Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Summary: Ino makes her move while Hinata has to deal with the aftermath of exposure.

Notes: Sorry about the long delay, but I got really busy! This is one of my longer chapters and I thought about making it even longer but decided enough was enough. Enjoy!

Chapter 10 - Ino's Play

Hiashi and Hinata walked home in complete silence. Her shredded jacket was wrapped around her and taped thanks to Shizune and Kurenai, both of them jumped to help her after the dust settled in Tsunade's office. Every girl alive had faced an angry or disappointed father at one time or another and while neither one of them had made this exact mistake, there was a sense of understanding in their faces as they tried to make the poor girl vaguely presentable to walk home. The more Hinata thought about it she probably wouldn't have been able to stand up and walk out the door without their help, the emotional help more than the wardrobe help.

Of course the glares she got from Sakura were another story altogether, but it was hard to make out too much with Tsunade practically sitting on her the entire time. The pink haired bitch obviously knew something about her rendezvous with Naruto, her loud mouth made that much clear. What wasn't clear was why she seemed to be so angry about it. Hinata resolved to find out more about what the hell was going on as soon as she survived whatever her father had in store for her.

Hiashi waited in hallway for her and simply walked home when she exited the Hokages office. He never said another word after seeing her half naked but judging from his reaction to Tsunade confirming Naruto's name change, Hinata wasn't altogether sure which event was keeping him quiet. After all, it wasn't like her father to pass up an opportunity to verbally assault her in public.

Dragging her feet at his side she glanced at him but he didn't return the look, still the silent treatment. She could never tell what he was thinking when he was like this and it drove her crazy.

"Father? " she tried, but he didn't respond. She decided not to push her luck and reluctantly finished the journey in silence.

As they approached the small palace all Hyuuga's called home the servants tending the door saw the look on their masters face and hastily opened the door. But just a few feet from it Hiashi suddenly stopped, "Byakugan!" He whirled on Hinata and snatched her head up in both hands. Hinata was terrified and tried to turn away but he wouldn't allow it.

"Look me in the eyes …" he warned. Hinata had been threatened by her father plenty of times, but this tone was different. She did as she was told reluctantly, she knew what he was doing. Relaxing she let her eye's look into his and saw the Hyuuga birthright boring straight into her. The questions would come next and she couldn't lie, not to those eyes. The eyes of an experienced Byakugan user could easily spot the most minuet signs of deception. He continued to stare at her without a word and she could feel herself being taken apart piece by piece.

"Room." He said releasing her suddenly. Hiashi's Byakugan faded and he turned around and walked into the house. Hinata was stunned, what did he do? It would have to wait she realized, because the only thing that mattered at the moment was doing exactly as she was told. She didn't stop running until she slammed her door behind her.

"Well this is just great." She thought. "This day went from magical to disaster in the blink of an eye. And I can't believe father saw me in this outfit!" she groaned. "I don't think I'll ever be able to look him in the eye again." She threw the ruined jacket away and peeled off her outfit. She folded it up neatly and hid it in the back of the closet again.

"I think going naked is out of the question for a while" she sighed, rummaging through some other articles in her closet. "Sweats it is." It wasn't until an hour later she realized that the door was in miraculously good shape for just being torn to shreds only a few hours before.

Hiashi walked slowly through the palace, he had a lot on his mind. He just confirmed that his eldest daughter was a full fledged whore for one, but amazingly that wasn't what was bothering him, he had bigger fish to fry. It wasn't too often he visited this part of the property anymore, once a week at most. It was starting to reek of death here, and not the died honorably on battlefield kind of death either. It was the slow decay of time that tortured these halls, something that even Hiashi couldn't stand. He came to rest in front of a large walnut door covered in ornate carvings, one of the few unique doors in the entire palace. Taking in one last fresh breath he pushed the door open.

"Hello Father. It is I, Hiashi." He called into the dark room.

"Do you think I'm some kind of senile old mummy?" came the sarcastic reply. "Who else is going to call me father? Besides, I felt your pathetically ordinary chakra three blocks down the street." Hiashi winced at the sound of the old man's scratchy voice, it like someone was dragging a seizing cat down a chalkboard.

