Chapter 10 is here, hahahaha. You have all been so kind with your reviews, I must thank you, it's wonderful. Thank you very much and keep it up. Since I received so may reviews I will hold up my end and get these out as soon as I can. Also I have wonderful news, we are starting to enter the romantic arc of the story, as some of you have noticed I have changed the genres to Romance/Hurt/Comfort. This will be a big part in Naruto's past that she will help him through. That's why I changed it, but don't worry, there will still be plenty of action.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
----------------------------------------
(Last time)
"Sasuke." He replied "I know his mission, and I know what he wants."
"What how do you know that?" Tsunade asked
"Simple, both he and Orochimaru want only one thing, the last stage of the sharingan. His mission is to get it, to do that he has to kill me. So when you round it off, his mission is to find and kill me." He said his voice still devoid of emotion. "Let me go fight him."
"What, No!" Tsunade replied.
"Why not, if I go fight him we stop the fight midway and the threat never reaches Konoha." Naruto said, hoping the politics of the situation would sway Tsunade.
"You will do the missions I assign and none other." Tsunade said in her don't mess with me voice. "Beside what so you care if he gets to Konoha?"
"I don't!" Naruto said quickly. "He could level this village it makes no difference to me!"
"And yet you want to stop him before he gets to Konoha, so if it's not the village you're protecting…" Suddenly her eyes lit up. "Its someone in the village you don't want him to get to."
Suddenly Naruto's fists clenched and Tsunade felt a massive wave of chakra fill the room and then pass just as quickly. There in the center of it all stood Naruto, hands balled into fists and a deadly shadow cast over only his eyes. "You know what, I suppose a chuunin opinion doesn't matter anyway, I shall do the mission given to me Hokage-sama. My apologies for my behavior." And with that he walked out of the door, both he and Tsunade completely unaware of the three Kunoichi's listening in on conversation outside.
Damn, Thought Tsunade, he just can't be reasoned with, like a hokage can send that powerful of a ninja away from the village to enter a death match with an old grudge. It just isn't how village's work. Either way he looked pretty pissed, I should probably go talk to him. With that thought she got up from her chair and ran out the door, she had to get to Naruto before he did something stupid. Still running through the hall she stopped only for a brief moment at the front desk.
"Sukakai-san, "she said to the man at the front desk. "Did Naruto come by?"
"Yes Hokage-sama, Why?" He replied
"Which way did he go?"
"Ano I think he headed towards the restaurants."
"Ok, thank you." She got off before she ran out the door. Leaving a very confused ninja in her wake.
(Meanwhile with Kurenai, Hinata, and Tenten)
The three Kunoichis had yet to recover from hearing the fight between there comrade and there Hokage. While no one actually came back to reality Kurenai spoke up first.
"No matter what happens," Kurenai said. "Naruto is not to know we heard that. Also, do not bring Sasuke up unless absolutely necessary."
She received no response from the two, in fact they still hadn't moved from there original positions. Neither could believe what they had heard. But one particular part of the fight kept running through Hinata's head.
(Flashback)
"You will do the missions I assign and none other." Tsunade said in her don't mess with me voice. "Beside what so you care if he gets to Konoha?"
"I don't!" Naruto said quickly. "He could level this village it makes no difference to me!"
"And yet you want to stop him before he gets to Konoha, so if it's not the village you're protecting…" Suddenly her eyes lit up. "Its someone in the village you don't want him to get to."
(End flashback)
Hinata found herself slowly being shaken from her thoughts.
"Hinata, Hinata." She heard as she pulled herself back into the conscious world
"Hai…" She said as she looked around. Somehow they were all out on the street now. "What happened?" She asked
"You blanked." Tenten replied, "It's been like five minutes. Don't worry about it, it took me some time to snap out of it too."
"D-did that really j-just happen, w-with N-Naruto-kun."
"As much as I hate to say it, it did." Kurenai said. "Did you hear me say Naruto is not to know we heard that?"
"Hai…" Hinata replied as she let her head drop. Naruto… She thought, but her mind would not let her go any further. She was so worried his name just kept repeating in her head.
