Yo, another early update… I'm on a roll!
Also, I got half of the reviews saying I was a little harsh on old Minato and others that say I wasn't… I was surprised by the amount of yes and "no's… I would like to remind some of the one's who said I was harsh that if he had been any less harsh, it wouldn't appear realistic… I mean, really, how would you react if you were in Naruto's place? All happy and rainbows and sunshine? No, besides he needs to vent all his pent up feelings and Minato's the perfect vic- I mean person for it…
Anyways, responses:
Leaf Ranger
2009-11-23 . chapter 27
Well... I do think Naruto was kinda harsh on Minato. I can understand, but I still say too harsh.
And also... if one on both of them get's kidnapped, o their relationship destroyed in the next few chapters... I'm so unleashing Oni Naruto on your you. Even if I kno you'll make it better, I still am. It's jsut... well... you're kinda piling trouble on them really fast. I mean... Naruto disappears, and then his evil clone appears, and then the evil clone kidnaps HInata, and posions her, and then Hinata is in a coma after having to fight Naruto an Sasuke, and then you finally wake her up... only to put tem into trouble again.
You need to cool down. Give them some down time to ... to just be a couple. Something to think aobut after the current crisis is averted.
ME: Haha yeah, maybe I should be a little careful… We'll see, I got some back up to help me out so I dare you to do something! I got my Bloodline Naruto to help out and he'll definitely even out the fight…
I know what you mean, I felt it too but really, does anyone really want to just read about them just dating? I personally do but not just that, I want action! That's what this story is about, fighting and loving! Yes, I agree, there should be one or two chapter devoted to Naruhina or any other couples without problems… It's just kind of hard for me to do one or the other alone… I usually do both at the same time [which mind you is a difficult thing to do or at least in my opinion it is…]
Don't worry though, they will be a couple and the threat will still be around though I'm not going to make them doing anything……… yet…
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We Are Legion
2009-11-23 . chapter 27
I like it I don't think you were too hard on Minato for 2 reasons
1)Naruto is under a shitload of stress from just living I mean he has a group of s class criminals after his ass for what his father did on top of everything else his life has been
2)Naruto has had no one to vent to for 13 years and finally he meets his cause of frustration and just explodes so yeah I think you did that scene justice
Keep up the good work later
Me: thanks, glad someone views it in my point of view… This is a good explanation of what was going on in my head when I wrote the last chapter…
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Tenshi Namikaze
2009-11-23 . chapter 27
Even though I think Minato is a badass person, he still did screw up with sealing Kyuubi into his own son. However I can see that it would be an even worse thing to let Kyuubi continue on his rampage or to ask someone else to sacrifice they're children. Naruto should see that Minato had no choice and even he couldn't see that the villagers would go against his wishes and treat Naruto like the actual Kyuubi itself. It is still going good so please continue. Maybe those two stalkers were part of Orochimaru's ninja forces?
T.N.
Me: heh heh maaaaaaaaaaaaybe….
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Last thing; ignore what I said before… The next chapter is the start of the Lover's Retrieval arc… Enjoy
Chapter 28: Chunnin Ranks and New Missions, signs of trouble ahead!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… Also as a heads up, make sure to do the math right during the story... I'm sure it doesn't make sense now but if you're still confused by the end of the chapter, I'll be happy to explain...
Last time on Naruto of the Immortal Clan...
"So I'm supposed to wait for who knows how long until those two leave for a mission?" The figure whined.
"Yes, you know that master has these two at the top of his list. With these two in his collection, he will be satisfied with us and not kill us."The voice reminded the figure. The figure groaned one more time before sitting back and scoffing.
"Whatever."
"Remember, if you fail, master will kill us."The figure didn't answer, already knowing that information. Suddenly, something caught his attention and he grinned as he saw a couple walking to Konoha, following the trail and holding hands.
"Looks like I get to practice that genjutsu a little more." The figure said as he stood tall and jumped down from the tree he was on, slowly stalking the unsuspecting couple.
[*.*.*.*]
Naruto and Hinata walked into Amir's house after training for hours and closed the door behind them. Naruto then noticed something that made him tense up and groan loudly. There was a three pronged kunai stuck on the wall opposite of him and Hinata. The kunai shone and blinked repetitively before Naruto felt two more presence in the room.
