The Truth That Lies Deep Within

Hinata stood in the middle of the forest close to her home. Her Byakugan was active and in just a moment she hit the tree trunk in front of her with a flurry of jabs. She did not stop either, going from tree to tree until she exhausted herself completely and dropped down to her knees. It had been years since the last time she had for fight, but ever since the day she confronted the Kumogakure shinobi Hinata regularly trained by herself at any given opportunity. Even if she didn't ever thirst for battle, she felt she needed to be fully prepared for the sake of her son, in order to protect him if the time ever came. For him she could afford no chances, no mistakes. Thus she once again pushed herself to the limits for the sake of the one she loved, just as she did long ago for Naruto.

At that moment Hinata noticed her son approaching their house through her Byakugan's extended field of view and quickly deactivated her eyes to go over and welcome him back.

"Boruto, son, you're back!" She exclaimed excitedly upon coming face to face with her son. However unlike every other time her son did not reply or sound as energetic as he usually was. It was also at this point that she noticed a small cut on one his cheeks. "What happened dear? Did you get hurt? Is everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah, everything's fine. I'm tired, so I just need to get some rest." Boruto quickly diverted the question and ran inside the house without ever making eye contact with his mother. He just didn't know how to face her after everything he had heard. Many conflicting emotions clouded his mind right now and he just wanted to be by himself.

Hinata was a bit worried by her son's sudden change in behaviour but remained outside for a bit to meet up with her other self.

Elsewhere…

Houka was standing within the forest and contemplating how to approach her summoner. If Hinata were to dispel her, all of the memories of her meeting with Naruto would go back to her and it would lead to disaster. She was trying to think of a way to prevent this outcome when a certain memory came to the forefront of her mind.

A young Naruto and Hinata were sitting in the middle of a training field and watching their new teacher pace back and forth in front of them with an emotionless look on his face. This was one of their first training sessions with Itachi right after they became a team.

"So you succeeded in my first training exercise. Not only did you manage to recognise that you were caught in my genjutsu, but also managed to break free, albeit due to the clues I left within. Regardless, you've proven yourselves worthy. Perhaps you do have the potential that Lord Jiraiya so aptly speaks off. As such I intend to bring out those potentials from within the two of you, whatever they may be. However, there is much training the two of you must undertake and I have no intentions of being mellow. Is that clear?"

"We wouldn't have it any other way!" Naruto yelled excitedly, to which Hinata nodded, his enthusiasm rubbing off on her.

"Very well, then in that case you should know from the onset what the purpose of our team is. We will be specialising in covert operations and espionage, very similar to your parents' team led by Lord Jiraiya. It doesn't need to be stated the effectiveness of their squad considering that the village has for the longest time considered the three of them the strongest team to have ever existed. Lord Jiraiya's reconnaissance capabilities combined with Hiashi Hyuga's extensive vision was a truly potent combination. Add on top Minato Namikaze, who was exceptional at nearly any task he was assigned and you have a team that has been unparalleled in their feats." Itachi's account of their parents filled both Naruto and Hinata with pride, but those feelings were quickly cut short. "However as your parents' their successors, your team will overtake theirs. I intend to settle for nothing but the best. That is why your very first training exercise will be to overcome your weakness of genjutsu."

Naruto and Hinata couldn't help but feel the intensity behind Itachi's words. He was a calm and collected man, but when he spoke there was always an aura around him that almost made him feel untouchable, as though he were someone beyond your reach. Regardless, the two could only continue to nod in agreement.

"Now as you saw when you were captured within my genjutsu, an expert user can create an illusionary world so close to reality that it may not even feel as though you've been caught by their technique. In the case of my Sharingan I can even steal information from my victims with ease. That is why one of the first things you must learn in the line of covert ops is to be able to protect information, your memories if you will. Today I'll teach you a technique I learned from a Yamanaka under my command a long time ago, a member of a clan that specialises in the manipulation of the mind. With this you will be able to seal away small pieces of memories for a certain period of time that you may not wish for others to find out. This will be of paramount importance in the missions to come, so pay attention and learn quickly.

