Author's Note:
Hello, Thanks for reading for my story this far! Again I do not take ownership of Naruto, The Dark Knight, Gears of War, and all other material in this story. The character Masashi Kishimoto in this chapter is named after the rightful author and artist of the series Naruto. This is meant as a tribute to him for his work and not in any way harmful or taking away anything legal from him. The song in this chapter, Sweet Dream, belongs to the artists/composers Akon '06 the rightful owners of the song. I take no credit for it and claim no ownership. This song is sung by Hinata Hyuga in this story and will be written in italic so you may follow. Enjoy and please review!
Chapter Fourteen
The next morning, the entire village was in motion. All the elite ninjas were discussing their next point of action should Nazo or any other Horde members appear to strike again. Tsunade and the entire body of the Leaf Village's government were not about to let more people die. Too much blood had been spilled that night and Tsunade was not about to let it happen again. Mean while, Naruto was continuing his training at mastering the element of wind. After Asuma had taught him how to picture the element, he and a thousand doppelgangers were now working again to slice not leafs, but cardboard paper to ensure that his ability to cut through material with his chakra was accurate and strong. If he wanted to create a new technique, he would need to be able to picture wind sharp enough to cut through stone. However, Naruto was feeling very distracted that day. He couldn't focus on his training with his thoughts about Hinata and his birthday. He wasn't sure if he wanted anything for his birthday; there was one thing but he wasn't sure if he wanted it for sure. His side thoughts were beginning to be noticed by Kakashi and Yamato.
"Naruto, are you feeling alright?" Kakashi asked as he approached Naruto. "You know the importance of this exercise right?"
"I do sensei. I'm fine; I just need to work harder on picturing wind." Naruto lied. He didn't want Kakashi getting into his personal life.
"But you mastered leaf cutting much quicker than it's taking you to cut through cardboard paper." Kakashi said. He had a feeling that Naruto was hiding something.
"Just learn quickly enough that I don't have to keep this seal for your demonic chakra up all day." Yamato said. He was already beginning to get tiered from keeping up his readied seal.
"I will, just give me some time. It took me awhile to learn Rasengan but I did it in time." Naruto said. "This won't be as easy so I'm expecting this to take time."
"Naruto, there isn't something else your thinking about right now is there?" Kakashi asked.
"Sempai let Naruto go. If he doesn't work now then he'll never create his technique." Yamato said. He was just as suspicious as Kakashi, but even if Naruto was distracted he didn't think that Kakashi should have anything to do with it. "Let's hurry before I get weak."
"Alright. Keep going Naruto." Kakashi said as walked back to Yamato. Naruto began again to picture two thin and sharp wind gales running against each other.
"What do you think he has on his mind right now?" Kakashi asked Yamato.
"Did you forget sempai? Today is his birthday. Even I remembered that from the bio I received about him." Yamato said.
"Maybe, but I'm not doing anything for him. Neither is Sakura. Maybe it's something else." Kakashi said. Then his mind came to the most unlikely thing he could ever imagine. "Do you think there is a woman in this picture?"
"If there is sempai, I wouldn't ruin it for him." Yamato said. "You say that Sasuke is his only motivation but this could be good for him."
"I didn't need any girl clinging to my arm when I was his age. A girl would only get in his way." Kakashi said.
"That's because you have so many girls chasing you that it doesn't mean anything to you." Yamato said. "That's also why you read your dirty novels."
"What!? Just pay attention to Naruto!" Kakashi said feeling insulted. "And I'll let you know that the new Love Tactics novel is a very sophisticated story that your young mind would not comprehend! You only say it's dirty because of your lack of maturity."
"The truth hurts doesn't it sempai?" Yamato said with a grin. Kakashi then hit him over the head and Yamato stopped teasing Kakashi.
"Damn, I spent all my money on getting Asuma to tell me about wind based chakra." Naruto thought to himself. "Well, I didn't have any other plans and I don't know any good restaurants so I guess I'll have to go with Ichimaru Ramen tonight."
Back at Konoha Hospital, Hyuga and common ninja alike were being treated for their injuries from last night. Shikamaru and his father were at Yoshino's bed side bleeding their hearts out for what happened. Yoshino had bandages on her face, her left arm in a cast, and terrible burns on her body.
"Mom, I am so sorry for what I said in that last argument we had! You we're right, I am avoiding you and the family." Shikamaru said in a sort of panic. He didn't know if his mother was about to die or not.
"Ah, Shikamaru…" Yoshino groaned. She was in agonizing pain from the explosion she escaped.
"Dear, I am so sorry about our last anniversary! I didn't mean to forget! I just got too caught up with work! I swear that I'll make it up once you're out of here!" Shikaku said as he held his wife's hand. Yoshino continued to moan.
