A/N. Another chapter for all of you to enjoy. I have finally found time to update given my graduation from college. I am hunting in a destitute job market so I think until the time comes that I find employment I should be able to write more of this story. I do apologize for the time taken off, but when you spend hours of effort to earn a degree; it is only right that you take some time off to relax when you finish. (Don't forget to review)
A day had passed and there still hadn't been a single sighting of him. Hinata had wondered what happened after Naruto had vanished with someone else, yet she initially hadn't thought anything of it as she continued to work into the evening. She knew he'd return. The blessing of the ramen delivery made her glad that she would get to eat, despite her depleted foot pill supply, and see her crush again. However, her hope began to sink as she drained the four bowls of miso ramen; which, while they were rejuvenating, didn't make up for the fatigue she carried from her mission.
She had thought to return to the compound for a few hours of rest, yet there was more need of her byakugan to search for injured prisoners and pockets of black flame. The job went well into the night and it was with no minute amount of relief that she accepted her break to return home and sleep.
Her arms and legs ached even when she refused to use them, yet she was excited that she could push herself much longer than before. Normally, she would've broken down after a few hours of constant exertion. However, she stood strong through the small twitches that felt like stabs in her nerves.
"I hope that I have some of that numbing cream left," she prayed as she shambled home on her tender leg muscles.
*Hokage's office *
Tsunade felt depressed after she dealt with Naruto dropping by, though he handled the devastating news better than she predicted. Then again, she had seen the way Naruto faced his problems. He'd normally be gloomy at first and finally break out of it through sheer force of will. However, she didn't sense that when he departed from her office and feared that this was the burden that would finally break him.
The delivery of the news wasn't the end of the trials she was meant to endure. As she put away the mission dossier for the next day, the door opened and in walked a rather distressed female. Kurenai had drunk her well of patience dry as she stormed into the Hokage's office and worried she splintered the doors when they smashed into the walls.
"Tsunade-sama, I am here due to medical concerns for my student," she ordered the village leader.
Tsunade gave a stare that pierced deeper than one of her chakra infused punches, if possible. She dug her nails into the wood of her desk and took a deep breath to cork the leaks that appeared in the damn she had built to restrain her anger, which was fueled by a combination of guilt and frustration instead of a certain white haired pervert.
"Kurenai, what is the meaning of this," she asked as her vocal cords twitched in barely confined fury.
Kurenai noticed the look of anger from the village leader and decided to rethink her frontal assault and practice diplomacy, since it did seem to offer higher chances of survival.
"Hinata, she needs to be placed on inactive duty for…medical reasons."
"What medical reason? Her condition was treated and Masahiro released her for active duty."
"I don't believe Masahiro was thorough in his prognosis."
Tsunade sighed and while she didn't expect Taro was wrong, she anticipated Kurenai wouldn't leave her be until she relented. It was already hard enough to know Naruto was suffering, yet here she still had other problems to attend to.
"The work never ends," she thought and decided to concede to get some rest at the Hokage's mansion.
"I will have her placed on inactive duty until another examination is provided."
"Why can't you…," Kurenai stopped when she noticed a throb in Tsunade's forehead.
The sannin was known for her insane strength and she wasn't about to risk any chance of feeling a blow to her body.
"Hai," she replied like a whipped animal.
"Why do people think they can give the village leader orders," Tsunade wondered as she scribbled a fast note and turned to see Shizune was gone.
"Where did she go again," she wondered.
Hinata felt like her muscles were filled with gravel as each movement caused small tremors in random sore spots. She was disappointed that she hadn't gotten to spend more time with Naruto, but as she thought about it all his clones just seemed to vanish after about an hour. Normally that wouldn't happen so long as he didn't lose his concentration, yet in unison they all burst into a cloud of smoke. It was pleasant to have Naruto's clones around, yet it wasn't the same as the real thing.
She had tried to talk with one for a little while, but that had ended when another one dropped a rock on its' foot and it puffed away. A smile crossed her face at the moment, though it faded when she recalled that it was Sakura that had shown up and took him away.
"How can Sakura ruin so many of my chances," she thought as she rubbed her hands together feverishly.
It was the second time that Sakura had ruined things. It had to be some coincidence that she managed to always get between her and Naruto. There were moments that she wondered if Sakura took some secret perverse joy in crushing her hopes of a relationship. Hinata wasn't angry, yet she was frustrated in that the more effort she put into reaching out to him the further away he seemed to be pulled.
She noticed the compound come into view and became aware of the perspiration that gathered on her brow from the rapid pace she maintained due to her heated thought process. She wiped her forehead with the white part of her sleeve, which alerted her to the condition of her personal hygiene as a brownish discoloration appeared on the creamy white cloth.
"I should shower before I go get some rest," she thought with relief, until she saw Neji walking in her direction with a concerned expression on his face.
"Hinata, Hiashi-sama wishes to meet with you and Hanabi," he said and waited for her acknowledgment before he turned and led the way.
*Hiashi's study*
He rubbed his left hand through his hair as the frustration had finally started to truly set in. It wasn't a detrimental issue for the clan's survival, yet as any ninja knew a single cut could fester into a debilitating disease. Hiashi looked over the written document and was confused about what could've caused the union of a missing nin (who abandoned the village) and Sakura Haruno (a loyal apprentice of the Hokage's).
"It makes little sense that the Uchiha came to the decision on his own," he figured and felt there was more at work than was let on.
It did peak his curiosity to know how this was accomplished, but it wasn't of any real worth to know. The marriage was confirmed as legal and that made Sakura untouchable due to her clan rights as the sole survivor.
A knock on the door alerted him to the arrival of his daughters and nephew, at which he promptly removed his prescription "reading glasses" and prepared to inform them of the issue at hand.
The trio entered the room and each of them knew the routine as they all bowed to him with Hinata and Hanabi walking forward while Neji remained behind them.
"Hinata, Hanabi, Neji, all of you are aware of the incident that occurred at the Anbu headquarters due to an enemy attack," he began and noticed how all of them nodded to show their affirmation.
"The information that wasn't provided is that the Uchiha clan has returned to the village," he stated and saw minute changes in the expressions of Neji and Hinata.
Neither of them was certain what that meant. If the Uchiha clan had returned, then that meant Sasuke or Itachi had been captured. However, both knew that the chances of this were slim as neither had been sighted in months and both were skilled enough to avoid such an occurrence.
"All of you are too young to know, but the extinction of the Uchiha clan left the Hyuuga to possess the most powerful dojutsu in the village. However, several generations of breeding could see that changed."
"Hiashi-sama, what stance does the clan have on this announcement," Hanabi asked as she seemed the only one unaffected by the information due to no personal bonds to any Uchiha or associates.
