I hope that you guys had a great Christmas! Here's the pivotal chapter 10!

Chapter 10: Faith

"There she is," the suited man stated blankly. Kabuto's eyebrow quirked in interest. He leaned over in the car seat and snatched the binoculars from the man's hands. He gazed through the lenses towards the area that the man had been previously observing. Sure enough, Kabuto saw the woman that they were looking for. The Hyuuga girl looked fatigued and seemed to have finished a recent work-out. There were two men walking with her. One had spiky, blonde hair and matched the description of the man who had saved the Hyuuga girl in the beginning, the other was… Kabuto gritted his teeth and he felt rage boil in his stomach. His broken arm ached and felt like a cold, metal weight attached to his body. It didn't even feel like an arm at the moment. The other man accompanying the Hyuuga girl was the one responsible for the aching in his arm. In that moment, the strong malice in Kabuto turned to sick glee. He would make that man suffer and the blonde one too. He would make them all feel pain similar to the agony he had always known. He would bring them the pleasure of pain.

Kabuto and his unit were inside a black SUV that was hidden in the shade of some tall trees on the side of the road adjacent to the school. Kabuto noted that all of the gates to the school were barred down and guards patrolled the grounds regularly during the day. Kabuto was not worried about any of that. They had spotted their prey. They were walking towards their vehicle in the parking lot. When the ignorant trio drove away from the safety of the school, Kabuto and his unit would simply follow them. Once the trio would reach their destination, Kabuto would apprehend the Hyuuga girl and eliminate the two men. Kabuto's excitement escalated to a new height and he turned to his subordinate.

"Start the car. It's time." The man nodded his understanding. Kabuto's grotesque grin formed on his face and if the man he had addressed was not as disciplined and cold as he had been trained to be, he would have cowered in terror from the expression.

Naruto sat in the driver's seat and Hinata sat in the passenger seat next to him. Sasuke gracefully took his seat in the back. They had just finished some training with Hinata. It had been a few days after she had successfully caught the fish. She had finally graduated to the real forms of fighting. Naruto was able to teach her some basic moves and some useful kata that would aid her training. She had taken it well and seemed to grasp the major concepts. However, she was still a beginner and needed more practice. Naruto was proud of her, though, and he knew Sasuke was too.

Naruto turned to his passengers and grinned cheerfully at them. "Dinner sound good?" Hinata nodded with a relieved smile and Sasuke mutually agreed. Naruto turned on the ignition and put the car in reverse to back it out of the parking lot. As he turned to drive down the street, Naruto saw a black SUV parked on the far curb. It was the only vehicle on the road at the moment, so it was hardly conspicuous. Naruto didn't think much of it and turned the car towards their goal.

During the drive, Naruto was conversing with Hinata about her earlier training. As Naruto maneuvered through the busy city streets, he noticed the SUV tailing them several yards away. Naruto's eyes narrowed in suspicion at his discovery. Hinata had just made a joke about Sasuke's bad form during training because of his almost-healed shoulder when Naruto interrupted. "Someone's following us." Sasuke immediately perked up in readiness. Hinata was surprised by the cold discipline that glowed in his dark eyes. Naruto quickly detoured off the busy street onto a smaller and much quieter road. The road curved away from the urban part of the city and changed into a residential area with many middle-class houses built along it. Naruto sped up steadily and saw the black SUV do the same. His Charger could easily beat the SUV in a race but Naruto wasn't trying to run away. Hinata observed the calculating glint in Naruto's eyes and wondered what he was planning. Sasuke was completely silent and his eyes were now closed in concentration. Hinata didn't like the eerie feeling of forewarning that permeated through the car. The two karate masters seemed completely aware of the situation while she was clueless to all of it.

The houses became sparser as they drove along the road. There were more empty spaces starting to form. Naruto suddenly found what he was looking for and turned into an empty lot that was filled with loose, gray gravel. The trio stayed in the car as the SUV carefully parked a few yards in front of them. Hinata could feel her heart beating against her chest. It felt like a great drum pushing anxious blood through her shaking body. She felt her throat tighten and become painstakingly dry. Naruto and Sasuke both appeared calm and cool.

