A/N:

IMPORTANT BACKGROUND INFO: Decided to put this at the top to make sure no one missed this and skipped the author's note. Ok, so there are going to be a few differences between my fic and the canon timeline. Basically, I sorta skipped past the Hidan & Kakazu arc because I didn't know how to incorporate it into the story, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them, Kurenai & Asuma. Basically, I decided that in this fic, the arc never happened, the two Akutsuki members and Asuma are still alive. This will not be very important in this chapter, but I plan to use the duo sometime in future chapters. Also, Kurenai is not pregnant (decided that would be best, as I said she was drinking last chapter, and Kurenai is not an irresponsible mommy! Also, I wanted her to still be leading Team 8).

So yeah, key plotline differences! I feel like I'm evolving as a fanfic writer throughout the run of this series alone; it started off as pure naughty comedy that stuck to canon, now I'm adding some hurt/drama themes or whatever, and establishing some differences from the canon plotline. Who knows what's next!

I hope you all enjoy this, and I hope you all find it in your hearts to forgive me! Hey, every love story has its sad moments. I tried to keep at least a little comedy in there so the fic didn't completely lose its humorous identity! Let me know if it worked. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Kishimoto cris evry tiem, because even he secretly wants his creations, Naruto and Hinata, to end up together.

"Speech"

'Thought'

'Kyuubi Thought'/"Kyuubi Speech in Mindscape"

Hinata groaned in discomfort. She was cold. She reached out for her favourite blonde pillow.

Except he was not there.

The resting heiress reached out to grab nothing but air. She was the only occupant in her bed. She slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the morning light entering from the window. Hinata was indeed alone. The kunoichi would have written the previous night off as some glorious dream if it were not for the ramen-soaked bedsheets and the soreness between her legs reassuring her.

Hinata wondered where Naruto went. Perhaps he had gone downstairs to fix himself breakfast? Or maybe he got up to take a shower? Hoping for the latter, the Hyuuga leisurely activated her byakugan to check the house.

To her disappointment it was empty. Hinata formed a small frown as she released her bloodline technique. It did not last long though; after last night nothing could keep her down for long. Wherever Naruto was, she was sure he had a good reason for leaving.

With a yawn a glowing Hinata rose from her bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

As the hot water trailed down her body, her hands caressed her curvaceous form, soaping herself up. She could not help but imagine Naruto's touch in place of her own hands running up and down her body. The way he had touched her had felt so delicate yet firm, sensual but hungry. She would have to start off wearing something other than ramen next time; she was curious what it would feel like being stripped by her whiskered lover.

After her shower the blue-haired kunoichi dressed in her usual ninja attire consisting of her mesh shirt and navy-blue capris. The dirtied bed sheets were taken out of the room with her and to the laundry room where they were placed in the machine and set to be washed.

While she walked toward the kitchen to fix herself breakfast she had to be careful to avoid the slippery trail of broth that still lied on the floor in puddles. It would be a lot of work cleaning up her own mess from last night, but to Hinata it was well worth it.

It had been magical. Just hours ago Hinata had shared her first time with the boy she loved, uniting their bodies as one. Finally, nearly two years' worth of sexual tension had been released in a single, beautiful act of love and lust. After being asked out then subsequently plowed by her love, there were only four words that could have made the day perfect: 'Hinata, I love you'. The lavender-eyed girl could not hold it against Naruto though; after all, she had felt this way towards him for years and still could not say the words. As of last night she had officially proclaimed to him that she loved his fingers, his member, and that thing he did with his tongue, but she could not bring up the courage to say she loved him, all of him. She could not expect such a confession from Naruto immediately. Still, she prayed that one day he would grow to feel as strongly for her as she did for him.

Hinata's thoughts were ended abruptly and she let out a worried gasp, covering her mouth with her hands. 'The flowers!' She rushed over to the flowers which lied forgotten on the cold dining room floor. A frown overtook her lips after she bent down and picked the bouquet up. They were mangled, flattened and sticky. Apparently in their haste the lovers must have trampled them on the way to the bedroom. Her first gift from Naruto, and it was ruined.

Hinata remorsefully laid the flowers on the table. There was no point trying to save them; no amount of trimming or other trickery would revive their former beauty.

And then her smile was back and she was once again on top of the world. Truly nothing could keep her down today.

Or so she thought, until she walked up to her fridge to find a sticky note marred with the four words that managed to drain the gleeful girl's mood: 'I can't do this.'

