The Sarutobi Clan was one of the smaller in Konoha, though none the less powerful or influential for it. As one of the first clans to side with the Senju and Uchiha during the Warring States Era when Konoha was first being established, much honor and prestige is given to those of the Sarutobi Clan. The shinobi of the clan were also proven time and again to be powerful ninja, with a talent for ninjutsu and born with powerful chakra. Even so, the clan never made their own compound or secluded housing, instead choosing to live among the other residents of Konoha.
A fact that Hinata had learned when the Hokage had led her to where she would be having breakfast the morning after she had been liberated from the Hyuuga compound. Every Sunday, Sarutobi would get with his direct family and they would have breakfast at his daughter's home.
Hinata sat with her back straightened and arms held rigidly on her lap, feeling quite nervous and out of place. Sitting at a rectangular table in a homely kitchen, she was in the company of the Hokage, who sat at the head of the table, reading the morning newspaper. Across from her, sat Asuma Sarutobi and the Hokage's grandson, Konohamaru Sarutobi, who were engaging in some light chatter. To her left, making a rather delicious smelling breakfast that seemed to be comprised of rice, grilled fish, miso and some pickled radish, was Konohamaru's mother and Sarutobi's daughter Arashi Sarutobi. Arashi was a beautiful woman in her late twenties, with short cut black hair that bobbed at her shoulders and spread out across her neck in a fashionable way, suggesting it was styled. She bore the familiar black eyes of the Sarutobi Clan too.
Hinata found herself slightly fascinated at the light-hearted atmosphere of the small kitchen. No one was being formal, and very few manners she was accustomed to were being observed at the moment. Asuma was teasing Konohamaru and gently prodding at his ribcage with light jabs as he asked him about how popular he was in the academy with the girls, making the boy try and return the assault in embarrassment, but Asuma blocked every shot. Sarutobi was holding his own conversation with his daughter, talking about how their lives had been the previous week, the invasion not being one of the topics.
Then, as she watched Konohamaru and Asuma, the young boy noticed her watching them and leaned forward in his chair with a grin, showing off his chipped tooth and giving the boy a mischievous look. "Ne, Hinata-chan, you're Naruto-oyabun's girl aintcha?"
"Eh?!" Hinata replied, her face beet red. "W-W-Wha-?" she tried to stutter out, not excpecting the sudden question. Does everyone knows about us?! She thought, feeling faint at the idea.
Konohamaru laughed and sat back in his chair. "Hehe! Leave it to Oyabun to score a babe like you nee-chan! I knew it, you guys were hanging out so much there was no doubt about it, you guys are probably even f-" Konohamaru was cut off by Asuma clamping his hand down in a vice grip under the boy's chin and squishing his face to a comical state. "Mrpgh!" Konohamaru grunted out.
Asuma was laughing with a bit of an annoyed tick, "Sorry about that Hinata-chan, my cute little nephew here has," he spoke once, squeezing Konohamaru's chin harder, "a big mouth." Dragging his nephew from his chair, Asuma lifted him up to his eye level and giving him a foreboding look. "What have I told you about talking to girls like that?"
"Mrph! Mrnmphger Uhm fer mmurrrgh!"
Asuma sighed, letting pressure off of Konohamaru's face. "I was only gonna say foolin- Mrph!"
"That wasn't the point you little-" Asuma replied, squishing Konohamaru's face again.
Hinata watched the two, unable to form a proper response, as she slowly blinked.
"Asuma, put your nephew down. No fighting at the table, you know that." Arashi spoke from where she was putting the finishing touches on breakfast.
Asuma swiveled his head over towards his sister, deadpanned, "Ara-nee, you should really teach this kid some manners, listen to him over here!"
Arashi turned around, holding plates of food in her arms, and started to place them in front of their intended recipients, with Sarutobi being first. "Oh I will, don't worry about that – here you go dad."
"Thank you, Arashi. It looks lovely as always." Sarutobi replied as he set his newspaper aside and rolled up the sleeves of his robes.
Asuma dropped Konohamaru unceremoniously back into his chair, the boy complaining incessantly as soon as his mouth was freed, when his sister set his plate down next to him. "Thanks Ara-nee! I never get this good of cooking anywhere!" he exclaimed, rubbing his hands together.
