Geniuses of Hard Work
Confessions
Tazuna had been to awkward dinners before. But this was ridiculous.
After the battle at the bridge, the two groups of ninja were taken back to Tazuna's house to receive medical attention. The Konoha Shinobi checked out okay with nothing but scratches and a couple deep cuts. Naruto wasn't injured at all. Zabuza had a few cracked ribs and some major bruising but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Haku was the one in the worst condition. On top of his arms being broken, and numerous cuts and gouges he had suffered internal damage to his lungs. He had finally woken up five minutes before dinner was being served and at Guy's insistence, the ex-Kiri-nin stayed for it. Which led them into their current predicament.
"Umm…Momochi-san, could you pass the soy sauce, please?" Inari was the first to break the silence of the otherwise quiet dinner.
"Huh?" Zabuza looked up in confusion. Then Inari's question registered. "Oh…yeah, here you go." Zabuza passed the soy sauce to Inari.
"Thanks." Inari mumbled as he accepted it.
Guy burst into laughter at the exchange, causing everyone but Lee and Naruto, who were immersed in their food, to jump. "Not such a bad guy, once you get to know him, huh?" Guy reached over and gave Zabuza a hard pat on the shoulder.
"Even demons know about table manners." Zabuza rubbed the spot Guy patted. "Unlike those two students of yours."
"Hey, we're hungry, dying takes it out of a guy!" Naruto said through a mouth-full of food. The room grew quiet after Naruto's ill-worded sentence. The only sound in the room was Hinata's chopsticks as they snapped to pieces in her hands.
She put her hands on the table and slowly stood up. "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling very hungry at the moment." She turned and walked out of the house.
"Don't worry, Haku never has been good at making friends." Zabuza said offhandedly.
"Speak for yourself." Haku muttered.
"What was that?" Zabuza looked over threateningly.
"Nothing!" Haku replied a little too quickly.
"Ah…damn." Naruto started to stand up. Then he paused. "Hey, Haku, you haven't touched your food."
"It looks very delicious. However, someone broke my arms and I find it quite hard to eat without them." Haku attempted to move his arms in their splints to prove his point. They all got it well enough.
"Right, my bad. You know, thought you killed Naruto and all. I could feed you if you want!" Lee picked up his chopsticks and began to try to feed Haku.
"No, no, that's okay. Zabuza-san's got me." Haku attempted to say politely. Zabuza snorted.
"A splendid idea! A teacher feeding his student in his time of need. You really are a good guy Zabuza!"
"I'm not feeding him. And don't call me by my first name." Zabuza crossed his arms in defiance.
"Please, Zabuza-san, I'm really hungry." Haku opened his mouth wide.
Tazuna smiled brightly. Finally a chance to get in the conversation. "Yeah, Zabuza. Be a pal and feed the poor guy!" The look Zabuza gave him shut him up for the rest of the night.
That was the last thing Naruto saw as he snuck quietly out of the room after Hinata. He stepped outside and looked around. She was no where in sight. "Of course this wouldn't be easy." Naruto sighed.
"Naruto." Lee's voice caused Naruto to jump up in surprise. "We have to talk." Naruto turned around slowly to look at his teammate.
"Look, Bushy Brow, I got something else to fix first. Once I get Hinata to forgive me, we can settle this." Naruto had a good idea what Lee wanted to talk about and he didn't want to discuss it.
"No, we are going to talk about the Kyuubi, right now." Naruto hated it when he was right. Good thing it wasn't very often he was right.
"What's to discuss? I was conscious when you said you accepted me. I don't know a lot of the details myself if that's what you want." Naruto raised his hands in front of himself defensively.
Lee shook his head. "That is not it. You have to tell Hinata."
"What? No way! She's pissed off right now, there's bound to be a better time. Besides, what's it matter to you?" Naruto shrugged Lee's words off.
"We are teammates, of course it is important." Lee took a breath. "Anyways, Hinata and I...kind of tried to find out on our own. We did not come up with the answer. We were supposed to find out together. Of course, because of the law, and because I respect your privacy, I cannot tell her myself." Lee smiled sheepishly.
"You guys what?" Naruto's mouth hung open in shock.
"What is done, is done. We wanted to know but figured you would not tell us." Lee was defensive now.
"Well you know why now. Don't you understand why I don't want anyone else to know?" Naruto was practically yelling now.
"You know Hinata would accept you, do you not?" Lee's voice was barely above a whisper.
Naruto, who had been ready to shout again, paused. "You're right, Bushy Brow. I'm sorry. I'll tell her, I swear. Just not right now."
Lee smiled at him. "Thank you, Naruto. Now go find Hinata." Lee gave him the thumbs up.
Naruto returned the gesture. "Will do! I'll be back with her in no time!" He turned around and ran off into the forest.
Hinata was crouched over the side of the river. She was washing her hands, again. Hinata found herself washing them whenever the thought of Gatou's death crossed her mind. She was scrubbing fiercely now. Soon, her hands were bleeding from the rough way she was treating them. "I'm such an idiot." She finally leaned back. She sat the edge of the water, watching her reflection. Her hands dripped blood onto the ground. "Why did I have to make a scene like that? Everyone else is trying to get along." A tear slid from her face and hit the running water.