Shaking off the effects he responded, "Something most disturbing has happened and I require your counsel."

"Hmmft. About time you recognized your place. Come in and tell me what it is you've done this time."

Hiashi entered the room and closed the door behind him, then he walked over and sat down next to the large canopy bed. He could see his father a little better now, his eyes still weren't fully adjusted to the darkness yet but it would only be a moment. The eyes of the Hyuuga were quite strong. "It's not me father, it's about Hinata."

"Oh for the love of all that's holy Hiashi! Leave that poor girl alone. She's not you and never will be." Kanjero admonished. Though he would never admit it because he did love all of his grandchildren very much, Hinata was his favorite. There was something refreshingly un-Hyuuga about the girl and Kanjero was always amazed by it. Growing up Hyuuga was a lot like growing up in the military but no matter what they did to her Hinata wasn't and would never be the rank and file soldier.

Hiashi sighed, this wasn't why he was here but the argument was almost a ritual, they might as well get it out of the way now. "Why do you defend her father? She's weak and cowardly, and technically the next in line of succession for the main branch! If she's ever allowed to head this house the Hyuuga will suffer. And I treat her no differently than you treated us father, it is this way life that keeps our noble clan strong!"

"And it's what keeps this noble clan from greatness!" Kanjero countered. "There can be no gain without risk Hiashi, and I was too much of a fool to see that until it was too late. Why do refuse to listen?"

Hiashi couldn't hear anymore, he changed the subject to shut the old man up. "Hinata was with the vessel today Kanjero-sama! The entire day …"

This gave the old man pause, "She was, was she? Hmmmm, they are fellow nin of course, this isn't entirely unexpected. Why are you so concerned?"

Hiashi leveled a very serious look at his bedridden father, "There are a great many things that concern me father, not the least of which is the vessels identity."

"His identity?" Kanjero asked.

"Yes. I've always known the vessel was an orphan, but it never occurred to me his parents might be of any importance." Hiashi waited for his father to betray something.

"Spit it out boy!" Kanjero coughed.

Hiashi narrowed his eyes, "During out meeting Tsunade told everyone in the room that his name was Namikaze."

Kanjero sighed and looked down at his sheets, "So they finally told him did they?"

Hiashi's eyes went wide with shock, "You knew of this?! Why did you not tell me?" he demanded angrily.

"Because those few that knew were sworn to secrecy for the good of Konoha that's why! And because it doesn't matter as far as you're concerned, the identity of the vessel does not alter our purpose Hiashi." The elder Hyuuga warned. "Do you understand me?"

Hiashi nodded, "Yes Kanjero-sama, I understand. Is there anything else I should know?" he asked sarcastically.

"If there was I would tell you."

Hiashi smiled at the joke, what his father meant was if there was anything else the old man was hiding that he could hold his breath waiting to be told for all the good it would do. "There is another problem, he's been back in the village for nearly two days and I had no idea the vessel had returned."

Kanjero nodded in understanding, "Nor did I, do you know how this could be?"

"No, but I mean to find out. I plan to send a small team to serveil him and discern the root of his newfound stealth."

"I don't often agree with you Hiashi, in fact I'm sure I'll have nightmares for a week because of this but, I agree. Send the team but make it short, if the operation takes too long it will draw the attention of the ANBU."

"Hai! I will get to the bottom of this." Hiashi stood up and got ready to leave.

"Hiashi?"

"Yes Kanjero-sama?"

"What else?"

Hiashi sighed, he could live with not being able to lie effectively to his father, but the old man's ability to pick out what he wasn't lying about through omission was truly infuriating. "It is nothing father, please go to sleep."

"Don't lie to me! There's something else about Hinata that has you bothered, beyond the normal bothered that is. It's written all over your face. Wait, all day you said?"

"Yes, They were apparently … on a date."

"A date!" Now this was unexpected! Kanjero smiled at fate, of all the thousands of possibilities this had to be the only one no one ever thought of. "Oh the Irony! The heir of the Hyuuga house on a date with the vessel!" the aged shinobi laughed.

"This isn't funny damn it!" Hiashi snarled. "I must protect her! I must protect this house!"

