The Atma Chronicles

By

Narakusnoone

Disclaimer: So Last Chapter I revealed that Sasuke and Naruto had an actual blood connection. I don't think I have much else to reveal for a few chapters yet so expect no real major revelations for at least 3 to 4 more chapters. Most of what I'm going to do is work on character development for the next few chapters so don't get disappointed. But, This particular chapter is going to contain a little bit of fluff in between Naruto and Hinata so expect a bit of a change in their relationship. Anyway, Naruto just came back from the anthill. How are you by the way?

Naraku: Have I mentioned that I hate you?

All the time. Now, are you ready to do the disclaimer?

Naraku: (Heaves a heavy sigh) What'll happen this time if I'm not up to snuff?

Do you really want to know?

Naraku: On second thought, Do your own damn disclaimer. And go ahead, put me through whatever hell you're going to. I can take it.

But, It's no fun with a willing victim.

Naraku: I know.

Okay.

Naraku: Okay?

Okay. (Grabs Naraku) Say it or I start kicking you in the nuts repeatedly with a spiked boot.

Naraku: Fuck you. (WHAM!) you weren't kidding. (WHAM!) (In a high pitched voice) You didn't give me a chance to tell you no again. (WHAM!) Alright. I'll do it. Narakusnoone doesn't own anything.

I knew you'd see things my way.

Naraku: (Barely audible pitch) I hate you. I really do.

Chapter 34: Teenagers

It had been two days since the prison break and Gato was not happy in the slightest. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND THEM?! IT'S NOT THAT HARD! THIS IS AN ISLAND WITH NO WAY OFF!"

"We've searched high and low boss. They're nowhere to be found."

"WHAT THE HELL AM I PAYING YOU FOR!? IF THEY'RE NOT FOUND BY SUNDOWN TODAY, I'LL-"

"Calm down shorty." came the clear voice of Zabuza from behind him. "The only one you should be mad at is yourself and you know it. You underestimated your opposition and then made to look like a fool because of it. And one more thing to note, you made yourself a sitting duck at that failed execution. Had the people involved felt so inclined, they could have killed you. And then what? Where would your power be? What would become of all your plans? You were this close to your own death. Where was your money? Where was your power?"

Gato didn't want to hear this, least of all from a hired killer. But still it calmed him down. Then he said, "Fine. If that's the way they want to play, then I say, we start killing them off. I want every single one of the conspirators dead by the end of the week. And you are going to be the one to kill them Zabuza. Do it, and I'll double what I'm already paying you."

"No Thanks." said Zabuza.

"What!?"

"We're dealing with real pros here shorty. They will be expecting retaliation in some way. While they may not know of my involvement, if I were to make a move and be discovered, it would put them on the defensive that much quicker. If that were to occur, we would be up shit creek by the time all the pieces are in place, so it would be a better move to wait. Trust me." said Zabuza.

Gato was sitting there with a pensive look on his face. While on the outside, he was contemplating what Zabuza was saying, on the inside, he was thinking about how he was going to kill those people who dared to humiliate him. So he physically agreed with Zabuza, but silently, and in his rage, he was about to make a mistake that would cost him dearly.

Team 7 was watching the bridge today and there was quite a turn out too. Most of the people who quit were back at work and several people who were too afraid to help in the beginning were coming out in droves to help because, slowly, the fear of Gato was thinning. Tazuna estimated that with the amount of workers he was getting and at the pace they were moving, the bridge would be finished in two weeks at the most. And silently, Tazuna thanked whatever force in Heaven that had sent these Konoha nin to his aid because he was sure that without them, he would probably be dead by now. And another good thing to note, Gato's thugs had become less inclined to bully the people around in fear of retaliation from whatever force that had been responsible for their weakness and humiliation the other day. And Tazuna was exceptionally grateful for Naruto's talk with Inari.

The day after their talk, right after school, Naruto started to teach Inari the Tree Walking exercise. Now at first, Inari didn't understand why he was being taught something so boring but Naruto said that it was in essence a vital skill that would help him in the long run because not all skills needed to be combat related. Sometimes, the most mundane things taught better lessons than just outright learning the harder stuff. He said the basics were the basis upon which all the advanced skills were derived and that knowing the basics essentially made it easier to grasp the advanced skills when it eventually became time to learn them.