"Given the fragility of the situation, it would be best to establish friendship with the newest Uchiha to maintain some form of control in their numbers should clan restoration be used," he responded and put away the paperwork into his desk.
"Who is the person that we need to maintain a friendship with," Neji asked, since he knew each of them would probably need to make a personal effort to make a positive impression.
"Uchiha…Sakura," Hiashi said and watched as none of them seemed too affected by the surprise.
Hinata felt her mouth go dry as some of the days' events began to clarify. She wasn't certain that she heard the name Uchiha when she last saw Naruto, but now it made sense to her. Her mind dared to wander, yet she knew that needed to wait until she vacated the area.
Hiashi had delivered the news and he was impressed in the controlled manor all of his relatives took it. It didn't matter to him if the information devastated them or not, he only wanted them to hide those feelings and maintain the clans emotional control standards. That said he himself had hidden his aggravation in the need to personally obtain some information in regards to future problems that could arise.
"All of you are dismissed," he said and waited for each of them to bow and leave.
It wasn't a real concern for him as he knew it could take several years before an adequate amount of Uchiha could be fathered. It would be even longer if the baby inside of Sakura turned out to be a female, yet it was still a possible threat to their position within the village.
When the Uchiha were massacred it was a sad day in the village, but it also provided a gap of adequate ninja that the Hyuuga were able to fill. Not to mention, their numbers in Anbu were at their highest among all the clans due to the possession of the only dojutsu left in Konoha. The Hyuuga had remained one of the strongest clans, but the Sharingan's return could make them become secondary again.
There was, as with all challenges, the opportunity to grow stronger. However, he needed to speak with someone in concern to the adverse side effects crossbreeding blood limits could produce.
Hinata had returned to her room after wishing Neji and Hanabi a good night, but it wasn't good at all. It had started out as a simple ache in her stomach, but the pain grew into a painful gouge that tore from her chest cavity and out her back.
"Naruto-kun, did they tell you," she pondered and found herself pacing, uncertain of what had occurred.
Her mind began to rush through all the scenarios, yet all of them were horrible. If Sakura had told him, he was probably in an insurmountable amount of pain. Hinata had more sense than to think Naruto didn't have eyes for his teammate. However, the presence of a child within her clearly separated them and that void couldn't be crossed. While this did offer the benefit of taking Sakura off the market, it did foster more questions.
Sakura was pregnant with an Uchiha child, which begged the question of who was the father? Sakura wouldn't just let any man touch her and if the attention was unwanted she was more than skilled enough to defend herself. The conclusion from there was that she willingly let herself get pregnant from Itachi…or Sasuke.
"Naruto-kun," she thought with tears in her eyes.
Her heart began to break for him, since it probably hurt in two separate ways for him. The first was that he had lost to Sasuke again even in the pursuit of the person he wanted to be with, but the second was that he had returned only to impregnate Sakura and didn't give him so much as a chance encounter. Though it was unknown if he was still alive or in the village, but with the Amaterasu flooding Anbu Headquarters he probably…
Hinata bit her lip and had completely forgotten about her bruised muscles and bones, since her heart ached for Naruto more than any physical pain she could endure.
Neji had offered a pair of good nights, but his plans had nothing to do with rest. He turned his bed on its' side and cleared the furniture of his desk and chair to maximize the limited space he had. It was midnight and that encouraged him to hurry as he was restricted on time too. Orders were still to clean up Anbu headquarters and required him to be up at six in the morning. It put a hole in the time he had to train, which was why he was going to only get four hours of sleep.
He sat down and began to stretch out his tight muscles with ease as he slid down into a 180 split and walked forward with his hands until he was lying flat with his chest against the floor. The joints in his fingers ached like matches ignited underneath his skin. The exertion was brought about by hundreds of gentle fist strikes to rupture out chucks of rock for extraction in the elevator shaft. It wouldn't normally be a problem, but his chakra coils felt burned out from the sudden releases of chakra. The nerves in his arms stung severely, though he continued to struggle against it and lifted his lower body to hold a handstand
"I've been too lenient on myself," he thought with a growl as he started his rep of fifty handstand pushups.
His abs and biceps burned like smoldering coals as he pushed himself back up and refused to relent in the time between each movement. Neji had exercised each and every night since his "draw" with Hinata. However, it had already begun to show in the rubbery feel of his muscles and the random aches in his bones. Normally he'd allow himself days to rest and recuperate, though he recently couldn't rest so long since his ego was bruised.
"I'll prove that I'm just as strong as the main house," he affirmed and, despite the pain, forced his body to break through the wall he had struck.
Konoha hospital was docile for once, which was due to the sudden outflow of patients over the past few days. The word around the village was that there had been an improvement in medical diagnosis and technology. However, the real reason came down to a certain black haired clan member who had been left without supervision.
*The Day Prior*
Shizune had wondered why on earth she had been stuck with the keeping of Masahiro, but the weirdest thing was that he had requested for her personally. She had wanted to refuse, since Taro was still considered a chemical hazard to females. However, she reluctantly agreed due to her sensei having other serious matters to attend to and Taro wasn't on that list.
She felt like a typical nurse as she pushed him around the hospital and brought him his meals, but it wasn't as hard on her given that Tsunade taught her how to close her nasal passage with a chakra technique. It had confused her to why he wanted her, however with the glares he got from all the nurses she guessed she'd be the least likely to poison him. That prediction still needed to be proven as she brought him to the main lobby to collect documents for Tsunade.
"Why are we stopping here," Taro asked confused as to why he wasn't back at his office already so he could keep up with appointments.
"What," Shizune responded with her hand next to her recovering ear.
"Why did we stop," he asked slowly after he rolled his eyes.
"Tsunade-sama asked that I bring some papers to her," she informed and walked over to the nurse station.
He felt helpless being stuck in a chair, which was why he had originally volunteered to walk on his crutches. That idea had failed, since he barely had a functioning leg left with the trauma he suffered from the strike and explosion. The other issue was the pheromone on him that had thankfully begun to fade due to his sweating. However, what caused conflict was that women would sense it and follow him around like a pack of wolves after an injured animal.
"Hurry up," he called at Shizune who ignored him as she double checked papers put on the counter top.
Taro hated to just sit and be bored, but he saw the lobby schedule and noticed how there was a certain class on it.
"Child care and pregnancy tips," he said and noticed how the doctor for the current day hadn't been chosen yet.
He noticed a nearby pen and wrote his name into the spot.
"Time to cause a little havoc," he thought as he began to roll away toward the designated room.
Shizune paled at the mountain of paperwork that needed transport, but she figured Izumo and Kotetsu could bring the papers back once she sent a clone to inform them.