"Calm yourself Hiashi," Kanjero said waving his hands and trying to suppress his laugh. "This may very well be the best situation possible. We must not act to hastily here there is far too much at stake."

"Ridiculous." Hiashi spat.

Kanjero stared at Hiashi for a moment, "Does he have her heart?"

Hiashi shot an angry glance back at his father, "How does he do that?" he wondered.

"I take it you've already barricaded the girl in her room then? She won't stay forever you know. Her heart will eventually overcome her fear of you and when it does things will become worse. A woman's heart is no simple matter."

Hiashi shook his head back and forth, "Disgusting, I refuse this think of Hinata that way. But in any event it's simply too dangerous to let them be together!"

"Why?"

"Because I looked into Hinata's eye's tonight Kanjero-sama and I saw something …" he drifted off.

"What could you have possibly seen that makes you so frightened? Perhaps it's time to tell the girl our secret. If she does love him she would never truly betray him but if she could be convinced that this is for his own good then we might learn much."

Hiashi was surprised, his father actually missed the mark for once. "It wasn't a look in her eye's I saw that concerns me father, … it was a mass of blood vessels in the whites of both her eyes. They were all burst."

Kanjero gasped, the eye's of the Hyuuga were no normal eyes everyone knew this. But few knew how extraordinary they really were. No member of the Hyuuga clan had less than better than perfect vision even without the Byakugan. None had ever suffered vision loss at any age, no disease or malady had ever struck the eye's of a Hyuuga in recorded clan history. No, the eyes of the Hyuuga were perfect in every way.

Always perfect, except once that is, sixteen years ago. Kanjero closed his eyes and remembered that night, that nightmare. The Hyuuga, most powerful clan of the village hidden in the leaves raced towards the battle ground to defend their home as only they could. His entire life was nothing more than a practice run, preparation for this moment. It was his destiny he knew, and the monster would fall before him. They reached the great perimeter wall that surrounded the village and activating his Byakugan Kanjero surveyed the destruction. Then he saw it, the Kyuubi in all its horrific glory laid waste to the earth and stood tall amid the fire and chaos. The demon sensed him he knew, and it's massive red eye's fell on his location. The massive fox smiled at him … and his world fell apart.

Kanjero was blind, they all were.

"Thanks a lot Ino, ramen always makes me feel better!" Naruto said with smile.

Ino smiled back, men were so easy. There were only two parts of a man's body that a woman had to know to completely control any man, and she was already halfway there with Naruto. "No problem Naruto, you just looked like you could use a friend that's all."

"Yea you got that right. I just don't understand people I guess. Sometimes it just seems like no matter what I do people don't want to see the real me, they only see the negatives. It doesn't matter what I do."

"You mean you wish they would just see what's really on the inside?"

Naruto winced. "I guess … But what do you do when the inside is the problem?"

Ino frowned for a moment considering Naruto's response. "Man he's really a mess, if this is all about a girl it's going to be a real pain in the ass to get him to focus on me. It's a good thing I have a soft spot for heartbroken studs, time for plan B."

"Come on Naruto, I think I've got just the thing that'll cheer you up." Ino said.

"Where are we going?"

"To my apartment, just try not to get too fresh with me OK?" she said with a wink.

Naruto hesitated a moment, something was telling him that he shouldn't be going with her. But she really was being nice, and when she saw that he was hurting she dropped everything she was doing to spend time with him and just talk. It was a side of Ino that he'd never seen before and he liked it, there was more to this girl than meet the eye.

"Ok Ino, lets go check out your place. And I'll try not to get too fresh!" he teased.

Naruto entered Ino's apartment right behind her. It was nice if a bit girly for his taste. A one bedroom, it had a small kitchen and an even smaller living room, but it was what she could afford he reminded himself. Not everybody inherited a house.

"Sorry about it being so small, but it's mine!" Ino smiled. She gauged his expressions as he surveyed the apartment. They were similar to most men, but there was a subtle difference as well. For starters most men she invited over grabbed her ass on the way in the door. And the way they looked at her apartment she always got the impression they were just looking for the best spot to get naked. Naruto on the other hand didn't have any lust in his eyes when he looked at her, they were just friendly. Her smile widened a bit.