Two ANBU appeared in front of Naruto and Hinata, kneeling and Hinata could only gasp in surprise. The ANBU stood up and the one wearing the hood over his head was about a foot taller than the one on his left with the blood red shirt. The one wearing the blood red shirt took off her mask and stared at Naruto and Hinata with an agitated stare. Hinata felt unease under her gaze but Naruto only remained passive. That was until the hooded ANBU takes off his hood.
"We need to talk Naruto… Hinata, please leave." Kushina ordered in a dead pan voice. Hinata watched as Naruto snarled and his grip on her left hand tensed. On the outside he looked angry and on the verge of attacking his parents but Hinata knew better. She was able to see through that and saw a vulnerable boy, a boy who wanted to cry and die alone in a corner somewhere. Hinata steeled herself as she gave a quick squeeze to Naruto's hand and shook her head.
"I'm not going." Hinata said with certainty. Now this really threw Kushina through a loop. In the time she's known Hinata, she would always be the voice of reason and act on logic and manners. But this, this actually shocked Kushina.
"W-What?" Kushina stuttered.
"She said she doesn't want to go. If she doesn't want to go then she's not going anywhere!" Naruto growled as he removed his hand from Hinata's and placed his right arm in front of her in a protective manner. Something in Minato snapped and he stood in front of Kushina who looked about ready to retaliate with a few words of her own.
"Don't yell at your mother like that." Minato warned, shocking everyone but Naruto. Naruto only narrowed his eyes and scoffed.
"You have no say in what I do."
"I do when it concerns your mother and you." Minato retorted but Naruto wasn't done.
"You weren't here for us so don't act like it!" Naruto yelled.
"Why are you treating me like I abandoned you and your mother?!" Minato bellowed.
"Because you did; you left after sealing Kyuubi in me!" Naruto bellowed back. "Like I said before, I hate you and I won't forgive you for what you've done." Naruto growled at the end.
"Naruto you have to understand that I couldn't have asked another parent to give up their child and go through what you have and-"
"And why not?! Is it you care more about those hypocritical villagers more than me, your own son?!" Naruto asked. Hinata was hugging Naruto from behind, making sure he didn't attack his father. Kushina was doing the same but was only grabbing Minato's left arm. "Is it that you hate me too? Just like some of the other villagers?!"
"I don't hate you Naruto, I lo-"
"DON'T SAY IT!" Naruto roared as he struggled to break from Hinata's grip. Hinata closed her eyes as she tried to keep Naruto down. "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO TELL ME THAT!"
"It's the truth!" Minato yelled.
"THAT'S A LIE!" Naruto roared again as he continued to free himself. "DON'T YOU TELL ME YOU'LL LOVE ME OR… OR…"
"Naruto-kun, please calm down." Hinata said but did little to calm him.
"Or what Naruto?" Minato asked, not thinking highly of Naruto's unspoken threat.
"Minato-kun!" Kushina scolded.
"What will you do if I tell you I love you?" Minato asked. Naruto looked back at Hinata and said in the faintest of whispers,
"I'm sorry… Hinata-chan…" Suddenly, Hinata wasn't hugging anyone and a blur rushed towards Minato and punched him in the face. He wasn't expecting this and flew through the air, crashing through the house's walls and landing outside with a roll. Minato's vision blurred for a while but returned to normal as he struggled to stand. The sound of a sword unsheathing could be heard as Minato looked up and saw Naruto slowly fingering his swords strapped to his back. The hilts were pointing down ward so it was easier to unsheathe them but then Naruto dropped his hands, deciding to do this with his own hands.
Going down on all fours, Naruto's nails grew longer and his eyes became a blood red color but his pupil remained the same. Minato wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and prepared himself for anything. Naruto then disappeared in a blink of an eye. Minato ducked under Naruto's right claw swipe and rolled to the side after Naruto used his momentum to try to deliver an axe kick to Minato's skull.
Using his veteran skills and instincts, Minato took out a kunai from his pouch and blocked another claw swipe. Without regards to his own safety, Naruto grabbed the kunai with his bare hands and pushed it aside as he reared his left fist back and then swung forward. Minato grabbed his left fist with his right hand and kicked Naruto in the stomach.
Naruto flipped backwards as he landed on his feet. He grunted but didn't stop as he made a modified ram-sign.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Seven Naruto's appeared next to the original one and each got down on all fours while the original stood over them with his arms crossed over his chest. Moving his right arm forward and his index finger pointing at Minato, all clones nodded and ran towards Minato.
