The Hidden Leaf Village Part 1

Wow, it has been a bit since I last updated. Life got a bit hectic and I was sick like a dog for the past week, so the chapter was half complete for a while. But in any case, here's the update. So let's get on with the story :)

Naruto, Hinata and the Void princess rushed outside of the mansion and looked around for the intruder, only to find no one.

"Where's the person that broke in?" Naruto asked their host.

The Void princess closed her eyes and focused her senses in order to locate the intruder, but there was no one to be found.

"Hmmm…I don't sense anyone anymore." She commented while still continuing her search. "It would appear that whoever tried to follow you here got lost within the pathway that connects the two worlds and could not quite make the jump between dimensions."

"Is that so? I guess I never thought about it since I used your powers to get here, but we are travelling between two worlds. It must be pretty complicated to do." Naruto commented rather curiously. "But who could it be that tried to follow us in here?

The Void princess was now deep in thought. "There is only one other way in which someone could travel between dimensions besides using my powers of the dark or my eyes. That alternative is by using the dimension bending capabilities of the Mangekyou Sharingan."

She looked over to Naruto and Hinata, speculating on the possibilities. "The Uchiha may have someone tracking the two of them, but for that person to have the Mangekyou Sharingan seems unbelievable, given how rare those eyes are amongst the Uchiha. The only other individual who could travel between the two worlds…perhaps…Nine? I must investigate!"

"You look lost in thought. Got any ideas of who it could be?" Naruto asked once more.

"Ah…oh…I'm not sure. I need to think about this." She replied, not sharing the possibilities with them yet.

"Ano…I have a question. Actually, I have a lot of questions but this one is important." Hinata was about to ask her something but at that moment the Void princess' body started to flicker out of existence just like last time.

"Darn it! It seems I've reached my time limit. Unfortunately your question will have to wait until next time." She replied in a hurry. "So, where were the two of you headed?"

"Konoha." The couple answered in unison.

"Konoha…I see….interesting. Alright in that case I'll teleport you back close to the village. Sorry we couldn't talk for longer but there is always next time." With that statement, the couple was hastily teleported back to their world as the Void princess herself disappeared.

Naruto and Hinata dropped right in front of the giant gates to Konoha. It was very late at night and not a single person could be seen around the entrance to the village. The journey turned out to be much longer than expected due to the detours, but they were finally here.

"That was a bit weird how we got teleported out so suddenly, or her disappearance for that matter." Hinata commented on the situation.

"You're right. There's too much we still don't know about her. In any case, for now we did arrive right in front of our destination. Let's head in."

The couple walked in through the doors only to be met by the two guards, Izumo and Kotetsu at the counter.

"Naruto, is that you?" Izumo asked with a look of surprise. "Wow, you've really changed over the last decade."

"And you guys look just the same. Still guarding these doors I see."

"You make it sound like this job is uneventful…which I guess it is." Kotetsu sighed. "But in any case, did something happen during your journey? We were expecting you yesterday evening, yet you're a day late."

"Wait what?" Naruto was confused at this point, so he took out his phone and touched the screen only to find the date to be as normal even though the clock behind the guards showed a different time and an extra day had passed.

"Naruto-kun, listen…" Hinata gently pulled Naruto's head towards her and whispered into his ears only for him to hear. "Remember what the Void princess said. Time passes much more slowly on that other world compared to ours. I think during the short period we were there, an entire day must have elapsed in this world. That's why there is a time discrepancy. It would probably be best if we just played along and said we took a detour to not make this any more complicated."

Naruto nodded in agreement and now looked at the guards to address them. "Yeah well we ended up taking a little detour while getting here. I was a bit surprised at how quickly time flies by when you're with someone you love!"

Hinata instantly blushed at the comment. She didn't quite expect him to say something like that.

Izumo grimaced. "All these young couples and their love stories. Do have some pity on us singles out there."

"I'm still quite impressed to see that a Hyuga and an Uzumaki actually get married, let alone the children of the clan leaders. Given the near endless struggle between the clans I am impressed the two of you get along so well."

