Chapter 28 – No Matter What
"We've been getting so close!" Naruto hissed through clenched teeth, digging his claws into the tree bark. He was lying flat on a high branch just behind a screen of leaves, all but glaring through them at where Kakashi stood at the center of the now all-too-familiar clearing. He couldn't hear even the slightest rustle of foliage or cloth to indicate that his friends were nearby, but he knew where they were. An icy wind cut through his white cloak and coat beneath, chilling him to the bone. He ignored it, just as he had for the last few hours. The sun was still high in the sky – perhaps a few hours past midday – and the hollowness in his stomach reminded him of their quick breakfast half a century ago.
"I've been watching him for almost a month of this now," Sasuke growled in a low, dark tone. The other boy's voice came to Naruto's ear as clear as if they were side by side thanks to the Wind Whisper technique, though it was more likely that the Uchiha was at least a dozen meters off in another tree. "He doesn't make any mistakes and he's faster than Hinata on her best day – no offense, Hinata." A tiny sound was all that he got in response from her. Naruto supposed it sounded like a distracted murmur of 'none taken;' he had become fairly adept at interpreting his girlfriend's nonverbal sounds.
"What is it, Hinata?" he asked softly, not taking his eyes from Kakashi.
"I think . . ." she started. "I think I have something that can work. It's going to take perfect execution and precision, but . . ." Naruto could almost see her chewing her lower lip, and he smiled to himself. No matter how confident in herself Hinata had become, he thought she might never lose that bit of uncertainty. It wasn't the worst thing in the world; she was just naturally humble.
"That's more than I've got," he and Sasuke said almost in unison, and Sasuke continued a beat later. "We've exhausted every formation and plan we've ever made, and none of our new ones have worked. I don't mind taking a breather to do some plotting."
"Your ideas are always great, Hinata," Naruto said brightly. She actually managed to click her tongue at his obvious attempt at encouragement, though how without making any noise was beyond him. Still, she did sound more sure of herself as she began the explanation. As Naruto listened, his grin grew wider and more devious. Hinata would make a frightening tactician one day.
The Third Training Ground was very still as Hinata stepped out from the tree line, but that was to be expected. These skirmishes always began silently. A thin layer of snow covered the outskirts of the open area, blanketing the surroundings in white. As her eyes traveled to the three posts at the center, however, signs of their previous bouts became ever more apparent. Swaths of snow – and dirt – had been scorched away by some fire technique or another, and projectiles riddled the ground in a haphazard layer of metal. All of the snow at the very center had been scoured away by rapid movements and yet more jutsu. Hinata took it all in at a glance, for that was all the time she had.
Kakashi vanished from the center post, and almost before she lost sight of him a ball of fire burst out of the trees on her right, forcing her into a diving roll and to come up sprinting. Every so often he decided to strike first, and she was relieved that he had attacked from her right. Naruto and Sasuke were likely in position by now, and she had to make sure Kakashi was in the correct place. It will work, she told herself. Naruto and Sasuke have faith in me. Steeling her resolve, she set the trap in motion.
Her flight from the fireball had been purposefully angled towards the center of the clearing, though nearer parallel to the trees than if she had been running for the posts. She could see their instructor clearly, only thirty meters away and crouched behind a tree, but he knew that she could see him as well. That was part of the plan.
"Shugohakke: Sixty-Four Palms!" She skidded to a halt while still appropriating chakra for the technique, and was already spinning when the kunai and shuriken left the bushes. This she hadn't specifically accounted for, but if this was going to be their all-out attempt then she wasn't about to keep any chakra in reserve. The weapons streaked towards and past her, though she knew by now that those in front were a mere distraction. Needlepoints of chakra deflected projectiles from all sides as she whirled, those thrown past angled so that one of every pair would rebound off of another to shoot back towards her. Her Byakugan-enhanced eyes let her see the last one leave Kakashi's hand. She had become accustomed enough to her kekkei genkai that she could predict several seconds into the future when it came to moving objects, and she slowed her rotation at precisely the right time. Her left hand swatted away a shuriken while her right caught a kunai handle and flung the weapon back from whence it came. She wasn't even close to finished with her part yet.
Hakke: Chains of Light. Hakke: Ethereal Senbon Barrage. A silver-white chain flew from her left hand as her right began to glow and release burst after burst of senbon aimed carefully to force Kakashi to her left, though not done so obviously as to allow him a hint of her motive. The chain's purpose was to suggest a second direction: up. She nearly raised a joyous cry as it flashed around the left side of the tree, forcing the jōnin to flee from his cover in a vertical leap. It was the real Kakashi so far, not a clone or substitution. Just one more step, and then it's up to you two.
Hinata brought her hands down to the ground, ignoring the frozen slush and mud that instantly numbed her already chilled fingers. "Suiton: Obscuring Fog!" she whispered fiercely. The ground beneath Kakashi became shrouded in a thick mist before he reached the zenith of his leap. She had used the water already present in the snow to great effect, but she didn't wait around to get caught in the upcoming crossfire; it was up to Sasuke now while she took care of the final details.
