Well, the poll still stands at;
Series of three: V(added by TimeShifter, Kingkakashi, and moonlight-village-anbu, TheKey92)
Series of six: II(King kakashi is in the gray for this, so i'll leave him for three until I finish this story.)
Keep those votes coming.
Tsunade looked through some documents, standard job for a Hokage. It's been over a week since Naruto and the others returned from Suna, and when her workload seemed to double. She sometimes wondered if Naruto's presence in Konoha was a curse to her job; whenever he's out of the village for missions, she finds more time relax, but whenever he's home, the workload keeps piling on her desk. While she was looking through them all, Naruto walked into the office.
"You wanted to see me?" Naruto asked.
Tsunade put down all the papers in her hand and got up from her seat. "Take it off."
"Huh?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"Hinata told me what happened yesterday." Tsunade said, "Get rid of the blindfold."
Naruto sighed in defeat and reached for his forehead protector. He untied the knot from behind and let the protector drop on the floor. Tsunade gasped in shock when she saw that Sakura's words were confirmed. Naruto's bright blue eyes were no longer there, just empty sockets that once had eyes.
"You say Kabuto took your eyes out?" Tsunade asked.
"Yeah." Naruto answered.
Tsunade walked up to Naruto and gently held his cheeks in her hand. She looked closely into his empty sockets for an examination. "I think I know what Orochimaru wanted your eyes for." She walked to a bookshelf and pulled out a scroll. She unrolled the scroll and laid it on her desk, "I think your eyes were taken because they somehow hold the powers of the Kyuubi."
"How?" Naruto asked.
"Whenever you tap into the Kyuubi' power, what's the first thing that everyone notices about you that changes?" Tsuande asked.
"Well, they've always mentioned that my eyes changed." Naruto answered, "Wait, my eyes...Is that it?"
"Exactly. Your eyes are the first sign of the Kyuubi's power. As you were told before, you are the Kyuubi's reincarnation; you still have some elements of the Kyuubi in you." Tsuande said, "Orochimaru wanted your eyes in hopes of trying to extract the Kyuubi's powers from you."
"But wouldn't it have been better for him if he took my entire body?" Naruto asked.
"Those eyes are still yours. Even when the eyes aren't connected to the body, there's still a connection between them." Tsuande answered, "At first, I couldn't understand why you had little control over the Kyuubi even after training for three years, but now I know; Orochimaru's experimenting with you eyes. It's because of that, that your control over Kyuubi is weak. Because you lack the control, the Kyuubi's chakra is slowly being more powerful, and that's what's causing the seal to weaken."
"So what do you suggest we do?" Naruto asked.
"A mission." Tsuande simply said, "You're going to get your eyes back."
Naruto stood outside the Hyuga estate, waiting for someone to come to the door. The front door opened and Hanabi came out.
"Hi, is your sister home?" Naruto asked, smiling.
"Uh, yeah. I'll go get her." Hanabi closed the door and left to get her sister.
After a few mintues, the door opened again and Hinata slowly walked out.
"Naruto-kun, what are you doing here?" Hinata asked.
"Well, I was hoping we could do something together." Naruto said, "I don't know when my next mission is, so I wanted to spend what time I had left before leaving."
"Oh, ok." Hinata smiled, "Well, what can we do?"
"Well, we can always go for a walk in the park." Naruto said, "It's been a long time since I've been there."
"Ok." Hinata said, "Just give me a minute. I'll be back."
"Alright."
Naruto and Hinata walked down a path in the large scattering trees. The trees provided lots of shade for them, but enough sunlight to keep them warm in the afternoon temperature.
"Man, this feels great." Naruto stretched his arms wide, "I really missed this place."
Hinata watched Naruto carefully as he walked. She kept a close look at moments where she thought he might trip over something and fall. The two approuched a small set of stone stairs that were only two steps high that led to a bridge over a stream. Naruto gently held onto the handrail and stepped on the stone. Hinata was surprised to see that Naruto was moving as if he never lost his eyes.