Looking down at Hinata who had already zoned again Kurenai did the best thing she could do in the current situation. She decided that was enough, they all had too much to think about. "Hinata, you go ahead home and get some rest." She said "Tenten, will you do me a favor and go tell Lee and Shino that Training is over?" she watched as Tenten nodded in reply.
"What are you going to do?" Tenten asked.
Kurenai sighed but gave her answer. "I need to go talk to Tsunade."
(with Naruto)
Oh well, Thought Naruto as he walked into Ichkaru's I had to try, I'm just praying I'm wrong. Right about then Ayame caught sight on the #1 customer.
"Hey Naruto, what will it be today?" Ayame asked
"Nothing right now thanks, I'm just thinking."
"Ok, call me if you want anything" Naruto not want ramen!?!?!?!? I don't know who that is but that can't be Naruto. Ayame added in her mind.
At about that time Tsunade walked by out side. Took a peek in and spotted Naruto. Without a moments hesitation she walked up to the boy.
"Mind if I sit down?" Tsunade asked.
"You shouldn't ask stupid questions Tsunade-sama, even if I said no you would sit down anyway." Naruto said without turning around.
"Good point," Tsunade said as she took a seat. "Naruto… I know you want to go after Sasuke. But try to understand that the hokage can't send ninja away for unnecessary battles. Your going to have to learn this stuff to if you're ever going to be hokage after me."
"A load of bullshit if ever I heard it." Naruto said as he turned to face Tsunade. "You never once thought I could do that and you know it."
"What, Naruto when I gave you that necklace I was saying you had the talent to become hokage." Tsunade said back.
"No you didn't," Naruto shot back "you gave me this necklace because you thought there was no way in hell a talent less brat like myself could master the resengan. In fact, you are one of the most self contradicting people I have ever met. You say I could become hokage, but since the day you took up the position the only missions I've had are the ones you knew I would go on anyway, or you were out of ninja, same thing with Hinata and Choji. If there was any possible way to send someone else you did."
"Naruto…" Was all Tsunade could get out, knowing he was right, although it wasn't for his lack of skill. Naruto's energy tended to be bad for political situations.
"Whatever, that's all in the past. But I want to make one thing very clear to you Tsunade-sama. If anyone on team 8 gets put in harms way over something you wouldn't let me prevent… You had better hope Sasuke kills me before I see you again, because there is no army on earth nor god himself that will be able to save you." And with that Naruto got up out his seat and walked out of the restaurant. Tsunade unable to move from the seat behind him. And with that he took off towards the training fields.
Kurenai was rounding off into the restaurant district; the man at the desk had said this was where the hokage had gone off too. As she took the corner she had just enough time to see Naruto walk out of Ichkaru's.
"Naruto!" she yelled trying to get the young blonds attention.
The young blond in question turned to see Kurenai walking towards him. "Hey, Kurenai-Sensei, sorry for jumping a couple of minutes of training like that, I needed so time to think." He said.
"Sasuke?" Kurenai questioned.
"Yeah, but I'm cool so I'm going to head back to the training grounds."
"Actually I ended practice early today so you can go ahead home, but first, do you know where Tsunade-sama went?" She watched his eyes grow cold at the statement
"Yeah," he said. "She's still in there." He pointed to Ichkaru's and then took off.
Well that actually went much better than expected She thought as she walked into the restaurant, it was to no surprise that she found Tsunade ordering a bottle of sake. She decided she mine as well, she wasn't really a drinker, but every now and then she let herself have a couple. "Ayame-Chan." She said as she took a seat next to the hokage. "Make that two."
"Hai, Kurenai-sama. Don't see you in here much, what's the occasion?" She said trying to strike up a conversation.
"Nothing really, just stopped by to talk to the hokage."
"Alright, the sake will be out in a minute."
As Ayame walked away the blond hokage turned towards Kurenai. Although be it with a sigh, she was actually holding up the hokage act pretty well. "You need to speak with me Kurenai?"
"He's a handful isn't he?" Kurenai said. And of course Tsunade instantly knew who she was talking about.