Meeting them half way, Minato smartly dodged the first clone's right punch and grabbed his arm to throw him to the second Naruto who tried to jump on him. Both clones disappeared in a cloud of smoke but Minato was far from done. He grabbed the third clone's fist and twisted it so that the clone was facing the other four clones and grunted. Minato pushed him forward and then ran, taking out more kunai. Using the off-balance clone as leverage, Minato jumped into the air and threw five kunais to each of the clones.
The clone that was used as leverage was hit behind the neck and dispersed, followed by another who was too slow to dodge or parry off the kunai. After the smoke cleared, the remaining two shadow clones teamed up and rushed Minato together.
Minato watched as a Naruto clone jumped over him and was now behind him while the other stood in front. With an unsaid go, both Naruto's took out a kunai while running towards him. The Naruto in front of Minato swung his kunai high, aiming for his neck, while the one in back swung low, aiming for his knee caps. Minato jumped into the air, high enough to avoid the lower attack but low enough so he could dodge the higher attack. With a twist of his body, Minato extended his two feet out and one connected with one clone's chest while the other connected with the other clone's chin.
The clone's cloud of smoke momentarily blocked Minato's vision but he could still hear the sounds of wind coming together in a single location. He snapped his eyes wide when he realized that Naruto was now running at him with the rasengan spinning dangerously quick. He tried to jump up and away from Naruto but couldn't. When he looked down, he saw a pair of hands holding him down. With a curse under his breath for being so careless, Minato could only watch as Naruto hastily closed the gap between them and throw the rasengan forward, pointing at his stomach. Minato closed his eyes, a single thought processing through his head.
'This is going to hurt!'
Hinata and Kushina were watching since the beginning and had nothing to comment on. Both were to shocked by the fact that Naruto had started a fight between his father and that his father was fighting back. Hinata was the first to snap out of her stupor when Naruto dropped to all fours and rushed to stop the fight. Though before she was able to take her second step, Kushina's right arm snapped up and stopped her from proceeding.
Hinata looked at her oddly but Kushina's gaze didn't leave the fight once.
"Let them be Hinata-chan… Naruto needs to vent and getting this out of his system will help him think clearly. Minato won't hurt Naruto much but just enough to knock some sense in him." Kushina stated. Hinata didn't like to resort to violence to solve problems but she didn't have much choice but to rely on it to solve the problem. However, as soon as Naruto was charging at Minato with a rasengan, Kushina started to panic.
She ran outside and tried to stop Naruto but she knew she wasn't going to make it. By the time she would've reached him, he would've already connected the rasengan with Minato's stomach.
With a final boost of speed, Naruto hit Minato in the stomach with the rasengan.
"Rasengan!" Naruto yelled as Minato's face showed the pain he was experiencing at the moment. The rasengan drilled against Minato's skin and he was thrown back from the force of the rasengan. Reaching down, Naruto grabbed the underground clone's hand and threw him high into the air and then adding chakra to the soles of his shoes, followed after the clone.
After both have reached the highest they would go, the clone Naruto grabbed on to Naruto's left hand and started to spin. Reaching the speed he wanted, the clone let go of Naruto and like a speeding bullet, Naruto headed for the spot he and Minato would eventually meet at their current speed.
Minato could feel everything around his abdomen start to dull as he continued to fly back. He squinted his eyes as his back skidded on the ground before going back into the air. He then opened his eyes but then grew as wide as saucers as he saw Naruto speeding towards him. He shut his eyes and grunted loudly when Naruto's head connected with his chest.
Because Naruto's momentum was greater than Minato's, both were forced into the ground and created a crater from the resulting crash. Dust was kicked up into the air and covered the entire area. Back at Amir's house, Kushina and Hinata almost fainted from such a devastating attack but soon composed themselves and ran for their respective lovers. After finally reaching the giant crater that could probably be filled with 500 gallons of water, Kushina and Hinata spotted two blonds try to stand with great effort.
One was holding his stomach while the other held his head in pain.
Kushina and Hinata were about to jump down to help them out but were stopped when the blond holding his head in pain punched the other blond down and jumped over him. Taking out a kunai from Minato's pouch, Naruto shove it into his shoulder. Minato bit down on his lips to refrain from shouting in pain. Naruto then took out one of his swords and pointed it to Minato's chest, the blade hovering over his heart. Kushina started to freak again but this time it was Hinata who stopped Kushina from jumping down.
"Have faith in him Kushina-san and you'll be surprised by what he will do." Hinata commented.
Minato was panting heavily as Naruto noticed that the skin that was ripped apart from the rasengan was slowly repairing itself. Naruto narrowed his eyes when he saw Minato try to sit up.
