(A/N): I'm glad everyone is enjoying this story so far. I thoroughly enjoy writing it. It is great to get reviews, so please do continue to leave a review with some feedback! Many have said this story is underrated =) so help me build up those reviews!
This chapter was a bit hard to write. But it is my longest chapter yet!
Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto or any of its characters
CHAPTER TEN – THE FIGHT
Naruto yawned and stretched lazily as he waited for his water to heat up so he could prepare his fourth cup of instant ramen. He had allowed himself to have a day off the day after the mission to Nobu and decided to spend some time looking through the Konoha education budget files that he had borrowed from Shizune. He didn't think he would get so engrossed in the files, but he read through every line of the big charts for the past ten years. Usually he hated anything to do with numbers as he had been terrible at math at the Academy, but he found himself using a pencil to circle interesting numbers and annotate margins with the questions that popped into his mind. He had barely noticed how much time had gone by until his stomach growled angrily and he realized he had been going at it for three hours!
He finally saw the amounts that had been allotted to the arts fund prior to Orochimaru's attack, and he was surprised that the costs were so small compared to other spend areas. He had thought the arts fund would have been expensive since it had been one of the first things to go once the reconstruction started, but it was nothing compared to the amounts he saw for other random line items. Ten thousand ryo a year just for the Education chairman to travel to other countries and attend educational conferences? He had seen the Education chairman once or twice he thought. A wrinkly old fart who seemed to have a stick up his ass. The arts fund cost only a fraction of the amount he used for his little vacations.
Then there was the budget for building maintenance. The forecasted amounts were constantly higher than the actual amounts spent, no matter which year you looked at. Why allocate so much there when it wasn't even all used?
He sat back down with a steaming hot cup of ramen and chewed slowly while he remained deep in thought. There should definitely be enough money for the arts fund. It barely cost anything compared to other expenses and there was excess spend everywhere. He had used a separate piece of paper to capture all the spend areas that he thought were fishy, but he was a bit lost trying to calculate how much they could save to revive the arts fund.
I need help with this part, he thought. Maybe Sakura or Shikamaru could figure it out...
He had thought about showing it to Hinata, but for some reason he didn't want to reveal anything to her just yet. He didn't even know why he was getting so caught up with this.
It's because it would be important for the students!
He nodded vigorously.
That made sense, for sure!
And while that was true, he knew deep down it wasn't the whole thing.
HMMM... YES I BELIEVE I KNOW THIS FEELING QUITE WELL.
Naruto sat up straight and then slouched again when he registered that it was just the Kyuubi.
Oh yeah? And what feeling is that exactly? he answered tiredly.
THIS IS THE SAME FEELING I HAD WHEN I WAS COURTING MY MATE. SHE WAS PURPOSEFULLY MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO CLAIM HER SO I HAD TO RESORT TO -
Wait... you have a mate?! Naruto thought in disbelief.
The Kyuubi sighed. It had accepted long ago that Naruto had no qualm with interrupting him.
YES... AND THAT IS ALL I WILL SAY ON THE MATTER! it snarled as it felt Naruto's follow up questions stacking up rapidly. Naruto frowned and sat back as the Kyuubi continued.
I HAD TO WIN HER BY BRINGING HER GIFTS. I BROUGHT HER THE CARCASSES OF MY ENEMIES, THE SOULS OF THE HUMANS I HAD KILLED, I EVEN-
Can you skip to the point, please? Naruto gritted his teeth, trying not to visualize the gory details.
The Kyuubi grumbled. YOU WANT TO MAKE HER ACCEPT YOU BY PRESENTING HER WITH THIS GIFT, SOMETHING YOU KNOW THAT SHE WANTS. BY DOING THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MATE WITH HER AND HAVE MANY ANNOYING DISGUSTING HUMAN OFFSPRING.
Naruto blushed all the way to his ears. Th-that's not true! he responded angrily. I'm not doing any of this just to get into her pants! Hinata is my friend and I don't know if anything might come out of any of this, and I don't want to get her hopes up!
He sat back with a smirk, satisfied with his response.
The Kyuubi laughed slowly. AH, I SEE. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MAKE ANY PROMISES THAT YOU CANNOT KEEP, JUST LIKE HOW YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD BRING BACK YOUR PRECIOUS UCHIHA...
Naruto stood up quickly. I've had enough. he said inwardly in a low voice. He concentrated to pull up a mental wall between him and the Kyuubi, and clenched his teeth as he heard the Kyuubi's roaring laughter fade away slowly.
He let out a breath and threw his pencil down in irritation, his mood ruined. The Kyuubi had hit a nerve when it challenged his ability to make good on his promise regarding Sasuke. Despite his steadfast determination and persistence, there were times where even he felt discouraged and worried that bringing home Sasuke may indeed never happen.
He shook his head furiously from side to side. He knew the Kyuubi liked to rile him up and that he shouldn't listen to anything it says. Regardless, he no longer had the motivation to continue reading through the files. He felt like punching something instead.
He turned abruptly to head to his room and change into his jumpsuit. It would be good to let some of his anger out at the training grounds.
Hinata knelt statue-like on the floor pillow in the uncomfortably quiet meeting room. To each of her sides sat a row of men, so old that their leathery skin hung in folds around their necks and forearms. On the low table before her were cups of hot jasmine tea. And directly across from her was her father, Hyuuga Hiashi, sitting stoically.
"Hinata-sama, have you talked to Umino Iruka about our recommendation?" said one elder to her left in a wheezy voice.
Hinata bowed her head ever so slightly. "Yes. I told him of the teacher candidates from the short list the council had put together and he said he would consider their histories." she said, her voice devoid of emotion. Another elder leaned forward.
"We have already very diligently collected detailed accounts of each of their levels of experience. They are considered to be some of the finest teachers in the Fire Country. And they are all available to start immediately." he said, his pale pupil-less eyes, which lacked any of the softness or beautiful coloring that Hinata's possessed, bored straight into hers. "There should be no reason for him to have to spend time researching their backgrounds."
Hinata pressed her lips together in a tight line. It has been this way ever since she started teaching. At first her clan did not think much of it, thinking it was a short-term position that would only last a few months. But once she took the full-time role, their stance changed rapidly. Initially they had confronted her directly about it, immediately rejecting her own "selfish" desires to pursue her interests, and threatened to raise hell if she continued to work at the Academy. Luckily, when she told Iruka about it, he stubbornly refused to let the Hyuuga clan have its way, and he escalated the issue all the way to Tsunade.
Many knew the Fifth Hokage did not feel any kind of love towards the strict Hyuuga clan with its "better-than-thou" ideology, and she gladly whipped up several counter attacks, including making Hinata's teaching role into a long-term C rank mission. She cited that more teachers were needed to prepare the next generation of shinobi, as Konoha had to ensure they could fill the gaping hole in their shinobi resource pool created by Orochimaru's deadly attack.
That clever move kept Hinata's clan at bay for a while, although the Hokage couldn't protect her from the disdainful comments shot at her during countless clan meetings. But over time the clan became increasingly cunning in their efforts to end Hinata's "mission". This discussion was part of their latest attempt to thwart Hinata, which focused on finding new teachers to eliminate the apparent "lack" of educational staff.
She had indeed shown Iruka the list of teachers. He had turned down his nose at all the names, recognizing them and noting that they taught in the same old style that paled in comparison to Hinata's innovative methodology. He told her that he would find a way to work around this latest threat to her happiness.
"I understand, and he thanks you all for the additional effort. It is routine for the head teacher of the Academy to perform his own review of teaching candidates and he will use your input as well as his own." she replied diplomatically.