"What are you talking about? This place is great! It's a little on the feminine side for my tastes, but it's nice."

"Thank you! You know you're the first guy to say that?"

"Say what, that you have a nice apartment?"

"No, that it's not your taste. It was honest, most guys just lie and say that's the greatest thing ever or some idiot line."

"Most guys?" Naruto asked.

"Oh you know, Shiskamaru, Choji, and everybody." Ino covered quickly.

"Man that was close! I Don't want Naruto thinking I'm the village slut. This honesty crap of his is starting to rub off on me."

"So anyways, the reason I brought you here Naruto-kun …"

Naruto stiffened up a little at the sound of Ino addressing him so personally, she had never referred to him like that before. It reminded him of Hinata, and the feelings from earlier flooded back into his mind. Naruto slumped his shoulders a bit, "Hey Ino look, I really appreciate everything you're doing for me, but I don't want to be a downer right now and …"

"Exactly my point!" she said. "You're down in the dumps Naruto, and I know how to make you forget all about it for the rest of the night. If you really think you're going to miss them that much I can promise you your problems will still be there in the morning."

Naruto cracked another smile. "Ok you've got my attention, so how are you going to make me forget all about my problems?"

Ino reached into her cupboard and pulled out a small glass set, "Sake!"

The knock on the door startled Hinata, she looked at it hoping whoever it was would just go away. This day just needed to be over already before anything worse happened.

"Hinata?" a familiar voice whispered.

She walked over to the door and whispered, "Neji?"

"Let me in, I need to talk to you."

Hinata let her cousin in quickly and closed the door behind him, she didn't feel like looking at anyone else who might walk by. "What is it?" she asked, Neji didn't visit too often.

"What happened to you today? I heard that something happened to you this afternoon and then you and father got into a fight at the Hokage's tower? The entire house is buzzing with gossip."

"So why not get your gossip from the best possible source?" she asked sarcastically.

"You know I'm not like that Hinata, I'm just worried about you."

It was true, Neji was probably her favorite family member. For most of his life he hated her just like every other member of the branch family. But after nearly killing her during the infamous chuunin exams a few years back he lost his match against Naruto and did a complete 180. Naruto changed Neji even more than he changed Hinata, it was just another thing that confirmed for her that Naruto was the one. If there was something bothering her or if father was treating her especially bad she could always count on Neji to notice and help her out any way he could.

"It's kind of hard to explain …" she said weakly.

"Try me."

Hinata swallowed, she was going to have to edit some of this on the fly, he was family after all. "Well, I went to go train with Naruto-kun this afternoon. And when we were sparring something weird happened."

Neji leaned in closer, she had his full attention now. Neji had always been curious about Naruto ever since the loud genin bested him. Neji thought he had shut down every one of Naruto's chakra points. Naruto shouldn't have been able to fight whatsoever after that, but fight he did. It should have been impossible, and it kept Neji up at night on more than one occasion.

"Well, ever since he returned the village I keep seeing some very strange things with my Byakugan."

"Strange how?" Neji insisted. He scooted so close that Hinata was feeling uncomfortable.

"It's his chakra system, whenever I look at Naruto-kun his chakra looks … it looks like gold."

"Gold? But how is that possible?" Neji asked surprised. Hinata could tell that he was more talking to himself than asking her a question. "He's the only one I've ever seen who's different and now it's gold …"

"What do mean he's the only one you've ever seen different?" Hinata asked.

Neji looked at his cousin with a serious expression, "I've never told anyone this before Hinata, but when I fought Naruto three years ago I saw something I couldn't explain either."

"So you've seen the gold chakra!"

"No, that day after I hit him with the 64 palms jutsu I saw his chakra network with my Byakugan, it was totally shut down. There was no chakra flowing in him at all, the fight was over. But then while I watched it came back to life! I've never seen anything like it Hinata, the chakra flowed from his stomach and restarted his entire system. But it wasn't just any chakra, and it wasn't blue or now gold as you say, but it was red."