She felt her face want to fall off when she noticed that her wheelchair bound companion had vanished when she was gone for no more than two minutes.
"Where did he go," she thought and wondered how he could take off so quickly, though ninja seemed highly skilled at being faster than they looked even when hobbled.
"I'd better find Masahiro quickly before he incites a riot," she mentally screeched as she could imagine the trouble she'd be in if Tsunade had another fire to put out.
*Medical Lobby 07*
She sighed with confusion about why she even needed to be in attendance. She knew everything about human anatomy from her medic nin training under Tsunade and could ask her for information when she needed it.
However, those weren't the reasons why she couldn't stand to be waiting for the lecture to begin. Sakura couldn't bring herself to focus on learning when she felt an overwhelming guilt pressing down on her heart and brain. Her fingers offered some comfort as they traveled through her pink locks to ease the tension she felt.
She had decided to lean against the clear glass wall that looked out onto the nearby rose garden. It didn't help her loneliness to see patients in hospital gowns surrounded by their family and friends. The noise level of the room seemed to grow as her attention diverted to the several couples in attendance. There seemed to be an abundance of females further along than her. They looked like they had swallowed watermelons.
Granted, she had just recently begun her pregnancy, but when she saw females with their attentive male companions she felt stabbed with envy. It wasn't even an entire week that had gone by and she already felt the itch to have someone care, but that wasn't the only issue that made her uncomfortable. The chances she would even know one of the women in the room would be slim, though she figured having a friendly face around would be more awkward to deal with than appearing single.
"Good morning, Uchiha-sama," said a branch house Hyuuga couple that entered into the room and took their place on one of the several padded futons.
"Good morning," she responded on instinct since each time she heard the name it stung at her like hornet stings.
Sakura began to regret more with each day that she had this burden placed on her shoulders. The reason behind it was good, yet the weight she was forced to now carry was beyond what she imagined it could be. She doubted that she could admit it openly, but it felt like her connection with Naruto had been severed in a single day.
Though she couldn't blame him for the reaction he had. She had originally denied that Sasuke was dead, but Naruto had accepted it and the shock put him into isolation. Tsunade had also ordered her to give him his space, since he needed to come to terms with it. It made sense, since her being around would only serve to drive him further away as he saw what was left of his teammate grow in her.
Naruto was a lot of things, but to her he was the lifeline of their team; the one person she could trust to beat the odds and encourage her along the path. However, with that now stripped from her grasp she honestly wondered how she could cope. She did have Kakashi to help her still, yet the man was chronically late even when she demanded him to be on time.
"Guess we all deal with grief differently," she said certain now why he wasn't there.
Naruto and Kakashi had probably sealed themselves off to deal with the loss. Naruto more than likely kept blaming himself for Sasuke leaving and that he couldn't stop it. Kakashi felt guilty that he had given an assassination technique to an emotionally unstable ninja. That and to have another Uchiha die that was close to him only further split his old scar with Obito open.
"Sakura-chan," said a voice that she felt could only make the day get worse.
"What, no Uchiha-chan," she ordered and had to stifle a laugh at seeing Taro shorter than her in his wheelchair.
"If you knew and used my full name I'll do the same," he said and moved himself to the front of where everyone was facing.
He was halted in his tracks when he felt a weight anchor him.
"You're teaching this class?"
"Yes," he retorted set on teaching the class.
"Are you qualified to do this?"
"Is anyone else in this room a doctor?"
Sakura blinked a few times and had to look up at the ceiling.
"Kami, if this is a way of punishing me…well done," she thought as the dread of someone like Taro teaching about children.
*present time*
He blinked a series of times as he recalled how it all began, though a shout from Tsunade made his ears ache.
"So, what made you think teaching a pregnancy class was a good idea?"
"I was being supportive as Sakura's doctor and the class would've been canceled without my presence," Taro responded with the "honest" truth.
The blonde female looked over at her student who nodded her head in affirmation. Tsunade hadn't expected Taro to teach a class and let his personal views poison others.
"What was it you said that caused the uproar," she asked even though she had it reported from several of the people who were present.
Taro rolled his eyes and looked away knowing this like everything else was about to be blown out of proportion. He had just responded honestly to remove the delusion that children brought only joy and happiness.
"I quote: The truth about children is that they're parasites. They cry at you when they're born, they learn to talk back when their teenagers, they borrow from you when they're middle-aged and they leave you alone to die when they're old and sick of you being alive," she stated.
Taro decided to keep his mouth shut and scratched the side of his head not ashamed that he spoke what he had observed over the years of life he'd seen.
"There has been a surge of abortion requests," Tsunade shouted and smacked the report against her desk.
"Konoha doesn't offer abortions," Sakura said and noticed the continued stare from her Sensei and nodded her head in realization.
"Consider yourself on vacation."
"What?"
"You're injured and have four months of vacation you've refused to use."
"You can't," he began, but was cut off by the controlled voice of a furious Hokage.
"Reduction of stress has been shown to encourage healing, consider this an S-rank mission from the Hokage," she said and noticed how her words came down like a hail storm upon him.
"Where am I going to live," he asked to throw a possible wrench into her plans.
The Sannin did her best to restrain her rage and accidentally knocked some of her papers off the desk. A nearby Shizune began to pick up the items so as to not have to search for them later.
Taro smiled as she was bent over and enjoyed the view, which was noticed by both Sakura and Tsunade.
"The Hokage's mansion has extra rooms doesn't it," he said with a smirk, which vanished the second he noticed the demon stare of the village leader.
"You're to return to your clan house," she ordered and cleared her throat to hint Shizune to stop "flaunting" her figure.
"Fine. May I speak with you privately, Tsunade-sama?"
"I have the fires you started to put out, so denied."
"Then I'll be blunt, if a leader is uncertain about something they can't properly function in their role, so get over whatever it is that you screwed up," Taro said with trained defiance as he backed his wheelchair out the double doors.
Tsunade began to steam at the balls Taro had to tell her that and if he had been anyone else she probably would've punched him in the face to shut his mouth up for a few months. However, not even the Hokage was above the village laws.
"Uchiha-chan, see to it that Masahiro returns to the hospital safely," she grumbled through clenched teeth.
"Hai," Sakura replied and ran off after the cripple.
"Tsunade-sama," Shizune asked a bit scared to possibly catch any residual anger, but that never came as her master merely continued on her paperwork.
Taro tried to move swiftly, since the harder he pushed his body the greater his chance to regenerate.
Sakura followed him without a word, but he suddenly stopped certain it was her behind him.
"That advice goes for you too - the getting over it, not the leader part," he said without turning to look at her.