"Hinata!" Hinata jumped in surprise. She turned her head just in time to see Naruto emerge from the brush. "There you are!" Naruto smiled down at her. "I've been looking everywhere for…what happened to your hands?" The smile on Naruto's face was replaced by a concerned frown. Her hands were raw, red, and bleeding.
"Oh, it's nothing." Hinata stood up and placed her hands behind her back.
"It's not nothing. Show them to me!" Naruto snarled as he walked up. He stood inches from Hinata. She looked away from him nervously. "Hinata!" The sternness in his voice caused Hinata to meet his eyes. Once she did, she wasn't able to refuse him. She slowly moved her hands from behind her back and held them up for Naruto to see. He grabbed her wrists and pulled them even closer. Hinata blushed from the contact.
"Who did this to you?" Naruto's voice cam out feral.
"No one did it to me! It was…I did it, Naruto-kun." The anger in Naruto's eyes disappeared. Confusion took its place.
"To yourself? But why, Hinata? Why would you do this to yourself?" Naruto was trying to fathom ideas in his head as to why. He wasn't able to come up with any.
"You heard about what happened after you…after you passed out?" Hinata couldn't bring herself to use the "D" word.
"Huh? Yeah I did. I heard how you kicked a bunch of ass! You even killed the head boss!" Naruto brightened momentarily.
"That's the problem!" Hinata shouted.
Naruto's mouth fell open in shock. "What do you mean?"
"I killed a man, Naruto-kun! I killed him and didn't even think twice about it!" Naruto was caught completely off-guard by this outburst. Hinata never shouted. "In fact, I was happy when he died. To me, I had avenged you. I'm an awful person. I feel like a demon!"
"That's not true!" Naruto interrupted Hinata. He gripped a little harder on her wrists. "Hinata, you're not a bad person! Do you know what that man has done to this country? You did these people a huge favor! You've freed them!"
"That doesn't mean I had to enjoy killing him!" Hinata interrupted him now. "Enjoying someone's death is something demons do!"
"You're not a demon! I would know! I talked with a real one today!" They both stopped shouting for a minute after Naruto's latest outburst.
"What do you mean?" Hinata broke the silence, with a much quieter voice. Naruto let go of her wrists and looked away now. "Naruto-kun."
"When I went under, I woke up in my subconscious." Naruto still wasn't facing her. "While I was down there. I met the Kyuubi no Yoko."
"What?" Hinata's head was spinning. "The Kyuubi no Yoko? How could you have talked to it? The Yondaime killed it…unless…"
"That's right. He didn't kill it. He sealed it inside of a newborn infant." Naruto finally met her eyes.
"Inside of you." Hinata said the words but she wasn't even aware of it. Her mind was in a distant place. All thoughts of Gatou and her guilt were gone. Everything snapped into place. Naruto's massive chakra reserves, the seal, the villagers hate. "The law, the reason the villagers hate you. It's all because of that?"
Naruto didn't see where this was going. A second ago it had been about cheering her up. "Well ye-"
"Idiots!" Hinata lunged into Naruto and hugged him hard.
"What?" Naruto stumbled backwards slightly from her newest hug.
"The whole village is just a big group of idiots! I can't believe they would treat you that way for something so stupid!" Tears welled up in her eyes.
If Naruto hadn't been in shock before, he was now. Silence settled around them for a few moments as he let her words sink in. When they did, he burst into laughter. Hinata' tears stopped momentarily from the surprise. She was about to ask why he was laughing but Naruto finally returned the hug. This motion brought Hinata completely back into reality. She started to blush heavily.
"They may be idiots, but we're sworn to protect them." Naruto released the hug and took a couple steps backwards. He was now an arms length away. "Besides, they're not all bad, some really good people live there too." Naruto smiled brightly at her.
"It'll be awhile before I'll able to forgive any of them." Hinata wiped away the last of her tears. Suddenly another thought hit Hinata. "Lee-senpai needs to-"
"He already knows." Naruto interrupted. Hinata's eyes widened. "I told him when I thought I was going to die. Speaking of which. Can't you forgive Haku? I mean, he purposely avoided my vitals. If it had been anyone else, I might actually be dead. I know you must be mad. I mean, I'd be mad if I thought one of my friends was killed too."
Hinata stared quietly at Naruto for a minute. He felt himself growing kind of nervous under her intense gaze. He couldn't even begin to fathom what was running through her head now. "It will be very difficult for me to forgive him, Naruto-kun."
"Yeah I-"
"Please listen." Naruto stopped. Hinata didn't often interrupt people. "You said you would be mad if you thought a friend had died." Naruto nodded, even more confused. "Lee-senpai has already forgiven Haku. Maybe it's because he feels bad because he broke his arms. Or maybe it's because he views you as just a friend. But to me, Naruto-kun, I like you as more than just a friend." Hinata took a step toward him.
"Oh, you mean like best friend?" Naruto snapped his fingers. "Yeah, I can see how that could make it a little harder."
"No, Naruto-kun, not like a best friend." Hinata stepped closer to him again.
"You mean like siblings than?" Naruto was confused again.
Hinata shook her head as she took yet another step towards him. She was right in front of him again.