"You know how upset you were when I said that I was going to move out of the house? You said that I was neglecting my family responsibilities and abandoning you and dad? Guess what!? I'm gonna stay! You won't have to work as much around the house! I'll finally start helping you like you wanted!" Shikamaru said. He began to cry. Yoshino began to moan harder.
"Honey, I know how jealous you were when the neighbors went off on that really nice vacation to the Crescent Moon Kingdom?" Before Shikaku could finish, Yoshino lifted her head and bit off the head of her husband and son.
"Will you two SHUT UP!!? I'm in enough pain already! I don't need you two getting sappy on me!" Yoshino shouted and laid her head down.
"Gee mom; I come here trying to so you how much you mean to me and this is what I get?" Shikamaru said now sure that his mother would be fine.
"You think I'm going to die here and leave you and your father to take care of yourselves? Hell no. I'm not dying because some prick decided it would be funny to hide a bomb for me to step on." Yoshino said. She wanted to sound gentler, but she was in too much pain to say something nice. She also didn't want to appear weak to her son.
"Honey, we're just worried about you." Shikaku said. "I don't want to lose the love of my life like this."
Before Yoshino could say anything, Tsunade walked in.
"She has suffered second degree burns from the blast." Tsunade said. "It will take awhile for her to walk again because of the burns, but she should be out of here without any serious or noticeable scars."
"Oh thank god." Shikaku said with a sigh of relief.
Tsunade left the Nara family be and went to another part of the hospital which she and her staff of strategists had assembled in the meeting room of the hospital so they could plan for Nazo's next attack and still be close enough for Tsunade to treat the wounded. There at the meeting was Shizune, the village elders Koharu and Homura, the village's top record keeper and historian Chishiki, Anko, and a number of Anbu black ops. In the room, there were was a recording of Nazo's threat playing, computers analyzing Nazo's face, movements, and voice, and a pile of records relating to the creation of fire arms and the former Whirlpool country.
"I never thought that civil criminals would go so far to stop us. We got a prosecution on their grunts but I didn't think that they would do this just to get us back. They crossed the line." Tsunade said.
"If you don't mind if I say this, you and the other four great shinobi nations crossed the line first when you tried to make time for the Akatsuki." Chishiki said. "The Leaf Village and the other villages cornered them, hammered them, and pushed them to the point of desperation. And in their desperation they turned to a man and group of people they didn't fully understand."
Chishiki was a wise old man and he wasn't afraid of speaking his opinion. Unlike the elders who over saw Tsunade's reign as hokage, he meant no criticism or ill will.
"That may be so, but Tsunade still did not prevent this." The Koharu said.
"There wasn't anything the Anbu could do." Anko said. "We were careless; Nazo and the Horde must have acted in advance, maybe even before Minomaru Hyuga turned up dead."
"But how could they have known how and when to act? They couldn't possibly have spies here could they?" Shizune said. "Nazo couldn't be that far ahead of us could he?"
"Doesn't matter, we need to do something before more people get killed." The Homura said.
"Doesn't matter, either way all criminals are the same. Whether it's Orochimaru, the Akatsuki, or the mob, they all want something. We just need to know what the Horde wants and we can bring them down." Tsunade said.
"In all due respect Lady Tsunade, I think that this is a man that you don't fully understand either." Chishiki said.
"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked.
"You see, back when I was a young Chunin I was given a mission to guard the Imperial Gifts for the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire." Chishiki began. "The gifts were for the inauguration of the new Feudal Lord Masashi Kishimoto. However, the night my squad and I arrived at the capital, our caravan carrying the gifts was attacked by a bandit and the gifts were stolen. My squad and I searched the entire Land of Fire and teams were sent out all around the world to search for them and after six months we never found anyone who had bought the gifts. One day while I was passing through a local farm community, I saw a little girl pretending to be a princess wearing the string of jewels which were meant for the inauguration. The bandit had been throwing the gifts away along his way."
"Then why would he steal the gifts then?" Tsunade asked. She was very confused about what she was hearing.
"There isn't a lot of logic in throwing away priceless Imperial Gifts." Shizune said. She couldn't understand Chishiki's point either.
"Well, the bandit thought that stealing the gifts was good sport." Chishiki answered. "You see, some men aren't looking for something logical like money. Some men can't be reasoned with, they can't be bullied, negotiated with, bribed or intimidated. Some men just want to watch the world burn."
Tsunade felt a shiver of fear run down her spine as she thought about what Chishiki said. Someone who didn't want anything but utter destruction only because he had the power to do so was a scary thought. She had never dealt with men like him and she didn't think she would know how. He was not your typical criminal, villain, or psychopath. Just the thought of him filled Tsunade with a cold feeling. Tsunade looked at one of the computers analyzing Nazo's face. She looked at his face laughing in slow motion. His wicked smile beneath his mask, his yellow teeth, and his cold eyes, everything in his being wasn't natural. He was monster.