"I'm fine."
"No, you aren't. In any other situation you'd have defended Tsunade or my actions, something has both of you uncomfortable around each other," he explained for once seeming neutral in his observation.
"What if we are," she growled a bit on edge, but also impressed with how well he could see underneath the underneath.
"I don't honestly care for the situation; but any trouble in the head of the village will trickle down to every other person beneath them, ninja or not," he stated in a tone that made it appear like he could shut down his emotional capabilities.
The cold observation he could maintain irked her inner self as he abruptly halted and she bumped into him. Sakura wasn't sure what it was, though a geyser from some unknown part of her heart erupted to the surface.
"Fuck you, Masahiro," she shouted, though the effect was lost as she noticed where they were.
Sakura hadn't paid any attention to their location, but they were just below the window of the Hokage's office. A muffled shout was heard before the window exploded in a shower of glass shards and a chair landed on the ground before them.
"Good, we're at anger now," he said delighted that the pair had moved into the 3rd stage of grief.
*Naruto's Apartment*
He opened his eyes and felt like he had overslept. That was expected, however, as he had dozed for an entire day - or at least he wondered if he had. His stomach gurgled in protest and his bladder rivaled it due to the pressure it had built up.
"Fine," he groaned and languidly slid out of his bed.
Naruto hadn't tried to keep comfortable as he was still in his dirt and sweat saturated clothes. He managed to venture out of his bedroom, stepping on bits of broken dishes as he went. It was a good thing he was too down to even take his sandals off, since he'd probably get tetanus from all the crude blades on the floor.
His bathroom was the first stop, but he tried to avoid the reflection in the mirror. It was a certainty that he looked awful, but it didn't do justice to how he felt inside. He was gone now. Sasuke had been taken from them, but he didn't even know by what or who. His hands tightened into fists as he thought more about all they had gone through.
Zabuza in wave country, Orochimaru at the Chunin exam and village invasion, and even Itachi's attack when they searched for Tsunade. Team 7 had stood strong against the worst being thrown at it. It drove him mad how they could come through so much, yet when he left he couldn't be there to save him.
"Why wasn't I strong enough to stop him," he growled as he recalled the rescue mission and his failure at the valley's end.
If he had just been stronger, if Jiraiya had trained him better, if Tsunade had sent more back-up, if Sakura had been strong enough to assist, if Kakashi hadn't taught Sasuke the Chidori... Naruto felt his brain run through all the "what if's" and, ultimately, it came down to him.
"Why wouldn't you stay," he asked no one as the sound of something wet hitting the floor made him realize his hands stung.
He looked at the tile floor and noticed some well defined red droplets of blood that proved he had squeezed his nails into his palm too hard. The pain felt like it was numb even when he wasn't. He rubbed the rips in his hands against his orange towel and walked to the kitchen to shut his stomach up.
The kitchen had seen better days, though he decided to ignore the chaos as he found a single container of ramen had survived. He knew the cooking instructions by heart and on more than one occasion completed them in his sleep. He eyeballed the quantity of water at the sink with the next stop being the microwave. He noticed the door wouldn't close properly, since the locking hook on the door had snapped off when he broke a plate on it the night prior.
He improvised with a wooden spoon that he wedged between the door and locking point to keep it stuck in place. Two minutes followed by a sitting on the counter top for another one. Naruto's facial expression didn't change the entire length of the cooking process, but part of him did wonder where to go from here.
The machine chimed to show it finished and allowed him to remove the container and with the supplied chopsticks just decided to eat right away. The broth and noodles were still a bit too hot, though he hardly noticed now a bit too deep in thought.
"Where can I go from here," he thought in conflict with himself.
Naruto still hadn't given up on his dream to be Hokage, since he still wanted to protect everyone in the village of Konoha. However, the next reason was he knew with Sasuke gone he would certainly be hunted and killed if he returned to the village. The only real chance he had was if the Kage offered a pardon or rescinded the order to seek and destroy.
His plan had been to become Hokage and, in the worst case, deal with Sasuke on his own and save him from the darkness. The opportunity to do such a thing was now in the past. The miasma that surrounded Sasuke was far too great for him to pierce and in the end it consumed him and now there wasn't even a fragment of him left.
"Bastard," he gurgled and narrowly gagged when he realized there was noodle and broth occupying his esophagus.
He spat and hacked up a little salt on the table, but honestly didn't feel much like eating. He slumped in his step as he wandered back to his bed, which provided some form of comfort as it was the only place he really felt safe. He had spent so many nights crying there growing up that it felt like his only real best friend.
The thought of his other "friends" began to make him feel nauseous. Sakura hadn't told him a thing and he wondered how long she planned to keep it from him. Baa-chan had probably known for a while and still refused to tell him, but out of all of them he had hoped that Kakashi would have been honest with him. Though the man was still a Jounin and still took secrets very seriously.
Naruto's cerulean eyes gazed over at his wall clock, which read 1am as it did the night before. He knew he should've already been up and starting his morning workout. Then again, in his current state he honestly didn't feel like training would be a beneficial use of his time.
"Why couldn't today be cancelled," he asked as he pulled his blankets up and put a pillow over his head.
Hinata blinked a few times as she ventured across the village, though her ability to navigate had been severely hindered by the lack of sleep she got. It was difficult to find sleep, since each time she closed her eyes she saw Naruto sitting alone on the swing at the academy doing his best to hide his tears. This resulted in her spending most of the night awake and when she did finally clear her head long enough to rest the soreness acted up.
Despite the tired bags under her eyes a smile graced her face as she approached Ichiraku's and pulled back the flap at the entrance. The momentary hope of finding her blonde crush at his most frequent hang out was crushed, since there was no one there matching Naruto's description. The rest of her body managed to slump along with her tired eyes as she entered.
"Ayame, Teuchi," she called and saw them come out seeming concerned.
"Oh, Hinata, would you like more ramen," Teuchi asked as he went back to working his culinary skills on dough destined for ramen noodle greatness.
"Has Naruto-kun come by," she asked and was stunned when both Ayame and her father shook their heads hinting the negative.
It was no village secret that Naruto loved ramen, but to go several days without it she feared for his health. She decided to sit down and eat, since he would be along eventually. She ordered a few bowls and ended up waiting for a couple hours with nothing to show for it other than a large bill and a sorrowful expression.
"Where are you, Naruto-kun," she wondered as the bowls were taken away.
Ayame took the bowls into the back to be cleaned, but now she could clearly see the disappointment on the girl's face. She had noticed the affection the girl had for Naruto and she frankly didn't want to continue to sit back and watch him suffer. Though, she couldn't exactly point her in the right direction to find him.