"I don't understand, what-?" Naruto was cut off as Hinata wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in, capturing his lips with hers. Naruto's eyes grew to the size of saucers. What the hell was going on? Was Hinata kissing him? But why? Did that mean that she liked him in the way it was implying? Surely it must? Since when though? All these thoughts ran through his head in less than two seconds. Which also happened to be the length of the kiss.
Hinata pulled back and looked dreamily at his shocked face. "I'm sorry. But I had to let you know." The only sign she got that he even heard were his eyes as they focused in on her face. "If this mission has taught me anything, it's that I could lose you at a moment's notice. I confessed earlier but you weren't conscious. So I will again."
"Naruto-kun. I love you." Naruto just kept staring. Hinata paused for a second and then continued. "I don't expect you to love me back, but like I said, you had to know." Hinata bowed her head to him and then bolted past in a dead sprint. She disappeared from sight before Naruto even moved.
Thing was, Naruto couldn't bring himself to move. It was like his mind had completely shut down on him. He couldn't even summon up the will to internally yell at himself. Something he was sure he needed right at the moment. Finally, he was able to slowly turn his body in the direction Hinata had ran. As he did, he brought his hand to his lips and touched them. Everything registered at once to him.
"I'm such an idiot!" He held his head with both hands and shouted. "What the hell am I doing standing here like a statue? Hinata's probably more upset than ever!" Wasting no time, Naruto took back off after her. He didn't know what he was going to say but he couldn't leave things the way they were. He could only hope he got to her before she ran into someone else.
Naruto didn't get very far before he almost ran straight into his teacher. Naruto stopped short and tripped. Guy, who had been running on his hands through the forest, jumped to his feet and helped his student to his feet. "Naruto! It warms my heart to see you keeping up with your exercise, but you must watch where you are going. A sprained ankle will ruin any ninja's day!"
"Guy-sensei, did you see Hinata run by?" Naruto frantically looked to see if he could see her at all. He completely ignored what his sensei had said.
"Hinata? I haven't seen her since she left the house. I thought you would have found her by now. It's been awhile." Guy's voice became laced with concern.
"Well…I did find her. But she ran off again." Naruto didn't meet his sensei's eyes.
"Did you two get in a fight?" Guy peered curiously at his student. He wasn't acting like his usual self.
"No, not a fight. It was more of a…misunderstanding." Naruto shuffled his feet nervously.
Guy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "A misunderstanding huh? She didn't happen to tell you anything private did she?"
Naruto froze. He slowly looked up to meet his sensei's gaze. "How did you know?"
Guy smiled brightly. "I am your sensei! There is nothing about my cute students that is hidden from me! Now let me guess, you didn't know how to respond and she ran off while you were in a stupor?"
Naruto's jaw hit the floor. "Guy-sensei. You have to tell me what to do! I don't know where Hinata went! I gotta make this right though!"
"That a boy Naruto!" Guy wrapped his arm around Naruto's shoulders. "She must have went back to the house. Now run back there and poor out your feelings upon her!" He pointed towards the direction of the house.
"Yes, Guy-sensei!" As soon as I figure out my feelings for her Naruto added mentally as he took off towards the house.
The house came into view before Naruto even completely left the forest. Sitting on the porch was Zabuza. He was sharpening his massive sword. Naruto ignored his presence completely as he ran up to the door. He grabbed the handle and was prepared to fling the door open.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Naruto paused. He looked back at Zabuza. He was still sharpening his sword, wasn't even looking in Naruto's direction. Yet he was sure he had heard Zabuza speak.
"Why's that?" Naruto's hand slipped away from the handle.
"That teammate of yours ran back in tears. The bridge builders daughter got a look at her and went into a blind rage, she kicked all the men out of the house so they could have girl time. That never bodes well." Zabuza spoke nonchalantly and continued to sharpen his blade. "If you are indeed, the cause of her tears, than going in there would be suicide for you."
"But it's because she's crying that I have to go in!" Zabuza stopped sharpening. He inspected his sword carefully and ran a finger up it's length. He then stabbed it into the ground.
"Tell me, what do you plan to say to her to stop her tears?" He finally turned to look at Naruto.
"I don't know yet, but I gotta make things better!" Naruto started to reach for the handle again.
"Charging in head first won't make things better without a plan. That's a basic lesson in all ninja academies." Zabuza slammed his hand on the deck.
"This isn't a mission, this is comforting a friend!" Naruto turned back to Zabuza.
"You can apply mission tactics to real life and vice-versa. Use your head. Go in there now and you'll only make her cry more. Sort out your feelings first." Zabuza turned away from Naruto in disgust.
"Feelings? How the hell do you know what this is about, did Hinata tell you?" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the mist ninja.
"Don't be so naive. Anyone could see what's going on here." Naruto lowered his finger.
"Were her feelings that obvious?" Naruto's hair cast a shadow over his eyes.
"I'd say so, she did take on a miniature army for you, after all." Naruto walked over and sat down next to Zabuza. His eyes were still downcast.
"Zabuza, what would you do?" The ex-Kiri ninja sighed.
"What is it with you people and using my first name? Half a day ago we were enemies!" He glared at Naruto but he didn't react. Zabuza sighed again. "How the hell should I know what to do? Being known as the Demon of the Bloody Mist didn't exactly attract the ladies. Why don't you ask your other teammate?" Naruto finally looked forward.