Back at the Konoha Special Task Force station, Saiban was busy reading through reports about last night and was frustrated with what had happened. His best men were on patrol that night and he couldn't believe that none of them saw Nazo. Suddenly a senior officer approached him along with another man.
"Saiban-chui, there is a man here from the noble court who has message from the Feudal Lord." The senior officer said as he introduced the man.
"Hosoku Saiban, lieutenant of the Konoha Special Task, the noble court of the Land of Fire has an order for the release of Hao and to drop the convictions against all criminals that have been arrested in these last few days." The advocate said. "For the safety of civilians and non-combatants, the noble court seeks to appease the terrorist organization referred to as the Horde."
"I refuse." Saiban said. He was straight foreword when he said it. He refused to give into terrorist demands.
"Saiban-chui we can't stand against people who are blowing away Konoha's best shinobi clans and civilians! The prosecution must end for the peace of the village!" The senior officer said. "No one is going to stand up against this man Nazo!"
"We will then. I have already sent undercover officers and an undercover agent to learn more about the Horde and appeasement to terrorists does not make peace, it encourages more chaos." Saiban said. "We hold Hao until his trial day."
"I will report this to the noble court but I assure that they will not be pleased with this decision." The advocate said as he walked out shaking his head in disagreement. He knew that shinobi were stubborn when it came to telling them to not fight but this was complete foolishness.
"Saiban-chui you can't be serious." The senior officer said.
"I am." Saiban said. Suddenly there was a pitiful snicker from Hao's holding cell.
"You think that you'll stop these people by fighting back, you're out of your mind." Hao said.
"Will see about that." Hao said.
"Shut up and put this on. I need you alive enough for trial." Saiban said as he opened a nearby locker and threw him an over armor coat.
"You can't protect me, and you can't protect yourselves." Hao said beginning to look depressed. He knew that everything was over and Nazo would win in the end.
"Yeah, well you lip off to me or anyone else here again and you won't come back here. You'll go to a civil prison. How long do you think you'll last in there?" Saiban said. Hao didn't answer and slipped on the armored coat without a word. He hoped that he would be dead before the whole tragedy.
As Konoha mourned the dead and prepared for Nazo's return, Musso and Akuma were sitting in a hot spring in the Land of Lightening. One of Akuma's men approached with a newspaper in his hands.
"Boss, you gotta see this. That Nazo guy wasn't lying when he said that he and his pals could blow the ninja clans from here to kingdom come." The thug said as he handed the newspaper to Akuma. Akuma read the front story; the Taka clan was entirely wiped out in the Land of Wind, four clan elders of the Tsuyu clan were killed by lead projectiles lodged in their skulls, and Yasato Kohaku the head of the Kohaku clan was murdered by acid mixed in a beverage.
"The Horde actually did it. They got the ninja clans back for messing with us." Akuma said with an almost fake smile. He had made hits in the past but finding out that the hit men he hired committed genocide over night was disturbing even for him.
"They killed an entire clan and the ninjas are still fighting back. I didn't think Nazo would kill so many people in one night. I'm starting to have second thoughts. I didn't want an entire clan dead." Musso said. He had killed people before and he done hits before for personal reasons but genocide was more hateful than anything he had done before. He was now worried that maybe this would be too much.
"No, the Five Great Shinobi Nations will give in eventually. They won't fight back when the lives of civilians are at stake. When they release our guys, leave us alone, and just focus on the Akatsuki without bothering us we'll call of the Horde." Akuma said. He hoped that he was right. He was a murder but not a psychopath.
""I hope your right." Musso said as he looked at the news paper and felt horrified by how many people were killed. "Nazo just seemed, serious when he said genocide. I just don't want more people to die than we need."
Both sat there in silence. They both had the blood of victims, rivals, innocents, and family members on their hands but this amount of bloodshed done so quickly and so enthusiastically was something they never had in them. The hot spring suddenly felt cold as the two meditated on the matter.
Back in Konohagakure, Tsunade was still discussing a plan of defense against Nazo if he returned. While her advisors were drawing out a plan of defense, a secretary burst into the room gasping for breath from sprinting and looking absolutely horrified.
"Lady Tsunade, we have a third rate emergency from Sunagakure and Kirigakure!" The secretary shouted. "The entire Taka clan from the Hidden Sand Village was killed in an implosion and four elders of the Tsuyu clan elders from the Hidden Mist Village were killed last night!!!"
Tsunade rose up from her seat in shock, horror, and rage. The Horde had gone on a complete rampage last night and everyone around the world was helpless to stop it. Nowhere on the continent was safe from the madman Nazo or his psychopath partners in crime.
