AN: Here's chapter 12.
My old beta never got back in touch with me, so if anyone cares to be my new one, PM me. Sorry for getting this out so late. After a very long time the inspiration for an original story hit me so I've been doing some research on aspects I want in that world as well as finishing the first chapter of it.
So, I wasn't originally sure if I wanted to tackle this stuff with Naruto yet and there was supposed to be more to this chapter (the whole heir reveal), but it just wrote itself and ending it where I did felt comfortable. Also, my writing style changed a bit. Let me know if it's noticeable?
Now then, let's get this started.
XXX
Of Smiles and Cinnamon
Naruto fiddled with his hair, attempting to make it look just a little more like his father's. It didn't matter.
Kushina had told him to treat his little outing with Hinata as a date. As far as he was aware it wasn't one. He told his mother as much. She didn't care. His mother was rather forceful that way, Naruto had come to understand. Minato held a lot of authority in the village and in times of trouble, but as long as everything was calm, Kushina's word was law (in this house). Between the two of them, she just had the more dominant personality. He supposed that made his father even more frightening in a way. He was Hokage, after all. To shift from such calmness and unthreatening behavior to a one-man army was unsettling.
"Are you ready yet, Naru?" called Kushina from downstairs, "You don't want to be late!" Naruto knew that. Kushina had made sure to drill how to act into him. He still didn't think it was a date. Hinata would have told him if it was, right? Kushina said that was no excuse not to treat it like one. Apparently, girls liked being treated special like that. If no one else was going to be there aside from the two of them, then he needed to make sure Hinata felt special. Naruto still wasn't so sure about what Kushina was saying, but he wasn't about to question her. Besides, his mom was a girl so she should know what she's talking about.
"I'm coming down now!" Naruto called back as he abandoned his hair and bolted down the stairs. His parents were waiting for him in the living room and as soon as he stepped through the threshold there was a flash that had Naruto blinking away bright spots in his vision. Kushina was standing in front of him, camera in hand.
"Your first date!" Kushina squealed. Minato stood next to her sporting a rather sheepish smile. Naruto imagines his father probably tried to talk Kushina out of her impromptu photo shoot, but must have failed. There was another flash and Naruto blinked away more bright spots. Kushina's smile was from ear to ear.
"You look good, son." Naruto looked down at his clothes, hoping his father was right. He hadn't dressed up or anything. It wasn't like the two of them were going anywhere fancy, after all. Still, he'd been advised not to wear his typical outfit. He wasn't going on a mission. Instead, the young Namikaze sported black jeans, a thin orange long sleeve shirt with his clan symbol on the back and black ninja sandals. His headband remained around his neck, casual outing or not he had no plans of taking it off.
There was another flash.
"Mom!"
"Okay, okay," Kushina giggled, "you have a good time, okay Naru? Treat her well. Don't talk with your mouth full or say anything rude. And don't use the Orioke, clear? The poor girl would probably die of embarrassment if she saw it. Expect no ramen for two months if I hear you acted up." Naruto had a horrified look on his face upon hearing the consequences of bad behavior. Two months without the food of the gods? He couldn't let that happen.
"I promise I'll be good and treat her well!" Kushina nodded approvingly at her son's response before she lifted the camera, brandishing it in a slightly threatening manner before her.
"Now run along before I take another picture." Naruto was gone not even a second later. Kushina sighed happily once he was out the door, closing it somewhat roughly behind him. Minato approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her in a hug that she leaned into.
"He's growing up." Kushina could feel Minato's grin against her neck as he said that. It served to make her own smile widen.
"And I'm so glad to be here to see it. Our little Naru isn't so little anymore." The two stood in comfortable silence, enjoying their closeness and the fact that they were alive with their son. This lasted a few moments longer before Minato spoke again.
"Kushina?"
"Hm?"
"You made sure to threaten the shop the two of them were going to, right? They won't kick Naruto out?" Minato heard Kushina snort.
"You know it." Minato could only smile at the response. He loved his wife.
=X=
Naruto moved across the rooftops of the village with practiced ease, avoiding the reproachful eyes of the villagers below as he went about his way. He wasn't far from the Hyuga compound at this point and was thankful he wouldn't need to worry about Hinata's father looking at him with disgust. His parents had told him Hiashi was very strict, but at least wouldn't judge him based on what the villagers thought of him. No, if Hiashi ended up hating his guts it would be entirely his own fault.