"You're right! I'm going to figure this out no matter what!" Naruto stood up.
"Haku and that clone went to the docks to go fishing, you'll find them there." Zabuza gestured in the general direction they were at.
"Thanks a lot Zabuza!" Naruto took off running.
"Quit using my first name! Or at least add an honorific!" Zabuza shouted after Naruto as he ran away. Zabuza waited until Naruto was out of sight to stand up and pick his sword back up. "Damn it all. I really am getting too soft."
Naruto arrived at the docks and started scanning down the line of them, looking for his teammate.
"Naruto!" Naruto turned to see Inari running up to him. He had a board game in his hand. He stopped just in front of the blond.
"Inari! What's up?" Naruto rubbed his head affectionately.
"I'm borrowing this game from my uncle so Grandpa and I can play. You heard what happened back at home?" Inari held up the game to show Naruto.
"Yeah, I heard." Naruto shuffled nervously at the subject.
"So what brings you here Naruto?" Inari was oblivious to the older boy's fidgeting.
"I'm looking for Haku and Lee." Naruto noticed Inari's eyebrows furrow a little. "What's the matter?"
"I don't get it." Inari said reluctantly.
"Don't get what?" Naruto felt a little better. He wasn't the only one who didn't understand things today.
"How can you guys be some chummy with Haku and Zabuza? They tried to kill you! No one is that forgiving!" Inari stared hard at Naruto waiting for an answer.
Naruto smiled down at Inari. "It's not easy to explain but here it goes. It's because we understand each other."
"Understand each other?" Inari looked even more confused.
"When Gatou betrayed Zabuza we had to team up to stay alive. When you've fought with another person to stay alive a special bond is formed between you. You too share that bond with us as well. You just don't realize it."
"I guess I understand." Inari still looked a little miffed.
"If you don't like that answer than how about this one?" Naruto offered. "It's because we're guys."
"What's that have to do with it?" This answer confused Inari more than before.
"We always get into fights. Sometimes those fights are with your best friends. After it's all over though, we laugh about it and move on. It's what guys do."
Inari stared at Naruto for another minute. "That's confusing." He finally said.
"Not nearly confusing as girls, trust me." Naruto patted Inari on the shoulder and walked past to continue his search.
It didn't take him too long to find the two of them. They were both sitting at the edge of one of the many docks. Lee had a fishing line in the water and Haku appeared to be in some kind of meditation. Naruto approached quietly. Just as he got there the fishing line gave a slight tug.
Haku's eye's popped open. "Now Lee-san!"
"Right!" Lee pulled the line out with all of his strength. This turned out to be a bad idea. The fish came flying out from the water, but the force of the pull quickly sent it flying. Not long after, it landed in the water, far away from the dock.
"That was pretty awesome!" Naruto stared out towards the sea in awe.
"No, it wasn't. Lee-san, I told you to control yourself. It took us awhile to get the fish to come back after you scared them all off with your voice." Haku would have rubbed his temple if his arms weren't broken.
"I apologize, Haku-kun!" Lee began to add a new worm to the line. "I will get it this time! If not, I will catch one hundred fish with my bare hands!"
Haku started at him quietly. "Don't worry, he's always like this." Naruto plopped down in between them.
"Naruto! Have you come to clash wills with the fish as well?" Lee cast the line back into the water.
"There won't be any fish to catch if you keep shouting." Haku mumbled, closing his eyes again.
"You meditating or something?" Naruto peered at Haku curiously.
"I can feel the fish as they move through the water. It is easier to sense them with my eyes closed." Haku didn't even open his eyes to answer.
"That's cool, anyway, I came to ask for advice." Naruto scratched the back of his head as he turned back to Lee.
"Advice? What kind of advice do you need?" Lee peered curiously at his teammate. Naruto was often too proud to ask for advice on things.
"Well…umm…how do I put this?" Naruto spun his hands around in the air as he tried to find the right words. "How bought I ask this? What do you like about Ayame-nee-chan?" Naruto finally asked.
"She is an incredibly attractive woman!" Lee didn't hesitate at all. "She comes off stern but really that is just because she really cares about people. She is outspoken and let's me know exactly what is on her mind. I find these characteristics most youthful. I am most grateful to you for introducing us!" Lee smiled brightly to himself. His thoughts of Ayame quickly pulling him from reality.
"Hmm..." Naruto scratched his chin. "That didn't help at all, actually."
"Perhaps if Lee-san knew why you were asking, he could help give better insight." Haku threw out, eyes still closed.
Naruto sighed. "I guess you're right. Okay Lee, what I'm about to tell you is very secret. Hardly anyone knows about this alright?" Lee pulled himself out of his thoughts and nodded vigorously. "Okay, here it is. Hinata, is in love with me."
A moment of silence followed. "So she finally told you?"
"What the hell, you knew?" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at his teammate.
"It was obvious to everyone." Naruto whipped his finger towards Haku.
"Why the hell was I the only one left out of the loop here? Didn't anyone feel the need to tell me?" Naruto held his head. "How could she go around even telling you and Zabuza?"