Thus Houka remembered one of the very first techniques Itachi had taught his students and with it intended to seal away her encounter with Naruto for the time being and try to smooth out the memory such that Hinata would not get suspicious.

"Once I go through with this I won't remember my meeting with Naruto-kun either until I see him once again, which will be the trigger that unseals the memory. Of course if the princess were to meet him herself then the memory would unseal as well and she would know that I had met with Naruto-kun earlier, but at that point if they came face to face it wouldn't matter if she found out that I met Naruto-kun." Houka thought everything through in her mind. "I'm sorry princess…I know I'm betraying you, but this is because you've been betraying yourself for the past 8 years. You've been holding in the pain of separating from Naruto-kun with the justification of protecting Boruto. But you know deep inside that you wish to be by Naruto-kun's side no matter how dire the situation. That is the place where you belong and as such that is also the place where I belong. I'm just acting in accordance with what you truly desire, because after all…I am you."

Thus Houka carefully sealed away her memory of Naruto temporarily and once again transformed back into her Leopard form to return back home. Sure enough Hinata was waiting outside of the house and near one of the trees to meet with her counterpart.

"Houka, you're back! I've been waiting for you. Did something happen to Boruto? He seems to be acting a bit weird?" She questioned with concern clear in her voice.

Houka was a bit caught off guard by the inquiry. She didn't know that Boruto had met Kushina since she was with Naruto at the time, so she made up something on the spot. "I-It's nothing really. He just got into a little scuffle with one of his friends in regards to his father."

"I see…" Hinata's face lost all of its light after hearing of the incident. This wouldn't be the first time Boruto was upset about the lack of information about his father, but it didn't become easier with each successive time either. Hinata had been thinking deeply about this ever since the attack of Kumogakure shinobi and she felt she could no longer keep evading the matter. "Houka, I want you to stay active for the foreseeable future and keep an eye out on Boruto. I also want you to be on the lookout for any activities of Konoha and Kumo ninja. Although the last encounter worked out in our favour and we received special exemption from the Hokage himself, I am still concerned and it doesn't hurt to remain vigilant. So for the time being I won't recall you. Please observe and report back to me of anything suspicious."

"Indeed, I agree with your assessment. We should remain cautious and I shall do as instructed." Houka nodded and even though she didn't remember her meeting with Naruto at this moment due to her memory being sealed away, Hinata's decision would allow her to help Naruto as necessary without running into suspicion. Thus she took her leave and blended back into the forest in order to continue her reconnaissance mission.

Hinata was left by herself to contemplate the situation but the more she thought about it the more it pained her inside, especially the memories of a certain someone that was the root of all these issues. Despite this she knew that standing around and twiddling her thumbs wouldn't solve anything. Thus she made her way inside to talk to her son. Little did she know however that her son was going through his own internal struggles after learning the story behind his parents' separation. She found Boruto coming out of the shower as soon as she entered the house and greeted him with a gentle smile.

"Boruto, dear, please come over here so that I can treat that cut of yours." She called to her son ever so kindly as she went over to the kitchen and got out the first aid kit.

"It's fine. This is no big deal." He replied and was about to go into his room when Hinata caught up to him and kneeled down in front of him, putting the box down beside her.

"No matter how minor it is we should still treat the cut just to make sure it doesn't get infected." Despite her son's unwillingness, Hinata applied a disinfectant on the wound and placed a band aid on top of it. "There we go. That wasn't so bad now was it?"

Every second Boruto was face to face with his mother, he was reminded of all the secrets she had kept from him, not only about his father, not only of herself but of who he truly was. Her eyes reminded him of the heritage that he was never even aware of, even though it had always been right in front of him. Boruto felt a sort of disdain towards his mother that he had never felt before and it ate at him inside. The young boy was at a loss and just didn't want to be near his mother at all. He was starting to hate himself for having such feelings.

"Boruto, arguments are a natural part of friendships, but you should always try to play nice and make up with friends as soon as possible afterwards. I understand that there are naturally a lot of questions surrounding your origin and your…father…but still, try to get along with everyone okay?" Hinata requested, which only happened to frustrate Boruto even further. How could she ask him to just accept everything when she made no effort in informing him of the truth? Just as he turned around to leave for his room, Hinata gently grabbed his hand to stop him. "I've made your favourites today. So how about we have some food? I've waiting for you the whole day so that we could eat together."