However, as she thought about it she could hopefully put her into close proximity with him. Ayame put the bowls Hinata had emptied into the sink in the back and found a delivery container that was large enough to fit a small "Naruto" portion for travel. It didn't take her long to prepare it, since she knew so long as it was Ichiraku ramen Naruto wouldn't mind.
Looking at the amount, she decided to bring out the larger delivery container, which held a total of six ramen bowels. Ayame even decided to fill them with "Naruto portions" as they were about to begin selling. It was where the bowl had double the noodles and broth that filled nearly to the brim.
"Now, how do I approach this," Ayame thought as she carried the cumbersome item to the front of the shop and placed it behind the counter top.
"Hinata-chan," Ayame said as best she could to hide her breathlessness.
"Hai," she asked with tired eyes that showed she wasn't interested.
"Was the ramen to your liking?"
"Hai, I am satisfied," she responded feeling empty despite the full stomach.
"You're worried about Naruto too," Ayame asked and had to stifle a laugh as the Hyuuga appeared to panic at the blatant observation of her feelings.
Hinata couldn't fully find the word that would best convey her feelings, but somehow found the common sense to nod her head.
"He hasn't stopped by to eat since we reopened…we just want to make sure he's eating enough," she said with concern that the blonde would wither away without some sort of caloric intake.
"Did he order anything to eat at home," Hinata asked thinking that Naruto would prefer to eat at home given his emotional state.
"No, we prepared an order for him, but were too busy to deliver it," Ayame said with concern and sorrow.
"We are," Teuchi asked perplexed as he popped his head up to look through the back window of the shop to the front.
Ayame laughed as she turned around and gave her father a death glare and mouthed the word "yes".
Teuchi felt his blood run cold as he recalled that look before in his wife's eyes when it was an important matter, which meant it'd be best for his health to go along.
"Um, Ayame get back here we have several orders to fill," he pretend ordered with sweat drops running down the back of his head.
Hinata blinked a few times at the situation and wasn't dumb enough to not see the plan underneath the lies. They had seen the way she reacted to Naruto some time ago and knew her feelings clearly. It wasn't the hardest thing to detect given they weren't trained like Shinobi to lie, but they were trying and that gave her more reason to play along.
"I can deliver it," she confirmed with a soft smile.
"Thank you, Hinata," Ayame said and heaved the case to the counter top.
"Naruto's house is..."
"I've been to Naruto-kun's apartment," Hinata cut Ayame off, but blushed at what she said.
Ayame stared at her for a bit, since she figured that it made sense. She had gone on missions with Naruto before so it was obvious she'd have to grab him from his home time to time.
Hinata hadn't been on the same line of thought, since her affirmation could be taken in more an adult relationship. Her face became a few shades darker as all her blood saturated the capillaries throughout her head. Ayame had to blink for a moment at how swiftly the female vanished out the door and managed to leave the lunch box.
She was certain she heard a small explosion as a more controlled Hinata entered back inside and grabbed the container.
"Arigato," she said and walked out with the item.
Ayame sweat dropped, but knew that at least now Naruto would get the food he needed. Though, as she looked at the ground there were wet foot prints where Hinata had stepped.
"It isn't raining outside," she thought and came back as her father cleared his throat.
"Did she pay for her food," he asked to make sure his business stayed afloat.
The amount of sweat on his daughter's face told him that she hadn't.
"We'll just take it out of their mission payment," he said and went back to work.
She felt tired, but also disappointed in what had happened to her clothes. The remaining strips of cloth she held between her fingers before she sighed and tossed them into a heap. Blood limit transformation was her stronger form, yet the only drawback was that it always ripped apart her clothing.
To further complicate matters, she didn't have any replacements to cover her nude body. She hadn't risked venturing out of her burrow, since she didn't want some pervert to spy on her. Therefore, she just rested in a small web hammock in the dark of her trapdoor burrow. Her children had seen her problem and working together made her a robe of white spider silk, which was currently drying from its' soak in charcoal to make it black for stealth.
Hensa began to pop various joints of her body out of boredom rather than discomfort as she sat in the center of a silk web. The lack of sunlight didn't faze her, since spiders naturally tried to keep out of it. Her ability to hide had made it easier to stay around the ninja village, but getting into it was another matter that continued to vex her. She had tried to burrow under the wall, but to her surprise that wall went deeper than it appeared.
That made her only chance to enter a covert infiltration, but she had scouted with her spiders and Konoha definitely took their security seriously. There hadn't been a security detail that didn't have at least four ninja and they were all Chunin rank or higher. Then a younger pale eyed female like the one she was after was at the front entrance and she had some weird thing with her eyes active. She wasn't sure what the blood limit allowed to do, but she wasn't about to chance it getting her killed.
Hensa had specialized in infiltration when she was still a member of the hidden lock village and knew she just had to maintain her patience. The night before she released two dozen spiders into the village and would do so again to increase her search rate. She couldn't care less about Konoha village, since there was blood that needed to repaid for her dead family and it had to be the from the one who spilled it.
She continued to get her rest, which was a means of preparation for any infiltration mission. Her stamina and chakra would need to be at their best to ensure that she hopefully came out of it alive.
*Outside Ichiraku's*
A palm size brown spider slowly made its web between a sign and a wall. The summoned arachnid was only informed to locate the female or male that it had recognized before. The spider had fairly poor eye sight when not having its' master look through it. However, it could recognize scents and make out an objects color or size when close enough.
A sweet melon scent through its' mouth hinted to the presence of the dark haired female it was looking for, but the scent already waned in strength. It didn't have time to be stealthy as it dropped to the ground and scurried into a dark corner along the trail of houses to keep chase.
"I can do this, I'm capable of doing this," she thought to steady herself for the task at hand
She hoped that Naruto would be home and the initial signs were promising, since nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. She thought to use her Byakugan to see if he was home, but the chance of accidentally seeing him indecent made her face burn red hot. Part of her did secretly wish to see that, but she wasn't emotionally prepared and he probably wasn't either.
"Do you think he's home," asked her water clone behind as it struggled with the travel container of ramen.
The clone seemed a little worse for wear, since it appeared to have soaked clothes and left wet footprints on the ground. Hinata had wanted to practice more before using a water clone, but after her poor choice of words she couldn't go back in and face Ayame.
"I hope he is," she replied and walked up the stairs to his apartment door.
She felt her shyness encourage her to run in the other direction due to her heart rate spiking each time she made a movement closer to the knob.
"What if he wants to be alone? Maybe he'll let me in, since I did bring food," she reasoned and felt a little more comfort at that.
She honestly didn't feel like she had the courage to come for a personal visit, yet she felt that if she could excuse it as a business visit that it'd be perfectly safe.