All of a sudden, the SUV's dark doors opened and five men in suits stepped out. Hinata felt an icy pain in her heart as the men before her brought back an unwanted memory. She saw men wearing similar suits shoot her mother in front of her and she began to shake uncontrollably. Pure terror rushed through her and she saw the edge before her, once again. The edge promised comfort to her and she was finding it difficult to resist its dark temptation. She could simply jump into the darkness below and never look back, she told herself. It would be so easy and for one terrible moment she would have done it, but a warm hand grasped her trembling palm. Suddenly, the edge disappeared and a warm light shined through the darkness. Naruto held her hand and his cerulean orbs made all of her fear drift away.

His soft smile enveloped her in warmth and she gaped at the handsome blonde. "I'll take care of this, Hinata." His voice was silk. His smile a bright light. "Stay in the car. This will be over in a second." Hinata didn't say anything. She was too captivated by Naruto's presence. Naruto nodded to Sasuke and the two stepped out of the car into the late fall air. Hinata managed to get control of herself when they had gotten out and she cracked down the passenger window to hear the commotion.

When they had exited from the vehicle, another figure withdrew from the SUV. A figure wearing a cast. Naruto felt Sasuke tense up next to him and could practically touch the animosity leaking from his friend. Naruto felt his own fury burn within his blood. Kabuto gave a monstrous grin and cleared his throat in a nonchalant manner.

"I see your wound has healed, my friend." Kabuto was addressing Sasuke and the dark-haired man was glaring daggers at him. Kabuto carried on and pretended to not notice. He indicated Sasuke's arm. "I do apologize for that and I would wish to make amends. In fact, I decided to bring some friends along this time and introduce you to them." Naruto took note of the five silent men that stood in disciplined formation. Kabuto directed his attention to the blonde. "You must be the man that has taken something from my father. If you don't mind, could you please give that back?" Hinata winced at his degrading words. Naruto's anger flared.

"She is not someone's property, so stop addressing her like she's just an object." Kabuto shrugged in apathy.

"The girl is a tool; a prostitute. I'm sure you've fucked her already, so what's the point of keeping her? Honestly, this fake morality bugs the hell out of me." Kabuto showed a grotesque sneer that made even Sasuke want to puke. Naruto wanted to lose control at Kabuto's disgusting words but he was better trained than that. Surprisingly, Naruto took a deep breath and appeared completely composed on the outside. Sasuke knew, however, that his friend had concentrated his anger and was ready for a fight. He was fired up. Kabuto must have noticed the subtle movement of energy because he whistled. "I see you're no pushover. Alright, my men and I will kill you both and take the girl. I like this method better, anyway." Kabuto appeared cool and carefree, but in reality he was nervous. He shouldn't have been nervous. His men were almost as strong as himself and it was six men versus two. Despite all of that, Kabuto could feel the power within the blonde. The stance Naruto had taken was perfect with absolutely no openings anywhere on his body. His arms were placed at his side and held up slightly. His legs were spread apart to balance his weight flawlessly. He also had a strange aura saturate the air and it almost made a man want to attack foolishly. Kabuto was too experienced to be drawn in by the fighting spirit, however. Kabuto had more men too. There was nothing to worry about, he told himself. He repressed his fear and took his own stance. He brought his good arm in front of himself and placed his right foot forward. His men also took their defensive stances, except for one of the five.

Apparently, Kabuto had been wrong in his knowledge of his subordinates. They were not all as well-trained as he had thought they were. One of his men was shaking with anticipation and was clearly being manipulated by Naruto's aura. Naruto maintained a dead stare that showed equanimity and skillful readiness. Hinata gawked at Naruto's strong demeanor from inside of the Charger. She had never seen Naruto like this before. This was a completely different side to Naruto. He was about to fight seriously. For one absurd moment, Hinata was terrified of the man she had fallen in love with. Interestingly, she was also very attracted to him at the same time. Sasuke had also taken up a fighting stance next to his friend. For what seemed to have been an eternity, no one made a move. Finally, the man who had been trembling sprinted for Naruto with a fist raised. His face spoke of unintelligible madness and he was screaming as he ran towards Naruto.

Naruto stood completely still until the man came within his arm's reach. As the man's fist flew towards Naruto's face, the blonde master turned away from the strike in a nimble fashion. He turned his chest towards the man's figure; almost mirroring him. Naruto moved like water and reminded Hinata of that fish she had spent countless hours trying to capture. The man's eyes bugged out of his eyes as Naruto gave a soft smile while the palm of his open hand pushed into the man's stomach. The force of Naruto's hand threw off the man's balance and his knees buckled. Naruto quickly placed his foot back and swung his other hand, shaped like a spear, into the man's armpit. The man fell to the gravel in writhing agony as he wrapped his arms around his inflicted areas.