Sasuke was on point with his timing, though he had to admit that Hinata had set him up so perfectly that it would have been impossible to miss the opportunity. He made his move as soon as Kakashi broke away from the trees, flinging two fists of shuriken in wide arcs to either side of his instructor. It would be difficult for the jōnin to see the wires attached to them, even considering his Sharingan. Sasuke wasn't about to allow Kakashi an opportunity to notice them, however. He reached out to his side as soon as the shuriken were loosed, his palm facing down towards an unrolled parchment. A fūma shuriken appeared in his hand and was released straight towards where Kakashi would be several fractions of a second later. Raiton: Lightning Shuriken. Electricity flowed through the new weapon's attached wire and lit it up like a beacon. Hinata had indicated that this sequence should be as elaborate as he could make it to serve as a distraction from their real intent. Can't make it much flashier than that.
Sasuke leapt from his perch with as much force as he could muster, aided by chakra focused into his legs and feet. Even as he jumped he guided the two groups of shuriken to nearly encircle Kakashi so that they all sped towards him at once while the larger weapon streaked straight on. He severed the wires with deft flicks of his wrists so that his hands would be free to begin speeding through seals. Katon: Great Fireball. The mass of fire left his lips as he passed directly over Kakashi, aimed straight down at the top of the man's head. Sasuke's hands were still moving through yet more seals, and his eyes were still locked on Kakashi. As his arc completed and he began to descend on the other side, he twisted so that he would still be facing Kakashi's back. Katon: Fire Lance. The narrow jet of fire shot towards the jōnin's back, and if his timing was accurate then it would strike at the same time as the fireball and fūma shuriken.
The entire maneuver had taken only seconds to execute, but he had known that those seconds allowed Kakashi plenty of time to assess and react appropriately. That was why the array had been so tightly controlled, to cut off every possible exit save for one. Even if Kakashi had all the time in the world to act, he would still be forced to avoid or cancel out the ninjutsu and dodge or deflect the projectiles. They were counting on all of that.
"Katon: Great Fireball!" Kakashi spun to face upward as the gout of flame erupted from his mouth, and Sasuke suppressed a smirk. It wasn't the method that he had anticipated, but it would do. The technique had been infused with the same amount of chakra that Sasuke had put into his own, thereby cancelling out both abilities in a blast of heat. Kakashi's had a secondary purpose, however. The explosion of fire served as a propellant to speed his descent, allowing the fūma shuriken to whir past half a meter above his chest and the Fire Lance to scorch through where his head had been. The clusters of shuriken met in a clatter of metal, those that didn't pass by harmlessly falling towards the ground.
Sasuke disappeared into the fog and lost sight of Kakashi, but he had accomplished his task. 'After I force him into the open,' Hinata had said, 'You need to make sure he comes down into the mist while we prepare the rest. Then move to your next position.' He landed on ground that felt solid enough, though the shroud was so thick around him that it was impossible to see much further than his own outstretched hand. Your move, Naruto.
Naruto didn't have time to stop and admire his friends' handiwork, though he would have if it were possible. Instead he merely waited until the fog rose up beneath Kakashi, then dashed into it from the cover of his hiding place in the underbrush. Hinata had said that this was the crux of the plan – the most important part, she had explained – and his positioning was vital to it. He had tracked Kakashi's jump and anticipated where he would land, although the unnatural cloud coverage made it difficult to be exact.
Naruto stopped where he thought was the correct place. He looked around, but there was little to see save for white nothingness. This'll have to work. He waited. Suppressing his chakra was a real effort, but he couldn't allow his teacher to sense anything before it was too late. Likely Kakashi knew he was there, or at least somebody was, but hopefully he wouldn't expect what Hinata had planned.
An explosion overhead indicated that his time for action was fast approaching, and he readied himself for what was to come. By the sound of metal clashing with metal, he had positioned himself just right. He waited. Gotta be patient . . . Gotta be patient. Another thing Hinata had mentioned was that, while his positioning relative to hers was important, he had to be sure to wait until Kakashi landed to act. It was time to rely on her eyes.
"Two clones, five meters ahead," he heard Hinata say through the Wind Whisper jutsu. "One at your twelve, the other two at your eleven and one o'clock." Hinata's words came so fast that he nearly missed what she meant, especially with so many numbers in one breath. It seemed Kakashi had suspected something. The Byakugan couldn't differentiate between Shadow Clones and the genuine article, he knew, so he would have to improvise as well.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Two more Narutos appeared. They immediately leapt a few paces to either side and clasped their hands in ram seals just as Naruto did. There wasn't time for a technique now, though his backup plan would work just as well. The clones would have signaled to Kakashi that somebody was there, but the sound of three sets of feet hitting the ground told Naruto that it was too late for his sensei to react anyway.
Three blasts of chakra expelled the dense fog like a windstorm sweeping away chaff. A triad of brilliant blue lights marked Naruto and his clones out immediately, and the shockwaves from their abrupt release of suppressed chakra caught Kakashi and his two bunshin from behind. A pair of smoke clouds indicated which were the fakes, and the one on Naruto's left was sent flying forward with an audible grunt.
Hinata had moved as soon as the fakes had dissipated, dashing to intercept the real Kakashi before he could recover. A softly glowing sphere of silver-blue light flickered away from where it had surrounded her – she had used the Chakra Web technique to block the energy that Naruto had released. He grinned and rushed forward even as he heard Hinata call out "Hakke: Sixty-Four Palms!"