"Hinata, you've been staring at me for a while." Naruto said, "What's up?"
"I was just wondering. How can you see?" Hinata asked.
"Chakra."
"Chakra?"
"Yeah. Sorta like how a bat uses sound to see, I use chakra to see." Naruto explained, "I simply send out a wave of chakra and whatever objects it bounces off of, I'm able to picture what's around me. But the downside is that I can't see color. All I can see is the color of the chakra."
While the two continued to walk through the park, Hinata debated to herself on whether or not she should reach out to hold his hand.
"Hey, Hinata, you're not busy later today are you?" Naruto asked.
"No, not at all." Hinata answered, "Why?"
"Well, I've been gone for three years, I want to see what new jutsus you've learned." Naruto said, "Can I see them?"
"Sure, I'd love to show you." Hinata smiled.
"Great, then let's go to the training field." Naruto grabbed her hand and the two ran off to the direction of the training field.
"You're free to go now." The nurse said, "Just don't do any training for the first week."
"I'll try to resist." Tenten smiled. She did up the last button on her shirt and hopped out of her bed. The door opened and she was greeted by one she somehow expected, yet didn't at the same time, "Neji?"
"You're out this soon?" Neji asked, "They told me you'd be discharged later tonight." He moved out of the way to let the nurse exit through the door.
"They thought I could handle myself." Tenten smiled. Neji still looked upset in seeing Tenten's left cheek covered by a cloth patch and several small bruises on her face.
"How do you feel?" Neji asked.
"Well, I've been better." Tenten said with a smirk on her face, "But nothing I haven't dealt with."
"Good, I'm glad." Neji said, "I was beginning to worry."
Tenten walked up to the Hyuuga slowly, pacing her steps. "Um...do you remember what you said to me? Back when we were captured?"
"Yes." Neji answered quietly. He remembered how he willingly gave Kabuto information about their mission to keep Tenten alive, how he told Tenten he couldn't bear to see her hurt, and how he would have given up his own life if it meant saving hers.
"Did you mean it?" Tenten asked, "Would you really have givven up your life for me?"
Neji paused. He didn't expect Tenten to bring this up so soon, he was hoping to have something to say to that, but all he could muster up was, "Yes..."
Tenten smiled as she heard him answer her question. "You know, if you weren't such a stick in the mud, girls would go crazy for you." Suddenly, she did something that took Neji by surprise; she pressed her hand on his chest and pushed him to the door. I can't believe I'm actually going to do this. She reached for the blinds that were above the door's window and pulled it down to cover it. "I personally find it attractive." She reached down to the door knob and locked it shut.
"Tenten...what are you doing?" Neji asked, clearly shocked by this approuch. His face was suddenly brightening up to a red hue.
"What does it look like, baka?" Tenten asked with a fozy grin. She grabbed the front of Neji's robe and pulled his head in for a kiss. Closing her eyes, she began to indulge of the excitement of finally making the first move of the silent Hyuga.
Neji's eyes were still wide open, for he was still in complete shock of what was now happening. He grabbed Tenten's hand that was grasping onto his robe and pushed her away from his face. "What was that?" He asked.
"What? You don't know a kiss when you see one?" Tenten asked.
"But we can't do this." Neji said, "We're teammates, things will get complicated and I don't enjoy complicated situations."
"Neji, I know you prefer simple over anything else, but there's nothing complicated about a kiss." Tenten said. She moved up to Neji again and tried to kiss him once more, but Neji's arms pushed her back again, "What makes it complicated is if you keep backing away."
Neji paused. This was now the second time she caught him speechless, and within the same hour for that matter.
"So, what do you say?" Tenten asked, waiting for one of few results. Either, he makes the next move by kissing her back, saying 'no' to this, or walking out the door.
Neji inhaled deeply, "I won't say anything." He answered simply.