"I need to make sure Naruto-kun is alright," she reassured herself and knocked twice as quickly and quietly as possible.
To no surprise there wasn't a single response. He was probably out, which meant she would be better off coming back later. She figured it'd be best to make sure he locked his door.
The knob rotated and provided her with access, which made her jaw go slack in shock. Her mind began to race as she considered her options.
"I should close the door right now. Why would Naruto-kun's door be open? What's that on the floor," she rambled and noticed at the entrance Naruto's pack and his jacket.
It had been a full day and she had hoped he'd have put his equipment away and thrown his clothes into the hamper. Her expression turned to dread as she looked from the items to the room and noticed the aftermath of whatever pandemonium took place. The couch was knocked over, and there were several fragments of some unknown material that crunched as she stepped on it. It looked like some type of ceramic, which was a surprise given she thought Naruto only ate from ramen containers.
Hinata normally would've left if the place appeared normal, but this was far from the messy condition she saw prior to their last mission. She moved cautiously, not certain if someone had ransacked the place and was still around. The kitchen had seen better days as she noted the shattered plates and the ramen containers that were tossed around. Though, what concerned her more was the lack of the salty ramen smell that lingered on her previous visits.
On her previous visit she noted how the apartment had the refined smell of stale ramen and Naruto's forest scent, but the aroma had cleared out so he hadn't eaten recently. The open window was the reason for the clean air now flooding the place, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. However, she wondered if whoever broke in escaped through the window.
She closed the window and noticed the numerous instant noodles that made it into the trash and most of the alley way below.
"Who would do such a thing to Naruto-kun's home," she thought with contained rage at the fact someone would try to destroy what was his.
A soft groan made her back up against the kitchen cabinets a kunai instantly in her hand. Hinata had to take a moment to calm down, since she was still on edge from their mission. She slid the item back in her carry pouch and stood away from the wall.
She ventured into the living room and inspected the open bedroom door to see Naruto face up with blankets covering his body, but a pillow rested on top of his head. Her heart stopped as she feared that whoever broke in had smothered Naruto in his sleep.
"Naruto-kun," she gasped and rushed into the room to remove the item to see if there was any possibility that she could resuscitate him.
The removal of the thing blocking his vision was enough to cause the blonde to open his eyes up, surprised that someone managed to get into his house.
"Hinata," he asked his voice a little hoarse from the lack of food and liquid.
Hinata felt her heartbeat return now that she was certain that Naruto's hadn't stopped. She took a few steps back and sighed as she found a seat on the dresser across from the blonde's bed.
"He's alright," she thought and noticed the broken picture frame on the floor.
Hinata wasn't sure what it was, but when she knelt down it was clearly the photo of team seven. It broke her heart and offered insight as she figured his home wasn't raided, he wrecked the place in a blind rage. The sight of him really did pull at her heart and as her clone finally entered into the door way she made a gesture for it to take the food to the kitchen.
"Good afternoon, Naruto-kun," she replied
He didn't respond and rolled over not wanting to spend anymore energy.
"I brought some ramen in case you were hungry," Hinata offered and hoped he'd take it.
Naruto honestly hadn't wanted to eat, but when the sweet salty scent of a beef, miso, and pork flavored ramen sifted through the house and reached his nostrils his stomach gurgled in want.
Hinata blushed at how loud the noise was, since her stomach was just at loud and she had a special condition. Naruto held his stomach and still refused to move, which concerned his female companion as to why he would ignore his own hunger.
"I'll be right back," she said and left out to where her clone was setting the table.
Hinata felt her face drop at the mess her clone made. The water clone had left a giant puddle of water where she stood and all the things she touched got soak a little as well. She rubbed her head and saw she really needed to practice her technique to prevent more issues like this. She searched throughout the kitchen and thankfully found a mop so the clone could clean up while they ate.
Naruto heard Hinata's footsteps walk away and there seemed to be someone else with her, but he couldn't exactly tell who based on all the steps he heard/felt. He turned his head when the scent of ramen grew stronger and in walked Hinata with a bowl in hand. She balanced it perfectly in one hand while she pulled a damaged kitchen chair over into his bedroom.
She set the seat near the head of the bed and was glad that there had been enough space for her to fit in. The blonde closed his eyes, but reluctantly rolled onto his back as if to try and stare at the ceiling with his eyes shut. Hinata moved the bowl close to his head and waited to see how long until he broke for his favorite food. It didn't seem as enticing to him, but each breath began to slowly wear away at his nerve that told him to remain still.
It wasn't much a difference for her to simply sit there and watch him, but she noted that he couldn't sleep with the salty aroma surrounding him. She took a deep breath to control the shakes in her hands. It was a forward thing for her to do, but she needed to try for Naruto's sake.
Hinata set the bowl in her lap ignoring the radiant heat that threatened her legs and separated the chopsticks. Naruto opened his left eye and noted how she began to mix around the noodles in the broth and pulled out clusters of twisted udon noodles saturated in broth. She gave it a small shake and blew with her mouth to cool it off.
"Naruto-kun, do you want some," she asked and wasn't relieved to see him just grunt and keep his eyes shut.
She didn't feel that hungry, but she wondered if maybe she could see if he'd want it more if she had it. The chopsticks brought the meal to her mouth and she tried not to slurp it up to remain proper. Naruto opened a blue eye and looked almost surprised that she ate the ramen and had a smile on as she savored the flavors with unhurried bites.
His stomach growled again, but he didn't want to get up or ask to be fed. He saw her obtain another bunch of noodles and offered it to him again. He took a minute and gave in momentarily as he opened his mouth in want, but he didn't expect the wad of ramen that landed in his mouth.
Hinata had decided to feed him, but accidentally lost her grip on the shaped dough and dropped the ball into his mouth. She eeped for a second as Naruto looked like he turned blue, but a moment later he began to chew and swallowed shortly after. He had learned early on in his many occurrences of stuffing his face to avoid suffocation via food.
He peeked again and noticed that Hinata hadn't left, but also didn't want to chance fate again. The energy he had wasn't much, but he slowly rose into a sitting position. He reached out with his left hand and was glad she complied and placed the bowl into his outstretched hand.
"Ikadakimasu," Hinata said as Naruto took the chop sticks given to him and slowly ate.
It felt spent, but that was expected given it was supposed to keep pace with a human traveling at a walking pace. Summoned creatures were similar to normal animals in that they got tired and could be killed if taken by surprise, but frequently they decided to return to their summon location before a death blow.
The eight legged creature scurried up the last of the wooden steps and took a break, since it couldn't carry itself up another set of stairs. The arachnid inhaled and exhaled still on the scent it recognized from the webs that the pair pulled off their master. The beast continued searching until it smelt a stronger scent.