"Yes, yes he is. The kids got guts like I haven't ever seen and a loyalty to his friends to boot." She said as Ayame arrived with the sake. Tsunade took no hesitation in pouring herself a glass and downing it.
"Interesting statement." Kurenai pointed out.
"Yeah, listen I don't know what you've done to Naruto, but I hope you keep on doing it, he actually cares about team 8 now, and while he only cares about team 8, it's a big step up from him caring about nobody." She said as she downed another glass of sake.
"You wouldn't know it by looking at him, Naruto has a straight face that would put the Abarume to shame." She said "He is like a black hole devoid of emotion all together."
"Don't worry about," Tsunade said with a smile. "He just threatened my life for the safety of your team. Trust me, he cares."
Kurenai's eyes went wide at the statement, threaten the life of a hokage, even crazier your own villages hokage. "Guts indeed." Kurenai said without thinking, though she was relieved to finally know that Naruto did actually consider them friends.
"Yes, Guts indeed."
(with Naruto)
Naruto found himself aimlessly walking down the street, his mind so immersed in thought that he walked right into someone and didn't even notice. The collision knocked both parties out of there thoughts and Naruto awoke to a sea of raven hair and the smell of lavender filling his mind. It did not take long for him to determine who it was he had run into. "Sorry Hinata-Chan. I wasn't watching where I was going."
Hinata however was frozen into her current position with a blush to match. But when she did snap out of it she smiled when she realized Naruto had added Chan to her name. Of course this did nothing to help the blush, but that was just details. "A-ano, don't worry about it N-Naruto kun, I wasn't watching ether." She replied.
"Nonsense, I insist I make up for it, Kurenai gave us the day off I figure we can find something to do with it." Naruto said with a smile, it was amazing, just being around her mad him feel like there wasn't a care in the world. How she did it he would never know, but then again neither would she. "come on, I'm sure we can find something to take our mind off things. Would you be so kind as to join me?"
"A-ano…" it took a minute to process that Naruto was asking her come along. But just like on the hokage monument, being around him made her feel brave. "Sure Naruto-kun, I'd like that."
"Very well it's settled then, now I said I would make it up and I will, where do you want to go Hinata the choice is yours." Naruto said.
Hinata thought for a moment and then brilliance hit her like a ton of bricks. "Naruto-kun, follow me." She said as she grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him the other way. She couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that she had been the one to grab his hand, but nevertheless she wasn't letting go if she didn't have too. Granite this wasn't really her dream, her dream was much more intement and required marriage, but for now she was more than willing to settle with this, after all, she was far closer to her love than she ever actually thought she would be.
Naruto too was caught off guard, but allowed himself to be dragged off by Hinata. He kept thinking that if Jiraiya saw this he would never be able to live it down, but he was going to enjoy the moment, no matter how funny it looked. "Hinata where are we going?" Naruto said running alongside the girl he knew he loved.
"Just trust me." Hinata said pulling him around another turn. As the two rounded the next bend Naruto instantly knew where they were, they were turning into the clan district, where the Hyuuga, and the old Uchiha estates were, along with a few others, but He didn't know much about those. Indeed it was a far nicer area than the rest of the village, every design was carefully carved and even the places that you would never see were crafted into beautiful shapes and designs.
Naruto had never been in this area of the village before; he had been to the main gate of the Hyuuga mansion once. But that was not far from the outskirts of this district, he had never seen the actual inside of it, he never had reason. Every tree, every garden was so perfect Naruto would have sworn they were an illusion, to maintain anything at that level of perfection would require daily maintenance. Naruto just could not wrap his head around spending so much time on something so worthless. Especially since no one really came down these roads. Suddenly he felt Hinata stop in front of him and he found himself look at a normal size gate with the Hyuuga symbol on it. It most defiantly was not the main gate however; the main gate was much grander. Never the less there were two guards here as well.
"Good afternoon Hinata-sama, may we be of assistance?" Said the one to the left.
"Good afternoon Hisiku." Hinata replied, "We just need to get in."