"Why didn't you fight back?" Naruto asked. Minato's bright blue eyes looked into Naruto's blood red eyes with sorrow and remorse. With a little effort, Minato moved his hand over the kunai stuck to his shoulder but Naruto quickly grabbed the handle and harshly ripped the kunai from his shoulder. With a suppressed cry of pain, Minato looked back at his son.
"Because you are my son." Naruto turned the blade of his sword to the side and harshly slapped Minato's face with it.
"Bull! Why didn't you fight back?!" He asked, louder than before. Minato sat up and moved the point of Naruto's blade of his heart.
"Because you are my son and I love you. You are the result of my love for your mother and her love for me. I could never intentionally hurt you for no reason. I didn't mean to ruin your life or abandon you. I didn't want to seal the Kyuubi into you and make the entire village scorn you. My last wish was for them to see you as a hero for keeping the Kyuubi at bay but I had a feeling they wouldn't." Minato blinked away the stray tears that wandered to his eyes.
"I failed you as a father and only wish to repay my debt to you for my actions. I don't deserve your forgiveness and I don't ask for it. I just want you to know that even if you hate me, I will always be here for you." Minato continued as he shed more silent tears. "But if you don't want me here, then go ahead… stab my heart and end me."
Naruto was crying by this time, his strength leaving him and coming back at random times. He felt cold inside, he felt heartless… he felt stupid. He hated his father, scorned him for doing such a thing to him. So why did he feel like crap for trying to kill him? Naruto dropped his sword and the only sound made was that of the sword hitting the ground.
"Shut up…" Naruto whispered. "Why are you doing this to me?" Naruto asked. Minato didn't answer, knowing he wasn't looking for an answer. "I hate you! I should feel nothing! I shouldn't feel bad for attacking you and almost killing you!" Naruto yelled. He was shaking and he was surprised he was still standing. "So why do I?" He asked in voice no louder than a whisper.
"Because you're human Naruto-kun." Naruto turned around to see Hinata smiling at him. Kushina just appeared next to her before running towards Minato. She fell to her knees and hugged him. Naruto watched her and then turned to look at Hinata. He then looked down at his feet and a small flame started to quickly engulf him until he was gone. Everyone was surprised, wondering when he knew how to do Body Flame Jutsu.
Kushina helped Minato stand as he grunted in pain. Hinata looked at the spot Naruto just in.
"I'll go-"
"No, I'll go. If you would can you please get Minato-kun to the Hokage's office without being spotted?" Kushina asked and Hinata nodded her head. With a quick set of hand signs, Kushina put Minato under a strong genjutsu. "Thank you." Kushina then passes the injured Namikaze to Hinata and they both slowly make their way towards the Hokage Tower while Kushina went to look for Naruto.
"Did you mean what you said Hokage-sama?" Hinata asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Minato smiled under the genjutsu and shook his head.
"You can call me Minato, Hinata and yes, I meant what I said. Even if he hates me, I will try my best to be there for him when he needs me." Minato answered. He groaned a little as he took another painful step but was fine after another couple of seconds, getting used to the pain.
"Can you do me a favor Hinata?" Hinata nodded her head and Minato grunted again. "Can you tell me how Naruto's life has been?" Hinata nodded her head.
"He told me that he was constantly ignored or beaten between the ages of three and five. After which he met a guy who took him in as an apprentice and taught him how to fight for a year. When he came back, he entered the academy and ended up saving me from Kumo's second attempt to steal the Byakugan."
"Naruto managed to stop a second kidnapping?" Minato asked, clearly amazed. Hinata nodded her head proudly and continued telling him of all the things Naruto has done and been through. Minato noticed that Hinata narrowed her eyes every time she mentioned his fan girls. He laughed at some of the things he did and frowned on the things that happened to him.
Kushina was having a difficult time finding Naruto. He was very good at hiding his trail and even knew how to create a fake one to confuse his pursuers. If she wasn't looking for him to talk about something serious, she would've stopped to admire her son's work. Deciding that she needed help in finding him, she bit her thumb until it bled and made some hand signs. She stopped on a random branch and slammed her hand down.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Cloud accumulated around her and when it cleared, a small lion pup appeared, happily and sitting up straight.
"Hey Kushina-san, what's going on?" The little tan pup asked.
"I need your help Kimi, I need you to track down my son." She ordered and Kimi nodded and sniffed the air. After a few seconds, Kimi shook her head.