The elders murmured amongst themselves, obviously irked. Many looked to Hyuuga Hiashi, who had been silent for most of the discussion.
He finally inclined his head. "We hope that Iruka-san is able to come to a decision...soon." he said in a deep, clipped tone, maintaining eye contact with his daughter as he pronounced that last word. "It is long overdue that you finish your time at the Academy and prepare yourself for clan leadership. Teaching at the Ninja Academy is not a position that is fit for the heiress of the Hyuuga main branch."
Hinata felt warmth rising to her cheeks, but it wasn't the same reaction that occurred when Naruto was around. She was tired, tired of hearing the same thing repeatedly. She didn't want to prepare for clan leadership. She didn't want to lead a group of people who thought they were better than everyone else, who inflicted the caged bird seal on their own family members to control them and maintain this ridiculous set up of main branch versus side branch. These people never supported her and made her think she was worthless for years. It wasn't until she worked under Yuhi Kurenai did she realize that her family's methods were wrong, and that she had self-worth, that her feelings and thoughts were valid.
But she maintained her rigid posture and bowed her head again once more. "Yes tou-sama. I understand your concerns. I am just working to ensure that we do not disrupt the student's routines with a sudden teacher transition."
Hiashi looked at her with narrowed eyes. But the meeting was ending, so he nodded curtly and waved his hand to indicate to the others that the discussion was adjourned.
Hinata quickly rose and turned on her heel to leave the room before any of the elders tried to throw a few more condescending words her way. Even though she wanted to run, she walked briskly through the long hallways towards the residential end of the compound. She was almost positive the elders and her father were watching her retreat with their Byakugan.
She clenched her hands, her fingernails digging into her palms. She was always running away. She never could speak up for herself, instead letting others fight her battles for her, like Iruka and even the Hokage! She was such a coward!
Finally making it to her room, she closed the door not too lightly and slid to the floor, her back against the wall.
I don't know if I can hold them off any longer, she thought weakly. Even if we reject all their "replacements" they will just find another way. I wouldn't be surprised if they restrained me by force one of these days.
And then... she gritted her teeth. Then they would lock her in the compound like a prisoner, only able to go outside during her Gentle Fist training sessions. She would be thrown into meetings for hours, being subjected to listening to the prattling elders who grumbled about disrespectful branch members or discussed ways to ensure the Hyuuga's self-righteous interests were represented in the Office of the Hokage.
But the thing that scared her the most, even more than a hundred clan meetings or an Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms strike to the chest, were the dreaded two words...
Arranged marriage.
Her breathing quickened as her anxiety grew. No. Above everything, she could not let that happen. She envisioned Naruto, smiling at her, talking to her. He was The One, the only one she could ever love. She knew no one could ever compare to the blond ninja with piercing blue eyes.
Feeling sick to her stomach, she looked around her room. She didn't want to be here. But where could she go?
Her eyes fell on the scroll that held her water fans. A small smile finally appeared on her face. Yes...that was exactly what she wanted to do.
Hinata walked at a clipped pace, eager to get as far away from her home as possible. It was starting to get chillier as the days went by, and a brisk wind was picking up, yanking dying leaves from the trees and making her zip up her pink hoodie. She turned a corner and crossed the street, breathing deeply as she saw the entrance to the training grounds before her. She was glad she decided to come here.
She stepped past the gate and kept moving, her footsteps muffled by the soft grass. Practically jogging now, she made her way towards the practice posts.
She came to the peak of a small hill and suddenly stopped. There was someone else in the training area below, standing in the middle of three heavily scratched wooden posts. Her throat tightened as she saw the achingly familiar tuft of spiky blond hair.
The person turned around when she gasped, blue eyes meeting lavender ones.
"...Hinata?"
Uzumaki Naruto turned to fully face her, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
Hinata couldn't stop a blush from coloring her face. "H-hello, Naruto-kun!" she stammered. Oh, why did he have to be here now? She didn't want him to catch her in this bad mood.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Hey! Long time no see!" he said, chuckling at his little joke, seeing as they had just seen each other less than 24 hours ago.
Hinata smiled faintly but couldn't return the laugh. "Are you here to train?" she asked, looking at the kunai in his hand. Naruto looked down at the weapon he was holding.
"Yeah, I literally just got here." he replied, looking back up at her. She hadn't moved from her position at the top of the hill.
"Oh, okay, well I'll let you do that then..." she said softly, turning to try and leave.
Naruto blinked and raised up a hand. "Hey, wait, are you here to train too?" She paused and looked back at him.
"Um, well yes. I can use the Academy training ground though." she said in what she hoped was a casual tone.
Naruto cocked his head. "But…why? I mean, there's a lot of room here... I'm not going to take up the whole place." he said with a light laugh. "We could... share? You could use this post, and I'll use this one!" He pointed to the relevant spots.
Hinata wavered. She had been wanting alone time, but could she pass up another chance to be with Naruto?
"Well...if it's okay..." she answered slowly. Naruto smiled wider.
"Yeah of course! Come on down." he said, motioning for her to come. She stepped delicately down the small hill towards him, and he led her to the three posts planted into the ground.
"Hah, you know, I'm kind of surprised that you'd come here to train. Don't you usually go to the lake?" he said conversationally.
Hinata nodded. "I do, but sometimes I do come here as well. You don't need to be near a body of water to do water jutsus." she replied. Naruto rubbed his chin.
"Yeah I guess you're right! That would make water bending pretty hard." he mused.
They stopped as they approached Hinata's post, and she set down her small backpack a few feet from the post.
"What are you doing to do?" Naruto asked, watching her stand back up.
"I'll just do a bit of taijutsu..." she said quietly. Naruto nodded.
"Ok, well I'll just be over here." he said, pointing a thumb behind him at the other post. Hinata nodded and turned away from him to begin focusing.
Naruto walked slowly back to his initial position in front of the post a few feet away. He knew Hinata was a pretty quiet person, but today she seemed even more taciturn than usual. That coupled with her initially not wanting to train with him made him feel uneasy. Did she not want to be around him?
He looked back over at her. She was going through a few stretches. He watched as she rotated her wrists and stretched her hamstrings, bending down and to the side to touch her left toes, and then her right ones.
She had on an oversized pink hoodie that hung all the way to her upper thigh, and black spandex leggings that hugged her legs down to where her knee high open toed boots began. He flushed as he watched her bend over and turned swiftly, letting out his breath in a huff.
He stared down the thick wooden post as he fingered the kunai in his hand. He had been wanting to try something he had seen Sarutobi Asuma do with his own kunai. By encasing his kunai with his wind element chakra, Asuma could make the weapon several times deadlier when thrown. He had shown Naruto the basics and now Naruto wanted to test it out.
He settled into a flexible stance and began to channel his wind element, pushing it out from his right fingertips and along the handle of the kunai. Wisps of wind chakra flailed away as he tried to contain it, and he gritted his teeth in concentration. When he felt like he had a decent hold, he drew his right arm back, and flung hard at the center of the post.
The kunai stuck into the wood with a deep thud. Naruto ran over to the post, and saw that while the kunai had gone a bit deeper into the wood, it was nothing compared to what Asuma did. Naruto furrowed his brow as he thought of how Asuma's kunai had blown a hole straight through a tree thicker than the wooden post in front of him. This wasn't as easy as he had thought.
He heard a sequence of similar thuds behind him and he turned to see Hinata landing a series of blows on her post with her hands and legs. She methodically aimed at various kill points and weak spots from top to bottom of her makeshift enemy. He watched her graceful movements for a moment and wanted to call out words of encouragement, but he saw she was in the zone and he didn't want to interrupt, so he turned back and pulled a second kunai from the pouch tied to his thigh to try again.