Boruto unceremoniously forced his hand away from his mother and rushed off to his room after replying: "I'm not hungry!"

No matter how much Hinata tried to rectify the situation, it only seemed to be getting worse. She could feel a rift developing between herself and her son every time the topic of his father came up and it only got progressively worse. If matters were left as they were right now, the final result would not be pretty. Hinata sat in place and contemplated on what she could do to solve this. The last thing she wanted was to lose the one she cared for most dearly a second time. The pain of separation from Naruto still lingered on within her even to this day and that wound would probably never heal in its entirety. She didn't want to add on to that suffering any further. Thus after a very long period of deep thought Hinata went into the kitchen to serve some of Boruto's favourite food items on to several bowls and carried them over to his room in a tray. She hoped to reinvigorate the mood between them with the food that she cooked for him with love.

When Boruto heard his mother come into his room he instantly pulled the blanket over his head. He was seriously starting to loathe her presence for everything that she hid from him. He just did not want her around right now as anger and resentment filled him to the core.

"Now Boruto, I get that you're upset but don't be like that. I worked so hard to make all of this food for you, so come on – let's eat this together." Hinata was at Boruto's bedside and was about to put the tray on the side table when her son suddenly emerged from within his blanket and slapped the tray off of his mother's hand, causing all the bowls of food to drop all over the floor with a deafening crash.

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU I'M NOT HUNGRY! WHY ARE YOU SO PERSISTENT?! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE RIGHT NOW! GET OUT OF MY ROOM ALREADY!" He shouted back at her in a venomous tone before pulling the blanket over his head once more.

He was expecting his mother to scold him severely and punish him for his actions, but as time passed nothing happened. His mother didn't even say a word and he could only hear her gathering up the pieces of the broken plates. This prompted Boruto to lift his blanket ever so slightly over his head in order to take a look at her and what he saw shocked him to his very core. As she cleaned up the mess he had made all over the floor, tears rolled down his mother's face as though there was no tomorrow. The look on her face told everything one would need to know about how much pain and sorrow she was currently feeling.

"W-What? You aren't going to punish me?" Boruto asked desperately, hoping that his mother would get angry at him, which would be far better than seeing her in tears.

Hinata on the other hand was close to breaking down completely, but she held herself together as best she could and smiled at her son so as not to worry him. "Of course not. I'm sorry for bothering you dear. You did tell me that you weren't hungry. I should've listened. It's my fault."

A gut wrenching sensation overtook Boruto as he watched his mother clean up after him as tears continued to roll down her face uncontrollably. An intense feeling of guilt overtook him as he realised what a terrible thing he had done to his mother. The same mother who gave birth to him, raised him and did her utmost to bring him happiness at all times all by herself. The same mother who had sacrificed everything for his sake – even the love of her life. He realised that even if she did hide his origin from him, she did it all to protect him. She always had and still continues to think about his happiness and wellbeing above herself. As Boruto saw his mother leave his room in tears because of him, he felt like an absolute piece of trash for repaying all of her sacrifices with such blatant disrespect. Before long without even his own realisation Boruto could feel something warm rolling down his cheeks. As he touched his face, Boruto realised that he too was crying.

Several hours later…

Given the grim atmosphere in the house, Hinata had decided to call it a day very early and went to bed. But of course, sleep was not a luxury she could ill afford at this point in time. Hinata felt lost. She knew very well that such a day would come where Boruto would question his very origin, but she didn't know how to answer those questions. Because to answer those questions would mean confronting her own past. The very past that she ran away from. She just didn't know if she had it in her to relive that past and the pain that accompanied it

As she was deep in thought, Hinata heard the door to her bedroom creak open and her son peek his head in.

"Kaa-chan, are you awake? Can I…sleep with you tonight?" He asked in a truly remorseful and pleading tone.

It was almost as though hearing her son's voice lifted the great weight that was on Hinata's soul. He had after all always been the solace to all of her anxiety. "Of course son. You're the one who wanted to have a separate room of your own. If not for that I'd love for the two of us to sleep together whenever you wished."