"It's very faint and starting to get weaker by the second but I think I can follow." Kimi then jumped down from the tree she was on and started running towards the Northern gates of Konoha. Kushina followed after and wondered what naruto was doing all the way across Konoha. Kushina followed Kimi until she stopped in front of a tree a few meters away from the gates. Looking up, Kushina saw Naruto sitting on the highest branch on the tree.
Kushina thanked Kimi before she returned back to her world and jumps up, getting closer and closer to Naruto. Whether he was oblivious to her or not didn't matter to Kushina, just as long as he didn't try to run away when she reaches him.
After making it all the way to the top, Naruto closes his eyes and shifts in his place on the branch.
"I don't really want to talk about it mom." Naruto said. He was looking out at the almost setting sun. It had been a long day and the fight with his father hadn't helped by much.
"That's ok; I just wanted to make sure you were fine." Kushina said as she sat on a branch above him, also watching the almost sunset. They both sat in silence, even as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Then night's dark blanket covered Konoha and the creatures of the night woke up from their rest and set out to do what they do at this time. Naruto sighed as his patience disappeared with the sun, he hated how impatient he was sometimes.
"So what is it that you want to talk about mom?" Naruto finally asked. When he got no reply, he looked up and saw that his mom was asleep. He sweat dropped as he snapped a small branch off and started to poke her with it. "Wake up mom."
Kushina snapped her eyes open, grabbed a kunai and sliced the stick Naruto was holding in half, barely missing his fingers. Naruto looked at his fingers and sighed contently, glad to still have all ten of them. Kushina then realized what she did and gasped.
"I'm sorry Naruto, it was reflex."
"It's ok, I get… so what is it you want to talk about?" Naruto asked, getting to the point. Kushina cleared her throat as she moved her body so it faced Naruto. Naruto did the same and waited for her to say something.
"Why did you say you shouldn't feel bad for attacking your father?" She asked, also getting to the point. In Konoha's ANBU ranks, everyone knew that Kushina was anything but subtle. Naruto had learned that the hard way after the birds and bees speech.
"Because I h… hate him." Naruto said with slight hesitation in his voice.
"You do? So why did you waver when you said you hate him?" Kushina asked. Naruto tried to disconnect his eye contact with his mother but found it very hard to do. When he gave no reply, Kushina smiled a little. "Because you don't…" She stated. Naruto snapped his eyes closed and grabbed his head.
"I-I do… I h-hate him… I don't…" Naruto said with less and less certainty. "I-I can't… can't find it in me… to hate him." Naruto said in a solemn voice. "I understand that he can't take another couple's kid and seal kyuubi in the kid but… I don't want to…" Kushina titled her head in confusion.
"You don't want to what?"
"I don't want to understand… it makes sense that he use his own kid for it… but I don't want it to. It's just not fair that I'd be subjected to the village's scorn for it. I want to hate him for doing this to me; I want him to pay for what he's done." Naruto told her, holding back his tears.
"Why not? Why don't you want to understand?" Kushina asked.
"I don't expect you to understand but I just don't want to. My life sucks because of the sealing and I just want to hate him… but I can't, I just can't find it in me to hate him." Naruto said. "I know I'm being redundant but I just don't know how else to put it." Kushina frowned a little and wrapped Naruto in a hug.
"Naruto… if you hold a grudge then you're only stopping your own happiness…" Kushina said as she ruffled his hair. Naruto grunted but nodded his head.
"I get what you're trying to tell me, but I'm still mad at him." Naruto said. Kushina smiled and hugged him closer.
"But you don't hate him."
"But I'm still mad at him." Naruto said again but Kushina shrugged it off.
"It's progress." She stated as she suddenly felt a cold breeze pass by. "L-Let's go inside, it's getting cold out here." Naruto nodded his head as he and Kushina jumped off the tree and walked towards Konoha. Kushina slightly turned her head and glared at the forest behind her.
'Someone's out there… they were watching me and Naruto… the only questions is who are they were after and what for?' Kushina thought.
"Mom?" Kusina blinked and looked forward to see Naruto looking at her oddly. "Are you ok?" Kushina nodded her head and walked up to him
"Yeah, just a little exhausted from today's missions." Naruto nodded his head and turned around, heading for the Uzumaki Compound. Kushina fell into step with him and was about to ask him something but he beat her to it.
"You felt it too?" Naruto asked. Kushina nodded her head, though a little surprised he felt it too. "I felt it earlier today. I found it odd that whoever it is hasn't attacked yet. At first I thought nothing of it but now…" Kushina nodded her head, not needing to hear the rest.