"Well, as they say, a peaceful solution is the best solution. Plus we're now working together to help out Konoha. So here's to the future." Naruto replied as he extended his hand to the two.

"We look forward to working with you as well." The two guards replied while shaking his hand.

"So, do you guys know anything about where we are staying?" Naruto questioned.

Izumo nodded his head in response.

"Yes, Sarutobi-sama asked us to give him a call when you arrived. Give me a second." He pulled out a very old looking rotary dial phone from under his desk and started to rotate the dial and got on the call with the current leader of the village.

Both Naruto and Hinata were taken aback by the technology.

"Do people still use those phones?" Naruto whispered to his wife. "I've never seen one being used before."

"I've seen them in museums, but not actually being used though." She replied as she showed Naruto her phone and tapped the screen to activate it. "Look at the reception. I have had no signal since we arrived."

Naruto checked his own phone and there was no reception either. "You're right. There's no signal. What the heck?"

At that moment Izumo handed the receiver of the phone to the Uzumaki's heir. "Sarutobi-sama wishes to speak with you."

Naruto nodded and held the phone to his ear. "Hello, old man? Where the frig are you?"

Hiruzen laughed audibly on the other end. "You haven't changed in all this time at all, have you Naruto? It's great to talk to you again."

"I bet your old ass hasn't changed a bit either!"

"I suppose you're right. I'm not getting any younger, that's for sure." Hiruzen replied. "In any case, I was there yesterday to meet the two of you at the expected time of arrival, but you two didn't show up. I was getting a bit worried but I'm glad you've arrived safely. Were there any issues?"

"Oh no it's fine. I haven't been to the Land of Fire in a long time even though I used to visit so often as a kid with my dad. So me and Hinata took a detour."

"Ah yes it must be nice to be so young and in love huh?" Hiruzen joked, leaving Naruto in a bit of a tough spot. "In any case I'd like to meet you soon but I'm sure the two of you are tired after your long journey, so I've asked Izumo and Kotetsu to escort you to your new house. It's ready. So rest up for tonight and join me for breakfast first thing tomorrow morning at my house. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good. In that case I'll see you tomorrow then."

"I look forward to seeing you then as well." Hiruzen replied and with that the call ended.

"Alright, I'll take you to your new place." Izumo addressed the couple. "While I do that, Kotetsu will bring over dinner from a restaurant."

"Is it okay for you guys to both leave your guard posts?" Naruto asked somewhat curiously.

"It's pretty late now, so our shift is over." Kotetsu explained. "I'll see you guys in a bit."

Thus the other three departed towards Naruto and Hinata's new house. They dashed through the rooftops and very soon reached the outskirts of the village. They had gone the opposite way to the business distract of Konoha, reaching an area that was uninhabited.

"What is this place? Doesn't seem like very many people live here." Naruto commented, given lack of people on the road. Even though it was late, it felt a bit too empty.

"No one lives in this part of the village any more. From the stories I've heard, this district of the village used to once belong to some very powerful clans during Konoha's golden age. Those clans however left the village a long time ago and ever since then this area has been left mostly untouched as we didn't have the resources or manpower to use it. We're not exactly financially well off, neither is Konoha anything in size or population compared to other major ninja villages like Uzushiogakure or Kirigakure."

"I see, that is interesting." Hinata commented as she looked around at the dim moonlit streets with vast open expanses alongside it that could be used as training grounds.

Eventually after a bit more walking, the three reached a nice looking duplex house. It wasn't anything ridiculous in terms of size when compared to the clan houses of the Uzumaki and Hyuga, but this place looked like it would be perfect for a small family.

Both Naruto and Hinata couldn't help but feel excited as they followed Izumo to the door. The guard took out the keys and opened the it. "After you. This will be your new place after all."

The couple walked in and to their absolute shock this place was already familiar to them. They looked around to find a living room with a kitchen area attached. The backyard was absolutely massive. They rushed upstairs to find three bedrooms with their individual toilets attached. As they came back downstairs they couldn't believe what they were seeing. This looked almost like the exact same house as the one in the memory they just saw in the Void world, the house of the Void princess and her parents – the Naruto and Hinata from a thousand years ago. Was it all a coincidence? It was hard to believe.