Hinata's first strike hit square in Kakashi's chest, stopping his forward movement with a particularly intense surge of chakra into her palm. His eyes widened in surprise, but only for an instant. The next moment his hands were flashing towards one another, but she wasn't about to allow him to use another jutsu. "Two strikes. Four strikes." She persevered, pushing for more speed even after she had reached her limit. It was enough, if barely. Kakashi could read her movements, and he had the reflexes and swiftness to compliment the Sharingan's sight, but she was just fast enough to force him to defend the technique and not work any hand seals. Hurry, she thought, wondering how she sounded breathless in her own mind. She had used more chakra in the last few minutes than she had in the previous few hours combined.
Abruptly Kakashi faltered, one hand clutching at his chest where her first blow had fallen. She hardly had time to be concerned that her aim might have been off. Instead she took advantage of the opening and halted her ability mid-jab, using the forward momentum to instead pivot and bring a lightning-quick spinning heel kick into the side of his head. That hadn't been part of the strategy, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up, and the ability to adapt on the fly was part of being a shinobi.
Her heel connected hard, and though she didn't have near the power that her teammates possessed, it was still plenty of cause Kakashi to stagger a step to one side. That was all the opportunity that Naruto had needed. She had been watching through Kakashi with her Byakugan while Naruto had been sprinting towards them, covering himself in Kurama's chakra enough to bring out two tails. He extended both hands upon arrival, and the reddish chakra stretched forward like a pair of monstrous claws. It was one of the newer things that the Kyūbi had taught him, and he had taken to it like everything else he was learning. The two new hands clasped tightly around Kakashi, pinning his arms to his sides and covering him from mid-thigh to shoulder.
Hinata spared a quick smile for Naruto, but this wasn't quite the end of their plan, and she was glad to have thought just one step further. A frightening amount of chakra flared from Kakashi then, enough to rival Naruto's earlier display. She hadn't readied her shield, and as such could only cross her arms in front of herself and be tossed away. "Hold on, Naruto!" she cried into the gale created by the jōnin's surge. Her back hit a tree and she gasped, the air leaving her lungs in a rush. Through her wince she managed to catch sight of Naruto, still holding fast to Kakashi with a look of dogged determination etched on his face. Thick tendrils of Kurama's chakra had sprouted from his feet and legs and plunged into the ground, providing him an anchor while the two tails had gone back to dig into the cold earth, bracing his upper body against the force.
As suddenly as it had come, the chakra disappeared. Kakashi let out another grunt as he was pulled straight down into the ground and effectively buried up to his neck. Sasuke burst up in a shower of dust and rubble, breathing hard but wearing the broadest smirk Hinata had ever seen on him. She dashed forward despite her own lack of adequate air, kunai in hand. She shoved its point under Kakashi's chin, and only then noticed that Sasuke had one positioned on one side of his neck while Naruto held another poised at the base of his skull.
The dust and tumbling debris settled into a tense silence. Hinata heard her own breath loud in her ears, and the sound was echoed thrice more by her friends and instructor. She didn't take her eyes off of Kakashi's, however. Too many times they had thought themselves victorious when instead they had captured a clone or substitute. This time, though, she was sure. It had to be Kakashi. It has to be!
"Well done," Kakashi panted at last, closing the eye containing his Sharingan in what looked like a wince. "Very well done, Team Seven." His congratulations dispelled all of the tension in the air, as well as what she had been holding within. Hinata fell back to sit hard on the ground, allowing herself to take deep, appreciative gulps of air. She heard Naruto raise a cheer, and thought Sasuke muttered something like 'It's about damn time,' but all that mattered to her at the moment was breathing. "Would you mind letting me out of here? This technique is far from comfortable, and I think one of my ribs may be broken." Despite her condition, Hinata felt her face heating.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei," she said between breaths. "I didn't mean to – to hit so hard." She struggled up to one knee in order to use a simple earth technique to shift the ground around, but Naruto put a hand on the top of her head and shook his own firmly.
"I'll do it; you and Sasuke used a lot more chakra than me. Rest," he insisted, and she managed a tired but grateful smile for him before sinking back down. She was tired, and the thought of using even the most minor technique got her head spinning. If Kakashi had been able to execute just one jutsu in those final moments, all of their efforts would have gone to waste. But then, she supposed that was the point to out-maneuvering a stronger opponent – leave no opportunity to counterattack.
Naruto made quick work of freeing their sensei, utilizing Kurama's chakra to dig furrows around Kakashi before lifting him out with one oversized red-orange claw. He hadn't quite mastered the manipulation yet, a fact that Hinata could see in his expression. She thought Naruto looked cute when he concentrated like that, but she wasn't about to say so in front of everybody. They teased the two of them enough without her encouragement, and she wasn't sure that she had the energy to blush right then.
"That was . . . unexpected," Kakashi sighed, stretching and flexing his muscles as if to test to see if they still worked properly. "A four part plan with a fifth contingency, if I read it correctly. I regret using the Decapitation technique in front of Sasuke," he said wryly. "Still, you all executed it well. I take it this was one of Hinata's plans? It was too complicated for Naruto, and Sasuke would have been more direct."
"Yep!" Naruto stated proudly, smiling down at her in a way that made her feel decidedly warm inside. "We couldn't have done it without her, either. She told me where you and your clones were when you landed, and she had to be the one to flush you out since she knew exactly where you were."