The two guards eyed Naruto up and down knowing very well who he was, but if Hinata was inviting him in, they had no grounds to stop her. "Very well, anything for Hinata-sama." They said as one of them forced chakra into the gate, causing it to open. As Hinata and Naruto walk in he was instantly caught off his guard. The shear size of the place was unreal, to think that it belonged to only one family. But keeping in step with Hinata he leaned forward and whispered into her ear.
"Hinata, I don't think I should be here." Hinata turned to look at Naruto in surprise, why shouldn't he be here, Shino was here all the time.
"you said I could pick anywhere right?" Hinata replied.
"Yes… but-"
"No buts," Hinata interrupted him. Determined that she was going to spend the day with Naruto and make sure he remembered it. She had thrown all caution to the wind and she was going to impress her Naruto-kun today if she had to blow up Konoha to do it. (figuratively speaking of course.)
Naruto in turn put up a smile, wondering secretly in his head if he should have said the word anywhere. He had never seen Hinata like this, but still for once she seemed… happy. They began to move again and Hinata pulled Naruto off into one of the main buildings, it was obvious that Hinata had taken the way many times. To anyone who had not been the indoors were like a great maze and Hinata was weaving through them not only without difficulty, but in rapid step. It would not take long an Hinata stopped at a door. "Naruto-kun." She said
"Yeah."
"Were here," she said as she drew back the doors and stepped into the sunlight, what hit Naruto at that moment was a wave of brilliance. The doors had opened up into the Hyuuga gardens and Naruto found himself stepping out into the sunlight as well. Beautiful did not begin to describe what he was looking at now, in fact, in comparison to this the outside looked trashed. A cobblestone path weaved through the very heart of the garden as did a couple of streams. Every where you turned there was something else to see.
Slowly Hinata lead Naruto out into the garden, careful to stay on the path, and the two stepped into a gazebo that was the centerpiece of the entire place. Hinata almost instantly took a seat but Naruto could not help looking around. After he had gotten a good look at the place however he took a seat beside Hinata.
"This place is amazing Hinata-Chan, but I have just one question," Naruto said still looking around the garden. "Why bring me here? We could have gone anywhere you wanted to go and you chose to come back to your house. The logic doesn't make much sense to me."
Hinata froze, she hadn't though of a way to answer that if it came up, she couldn't tell him the truth. The truth in itself was that when she was young this place had always made her feel better, and she hoped it would do the same for him after his fight with Tsunade, but she wasn't supposed to know about that. "Well, this place special to me." She heard herself say. "You were willing to share your special place with me, I figure it was only right that I do the same." She finished with a blush, and praying that Naruto would accept that and drop the question.
"Cool, thanks Hinata-Chan." He replied. Hinata herself took a deep breath and tried to continue. She would have no such luck.
"YOU!!!!!" the heard a voice call from the deck. Both Hinata and Naruto whipped around to see Hyuuga Hanabi standing on the deck. "You're the one from the gate!"
"The one from the gate?" Hinata asked looking at Naruto.
"Long story, for now lets say your sister doesn't really like me." He said as he stood up and walked to the door of the gazebo. "Yes," he said in a louder voice so Hanabi could hear him. "That's me." He said as he brought his hands together and did a quick seal; it was quick enough Hanabi was too far away to notice. In fact Hinata only got a glimpse of it, she hd no idea what jutsu it way for. But she jumped to her feet in an effort to stop him.
"Naruto, No!" she said as she jumped between her sister and Naruto. Naruto himself was a little surprised she had seen him do the seals, but walked up and whispered in her ear.
"Don't worry Hinata, I would not use a jutsu on your sister, that was for something else, you'll see." Suddenly Naruto appeared crouched down in front of hanabi so the two were eye level. "I was having a conversation," he said as he poked a shocked Hanabi in the forehead. "It is rude to interrupt." Then he felt the blunt side of a kunai to his throat.
"And you will not lay a hand on my daughter," said a powerful voice from behind him.
"Ah," Said Naruto without turning around. "Hello Haishi-sama, sneaky as ever I see. It really is a shame we keep meeting under these circumstances."
----------------------------------------
Hello again, sorry this chapter is a little shorter, I am quite literally updating this from soccer camp so cut me a little slack k?
Till next time
Ghost…