Naruto looked up from the squirming figure at his feet and glared at Kabuto. Sasuke chuckled and shook his head in amusement. "I'm guessing you want to take them all out yourself, Naruto?" Naruto said nothing and continued to glare at his opponents. Sasuke raised an eyebrow in slight perplexity. He hadn't seen Naruto this serious about a fight in years. A frigid, biting wind had flown through the gravel-laden lot and brushed against Naruto's spiky hair. The blonde locks swayed with the breeze and made Sasuke smirk. His friend looked like quite the badass at the moment. He wondered what their pale-eyed companion thought about that.

Naruto's thoughts were filled with anger, as well as serenity. He was beyond heated by Kabuto's rude behavior and wanted to make him suffer for it. Naruto kept his emotions under control and focused on the men in front of them. They were all nervous and frightened by Naruto's previous actions. That was good. When emotions took control of a man during a fight, they became vastly weaker. Naruto readied himself and tightened his leg muscles in preparation. All of a sudden, the wind stopped and Naruto dashed forward with a burst of insane speed. Sasuke sighed a little disappointed and took a neutral posture. His wound on his shoulder was still in stitches and he knew that he could still probably fight. He didn't need to fight, though. After all, Sasuke hated to admit it, but his best friend was stronger than him.

Naruto was so fast that Kabuto barely saw him coming. Fortunately for Kabuto, the man that stood closest to him stepped in front of him and took a defensive stance to protect him. Naruto seemed to have anticipated this and raised his leg towards the man's neck. The experienced man just barely blocked the kick with his upraised arm. Naruto's eyes glinted with intrigue. This guy wasn't too bad, he thought. In a split second, Naruto dropped his leg and put all of his weight on it. He then raised his other leg and kicked the man sharply into the opposite, unprotected side of his neck. Naruto moved so quickly that the man didn't have time to react. The man felt immediate pain in his neck and his eyes rolled back. The suited man fell to the gravel in an unconscious heap. Naruto casually lowered his leg and kept his eyes on Kabuto.

The three men that had been staring wide-eyed, hastily ran towards Naruto. One of the men grabbed his pistol that he had strapped to his hip. The other men had underestimated their opponents and had neglected their sidearms for the mission. The man with the gun couldn't get an aim on Naruto, however, because his two comrades were in the way. The man scowled in frustration. The other two were rushing for Naruto. When the two men got close enough, they swung as many punches and kicks as they could. Naruto simply dodged every attack as if he was a calm and steady brook meandering through a thatched glade.

Hinata observed everything through the car windshield. She was completely engrossed by Naruto's movements. Every motion that he performed portrayed a vision of grace and liquid-like reflexes. Hinata was reminded again of that little minnow in the pool. She realized there were more concepts to learn from that exercise than just changing directions quickly. Hinata also recognized that her original notion was incorrect. Naruto wasn't merely water. He moved as if he was in water. The man must have trained day and night in order to accomplish such feats. Because Naruto was surrounded by air, he was able to move quickly and precisely. Hinata had known Naruto was skillful but she had no idea that he had been holding back so much until now. Somehow, Hinata surmised that this wasn't his full potential either.

There was also something that had been bothering Hinata. Kabuto had come back, but he hadn't been ordered to by Freddie. Hinata knew about Kabuto and his profession. She knew that Freddie would give him jobs to pull off for him but he wasn't Freddie's subordinate. They were actually equals. Kabuto just listened to Freddie out of respect and mutual gain. Their real boss was Zetsu, Kabuto's father. Kabuto had said that he had been sent here because of his father's orders. That meant that James Zetsu had heard about Hinata and was after her. The mayor had numerous resources at his exposure and could do anything he wanted without lifting a finger. These facts filled Hinata's mind with grief and worry. Naruto couldn't take on the whole city by himself, she thought. Her mind was becoming suffused with doubts on what kind of future actions she would have to take.