"Yeah, and she's the only one of us fast enough to keep you from using hand seals in combat," Sasuke put in. Apparently Hinata did have the energy to blush, because she felt her cheeks heating up as their praise went on.
"I just came up with the idea," she protested. "They thought up their own methods of accomplishing what they needed to."
"Humility is a wonderful trait, Hinata," Kakashi said with an ill-hidden smirk. "But there's no need to downplay your own accomplishments. You all defeated me together, though, and for that you deserve to be congratulated. I'll take you all out to a nice hibachi after the exams are through to celebrate your accomplishment, alright?" He tugged his hitai-ate back down over his left eye, then winced again and felt at his chest. "Even if the second stage wasn't tomorrow, I'd still give you the rest of the day off. As it is, you three need to get as much rest as possible. Remember: the exam is going to be held at the Badlands north of Konoha. If you want to be there well before eight, you'd best sleep early tonight. You're only allowed to bring your ninja tools and the clothes on your backs, got it?"
"Yes, sensei," they all said together. He nodded once, then disappeared into the trees. From the direction he was heading, Hinata thought that the hospital might be his destination. She felt bad for using too much chakra in that initial blow to his chest, but her elation at their success far outweighed the shame of that one mistake.
"That was awesome you guys!" Naruto exclaimed, moving from rapping Sasuke's knuckles with his to lifting Hinata off the ground and spinning her in a delighted circle. She let out a squeak of surprise, but a second later she was laughing along with him. Naruto's enthusiasm was as boundless and contagious as always. It was one of the things she loved about him – one of the many things.
"Where is Huang-san?" she asked when he set her down on her own feet. Normally the creature would have come swooping out of the trees as soon as their training session had concluded. She took hold of his hand before realizing it, but such things had become so natural that they hardly received a thought anymore. "She hardly leaves your shoulder unless you're training or ask her to do something for you, and I haven't seen her this morning." Hinata had begun to feel a bit uncomfortable about the phoenix. Not in a truly bad way, she didn't think, but it had become clear long ago that the animal was not only sentient, but highly intelligent. As such, it felt a touch awkward at times when her and Naruto were alone, and Huang was simply there watching. She knew it was silly – what care should the bird have? Still, she hadn't been able to shake the feeling.
"Oh, she went back to Mount Hiuchi last night. I found out that she can go back whenever she wants to, like a de-summoning or something. I thought she might want to be with her dad and around fire and stuff instead of stuck with me all the time, so I asked her to go back until I call her. Apparently Feng-sama wasn't too thrilled about it – he had wanted her watching over me or something – but it's all okay now. Sorry," he added, scratching behind one ear and looking genuinely embarrassed. "I forgot to tell you last night because we ah . . ." His cheeks colored and he went on while pointedly ignoring Sasuke's rising eyebrow. "And this morning I wasn't really thinking about it because of our training." Hinata blinked, then schooled her features – and blush – so that she wouldn't appear too pleased – or abashed. She had forgotten all about the phoenix until now, similarly distracted by the day's main event. Well, at least they wouldn't need to worry about being spotted out during the exam now. Sasuke had raised the question last week, and Naruto had agreed that – should the test be similar to the last one – they wouldn't want a fiery beacon following them around.
"Come on," Sasuke said, pulling his cloak a little tighter around himself. "It's cold out here, and I feel like I haven't eaten in a week. I never thought I'd say this, but nothing sounds as good as Ichiraku right now." Naruto guffawed and voiced his whole-hearted agreement while Hinata simply nodded and smiled. One of her favorite parts of every day was eating with her friends after training. The food always tasted better after so much hard work, and dining at Ichiraku always brought her back to the first time Naruto had invited her and Sasuke there after a long morning of training in the summer heat. That had been their first summer together.
Has it really been four and a half years? Hinata thought wonderingly. She found herself squeezing Naruto's hand and receiving a squeeze in return. Yes, they were going on five years now of being friends. They had gone from children training in their first year at the academy to some of the strongest genin in the village; even she had to admit that, although Kakashi's claims of them being at least chūnin level in some ways was pushing it, she felt. All of them had come so far and survived so much. And we'll keep progressing – together. No matter what.
/*\
What remained of daylight passed all too quickly following their departure from the Third Training Ground. Naruto supposed that it was like when you had to wait for certain things. When the upcoming event was something to look forward to, time tended to crawl by. When it was something daunting or otherwise disconcerting, an entire day could be gone before you knew it. It wasn't that he was precisely nervous about the exam; he was looking forward to it. But his recent struggles with Kurama's chakra provided him an extra reason to worry, at least aside from the more important concern that this portion of the test could literally be deadly. It was his friends that he worried about, as always, but he had also promised Hinata that he wouldn't disappear again, and he always kept his promises.
Lunch had passed in a flash, with both Hinata and Sasuke marveling at how much ramen he could eat in one sitting. He couldn't help it. Training made him hungry, and Ichiraku's ramen was so good that he could eat buckets of it for every meal. He thought that he had done well in restraining himself; there had only been a stack of ten bowls in front of him by the time they left. And maybe he had helped Hinata finish off her second – and final – bowl. Honestly, he couldn't understand how she could function on so little food. Sasuke had only smirked all the while, having consumed a mere three bowls himself. Every now and again the jerk offered a snarky comment, such as, 'I hope you pay for Iruka's groceries,' or, 'I think you could out-eat Chōji.' Naruto supposed that Sasuke's perpetually empty stomach was why he scowled so often.