Naruto was perched atop the Hokage monument. He had not been up there since his training trip, so he decided to check out the view from Tsunade's carving. It was certainly a more comfortable spot than the Fourth's head; his spiky hair was not very accommodating. Naruto let out a single chuckle to himself. 'It'll never age, just like Baa-chan's actual face.'

This was where he had always come to clear his mind when he was younger. Very few people ever came up there so there were no interruptions, and the view of the village helped distract him from his troubles. It was relaxing to the teen to watch all the distant people going about their daily lives, and to be able to see all the familiar places.

Like there, just a couple miles off to the right was his favourite restaurant, Ichiraku's Ramen. It was one of the few restaurants that would serve the demon host. Teuchi was never ashamed of having him as a regular customer; he had never tried to hide this fact to avoid losing any business. In fact, Naruto could remember overhearing the chef mentioning Naruto fondly to other customers.

"You think that's a big order? You should see how much Naruto eats!"

Naruto continued panning across his hometown. Not too far away, forward and slightly to the left, the depressed teen recognized the Sarutobi compound. This sight produced memories of his rival and student Konohamaru. He had never been ashamed to say that he was following in the footsteps of the outcast shinobi. The young genin would rant incessantly to comrades, senseis, family and friends alike about every little thing he had learned from Naruto and how he would one day surpass him.

It helped ease the pain of his recent heartbreak to know that there were still some people who were not afraid to associate with him, who were not afraid of opinionated villagers judging them as they judged him.

'Oi kit, what in the hell are you moping around for now?'

Naruto sighed in frustration. With his situation it was impossible to ever truly have a moment alone. 'Since when do you care how I'm feeling?' the jinchuuriki asked back scathingly.

'I don't,' Kyuubi started bluntly, 'I'm just confused how in the world you could be so Kami-damn miserable and pathetic after you just mated with that Hyuuga vixen.'

'I ended… whatever it was we had,' Naruto replied in a bleak monotone, not having enough relationship experience to know exactly what to call their relationship after their date/one-night stand.

'EH?! Why the fuck would you do that! Are you mad?! Are you gay?'

Naruto's brows furrowed for a second. He was not even going to justify that last question with an answer. 'You should know; you were there,' the blonde said, not wanting to have to say it.

'No duh, I'm always with you. But I dozed off after you two started getting all cuddly; I cannot stand that cutesy-crap. And I know you could not have changed your mind before that, unless you realized that women do not tickle your fancy.'

The lonely Uzumaki drooped his head. 'She was embarrassed of me. She didn't want to be known as the demon child's boyfriend.'

'Bullshit,' Kyuubi responded in disbelief, 'I thought she was supposed to be the kindest person in village. Why would she do that to you?'

The demon fox could feel Naruto's mental glare on him. 'Why? You're why! You're always why!' Venom dripped from the angry blonde's voice as he lashed out at his prisoner.

'There you go, blaming all your problems on me again.' The giant fox could hear his jailor growling more angrily than he ever could, but still continued. ' "I can't make any friends because I have the king of demons inside me," "Nobody loves me because I'm the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki," "My chakra control is shit because I have so much demonic chakra," "Oh, I'm such a whiney bitch because the nine-tails is sealed inside me," oh boo-hoo,' Kurama imitated with a fake sob.

'Hey! I never said you made me a whiney bitch!'

'Good, because that one definitely is not my fault.'

'Just shut up and leave me alone Kyuubi.'

'Fine, just remove this seal for me and I'll go into town for a while and give you your space.'

"Just shut up!" Naruto roared. He had actually said this out loud. Fortunately, no eavesdroppers were around to witness the shinobi shouting to himself.

Hearing the distress and rage in his voice, the demon kept quiet and left the jinchuuriki to his wallowing, knowing the boy would not be able to hold a pleasant conversation with the beast right now.

Hinata's uneasiness was visible in her nervous steps forward. She had spent half the morning contemplating Naruto's note, desperately trying to find a way it could possibly mean anything other than that he did not want to continue seeing her. The teary-eyed heiress had wasted a good portion of her morning interpreting the heart-crushing sentence.

Still, she had a duty as a kunoichi of Konoha. She had managed, though with great difficulty, to piece herself back together, put on an opaque mask of cheerfulness and walked to her team's training ground.