Naruto was impressed by his opponents. They had given him no openings during their attacks and that made him only able to dodge. Still, they were much too slow to connect any of their strikes. For a few moments, Naruto just swayed and moved effortlessly; waiting for the juncture. Naruto finally noticed a slight misstep in one of the men's postures and took immediate advantage of the mistake. He kicked the man's foot that had been incorrectly positioned and in the man's confusion, he leaned forward. Naruto nimbly held the man's arm and shifted his weight onto himself. Naruto leaned his body in a forward angle and used the man's momentum to throw him into the other man. Their heads collided and they dropped to the rocky ground in a disgruntled state. The man with the handgun had been watching closely and once he saw his opportunity, he took it. Unfortunately for the man with the gun, Naruto had known about the sidearm the entire time. Naruto ducked down right before the man pulled the trigger. The bullet shot forward harmlessly and Naruto made a dash for Kabuto.

Kabuto, much to his chagrin, had been unable to move during the entirety of the fight. Kabuto had no idea why, but he was frozen solid as he watched this amazing fighter take out his men single-handed. This blonde man might have even been better than his father at fighting. His father, James Zetsu, was the strongest fighter he knew. His father had mastered the Chinese martial art of Bak Mei. However, this man...this fighter might have stood a chance against his father. This fact coupled with the power that Naruto was emitting, made Kabuto frightened. This wasn't supposed to happen, Kabuto thought. He wasn't supposed to be scared of anybody, except his father. His father was the only man that could strike this amount of fear in him. This infuriated Kabuto and he wanted to stop this fear, but just like his movement, he was helpless. When Naruto had rushed towards him to avoid the gunfire, Kabuto finally found the strength to move.

Before Naruto had made it to Kabuto, the man with the gun had shot again. This time, the bullet hit its mark. It grazed Naruto's right side; in between the ribcage and hip. Naruto grimaced in pain and Kabuto managed to make his move. He raised his leg and kicked the fresh wound in Naruto's side, bringing a painful gasp out of Naruto. Naruto instantly felt sharp needles of fire where the wound was and he gritted his teeth. It would take more than that to bring him down, however. Naruto grasped Kabuto's leg and held it in place. Kabuto attempted to break free from the strong hold, but Naruto's grip was too strong. Naruto then brought his elbow down with considerable force onto Kabuto's knee joint. Kabuto's arm was not the only part of him that was broken now. A sharp, snapping noise was heard across the lot as Kabuto fell to the ground holding his left leg. Kabuto struggled and cursed loudly as he held his broken leg. The man with the gun appeared to be almost hysterical by that point and was about to shoot Naruto again.

Fortunately, a strong chop to the man's neck had him reeling to the ground. Sasuke stood over the man and looked around at Naruto's handiwork. All of the men were either unconscious or they were writhing in pain. Sasuke smirked slightly and rushed to his best friend's side. "You OK?" Naruto nodded to his friend and took a deep breath of relief.

"Yeah, I'm fine. This guy, on the other hand…" Kabuto was tossing back and forth in agony. He appeared to be on the verge of insanity.

"You goddamn motherfuckers! Don't you understand? I've failed! He's going to kill me!" Kabuto's eyes were filled with madness and pain. His words were rushed and senseless.

"Who is going to kill you?" Naruto inquired. Kabuto shook his head and tears started to stream down his face. Then, he began to laugh. His laugh was eerie and frantic. It was a laugh that sent an instant, cold shiver up a man's spine.

He answered. "My father! He will kill me if I go back!" Naruto didn't seem perturbed by Kabuto's notion. He simply looked down at him.

"So? Don't go back." Naruto thought the answer was simple but Kabuto didn't seem to think so. He was shaking his head furiously.

"No. He'll find me no matter where I go. There's no place that I can go on this planet where I'll be safe. I have to…" Kabuto saw something in the corner of his eye and started crawling over to it. Naruto was confused at his actions and when he had finally realized what he was doing, it was too late. Kabuto had grabbed the handgun that had been dropped a few meters away and raised it. He stared at Naruto as he lifted the barrel of the gun to his chin. Naruto yelled for him to stop and moved to try to intercept him. In those few and tense seconds, Kabuto remembered his father. A dark figure standing over him and telling him to keep training. Telling him how worthless he was. He told him that only pain would bring him pleasure and honor. He told him that pain is the ultimate virtue. A young, small Kabuto wanted to share his pain. He wanted other people to suffer too, so that they could feel the pleasure too. Kabuto wanted to give something. He loathed his father. He loathed pain. He just wanted it to end. The gun would make it end. Kabuto grinned maniacally and laughed one last time. He pulled the trigger.

