moment to watch the raven-haired girl's tear-covered face rise to meet his. His cold, monotone voice had returned when he asked the sudden question. He knew he had caught her off guard and was ready to deal the final blow with their conversation. "It's quite interesting really, a failure falling for a failure." And with that said, he turned around and walked away from the weeping girl on the ground.
The cool air flew through the small, sheltered area as the night went on. The only sounds that could be heard were the rustle of leaves and the faint buzzing sound from several insects, one of which had been given special orders to wake up a certain blond shinobi. The bug sailed along the air currents as it made its way toward its destination, underneath the boy's nose.
It didn't take long after the bug landed to cause the boy to squirm. His hand quickly clenched the nearest object, which happened to be the heiresses' pillow, and slammed it against his face. Naruto abruptly sat up with an alert expression only to notice the pillow he was holding. "Ack, Hinata's pillow!" His head quickly turned towards where the girl should be in order to apologize but found no one. In fact, the only thing he noticed moving was a small bug buzzing around in front of his face.
"It is now your turn to keep watch, which is why I have woken you with my kikaichū bug." Shino made no movement in reaction to the glare from the angered boy next to him. "And yes it was necessary to wake you, because if I had not, then you would sleep through the night," he quickly replied to counter Naruto's incoming comments.
The boy closed his mouth silently, never letting his glaring eyes leave the other boy on the ground. He grunted a little when he stood up from his sleeping bag and tossed on his bright orange jacket which had grown darker due to the cover of night. With hands tucked in his pockets and blue sandals barely tied on, he ventured out into the thick forest.
The walk seemed to take forever for Naruto. His feet dragged across the forest floor only to be met by branches that had fallen from the earlier fight. Every step he took through the area brought back haunting memories of that battle. Every time his foot hit a branch, the image of Hinata's stunned look displayed in his mind. The picture of her tear covered face would soon follow along with the words, "Please…stop…" He took a moment to sit down on a tree stump in order to figure out his thoughts.
Man I have no clue what I'm going to do. There is no way things are going to be normal between us now. He picked up a twig from the ground and began to fiddle with it between his fingers. Maybe if I think up of a good enough excuse, then everything will just blow off like it never happened. He began to tap the small branch on his knee as he thought up of several possibilities. His hand moved underneath his chin to provide support for his thinking position. The taps of the twig became faster as his mind raced for an answer. In almost an instant, his eyes widened and the tapping stopped. That's it!
I have a bloodline limit. One that is very rare and only the Uzumaki's have it. It makes me stronger and faster but slightly alters my physical shape. Now I just need a name for it. His foot started to tap along with his thoughts. After a minute or two of no ideas, the boy pushed himself off the stump and started to walk uphill again. Forget it. I'll waste too much time if I try to think up of a good name. Besides what are the odds of her asking that?
Naruto had made it roughly two thirds of the way up to the watch spot before he came to another slow stop. A sad look came over his face again. What if she figures out that I am lying? She's one of the only friends I have and I don't think I can bear to lose her. Without even realizing it, his feet began to walk the rest of the way up the hill.
The Hyūga's figure slowly came into view from where she sat. The boy would have been able to see her if he wasn't lost in his own thoughts. Hinata had her arms wrapped around her legs while her head was pressed against her knees. The girl's body remained motionless except for the slight shaking of her head and shoulders. The small faint cries from her made their way over towards the blond-haired boy who had just entered the lookout area.
The heiress' cries snapped the boy out of his thoughts almost instantly. He quickly looked up to see where the sounds were coming from. She's…crying? His feet rushed him over to her. Naruto quickly knelt to the ground in front of her and sat there quietly. His brain tried to take in all of what was happening before him. Who on earth could have done this to her? He placed his hand gently on her knee and started to shake it a little to get her attention. "Hey Hinata…are you ok? What happened?"