That was where Hinata began getting even more worried. When she had arrived, Kurenai had greeted her with a blush and giggles. Her sensei had allowed her to leave the training ground early, claiming she 'looked like she needed some rest'. At first the Hyuuga had been confused, until an unpleasant thought came to mind. 'What if she knows?'

Sure, her sensei knew her well, but she had hoped it was not that obvious that she had had a busy night. What was worse was that Kurenai was not the only person acting suspicious. On the contrary, a vast number of the shinobi she passed seemed to be giving her weird looks. The byakugan wielder would even catch whispers of jokes and hushed giggles.

Hinata simply walked along, going through her normal routine and trying not to draw any more attention. 'Maybe it's all just a coincidence,' she reassured herself. 'I'm just being paranoid.'

After convincing herself that all the eyes she felt on her were just a construction of her paranoid mind, Anko Mitarashi happened to walk by. "Ya know, if you ever wanna try your hand at some seduction missions, just come to me. The pay is good and the jobs are pretty cushy," Anko punctuated with a blush-inducing wink.

"W-why would you want me for s-seduction missions?" the confused and embarrassed Hyuuga asked.

"Hah!" Orichimaru's former apprentice barked. "Are you kidding me? You actually managed to get that hyperactive gaki Naruto's attention long enough to get him out of his clothes! That alone probably makes you the most qualified ninja in the village."

'Oh my god. Everyone knows.'

With a heavy pat on the back and a "Think about it!" Anko walked by, continuing with her day while Hinata let her revelation sink in.

She had sorely wished she was wrong, but apparently her instincts had not failed her. Everyone knew. Hinata scurried down the street a bit more hastily. The reserved kunoichi shied away from the stares and stifled laughter of the town citizens she passed. She quickly reached her destination, Ichiraku ramen.

Hinata had been so distraught by Naruto's parting note that she had neglected to eat anything before heading out for training. She hunched over the counter slightly, her hair draping around her face, hoping no one would be able to recognize her. She felt she would be okay with Teuchi and Ayame; they treated her almost as well as Naruto whenever she came. Even if they knew what the two had done, hopefully they would not tease her about it.

"Ohayo Hinata," Ayame called in her friendly voice, "What'll you have?"

"I'll have the pork ramen."

"Great. Would you like that served in a bowl or would you prefer if I poured it all over you?" Ayame questioned in a deceptively sweet tone.

'Oh Kami… They know everything.'

"In a b-bowl please," was the only response the red-faced Hyuuga could squeak out. Hinata never imagined she would actually miss how prone to fainting she had been years ago. It was so much easier than having to just sit there and deal with her embarrassment.

Alright. So not only did everyone know what she and Naruto had done, but they knew all the graphic details too. As Hinata tried to remain inconspicuous during her meal, one thought kept looping in her mind.

'…Naruto broke his nindo…'

Naruto was sitting in the middle of his team's training ground, his back against a tree. As usual, team seven was waiting on their tardy teacher. However, today something was quite different, more specifically, someone. Today the Leaf's hyperactive, knuckleheaded ninja was noticeably less… well, hyperactive and knuckleheaded. In fact, the usually cheerful and exuberant blonde seemed downright depressed right now, and his teammates had token notice.

This side of Naruto was a rare sight, even for his closest friends. Though the boy was no stranger to sorrow, he often hid it behind his joyful mask. This time, however, he had abandoned this guise; after all, who cared if he was happy or not?

The village did not care. He was just a weapon; a tool to maintain the balance of power. Had anyone thought of his happiness when they had sealed the kyuubi inside him, robbing a mere child of the right to live a normal life or to decline such a heavy burden? The villagers did not care. Did they consider his happiness when they called him a demon spawn, refused to take his money in their shops, kicked him out of theaters and arcades, and trashed his apartment? His comrades did not care. Had any of his classmates considered his feelings when he was struggling with a jutsu? No, it would have been so easy to offer to help him out, but instead they all laughed at him and rubbed it in his face. Had any of them sympathized with his loneliness when he spent his lunch breaks by himself on the old swing? No, all he wanted was a friend to play with, but everyone just avoided him. Even the two shinobi beside him, who he was supposed to entrust his life to, did not care about him. He was nothing more than a nuisance to Sakura; she only cared about his promise to bring back Sasuke. And Sai… well, he couldn't hold it against Sai, as he had no discernable emotions – still, the whole 'dickless' nickname thing was annoying.