Unexpected to Tenten, with what he had just said, Neji grabbed her hands and pulled her in. He brought his right hand to the back of Tenten's neck and the left to her back, he brought her lips with his and closed his eyes to kiss her. Tenten was now the shocked one, she never expected Neji to do this so quickly. She closed her eyes and brought her hands to the Hyuga's cheeks and kissed him back.
Naruto stared in amazement as Hinata stood in the middle of the field with several puddles of water around her. He had just witnessed her perform a variety of water-based jutsus.
"Wow..." Naruto had no other words to say.
"How was that?" Hinata asked, panting from exhaustion.
"That was incredible." Naruto said, "Kakashi-sensei really taught you alot."
Hinata smiled. She really missed Naruto complimenting her talents. She was finally stronger and impressed Naruto, just like what she dreamed for. "Um...do you think you can show me your Rasengan?"
"Eh? Why?" Naruto asked, "You've seen it so many times."
"Well, not with the wind element." Hinata said.
"Oh, well that's true." Naruto put his hands together for a seal, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A shadow clone stood next to Naruto. The original held out his right hand and the swirling sphere of chakra formed. The second clone swirled the wind element into the Rasengan, creating a shell outside it.
Hinata looked carefully into the sphere. Activating her Byakugan, she took a closer examination of the jutsu. He has fine control over it, but it's still not complete.
When Naruto noticed that Hinata's Byakugan was on and she was looking at the Rasengan, he quickly canceled the jutsu, "What is it?"
Hinata's Byakugan immedietly turned off, "Oh, uh, nothing."
"You were looking at the ball, was there something wrong?" Naruto asked, "If you know how I can ake it better, please tell me, what I'm doing wrong."
Naruto was now asking Hinata for his help. She never thought that Naruto would be asking her to help him in something like this. "Well, the chakra sphere is perfect, there's nothing wrong with that. It's the wind element that seems to be the problem."
"How?"
"Well, from what Kakashi-sensei told me about elements, the wind element is known for being a slicing type of element." Hinata went on, "You've made a shell to surround the sphere of chakra, which would slice anything it would come in contact with. The outside of the shell is nicely made, but the inside is also made the same way."
Naruto took a few seconds to gather all that Hinata had told him, "I don't really get it."
Hinata sighed in defeat, I guess Kakashi-sensei was right about him. He needs more simple explanations. "When you make the wind element form on your Rasengan, it creates a shell that can slice anything. That slicing layer is also forming in the inside of the shell."
"Oh I get it. So you're saying that the slice in the wind is on the outside and inside." Naruto said, "But how is that the problem?"
"Well, with the slicing wind inside the shell, its cutting at the chakra sphere, which affects its strength." Hinata explained, "That would explain why you still need a shadow clone to mix the wind element. If you want to make the jutsu 100 powerful, you need the make the inside of the wind shell smooth."
"Thanks, Hinata. That really helped." Naruto said. He looked up at the sky, the sun was starting to slowly hide in the trees, "We better get back."
Back at the hospital, Neji and Tenten slowly creeped out of the room which Tenten was in. They both looked around to see if anyone was in the hall. With no one there, they casually walked down the hall.
As the two down the hall, Sakura and Ino came out of room, after checking on their own patients.
"Hey look." Ino pointed to the two as they turned a corner and disappeared from sight.
"Neji and Tenten? Why are they still here?" Sakura asked, "I heard Tenten was discharged an hour ago."
"Her room is in this hall, right?" Ino asked.
"Yeah...you don't think they..."
After a sudden realization, their eyes went wide as dinner plates and they shrieked in shock.
Neji and Tenten were now at the main foyer of the building, making their way to the doorway that led them outside.
"We don't talk about what happened, back there." Neji said, sternly, "Ever."
"Agreed." Tenten replied.
The two walked through the streets of the village. Tenten couldn't resist the urge she had in her. She reached over and grabbed Neji's hand and held onto it as they walked. Neji looked at his hand in question when he felt her hand hold his. He didn't bother to do anything against it, instead, he just kept his hand in hers as they continued to walk. While Tenten wasn't able to notice, Neji couldn't help but reveal a small smile at the corner of his mouth.