"So, what do you guys think?" Izumo asked the couple. "It's was pretty old place that apparently belonged to a family a long time ago, but it has since been unoccupied. It used to be a broken down mess, but we refurbished it for the two of you upon the Kazekage's request. I know this is a bit towards the outside of the village, but the area is pretty nice, which you get to have all to yourselves."

"Yes, this is a very great place." Hinata replied genuinely. After the initial shock had worn off, she could appreciate the warmth coming from the place. She could definitely see this as her and Naruto's new house, one that belonged to them alone. It made her feel a great sense of joy.

"I think so too." Naruto agreed while looking around. "I think this is a really nice place as well. Thanks for preparing it for us!"

"No problem." Izumo replied. "Sorry for no furniture though, but I'm sure you two would probably prefer picking out your own anyway, which you can do tomorrow."

"Yeah, that's cool." Naruto nodded as he looked over to his wife. "I'll be counting on you to find the best stuff."

Hinata was pumped. "I'm looking forward to it. Let's both do our best!"

At the same time the doorbell rang and upon opening Kotetsu came in with dinner at hand.

"Sorry it took me a while. All the places had already closed, so this was the only thing I could find. I'm sorry about this." He said while opening up the bag only to reveal several bowls of ramen.

"Are you kidding me? You got them ramen for dinner?" Izumo was annoyed.

"But all the other shops are closed at this time. Ichiraku is the only one that was open, so I thought better ramen than nothing."

Naruto however grabbed Kotetsu with glimmering eyes as he confessed, "I LOVE YOU!"

Kotetsu backed up several steps in fear of the overenthusiasm. "I-Is it r-really okay for you to be s-saying such things in front of y-your wife? That's messed up."

Hinata couldn't help but giggle. "It's fine Kotetsu-san. Naruto-kun has an unbridled love for ramen. Thank you for bringing him the best possible dinner he could have asked for."

"I-Is that so? Well then I'm glad." Kotetsu rubbed his read while feeling silly.

"In that case I suppose we'll leave you two to have your dinner in peace and get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow." Izumo replied and with some farewells shared, the two guards left.

At this point Naruto was licking at his chops to taste the ramen just from the amazing smell. Thus the couple sat down on the ground with their dinner in front of them.

"Alright, let's dig in!" Naruto exclaimed in joy as he took one slurp of the ramen and was sent straight into the heavens above. "OH GOD IT'S SO GOOD! THIS IS THE BEST RAMEN I'VE EVER HAD!"

Hinata took a slurp as well and she herself was overwhelmed by the amazing flavours and texture. It truly was the best ramen she ever had. It just left you wanting more.

"We need to go check this store out for ourselves. This is crazy good!" Naruto barely managed to talk as he gobbled down ramen like a mad man.

"Now Naruto-kun, you remember what your mother said right? Not too much ramen." Hinata reminded Naruto, leading to a saddened expression on his face. "But we should definitely go check out Ichikaru's tomorrow. It really is amazing!"

Naruto now smiled in joy. Hinata was after all in many ways more sympathetic than his mother.

The two finished up dinner while having small talk as usual.

"How about you go take a shower and I clean up in the mean time?" Hinata suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea." Naruto agreed and the two went their separate ways – Hinata towards the kitchen and Naruto upstairs to the bathroom attached to the master bedroom, the one in which the two of them would be staying from now on.

Once Naruto finished taking his shower Hinata switched with him as he now laid out the two futons on the ground for them to sleep in for the night. There was no furniture in the house yet and their belongings would arrive from their respective homes shortly. For now all they brought were their night dresses as a change of clothing. After taking their showers, both of them tugged into their respective futons to call it a night given the long day.

They were trying to get to sleep but something felt a bit off. After 15 minutes or so of constant flipping around, their eyes met as they were now facing each other.

"What's the matter Naruto-kun? Can't fall asleep?" She asked curiously.