"Just be careful next time you leave Konoha." Naruto nodded his head and the rest of the trip home was silent.
[*.*.*.*]
The next day, the sun decided to rest behind some rain clouds while a strong breeze travelled around the area. The coldness it brought made many shiver for those who left their skin unprotected.
Naruto panted as he sat down and laid his head on Hinata's lap. She smiles as she passes her fingers through his blond locks. His sweat rolls down his face as Hinata giggles, in turn, making him smile.
After a short confrontation, Naruto was able to make a sort of truce with his father last night. He promised to talk about it more at a later time though it was never specified when. His father and mother left early that morning to go on a mission given to them by Tsunade so Naruto didn't get a chance to say goodbye.
"Tired already dobe?" Naruto looks up and glares at Sasuke who was barely able to stand. Ever since Tsunade woke him up from his comatose state, he's been nothing more than a prick with a stick shoved up his… "Sad and here I thought you were actually strong." Sasuke turned around and walked away while Kakashi slapped his face with his right hand.
"And here I thought he gave up the whole 'solemn avenger' theme." Kakashi said to himself. Haku entered the training ground a second before Sasuke left.
"Hey Sasuke!" Hkau said happily but Sasuke looked at her before scoffing and walking away. Haku frowned and watched as he left. "What's his problem?" She asked after walking up to Naruto and Hinata. Hinata shook her head with a shrug and Naruto rested his head back on Hinata's lap.
"Who knows… then again, it could be because of his run in with his brother about two months ago." Naruto answered non-chalantly closing his eyes. Haku looked back to where Sasuke disappeared to and then back at Hinata and Naruto. "So what's up Haku?"
"Nothing much, I came to talk to Sasuke for a while but I guess that's not happening. Anyways, I got a message from Hokage-sama saying that she wants you to come to her office, along with Hinata and Sasuke but I guess he's out." Haku said.
"Well, since Sasuke left and you two are too tired to continue training, I might as well check up on a certain someone. Bye!" Kakashi eye smiled, waved and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Haku then noticed that Hinata was looking at her oddly. "What?" She asked.
"So you and Sasuke huh?" Nartuo said without looking up or opening his eyes, voicing Hinata's thought and making Haku blush. "Did I get it right?" Naruto asked sitting upright and looking around. He smiled and nodded his head when he saw Hinata nod while closing her eyes with a smile and saw Haku's blush. "I'm just that good." Naruto said leaning back down on Hinata's lap. Haku pouted.
"Are you going or not?" Haku asked as she avoided eye contact from anyone. Naruto smiled as he did a rising handspring to stand and stretch his limbs. Then, being the gentleman he is, he held out his hand to help Hinata, who was sitting on her legs, stand. She giggled as she grabbed his hands and stood. "Well, I'm going to go find Shino-kun then, bye." Haku waved to them as she walked back from where she came from and vanished within a group of trees.
"Think there's something going on there?" Hinata asked. Naruto shook his head but then looked into space and shrugged.
"Maybe, I mean from what I heard, those two have been hanging around each other more often." Naruto answered.
"And where did you hear that from?" Hinata asked.
"Well, I went looking for Shikamaru to ask him something but instead ran into Ino and she started talking about… well something, I'm not sure, I blanked out at that point but before I did, I heard her say something about Haku and Shino hanging out together." Naruto closed his eyes and with a sigh, shook his head. "I wonder if she ever trains instead of gossiping." Naruto commented. Hinata playfully slapped his left arm before grabbing his left hand with her right hand and intertwining them.
"Of course she does, she just likes gossiping more." Hinata added. Naruto chuckled as Hinata rested her head on his shoulder. As they entered the civilized area of Konoha, Naruto and Hinata were subjected to glares of hatred, annoyance, jealousy and animosity.
Majority of the animosity was held towards Naruto and he would occasionally glare back. The small amounts of glares directed to Hinata were from Naruto's fan girls, jealousy and annoyance being most of it. The rest were given to Naruto from veteran shinobi, the older generation or from a small amount of fan boys that had formed since the Chunnin Exams. Naruto's glare hardened whenever he spotted them.
It was barely noticeable to anyone else but Naruto had noticed that a small amount of boys around his age started to take notice of the shy Hyuga princess. Ever since Naruto was able to convince her to drop the thick jacket, it's been hell for him ever since. Not only did some of the others his age hate him for the influence they got from their parents, but now their hatred only increased from the jealousy and envy they felt towards him.