They parted ways after the midday meal. Sasuke headed back to his apartment to relax for the rest of the day, though not before Hinata got in a bit of teasing about his spending 'quality time' with Haku – whatever that was supposed to mean. After Sasuke left – muttering under his breath until he was out of earshot – Hinata had suggested they take a walk around the inside of the village wall. Naruto was happy to agree. He loved spending time with Hinata, whether it was training or eating or just walking. She made him feel warm inside just by being around; he supposed that was what it meant to love somebody. It was definitely a part of it, he was certain.
It took some time to stroll the perimeter of Konoha with Hinata – several hours, in fact, judging by the sun. It sat just above the western horizon as they meandered back towards their starting point, a golden ball that provided little warmth against the winter's chill. Naruto didn't mind the cold much, especially with Hinata's arm slipped beneath his cloak and wrapped around his waist. She had told him more than once since he had returned that he felt warmer than she remembered, but he chalked that up to the sudden coming of winter. Things always felt warmer when it was cold out. He wasn't about to do anything to dissuade her from pressing against his side, anyway; it felt too nice.
"Do you think we'll all be promoted?" Hinata asked as they turned onto a familiar bridge leading towards the inner village. Conversation had kept up the whole way, moving from training and their success against Kakashi to other things like their friends, if their weapons were properly sharpened, food, and twice to a different type of 'conversation' that involved Hinata pushing him into some underbrush. He didn't mind any topic – most certainly not the last. He had thought at first that he would have to be the one to instigate those sorts of things, but she had surprised him in more ways than one since they had confessed to one another. It was one of the many things about her that made butterflies dance in his stomach.
"Definitely," he replied confidently. "I mean, we're easily the strongest genin in the village, and probably stronger than any other villages' genin now. Well, I think Team Gai could give us a run for our money if they've been training as hard as we have, but I still think we'd kick their ass– I mean, kick their butts." He flashed a sheepish grin at her. She clicked her tongue, but it sounded more affectionate than chiding. "I could see why they might not promote me, but you and Sasuke are both a shoe in for sure."
"Why wouldn't they promote you?" Hinata asked. To Naruto, it sounded like she was trying to come off as merely curious, but he could hear the note of chagrin in her tone. He shrugged.
"I'm not saying that I'm not good enough," he started carefully, knowing that she would call him out on selling himself short if he had meant that. "I know I learn fast, and I'm physically the strongest of the three of us. I can match Sasuke's speed on my good days, too. My chakra control is great thanks to you, and I've got a crazy amount of the stuff to make up for what I don't have in variety. On that note, I can outlast anybody in the village, I bet." She smiled at him then, a gesture that he readily returned. Hinata liked it when he noted his own qualities. "But . . . Tsunade-sama knows about Kurama's chakra, and I'd be willing to bet a lot more people know by now. If they think I'm unstable, or just unreliable, they might choose not to promote me. A chūnin has to be able to think clearly and lead other teams sometimes, and there's no room for one of my ah . . . one of my 'episodes' at a time like that. I can see them waiting until I figure it out before thinking about promoting me."
"But that wouldn't be fair," Hinata insisted, stopping near the center of the bridge to face him. She rarely got upset, and much less frequently became angry – unless it was on his behalf. Right now she certainly seemed halfway between worried and cross, with her brow slightly furrowed and her lower lip firmly between two canines. She folded her arms and seemed to search for her next words before going on. "Tsunade-sama refused to help you with the seal. We already decided that she must have a good reason – she must, Naruto," she said again. He wiped the scowl from his face. "But I can't see her disallowing your promotion based on that. She knows that you're responsible, and she knows that you're not going to use more of the Kyūbi's chakra than you can handle."
"It's not her that decides though, is it?" He didn't want to sound down about it, but it was difficult not to. Becoming a chūnin was the next step in his goal of becoming Hokage one day, and it was kind of depressing thinking that he might be left behind by his friends. Well, not left behind – he knew that they wouldn't abandon him. But if they were promoted and he was passed over, they would be sent off to lead missions while he was likely assigned to a new team of genin. The prospect made him frown as he watched the icy water flowing beneath the wooden planks underfoot. "The judges decide. She's one of them, sure, but we don't know how many others there might be, and how many of them might just hate me because of what I am."
"Naruto . . ." Hinata moved beside him, slipping her fingers between his in a tight grasp. Her touch felt as warm as ever despite the frigid air. She looked at him as if at a loss for what to say, but wanting to say something or offer some comfort. It was enough for him that she wanted to help, and that she was close.
"I'll just have to show them how amazing I am, and then they won't have any other choice but to make me a chūnin too. Right?" He gave her his best grin, already sorry that he had allowed himself to show his dejection. She shook her head and returned a small, sad smile.
"It's okay to be afraid, Naruto. No matter what happens, I'll be here for you. We all are – Sasuke, Iruka-sensei, Haku, Kakashi-sensei – all of us. It'll all turn out okay." She shifted close to wrap her arms around his waist, and he barely hesitated in circling his arms around her as well.