Naruto and Hinata walked across the major shopping district of the village, which was the shortest way to get back to the Hyuga estate. While they were walking by, they passed a weapons shop. The store owner came out when she noticed Naruto walking by.
"Naruto!"
Naruto turned around when he heard his name being called by a woman.
"A heard rumors that you've been mastering the wind element." The woman said.
"Well, its not a rumor." Naruto said, "It's true."
"Well, then you're going to love this. Come in." She waved at him to come into her store. While Naruto turned to go in the shop, Hinata followed. A few minutes wouldn't hurt. They came inside and the stoer owner took out a case that had a katana inside. The scabbard was solid black, nothing of real interest. The store owner unsheathed the katana, which was what surprised both Naruto and Hinata. The blade of the katana was different compared to a standard one; the front half of the blade, the sharp side, was misisng. It made the katana look very fragile. The katana had no handgaurd, and the handle was wrapped with a red gripping. "I got them earlier this morning. This blade channels your elemental chakra and forms the sharp side of the blade. After I heard you trained in wind manipulation, I knew you would love this."
"Wow, thanks for considering me, but I don't have the money to afford this." Naruto said as he looked at the price tag that was on the case. "It may be a while before I have the money."
"Well, it'll be waiting for you." The store owner said, "I'm expecting to have some more arriving at the end of the month."
"Alright. Bye." Naruto and Hinata left the shop, continuing their trip to the Hyuga estate.
It wasn't long before the two arrived at the front entrance of Hinata's home.
"Thank you for walking with me." Hinata smiled.
"Well, when you said that no one would be home, I thought I should keep you company with the time we have." Naruto said.
As they were right at the door of the estate, Hinata turned to say good-bye. As Naruto turned to leave, Hinata suddenly wanted to say something to him, "Um, Naruto-kun?"
"Yeah?" Naruto turned back around to face her.
"I um..." Hinata suddenly forgot what she wanted to say.
"What is it?" Naruto walked up to her.
"...I...well...I've.." With Naruto's face so close to hers, she couldn't focus on what was in her mind. She struggled to stick to trying to say what she wanted to say, "When I tld you...that...I..."
"Yeah?" Naruto was still a little confused as to where this was going. A small breeze crept up his back, giving him a chill, he stepped forward, hoping that the wall would keep him safe from the cold, but when he stepped forward, he tripped on his foot. He fell forward, but caught himself with his hand. When he looked forward, he was now face to face with Hinata, and his hand was on the wall, almost 'trapping' Hinata in the corner of her porch. Naruto was a little surprised as to how he suddenly saw Hinata in a completely different way. With him so close to her, her face was more visible to his eyes, well to his vision. Despite seeing her only as a form of chakra projection, he was able to see how beautiful she was.
"N-naruto-kun..."
Naruto slowly drew closer to Hinata. As their faces came closer, Hinata closed her eyes. Their lips met and everything around them seemed to no longer exist. Their lips parted, and when Naruto backed away to see her face, Hinata had the look of a person waking up from a great dream. Hinata opened her eyes and smiled with a deep red blush.
After so many years of waiting, She had finally kissed the one she wanted. She had finally kissed Naruto.
Naruto brought his arms around her and with one swift motion, he lifted her up. With his telekinetic jutsu, he opened the door of the estate and walked inside.
"You said no one's home right?" Naruto asked.
"They won't be back for a while." Hinata answered, still blushing brightly.
"That'll do just fine." He kicked the door shut behind him.
Well, love sure is in the air now. There's still four more days before I close the poll for a series of six or three. It seems pretty one-sided to me, but I have a feeling that after a certain chapter, some of you might change your mind. If that is the case, I'll put up another poll that will last until the end of the story.
I'm currently in the works of making the story for the sequel. I don't want to spoil much, since you need to know the whole first story. I'll say this as the only spoiler for the sequel; the majority of the story will be around the Water Country(not entirely at the country, but some countries around it) and I'm introducing pirates.
Anyways, please review.