"It must have been Akumu and Inagojo who committed those murders last night!" Tsunade said. "They're going to hit every great shinobi nation at angles so we can't defend ourselves in time or come to the aid of our allies!"
"But how could the other two terrorists have done so much in one night? Nazo did almost nothing compared to his comrades." Shizune said. Her head fell into her hands thinking about the horror of what had happened.
"It could be a difference in tactics or personalities." Anko said. "But this still doesn't change the fact that these people are going to great lengths to avenge a couple of civil criminals."
"I don't think this is something for the mob, I think this something over our heads." One Anbu at the meeting said feeling lost in despair.
"Let's not panic. What happened in the Sand Village? How could an entire clan die in an implosion?" Tsunade asked the secretary. She calmed herself down to think more clearly.
"The clan district had been rigged to explode from underground. When it did, all the Taka clan members were either buried alive or blown to pieces from the blast. No one survived." The secretary said handing Tsunade the reports on the two incidents. The secretary soon began to cry thinking about the tragedy and death which had happened last night.
Tsunade read the report in her head. The implosion happened fifty miles beneath the district's surface, with a radius extending 120 meters beyond the district; probably to ensure that no one escaped. After the incident, the severed heads of three Jonin from the Sand Village were nailed to the side of the Kazekage's office with the words, "Serve The Queen" written in blood underneath. The character "jo" was in Inagojo's name meaning queen. This meant that Inagojo was the one responsible.
"Inform the Sand Village that it was Inagojo who committed this act of terrorism. Send the information we have on her too." Tsunade said to the secretary. It wasn't much but it was all Tsunade could now for the Sand Village. She then turned her attention to the next report.
According to the Mist Village, four Tsuyu clan elders were killed openly at the inauguration of the new head of the clan. Before their deaths, a loud speaker had come on at the event. A man said that he was pissed about the Mist doing everything so unfairly to the little man and thinking that they had to make all the decisions. He wanted to let chance decide what should happen to the elders at the inauguration because chance had already decided that the other clan members were safe. The sound of a coin being flipped filled the air before the four elders dropped dead from small lead projectiles that had been fired through their skulls. A loud boom was heard before they died and a search team immediately set out to look for the assassins but no one was found. The only logical explanation would have to be that Akumu was behind the act.
"Shizune, get a message out to the Mist Village that it was most likely Akumu who killed those people. Send them his photo and everything else we have on him too." Tsunade said. She was now curious about what the Horde used to do all this.
"Yes Tsunade." Shizune said as she left the room.
"Chishiki, do we have any information about the former Whirlpool Country? How could they blow up an entire district overnight?" Tsunade asked. She read in the report that traces of gunpowder was found at the site of the implosion and she was to unfamiliar with this form of science to know anything about it.
"We don't have much knowledge about the Whirlpool Country since it was destroyed in the last Great Ninja World War." Chishiki said as he skimmed through some files. "But it is known that the country had a huge science, research and development department which drew negative attention towards the country."
"What kind of sciences would involve gunpowder and these projectiles we've found in the wounded?" Tsunade asked. The only thing she knew about gunpowder was that it was used in fireworks.
"Pyrotechnics, fire technologies and explosive experiments my lady." Chishiki said. "As for this other weapons that the Horde have been using, the only account on these weapons is that during the war some of the Whirlpool Country's shinobi carried a smaller version of what we've been seeing that was hand held and fired small lead spheres from the barrel. They were called firearms because the trigger on the weapon sparked a small explosion of gunpowder which fired the projectiles out of the weapon. The weapons were called guns for short because they used gunpowder."
"But what filled the victims from last night were not lead spheres. They were cylinder shaped." Tsunade said.
"Obviously the Horde kept guns in production and are making stronger ones." Anko said. "With weapons like these, they could easily replace ninjutsu and all other forms of shinobi warfare. They probably made a gun that could fire from long distances to kill those elders from the Mist Village and escape so easily."
"If they have this much power then why don't they sell it and become like the other organized criminals? They shouldn't be doing the mob or anyone else favors, they should be making millions from selling firearms to enemy nations and creating a monopoly on weapons." Tsunade said. "Unless it's like what Chishiki said and they really are a group of genocidal psychopaths."
"I'm not the kind of person to dissect peoples' minds my lady." Chishiki said. "But finding someone who can analyze the minds of criminals would be very advantageous for you."
Tsunade rubbed her forehead; she was frustrated by all the thoughts going through her head. Should she fight back and search for the Horde or wait for them to come? Should continue to guess at what they wanted or should she try to analyze who the terrorists were? Why would they wait till now to make such a public appearance? Why did they want so many dead? Was it for the mob and their money or was the Horde trying to avenge their fallen homeland? Everything was a mystery. Tsunade looked out a window and saw how peaceful things were. She was afraid that it would soon disappear.