Konohamaru stopped his complaining as soon as the scent of breakfast hit his nostrils and he looked up towards his mother's smiling face, which Konohamaru took caution at as it was far too benign. "Here you go my darling son." She dropped his plate in front of him, her face never wavering from it's almost Buddha like state. Glancing down, Konohamaru's face fell. "Mom! What is this?!" he exclaimed, pointing at his food. It was easily a tenth of the portion size everyone else had, the rice was countable, the fish was no bigger than a sardine and his soup couldn't even fill a spoon. Looking back towards his mother's still peaceful, yet somehow horrifying face he fully understood. She planned this. Slumping back into his chair, he accepted his fate.
Hinata looked up, trying to be on her best behavior as her host came around to give her breakfast. "T-T-Thank you very much!" She spoke, bowing from her seated position.
Arashi giggled as she placed Hinata's plate down, causing a different smell to waft up to Hinata's nostrils that make her attention shoot to the plate. Upon the white plate sat three perfectly cooked and glazed cinnamon rolls. She looked back up towards Arashi who had a huge smile on her face.
"A little bird told me that this was your favorite dish, so I made yours special." she spoke, answering the unspoken question.
Hinata felt a large wave of humility over take her as she shook her head. "You didn't have to go to such trouble for me! I'm sorry!"
Arashi laughed as she walked around her and placed her own food at her seat next to Hinata. "Nonsense, it was no trouble. Besides after all you've had to go through dear I think you deserve a treat. Now, let's eat shall we?"
The other members of the Sarutobi family took no time at all to start eating their first bites, giving out compliments to the chef, except Konohamaru who slowly ate his food with a depressed motion.
Hinata watched them all, feeling a strange warmth in her chest. She wondered if this is what having an actual family was like? Taking a fork that had been laid out next to her, she cut a soft piece of her cinnamon roll and placed it in her mouth. She was instantly greeted by a warm, sweet taste, the softness of the roll melting in her mouth. A blush spread across her cheek as she fell in love with the amazing taste and savored every last chew. She could only hope Naruto was having as pleasant of a morning as she was.
XXXX
"Gah!" Naruto yelled out in pain, clutching at his stomach. He harshly collapsed to the ground, his clones stopping their assault of their master. Pain exploded in Naruto's midsection as he felt a sensation that could only be described as snakes biting into his innards and tearing them apart violently.
He yelled out again, rolling to his back and arching his back up as the pain intensified and a burning sensation assaulted every inch of him. He came out to train early this morning, deciding to get out as much pent up energy as he could from the day before, still feeling on edge. But after a few hours of sparring with his clones, the terrible pain that was assaulting his body arose.
Looking down towards his stomach, Naruto let out a semi-gasp, mixed with a grunt of pain as he saw his normally invisible seal glowing red, with tendrils of strange chakra crawling along his body from it. The tendrils shot around his torso and he felt them hit his spine. "What. . . the fuc- ARGH!" Naruto yelled out again, feeling the burning heat shoot up his spine and straight into his brain. Naruto felt his consciousness tearing away and being replaced by blackness, saliva starting to run out of the corners of his mouth. He grit his teeth, rolling again onto his knees and pushing his head against the dirt, closing his eyes as he tried to focus on the pain erupting from his stomach. "Fucking. FOX!" Naruto roared out, trying to take some semblance of control back with his body. With another strong pull, he felt his consciousness transfer, deep into his mindscape.
Naruto hit the ground tumbling through the sewer water of the Kyuubi's cage, feeling himself get reeled in by a chain that was attached to his stomach. Even though he knew it was just in his mind, it still felt beyond disgusting. Righting himself as much as he could in his tumble, Naruto slammed his feet down and grabbed onto his chain, making himself skid to a stop with the foul water shooting away from the speed he was traveling through it. Looking ahead, he saw a pissed off Kyuubi with the chain he held in it's jaws and was obviously pulling at it with an enraged glare, his eyes bloodshot.
"Stupid fucking fox, cut this crap out you goddamn shitbag!" Naruto growled, lifting his back leg up momentarily, then slamming it down with a chakra enhanced blow and broke through the brick sewer ground underneath him and causing him to slow his speed tremendously, leaving a crater skid line in his wake.