Though the gloomy shinobi might not have though so, the pink-haired kunoichi sitting beside him was looking towards him with sincere concern at seeing her teammate so down for the first time. The ANBU just past her, who was trying to expand his range of emotional expressions, was mirroring this look, much to her ire.

Sakura gave the artist a bonk to the top of his head and yelled, "Cut that out Sai! Stop copying me!"

Rubbing his head, he replied, "My apologies Sakura, I was just trying to learn some new looks so I can react more appropriately to everyday social interactions. Now, was that one concern or are you constipated?"

This innocent, though unfortunate, question earned him another blow. "Concern, you baka! Can't you see that Naruto is obviously upset?!" the short-tempered girl pointed out.

Sai leaned forward to take a close look at his other team member before once again requesting another punch to his sore head. "Ah yes, you are right. I could not see his facial features past your large forehead before." Sai's own forehead immediately grew a few sizes due to the lump Sakura's fist left behind.

'I thought we were meant to wait for Kakashi-sensei before we began our training,' the Root operative thought to himself, feeling as if he had already gone through a day's worth of sparring.

Sakura turned away from one clueless ninja to speak to the other. "Naruto, is everything alright?"

"Of course," Naruto responded distantly, his gaze never wavering from the torn grass being shuffled between his fingers.

Sakura did not buy his meek attempt at covering up. "Come on, you know you can talk to me. I'm just trying to help; maybe I'll be able to understand."

A single weak chuckle escaped Narutos throat. 'Yeah, you'd understand my problem completely.' "How come you always shot me down when I asked you out?" Naruto asked in his quiet, lifeless tone, shocking Sakura.

"Is that what this is about?" Sakura asked. She began rambling defensively. "I thought you were over that. Look, I already told you it wouldn't wo-"

"It has nothing to do with it," Naruto interrupted, dispelling the medic's assumption. "I'm just curious. What is it about me that makes me undateable?"

Sakura was even more surprised by the words coming out of Naruto's mouth, and rushed to stop these thoughts. "Don't say such things! You know I love Sasuke!"

Another low chuckle. "What about after he left?" Before his teammate got a chance rebut, he cut her off. "I haven't given up on bringing him back, but who knows when that'll be. Even when it happens, there's no guarantee things will be able to go back to the way they used to be. Besides, if he loved you back, wouldn't he have stayed?"

That one hurt. It seemed the whiskered teen's sorrow was as contagious as his cheerfulness, because Sakura was coming close to the verge of tears. She still did not know what it was that was bothering Naruto, but now she was regretting asking.

"His other fangirls have moved on," Naruto resumed after a pause, bringing Sakura back to attention. "Ino has dated a few boys. Are you telling me you've never thought of going out with anyone else?"

"Well… I… I…"

"Did you ever even consider giving me a chance?" the jinchuuriki prodded further, the medic's stammering answering for her.

"What has this got to do with anything? What's up with you today; why are you thinking of these things?" Sakura desperately tried to divert his focus.

Unfortunately, Naruto would not allow her to change the subject, once again having his answer. "Why?" he asked bleakly. "Is it because you didn't want to be seen with a loser like me?"

"Don't say things like that!" Sakura cried out.

"Is it because you don't want everyone to make fun of you?" he prodded further.

"It's not like that!"

"Is it because you don't want to ruin your reputation?"

"That's not it! Just let me–"

"Is it because of what the villagers say about me?" Naruto continued, Sakura trying to deny every word. "Is it because I'm not good enough for you? Is it because I'm a loner?"

"No, no no! That's not it, I swear!"

"Then why!" Naruto raised his voice a bit, along with his head to look back at the girl he was interrogating with piercing eyes. When he saw the girl before him, almost tearing up, he felt a pang of guilt and regretted his line of questioning. Sakura didn't have anything to do with his problem; he shouldn't hurt her trying to find answers. It would not change anything with Hinata anyway.

He looked down again and went back to idly playing with the blades of grass. "Just forget about it. I told you, I'm fine." His female teammate still knew better, but did not wish to try pulling teeth from the Uzumaki to figure out his problems. She would let him be for now.

Just as their conversation ended, their jonin sensei finally arrived. "Hello everyone. Sorry I'm late, I missed breakfast so I went to get ramen, but I spilled it all over myself, so I went home to change my clothes, but I found out apparently foxes must like ramen, because a group of wild foxes noticed me and started chasing me down trying to eat the ramen right off me, so I had to evade them before I could get to my house then make my way here," the scarecrow defended lamely with a sheepish eye-smile. He had to hold in a childish giggle; he had decided to have a little fun with his student after last night's news.