"She didn't tell me anything, I very much doubt she confided that information in Zabuza-san as well." Naruto looked at Haku in surprise. Then he turned to Lee questioningly.
"Sorry, she did not tell me either." Lee smiled sadly at his teammate.
Naruto's face lowered. "She never really was sick, huh?" Naruto sounded defeated.
"No, she was blushing because you were there with her." Lee confirmed. "So, she did confess to you?"
"Yeah."
"How did you respond?" Lee leaned in curiously.
"I didn't."
"Huh?" Lee drew back like he'd been slapped. "What do you mean you did not? What happened?"
"I didn't do anything, okay! She caught me completely off guard. First she kissed me and then she told me how she felt! I was so confused that I didn't know what to do! I'm still confused! She ran off crying and now I'm stuck. What the hell do I say to her?" Naruto panted after his outburst.
Lee looked at him closely. He could see the pleading in Naruto's eyes. He was truly lost. "Could it be that you want to turn her down but do not know how?"
"No, that's not it!" Naruto shook his head.
"Then just tell her you want to go out." Lee replied simply.
"That's no good either." Naruto kept shaking his head.
Lee's bushy brows furrowed. "I do not understand. What is it you want to do then?"
"That's what I'm asking you! How am I supposed to respond?" Lee felt the line tug.
"Lee-san pull now!" Haku shouted. Lee reacted quickly and pulled not quite so hard this time. The fish came flying out of the water and landed gently on the dock. It flapped around for a few moments and then lay completely still. They all stared quietly at it. "You are asking the wrong question, Naruto-san. Before you can decide what to do, you must decide how you feel."
"How I feel?" Naruto turned to look at Haku.
"Yes, now tell us, how do you feel about Hinata-san? Put your feelings into words." Haku's eyes were wide open as he talked to Naruto now.
"I don't know how I feel. I mean, it's Hinata." Naruto looked away from Haku's gaze.
"That's not good enough. Just "Hinata" tells everyone nothing. Let's try it this way. Do you hate her?" Naruto's head snapped around at the question.
"Of course not!" Naruto met Haku's eyes.
"Then do you dislike her?" Haku pressed on.
"No, I like Hinata. She's the nicest person I've ever met!" Naruto held his gaze.
"But you don't love her." Haku clarified.
"I don't know that." He finally looked away again.
"Don't look away!" Haku barked. "Meet my gaze." Naruto slowly brought his eyes back to meet his. "You say you don't know. But I think the truth is, you're afraid to know. Why is that?"
Naruto's eyes grew wide. He let the question go unanswered for a minute. Finally, his eyes looked resigned. "You're wrong. I'm not afraid. The thing is, I'm not sure if I know how to love."
Haku raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't know how?"
"Yeah that's right. You heard me tell Bushy Brow about my past. I grew up all alone. I had no family, no one who cared for me. I had to learn how to survive by watching everyone else. When I joined the academy, I saw how all the girls threw themselves at Sasuke and always professed their love to him. I thought that was all there was to it. I threw myself at this girl I was sure I was in love with. But now, Hinata who acted completely different, confessed to me, I don't know what to think anymore." Haku searched Naruto's eyes quietly. He finally seemed satisfied.
"Tell me. Do you think Hinata is attractive?" Haku finally asked.
"Attractive?" Naruto's eyes widened again.
"You know, pretty, beautiful, hot. However you want to word it." Haku's voice stayed monotone.
Naruto blushed. "Well…umm…I don't know."
"It's a simple yes or no. Is she attractive to you or isn't she?" Haku said sternly.
"She's cute, okay?" Naruto blushed harder.
Haku looked satisfied. "You said earlier that she is the nicest person you've ever met. What is it about her that made you said that?"
"She always puts others before herself. She compliments me when I do things right. She doesn't get mad or hit me when I do things wrong. When she smiles, it's always sincerely and I've never heard her tell a lie since I've met her." Naruto couldn't explain it. But he felt incredibly comfortable around Haku all the sudden. He felt like he could tell him anything.
"Compared to the other girls in the village, do you like Hinata more?" Haku continued his questioning without pause.
"Definitely. All the other girls are "Sasuke-kun this! Sasuke-kun that!" Not Hinata though." Naruto wanted to spit. Just thinking about the others put a bad taste in his mouth now. Suddenly it hit Naruto like a ton of bricks. He even felt that way about Sakura now. What the heck was happening to him? Naruto's internal confusion grew a little.
"How would you feel if Hinata started going out with another guy. How about this Sasuke-san you brought up?" Lee watched with growing interest as Haku asked his questions. He was really getting to the point.
Naruto felt his mind freeze. Hinata go out with Sasuke? "Not possible." Naruto told himself more than the others.
"Pretend it was. Pretend it actually happened. How would you feel?" Naruto tried picturing it. He was surprised when he felt his chest physically hurting.
That's not all he felt though. "I feel pissed. I wouldn't stand for something like that." Naruto growled out. Haku smiled slightly at his answer
"Far as I can tell, the only thing keeping you from loving Hinata is your own misconception about love." Haku said bluntly.
"Come again?" Haku's smile dropped.
"You are concerned that you don't know how to love. That is all that is holding you back from opening yourself to your teammate." Haku said slowly.
"So you're saying, that I might already love her, I just don't know it yet?" Naruto scratched his head in confusion.