"Y-Yeah…" Naruto felt a little shy as he thought of the reason why, but came to the quick realisation that there was no reason to feel reserved about sharing it. She was his wife after all. "I think over the past few weeks I've gotten used to having you next to me while I sleep. It's a little silly given how long I've been sleeping by myself but it's nice to have someone next to you. Sorry if I woke you up."

"Oh no not at all!" Hinata quickly came to his defence and blushed lightly at his honest assertion. "Actually I was having the same issue. I think I've also gotten used to feeling your warmth while I sleep. So I couldn't quite fall asleep myself."

Both Naruto and Hinata couldn't help but giggle at how similarly they felt. It was a small matter but at the same time it meant a lot to them both.

"What do you say, want to share a futon?" Naruto asked her while shifting his body to the edge and lifting up the blanket, revealing some space for Hinata.

It didn't take long before Hinata tugged herself into the same pillow and futon as Naruto even though it was meant for one person. There was no longer even an inch of separation between them. It was cramped and they could have joined their two futons together to make for more space, but they preferred their current unseparated proximity.

"Much better…" Hinata commented while hugging Naruto tightly.

"Although you can be quite rough in your handling of me while you sleep, I think I've gotten used to it." Naruto commented on Hinata's habit of using him as a full on body pillow during her sleep.

Even though she knew about it by now, Hinata couldn't help but feel a little ashamed by her unconscious actions. "A-Am I really that b-bad? I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Naruto now came to her defence. "As I mentioned, I've gotten used to it. Not to mention, I think I've grown to like it, not being able to sleep as well without your embrace."

His words brought a smile to her ace, making her feel happy inside. "In that case I'll be sure to always keep you within my grasp."

"Sure." Naruto gave a simple reply as the two of them closed their eyes and fell asleep shortly afterwards given the long day's tiresome journey.

Unbeknownst to the two of them however, they were being tracked. Far away in the open field in their new backyard, an orange fox stood observing them, its eyes glowing and a complex pattern forming on them. Soon two figures materialised on both sides of the fox, one a man of Uzumaki descent, another a woman of Hyuga descent. They turned their heads to look at the fox standing between them.

"NINE!" Both of them exclaimed in unison.

"Boruto…Himawari…your roles draw nearer once more." The fox, named Nine, said to the two.

"The Great Nine – the one who could singlehandedly end wars, the one whose favors the great nations once sought, why are you doing all this?" Boruto asked the fox.

"The Great Nine – the bringer of hope and calamity alike, why do you care so much for the two of them?" Himawari asked the fox in relation to Naruto and Hinata.

"Nine has been tracking the Uzumaki and Hyuga clans from the days of old. Nine understands that which you do not." The fox explained to the two. "Appreciate this, that those two are the key to the future. They will bring about a great change, and Nine will remain an instigator behind that great change by all means necessary."

"You speak just like the old man." Boruto grimaced while thinking about his father who also believed that two of his descendants would one day bring about a great change.

"But why do you involve the two of us in all of this?" Himawari directed the question at Nine.

"Because the two of you destroyed the past. Now Nine will use whatever remains of that broken past to salvage the future. A future predicated by Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata." The fox explained with a grin on its face and its special eyes glimmering as he looked over at Boruto and Himawari. "You should be honoured, yes? They are your descendants after all."

The siblings glanced at each other and did not have much to say at this point. They were after all just figments of a broken past.

"If you are still able to enquire so much about Nine's actions, then Nine's powers are certainly in full effect. Let us take our leave for now. The time of our confrontation with Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata draws ever closer."

Thus the fox, along with Boruto and Himawari left the area and disappeared within the hidden leaf forest.

Nine will play a very big part in the story as you'll see shortly. He isn't your average fox though, that's for sure, at least from the way he talks. I always kind of wanted to make a character who speaks in 3rd person. I hope others find it as amusing as I do haha!

I do wonder if anyone has pinpointed Boruto and Himawari's father yet. We're getting there, what with the focus on the past and all that. It'd be interesting to know if I've given it away yet or if its still a mystery.

In any case, I hope you liked the chapter. Next time we'll get into Naruto and Hinata's new life in Konoha. It should be fun. Hope to see you then :)