The odor came from behind a door and it felt drawn to it as it wedged itself underneath the entryway and warped the fluid in its' body until it came out the other side. It shook for a moment to re-balance itself and abruptly scaled one of the walls until it reached a corner where it could rest and observe.
It readied itself by focusing chakra into its' poison glands and began to generate a deadly cocktail of enzymes when the impact of footsteps made it point its' body in the direction of the kitchen.
*Anbu Headquarters*
He hadn't gotten too many hours of rest and frankly it had already begun to show in places other than his eyes. The Hyuuga were renowned for hiding their emotions, but lack of sleep seemed to affect even them based on the bags underneath the male's eyes. Neji had been at Anbu Headquarters for about eight hours and every command called to him began to seem like a distance echo.
His stance was wobbly and even his Byakugan had began to fail as his sleep deprivation siphoned off what little stamina he had left to convert into chakra.
"I'll need to take another soldier pill," he thought as the world began to spin and he found himself being held up by someone else.
"Neji," TenTen questioned as she looked him in the eye and noticed the dark bags.
"Soldier pill," he ordered, but soon got more than he bargained for.
"No," she retorted and for the first time the male appeared stunned.
Neji wanted to try and explain his reason to continue, but her finger pointed at his chest and he realized his physical state. The white gi he usually wore was covered in soot from the work he had done, but what was off was that he had sweat to the point the garment was transparent saturated from the neck down to his stomach.
"Neji, get some rest," she instructed concerned the male wasn't taking care of himself.
TenTen did worry about her entire squad when they were injured, since she was certain she visited Lee nearly as much as Gai when he was injured by Gaara. However, it was somewhat out of selfishness that she didn't want Neji to become ill. There had been a single time she had to be on a mission with just Lee and Gai, which nearly made her want to murder both of them in their sleep with the whole "Spring Time of Youth" over a three day period, non-stop.
"I'm fine," he stated and attempted another gentle fist strike, but the rock appeared unphased by his attempt.
"Go get some rest," she ordered this time angered by his pride.
Neji didn't know what came over him. It was possible that his lack of sleep affected his brain's ability to think, or that he was just pissed that he couldn't get his way. Though, the next thing he said was considered one of the worst things to say to any Kunoichi or any female in fact.
"Make me," he said and wasn't prepared for the consequences.
*Hyuuga Compound*
Hiashi Hyuuga felt winded for once in several years, but that was natural given the amount of pressure he was under and the lack of exercise his position allowed him. He wondered if his family was fortunate enough to find sleep while he had to work through the night and now into the afternoon. The night had involved dozens of visits to all of the elder clan members and none of them were too appreciative of the hour of visit.
Thus far his total tally hadn't been as unanimous as he expected. There were twenty four members of the elder council and he was the 25th vote as the current clan head. The total of nineteen votes he received was split even in regards to his future plans, which meant the next five votes would determine a yes or no on blood limit cross breeding.
He was an intelligent man and knew that it was the best decision for the clan to at least try and change for the better. However, the stubbornness of the last five members would shut down his plan without question. Therefore, he needed to have physical proof that there was irrefutable evidence of a successful outcome.
The vote tally he left in his office drawer and decided to venture out into the village. Hiashi was somewhat of a hermit as many thought around the village, since he only ever ventured out of the compound when he required something for the elders.
It was late for him to leave the compound; but, given the distance he planned to travel, he wouldn't need that long. He took the shortest route to the front gate and before he was able to leave felt his eyebrow just slightly rise at the sight before him.
The compound gates creaked open and there stood a brown haired female in a long sleeve white shirt with a pink and red decorated zip up vest top with a Hyuuga attached by his ear.
Neji hadn't expected this kind of response to his mocking, yet he regretted it with every ounce of his being. TenTen had after his response grabbed him by the ear and paraded him from Anbu Headquarters to the Hyuuga compound. It had become quite a spectacle and that was what really weighed heavily on his nerves.
Neji could only grit his teeth and endure the laughs of children, villagers, and ninja. The only thing that added insult to injury was the inability to escape. His stamina was so low he couldn't create enough chakra to perform an adequate strike to the chakra coil in her arm. He had tried about a minute into their trip, but he couldn't fully shut the coil and that just made her hold his ear with three fingers instead of two.
TenTen had thought of many reasons why her Hyuuga teammate would get smart with her, but she was still aggravated by his blatant perversion with that flyer he left behind when she last got there to help him train.
The situation they were in wasn't how she expected to let her anger out, yet it did feel pretty good to have the upper hand on him. Although, she worried that this sort of thing excited him.
Nonetheless, it was for the greater good and she didn't so much as skip a beat as she noticed Hiashi at the front gate.
"Good afternoon, Hiashi-sama," she said with a bow that also made her attached friend do the same.
"Good afternoon," he replied and watched her drag his nephew past him and toward his room.
Hiashi thought of a number of reasons why his nephew was being yanked around by his ear like a child, yet there did seem to be some positive aspect of it. Neji was rather headstrong and rarely allowed others to assist him, which was one of the things he wished he had learned from being part of his team.
Even with the completion of the Chunin exam and his softening toward the main house. He still attempted to carry his burdens alone and that would make him weak and based on his physical appearance neglect his own basic needs.
"Neji," he said and waited for the female to allow him a moment to speak.
"I approve," Hiashi said and continued out the front gates.
Neji felt his face redden at the comment, and the grip on his ear tightened. TenTen felt a tiny spark of excitement at the approval, but still needed to put her teammate into his bed.
*Konoha Hospital*
He looked like he was moping and that wasn't too far from how he felt given the mandatory vacation that he was now on. Four months with pay seemed like the cruelest form of punishment known to man or beast; but when he thought about that, there were worse tortures in a ninja village.
"Least I don't have to teach at the academy," he laughed as another wave of cold water was poured over his head.
Taro spit out some water he got in his mouth and adjusted the plastic bathing cap and bag on his leg to make sure the cast wouldn't get soaked. He knew what peroxide could do to hair and the mental image of him with orange hair would never happen.
The hospital plastic bathtub provided enough room for him to lean back, yet it also made him feel like a helpless child. The only up side to the situation was that he just got to relax and appreciate the bath service, even though he was sure that he didn't need his head rinsed so often.
Shizune had informed Taro of the need to cleanse the scent off his body, though she didn't wish to be the one to assist him. Tsunade-sama wasn't dealing with her guilt very well, but she hated the fact she always seemed to get the short end of the stick. However, that probably wouldn't have happened if she had just forgotten to inform Tsunade of the hospital staff refusing to clean a gross Taro up after he insulted her.