Naruto felt that he could live with that. He would prefer that Hinata's father liked him though. As he landed just outside the Hyuga compound, Naruto looked himself over one more time before knocking on the gates. He waited around for what he assumed to be a minute or two before the gates opened.
Naruto had been expecting one of the many branch family members to greet him, leading him to the main family's home shortly after. Hiashi has come to meet him directly instead. Naruto felt his heart leap into his throat. The man before him sported a stone faced visage, power rolled off him in waves as if he was ready to pounce at any moment. Despite this, Hiashi stood tall, the marks of proper etiquette and high society showing in his posture. Where Naruto would compare Hinata's lavender gaze to gentleness and at times trepidation, Hiashi's eyes could only be likened to steel orbs: cold and unwavering.
This is Hinata's dad? Naruto though to himself, they're nothing alike! Okay, aside from some slight resemblance. She must have gotten how she acts from her mother. It's the only explanation. Naruto couldn't believe that Hiashi and Hinata were as closely related as they were. It didn't make a lick of sense to him. This man could probably kill him if he just tried staring at him long enough. His eyes would steal his soul, Naruto knew.
"Namikaze."
Oh dear lord Hinata's killer father is talking to me. Naruto realized the worst part of all this was that he didn't even know why this man was intimidating him so thoroughly. This wasn't even a date! He observed Hiashi narrowing his eyes and realized he really needed to respond before Hiashi decided his silence was an acceptance of death.
"Good afternoon, Hyuga-sama. I'm here to pick up Hinata for our outing." Naruto thought he did a pretty good job getting that out despite his nervousness.
In truth, he stammered through the entirety of it. Hiashi smirked and Naruto contemplated running for his life.
Is this some sort of jutsu!?
"Yes, my daughter has informed me of your outing. She will be out momentarily. Which gives us time to talk."
Shit.
"Do calm down, young one. I just have a question. Surely, you understand."
"Y-yes. Ask away, Hyuga-sama." Hiashi chuckled mentally at the boy's stuttering. He was pleased to know that he could instill fear into whom he could only assume would be his eldest daughter's future boyfriend. He genuinely hoped that would be the case, anyway. He didn't think Hinata was strong enough to lead the Hyuga; she didn't fit the role at all. Naruto would certainly go on to do great things and his family line was well worth being connected to. If she married him in the future, she could go on to be the next Lady Uzumaki Namikaze, Konoha royalty in a sense. The Hyuga would benefit greatly from such a union. Hinata already had feelings for the boy and while Hiashi didn't particularly care if she married for love, it was a plus he supposed.
"Good. So, what exactly are your intentions with my daughter, Namikaze?"
What?
"What?" Naruto hadn't had time to filter his thoughts. Thankfully for him, he hadn't said anything more… colorful. It was luck on his part; Naruto had always had a dirty mouth, it wasn't even worth denying. He'd been trying to curb his usual speaking habits lately due in no small part to his parents. Kushina and Minato were trying to make sure he could function in the higher echelons of society and crass remarks certainly wouldn't endear him to anybody.
Naruto had complained at first of course, wondering why he would have to waste his time rubbing shoulders with a bunch of stuffy nobles. He'd yet to meet a decent one (as far as he was aware) in his opinion and didn't want to deal with them if he could help it. His parents shut him down quick, letting him know how important it was for him to learn such skills. As Hokage he would have to meet with people like that often for the benefit of the village, not to mention his duties as a clan head. He had no choice in the matter and the prosperity of their clan and Konoha as a whole could hinge on someone's etiquette and they're ability to charm nobles.
Naruto already had a late start there, but his folks thought they were making up for it well enough with how often they were drilling such teachings into his head. Begrudgingly, Naruto accepted that they were right and that the information was necessary. At this moment, he accepted it even more. He'd almost cursed after what Hiashi asked him. Naruto knew that wouldn't have gone over well.