After hours of training, Naruto and Hinata were both getting ready for their night out. Naruto simply saw what was happening tonight as a birthday party. Hinata however, was beginning to get nervous thinking that she was going on a date. She went to her room and opened her closet. She pulled out a large wooden box containing a beautiful violet kimono she bought. She originally wanted to show Naruto it when he first returned to the village but she hit her head and blacked out. She doubted that Naruto was going anywhere fancy and she doubted that Naruto was going to dress nice for the occasion.
"Better that I save it for another time." Hinata thought to herself.
Hinata put her dirty clothes in her laundry basket and got out a pair of casual clothes. She then put a robe and walked into the bathroom of her home. She was getting ready to take a shower.
Naruto had finished washing himself and putting on some casual clothes instead of his normal clothing for missions. He still wore his head band though; it was too important to him to take off even for a day. Naruto looked at his clock, it was seven thirty and he had a half an hour to meet Hinata. Naruto left for Hinata's house even though he still had a lot of time. He arrived there at seven thirty five and waited by the side of her house. Suddenly he heard running water and someone sigh in relief. It had to be Hinata. Naruto at first thought that maybe he could sneak a look at Hinata but he then told himself not to. He exerted all of his will power to control his hormones and respect Hinata's privacy. He did respect Hinata and he didn't want to appear to be a pervert like his master Jiraiya. Naruto sat by the side of her house thinking to himself.
"What should I say to her when she comes out? What if she dressed really nice for the occasion? What if she is expecting somewhere fancy for dinner? Damn, this feels like a date and I'm not ready for that." Naruto thought to himself. He became nervous until he heard a voice; a beautiful voice like that of an angel. It was Hinata singing in the shower! Naruto stood up so he could better hear her voice, and it was beautiful.
We meet like lovers in the warm embrace. Your kisses thrill me like no one before. Baby I'm all yours! Livin just for you. I can see the moonlight shining through the mist. Moon beams playing over you and me. I see the light of love, shining in your eyes. I'm holding you in my aaarrrms, lov'in you beneath the staaarrrsss. I don't want the light to steal you awaaayyy! Oh, hold me close I want you soo! Don't you know that baby? Your love has touched my very soul! Can you feel it baby? Ohhh! Never let me go! Darling cause we're so in love! And we can dream on, sweet dreeaaam! Oh, your shadow captured in the silent night. I feel your breath it whispers like a breeze. Oh baby please be miiine, till the end of tiiime. Ohhh, I'm holding you in my aaarrrms, lov'in you beneath the staaarrsss. I don't want the light to steal you awaaayyy! Hold me close I want you soo! Don't you know that baby? Your love has touched my very soul! Can you feel it baby? Ohhh! Never let me gooo! DARLING cause we're so in love! And we can dream on, sweet dreeeaaaammm! Oh!
Suddenly Hinata heard clapping outside the bathroom door. Someone was listening to her.
"Encore! That was great onesan!" The person outside the bathroom said. It was Hanabi. "You really ought to not be so shy and get out and show your voice off somewhere. If not that, you could do vocal lessons on the side of running the clan."
"I would die of stage fright before I got and sang anywhere!" Hinata laughed as she got out of the shower and dried off. "If I were to sing outside of home, it would only be for a very special occasion."
"Why not do it for Naruto tonight? It is his birthday after all." Hanabi said. "He would love to hear you."
"No, we're just friends." Hinata said as she walked out of the bathroom dressed. "I mean, we have gotten close in these last few days but I don't want to take anything fast."
"Are you sure that's it?" Hanabi asked.
"Stop that!" Hinata said blushing. "Just make sure dad doesn't see me leave. I don't trust what he'll do if he sees Naruto here."
"Why not? He's not THAT over protective." Hanabi asked.
"It's just that he was one of the people I would see glaring at Naruto when he was young and I'm worried that he'll hate Naruto even more if he sees me going out with him tonight."
"I thought you said this wasn't a date." Hanabi said with a grin.
"It's not!!" Hinata shouted with a redder face than before.
"I was kidding!" Hanabi laughed. "But he has been your life long crush, so maybe you could give him a 'personal' birthday gift if you understand what I'm saying."
"No way!" Hinata said. "I told you that I'm saving myself for marriage!"
"I wasn't talking about that. I meant giving him a kiss but if you want to go that far then be my guest!" Hanabi said.
"That's gross!" Hinata said.
"But still though, this could be your only chance to let him know before someone takes him or he runs off with that Sainin again." Hanabi said. "Don't wait to long."
"When we're both ready I'll let him know." Hinata said.