Hinata screamed from her seat in the car as she saw the blood splatter over where Kabuto had been. The sound of the gunshot filled the air for a split second and then vanished. The ringing of her ears was the only evidence to there ever having been a sound. Naruto looked down at the mess of blood and brain matter. He winced in revulsion and quickly looked away. The wind had picked up again and the world was filled with brisk air, once again. Sasuke came over and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I would say we should call the police, but you said we can't trust them." Naruto gave him a grim expression.

"Yes, unfortunately." He winced in pain as he gripped his side. Hinata opened the passenger door in her worry and hastily ran to Naruto.

"Naruto," she exclaimed. He turned his gaze to the beautiful, young woman and his eyes softened considerably. "You're hurt. You need help." Naruto nodded. He knew he did.

Sasuke went over to the SUV and took out the car keys that were still in the ignition. The other men would get up soon and Sasuke didn't want them to pursue after them. Sasuke trudged over to his best friend and helped him to his car. He told Naruto that he would drive and Naruto reluctantly agreed. Naruto sat in the backseat and Hinata sat next to him. She held his arm as Sasuke drove to his house. Hinata had a mesmerized expression towards Naruto. "That was amazing, Naruto. You took all of them out so quickly." Naruto grinned sheepishly and rubbed the base of his hairline in modesty.

"Sakura will be able to patch you right up. She should be home," Sasuke announced as he drove them out of the empty lot. Naruto smiled and Hinata squeezed his arm in worry.

"Sounds great." He looked to Hinata and smiled gently. "I'll be fine, Hinata. The bullet just grazed me" Hinata didn't care if it was a paper cut, she was still worried. Sasuke smirked in the rear view mirror at the two. He also couldn't help but smirk at the thought of bringing a wounded Naruto to his wife.

"You took on six men!?" Sakura had been surprised at seeing an injured Naruto, but she was even more shocked at how he had been hurt. All four of them were currently located within Sakura's home clinic. Sakura was dressing Naruto's wound and putting on some bandages.

Hinata couldn't help but blush at Naruto. Sakura had taken off his jacket and shirt to take care of his injury and it left him half-naked. Hinata enthused over his muscles. The man had a lean, healthy physique that was the result of years of hard training. Hinata could feel her blood rushing to her face.

Naruto grimaced when Sakura had administered some antibiotic, before she had put on the bandages. "It was technically five men because your husband took out the last one," the blonde added. Sakura finished her work and looked up to her patient and good friend.

"Still, that's impressive. Anyway, you got real lucky. It's just a flesh wound but it skimmed across your external oblique muscle. That's why it is so painful. It'll take a while for the muscle tissue to heal but you should be fine." Hinata sighed in relief at her explanation. She had been really worried about Naruto. Her mind had also been preoccupied on something else. Naruto seemed to have picked up on this and observed her.

Sakura gave him some painkillers if he needed them and asked Naruto if he and Hinata would like to stay for dinner. Naruto hadn't taken his eyes off Hinata. Sakura got his attention by rapping his knee in a sharp manner. "Ow! Sorry, Sakura. No, thank you. Hinata and I should be going. Have a good night!" Naruto waved to his friends and grabbed his clothes. He hastily put them on and grabbed Hinata's hand. They quickly rushed out of his friend's apartment and turned to Hinata when they were outside in the crisp air.

Hinata was about to ask why they had left so suddenly when Naruto spoke before her. "I want to talk to you. Can we take a walk?" Hinata blinked in surprise at his suggestion but agreed. The duo strolled away from the apartment building and made their way to a nearby park. The night had darkened and a few stars had come out to shine brightly in the dark sky. The couple walked down a paved path that was laden with trees. The night was cold but they were bundled up enough to not be uncomfortable.

As they ambled along, Naruto spoke. "What's wrong?" It was a simple question but not one that Hinata wanted to answer.

She attempted to dodge the question. "I'm fine. There's nothing…" Naruto cut her off.

"Hinata, please. You're doing it again. You need to tell me what's going on. Why are you not telling me anything?" Naruto was upset with Hinata's dodging. He needed to talk to her.

"I did tell you. I told you everything and…" Naruto shook his head and interrupted her again.

"No, you told me your story. That's a great start to being vulnerable with someone. However, you're forgetting the most important part. You have to keep being vulnerable. You have to talk about your problems and explain your thoughts. I can't help you if I don't know what is going on. You're struggling with something." Naruto's tone wasn't angry, just concerned. His body was trembling. Hinata saw his posture and expression. He must of been the most empathetic person she had ever seen. It wasn't right that she was making him worry like this. The next question he asked left her hesitant. "You want to leave me, right? Why?" Naruto's expression was sorrowful and serious. His ocean-blue eyes expressed great consideration.