This only served to enrage the Kyuubi even more as it pulled with increased vigor, but Naruto held the chain firm and came to a complete stop.
Staring at the Kyuubi's enraged eye, Naruto offered the fox a cocky grin. "Not so fucking easy when I'm not completely exhausted is it?" His grin dropping, Naruto's arms flexed and his muscles bulged as he yanked hard on his chain, "Try some of your own medicine you bastard!" and lifted the Kyuubi from the ground from the force of his pull and slammed him into the bars, his strength was directly a result of his willpower. The mindscape shook from the force of the blow, and the Kyuubi's massive body falling back down into the ground. Naruto smiled, unable to contain his joy from giving the Kyuubi some of it's own abuse.
"You're goddamn lucky you know that?!" Naruto roared out, pulling the chain from the Kyuubi that it no longer held onto. "For what you did to Hinata-chan. . ." he started, his anger visible on his face. "I swear I'll figure out someway to kill you andpermanentlyat that!"
The Kyuubi shot up from where it had landed and slammed it's massive paw down onto the chain. The fox was furious, the hair along it's head and spine bristling as it's tails slammed against the inside of it's cage fiercely. "You little brat. You insignificant creature not fit to even be eaten and turned into shit! If you think you can talk to me, The All-Powerful Bijuu in such a manner without consequences you are beyond mistaken!" the Kyuubi roared, his voice shaking the area so badly that pieces of the ceiling began to fall loose. "You know nothing of my wrath yet! When I finally achieve control, I will make you watch as I fuck that bitch of yours, over and over again until she begs for my cock! I will tear off her limbs and use her as my own personal toy!"
Naruto's rage exploded, as the Kyuubi sent the mental images of what he taunted with straight into him. Giving the chain another good pull, he freed it from the Kyuubi's paw. Not letting him get away with his taunting, Naruto snapped the chain and managed to wrap it around the Kyuubi's neck. "Keep talking motherfucker, I'm only going to make your death that much slower when I get the chance!" Naruto promised, as he pulled again with titanic strength that the power of his will inside his own mind granted him, and slammed the Kyuubi against the bars once more, but this time his chain was tightly circled around the Kyuubi's neck and strangling it. Turning around, Naruto wrapped the chain around his fists and pulled it down over his left shoulder and leaned into it, putting every last ounce of strength and rage he had into trying to break the fox's neck.
The Kyuubi felt his throat starting to give in to the force of the chain's grip and started to feel a very serious chill run down it's spine as it knew that the amount of willpower the boy was using could equal his own to the point of being able to cause actual harm to his spirit. Grabbing onto the chain, The Kyuubi fought for his breath as he pulled at it, but found it was tightly secured around it's neck. With a last desperate attempt, the Kyuubi charged up a ball of pure chakra from it's mouth and shot it towards Naruto.
Being too engrossed in his attempt to maim the Kyuubi, the blast hit him dead on and sent him careening back, allowing the Kyuubi enough time to undo the chain and begin pulling on it again.
Feeling a weird sense of deja vu, tumbling through the air again, Naruto growled and slammed back down into the ground. He glared at the fox and allowed himself to get pulled towards the cage. Just before he would have been pulled within, however, he stopped himself with a mighty tug against the Kyuubi and was just shy of the bars. The two engaged in a monstrous tug of war with the chain, vying for control. With a roar, Naruto gave another harsh pull and beat the Kyuubi out again, and pulling him to the edge of the cell. The Kyuubi's head pressed against the cell bars, it's eye was on level with Naruto and was completely focused on him and him alone.
Naruto returned the hate filled glare and firmly held onto the chain. "Listen to me you goddamn fox. I will never let you lay your dirty hands on the girl I love ever again!"
"We'll see about that you cocky brat!" The Kyuubi spat back, although it was a weak rebuttal considering he was being held down by Naruto.
"Oh yeah? See about this asshole!" Naruto replied and reeled back his right fist, only to shoot it back with the force of piston straight into the Kyuubi's eye.
The Kyuubi screamed in pain as it jumped away from the bars and was shaking it's head furiously as blood poured from the closed eyelid.
"Eye for an eye motherfucker!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing with his thumb at his eyepatch.