"Close enough." Haku broke his eye contact and stood up. Naruto sat still for a minute, blinking rapidly the whole time. He finally stood up.
"Thanks a lot Haku. I think I know what to say now. I'll talk to you guys later." Naruto waved and then dashed off the way he had come.
Lee, who had sat quietly the whole time, stood up and walked up next to Haku. "What did you do to him?" He asked.
"Oh, nothing much. I just got him to be honest with himself." Haku had a sly smile on his face. "Now, let's get more fish. One definitely isn't enough."
"Yosh! Would you like a turn Haku-kun?" Lee held out the poll towards the feminine boy.
Haku looked down at his own arms. Lee followed his gaze. "Right! Sorry, I'll go for you then." Lee stiffly walked back to his spot.
Naruto raced back to the house. When he got there, Zabuza was no longer on the porch. Instead, Tazuna and Inari sat there playing the board game Inari had been carrying earlier. Naruto ignored them like he did with Zabuza. He marched up to the door and put his hand on the knob.
"Wouldn't do that." Tazuna said. "Tsunami's-"
"Upset, I know, but I know what I'm going to say this time." Without any further ado, Naruto opened the door and walked in, leaving a bewildered Inari and Tazuna.
Naruto stepped into the kitchen but didn't see anyone. So he walked into the next room. There, he saw Tsunami and Hinata sitting on the couch. Hinata wasn't crying at this point and her hands were now bandaged. They had a pot of tea sitting in front of them and Tsunami seemed happy enough. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. Naruto's train of thought was broke off as Tsunami turned and looked at him. Her smiling face was instantly replaced by a dark scowl.
"Just in time." Tsunami snarled. "I've got a bone to pick with you." She sat up and started to cross the room. Naruto gulped but stood firm.
"Please, let me talk to Hinata first." Naruto said boldly. "Alone. After I'm done you can say whatever you want." Tsunami stopped right in front of him. She glared down at him.
"Why should I?" She put her hands on her hips. "You shouldn't-"
"Please." Naruto interrupted. He knew he was taking a risk here, but he wasn't going to be deterred.
Tsunami glared at him for another second before she turned to look at Hinata. "What do you say?" Hinata looked down and blushed heavily.
Pushing her index fingers together, she finally spoke. "I'll talk to him." Tsunami looked back at Naruto reluctantly.
"You have five minutes!" She stormed towards the door. She opened it only to have Inari and Tazuna stumble in. "How many times have I told you guys not to lean on the door to listen to people? You two haven't changed at all!" Naruto flinched as he heard the door slam. He was still looking at Hinata who sat on the couch.
Naruto took a few deep breaths to steady his heart rate. "Hinata." She looked up and locked eyes with him. Naruto swallowed and walked over to where she was. He sat down on the opposite side of the couch. "I'm sorry." Naruto finally said.
"No. I'm the one who is sorry, Naruto-kun!" Hinata said quickly. She took a breath to say more but Naruto shook his head at her.
"You're not at fault here, Hinata. Please listen to me, this is my answer to your confession." Hinata's mouth snapped shut. Her blush remained on her face.
"Thank you, for confessing to me, but you know, I haven't even really known you all that long. We do train together everyday but we don't really hang out. I always thought of you as a really good friend, but never as a girlfriend." Hinata looked down sadly. "Saying it like that is kind of rude, huh?" Naruto joked slightly. "But, if it's ok with you, do you want to try going out?"
Hinata looked up in surprise. "Eh?"
"Well, I mean, we're going to get to know each other better anyways, aren't we? If that's the case, saying we are going out, instead of just being friends during that time would be kind of nice." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck.
"So then…" Hinata couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was like a conversation she thought doomed to stay in her dreams.
"So then starting from now on, you're my girlfriend, alright?" Naruto did his best to make himself look as confident as his words sounded. Tears started to slide down Hinata's face. They started coming too fast for her to stop. She began wiping them away. "He-Hey." Naruto stuttered. This wasn't the reaction he had been expecting.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun." Hinata wiped away more tears. "The tears just won't stop coming. I'm happy." She paused to wipe away more tears. "I'm so happy." Naruto smiled awkwardly at her.
"So how did it go?" Lee asked from where he lay on the ground. He, Naruto, Zabuza, Haku, and Guy were all sleepingin the living room. Hinata had gotten to sleep in Tsunami's room with her and Tazuna and Inari each took their own rooms as normal.
"Well, it went pretty good, actually." Naruto mumbled, a deep blush on his face. He was glad it was so dark. No one was able to see his face this way.
"What does good mean?" Haku called from the couch. They had all agreed that he could have it since his arms were broken. "Are you two going out or did you shoot her down and she took it well?"
"Since when did you care about others and their relationships, Haku?" Zabuza actually spoke up.
"I don't want to hear that from you right now, Zabuza-san. From what I hear, you also gave him advice." Zabuza had nothing to say to that.
"We're going out now." Naruto took the chance to answer Haku's question. "Although honestly, it doesn't feel like anything has changed. Is it supposed to be like that?"
"Feelings don't just change over night. It'll take time for you to actually feel it." Zabuza muttered quietly but everyone heard him.