The two soon became engrossed in their separate activities.
Hinata clenched her teeth as her mind flooded with more negative thoughts as she landed each blow.
The elders, with their condescending expressions...
She delivered a high kick.
Her father...unyielding, never supportive.
Another chop of the hand.
Her inability to fight them back.
Three quick jabs.
Naruto's mood was similarly growing darker with each throw of his kunai.
Each throw he imagined the weapon hitting Sasuke square in the forehead.
Fucking teme…
His attacks were starting to get stronger and there were several skinny craters in the abused post.
Grunts and pants could be heard as both young shinobi increased their efforts brought on by their pent-up emotions. You could barely call what Hinata was doing as "practicing". Rather, it looked like she was trying to kill the battered wooden post.
Naruto's post didn't look much better. Chunks of wood had begun to splinter off as Naruto, a fast learner, quickly perfected his wind jutsu.
Hinata's hands were a blur as she barraged her wooden opponent, occasionally throwing in a few Jyuuken strikes mixed in with her taijutsu.
Elders looking at her disdainfully.
Hinata launched into a complex series of attacks.
Orochimaru, a serpent-like tongue sliding from his mouth.
Naruto threw a wind chakra-propelled kunai that blasted another small chunk of wood away.
Her father, staring at her impassively.
Hinata raised a leg up high.
Orochimaru's goons, racing away with a large barrel.
Naruto held up another kunai, supercharged with wind chakra.
Herself, head hung as she walked through long hallways.
Hinata used her momentum to swing her leg around.
Sasuke, black markings inching across his skin.
Naruto threw the kunai with all his might.
Hinata's leg rammed powerfully into the weakened post. With a loud crunch her leg nearly tore off the top half of the post, which now hung limply, suspended only by a few stringy pieces of wood.
Naruto's kunai hit his post so hard that it was all but blasted to smithereens. Only a shredded stump remained when the dust cleared.
The two ninjas stood slightly in shock. Naruto tore his eyes away from his destroyed post to look tentatively at Hinata. His eyes widened as he looked at the ruined training post in front of her. She really broke it?
Hinata bent over and placed her hands on her knees as she panted heavily from the exertion. Naruto jogged over to her.
"Hey, Hinata! Are you alright?" he asked, looking the kunoichi over for any injuries. She seemed to straighten without difficulty and wiped her brow with her sleeve.
"Y-yes." she managed to get out between gasps. "I... I don't know what happened..."
Naruto let out a short laugh. "Yeah, me neither, I guess I got a little carried away." Hinata looked at his post and furrowed her brows at the damage.
Naruto looked at her. "Are you okay?"
Hinata blinked and looked downward, rubbing her wrists absentmindedly. "Yes, I'm alright..." she murmured.
Naruto bent a bit to look at her in the eyes and frowned as he took in her faraway look. "On the inside too?" he asked.
Hinata looked up at him and glanced away, unable to hold his gaze. "Yes... I'm fine." She began to turn away, but Naruto stepped in her way.
"You don't seem fine Hinata." he pressed, looking at her in concern. "What's wrong?"
Hinata bit her lip and clasped her hands together. "...I just... have a lot on my mind right now..."
Naruto crossed his arms. "Yeah? Well... do you want to talk about it?"
Hinata was silent, her eyes shifting around to look at anything except Naruto's piercing gaze. Naruto frowned further when he had a thought.
"It's clan stuff, right?" He watched as Hinata's eyes flashed to his, her hands flexing reactively into fists before relaxing again. The movement was quick, but Naruto's attentive gaze caught it all. "Hinata, you can tell me, you know..." he said softly.
But Hinata shook her head quickly. "I-I'm sorry, I just, I don't feel like t-talking about it." He winced slightly at her stutter, not having heard it in a while.
He stood there while she turned her back to him again. He didn't like seeing her like this. How could he make her feel better? She didn't want to talk about it, so what else could he do? He watched as she continued to clench her fists in agitation, and an idea formed in his head.
He smiled. "Well Hinata, it seems like we are both in bad moods today. I won't bother explaining my own issues, but I do know I need a good slap in the face." he said in a matter-of-fact way. "And it looks like you are in dire need of hitting something more sturdy than that training post. So, here's what we are going to do."
Hinata had stopped fidgeting at his words and had her head slightly turned as she listened, brows furrowed in curiosity.
"Nothing complicated. I want you to hit me in the face as hard as you can."
Hinata's eyes widened and she spun back around completely. "What?!" she sputtered.
Naruto's smile widened. "You heard me! I want you to hit me." Hinata stared at him like he was crazy.
"Naruto-kun... I don't want-"
"Come on, don't you want to help me out? I've been in a funk all day and I really need to wake up."
Hinata turned around to walk away. "I can't, Naruto-kun..."
But Naruto was too quick. In a flash, he stepped around her to block her from getting her bag. "Hinata. I'm not going to let you leave until you hit me." He said it in a voice that was cheerful but filled with intent.
Hinata's pearl eyes narrowed slightly and she stepped back, looking at him warily.
After a moments deliberation, she spoke. "If... if that is what you want, then fine..." she answered slowly.
Naruto couldn't help but grin before he planted his feet in the ground and faced her, arms hanging at his sides. Hinata exhaled as she changed her posture, cocking her right arm back as she regarded him for a moment. Naruto tilted his head and tapped his left cheek lightly.
A second passed, and then Hinata swung her fist.
Smack! Hinata's mouth parted as she saw Naruto's big hand wrapped around her fist. She raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought you wanted me to hit you?"
Naruto shook his head. "No, not like that. Harder."
Hinata gaped at him before frowning and pulling her fist back again. Once more she threw a punch at Naruto's face.
Again, he caught her fist in his hand.
"Harder." he repeated calmly. Hinata's frown deepened. She pulled her fist back and let it fly again without hesitation.
But Naruto caught it again! "Hinata... harder." Instead of letting go, he used his grip on her fist to push her back hard enough that she had to step back. Hinata's eyes widened in surprise and annoyance.
"I am doing it hard!" she cried. Naruto looked at her and shook his head. "No, I don't think so." he said patiently.
Naruto honestly didn't know how hard Hinata could punch. But he could see her calculating as she aimed each punch, and he didn't want her to think about what she was doing. He just wanted her to do.
Hinata gritted her teeth. She took a couple steps back, and then rushed forward quickly, arcing her fist with a shout. But before her fist could connect with his face, Naruto twisted out of her way and swung out his leg, knocking the backs of her knees and forcing her to fall to the ground. She didn't fall that hard, but she was stunned. She slowly looked up at Naruto, who had his arms crossed as he looked down at her. But unlike her father, he didn't have a disdainful, unimpressed expression.
"That was better... but do harder than that." Naruto said, his electric blue eyes shining as he challenged her.
"Naruto-kun..." she whispered, looking at him reproachfully. She got up slowly, staring at him as she dropped into a real attack stance.
Naruto smirked. I think I may have gotten to her, he thought as he braced himself in anticipation.
Hinata lunged, raising her arm to ready her fourth attack. Naruto just barely stepped out of the way by jerking back his left shoulder. Hinata quickly followed up with a left-hand jab, which he blocked with his forearm.
Naruto soon had his hands full trying to fend off Hinata's flurry of blows. He maintained that patient smile. Why is he doing this? she thought, feeling her frustration from before bubbling up once more.
When Naruto's smile widened even larger, something inside her snapped. Hinata's Byakugan suddenly came to life as Hinata zeroed in on Naruto's face.