To his disappointment, the blonde provided no reaction to his subtlereferences. The scarecrow opened his visible eye and looked up from his ever-present Icha Icha novel. He was baffled; Naruto appeared far more depressed than a boy who had just lost their virginity should be.

"Naruto, are you feeling ok?" the sensei asked in a confused and cautious tone.

"Yeah, everything's fine." The sharingan wielder could practically feel the sadness in his voice.

"Naruto," Kakashi began, sounding more stern. "Don't try to fool me. I know something's up, and it affects your performance to hold this kind of stuff in. How can we function as a team if we can't trust each other?" the jonin lectured sagely.

Naruto sighed. He was getting really tired of all these nosey people. "It's nothing, I just had a bad night," he said, giving away very little, hoping it would be enough to shut everyone up.

Unfortunately, his choice of words had the opposite effect. Sakura was staring in a look of shock, and Sai was – well, mimicking Sakura's shock, but the kunoichi was not paying enough attention for it to land him another blow to the head. What had Sakura so shocked was not Naruto's statement, but Kakashi's reaction.

He had closed his book.

The jonin had slammed the book shut and discarded it to his pocket, staring at Naruto in confusion and even greater shock. Sakura new something serious must be going on, because her sensei only ever abandoned his lewd novels during intense fights or times of crisis. No exaggeration. He had been reading one during their fights in the chuunin exam, on missions, even at the Third's funeral!

"NANI?" he exclaimed comically. Naruto looked up and quirked a brow, confused by the cyclops' nearly hysterical outburst.

"What? I said I had a shitty night, alright?" he reiterated with a sullen attitude.

Kakashi was unresponsive at this point, completely disbelieving what he was hearing. 'Holy shit… I think Anko was right… But I always thought Sasuke was the gay one… Then again, Naruto hasn't really shown so much interest in girls since returning from his training with Jiraiya-sama, even though the exposure and his raging hormones should've turned him into a complete deviant if anything… And I suppose one could describe his outfit as flamboyant… Not to mention it would explain the effectiveness of his sexy jutsu; he is far too good at seducing men…'

Meanwhile in the world of the living, team seven had risen from their sitting positions, and were all either poking or waving their hands in front of their broken teacher, attempted to get their training underway.

Early in the morning the next day, the lavender-eyed Hyuuga was silently walking towards the Hokage tower. Her team had been summoned for a mission today, and Hinata had rued having to leave her compound to once again face the knowing eyes awaiting her.

Though it still bothered her, she barely noticed the gossip of the shinobi around her. Her mind was too preoccupied with reflecting on her recent revelation.

It was not Naruto dumping her that surprised her. With all the insecurities and doubts she had harboured for years it was practically expected. No, what surprised the heiress was what he did afterwards. He went back on his word.

Naruto had promised her to keep info about their meal quiet; he had given his word! Not going back on his word was his mantra, the one rule he lived by. And for the first time Hinata could think of, he had broken it. She had always admired his honesty and fortitude. He had always kept his promises, even when they conflicted with other ones! Was the nindo he lived by – that she had too adopted – just a lie?

The scorned kunoichi felt something she had never felt towards the boy before – resent, betrayal, anger. How dare he! She had admired him for so long, always supported him, and the first time she put her trust in him, he breaks his word!

'Then again, he was taught by Jiraiya-sama privately for two years. It is only natural he pick up some of his perverted tendencies and want to brag...'

No! The girl mentally scolded herself for making up excuses for him. Despite what Naruto had done, a part of her still could not remain mad at her love, wanting to believe it was not his fault. But she had to fight the innate urge to forgive him! She had the right to be angry!

However, Hinata's rage all but dissipated when she was just around the corner of the Hokage's office. There, none other than the subject of her anger was just departing from her destination.

The first thing Hinata noticed as she caught sight of his face was his downtrodden expression. He wore the biggest frown she had ever seen on his foxy face, and his still red and puffy eyes were an obvious indicator that he had been crying.

The blue-haired ninja wanted nothing more than to ask what was wrong and console her love, but was not sure if he would even want to speak to her. She got her answer after Naruto realized she was there and immediately turned his head away from her. The two awkwardly passed each other without a word.