However, even under those circumstances, Naruto could only smile as he realized that he was the first one to discover the beautiful diamond in the rough. His hold on Hinata's hand tightened as he closed his eyes in content. Even with her light lavender sweater with the Hyuga symbol on the left shoulder, navy blue capris and blue ninja shoes, Hinata was the most beautiful girl Naruto had ever seen.
Hinata smiled as she continued walking towards the Hokage Tower. She looked at Naruto and studied the clothing he wore. He wore a black sleeveless jacket with two thick orange stripes on the side and it flowed as another cold wind passed through, just like the long sleeve orange shirt under it. His black hakama pants that also had two thick orange stripes on the side, not unlike his jacket. The softness of the fingerless glove he wore brushed against Hinata's skin and his black ninja shoes fell in step with her. She looked up and frowned a little, hating the fact that he hid his handsome face behind a black mask with an orange line going across his nose horizontally.
Hinata shrugged it off though when she felt more glaring eyes being placed on her. She smiled smugly as she looked back and saw many girls crowded together looking at Naruto with admiration and then at her with envy. She stuck her tongue out playfully before letting go of Naruto's hand and hugging him tightly.
Naruto opened his eyes and looked down at her. He chuckled when he saw her glaring back at the fan girls that followed behind them. Deciding that she shouldn't be the only one to mess with their fans, Naruto placed his right thumb and index finger on Hinata's chin and made her look at him. He stopped and turned towards her and softly passed his thumb over her left cheek while they looked at each other in the eyes. Both were mesmerized by the sheer intensity of the other's stare and Hinata blushed before Naruto began kissing her lovingly on the lips.
Both smiled as they felt the air thicken and the killing intent rise around the area. Naruto wrapped his arms around the small of her back while she wrapped her arms around the base of his neck. The killing intent was so high that all civilians ran inside a building and hid, too afraid to even look up. Now, the only ones outside were the fan girls and boys and Naruto and Hinata.
Wanting to make her fan boys angrier, Naruto made a bold move and groped Hinata's butt cheek with his right hand. It was a quick one but was slow enough for all who were watching to see. Hinata had 'eep'ed but Naruto was glad she didn't do anything else. His instincts then kicked in and Naruto, along with Hinata, body flickered away before a hail of kunai and shuriken bombarded the area they were in not too long ago.
After appearing on the roof of the Hokage Tower, Naruto sighed in relief along with Hinata who almost had a heart attack. She looked up at Naruto and slapped his face and blushed. Naruto held his right cheek in pain as he looked at Hinata with a puzzled expression.
"Don't ever grope me like that…" Hinata said before trailing off, saying something to low for Naruto to hear.
"What?" He asked as he placed his left hand behind his left ear to let him hear better. Hinata's blushed deepened as she blinked multiple times before settling her sights on her feet.
"Don't ever grope me like that… in public." She said and Naruto smiled and kissed her hastily on her cheek. He smiled as he dropped his right from its place on his cheek.
"Deal." Naruto said with a lecherous smile.
"I'm sorry." She apologized after seeing the redness of his cheek but Naruto still smiled.
"It's ok, besides I heard kissing an injury helped heal it." Naruto said before Hinata brought his face down and kissed the cheek she slapped. His smile widened as he placed his right hand behind his head and rubbed it. "See, I already feel better. Come on, I'm sure baa-chan is probably getting impatient by now." Naruto said and Hinata giggled.
-----
Tsunade impatiently tapped her fingers on her desk. If what she asked for didn't come through her door in the next minute, she knew she would go ballistic. With a faint knock, the door opened and Tsunade stood from her seat.
"It's about-oh, it's just you two." Tsunade said as Naruto and Hinata walked into her office. She sighed as Naruto and Hinata walked up to her desk.
"Well sorry to disappoint you baa-chan but-" Naruto brought Hinata and himself down as Tsunade threw a thick book his way. "Hey! Careful now! Hinata'-chan's with me, baa-" He ducked again but this time, narrowly escaped a newly sharpen kunai that was aimed for his forehead. Nodding towards Hinata, both jumped back, eager to put some distance between them and an angered Tsunade.
"H-Hokage-sama, please calm down. Naruto-kun, apologize to Tsunade-sama." Hinata pleaded hesitantly. Tsunade eyed her suspiciously but smiled when she scolded Naruto. Naruto looked hard-pressed not to apologize but thanks to a glare from Hinata, Naruto hung his head in defeat.