"I-I mean, nothing, Hyuga-sama. I merely wish to pay her back for helping me out during the first exam. She didn't need to assist me and it was a dangerous thing to do. I couldn't just ignore such a thing." Hiashi gave a single nod and a hum at the response. Clearly he could see that Naruto wasn't thinking about romance at the moment. He could respect that wholeheartedly; the boy was probably entirely focused on his Shinobi career, especially with his parents having returned.
Knowing Naruto wouldn't try anything was pleasing. It wouldn't do for his daughter's virtue to be compromised without some sort of formal agreement being reached with Naruto's clan. Just in case. After all, if things didn't work out with the boy, he'd have to go looking for a decent suitor for Hinata. That wouldn't go very well if she was no longer a virgin.
"A good answer. Furthering your Shinobi career is rather important, especially right now." Hiashi asked Naruto a few more questions as they waited until Hinata showed up. The young Jinchuriki wanted nothing more than to escape Hiashi so you can imagine his joy when he noticed Hinata walking towards them, her escort Ko not far behind.
"H-hi, Naruto-kun," Hinata greeted as she stepped next to Hiashi. Naruto greeted her back, briefly taking the sight of her in so as not to be neutered by her father. Staring probably meant death and he wasn't interested in dying yet. He had to admit though, Hinata looked very good. She wore a light purple, spaghetti strapped dress that hugged her waistline before flaring outward from there. Covering her shoulders was a white, short sleeved, half sweater and adorning her feet were low wedge sandals.
Despite it not taking very long for Naruto to tear his eyes away from Hinata's appearance, he realized right then that he was probably lying to Hiashi if only just a little. Hinata was cute, he could admit that. He'd realized she was cute ever since he saw her smile during the prelims. Something about her in that moment had essentially punched him in the gut and forced him to take notice of her looks. He would even go so far as to say that she was cuter than Sakura. After having spent so much time with her during the Chunin exams he could also admit she was far easier to get along with.
Naruto wasn't particularly ready to be with anyone. He knew that; he knew he had a lot of obstacles to overcome in his life and he wasn't strong enough to protect himself from them yet, let alone someone else. He wanted to focus on improving himself above all else at the moment. Still… he conceded to some of his more teenage desires here. He definitely wanted to get to know Hinata better.
Naruto looked Hinata in the eyes, taking note of happy yet anxious smile on her lips. He noticed her fingers poking together, something he'd seen her do on a few occasions before and could easily associate it with her nerves. This was just supposed to be an outing between friends. Internally Naruto groaned.
My mother was right…
This was totally a date now.
"Hi, Hinata. That dress suits you," Naruto replied. Hinata's smile grew, as her whole face turned red. Naruto scratches his cheek in his own embarrassment as she riddled with her fingers and looked away from him.
"Th-thank you, N-Naruto-kun." Hinata's response was so soft that the young Namikaze almost missed it entirely. Hiashi watched on, giving nothing away as Hinata composed herself and stepped closer to Naruto, leaving Ko's side. Now that she was a Shinobi, he needn't join her around the village any longer.
"I understand that my daughter will be accompanying you to the village meeting later today, Uzumaki." Naruto briefly wondered why he didn't address him as Namikaze as he had been, before coming to the conclusion that Ko probably didn't know about his heritage yet.
"Yes, Hyuga-sama."
"Very well then. Have her back by eight o'clock sharp. You two may go now. And Hinata?" His daughter turned back to Hiashi a slight look of curiosity passing across her face. "Have a good time." Nodding with a small smile, Hinata and Naruto were off.
=X=
Jiraiya leisurely entered the gates of Konohagakure, returning as scheduled. He took in the sight of the village, noting that all seemed peaceful. His eyes panned over the same old buildings and the content faces of the villagers as they went about their days. He shakes his head. These people don't even realize how lucky they are, he thought. They went about their lives, thinking his late student would condone the actions they'd taken against Naruto. The fact the young Jinchuriki hasn't snapped and released the Kyuubi was a miracle in Jiraiya's eyes.
They're pitiful. With that last thought Jiraiya took to the rooftops, intent on making his way to the hokage tower so he could get business out of the way before checking up in Naruto. The toad sennin had no idea what kind of trouble he was about to walk into. Elsewhere, Kushina had a gut feeling she'd need her frying pan soon.