His calm and caring voice along with the sway of her leg caused her to slowly look upwards. Her misty eyes met with his caring, ocean blue ones. "He simply hides behind a mask, one which you have obviously fallen for." She could see his lips move but the only thing she could think about was the words Sasuke had told her. Why would he have to hide who he really is? Her head drooped back down and she continued to let out several sniffs.
Naruto didn't know what to think. For the first time, it seemed like Hinata didn't want to talk with him. I don't get it. Who could have done this to her? He thought back to when the two groups decided who would be lookouts, only to have one name come to mind. His fist clenched at the thought. "It was Sasuke wasn't it?" The blond waited for a response from the girl, but no movement came. In his mind, he knew he was right. He rolled up his jacket sleeves and began to walk back towards the camp.
"N-no, wait!" Hinata's teary voice spoke as loud as it could to catch the boy's attention. She watched him turn around only to be met with a questioning look. "I-I mean, it's just t-that I think I sprained my a-ankle walking up here and it really h-hurt. Don't get mad at S-Sasuke, he didn't do anything."
A small wave of relief washed over Naruto. Handling a sprained ankle would be easier than facing Sasuke after what he had seen today. He walked over to her and pulled out one of her own medical ointments that she made for him. "You should be more careful, you never know when Kabuto might come out to get you," he made his hands into fake glasses and stuck out his tongue in an idiotic manor.
His actions caused a small smile to develop on the Hyūga's face. It didn't last long as she made a fake cringe of pain to help confirm which ankle had been hurt for the boy. She watched as he carefully slid off her worn down sandal. His soft hands covered with ointment began to rub on her foot which sent tingles through her. Had this been in any other situation, she probably would have giggled a little from the tickling sensation. However, she could only think about the possibility of Naruto hiding behind a mask. "Naruto-kun…can I ask you something?"
"Sure Hinata, what's up?" He took slight notice of her not stuttering and grew a little worried.
Hinata mentally debated on how to ask the question. She had the boy's full attention and his expression seemed to be slowly turning for the worst. "What happened to you today? You seemed like a totally different person out there."
The blond instantly stopped the rubbing motion of his fingers on her foot when he heard those words. He knew it was coming, yet the question still hit him hard. He sat there frozen trying to think of the cover up he had planned earlier, but nothing came to his mind. Come on man, she is expecting an answer! Unfortunately for him, the only answer he could give was silence.
Several minutes went by and not a word was exchanged between the two. The heiress let her eyes drift towards the ground after her realization became true. He really is hiding something. She cleared her throat hoping that in her apology, she wouldn't cry about Sasuke's words being true. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun. I shouldn't have asked that –"
"No it's not your fault. You have every right to wonder what happened earlier today." Naruto cut her off before she could finish. He watched as her head rose back to eye level and mentally prayed that he wasn't making a mistake. "The thing is though, I'm worried of what might happen if I tell you the truth."
Worried about what might happen? Why would he? It seemed as though a door had been shut on her. A door that she had wanted to go through and learn about for a long time had finally shut. Hinata went to say something to keep her hopes alive but was stopped by a finger held up from the boy next to her. Her eyes fixated on his as they practically cried out to let him finish. The girl could only comply with his request.
"I'm worried that if I tell you everything, you will think differently of me. I want to tell you what is going on, but I don't think that I'm ready to." His eyes drifted towards the ground as he let one hand rub across his forehead. I hope I'm doing the right thing. "I know that I have no right to ask you this, but would you be willing to wait for me until I am ready to tell you everything?"
The Hyūga's jaw dropped slightly. He's not ready to tell me. It was a statement that repeated over and over in her mind. The door that she thought he shut was now being opened just a little bit wider. She thought about Sasuke's comments and compared it with what Naruto had just said. As a result, only one question remained in her mind. "You promise?"
Without even giving it a second thought, Naruto held his hand out to her. "Cross my heart. We'll even shake on it." He could only hope that she would do the same.