Before the Kyuubi could retort and fight back again however, golden chains shot out from the blackness of it's cell and wrapped around it in lightning speed. "What-?! No! I thought I took care of you! Bitch, let me go or I swear -" The Kyuubi was cut off as the chains reeled back with a loud female yell being heard echoing from deep within the jail cell. Naruto watched with confusion as the Kyuubi was swallowed whole by the darkness. But before he could call out to the voice he heard, he felt a hand clap onto his shoulder.
"Time to go."
XXXX
Naruto groaned, as he felt the now familiar sensation his consciousness restarting after being pulled into his own mind. He felt a gentle breeze roll across his back and shift the grass around him from the force of nature. The pain in his stomach was gone, but it left an aching sensation of being struck all over his body however. Pushing himself up off the ground, his vision went blurry for a moment before refocusing.
"Ugh. That really took it out of me." Naruto groaned as he sat up, allowing himself a moment to enjoy the cool breeze across his battered body. With a sigh, he felt the toll of having to deal with the Kyuubi set in on him. This really makes it fucking difficult to do anything, how the fuck am I supposed to train if any use of my chakra can risk the fox trying to take me over?He thought somberly. All I want is to live a nice life with Hinata-chan, is that really too much to ask for? When the hell will this end? Why the fuck was I cursed with this?! An image of what the Kyuubi was taunting him with flashed with clarity in his mind, causing the boy to feel nauseous. Against his volition, the scene played out in his mind, and he could hear her scream as he did that day when the Kyuubi had used his body to violate the woman he loved. He could see her mangled body coated in her own blood, as the Kyuubi mercilessly pounded into her as she cried.
With a vicious motion, Naruto lurched forward and emptied the contents of his stomach, as he squeezed his eyes shut and tears pricked at the corners of his mouth, the pain of his thoughts and throwing up too much. Again, he vomited, coating the ground in disgusting bile as the images continued to haunt him. Stop, please! He pleaded with himself as he cried. Clutching his hair with his hands, he pulled every last ounce of willpower he had to smother the terrifying thoughts, as tears ran down his cheeks. He kept trying to overlay the blood soaked face of his half dead love with the smiling face he had seen her with last, as she turned to give him a dazzling smile that made the sunset behind her seem like nothing more than a candle light. The two images fought for supremacy as Naruto rocked himself in the empty field.
Seconds gave way to minutes, and soon the worst of his attack had passed, leaving Naruto emotionally drained. With heavy breathing, he got to his feet, pushing himself to keep moving forward. He had to see Hinata, to hold her once more in his arms, it was the only thing that felt like it could even resemble a cure. With a desperate charge, he grabbed his sword and ran into town.
XXXX
After breakfast, Sarutobi led Hinata to the Hokage Tower, where he gave her a few options she could pursue regarding what she was to do from now on.
"As it stands, your sister is the head of the Hyuuga clan, with the other Main Family members acting as advisers." Sarutobi spoke, pushing forth a dossier across his desk.
Hinata reached forward and grabbed the manilla folder with a bow, and flipped through the numerous papers within. Looking up with some wonder she asked, "How was this all gathered in less than a day?"
Sarutobi chuckled, as he rested his hands in front of him, his fingers interlocked. "It's the perk of being Hokage and having a group of highly trained ninja at your command my dear." Seeing her embarrassed face, he moved on from the subject. "So, while you could go back to living with your clan, you're more than welcome to stay with me as long as you want in the Hokage's residence; I've always said it has far too many rooms."
Hinata blushed, bowing to the Hokage. "Thank you again for what you've done for me Hokage-sama, but I would hate to be a burden on you." She politely spoke.
"Now then, it's no trouble. But you are welcome of course to pursue any avenue of living arrangements that you wish. I would gladly help you find your own apartment if you wish." Sarutobi offered.
Hinata gave the idea some serious thought, and then she began to think about if she would perhaps be allowed to stay with Naruto? A slow smile crept on her face as she thought about being able to wake up every morning in the same house as Naruto and being able to eat breakfast with him, almost like if they were – her thoughts stopped as she suddenly remembered the boy's proposal, as it had been lost in the flurry of events the previous day. "Wa-wa-wa-wa!" she stuttered out as her hands flew to her cheeks and she started feeling dizzy. That's right! Naruto-kun asked if I-I-I-I would m-m-marry him!