She launched a barrage of close range strikes at his torso that took Naruto's attention away from the sweeping kick she promptly aimed at his arm. He grunted from the impact and shifted sideways. Hinata quickly brought the same foot up to strike him in the chest, forcing him backwards. Her hair flew back as she charged, using chakra to push off into the air.
All of this was executed within seconds. Naruto was still catching his breath from her kick to his chest when he heard Hinata's battle cry. He snapped his head up and saw her descending upon him - fist careening down, veins bulging around her eyes - and he only had time to shut his eyes.
Hinata's fist slammed into his jaw. The force cleanly knocked him backwards into the air. He tumbled a few times on his side before skidding to a stop on his back.
Hinata stood where she had hit him, panting heavily, her fist still pointing downward. Naruto groaned, and suddenly Hinata came back to Earth and she straightened, slapping a hand to her mouth as her Byakugan receded.
"Oh my... oh my Kami!" Hinata brought her other hand to press against her mouth. "Naruto-kun...!"
She rushed over and fell to her knees by his side. "A-are you okay?!"
Naruto laid there for a moment, shakily bringing a hand to gingerly touch his throbbing cheek. It hadn't been as hard as a Sakura punch, but by the gods it had been close enough!
Luckily the pain was already fading thanks to the Kyuubi, and he slowly sat up and chuckled, tasting blood in his mouth.
"Now that... that was a punch!" he declared. He then spat a glob of blood into the grass. Hinata gasped in horror as Naruto felt around his mouth with his tongue to check if all his teeth were there.
"N-no! I...I hurt you!" she cried, clasping her hands together in worry. Naruto chuckled even louder.
"Yeah, and I'm glad you did, Hinata. I feel a hundred times better now!" he winced slightly as he grinned. Hinata looked at him in disbelief as he jumped to his feet and held out a hand, which she took tentatively.
He pulled her up and they gazed at each other. Hinata looked at him, all anger she had held having disappeared, and a tiny smile appeared on her lips as she shook her head slowly. "Honestly, Naruto-kun..." she said softly as she turned away.
Naruto blinked as they lost eye contact. He had been quickly losing himself in her lavender eyes once more. He caught her arm to stop her from walking away.
"Wait! I was thinking..." Hinata turned to look at his hand on her arm, a blush rising to her face.
Damnit, how do I make her stay longer? Naruto racked his brain.
"I was thinking...I feel a lot better now, but it looks like you could have gone on for much longer." he said with a chuckle. "Maybe, now that you let off some steam, you'd like to have a real spar?"
Hinata raised her eyebrows at his offer. A spar with Naruto? Could she even keep up with him?
"We've never sparred before." she stated. Naruto nodded in agreement.
"Yeah! That's why I thought we should. It would be fun!"
Hinata looked at him doubtfully. The thought of sparring with Naruto made her nervous. But thinking back to his lighthearted, patient attitude from earlier, she found that she trusted he wouldn't ridicule her for any sort of reason.
"What would the rules be?" she ventured. Naruto grinned, ecstatic that she was humoring him.
"Well, how about we just do taijutsu for now. Best two out of three?" he suggested.
Hinata deliberated in her mind, nodding slowly. "Okay, that sounds fine." she replied.
"Alright!" Naruto punched the air above his head. "Let's do it!" He spun around to jog out to the larger field, turning again to backpedal as he created a decent amount of space between them. Hinata giggled softly at his enthusiasm and followed him.
The two ninjas faced each other and bowed to initiate the spar before settling into their fighting stances. Naruto blinked as he recognized Hinata's Gentle Fist style.
"Er, Hinata, will you be using Gentle Fist?" he asked nervously. Hinata shook her head.
"I will, but I won't use chakra." she confirmed, smiling at Naruto's relieved nod. "You seemed quite worried there, Naruto-kun." she added, her smile curling into the faintest of smirks.
Naruto's eyes widened at her light jab. This girl honestly won't stop surprising me, he thought as a huge smirk grew on his face. "I think you are the one who should be worried, Hinata. I'm not going to go easy on you." he warned, his eyes sparkling in anticipation. Hinata nodded.
"I know you wouldn't insult me like that, Naruto-kun." Naruto smiled and nodded once before regaining his focus, bending a bit more deeply into position.
All that was heard was the rustling of the dry leaves on the trees as the fighters stood like statues, assessing each other's weak spots. Then, nearly at the same time, both pushed off into a sprint and charged each other.
Naruto swung his fist, aiming at Hinata's left shoulder. But before he could make it connect she dodged by sliding nimbly underneath his arm. She braked hard and swiveled, pushing off with the same foot to spring back at him, her own fist cocked back.
She's fast! he thought.
He spun around and blocked her fist with one forearm and her follow up kick with the other. He pushed her off and aimed his own kick at her torso, but she jumped sideways and advanced with two short steps, raising one arm high. She brought down her hand and struck him on the bridge of his shoulder, taking him by surprise.
He quickly chopped the crook of her elbow to make her arm buckle away as he back stepped, but Hinata closed the gap between them. She quickly blocked his next punch and in the blink of an eye, shoved her palm forward aiming directly for his heart.
The two ninjas froze. Naruto looked in shock at the disarmed Gentle Fist attack Hinata had managed to get past his defenses. Had she thrown enough chakra into that move, he could have very well been-
"Dead." Hinata finished his thoughts for him. She held her position as Naruto struggled to speak. She got him that quickly?
"...Yield." he breathed. Hinata pulled back her arm and they both straightened up.
"Alright, you can have that one for sure." he said, still a bit flustered. A tiny smile appeared on Hinata's face as she nodded before turning to take her starting position.
Once again they took their positions and paused. Naruto stared at the indigo haired kunoichi through narrowed eyes.
They lunged at the same time again. This time Naruto waited for Hinata to throw the first punch, which he dodged. He brought up a knee that caught Hinata's hip bone, causing her to wince and become defensive. He put some pressure on her, unleashing a series of jabs that she had to block with her arms.
Finally, Hinata was able to slap one of his arms away and give herself time to sidestep out of his reach. She released a high kick that forced him to duck, allowing her to gain the upper hand. Naruto gritted his teeth as she pushed him back with a strange mix of Gentle Fist and other taijutsu styles. It was quite unorthodox and he found himself struggling to stay a step ahead.
The world seemed to slow as he went head to head with Hyuuga Hinata. Her lavender eyes, usually so soft and inviting, glinted with silvery steel as she fiercely fought him. His eyes were becoming distracted by her midnight blue hair as it whipped around violently while they exchanged blow after blow. Somehow she looked beautiful even while she was attempting to physically hurt him.
Naruto paid for staring at Hinata too long by stumbling over a small rock on the ground. Hinata took advantage of his lapse in concentration and leaped forward. In three quick movements, Naruto once again had Hinata's open palm inches from his chest.
Pearl eyes flashed up at his. "Dead, Naruto-kun." Hinata said softly, looking at him with slight suspicion. Was he going easy on her? She had seen him pause earlier before he stumbled. But he had said he wouldn't!
Naruto couldn't believe it. She had won already!
"Yield..." he said in astonishment. Hinata stepped back and allowed a coy smile to appear on her face.
"I win." she said, clasping her hands behind her back. Naruto blinked and waved a hand back and forth.
"Hold up, we need to do that again. Best three out of five!" he said, his competitive streak coming out in full force. Hinata blinked at him and crossed her arms as she considered.
"Okay," she said, still smiling. "Do you want to use chakra?"
Naruto scowled and shook his head. "No! Let's keep doing taijutsu. I want a rematch!"
Hinata giggled softly and nodded once. "Okay, sounds good."
The two went back to their starting positions. Naruto dropped quickly into his stance. He was embarrassed that Hinata had shown him up. He had to show her how good he really was!