Hinata stared at him wide-eyed. How did he know? His deduction skills were really impressive. Nevertheless, he was right and she knew it. The problem was that there were so many reasons. She knew Naruto wouldn't like any of them. She was, first of all, terrified of what might happen to her new friends if she stayed. Naruto was obviously, extremely strong but he was just one man. Zetsu had almost an entire army at his disposal. If Zetsu wanted her, he would eventually get her and kill everyone else in the process. There was the also the fact that she had barely known Naruto for a month now. She knew that she loved him but she was probably moving too fast in her feelings and decisions. She was fearful of how much she was changing. She used to be hollow, expressionless, and cold but the time she had spent with Naruto changed her. The final reason and probably the biggest one why she couldn't stay was because of her future. That was the only answer she could give. She took a deep breath and spoke.

"If I stayed with you, I would have no idea where my life would take me." Naruto raised his eyebrows but stayed silent for her to continue. "My future is too unclear with you. If I go back to the world I have always known, then I know what the future holds for me and I can find safety in that. I want to feel the safety in predictability." Small tears were flowing down her cheeks and she could feel her throat get hot and wet. She felt like she was choking out her words. "I like the bubble that I have created, Naruto. I have to go back to that bubble even if that means I will be abused and used all over again. I've loved the time that we've spent together but I can't stay, Naruto."

Hinata leaned over and cried into her hands. Naruto wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. Hinata wasn't sure how long she had cried but she did until there were no more tears left in her. Naruto had held her the entire time. When she finally stopped, her eyes moved upwards to his face. His tender, blue eyes were shining at her with such intensity that Hinata thought she was staring into the sun. When Hinata thought about it, she supposed that Naruto as a sun was a pretty good metaphor to describe him. He was a radiant specimen.

"Hinata." He said the name so sweetly, she thought. It was almost like a song to her ears. A song that she never wanted to hear the end of. "You know that life isn't good for you. You know it. This fear of yours is keeping you from seeing the good things in your life. Fear is irrational, Hinata. There is nothing logical or reasonable about it. It's controlling your life and I'm sick of seeing it hurt you. You're stronger than your fear. I know that you are strong, Hinata. I don't want to see you go back to the source of your fear. It will break my heart to see you go back because…"

This was it, Naruto thought. He could tell her everything right now. He definitely did not want to see this woman go back into the hell that he had rescued her from. There was only one thing that he could say that might make her stay. The words he wanted to say could easily backfire, though. He breathed in the cold air around him in a slow manner and said the words that he had been feeling for a very long time.

"Hinata...I love you," Naruto said.

There was a long, still pause between the couple. The sound of the wind whistled by and small snowflakes began to fall around the park. The snowflakes started to gently flow with the wind and created a beautiful flurry of white in the night. Hinata didn't really notice any of that, however. Naruto's words were ringing in her ear and seemed like they would never go away. He loved her. She couldn't believe such a thing. Was he saying that to keep her there? Did he actually mean that? He had never lied to her before, but it doesn't mean he was incapable of ever lying to her. There were so many questions and thoughts racing through her mind but she couldn't utter a single word. The one thing that she wanted to say more than anything was, 'I love you too.' She couldn't say that, though. What would happen after that? What would she do? Stay with him? That was the whole problem. She understood what he meant about fear, but she couldn't believe that was true by his words alone. Still, he was waiting for some reply and she had to say something to the brave man that had announced his feelings.

She attempted to control her voice but when she opened her mouth to speak, it came out as a whisper that mingled almost perfectly with the sound of the wind. "Naruto...I...I'm sorry. I can't. I can't do this." She backed away from him, shaking her head. The snowflakes became more frequent. It snowed harder.

Naruto's world was shattering before his eyes. The girl he had fallen in love with was walking away from him. Her eyes looked so wet and tired. The snowflakes were falling on her and Naruto had never seen a more beautiful but depressing sight. 'Hinata...Hinata, wait. Please. Don't go." His voice was mingling with the frigid elements, making it no louder than a whisper. She turned her eyes from him and began to run. The flurry of snow and wind made her vanish within an instant and Naruto wanted to chase her but he stayed in place. He would never be able to explain why he had never chased after her that day. Maybe it was because he knew that he could never convince her otherwise if he had pursued her. Maybe it was because his emotions were so strong that he couldn't possibly move. Maybe it was a combination of both. Either way, he stayed where he was.