"I know. Thanks, Hinata." He kissed the top of her head, and she responded by nuzzling the nape of his neck. "Let's head back home. I'm sure Iruka-sensei could use help with dinner; he said he wanted to make us something special tonight." Hinata released him and nodded, brushing her own kiss on his cheek. He could feel the heat rising in his face as he reached for her hand and started off into the village, but he had long since decided that the blushes might just never fade. That wasn't the important thing right now anyway. What was important was that they were together, and always would be. No matter what.
/*\
Iruka had indeed planned something special for them, although it was prepared by the time they were able to arrive home and get cleaned up. He had gone all out to make their favorites, including red bean soup, grilled squid, fried rice, and even Hinata's cinnamon rolls for after. There was an additional surprise after they had finished eating, though it was meant for neither of them.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Naruto touched his palm to the floor at the center of the kitchen, creating the temporary lines of jutsu-shiki that always came with the technique. A burst of white smoke cleared almost immediately, sent through an open window by one of Hinata's very minor Vacuum Palms. Huang crooned and swept over to Naruto's shoulder immediately, settling down as if she had never left. "Heya Huang-san. Iruka-sensei got you something!"
"You didn't need to summon her," Iruka laughed, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck and looking embarrassed. "But I suppose it would have gone bad otherwise. Here you go, Huang-san." He held out a sizeable flank of raw steak that smelled strongly of . . . something. Naruto knuckled his nose and made a face.
"Iruka-sensei, what did you put on that?" He glanced at Hinata, who shrugged and stifled a giggle.
"I did a little research," the chūnin said defensively. "I could only find legends of phoenixes at the library, but all of the tales say that they eat like any other bird of prey, but also prefer to eat rare resins where they can be found." He blinked then, eyeing Huang and looking a bit worried. "Of course, they were just tales. It's possible that—" Abruptly the phoenix spread her wings and departed from Naruto's shoulder, sweeping across the kitchen and snatching the dangling flank from Iruka in one smooth movement. She whirled and alighted on the sink faucet, then fixed her gaze on Naruto.
"She says thank you," Naruto grinned, then nodded at the creature. "Yeah, you can go back and share it with your dad. Tell Feng-sama that I said hi, and that I might need him in the next few days." Huang tilted her head one way, then the other, and then vanished in a flash of fire that left little specs dancing in Naruto's vision.
"That was very thoughtful of her," Hinata commented, still studying the spot where Huang had disappeared from and blinking rapidly. It seemed that he hadn't been the only one too slow to close his eyes. "I'm not sure how she intends to share it with Feng-sama if he's as big as you say he is, but still nice of her to think of him."
"They're each other's only family, if I understand it correctly," Iruka put in, turning to start gathering dishes from the table. "The books I read indicated that the lifespan of something plays into how many offspring it's able to produce. If phoenixes really do live forever, then I suspect Huang-san is the only child Feng-sama has ever had, and perhaps the only one he ever will. It's no wonder that they're close."
"Yeah . . . Families are nice." Naruto smiled and took Hinata's hand. He winked at her, then quirked an eyebrow when her eyes went a little wide and her cheeks flushed. Had he said something wrong? No, she was blushing like he had complimented her, or done something that she claimed was particularly thoughtful. He ran a hand through his spiky tresses, then glanced up to find Iruka with a wide, knowing smirk pasted on his features. Was it an inside joke that he had missed?
"You two go make sure that you have everything ready for tomorrow. No, no," Iruka said, holding up a placating hand towards them. Both Naruto and Hinata had opened their mouths to protest at the same time. "Let me clean up. You both have a hard day tomorrow – several hard days if the last set of exams can be used as an indicator. I want you to go prepare, then get to sleep. We can say our farewells in the morning." He gave them his sternest 'instructor look.'
"Alright," Naruto sighed. He flashed Iruka a grin before turning to leave with Hinata. "Thanks dad." He stopped in surprise for a split second before rushing from the kitchen with Hinata in tow, leaving a shell-shocked Iruka behind. What had possessed him to say that?
"Was that the first time you've ever called him that?" Hinata asked as Naruto shut the door to his room. "The way he stared . . . I think he was about to cry."
"I ah . . . I guess so," he laughed sheepishly. It had come out so naturally that even now it didn't sound wrong in his head. "I guess what he said about families got to me. I mean, I know who my real dad was, but Iruka's the one who took me in and raised me. He's been around for over half my life now, so it's kind of like he is my dad in some ways, you know?" Hinata paused in the act of lowering herself to sit on the edge of his bed, nibbling at the corner of her lips like she did when thinking.
"Nobody can replace the Yondaime as your father, of course – but you know that. Iruka-sensei, though . . . I'm surprised that you haven't been calling him 'dad' all along. He's as kind and caring as any parent should be, and I know he loves you as if you were his own."
"Yeah, I guess it's past time I started calling him that, huh?" He was quiet for a time, thinking while busying his hands with removing his kunai holster and belt to set them atop the dresser. There wasn't all that much to consider, he realized. He had adopted Iruka as his father long ago, just as Iruka had adopted him. It was a fact of everyday life now, only just verbally recognized. Shrugging out of his long coat and doffing the long-sleeved shirt, Naruto was halfway through unclipping his body armor when he heard a small cough. Glancing over one shoulder, he blinked at the sight of Hinata sitting on his bed, her face all but glowing red. "What's up?" She looked a little faint to him, as if she might be coming down with something.