"Red? How is that possible Neji? I've never seen anything but blue chakra in another shinobi, not even in an animal! But now Naruto has blue, then red, and now gold chakra?"

"I don't understand it either. There's something about him that's almost …"

"Inhuman." She finished.

Neji hesitated for a moment but then nodded. "Yes, I don't like to use that word with him because I know the kind of shinobi he is, but his powers are most definitely beyond anything I've ever seen before." Neji thought of something and stared at his cousin, "Hinata, is there anything else? Anything else you saw that made you use that word? Inhuman?"

Hinata froze, the momentary hesitation said it all and she knew it. "Yes, there is something." She admitted. "But you have to promise me Neji, this is between you and me, you can't tell anyone especially father!"

"I promise, this is just between you and me." He swore.

"It was difficult, b … because his chakra network seems blurry somehow. Whenever I look at it it's as though it can block my Byakugan somehow. But when I tried really hard I was able to focus in on something, a shape in his chakra flow. When I focused in on it my eyes burned and I ran away from him, I was so frightened Neji!"

"What was it Hinata?"

She shuttered at the memory, "It was an eye Neji … a golden eye made of chakra. And it wasn't human, it had a vertical iris like some kind of predator. It saw me Neji, it looked at me!"

Neji's eyes bulged in shock, "The eye of an animal?!" She nodded. "Then I'm not crazy, there really is something there."

"You saw it too? During your fight?" she asked.

"No not an eye exactly, I think I saw the whole thing. When the strange red chakra surged through him that day I thought I saw a shape, something took form and looked at me. I never told anyone because I was sure they'd think I was crazy, I even managed to convince myself that it was my imagination. But it wasn't, you've seen it now too. There's something inside of Naruto, something frightening."

"Neji, what was the shape you saw?"

"If I didn't know any better … I'd say it was a fox."

The two stared at each other for a moment. Hinata broke the silence, "Neji I think Naruto might be in danger. When I was with him today I got the impression he didn't know about whatever it was inside him. But we can't help him either, we have to be careful."

"Why is that?" Neji asked.

"Because he's dangerous, dangerous to us at least."

Neji's eye's grew wide, "What do you mean dangerous to us?"

"The eye Neji, it hurt me somehow. Like it was able to use some kind of genjutsu on me or something. But I think the reason this happened is because it was able to use the Byakugan against me." She said.

Neji jumped up in disbelief, "WHAT!"

"Shhhhhh!" She shoosed him. "Quiet Neji! No one else must know. Something's happening to Naruto and it's dangerous, but I can't just tell anyone. I'm afraid he'll be in danger if I do. I have to help him Neji, I have to save him."

"But what can we do Hinata? We can't even look at him!"

"As long as you don't use the Byakugan on him you'll be fine, and even then you have to be within inches of his skin to see it. You'll be fine Neji."

"Why were you within inches?" Neji asked suddenly.

Hinata blushed, "Never mind Neji that's not important right now. What's important is we need to find out what's going on with Naruto, can you help me? I don't think father's going to let me out of here for a while."

"Ok, I'll help." Neji nodded.

"Ino you were right!" Naruto proclaimed. "Thisss shit is great!"

The warm sake tasted horrible to Naruto which was weird since it didn't have much of a taste that he could explain. He wasn't really going to drink the stuff in the first place he knew better, but Ino challenged his ninja way and somehow that got them started on a game she called 'Kings'.

"Told you so. And you weren't going to have any …" she teased.

"I know! Seems kind of shilly now doesn't it? You're the best Ino." Naruto smiled. "I wish you would have been my teammate, that would have been great." Naruto's head swayed a little bit as he tried to focus on Ino with one eye.

Ino was a bit surprised, she knew that Naruto had never drank before and would say all kinds of things, but she also knew that drunks either made no sense at all or spoke what was truly on their minds without the normal filters. There was no way to tell which kind Naruto was, but the comment made her blush regardless.

"Thanks Naruto, that means a lot to me. I know the kind of guy you are and I know that you really mean it. But enough of that! Since when did you get so cute?"

"Ino! Don't make me blush!" Naruto laughed.