"Hinata, we both know how alone he has been for all these years and even though he has friends now he is missing something else in his life. There are some things that friendship doesn't cover." Hanabi said. She was taking Hinata's relationship with Naruto very seriously. "You of all people should know that."
"Please don't bring up mom." Hinata said. It broke her heart every time she heard Hanabi talk about it and it hurt to remember.
"I know I was too young to remember her, but I still feel like I robbed you of someone." Hanabi said. She was beginning to feel very emotional. "If there is a chance for happiness for you in life then I want you to take it. This long crush of yours has something in common with you; you're both missing someone in your lives."
"Hanabi, I will try but please let this go. I could never blame you for what happened." Hinata said also feeling emotional.
"Hinata, I just want you to be happy. This is something you've worked for so hard for and I don't want you to lose it." Hanabi said.
"I will be, hopefully with him." Hinata said. "I'm going to be late. Just make sure dad doesn't find me."
"I will. Go make this a night for him to remember." Hanabi said with a smile.
"Thanks, I will." Hinata said. As she walked done stairs, she quickly wiped away a tear that had formed in her eye. Hanabi did the same while there was still some distance between them.
Naruto didn't hear anything else after Hinata left the shower. But he was breath taken by Hinata's singing. He never heard someone so beautiful before. He could now see that she was the perfect embodiment of beauty. Besides her physical beauty, she had so much beauty within her; she still had such a gentle personality and soft spirit inside. She was everything Naruto couldn't be and he felt such deep acknowledgement when he was with her. He truly didn't feel like a demon when he looked at her. Naruto began to think about what he wanted for his birthday. But he soon stopped and went to the corner of Hinata's house. He had to be ready.
Hinata heard her father talking with Neji in the other room when she walked down stairs. Their conversation was almost over, Hanabi then walked into the room and joined in the conversation. Hinata then took her chance to get past her father. She put on her sandals and left her house. There by the corner she saw Naruto. He was casually dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. Hinata was dressed similarly in a short sleeved shirt and shorts.
"Hi. Thanks for coming." Naruto said with a smile. He was feeling nervous and slightly blushing.
"Your welcome. You did save me so it's the least I can do." Hinata said also feeling slightly nervous. The two then walked off side by side. They didn't look at each other out of nervousness and uncertainty.
Back at Hinata's house, Hiashi was questioning Hanabi about Hinata's love life. He mentioned it at the Reunion party in attempt to get her to stop worrying about Nazo but now he was curious.
"Neji said that he has never seen Hinata around any boys her age. She doesn't seem interested in Kiba Inuzuka or at least I hope she isn't but I'm curious because she blushed about it at the Reunion party. Hanabi, do you know anything about Hinata and her love life?" Hiashi asked.
"I'm afraid not." Hanabi lied with a straight face. She wasn't expecting him to bring the subject up but she was more than prepared to keep her sister hidden. "She never talks to me about these things."
"Strange, maybe I only embarrassed last night." Hiashi said.
Outside the room where Hanabi and her father were talking, Neji was using his Byakugan to search the house for Hinata. He saw her walking down the road with Naruto! Neji was shocked at what he was seeing. He was not about to rat out his cousin but he could not believe that she was going out HIM of all people. Neji decided to remain quiet and left for another part of the house. He would have gone home but he was asked to stay at Hiashi's house for the night to discuss what should happen if the Horde was to make another attack on the Hyuga clan.
Minute later, Naruto and Hinata arrived at the Ichimaru Ramen stand. He then walked her in and the two were seated.
"Sorry, I paid Asuma almost all my money for him to teach me how to manipulate the element of wind. I have two free coupons and some money left. This is about all I can afford." Naruto said.
"I don't mind, it's your birthday anyways." Hinata said with a smile.
"Oh, Naruto I'm glad to see you here tonight." The owner said with a smile as he walked out of the small kitchen to greet him and his guest. "I know that today is the day that you turn sixteen and I see that you have brought quit a lovely guest with you."
Hinata was speechless. She was flattered by the ramen stand owner and began to blush.
"Um, thanks. This is my friend Hinata Hyuga." Naruto said feeling a little awkward. He almost felt like he was showing off a new girlfriend but he didn't want Hinata to feel that way. "I have two coupons for a free ramen of the buyer's choice. One is for me and the other is for Hinata."
"I see. Since it's such a special night for you, I'll let you have whatever you want in your ramen." The owner said.
"Thank you very much." Naruto said. He felt like the ramen stand owner was setting him up to make a move on Hinata. "I will have miso with pork bone."
"Alright, and what will you have Hinata-dono." The ramen stand owner asked.
"You don't need the honorific; I will have miso and crab please." Hinata said.
"Alright then, we will get to work right away with your order." The owner said. He then went to the back of the kitchen and got to work with the girl who worked with him.