Hinata kicked off first this time and charged him. Naruto narrowed his eyes and maintained his position, letting her come to him.
At the last moment Hinata feinted to the left and tried to surprise him with a right-handed strike, but he was ready this time. He parried her fist away and retaliated with his own hand chop that caught her in the arm. She danced back and tried to hit him low, using her petite size to her advantage. He took a few hits but was able to maintain his balance and fend her off with a few well-placed hits himself.
He pushed forward, trying to overwhelm her with his heavier weight. He aimed at her legs to force her to lose her balance and stumble, waiting for her to expose a weak spot. She was quite good at keeping those protected.
There! His eyes zeroed in on one of her legs which briefly jutted out awkwardly. He aimed a well-placed kick at the crook of her knee, making her fall backwards.
Hinata clenched her eyes shut as she fell on her back with a slight "oomph!". She tensed quickly as she opened them, ready to bounce back up, but reared back when she spotted the sharp point of a kunai inches from her chest.
Naruto was standing above her, an extremely smug look on his face. "Looks like I won this one, Hinata." he said gleefully.
Hinata exhaled with a little huff. "You did... I yield." she responded, leaning back on her elbows. Naruto lowered the kunai away and held out a hand to pull Hinata back up. She dusted the grass off her back as she retook her position.
"Don't let it get to your head too much, Naruto-kun." Hinata said with the faintest trace of amusement as Naruto cockily strutted back to start position. Naruto grinned as he took his stance.
"You sound a little mad there, Hinata." he teased, twirling a kunai in his fingers. Hinata tossed her hair back out of her face.
"Not at all." she said, looking at him levelly, her lavender eyes flashing. She ground her back foot a little more into the dirt, ready to push off.
A pause, and then they started again. They met in the center and exchanged a fierce set of attacks. Hinata came at him with an increased intensity in her moves, striving to obtain her third win out of five before he tied with her. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she locked her eyes with the object of her affections.
Her heart was pounding hard, and it wasn't just from the physical exertion.
She suddenly lashed out her leg in a perfectly executed roundhouse kick. It was well timed as Naruto had just lowered his left arm, leaving his shoulder open for the taking. A smirk began to grow on her face as she whirled around. If she caught him off guard with this, one quick Gentle Fist technique should allow her to-
Smack! Hinata's mouth parted into a surprised "O" when Naruto caught her leg by the ankle mere seconds before it could hit him. She was as such stuck with her torso parallel to the ground and her leg pointing towards the treetops while her ankle was firmly in his grasp.
It was now Naruto's turn to smirk as he raised up a finger with his free hand and wagged it back and forth.
"Mm mm mm," he hummed tauntingly, shaking his head back and forth in time with his finger. Hinata gritted her teeth as he used his grip on her leg to spin her horizontally in the air, trying to get her to crash to the ground.
Hinata wrenched herself upright as she fell and landed catlike in a plank position. She used all her strength to push herself out of the way before Naruto could pin her down and rolled to a crouch a few feet away.
Trying to maintain her focus, she pushed off like a sprinter and charged him once more. They met in a flurry of hand-to-hand attacks, with her trying to weasel herself closer so that she could catch him with another deadly Gentle Fist finishing move. But Naruto was getting used to her style, and he wasn't about to let her get him the same way again.
He finally saw her lean sideways to try and chop at his mid torso, and he put his plan into action. Hinata had done this particular move a few times before, and it left open a weak spot that he could take advantage of.
Quick like a viper, he thrust his arm out and snatched up her wrist in his big hand. Immediately he yanked her roughly, making her spin around so her back was facing him. With his other hand, he reached for her free arm and pulled it behind her as well. Her wrists were so small that he was able to clench them together tightly with one hand, trapping her with her hands behind her back.
Hinata yelped in surprise as Naruto wrenched her backwards, causing her to fall back against his hard chest. She stood for a second, stunned, before trying to struggle out of his grasp. She inhaled sharply when she felt the cold flat edge of a kunai pressed gently against her throat.
"Ah ah ah...you don't want to do that." he murmured, causing Hinata's mind to go blank as she registered how close he really was. She licked her lips as her breathing became shallow. She turned her head ever so slightly in the direction of his voice and swallowed at the sight of his unyielding chest pressed up against her shoulders.
She faced forward again, feeling the hard steel slide against her neck. Her pearl eyes flitted around as she struggled to think of a way out while she felt him breathing against her neck.
Naruto swallowed as he drank in her scent, an addictive cocktail of lavender and grass and sweat, while he waited for her to yield to him. He struggled to suppress how excited he felt to be holding her so close to him, and analyzed every inch of her – her baby hairs around her ears, the beginnings of her jawline, the slope of her neck, alabaster skin. He saw her eyelashes flicking back and forth as she stubbornly tried to resist him.
His hand tightened ever so slightly around Hinata's wrists, enough to make her wince. She felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled.
"...There's no way out, Hinata." Hinata clenched her jaw as she turned her head back to scowl at him, and blinked as her eyes met his intense gaze. She blushed and quickly looked away.
"...Yield." she said finally with a sigh. Immediately he relinquished his vice grip on her wrists, and she rubbed them slowly as she stepped away from him, too flustered to look at him in the face yet. She didn't stop walking until she was back in starting position.
Naruto watched her stalk away with an amused expression on his face, twirling his kunai in his hand. She didn't like to give up, he had noticed, which was quite funny to him. Mainly because it reminded him of…well, himself.
"Sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you there." he called out.
Hinata quickly composed herself and turned. "Nope, I'm fine." she replied in a clipped tone. "That was a smart move."
Naruto smirked and bowed exaggeratedly. "Why thank you, I thought so too myself. Ten out of ten, you think?" He grinned as Hinata smiled and rolled her eyes.
"I would say a seven." Naruto's grin faded.
"Now you're just being mean!" he pouted. Hinata's eyes sparkled, and she tossed her hair before bending back into a fighting stance. He huffed as he mimicked her actions.
"Alright, are you ready for Naruto to get three out of five?" he challenged.
Hinata looked as if she was going to say something but stopped and instead held up a hand to pause. Naruto watched as she raised a hand to the top of her hoodie zipper. His eyes widened as she pulled the metal zipper down while she walked idly in a small semicircle, eventually turning away from him. She finished unzipping and began to slip the hoodie off her shoulders.
Naruto slipped slowly down into a squat, his elbows resting on his knees while his kunai dangled unnoticed from one hand. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as one bare arm was released from the pink clothing, followed by the other. She finally pulled it away from her and tossed it a few feet away onto the ground before she turned to face him once more.
Naruto's eyes narrowed while they simultaneously swept up and down Hinata's figure. The removal of the bulky hoodie revealed her petite torso. She had on a plain black tank top layered on top of a black short sleeved mesh shirt that covered the part of her chest that would have been exposed by the tank top. Her hips were also now visible and they did not disappoint as the tight tank top and spandex leggings showed off all their curviness that just screamed woman. She pulled off a hair band on her wrist and began to tie her hair back.
He swallowed, with some difficulty as his mouth had suddenly gone dry. Is she doing this on purpose? he thought in disbelief. She couldn't possibly know how such seemingly innocent actions were beginning to send him in a tailspin of emotions.
Hinata finished wrestling her hair into a high pony tail and nodded to indicate she was ready again. She settled back into her stance, and from his spot Naruto couldn't help but snag a look at the side profile of her perky rear-end. He groaned inwardly. This next round was not going to go well for him.
He rose to his feet. "Finished stalling?" he said pompously, squashing down his jittery feelings with every ounce of mental strength he had. Hinata just smiled and dug her back foot a little more into the earth.