Ino giggled too, she was an experienced drinker compared to Naruto but she was beginning to feel the effects of the sake. "Well it's true! Those were three really good years for you Naruto, you can't tell me you haven't noticed a difference in the way the girls are treating you since you got back!"

"Well yea I guesss so, but it's just sho weird. I don't really know what I should be doing or shaying most of the time. But whatever I'm doing it sure seems to be working." He said upending another glass. "Oh! So warm …"

"Ah ha! So you have been hit on already! I knew it, who was it? Tell me," she pleaded.

"What are you talking about? I'm not like that Ino-chaaaan, I never kizz and tell." He slurred.

Ino scooted closer to Naruto, "Ino-chan huh? You've never called me that before Naruto-kun …" she said, batting her eye lashes for effect.

"Inooooo … I promizzed I wouldn't take advantage of you remember? " Naruto stood up and puffed his chest out, "I made a promizze to be a gentleman Ino, I'llll proteck your virtuezz and I never go back on my wordz, that'zz my way of the ninjjaa!"

Ino got a serious look on her face, "You really wouldn't would you?"

"Huh?" Naruto asked, losing track of the conversation. "Wouldn't what?"

"Nothing," she said. "Ok, no more sake for you mister virgin drinker. I don't want you so wasted you're useless." She grabbed the sake glass from his hand and walked it into the kitchen.

"Awww come on Ino! I'm a big sshinobi now, I can handle my shhaaake! And what do you mean uselezz? I could kick a hundred azzes right now!"

Ino gave him a sly grin, she dropped the sakes cups in the sink and started walking towards him very slowly. Naruto watched her approach without a word, there wasn't much he was certain of right at that moment but he was sure that the look on her face was telling him shut the hell up. Somehow, he was beginning to feel like something's prey and his pulse quickened. When she reached him she put her palm on his chest and gave a hard shove, Naruto hit the couch and smiled up at his assailant, he wished for a moment that he wasn't quite so hazy because it made focusing on her difficult. But on the other hand having his brain was swimming in sake seemed to be filling said mind with lots of new and exciting ideas. In fact for the first time in his life that chapter he read in Icha Icha paradise was starting to make some real sense!

Ino glided forward and straddled him one leg at a time, never breaking eye contact. Naruto instinctively put his hands on her arms but she took them in her own and guided him to her rear.

"There's only one ass you need to be worried about right now Naruto …"

Naruto massaged her cheeks instinctively, reveling in the shapely kunoichi's supple behind. His breathing got ragged synching with the gyrating kunoichi above him. Ino ran her hands across his face and the sensations made Naruto's eye's roll into the back of his head. She attacked, kissing him hard and biting his lip while her hands unfastened his cloak and went to work on his shirt. Naruto's mind was on fire, nothing else mattered but this gorgeous woman. He couldn't get enough of her, the taste was intoxicating and he lunged forward moving down to her neck. She moaned with delight at the suction and he squeezed her ass hard, pulling her hips into his with an urgency that surprised them both. His body seemed to know what to do even when he didn't.

Ino pushed herself upright slowing the action. Smiling she pulled his shirt open and ran her nails down his lean muscular chest giving him goose bumps. "You've got a wonderful body Naruto," she smiled. "a ninja's body. Would you like to see my body?"

Naruto ran his trembling hands up her thighs, he could feel his body responding to her and he knew she could feel it too. He couldn't even speak, but only nodded his head up and down.

Ino stared into his eyes, they were full of lust now, but it was still there, that kindness that never seemed to leave.

She unbuttoned her blouse slowly and let it slide off her narrow shoulders. Naruto breathed out involuntarily. Her breasts weren't large but they were perfectly shaped, and her puffy red nipples screamed her arousal louder than anything he'd ever heard in his life. Naruto took in the most erotic thing he'd ever seen in his entire life, and reached up to touch her.

"I like you Naruto-kun, I'm so glad I could do this for you …"

Additional Notes: Well I'm sure that I've got the diehard NaruHin fans in an uproar now! Without giving up too much plot, just keep in mind that there's a whole lot of ink left for everybody and the new Hinata isn't going down without a fight! For that matter when is Sakura going to throw her hat in the ring? Hmmmmmm