"I told you, you're getting soft." Guy chuckled from his corner of the room.
"Don't make me get my sword." Zabuza knew his threat was empty, but he said it anyways.
"Speaking of the manner of your new relationship, Naruto. We have to talk now." Guy ignored the threat and addressed his student.
"Huh? What do you mean, Guy-sensei?" Naruto didn't like the tone of his sensei's voice.
"It's nothing big, just information that I am obligated to pass to you as your sensei." Guy waved off Naruto's worries. "It is not uncommon for ninja in the same team to fall in love and enter into a relationship, but you should understand that there are guidelines the two of you have to follow now."
"Guidelines?" No one had mentioned this to him.
"Yes, again, it's nothing big, just standard." Guy again attempted to ease his student's worries. "The first one is simple. Never let your personal feelings get in the way of the mission. Just because you're in love doesn't mean you can throw away the mission to be with her."
"Sounds easy enough." Naruto sighed in relief. These wouldn't be so bad.
"Next. No sex during a mission. This is ve-"
"What the hell are you saying? We're not even close to that yet! We ju-" Naruto's mouth was clamped shut by Lee.
"Shh...you'll wake everyone up." That was the last thing Naruto ever wanted to hear from Lee who was constantly shouting himself.
"I'm being serious here Naruto. Don't disregard these rules just because they seem impractical now." Guy warned his student.
"Whatever, tell me more tomorrow, I'm going to sleep." Naruto rolled over and placed his pillow over the top of his head.
Zabuza chuckled. "How childish."
"I never noticed how big of a hypocrite you are until today Zabuza-san."
"What was that?" Zabuza shot up but Haku appeared to be snoring in his sleep. "We'll see how funny you think that is when I have Lee feeding you tomorrow." Zabuza plopped back down. No one said anything else the rest of the night, but Haku did have nightmares about Zabuza's threat.
The next day, all the shinobi except Haku were busily running around the bridge as they helped to construct it. "How the hell did this happen?" Zabuza grumbled out curses as he continued to work.
"You were so wracked with guilt that you decided to lend us a hand." Guy answered enthusiastically. He was doing twice the workload of everyone else.
"No, I mean how come it is only us Shinobi helping construct this bridge? What about the others in this village?" What Zabuza said was true. Other than Tazuna, they were the only ones here on the bridge working on it.
"This village is a bunch of stuck-up jerks! That's what happened! Once I finish building this bridge for them, I'm moving out of this country! I'm sick of it!" Tazuna continued to hammer away at the support beams.
"Why not move into Konoha?" There were Narutos running around everywhere. This was the first time Guy had ever given him permission to make more than three clones.
"Konoha, huh?" Tazuna stopped working and gazed at the sky as he thought. "That doesn't sound half bad actually, you think they would be in need of a construction worker like myself?" Tazuna smiled brightly at the thought.
"I'm sure that once we told them about how brave you are you would have job offers flying in from every company in the village!" Guy boomed from the other side of the bridge.
"They might even try to make you a Shinobi." Lee joked as he brought over a large sum of wooden planks.
"A Shinobi, huh? Hey, I bet you if they did, it'd only take a couple months before they made me Hokage!" Tazuna let out a big laugh as all the Narutos around him shook their heads.
"Speaking of bringing people back, what are we going to do about Zabuza and Haku-kun?" Lee jogged up to his sensei as he asked his question.
"Hmm...that's a good question. I would like to bring them back if we could, but we have to consider our relationship with Kirigakure after all. Come the next Chunin Exams there will be no hiding either of them. Wars have been started on less, after all." Guy set down his workload and scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Certainly we could make a deal with them. Or at least hide the fact that we took them. Why don't we say they are our prisoners?" Guy shook his head to all Lee's suggestions.
"None of those will do. We need something better than that." Guy rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he stared at the topics of their conversation.
"How about they were working for Konoha the whole time?" Guy perked up at Lee's newest suggestion.
"Explain that." Guy was curious as to where he was going with this.
"Konoha could have hired Zabuza to sneak into Gatou's employ and act as a double agent. When we got the information we needed, we staged a battle to draw Gatou out of hiding. When that was successful, we took Gatou's life. It was all one big test to see if Zabuza could be trusted. Since he wasn't really an enemy it would also explain why the Hokage sent fresh genin on such a mission. There was no actual ninja opponent so it still counts as a C-rank for us. Surely Kirigakure couldn't complain if we decided to make him our own that way?" Guy ran what Lee just said through his head several times.
"With some adjusting, that might work!" Guy smiled brightly. "Good job, Lee!"
"Thank you, Guy-sensei!" Guy nodded at him and turned to everyone on the bridge.
He cleared his throat to get their attention. "It's been decided!" Guy announced. "Zabuza and Haku shall come back to the Konoha with us!" Everyone but Guy himself jumped as a loud clang hit the bridge. Zabuza, who had been holding onto a huge pile of wood, dropped them down in surprise. Suddenly his face contorted in anger.
"What the hell do you think you're talking about? Why should I go back to the village with you? I will not be anyone's prisoner. I'll fight to the death first!" Zabuza began to reach for his sword.
"Not as a prisoner. As one of us!" Zabuza looked surprised. Haku also couldn't hide the emotion from his face. Guy began to explain Lee's plan to them.