=X=
Naruto's walk through the village with Hinata was carried out in a slightly awkward silence. It shouldn't have been this awkward considering they'd had conversations before that went smoothly, but between realizing this was definitely a date and admitting to himself that he probably liked Hinata as more than just a friend, it was harder for him to talk to her than he'd thought it would be. Plus the villagers were glaring daggers at him. For Hinata that was the main reason she was being so quiet. She'd always seen how the villagers treated Naruto from afar, but being at the center of it was a different feeling entirely. Unfortunately, it wasn't a feeling she was exactly unfamiliar with.
This reminds me of home. Hinata has seen eyes similar to those of the villagers for years now. Her family had no faith in her abilities. She knew they would take the first chance presented to them to make Hanabi the heir instead of her. She didn't know how she felt about that exactly. Hinata wanted to become the next head to try and heal the rift between the two branches of her family, but at the same time she wasn't sure she was capable. Her clan had ruined her self-esteem to the point even she wasn't entirely confident in her own abilities. Despite working on her confidence lately, she still wasn't at a point where she could see herself as a strong clan head.
Hinata tried to push those thoughts out of her mind as she glanced at Naruto, watching him walk alongside her without even batting an eye at the villagers. The Hyuga heiress couldn't help but wonder how he could still be so strong and sure of himself. She knew how much he'd been through; all the bullying, verbal abuse (the few times people would talk to him directly), and being treated like some sort of criminal. Naruto was a pariah in a village that loved his father. Hinata wasn't sure how long he'd known about his parents, she could only guess that it was from around the time he went off to train before the exams, but anything was possible.
Does it hurt him more now? To know that the village has such a disparity between their feelings on him and his father?
"Is that the place, Hinata?" Naruto's voice snapped the heiress out of her thoughts and Hinata looked towards where he was pointing. It was a quaint little stall between two larger buildings, an awning covered the few seats at the counter. There was no one eating there at the moment, something that the both of them were a little relieved about. The owner and cook saw them approaching and flinched. He seemed a little afraid in Hinata's opinion, but the look was replaced by a grimace almost immediately.
"Yes. They make the best cinnamon buns in the village," Hinata replied, her pace quickening without her knowledge. Naruto could tell she was excited and just smiled as he followed her. Taking their seats a moment later, the two of them waited for the owner to approach them. His steps were reluctant, but he never stopped. Plastering a strained smile on his face, the man addressed them.
"It's good to see you back, little miss. It's been a while. I was beginning to think you'd found a better place." Hinata's responding giggle made Naruto's heart skip a beat.
"Never, Otonashi-san. I've just been busy with the Chunin exams and Naruto-kun promised to treat me the next time I came." Otonashi looked to Naruto, his smile wavering for a moment. Naruto merely rose a brow in response, vaguely wondering why the guy hadn't tried to kick him out yet.
"Mighty nice of you to treat the little miss here, boy." Otonashi did his best, but ultimately couldn't conceal some of his rudeness. Naruto questioned why he was putting up with him, but ultimately didn't voice the thought. He didn't want to ruin their date and pushing the owner until they got kicked out would definitely result in just that.
"It was the least I could do, Otonashi-san. Hinata's amazing and I'm sure I would have failed the first exam without her help. This is nothing in comparison." The young Namikaze figures he probably laid it on a bit thick, but the blush that covered Hinata's cheeks made it worth it he supposed. Otonashi stared at the boy for a moment before simply nodding and turning back to Hinata.
"The usual? And maybe half that for your friend here?"
"Yes please, Otonashi-san." Nodding at the heiress's response, Otonashi walked deeper into his shop and started preparing the food. With the older man gone, Hinata turned to Naruto. The blonde Jinchuriki stared at Otonashi for a few moments longer, his brows furrowed in confusion and a small frown on his lips. Hinata thought the expression was rather cute on him. She did wish she could kiss the frown off his face though.
Naruto looked towards her right as she blushed from the thought she'd had. Hinata held her face in her hands, cheeks flamed red from the sheer embarrassment of the situation. She couldn't believe she'd thought that.
"Are you okay, Hinata?"
"Y-yes!" She squeaked, her cheeks reddening further. This is so embarrassing…
"Right… so how did you find this place?" Naruto wondered. She didn't say anything immediately, instead choosing to focus on calming her heart and letting the blood drain from her face a bit.