Naruto and Hinata were both quiet for a moment. Naruto then attempted to start a conversation.
"Have you ever eaten here before?" Naruto asked. It was almost pointless but it was the best thing he could come up with at the moment.
"No I haven't." Hinata answered. She also didn't know what to talk about and she didn't want to get personal again until she got to know him a little more. But then again talking about their lives was the only way to get to know each other. "My family usually doesn't go out to eat. So this is really new to me."
"You'll love this place. I've always come here. Ever since I was a kid I've eaten here." Naruto said. He still felt like he was going on about nothing.
"I'm sure the food is good." Hinata said. She was going back to her shy, quiet self. She wanted to talk about something more meaningful but she didn't know what.
"Here are your orders." The owner said as he handed the two of them a bowl of Ramen. The two then snapped a pair of chopsticks and began to eat.
"It's good." Hinata complimented. "The cook at home can ever make very good ramen."
"I'm glad you like it." The owner said. He then got another look at Hinata and remembered her from before. "Haven't I seen you before?"
"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.
"I thought that I saw you come in here before." The owner said.
"I don't ever remember coming here." Hinata said. She then ate more of her ramen.
"You did. I remember you came here asking for Naruto." The owner said.
"I don't recall ever coming here to shop for fish cakes." Hinata said.
"No, not the food naruto; I mean my most valued customer Naruto Uzamaki who has brought you here tonight." The owner said.
"You were looking for me?" Naruto asked. He was surprised to hear that.
"Well, I heard that you left the village again and I wanted to see you after three years." Hinata answered. She began to feel embarrassed.
"You did seem pretty upset that day when I told you that he wasn't here." The owner said. He started to wish he hadn't said anything because now it seemed that he had put Hinata in an uncomfortable position.
"You were upset that I left Hinata?" Naruto asked. He finished his ramen and looked at her.
"Well, you were gone for so long without saying good bye to any one and I started to worry." Hinata said blushing. She was extremely nervous and was worried that she would have to tell Naruto about her crush on him.
"You were worried about what?" Naruto asked. It hurt him to know that Hinata was worried while he was gone. "Please tell me."
"I was worried about… you." Hinata said weakly. She was feeling incredibly shy and her face was very red.
"Hinata, I didn't want you to worry about me. I never want you to worry about me. I would have said something if I had known." Naruto said. He felt terrible for hurting her. He didn't know her that well back then but it still hurt him to know that she was worried about his well being for three years. Yet, he was deeply moved by the fact that she cared so much about him. He began to wonder if Hinata ever had any feelings for him early on before they began to get this close. If so, he was more than sure he knew what he wanted for his birthday.
"I'm sorry. It's just that…" Hinata didn't know what to say.
"Here, since it's your special night I'll give you one of the stand's ne desserts for free!" The owner said with a smile. He now felt a terrible guilt for setting up Hinata the way he did and this was his only way to help Hinata escape.
"Thank you. You are being too generous to us tonight." Naruto said.
"It's your birthday Naruto! You deserve it." The owner said as he cut two slices of cake beneath the counter and handed the slices to Naruto and Hinata on a plate.
"What is this cake? And what are these weird utensils next to them?" Naruto asked as he looked at the dark brown cake and the eating utensil which had a handle and four sharp points at the end of it.
"It's called dark chocolate cake. It is very popular in a land far west of here." The owner said. "The utensil you're holding is called a fork. You dig into the cake with it and shovel the food onto the sharp end of it to bring it to your mouth."
"Um, okay." Hinata said. She was just as confused about the utensil as Naruto was. They both attempted to pick up a small portion of the cake and dropped it. The second try they succeeded.
"This is delicious! It's bitter sweet and almost melts in your mouth!" Naruto said with a smile. He was enjoying the dessert.
"It is delicious!" Hinata said. She was no longer put into a shy corner.
The two eat the cake slowly to savor the taste and to make sure that they didn't drop anymore of the cake. After they finished, they both stood up and gave a bow of gratitude.
"Happy birthday Naruto! I'm glad you enjoyed your meal tonight!" The owner said with a smile of delight.
"Thank you so much for tonight! This has been one of the best dinners I've had here!" Naruto said back feeling a great amount of joy.
"Yes, thank you very much for treating us!" Hinata said with a bright smile.
"Come back anytime! I'm always welcoming!" The owner said.
"Thanks for dinner tonight Naruto and happy birthday." Hinata said. "I should head home now."
"Here, let me walk you home." Naruto said.
"Oh, that really isn't necessary." Hinata said. She began to get nervous.
"Please, I insist." Naruto said with a smile. He wanted to ask Hinata something before he decided on his birthday gift.