After some time, Naruto had eventually started moving his feet in a random direction. He didn't know where he was going, he just knew he had to move. As he stumbled along, his dreary thoughts filled his mind. Hinata had left him. She was gone. He knew that he could find her if he looked hard enough, but it was pointless. He couldn't change Hinata's mind. She was stubborn in her ways and there was nothing that he could do about it. He thought that everything was going well. He had been sure that the way he handled the situation was flawless. He had cared so much for Hinata that he was positive that his feelings would come across successfully. He had invested so much into her and now it was gone. It was all gone. The pain in his heart was excruciating. It hurt more than when Sakura had broken up with him. It hurt more than when Jaraiya had died. Hinata was gone.

His feet had taken him through the city and he finally looked up to see where he was. A familiar sign shone through the snowy, dark night. Naruto would have laughed if he was in a better mood. His subconscious must have wanted him to be there at that moment. He marched over to the stand and called for his friend. "Brian?" The lights were still on in the back and he heard some movement behind the closed door.

Suddenly, the door opened and the tall, jolly man beamed at his friend in the doorway. "Naruto! Sorry, I was closing up. Of course, if you're hungry, then I can…" Brian paused and observed his friend. He saw the great suffering in Naruto's expression and his face became serious. He beckoned his friend in wordlessly and Naruto trudged into the back of the ramen stand.

The back of the stand was small, but had a cozy feel to it. Brian grabbed a spare stool and told Naruto to use it. Brian leaned against one of the big sinks used for washing dishes and gazed at his friend with great concern. "What's wrong, Naruto?" Naruto smiled sadly at him and told him everything that had happened that day. Naruto figured he might as well tell someone. Brian listened quietly and nodded frequently throughout Naruto's story. When Naruto had finished, Brian stroked his chin in deep thought and pointed his eyes at his old friend.

Brian spoke in a slow, almost haunting, tone. "'Pain, scorned by yonder gout-ridden wretch, endure by yonder dyspeptic in the midst of his dainties, borne bravely by the girl in travail. Slight thou art, if I can bear thee, short thou art if I cannot bear thee!' Seneca the philosopher wrote that." Naruto couldn't help but smile at his friend. The guy always had a philosophical phrase to quote whenever Naruto had a problem. It always made him feel better. Brian continued. "So, why didn't you chase her?" Naruto was perplexed by his question. He shook his head and flexed his fingers.

Naruto was about to give his reasons but he knew they weren't good enough to be excuses. Brian seemed to have understood this and nodded. "Naruto, it's OK. You can go after her." Naruto stared up in disbelief at his friend's proclamation. Brian's voice was soft and soothing. "You're not a hesitant person, so why are you acting like one? She's worth it in the end, isn't she? You know that you have to help her, right?" Naruto's eyes widened in realization. Brian was right. In his sorrow and depression, he had forgotten. They were going to hurt her and lock her up. He couldn't allow that to happen. He could stop it if he tried. He would rescue her this time for good. The 'what ifs' and doubts could keep him from acting but that wasn't the kind of person he was. He was a man of action and this time it was perfectly proper to take some action. He had to do something. He stood up and began to leave when Brian stopped him. "She'll be fine until tomorrow, Naruto. The snow storm is too strong to do anything right now for her. Come on, my apartment is next door. The wife already is over there."

Naruto wanted to object. He wanted to run out into the blizzard and find her quickly. A lot of horrible events could happen by tomorrow but he knew his friend was right. He complied with the notion. Hinata would be alright, he told himself. His shattered world suddenly found clarity again. It wasn't over. He would rescue Hinata and put an end to the sex trafficking ring in the city, just like he had promised her. This was his moment and he was going to take full advantage of it. As Naruto followed Brian to his home, Naruto couldn't help but worry a little about Hinata. He could only pray that Hinata was as strong as he thought she was.

I think that I've gone insane from writing this chapter. I rewrote it a bunch of times because I was never satisfied with it. Obviously, this chapter was really important and i just...Gah! This was fun but frustrating. Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed reading it. As always, please follow, favorite, and review. You guys are fantastic! Take care.

-CM