Hinata had to force herself to remain composed. It hurt deeply being ignored like this by the boy she had admired most of her life. It was even worse than before, when he was just ignorant of her feelings; now he was just downright ignoring her intentionally. No small talk, no friendly greeting, she could not even receive one of his simple heartwarming smiles. He just treated her as if she were some stranger.

Little did Hinata know how much it also pained the jinchuuriki to do this. He could not stand giving her the cold shoulder; he knew he would have to talk to her about this eventually so they he could move on without causing any trouble in future missions. But he just couldn't talk to her. Not now. Not after losing another one of his other most precious people.

Hinata looked like she felt: like shit.

Her clothes were stained with dirt, her hair was dishevelled, she sported a few bruises, the most visible being on her upper arms, and she walked with her head fixated on the ground and her shoulders sagged. She silently sulked over her brazen display of ineptitude.

Her team had been on a mission for the past five days to track and capture a chuunin-level missing-nin. And throughout the mission, Hinata had proven to be about as useful as a Nara or Akimichi personal trainer.

At the Konoha Fitness Gym

"Are you serious?" Inoichi asked his giant of a teammate.

"I'm sorry, but I gotta go. Why do you have to make a big deal out of this?" Choza asked his pestering friend.

"I'm not! You realize we're not getting any younger; we have to stay in shape if we want to keep the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho formation alive!" the Yamanaka lectured.

"Yeah, trust me, I don't plan to retire any time soon, but I need to get something to eat. You know I'll never be able to keep up with you on an empty stomach."

"But you ate before you left!" Inoichi reminded.

"I guess I worked up an appetite," Choza countered with a shrug.

"But we've only been here ten minutes!"

"Look, I'm heading out for barbeque, I'll make sure to have a longer workout next time." Choza exited the gym. The ponytailed nin merely turned away with a pout.

"Whatever, the way all his muscle is turning to more fat he's going to have to rename his jutsu 'Human Dough-Ball.' At least Shikaku's concerned for his health," Inoichi mumbled.

He approached his beady-eyed comrade, who seemed to be about to start on the benchpress. "Now that's what I'm talking about. Yo, you need a spotter Shikaku? So how much are you lifting? Shikaku? Shikaku?" The only answer he was met with was a loud snore. Inoichi sweatdropped; the Nara was lying on the benchpress dead-asleep.

Back with Hinata

When the lavender-eyed heiress reached her compound, she was met with the presence of her father, who was sitting with a cup of fresh tea. To Hinata's misfortune, he noticed her enter.

"Ah, there you are Hinata. Neji and I arrived back yesterday, where have you been?" Hiashi questioned, taking notice of her dishevelled appearance.

"My team was called for a mission, otou-sama," Hinata answered her father with a respectful bow.

The clan head accepted the answer and returned to his tea, but not before making one more comment. "Alright. I hope your performance was fitting of a Hyuuga."

'Only if the Hyuuga are a clan that pride themselves in their clumsiness and incompetence…' Though the words may not have been meant to be scathing or insulting, Hinata could still feel the sting of shame she always received from her father's words of encouragement. The way his emotionless voice always sounded so cold, and that he did not even face or pay any real attention to her when he said them did not help.

Why couldn't she have a father that showed a bit more care? Or perhaps concern at seeing his daughter walking in shambles, covered in bruises? Why couldn't he be like a normal father, and ask if she was ok? Or at least show some more interest.

No, he was just another man in her life that ignored her; another man she was not good enough for.

Hinata released a sigh as she entered her room, and promptly headed to the shower to clean herself. As the water rained upon her body, she mulled over what she knew she had to do.

Her mind was a wreck, she knew this, and even her teammates had to. It was why she could not focus on her mission. The Hyuuga's head was clouded with everything that had happened to her. She had finally won over Naruto, and immediately lost him once more. He had dumped her, lied to her, and completely disregarded her like she was nothing. The only thought the kunoichi was capable of was wondering why; what had she done wrong? Why would Naruto betray her trust? Why would she never be good enough for him?

The way her conscious was running amuck was affecting her performance, and it was clear to everyone who had seen. Kurenai had told her that whatever was bothering her, she had to sort it out. And that was what she was going to do. She was going to confront Naruto for the first time since the incident and get some answers to put her conscious to rest.

Without delay she dried off, dressed, and left the house in search of the blonde.