All it took was the determined look from his eyes for her to be sold. Hinata would have to wait some more for him but she didn't mind it. After all, the girl had waited all though out the academy just to become his friend. How bad could a little more waiting be? And this time, Naruto had made it a promise to her. "Ok," she agreed with a slight nod as she placed her hand in his.
The ramen lover's cheerful smile began to show while he shook his hand to seal the deal. "You really mean it?" His eyes watched her closely as she gave another nod. "Thank you so much! I promise to make it up to you." He quickly abandoned the handshake to encircle her in a hug that caused her to squeak. For some reason, he found her reaction quite amusing. He let go, giving her a chance to breath.
Hinata quickly tried to steady her breathing and compose herself. It only took several seconds before it became silent between the two. Only the chirps from a couple of crickets entertained the two as they sat there. The girl slowly began to put on her sandal and tried to spark a conversation. "So w-what do you think your team is going to do tomorrow?"
Naruto's smile dropped a little bit. "I hadn't really thought of that. I guess we are going to have to find another scroll to finish this test. Man I can't believe I lost it!" He punched the ground next to him.
The thought hadn't occurred to the heiress at first, but she managed to recall the Scroll of Heaven she picked up in her search for Naruto. The Hyūga's tiny hands started to dig around in her supply pouch for the small scroll. Her back had been turned to the boy so she completely missed his questioning look. In a calm voice, she turned around to show him the scroll. "I-Is this the scroll you were l-looking for?"
The blond's eyes widened at the sight in front of him. "You're kidding me, you found a Scroll of Heaven? Hinata that's awesome!" He once again pounced on the girl, covering her in a tight hug. After a few seconds, the boy released her from his grasp when a sudden realization occurred to him. "Wait, that's not your scroll right?"
Hinata, once again, had to compose herself after his hug. "N-no, we f-found it b-before we met with your team." She quickly placed the scroll on the ground. Thankfully, the cover of night managed to hide her blush.
Naruto gladly took the scroll and tossed it in his bag. He turned back to her with one of his trademark smiles. "Thanks Hinata. I don't know what I would do without you"
Without me? The blush grew even warmer on her cheeks and without thinking; she quickly turned around to hide it. "Y-y-your welcome, N-Naruto-kun." The heiress waited a few minutes until she decided her blush was gone, or at least she hoped so. Her eyes now rested on the boy who was lying flat on his back. Just looking at him caused her to become sleepy. She tried to keep her yawn quiet but it did not go unheard by Naruto.
"You know I am technically supposed to keep watch right now. You can go back to the others." He brought his hands underneath his head to create a makeshift pillow. The silence set in between the two once again that night. After hearing no response from her, he let out a sigh. She must have left already. I would have enjoyed the company.
What he didn't realize was that she was still sitting there taking in the moment of opportunity that she had been given. Hinata was hesitant at first, but then decided to say what was on her mind. "A-actually, it's kind of d-dark out and hard to see. I-I think I'll just s-stay here for now." She crawled over next to him and used his leg as a pillow for her head. Slowly but surely, sleep came to take her away.
Naruto popped his head up a little bit making sure not to move too much so he didn't disturb her. He looked where the warmth had grown on his leg and smiled. Deciding that everything was good, he let his head come back down to rest on his hands. Even though he was supposed to be the lookout for the night, not even he could fight off the sleepiness which eventually overtook him. The only thing it left was a smile on his face.
Hope you all enjoyed it and was worth the wait. I made a new years resolution to update this more, I guess I'll see how that holds up. Also, there is a new poll in my profile regarding KIM. I'm just curious to see if people would want to see hints at of other pairings in the story. Vote if you would like.
A special thanks to Blondie89 and Someday-Known. They helped a lot with looking over this chapter. Also, this is my tenth chapter so I would like to thank everyone who has supported this story from the beginning. Thank you!
Lastly, Review are always welcome. :P
Until next time (hopefully not as long as this one),
-Bench