"Sorry b… Hokage-sama." Naruto apologized, leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Tsunade laughed and sat back in her chair.
"It's ok brat!" She bellowed but Naruto glared at her and then look at Hinata.
"Tsunade-sama, don't you think that was a little rude. Naruto-kun did apologize after all." Hinata said, which stopped Tsunade's laughter as she stared Hinata down.
"Oh, are you saying I should apologize to the brat?" Tsunade said, intensifying her stare but Hinata didn't back down. She might have wavered a bit but didn't back down.
"Beg for forgiveness actually." Naruto lowly added. Hinata lightly hit him in the stomach.
"I'll handle this." Hinata said to him. "I think it would be the right thing to do." Hinata said. Tsunade continued looking at Hinata before smiling and sitting back against her chair.
"I like you Hinata. Alright then, I accept your apology Naruto and am sorry for calling you 'brat'." Naruto pouted but nodded his head. "You have some girl there brat, you better not lose her." Tsunade added. Naruto was about to say something but decided against it, not wanting to go into another argument. After what he just been through, he had an epiphany.
No man would ever win in an argument with woman, EVER! Only a woman can defeat another woman in an argument.
Remembering this and engraving it into his heart and mind, Naruto sighed as he sat down on the empty chair near him. Hinata sat down on the chair adjacent to him and both waited for Tsunade to speak.
"So, I'm guessing your both wondering why you're here. Well, I'll tell you, I want you two and your other teammate to go on a mission for me." Tsunade said as she hid her smile behind her intertwined hands.
"You three, along Shikamaru, will go to Suna and give their temporary Kazekage a scroll that I already gave to Shikamaru. You'll wait for them to write a reply and return with the reply. This mission should last for at least a week and a half. Any longer and I'm send another team after you three, got that?" After seeing both nod their heads, Tsunade continued.
"Go pack accordingly and meet up your chunnin leader in an hour. You're dismissed." Naruto and Hinata nodded again as they left and went to look for their fourth and final member to the mission.
[*.*.Three Days Later.*.*]
Shikamaru groaned as he walked past the desolate dessert with Team 7. As his first mission as a chunin, Shikamaru was given a C-rank mission. He had to travel to Suna, give their next-in-charge the new alliance sroll, and return with their answer.
Naruto was currently giving a piggy-back ride to a tired Hinata who was asleep at the moment. They had been going at it for a while without stopping and Shikamaru was starting to tire from it as well. Naruto however was not saying a word. In fact, he actually looked to be deep in thought.
Sasuke, however, had Shikamaru doubting his need to be on the mission. He would pick fights with Naruto or aggravate the lazy chunnin. With a sigh, Shikamaru fell into step with his teammates. As much as he hated to admit it, he did want to stop by Suna and pay a certain Suna kunoichi a visit.
After the invasion failed, Gaara and his siblings stayed in Konoha's hospital to recover from their wounds. Oddly enough, it was Shikamaru who paid Temari a visit as she recovered. After a short game of who would blink first, Shikamaru gave in and asked if she wanted to play a quick game of shogi. She had denied at first but given her circumstances and lack of ability to do much else, she agreed.
Shikamaru was surprised, to say the least when she had managed to corner his king but recovered and ended up winning but if only by luck. Smirking at the memory of many failed yet close attempts to win courtesy of Temari, Shikamaru was eager to visit the young blond and go at it once more.
Unfortunately, Team 7 and Shikamaru were oblivious to the cloaked figure that followed not too far behind. Because the cloak's color was eerily similar to the sand, he was very hard to spot. Under the hood of his cloak, the figure smirked as he and Team 7 neared Suna. After finally seeing his targets leave the sanctuary of their home, the figure followed quietly and eagerly.
Stray travelers and peddlers weren't enough anymore, the figure needed to target more interesting victims. After an exhausting three days worth of travelling, the figure smirked as Suna's Northern gates came in sight.
Oh, how much fun he knew this was going to be. Seeing a blond haired girl and a red haired boy standing outside the gates, the figure knew his mission would get ever more interesting, seeing as his master's third target was within sight, the figure could only resist the urge to laugh. He and his partner would get rewarded very handsomely very soon.
I don't know what to add except to review and have fun on Turkeyday! Which is tomorrow so yeah… Oh hahaha how whipped is Naruto?! hahahah Damn....
Next Chapter: Into the heart of Suna, place of sand, wind and matchmaking?
Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it!