"Um, okay." Hinata said. She walked alongside Naruto and the two headed towards her home.
"It's like a fairytale isn't?" The ramen shop girl said to the owner. "The Jinchuriki housing the spirit of the Kyubi falling in love with the princess of the Hyuga clan."
"I don't think they're that close yet." The owner said. "I hope I didn't ruin it for them with my big mouth."
"Who knows; maybe you just made it all the better for them." The ramen girl said. She watched them walk away dreaming of her chances of finding love like Hinata.
Back at Hinata's home, things were not well. Hiashi could not find Hinata and it was getting late.
"Where is Hinata!? I have searched around the house for almost an hour now and I still can't find her!" Hiashi said in a panic. He knew that the Horde tried to kill her once; they could try to kill her again.
"Father, I'm sure she is fine." Hanabi said. She didn't want to give away that Hinata was out with Naruto.
"Hanabi, when was the last time you saw your sister?" Hiashi asked in a more controlled tone.
"She was here." Hanabi said. Her face was still straight but Hiashi began to become suspicious because her calmness.
"Hanabi, you swear to me, the family name, and to the heavens that your sister did not leave the house for any reason?" Hiashi asked with a very serious face. He wanted to test her to see if she was telling the truth.
"Well…" Hanabi said now struggling to not smile.
"I did see her walk out with someone. A young man about sixteen years old." Neji said. He didn't want to rat out Hinata but he didn't want Hanabi to get in trouble.
"You said that Hinata isn't seeing anybody Hanabi." Hiashi said as he looked his youngest daughter in the eyes. Hanabi began to smile and blush.
"I didn't know about this boy!" Hanabi lied. She couldn't hide it any more now that Neji had mentioned seeing Hinata going out.
"Ah, I wish she would trust me enough to tell me that she was going out with someone. I would have accepted him if I got to know him a bit." Hiashi said putting his face in his hand. "If she is hiding him from me then that must mean that it is that good for nothing Kiba."
"It didn't look like Kiba when she left." Neji lied. "Let's wait till she comes home to find out."
"Alright, but if it is that Inuzuka boy then I will make sure he loses his manhood tonight." Hiashi said imagining the bad influence he would have on his daughter.
Naruto and Hinata were only feet away from her house. Hinata was still feeling shy and nervous.
"You know, you didn't have to walk me home." Hinata said. She saw her home close by.
"I wanted to. It means a lot that you came to, or rather in a way, threw a birthday celebration for me." Naruto said with a smile. He and Hinata approached the corner of her house.
"Thanks again Naruto and happy birthday. I will see you tomorrow." Hinata said and tried to walk away quickly.
"Wait Hinata, there is something I want to ask you." Naruto said as he gently grabbed Hinata's hand and stopped her. Hinata's heart began to race.
"What is it?" Hinata asked. Naruto faced her still holding her hand. Hinata was terrible nervous. "Naruto why are you getting so close to me?"
"Hinata, there is one thing I want for my birthday but I have to know something first." Naruto said as he put Hinata's back against the wall of her house. "Please be perfectly honest with me and I'll be perfectly honest with you."
"What is it?" Hinata asked. Adrenalin was rushing through her veins. Yet, she was incredibly excited and felt that her dream was about to come true.
"Hinata, I want to know if you ever had any sort of feelings for me before I left three years ago to train with master Jiraiya." Naruto said looking into her eyes. He felt a warm feeling in his heart and he felt nervous of her answer.
"Naruto, I will admit that ever since childhood, you have been the person I admire the most. I have always had this deep crush on you but I've always been to shy and weak to tell you. And I didn't want to let you know tonight. I didn't feel ready." Hinata said. She was about ready to cry because she had revealed so much to him.
"Good." Naruto said. His heart was overwhelmed with joy and now he knew that really wanted his one gift for his birthday. "Hinata I am very glad that you have told me this. I apologize from the bottom of my heart for not noticing you earlier. In these last, short few days I've learned so much about you and I want to learn even more. I want you to know who I am too."
"Naruto, what are you talking about?" Hinata asked as Naruto got closer to her face and looking deeper into her eyes.
"Hinata, the only thing I want for my birthday, is you." Naruto said. Then with every ounce of courage and the warm feelings flowing in his heart, Naruto kissed Hinata. Lovingly and tenderly on her angelic lips.
Hinata's mind at first told her to stop, but her heart told her to embrace the beauty of the moment. She tightened her grip on Naruto's hand and pressed her lips just as tenderly against his. Her dream had come true that night. And it was everything she had hoped and dreamed of.
Author's Note:
Hold on!! This is not the end! There is still the Horde to deal with! Nazo will be coming back and things are just getting started!! Stay tuned! Now we will see how their love will endure the events to come!!!! Please review and give suggestions!!!!!!