Sarutobi watched with a smile and chuckle, as he watched the girl so lost in her own world that she was going between smiling beyond reason and then into an embarrassed shock as her thoughts took her to places he could only guess. "Hinata?" he asked, seeing if he could reach her.
Hinata stopped, looking towards the Hokage, and her previous actions slamming into her short-term memory like a bus. With a mini-scream and a full bow, she bowed three times, "I-I'm so sorry Hokage-sama!"
Sarutobi dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "It's quite alright, I'm glad you can be so honest with your feelings. It's a good thing to see in my ninja. I take it you were thinking about moving in with Naruto?"
Hinata nodded her head, her old habit of poking her fingers together rearing it's ugly head, but she couldn't help but feel the need to do so on such a tremendous idea.
Sarutobi regarded the girl with a knowing look, before replying to her non-verbal reply. "Had this been a decision of civilian matters, I would of course suggest that such an arrangement be denied. However, you are both ninja and that comes with a certain amount of respect and recognition that though you both are young, you're also no longer children. You're both expected to preform your duties as ninja in earnest, meaning that you may both perish in a mission at any given time." Sarutobi stopped for a moment, a lifetime's worth of memories returning to him like the pages of an old book being flipped through.
Hinata watched the Hokage, feeling a new sense of respect for the older man. It was something she had never considered before, but she could understand his pause came from remembering things that had happened in a lifetime of long service as Hokage and ninja.
"So, with that being said. If you wish to live with Naruto, you would have my blessing in that regard. Of course you still have to get his permission, but I doubt he'll say no" Sarutobi chuckled.
Hinata almost jumped through the roof in sheer joy. Forgetting her shyness and polite manners all together she ran around the Hokage's desk and nearly tackled the older man in his seat, giving him a large hug.
Sarutobi looked down in surprise, not expecting the embrace in the slightest.
"Thank you! From the bottom of my heart, thank you Sarutobi-sama!" Hinata spoke, as she felt her inhibitions telling her what she was doing was wrong, but she couldn't help herself.
Sarutobi smiled softly as he gently stroked the young girls hair. "You're more than welcome, Hinata. It's the least I can do. Now then, you should go find Naruto and tell him the news, eh?" Sarutobi suggested.
Hinata broke off her hug and nodded, giving the Hokage a final bow before running out of the office and around the corner. He laughed when he heard his aide yelling at her to not run in the Hokage's Tower. Pulling out his pipe, he couldn't remove the smile of his face.
XXXX
Hinata skipped outside the Hokage's tower with a smile on her face she couldn't remove. Happy was too small a word to explain what she was feeling. Now all she had to do was find Naruto and let him know the good news! Looking around as to where she should start her search, she stopped as she saw down in the courtyard by the academy, Naruto sitting on the small swing outside the currently empty school. Not believing her luck at how easy it was to find him, she jumped down towards the courtyard, "Naruto-kun!" she called out as she neared the ground.
Once she landed however, her smile fell as she saw the state he was in. Naruto was sitting on the swing, as it slowly rocked back and forth under the dark shade of the tree. His visible eye was unfocused and puffy, his clothing was dirty and his face was completely devoid of any joy.
"Naruto-kun. . ." she whispered to herself as she walked towards him.
Naruto had come looking for Hinata, and had caught sight of her going into the Hokage's tower. He felt the urge take him over to go in after her, but after seeing how happy she looked, he couldn't bring himself to. As he had watched the last spot he had seen her, his gaze traveled over to a place where he had nothing but bad memories. The swing set that seemed to exist only for him and him alone. With an almost resigned feeling, Naruto decided to wait for Hinata on it.
But as the minutes passed, Naruto couldn't help but feel the emotions associated with the swing rise up within him along with memories of the past. Memories of how he would watch the joy of others pass him by, of how it always felt as though happiness was denied to him. No matter how hard he tried to be recognized as child, it always ended with him only garnering more hatred than he had before. More ostracization than he had endured in the past. How many years had he lived like that? Within the dark and cold walls of his apartment?
So long he had lived alone. Always keeping the illusion of joy he kept up for others except for when he was either at his home or upon the swing set he now sat on. Sitting here once more, made him wonder:
Is the joy I've found with Hinata just another illusion?
He knew that it wasn't. But it didn't change the fact that she was in constant danger so long as he had the Kyuubi sealed within him. No, the illusion wasn't the love that Hinata gave to him, or the love he felt.