She scoured the streets of Konoha for any sign of him, but had no luck. After what felt like hours, she spotted a pink mass of hair at a nearby stand. She hurriedly approached the medic kunoichi, hoping she could aid her in her search.

"Yo, Sakura!"

Sakura turned around to see Hinata jog up to her. "Oh hey Hinata. How's it going?"

"Do you know where Naruto is?" Hinata asked, skipping the friendly pleasantries.

"You mean you haven't heard?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, I just returned from a mission. Why, what happened?"

Then, Sakura said the last sentence Hinata had wanted to hear. "He left." Hinata worried for a moment, wondering what exactly Tsunade's apprentice meant, until she clarified. "Naruto was brought to Mount Myoboku to be given sage training. He's going to become the next toad sage," Sakura informed, crushing Hinata's hopes of finding her love.

"What? But I thought Jiraiya-sama was the pervy – I mean toad sage!" the heiress half-shouted in disbelief.

Sakura's face fell to a small frown at her comment. "He… was killed, by the Akutsuki's leader," she said in a sad tone.

'So that is why Naruto was so sad the last time I saw him.' Hinata simply thanked the girl and let her continue whatever she was doing. However, Hinata seemed to have ended up with more new questions than answers in her quest for closure.

Naruto was gone. He had left the village without so much as a goodbye. Who knew how long he would be gone for this time. Hinata imagined sage training could not be quick; he might not return for months, years even! How would she ever get the answers she so desperately sought? It was like the training trip with Jiraiya all over again!

Perhaps it would not have been quite as bad for the kunoichi if the two had not left on such bad terms. When Naruto left the first time, they had at least been friends, and she still had hope for something more. She grew stronger for him, for her hope, and she longingly awaited his return. It made it feel as if a part of him was still in the village, kept alive in her heart. This time, he was just gone. Their one-night stand was over, and possibly even their friendship, she had no hope, no reason to push forward, nothing to wait for. The last thing Naruto had said to her had been a lie, the last message she got from him was that he was dumping her, and the last time she saw him he ignored her.

Hinata had nothing else to do today; all she wanted was to make it back home uninterrupted, where she could just let herself fall apart and drown in her own tears. She tried to keep herself together until she was in her own room, however, fate had a different plan for her.

Only a few minutes away from her home, she heard one of the last people she wanted to see call out to her. "Hinata! Yo! How was your little date with Naruto, huh?" Ino called in a teasing voice as she caught up with Hinata from behind, Tenten by her side.

Not receiving a response, Ino asked again. "Come on, don't even try hiding it from me! He got those flowers from my shop you know!"

Oh, the irony. Somehow her friend, the gossip queen of the leaf village, was one of the few not in-the-know about her and Naruto's date.

Hinata tried to keep herself composed. She really did. But in the end, she turned to a ball of mush, quietly crying on the mindwalker's shoulder and uncontrollably revealing everything that had happened between the short-lived couple.

While Hinata progressively broke down in front of her friends more and more, the three made their way to Ino's house to get some more privacy and comfort food.

"So what you're saying is that he dined and dashed?" Ino remarked inappropriately.

Tenten gave the blonde a punch in the shoulder as the Hyuuga's sobbing grew louder. "Don't make jokes about this; it's not funny!"

"Ok, ok, sorry," Ino placated. The two continued comforting the hurt heiress as she cried and choked down a tub of ice cream.

A/N: Well, there you have it. Quite depressing, but it's always darkest before the dawn of the dead. This chap had hurt, tears, ice cream, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio (1st gen), Anko being her usual unexpected (& unwanted) self, Kyuubi, Kakashi questioning Naruto's sexuality, some Sakura & Sai slapstick, Ayame getting a bit catty, a bad metaphor I slipped in trying attempting to be artsy that even I wouldn't notice, and Hiashi as we all know and hate him. What more could you want? Oh, a happy ending you say? Well, this is NOT the ending, nowhere close, so I will do as I please…

…But I really want some more happiness too. :'(

Also, I plan on adding a little Omake before the next full chapter. It's not gonna be as long or good as The NaruHina Pool (or nearly as relevant to the story), but I got a stupid idea that didn't really fit right in the chapter. Hopefully it'll still give you a laugh, and a much-needed break from this depressingfulness, so look forward to that!

FOLLOW/FAVE/REVIEW/I GOTTA DO A BUNCH OF SHIT, WHY DO I PROCRASTINATE SO!