"Um . . ." she started, swallowing once before quickly averting her eyes. "N-nothing." He raised an eyebrow, noting the stutter that so rarely infected her speech these days. The last clasp clicked open and he removed the chain vest, letting it fall to the ground with a clink before he turned fully to Hinata.
"Are you feeling sick?" he asked, unable to keep the concern from lacing his tone. "If you're not up to taking the exam tomorrow, we can always wait until next time. I know Sasuke's not impatient to become chūnin, and you know I don't mind." He took a step towards her, and wondered if her face had gained even more color.
"N-no!" she stammered, leaning back and raising her hands towards him as if to ward off his approach. "I-I just . . . I mean you – you're undressing!" He blinked at her again, glanced down at his bare chest, then barked out a laugh.
"Hinata, you've seen Sasuke and me training shirtless countless times. Hell, we've always shared a tent on missions outside of the village, and I hardly ever sleep with my shirt on. It gets too hot, even in winter." He made a face, hoping his light commentary would help Hinata feel more comfortable. It was difficult to tell, but he thought it helped. A little.
"We're in your room!" she insisted, squeezing her eyes shut. "Together!" He wasn't sure what difference that made, but she went on before he could say as much. "A-and training is one thing, but in the tents I've always been a little uncomfortable. Well, not uncomfortable, but it was awkward for me! And now we're here and you're just . . ." She trailed off, one eye half open now as she peered through her spread fingers at him. Naruto shook his head. He didn't understand at all, but if it made her feel better, he'd put on a shirt until she went to her own room. Snatching open a drawer, he snatched the first t-shirt he saw before turning to hold it up to her. It was plain white with the Uzumaki clan symbol embroidered on the front – Hinata had presented it to him on his last birthday, and after some questioning had admitted to doing the embroidery herself. The symbol was a bit lopsided, and a few of the lines were more wavy than curved – and it was his favorite shirt.
"Putting it on. Sorry, Hinata." He had already shoved one arm into place before her voice stopped him.
"Wait," Hinata said quickly, and again he looked curiously towards her. This time he didn't find her face red at all. Instead she seemed . . . focused, for some reason, and a little . . . Naruto couldn't decide why her eyes looked like they did when he was trying something dangerous. There wasn't anything to be concerned about that he could see. She patted the space next to her without taking her eyes from him, and it was then that he noticed her gaze was on his torso, not his face. "Come here." Her tone was soft and steady now, far removed from its recent frantic sound.
"Alright . . ." he said slowly, not sure where the sudden change of mind had come from. One second she wanted him covered up, and then next she wanted him sitting right next to her and waiting to put the shirt on. They had been together for a long time, but he decided that it would be another long time until he understood her completely – a very long time. Naruto plopped down beside her and folded one leg under, leaving the other dangling from the bed so that he could face her.
For a long moment she merely looked at him, staring and almost appearing like she was trying to see inside of him. Then, very slowly, she reached out and let her fingertips touch lightly against his chest. A chill ran up Naruto's entire body, starting in his toes and rising rapidly to the top of his head. Hinata's fingers trailed along his skin, and it took a few seconds for him to realize that she was tracing his scars. The major ones were easy enough to see – the curve of pale, jagged tissue arcing from his right shoulder to right hip was the most obvious, and she traced it with the same amount of care she might use in caressing a newborn. Slowly, methodically she followed each line and old puncture wound, lingering on some more than others, though following no pattern that Naruto could see. She found her way to his left bicep and brushed the pallid skin there with a touch gentle enough to have been mistaken for an alighting butterfly. At last her fingers trailed back to his chest to rest over his heart, her palm pressing against the hard muscles there as if to feel for his heartbeat.
"Everything's going to be okay this time," she said at last, moving towards him to lean her forehead against his chest. "It will be." It sounded to Naruto like she was still trying to convince herself of that instead of pronouncing it as true. His arms went around her of their own accord, and he pulled her close into a firm, steady embrace. He understood now what she had been about earlier – at least, he thought he did.
"I promised, remember?" he said softly, resting his cheek atop her head. He felt her nod, and he was glad to realize that she was neither sad nor truly afraid. Worry he could understand; he worried for her safety almost every day, and certainly every moment of a mission.
"Can I . . ." Hinata started, her words a muted mumble against his chest. "Would it . . . W-would it be okay if . . ." Naruto lifted and tilted his head down to blink at what he could see of her. Abruptly she raised her eyes to his, and she was very clearly flushing through a determined expression. "I want to sleep here tonight," she finished in a rush. He could nearly feel the heat coming from her cheeks, but he knew that his own must look similar.
"Ah . . . yeah, of course you can," he answered lamely, lifting a hand to rub at the back of his neck. He grinned and shrugged, trying to act like it wasn't a big deal, even though he had felt his heart rate speed up on the instant. They were just going to be sharing a bed; they had done that plenty of times . . . on accident. It hadn't ever been discussed, anyway. It had just happened, and neither of them thought anything of it the day after outside of an awkward laugh here or there. His mind wandered to the memories received from one clone in particular, and he felt his face heat up even more.
It was difficult to even consider breaking eye contact at that point. The temporary embarrassment faded quickly enough, but a different kind of heat replaced that of burning cheeks. A sort of tension that Naruto had never felt before now existed between them, like a tightly wound cord ready to snap at the slightest increase in pressure. Only, it wasn't a bad feeling, although Naruto couldn't quite decide if it was good either. It was just there, filling the space between them thicker than any killing intent he had ever felt. His heart felt like it was trying to beat its way out of his chest.