The two shinobi stood there momentarily as they strategized quickly. Both were now more familiar with each other's styles and were using that knowledge to their respective advantages.
She rushed forward and seemed to plan to attack his right side. He put up his hands to block, but at the last moment she feinted and whacked him in the left shoulder with her forearm, causing him to flinch back in surprise. A brief memory flashed through his mind as he recalled how she easily did a similar move to Konohamaru in the Academy training field, and he huffed in annoyance realizing that he just fell for the same simple trick.
He redoubled his efforts and tried to similarly catch her off guard by switching up his style. He had learned a few things during his sessions with Lee and now seemed like a good time to use them.
They continued to clash, each doggedly determined to win this... whatever it was. It was no longer feeling like a spar. Both were beginning to release chakra little by little to enhance their moves as they tried to one up each other.
Hinata swerved and ducked under Naruto's attacks. She bit her lip as she made eye contact with him. His electric blue eyes were filled with that determination that she loved so much. She therefore felt bad for sweeping her leg fluidly across the ground to catch him by the ankles and make him fall.
With a grunt Naruto fell on his side and quickly got back up to lash out a leg, quick like lightening due to the extra chakra he poured into it, and forced Hinata back before she could get in close again. She barely got out of the way in time.
Naruto's adrenaline peaked when he saw a rare opening due to her awkward leap away from his leg and went for it, grabbing at Hinata's wrist to prepare to pull her back into the same restraining hold he had done before. He snatched up her other wrist in quick succession.
He chuckled deep in his chest as he slipped his free hand into his leg pouch for his kunai. "Sorry Hinata, but it looks like I-"
Suddenly, Hinata yanked herself away from him, and her wrists slipped out of his fingers like a bar of soap. He stood there with his hand holding his kunai still half raised in the air, staring at the hand that had been holding her wrists together. It was dripping with moisture.
He looked up with her with a raised eyebrow. "How'd you get out so easily? I had a good grip on you." he demanded. Hinata gave one of her tiny, vague smiles.
"Oh, a new trick I've been practicing." she replied, holding up her wrists, which glistened in the late afternoon light. "I used some of the water in my body to make my skin slippery." she explained simply.
Naruto looked at her incredulously. "Seriously? But... doesn't that hurt you somehow?"
Hinata shrugged. "Well it definitely could if I really overdid it, but I only just used a tiny bit. If I did it even ten more times I would mostly likely feel a little dehydrated but that's it."
They both paused, panting, dust on their clothes, sweat over their brows.
"So you used chakra." he accused but with a small smirk.
"Yes. You did as well." Hinata nodded knowingly, mirroring his expression.
Naruto rubbed a finger under his nose as his smirk turned into a grin.
"You got me there. Maybe we should turn this up a notch? I think we've played around enough." he said, eyes glittering. Hinata crossed her arms.
"What are the rules now?"
"There are none."
Hinata raised an eyebrow. "Even Gentle Fist?" she asked with a smile. Naruto's eye twitched, but he stood resolutely.
"Sure, it won't matter anyways. I'm going to win!" he declared. Hinata chuckled softly.
"We'll see about that..." she responded. She began to settle into her Gentle Fist stance, but paused as Naruto began to remove his own black and orange jacket. A blush crept up her neck as he revealed his chiseled upper torso that was only covered by a mesh tank top. Hinata cursed internally as her stomach roiled with butterfly activity. She was just able to get over the fact that their bodies were touching from their sparring activity, but to see his muscular arms and partially exposed chest like that? It was almost the beach all over again.
She bit the side of her tongue hard to push away her nerves as much as possible and prayed her blush looked like a result of the physical exertion.
She took a deep breath as Naruto tossed his jacket to the ground and settled back into his stance, deep blue eyes piercing her own pearl ones.
With all the rules gone their minds both raced with the new possibilities.
Naruto smirked as he brought his fingers together to create a very familiar seal. With a series of small poofs, three shadow clones popped into existence on either side of him, each sporting identical smirks. Hinata nodded to herself, expecting Naruto to use his signature move and knowing how cunningly he can use them in combat. Predictable and unpredictable.
Naruto watched Hinata look over his clones unflinchingly and bring her own hands together to form seals.
"Byakugan!" he heard her exclaim, and watched as her kekkei genkai came to life. His chest heaved as he inhaled roughly in anticipation of the fight. The novelty of fighting her was thrilling. Although he had fought Hyuuga Neji once, he had quickly realized Hyuuga Hinata was an entirely different opponent altogether. She was fast. She was innovative in her methodology, and thus she was very likely just as unpredictable as he was.
It didn't hurt that she was easy on the eyes in general.
The six clones suddenly began to charge at Hinata in unison, leaving their creator behind. Kunai and shiruken glinted from their hands.
The clones released their weapons, and Hinata flew into action, zig zagging to prevent herself from being hit. Two clones closed in on her and she zeroed in on their chakra signatures with her Byakugan. A few well-placed jabs and they poofed out of sight.
Her ears pricked at a familiar whooshing sound and she cartwheeled out of the way of a slew of shiruken. She righted herself and barely had time to block the two clones that came at her from either side. They scuffled for a few seconds, Hinata on the defensive but managing to block their heavier hits. She finally downed one with a chakra filled thrust to the chest and shoved a kunai deep into the other's ribs. She winced as she felt the kunai embed itself into the clone's body before it disappeared into thin air. Even though she knew it wasn't the real Naruto, it went against her soul to hurt anything that looked like him.
She quickly dressed back to pinpoint the location of Naruto himself. She was sure he was trying to distract her with the clones while he made his real move. She glimpsed him still standing not far away before the last two clones advanced on her. They worked to overwhelm her with a barrage of punches and kicks, which she parried and blocked as fast as she could. She heard a series of poofs, and in her peripheral Byakugan vision she saw a team of clones generate around her in a semicircle. She gritted her teeth. He was trying to tire her out.
Naruto watched from the center of his line of clones as Hinata pushed back to retreat away from the two clones attacking her, who quickly gave chase. He was itching to dismiss the clones and go for her himself, but he just wanted to watch her a bit more.
The gang of clones began to pair up and form Rasengans.
Hinata felt she had put enough distance between them and slipped her hand quickly into her kunai pouch and pulled out a small scroll.
Naruto raised an eyebrow when he saw the scroll in her hand. Hinata yanked it open, and he saw a puff of smoke appear. He grinned when she ground to a halt and spun around. In her hands were two blue fans.
Hinata and began to charge towards the clones closing in on her, one fan in each hand. She pushed off high into the air and wrapped both arms like she was trying to hug herself. At the peak of her jump, she flung her arms outward.
The fans shot out in front of her, spinning like two large shirukens. The clones closest to her began to skid to a halt, but the fans were flying faster than any shiruken Naruto had ever seen. In the blink of an eye, the fans sliced cleanly into the two clones, and they vanished instantly, Rasengans disappearing into thin air. The fans curved outwards and continued their warpath down the lines of clones, obliterating them in quick succession.
Naruto flinched as their final memories assaulted his mind all at once. Kami…even the fans are weapons.
By the time Hinata landed on her feet, the clones had been finished off. She raised her arms up to deftly catch the fans, which returned to her like boomerangs.
She stood there as she regarded Naruto's position about twenty feet away.
"Ready to fight me yourself?" her voice pierced through the air clear as day.
"You better believe it!"
She squeaked in alarm as she heard his voice from behind. She whipped her head in shock to see Naruto racing towards her, a Rasengan in his hand.
She didn't have time to figure out how he got behind her, but she berated herself inwardly for dropping her Byakugan earlier. She instinctively flung a fan at Naruto to force him to jump out of the way while she jumped backwards to put space between them.