The illusion was that he could live with her, that he could be happy in life.
For Naruto, happiness was nothing more than an illusion he allowed himself.
His cold reality, was just like this swing set hidden by the darkness of the tree shade, alone.
He heard a voice call out to him, and it echoed in his mind. Looking up slowly, he saw standing in the bright sunlight was the girl whom he loved. "Hinata-chan."
Hinata smiled, as he saw him finally notice her. She took a step towards the shade of the tree that kept the suns rays away.
"Stop!" Naruto cried out.
Hinata did so, looking confused. "Naruto-kun, what -?" she started.
Naruto shook his head, not fully understanding why he told her to stop. Standing slowly from his seat, he looked towards her. "I. . ." he started, cutting her off. He looked at her knitted brow, finding her face cute the way it was, as the sun shone brightly on her. His right hand reached up ever so slightly from where it hung at his side, but he let it fall again. Not even truly knowing why, he continued, "I can't let you come near me. If you do, you'll be in danger. It would be best if you left me alone and forgot about me." Every word that left his lips pained him, feeling as though he tore open his own heart with every lie he spoke.
Hinata's confusion faded, and she saw the utter sorrow playing out across the boy's face as he stood within the dark confines of the shaded tree. Taking another step forward, she saw Naruto tense.
"Didn't you hear me? I told you that you should just forget about me!" Naruto almost yelled, his mind recalling the images the Kyuubi had tormented him with. "Do you want to die?!"
Hinata shook her head. She took another step forward.
"No. . ." Naruto started, as he watched her near him. "You're only going to get hurt if you stay with me. Don't you understand that?"
Hinata took another step forward, now at the very edge of the shadow. "I do. I know that. At the moment, the demon you hold inside you is unstable and there is a chance that you could lose control. I know that fully." She replied to him, her expression calm and she wore a smile.
Naruto looked at the girl, confused beyond all reason. "But, then why. . .?" he tried to respond, his words failing him.
"Because," she started, and then took another step forward. But as she did, the strangest thing occurred. The wind blew, and it blew hard. The wind shook the mighty tree that sat outside the academy and caused the branches to shake and flutter. The powerful wind passed as quickly as it came, but Naruto's jaw dropped open as the branches had been shifted to the point of where sunlight now could pour in to the swing and where Naruto stood, dispelling the darkness.
"I won't ever leave you alone." Hinata spoke, taking the final step forward and pulling Naruto into an embrace.
Naruto's hands shook, as he felt the warmth of the sun hit his face, and the feeling of the small girl pressing herself into his body. With a slow motion, he began to wrap his arms around the girl, as if the slightest mistouch would shatter her. "Hinata-chan. . .."
Hinata smiled, nestling her head in his chest, enjoying the warmth of his body. "I love you Naruto-kun, please don't ever forget that."
Naruto tightened his grip on the woman he loved, as he buried his face in the top of her head, the last of his unshed tears falling. "Hinata-chan, I love you."
And I swear, I'll beat this damn demon, for the both of us! I'll make this illusion reality!
XXXX
Okay, kind of a short chapter for now, mainly because what I have in store is too big for one chapter, so I made the decision to split it up into two chapters. It would also be worth noting that the next "arc" in my story will be starting soon.
Btw I know I've been SUPER heavy on the emotions lately. (Where's the drama tag Shinobi, DAMN.) but it's needed – I think – to portray just how bad the Kyuubi is affecting Naruto. And though I know things have been going rough on the old boy lately I promise the new dawn is coming for him, just as surely as his love will banish the darkness.
Interesting side note, I just found out through research the academy and Hokage Tower are basically connected.
Oh right, as you noticed I added Arashi, Konohamaru's mother mainly because they have NEVER mentioned any trace of his parents in the Anime or Manga. So for all intents and purposes, that's his mother until canon comes out with actual parents (read: if).
I know I'm forgetting a lot to explain but I'm sure I'll remember later and scream at myself in frustration about it.
Shino: You've been really neglecting me lately.
Oh be quiet. You and your sensei are getting screen time next chapter. Damn pre-madonna ninjas, not even the main characters and they get like this JEEZ.
Till next time folks,
Shinobi no Ryu