"I didn't really. My mother…" Hinata trailed off as her smile faltered for just a moment. Naruto understood instantly. He talked with his parents as often as he could, wanting to learn all about them and their pasts. They told him everything they could about themselves. As long as it wasn't a village secret, Naruto was beginning to learn all about his parents' lives. One such thing he found out was that Kushina was best friends with Hinata's mom, Hitomi. The two of them were teammates alongside Sasuke's mother.
Naruto had wondered why he hadn't grown up closer to Hitomi and her family, but the answer didn't make him happy at all. Hitomi was dead. His mother had only found out shortly after she woke up, something he was positive still disturbed her. He could only imagine it himself. One moment you're giving all your power to escape years of imprisonment and just when things seem to be looking up you find out your two best friends are long dead. Naruto could only acknowledge once again that the world could be immensely cruel.
"My mother showed me when she was still alive. It was my f-first time out of the compound that I can remember and she wanted to make sure I got to at least try cinnamon b-buns. They were her favorite too, you see. S-she was really happy when I took such a liking to them. Father never cared for them much, but since I did she finally had someone to go eat them with who could keep up with her."
Naruto smiled at Hinata's reply; he could hear the affection in her tone. He knew from the way she spoke and how her face softened that Hinata cherished the memory dearly. It was a good thing that she'd had time with her mother before Hitomi was gone, he decided. Even though the memories must hurt sometimes, based on the way her eyes lit with a nostalgic shine, Naruto knew that they brought her more joy than anything. She didn't let her loss drag her down.
"Your mom sounds great, Hinata. I would have liked to meet her." He truly would have too.
"Thanks," she smiled, "I think she would have l-liked you, Naruto-kun." The two of them chatted for a few moments more before Otonashi brought out two plates of cinnamon buns. The smell caught Naruto's attention first. It smelled of cinnamon of course, but it was also… warmth. He couldn't put a proper word to it, but it gave him a fuzzy feeling whenever he breathed it in.
Otonashi set the plates down and the two teens thanked him. Hinata immediately got to work on the warm confections as Naruto looked the treats over. He hadn't expected them to be so large, but they really were. He only had four of them on his plate, but he'd never eaten this much of anything aside from ramen. He glanced over at Hinata and saw that she had seven of them on her plate. He noted that her hands were sticky and that she'd just finished swallowing something.
She inhaled that!
Naruto watched as she quickly devoured her next cinnamon bun, her cheeks full as she smiled in delight and chewed. He could only stare. Naruto had never seen anyone eat anything with such vigor and speed aside from himself and his mother when it came to ramen. Seeing someone else inhale their food was kind of a surreal feeling for him. He wondered if this is how people felt when he ate ramen. He wanted to look away, but he simply couldn't.
Eventually (when she was half way through her fourth bun) Hinata realized Naruto was staring. She blushed to the roots of her hair and looked down at her lap. Naruto blinked. Then he laughed.
"Hinata, that was amazing! I've never seen anyone eat their food like that aside from my mom."
"I-I don't know about amazing… f-father says it's unbecoming of my station." Naruto snorted at the reply as he finally took a bite of his own cinnamon bun. His eyes widened.
"This is amazing, Hinata. Not as good as Ramen, but it's definitely right up there!"
"I'm glad you enjoy it, Naruto-kun." Naruto only replies with a nod as he quickly went about finishing the first bun. It was nowhere near as quick as Hinata, but he got it done.
"Anyway, about your dad. He's not here, so don't worry about it. I thought what you did was pretty cool and I think my mom would too." Naruto was actually pretty sure his mother seeing Hinata inhale cinnamon buns would spark some fond memories of Hitomi. He actually figured he would need to introduce the two soon so Kushina could share some stories with Hinata.
Hinata's cheeks were dusted a light shade of red and whatever lingering awkwardness there might have been between the two teens ended. Some subjects were slow moving and they didn't always understand each other, but they were finally able to talk to one another with a little more ease.
Naruto had to admit, cinnamon buns were excellent ice breakers.
XXX
Their date will continue a bit more in the start of the next chapter, but this is all for now. I hope you all enjoyed. See you next time!
Translations: ——