"See to it then," she said and it filled her eyes with shock.
"Tsunade-sama, I don't want to bathe Masahiro," she screamed back worried that if she continued to treat men in such a way word would circulate and she'd never get married.
"He won't be naked so you can still get married," resounded in Shizune's mind as she scrubbed and thanked Kami that Taro was in a pair of swim trunks.
She hadn't received any argument from him, which was refreshing given that there was always one man each day who wanted an "intimate" sponge bath. Taro didn't seem happy in regards to his vacation time, but then again some people were addicted to their work, or at least in his case making trouble.
The sound of the nearby door opening revealed the Hokage herself and she didn't seem too glad to see Masahiro.
"Yes," Taro asked half heartedly as he used a nearby towel to cover up his chest.
Tsunade didn't care, though there was another wound that needed to be stitched up.
"Kurenai," she said and in walked in a brown haired female in her white wrap outfit. Although, to the trained eye it was quite simple to see that her belly was showing.
"Why are you here," Taro questioned and his eyes just grew wider as Hiashi showed his face as well.
"There are some questions that need to be answered about Hinata," Tsunade began, but it was Hiashi who felt like his ears were burning at the mention of his daughter.
Neither of them had kept track of the time they had spent together, but that was probably due to the fact the alarm clock was broken, because it had been thrown into the wall. Naruto slurped audibly at the last drop of broth, but despite his down mood relished in the nourishment he so desperately needed.
Joy was the feeling she got from watching him fill his stomach, but she knew that the supply she brought wasn't nearly enough to fill him.
"Thank you," Naruto grumbled as he handed her the empty bowl with an ill timed burp.
"You're welcome," Hinata stuttered a bit as she smiled and moved the container into the order box.
She stood to allow her blood to circulate into her numbed rear region. Naruto definitely needed a new chair for his room, or at least some soft pillows. There didn't seem to be much that would allow her to cheer him up, but she was going to try.
"Was it worth the distance traveled," she asked glad that the mission was done and behind them.
Naruto lay back and grumbled out what she thought was an affirmation and she took it as such.
"Teuchi and Ayame were quite thankful for the rapid delivery," she said and in a motherly act wiped his mouth with a napkin.
It felt odd to be used for house work, but then again it couldn't complain as it was just a clone of its' master. Though, it found there to be some complications with being a water clone and cleaning. The chakra flowing through its' body wasn't properly fortified and that meant she was leaking everywhere.
It had left foot prints everywhere, but that thankfully worked to an advantage as it needed to mop. That wasn't a good idea with an improperly trained jutsu, since as the clone moved a hand under the faucet it began to bulge and warp. A quick series of shakes scattered water drops to the floor and made it sweat drop.
She felt like she was literally coming apart, but hopefully her master would practice and make her an adequate clone. Especially with her appearing soaked to the bone she wasn't about to fool anyone unless it was raining profusely.
It could hear conversation from the bedroom and did hope that things were going well with Naruto. It didn't know if he was depressed or not, since knowledge didn't get shared unless a clone was destroyed or the person who performed the jutsu was aware of certain information prior to forming a clone.
It felt like it was doing a good job as it had finished cleaning up the kitchen and took stock of all the things that needed to be replaced. It took its' cleaning out into the living room with plans to hopefully clean up the entire house. It stepped closer to the front door with a thud against its' body made it notice the brown spider that leaped from its' hiding spot and sunk a pair of poison tipped fangs into its' neck. The clone didn't panic, as it lost shape and burst into a sudsy puddle that began to drown the arachnid that was trapped in it.
Hinata rose from her seat and had a look of concern as she received the memories of the clone. It was hard to get used to, since it felt like a sudden influx of knowledge and it gave her a minor headache. It seemed blurred in the images she received, which made her wonder if that was because the jutsu wasn't properly performed.
"The same spider," she whispered and it made Naruto's eyes widen at that comment.
They had both hoped they had seen the last of the arachnids, but if one followed them back home there was bound to be worse problems.
Hinata looked out the bedroom door and noticed a small palm size brown spider with red eyes struggle inside of a soap bubble.
"I need to capture it," she thought, but noticed her lack of adequate containers she could use.
The feel of a presence beside her made her aware that Naruto was out of bed and seemed prepared to help. It was probably not the best, since he was certainly still hungry. On the other hand, she would need all the help she could get if the spider's bite was as poisonous as Hensa's.
"Do you have a glass container," she whispered unsure if the animal could understand either of them.
"Your food pill container is in my bag."
"How?"
"It fell out of your sling when we were at Tsunami's," Naruto explained as he didn't want to get bit again.
"I'll try and stop it for a second, get the container and grab it," Hinata said and began the jutsu for water sphere.
The spider hissed as it finally popped the bubble and shook off the water on it. It searched for the scent it recognized, but it began to lift up as all the water from the floor collected into an orb with the arachnid kept in the center.
Hinata hadn't used the technique on such a large amount of water. The orb was roughly the size of a soccer ball and she had only made one about the size of a baseball. The thing seemed sturdy, but she needed to remain still and focus. Naruto ran across the room and opened his bag to find the empty plastic container, but it didn't' seem to be inside.
He dug deeper into the bag and finally found the container, but he panicked when the orb suddenly burst. Hinata hadn't taken into account that the orb had soap in it, which changed the composition, and chakra required to maintain it. Hinata gulped as the spider hit the floor and the next second charged her. It moved quite rapidly for a three inch creature, but she knew it'd be easy to escape.
She took a step back toward the room, but slipped on some of the soap that rushed across the floor. The world seemed to slow as she was about to hit the ground and the beast jumped higher than she thought it capable. Its' black fangs seemed to shine in the light that made it into the room as they were about to sink into her face.
Hinata turned her head to the right in a vain attempt to escape, but her thoughts of possible death changed as a familiar blonde had jumped at her too and locked the creature into the plastic container.
The impact with the floor made the world return to normal, but Hinata sweat dropped as she opened her eyes and saw the arachnid thankfully behind a layer of hard plastic.
"Phew, that was close," Naruto commented, but came to realize he had landed on Hinata.
He locked the lid shut, but noticed he had landed himself into a pair of soft breasts. Pale eyes locked with azure ones when they realized the position they were in was quite intimate. Hinata's face flashed crimson and steam seemed to burst out of her ears as she raised a finger to the bottom of the container and delivered a debilitating burst of chakra that shut down the spider's chakra system.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun," she stuttered right before she fainted.
Naruto sweat dropped as he stifled a nose bleed and put the hazard safely on the floor and rolled himself off the female.
"Today should've been cancelled," he grunted and knew they'd need to see Tsunade when Hinata awoke.