Naruto reacted quickly and kept his pace as he advanced towards her.
Hinata raised her hand to catch the returning fan and proceeded to make sweeping motions with both fans.
Suddenly, the ground at Naruto's feet turned promptly into slippery mud. He slipped and faltered, the Rasengan disappearing into nothingness.
Naruto held himself up shakily with one hand and two feet planted in the mud. He looked down to squint at the mud.
"What the..."
He slowly lifted his head to look back at Hinata, who was standing looking at him in amusement. He shook his head at her slowly in amazement before he yanked himself back up.
"Okay then..." he muttered. He channeled wind chakra down his arm, blasting the mud off his hand. "You wanna fight with elements? I can do that too."
Hinata raised one arm, and hundreds upon thousands of water droplets, glittering like diamonds, began to lift from the ground. They accumulated into one large glob above the fan she had lifted into the air.
Naruto channeled wind chakra down his other arm, and his fists glowed with electric blue wind chakra.
Hinata eyed his hands contemplatively, and then she rushed forward, whipping her raised arm downwards to launch the glob of water at him. In the air it stretched into a long whip-like shape. Naruto leapt out of the way, and the water-whip slapped the ground with a deafening crack that echoed throughout the training field.
Naruto gritted his teeth. He definitely didn't want to get caught by that. Hinata yanked her arm back, and the water whip receded back to her side, ready to be used again.
This time when she brought it down, he let loose a wind chakra-filled punch. A powerful wind current shot visibly from his knuckles straight through the water, and Hinata's jutsu burst into millions of droplets. He threw two more punches, and the wind blasts caught Hinata in the knee and shoulder, making her fall backwards.
She bounced back up, gasping as Naruto fell upon her with glowing fists.
Somewhere not too far away, three young to-be-Genin stood by the entrance to the training grounds. They listened to the occasional booms emitting from the grounds out of their view.
"What do you think that could be?"
"It's coming from the training grounds, Moegi. Obviously, someone is training out there." responded Konohamaru, crossing his arms as he peered out past the grounds entrance.
"Who makes sounds like that when they are training?" Udon exclaimed with a loud sniffle.
A grin appeared on Konohamaru's face. "Oh, I can think of at least one person…"
They clashed fiercely. Close combat between a wind release and a water release ninja was certainly something to behold. Hinata had pulled in her water whip close to her body and was manipulating it to attack Naruto at nearly lightning speed. Naruto was pumping wind chakra from his fists to deflect and get a hit in edgewise. While wind could cut through water and blast it away, water was more versatile and easier to control than wind.
Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon perched at the top of the hill a little way from the two ninjas battling in the field below, watching with wide eyes.
"So cool…" breathed Moegi as Hinata made Naruto slip in mud once more to smack him with water.
Konohamaru nodded silently, watching his rival critically as he quickly recovered and sent a large wind current with a sweep of his arm, pushing Hinata and her water jutsu away.
Hinata used the wind current to back flip a few yards away before performing a complex series of movements with her fans. Naruto paused as he heard a rumbling noise emanate from the grounds.
His eyes widened when he saw an enormous wave ascend in-between him and Hinata. Without pause it began to curl rapidly downwards. He gritted his teeth as he scrambled backwards, mind-boggled by how easily Hinata had conjured such a strong jutsu and thought back to Shikamaru's story about their mission.
She was dangerous.
Why did that make her seem even more attractive?
But spending time with Hinata was beginning to pay off. He smirked as he stared down the wave, raising one arm and bringing it powerfully down with a shout. Just like when they were racing at the beach, the wave parted like an invisible knife had cut through it. Naruto smirked as the two halves passed by on either side without touching him. The water crashed to the ground so powerfully it sounded like festival fireworks.
His smile faded at the sight of Hinata sprinting towards him, fans gone, Byakugan activated.
"Shit!" he cursed, and could only bring up an arm in defense. Hinata caught his raised elbow with one hand. In a flash, she struck his tenketsu points along his left arm up to his shoulder. He grunted as he felt his chakra flow get cut off.
Naruto's eyes widened as he saw her palm flying towards his chest. He lashed out his good arm and smacked her arm down, holding it tight in his hand. In such close quarters, they resorted back to taijutsu, Naruto still partially crippled in one arm. They got so close that their limbs became entangled as they each tried to get the upper hand. Blue eyes met pale lavender ones as they wrestled.
"So…feeling better?" Naruto grunted out, trying in vain to pull her into another restraining hold.
It was quick, but he saw a tiny smirk grace Hinata's full lips, and she nodded very slightly. Naruto grinned hugely, and Hinata blushed at how close he was, noticing how sharp his canines were.
He growled in frustration as she slipped out of his fingers once again. He tried to grab her, but she backflipped away from him, settling a few yards away.
Naruto huffed and summoned a clone, managing to squeeze out enough chakra from his bad arm. He was going to get her this time. He had always been competitive, but something inside of him was screaming at him to win.
He held out his right hand and let the clone begin to form a Rasengan. They began to jog forward together, quickly picking up speed.
Hinata was back in Gentle Fist mode, her Byakugan eyes narrowed at Naruto and his clone. The clone finally popped out of sight when the Rasengan was fully formed, and Naruto let his arm fall behind him as he sprinted towards her.
She waited. There was nowhere to run, so she had to face him. She began to race towards him.
Naruto's eyes widened as she came to meet him. She was running headlong into his attack! He faltered as he tried to put the brakes on. What is she doing-
Hinata leaped into the air and went straight over his head. A memory flashed in his mind of a blindfolded Hinata jumping similarly over three young Academy students, and he cursed belatedly. He whipped around as she touched down behind him and saw her leg sweeping over the ground. In the nick of time he jumped, avoiding her attempt to make him fall.
Time seemed to slow down as he came back down. Hinata shot up, an arm already cocked back. Naruto was also bringing his Rasengan down, eyes locked on hers.
It all happened in a blink of an eye.
Naruto used his momentum to clap his left hand down onto Hinata's shoulder, holding her tightly in place as he brought down his Rasengan.
Hinata whipped out her hand to clutch his arm to prevent herself from falling backwards and threw an open palm at his chest.
They came to a halt. Panting, Naruto stared at his free hand, which was holding a low grade Rasengan inches from Hinata's chest. A smirk grew on his face as his eyes traveled slowly up to her flushed face. He got her.
His smile faltered at the strange smile that spread onto Hinata's face. Her eyes were looking at something below his chin. He looked down and gasped to see her open palm nearly touching his chest. No way…he thought with a sinking feeling. How did she manage…
His eyes snapped back to look hard at her pearl ones that were twinkling back at him. He blinked as his gaze wandered around her face, from her eyes, to her delicate nose, to her full lips. Her graceful neck, leading down to her exposed collarbone. He held his breath as he glanced at her chest, so close to his hand with the Rasengan, that was still heaving from the exertion. Some flyaways had gotten loose from her ponytail. But all the sweat and dust just helped her seem even more radiant.
Hinata stared back at the blond ninja she was holding on stubbornly to, wondering if he was going to say something. She felt her face get warm as she felt his bare rock hard bicep she was gripping, and her eyes dropped to look at his hand, only inches from her chest, his famous Rasengan the only thing between them.
His eyes caught a single drop of sweat rolling down her neck and swallowed. It slipped down and came to a rest on a pulse point, fluttering visibly from her increased heart rate. His mind went blank as an alarmingly strong urge to lick the sweat from that spot consumed him.
"Wowww, that was amazing!"
They both jolted from their respective reveries when they heard an obnoxious shout and whipped their heads at the same time to identify the source. There they saw Konohamaru standing by the wooden posts waving at them, while Moegi and Udon were clapping their enthusiasm.