"You mean, we could really be the Shinobi of a village?" Haku whispered in awe.
"That's right! The Hokage is a kind man. He'd agree to the plan in no time. It'd be easy to make it look true." A smile broke onto Haku's face. This was like a dream come true. He turned to Zabuza in excitement only to have his hopes dashed. Zabuza did not look pleased with the idea.
"What makes you think I want to join your village? I have a dream to become the Mizukage! I can't do that if I'm part of Konoha!" Haku was right. Zabuza was not pleased. Not one bit.
"There are ways around that. We may not be in an alliance with Kiri right now, but it won't be that way forever. Someday, there is bound to be a way to get you back there. For now, this gets you off the missing-nin list. You don't have to live in hiding!" Guy implored Zabuza to see his reason. "I am doing this for you!"
"You don't have to do anything for me! I've always been fine on my own! I don't need someone else now! I especially don't need an entire village!" Zabuza spat.
"What the hell is Haku to you then?" Naruto shouted this time. Zabuza had gone too far. "Isn't he your friend? Haven't you relied on him for years? How can you say you don't need anybody?"
"Haku is a tool, nothing more! What would you know?" Zabuza glared at him.
"You don't believe that and you know it! You have a kind side but you're just afraid of showing it! But I saw it yesterday! You helped me out when I was at my worst! It's thanks to you that I didn't make things worse!" Naruto panted from his outburst.
Zabuza was about to respond but Guy cut him off. "In the end of it all, you really were concerned about Haku. It had been you who bandaged his arm. It was you in finally fed him his food yesterday. He means something to you. Can't you see he wants to have a home? Can't you at least give him that?"
Zabuza didn't respond. He turned to look at Haku. For a minute Haku looked back at him but then looked away. "I am to be used as you see fit, Zabuza-san. I exist solely for fulfilling your dream. Nothing else." Zabuza closed his eyes. Those were the words Haku had said to him when they fled from Kiri. When they had lost their home.
"Well said, child. Okay, we'll go to Konoha." Haku spun around to look at him in surprise. "You need time to heal somewhere. Besides, they have numerous training grounds. You can become truly strong there and together we'll make my dream a reality."
Haku couldn't hide his huge smile.
After only a week of work the Shinobi had managed to complete the bridge. Having accomplished this task they now stood with their backpacks and gear, ready to depart the village. Zabuza and Haku didn't have much so the shirtless man was able to carry both of their stuff since Haku's arms were still broken. The group just had to wait for a couple more people before they departed.
"Hey!" They all turned at the sound of Tazuna's voice. The old man, Tsunami, and Inari were all walking up to the group, bags on each of their backs as well. "Sorry we took so long, thanks for waiting." Tazuna bowed to all the Shinobi.
Guy waved his apology off. "It is no problem, it takes time to prepare. Are you sure about this though? I know we offered but I never thought you would actually leave the country that has been your home for your whole life."
"Yeah, I finished this bridge for them. These ungrateful bastards are lucky I even did that. Far as I'm concerned it's good riddance." Tazuna patted Inari on the head before he continued speaking. "Besides, this place is full of nothing but sad memories for Inari. It'll do us all some good to make a fresh start."
"I'm glad to see you are resolute about your decision. I promise you will all enjoy yourselves in Konoha." Guy smiled happily at the family in front of him.
"Well then, let's get going!" Naruto turned and pointed down the bridge. "I can't wait to get home and show you around the village!"
"It wasn't too long ago and you couldn't wait to leave the village." Lee laughed at his friend as the group started moving down the long bridge.
"Hey, the mission is pretty much over. We got to get back so we can get another one." Naruto crossed his arms and attempted to look miffed.
"I think it'll be awhile before I'm ready to go on another C-rank mission. My heart isn't as full of youth as it used to be, it almost stopped so many times." Guy actually looked visibly sick from the thought of everything that had occurred over the past few weeks.
"If I was that type of guy, I would apologize to you for all the misfortune." Zabuza chuckled darkly.
"You never know, hanging around with this group might change you faster than you think." Tazuna couldn't describe the feeling he had right now. If he had to guess, he'd say he felt younger than he had in a long time. Like some hard burden had just been lifted from his shoulders. Regardless of what it was, it was incredible, and he owed it all to the Shinobi he walked beside now.
"Say, Tazuna-san." The old bridge-builder was pulled from his reflection by Haku's soft voice. "I was wondering, since we finished this bridge, shouldn't we give it a name?"
"You didn't notice, we already named it?" It was Inari who spoke up for Tazuna instead. "We'll see the sign for it when we reach the other end."
"Oh, I didn't notice. What is it called?" Haku sounded surprised that they were already ahead of him.
"Well, I tell you, at first I had a hard time thinking up a suitable name." Tazuna had been waiting for an opportunity to give this speech. "But then I got thinking about how we came to be able to complete it. It was thanks to the fact that two group of enemy ninja teamed up. It was by bonding and working together that in the end we were all able to accomplish my dream." Tazuna looked down at Naruto and Hinata who were holding hands as they walked down the bridge. "The bridge that connected not just two countries, but two groups of people." Tazuna wiped the tears from his eyes.
"The Great Bridge of Unity."