While the odd force built, Naruto found his thoughts bouncing wildly around, though always on similar topics. All of the times he and Hinata had been in close proximity seemed to flash through his mind, every kiss and touch emphasized tenfold. He found himself remembering what it was like seeing her hurt badly in the last chūnin exam in her fight with Neji, how he had anguished within his own subconscious at the thought of never seeing her again while he had been dying. Every memory was a blur, but each carried with it a similar theme: need. A need to keep Hinata alive and to stay alive for her; a need to be close to her; a need to share everything with her – his feelings, his affections, his experiences. Above all else there was a need to tell her all of that need, but an almost mocking knowledge that communicating something so profound was impossible.
All at once the tension broke, and before he knew what was happening she had all but leapt for him a fraction of a second before he had been able to move towards her. Hinata had always been faster than him. Quick, hot breath preceded her lips, and they felt like fire on his own. For once he ignored every time one of his fangs scratched her tongue, instead enjoying the familiar semi-sweet metallic taste that came along with each happening. He tasted it on her neck as well – her neck? How had he gotten there? It didn't matter. Everything felt constraining, as if the air itself was pressing in on their bodies. It felt like there was a furnace beneath his own skin.
Some time later Naruto pushed himself back on shaking arms, panting for air while staring down at Hinata. She lay on her back beneath him, her own breath coming rapidly and causing her chest to rise and fall in a way that made him feel decidedly good, for some reason. Her ivory skin held a sheen of sweat wherever he looked, which he realized was more places than he had been able to see before. One of the shoulder straps to her bodice had slipped – or been pulled; he couldn't remember – to one side and down her arm a bit, giving him a view from that position that increased his already present flush. He could feel the silken skin of her waist against his wrist from where he had propped himself back up – when had her chainmail and undershirt been pulled loose? Her dark tresses were spilled over his other hand, which was held pressed into the pillow by the side of her head. The pillow. Pillow?
The realization of their current position struck him like a fist, but he couldn't have moved away if he had wanted to; no matter what propriety demanded, he certainly didn't want to. Hinata's eyes were hot alabaster pools, and for the first time he understood what Iruka had meant the one time he had mentioned a man being able to drown in a woman's eyes. Naruto felt like he really could fall into those beautiful eyes – the heat behind them might very well pull him in on its own.
"I think . . ." Hinata began breathlessly, and he gave a start. Her voice breaking the silence seemed to banish the blanket of pressure from around them as quickly as it had come on. "I think I should . . . get changed in my room." Her chest still rose and fell faster than usual, but it was well on its way back to a normal rhythm. Ninja training had many uses outside of combat.
"Yeah . . . yeah, definitely," he said quickly, almost tripping over his own words – and self – as he scrambled off of Hinata. He was a bit ashamed to be relieved at finding that she was no less hurried in slipping from his bed and dashing from the room. That feeling had been mutual, then.
Naruto nearly fell to the bed before remembering the fresh layer of perspiration covering his face. Really, how long had they been doing . . . that? Really they had only kissed – he knew that. Sure, there had been some nibbling involved as well. He felt at a tender pinprick on his neck, pulling his fingers away to find flecks of red. Okay, maybe a little more than nibbling. He hoped that he had not inadvertently done the same to her; she couldn't heal like he could.
He hopped out of bed and entered the adjoining bathroom between their two rooms, quickly washing his face in the sink and patting down the rest of himself with a clean towel. No sooner had he closed the door coming back to his room than he heard Hinata's side open and the sink turn on. It seemed she had come to the same conclusion he had – nobody liked sleeping while sweaty. He tossed back the covers of his bed and slid between the sheets, closing his eyes and trying to calm his pulse the rest of the way back down. Honestly, it couldn't have been that long. Hours of sparring couldn't get him this riled up. Girls are magical, he decided then, though after a moment corrected his own thoughts to, Hinata is magical.
She came in mere minutes later, switching off the light and padding over in the pitch blackness. He could feel her standing beside the bed for a few seconds, like the residue of that pressure left over from before. Before he knew it she was pulling the comforter up over them both and settling in beside him, the warmth from her body immediately felt in the closed space.
Neither of them said a word. For some reason it felt as if they had already said everything that needed to be said, even if that seemed crazy. Another chill ran through Naruto when Hinata's arm snaked over his chest, resting there as she settled against him. He heard a soft, contented sound near his shoulder that sounded as sleepy as he felt. He smiled, lifting the arm on the other side of her so that he could take her hand. Moving to his side so that he could sleep facing her would have been nice, but he didn't have the heart to shift her from comfort.
"Goodnight, Hinata. Sleep well . . ." He drifted off almost immediately, but not before deciding that it, really, it wasn't too warm after all.
Author's Note:
[This was originally the first few sections of Chapter 29, but the entire chapter turned out to be over 28k words, so Rhi and I thought it would be best to split it in two. CH29 is currently going through its final round(s) of editing, and should be up in the next day or two. The full/actual A/N will be at the end of that one.
As an aside for those who might have forgotten: I still keep my chapter progress updated on my profile, so if you're ever wondering how the next installment is going, feel free to check! If it's not going as quickly as you'd like, you're welcome to shoot me a PM and harass me as well. =P
See you soon!]