"Hinata-sensei, you were so good!" squealed Moegi. Hinata and Naruto both blinked at the youths and slowly looked back at each other, finally realizing they were still holding each other close.
Hinata giggled softly and lowered her hand. "Looks like it's a tie…" Naruto sighed and allowed his Rasengan to disappear, hanging his head as he gently pulled Hinata so she could stand straight again. He chuckled ruefully.
"Man! I was so close! Believe it!" he protested, finally letting go of her. She promptly sank to the ground with a big sigh, sitting cross legged as she caught her breath. Naruto mimicked her and sat on the cool grass in front of her. He smiled at her relaxed countenance, happy that his plan to make her feel better seemed to have worked.
"Best five of out seven?" he half-jokingly proposed. Hinata giggled a bit louder and shook her head without hesitation. "Oh no, I can't. I don't have your stamina, Naruto-kun."
Naruto grinned and sighed exaggeratedly, and they both chuckled softly. He rubbed his arm that was still sore from his blocked tenketsu points.
"All jokes aside Hinata, you are really freaking good, you know?" he murmured, looking at her with a lopsided smile. "Like I knew you were good before of course, but now that I've really fought you? Without a doubt!"
Hinata blushed and said a quiet thank you. They were silent for a second.
"I mean really – like, you used what, four different kinds of jutsus in one fight? Taijutsu, your kekkei genkai, water release, and your fans as weapons. And you transition between all of them so seamlessly. That makes you like, a quadruple threat!" Naruto blurted, unable to stop himself. Hinata giggled and squirmed under his attention.
"Maybe so, but you are quite the opponent, Naruto-kun. You are so fast. You can you S-class jutsus like the kage bunshin and the Rasengan. You are definitely physically stronger than me. And you could block nearly all of my water attacks with your wind, I couldn't believe you cut through my wave so easily. I haven't fought anyone with a wind affinity before. I will have to come up with some specialized approaches for next time…" she trailed off as she realized the implications of her words. The tips of her ears turned red. "Well, you know, if there ever is a next time…"
Naruto, who had been soaking in her compliments like a sponge, looked at her incredulously. "If there is a next time? There will definitely be a next time! I still need to redeem myself! Don't think this is the end, Hinata." he declared, grinning at the smile that appeared on her face.
"Alright then, it is not the end." Hinata repeated back, her eyes sparkling. They made him dizzy, her eyes.
Before he could say anything else, Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon chose that time to bound over and interrupt.
"Yo Naruto! Are you alright? Looks like Sensei did a number on you!" Konohamaru chortled.
A vein bulged on Naruto's forehead. These damn brats! Just when we started talking...
"I think you should be worried if you will be alright, if you keep it up." he growled. He looked forlornly as Udon and Moegi crowded around Hinata, but she looked past them as well and smiled that rare playful smile of hers, and he grinned back cheekily.
They eventually got up to walk back to get their things, the three Academy students trailing after them. Naruto tossed his jacket over a shoulder as he watched Hinata pick up her bag, her hoodie tied around her waist.
"Any luck with the dust at the science lab?" he asked conversationally. Hinata shook her head as she stood back up.
"No, they've also been having a difficult time identifying the evidence. I stayed there for a while yesterday answering all of their questions, but it doesn't seem to be enough to help them figure it out. They have been calling scientists in neighboring towns and universities to try and get help."
Naruto hummed a surprised response. "Wow, I didn't think it would be that hard. What could those goons have had on them?" He winced as he reached for his training bag with his sore arm and switched the bag to his other hand.
Hinata walked over to him. "Me neither. Hopefully we hear back soon from Nobu. They said they would send us an update after they analyzed the retrieved scroll for more clues."
"Yeah…" Naruto trailed off as Hinata approached him and froze when she gently took his sore arm into her hands.
"Sorry about this…" she murmured. Naruto was about to protest and say it was nothing, but his breath caught in his throat as she engaged her Byakugan and began to gently press open the closed tenketsu points on his arm. Shivers ran down his spine, and immediately the tightness in his muscles began to fade away. Naruto watched her in silent amazement as she continued down to his forearm, her soft fingers creating goosebumps along his skin. Never had someone touched him with such care. Not even Sakura or the nurses in the hospital. A content sigh escaped him, and Hinata's eyes glanced up at his briefly, and he felt himself blush.
"Wow…thank you." Naruto rasped as she deactivated her Byakugan and let go of his arm, and he cleared his throat hastily while flexing the arm experimentally. "It feels so much better!"
Hinata blushed lightly and just nodded, feeling woozy herself from touching him so deliberately. "A hot bath helps as well…" she added quietly, looking up into his eyes with a shy smile.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I'll definitely do that." Hinata bowed her head, and then looked over at her students, who were inspecting the broken wood posts and looking at them suspiciously.
Hinata chuckled at them and sighed. "I wonder if we have to pay for those."
Naruto snorted. "Humph! I'd like to see them try and make me pay!" Hinata exhaled a short laugh and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye with a smile, which he returned immediately. She began to walk over to the kids, and Naruto followed, his mood nosediving quickly as he saw her prepare to leave.
"Hey Sensei! Do you want to go practice by the lake?" asked Konohamaru, perched atop the one remaining post still intact. Hinata chuckled.
"Sorry Konohamaru-kun. Your rival here tired me out a bit too much. We can go another time." she said, smiling playfully at Naruto who was grinning back at her now. Konohamaru humphed and glared at Naruto for ruining his chance of spending time with his beautiful sensei. Naruto just smirked and elbowed him just rough enough to make Konohamaru lose his balance.
They all made it to the training grounds gate together. Hinata had to walk a different direction than Naruto.
She faced him, her three students standing around her like personal bodyguards. She smiled and shrugged at him as if to apologize for their silliness. They exchanged goodbyes, both wishing they could talk even longer, but not wanting to show it.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he turned away, Hinata and the kids walking the opposite direction. Before she got too far, Hinata turned back.
"Naruto-kun…" He halted and spun back around. There Hinata stood, the early fall breeze blowing her hair back, her eyes a rare shade of violet, her full lips pulled up into the sweetest smile.
"Thank you."
Naruto blinked at the beauty in front of him and then smiled warmly.
"Anytime" he replied.
Really, anytime…
It had been a few minutes since they parted when he heard it. Deep, snarling laughter.
Naruto gritted his teeth.
WHAT?
WHY DIDN'T YOU CLAIM HER?
….What?
THE FIGHT. YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WIN, SO THAT YOU COULD RIGHTFULLY CLAIM HER.
Are you demented? I'm not trying to claim her! Humans are not fucking animals. It was just a spar!
THEN WHY WAS YOUR DESIRE TO WIN SO HIGH?
Naruto blinked. It's true, he couldn't really figure out why he had wanted to win that spar so badly. The urge to win was stronger than whatever he felt when he sparred with anyone else.
YOU WANTED TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR STRENGTH TO HER. TO ESTABLISH YOUR RIGHTFUL PLACE AS THE ALPHA. THEN SHE WOULD SUBMIT TO YOUR WILL AND WANT YOU TO MATE WITH HER.
Naruto clenched his fist and was about to respond fiercely when he stopped. In the Kyuubi's strange way, it was saying that he was trying to impress Hinata, to win her over by showing how strong he was. Had that really been it?
…Yes.
Naruto ran a hand through his hair. Here he was back to the beginning, when he was wondering that morning about why he was even bothering to analyze the education budgets.
Naruto barked an ironic laugh. He was doing fucking math for her.
Did he like her?
He bit his lip to try and stop himself from smiling, but failed.
Maybe.