Although Boruto insisted that he get his own room due to him wanting to feel like a grown up, he would still often times sneak into his mother's room to sleep together with her. The peace that he felt when next to her could not be described in words. He would sleep most soundly when it was beside his mother, and tonight was no different as Boruto snuck under his mother's blanket and buried his face deep into her chest. All that anxiety and restlessness he felt ever since he heard of his parents' story faded away into the background as a sense of everlasting serenity overtook all of his concerns. Boruto finally came to the realisation that no matter what may have happened between his parents, the fact that his mother meant the world to him did not change. His mother loved him with all his heart and he loved her right back. That would always be the same. As such he did not want to see her suffer through any pain ever again.

"I hurt you again didn't I? I'm sorry." Boruto apologised with all his heart.

"You don't have to ask for forgiveness Boruto. There is a myriad of truths that I kept from you. I've been thinking about this ever since the day you were born and I believe it is time you finally started learning of the truth. It is only right." Hinata said to Boruto as she hugged him close to herself. "Your father, Boruto, is a man named Uzumaki Naruto."

Boruto's eyes widened in absolute disbelief. For the very first time in his life, his mother spoke of his father and the name matched up with what his alleged grandmother had told him earlier.

"It may seem as though I changed your last name from your father's, but that is actually not true. In reality your father's original name was Namikaze Naruto, which was later changed to Uzumaki Naruto. I thought I had shattered all my ties with him when I left at an early stage of my pregnancy. But in the end I couldn't quite do it and gave you his original family name. That's how much your father meant to me."

Everything his mother said was matching up to what his grandmother had told him and it left Boruto in shock.

"I'm sorry Boruto but that is all I can tell you for now. I hope you'll understand that this is very difficult for me, revisiting a past that I once ran away from. So please give me some time to eventually reveal to you the whole truth." Hinata requested in a deeply distressed tone. "However, I do want you to know one thing. You are not and you will never be an unwanted child, not from my side and neither from your father's. Because after all you are the manifestation of the deep love we shared for one another."

Thus Hinata finally began to share with her son all that laid dormant within her heart.

Did you pinpoint the truth the title of this chapter referred to? Because that truth will eventually play a big part in defining Hinata's side of the story. Other than that I wanted to delve a little more into Hinata and Boruto's relationship, which I've tried to make into something special and filled with the "feels". I should say though that I'm very happy with the general reception to the whole story behind Naruto and Hinata's separation. From reading your reviews it seems that there is no consensus on who is right or wrong. There is almost a 50/50 split between the two of them, which is what I had hoped for. I will say this much that eventually both sides of the argument will be answered.

Now to answer some of your questions/comments:

HyugaVault: I should point out that Naruto although very powerful (he is a Kage after all) is a lot more grounded in this story. His powers come from his lineage and the hard work he did alongside Hinata under Itachi's tutelage. And yes, the ones working in the shadows will come to the forefront eventually and their motivations will become clear.

NarHina: I'm happy that you at least understand Hinata's side of the story. You don't have to think she is right as long as you can see where she's coming from. Neither Naruto or Hinata is supposed to be perfect in this story. They just have their own viewpoints which you may or may not agree with.

Albert da Snake: There is a lot more to Kushina's story. I didn't just incorporate her on a whim. She will play a pivotal role in the plot.

guooos: An interesting proposition. We shall see if that is true *evil grin*.

Trainer1232: Oh darn lol you keep bringing up these interesting questions that I want to answer right away, but the story has to develop a little more before I can do so.

Blackcurse11, Guest 8: Well, there has to be conflict for there eventually to be a big payoff. Right now the motivations behind a lot of parties are still not quite clear, but eventually everything will *hopefully* make sense.

Firechick89, Reading Pixie, Hikari To Seimei, Keiren-Kun89: Thank you, I really do appreciate all of your nice comments :)

Beatrizmar: As much as I'm glad you enjoyed this story, please don't lose any more sleep over it haha. I am one who can always appreciate a good night's sleep lol.

That is all for today. As always let me know your thoughts and I will see you all next time.