One other thing of note that happened is that Hinata started to become more bold where Naruto was concerned. And just to be clear, she didn't care if he was respectively the heir of more than one Kage or that he was the heir to the once great nation of Uzu no Kuni. What really got her to be more bold was that she found out that she could spend a long time at his side and she was bound and determined to start being by his side no matter what. But, she had no idea where to start. For the longest time she had admired him from a distance and that seemed fine for awhile but she was getting sick and tired of waiting on him to notice her so she made the decision to make him notice her. The problem was, she had no idea where to start. She very well couldn't get advice from Sakura or Ino because neither of them had any real luck getting their crush to really notice them. And Kurenai was, as far as Hinata knew, a confirmed bachelorette. Tenten didn't look like she was interested in a boyfriend so she was out of the question. That just left two people, and they were people Hinata barely knew, Tsunami and Luna.

Speaking of Luna, she was back preaching on the street corners and in higher spirits than before. And the people were listening more attentively than before because before then they had no reason to believe that there were any Gods. But, after witnessing the botched execution along with finding out that their friends and families were beyond Gato's influence, it was safe to assume that there was such a thing as divine intervention. Anyway, Today she was preaching about the the legendary Pen of Hilda and her gift of diplomacy. "For behold, When Marcet gave the people the dagger from his belt, Hilda looked on the creatures and was saddened because she knew that violence alone would lead them unto ruin. So, Behold, she took from her satchel a simple quill pen, no magic, no tricks, and set it on the world and the creatures took hold of it and behold they felt enlightened to instead of solve all their problems with violence, to sit across from each other and speak about their their problems and come to an agreement not made by war, but by true compromise. And behold, they took the pen and created the first treaty, and signed their names to it, and it was good." and she just kept spreading the words of the Gods without fear. And there was even a little cheer from the people. And it was pissing Gato off.

Nearly everyday, Gato had been getting a report of this girl preaching. Up till now it hadn't bothered him. But as of late, It got on his nerves because this girl was trying to actually inspire the people of Wave to Hope once more, and she was actually succeeding, especially since the Execution gone wrong. The people he once had under his thumb were fighting back. He wasn't scaring them anymore. Finally he had enough.

(At Gato's Hideout)

He was currently in his office. There was no one with him. He was currently on a phone. "Cagnazzo, you and I have worked well in the past. I want you here within a week. I have a few people I want you to kill."

On the other line, a dark and sinister voice answered, "I assume that I will be well compensated as usual?"

"You may name your price." then the voice on the other side began to laugh and it wasn't long before Gato was laughing too.

(Back at Tazuna's House – Early Evening)

It had been a long day at the bridge, but it had been a productive one. Hinata, first thing when she got home asked if she could talk to Tsunami and Luna in private. Tsunami said that they could talk after dinner. So Hinata decided to go watch Neji practice. Ever since he got that scroll, he had been working on it every day. Naruto had left a few shadow clones for him to practice on. But when she got to where Neji was, he was working on his standard Jyuken with Hasrayo watching. Hasrayo was teaching him a skill he had learned after traveling for many years. Hinata didn't know what skill though as Neji was just standing there with his eyes closed while standing in the position forThe 64 Palms Of Divination. But his Byakugan was not active. Then Hasrayo said, "Now Strike!" Neji opened his eyes and struck at the last Shadow Clone left. After he was done the clone dispelled. "Good! 34 out 64 tenketsu hit without the Byakugan. You're getting there." Hasrayo said proudly.

"Thank you Hasrayo-sensei." said Neji.

"Ojii-sama? What are you teaching Neji-Niisan?"

"I'm teaching him how to sense the Tenketsu without the use of the Byakugan. After all, Hokuto Jyuken was created by a man who didn't have the Byakugan and so he had to sense them out." said Hasrayo.

"But how did you learn?" asked Neji.

"I learned the hard way. I really didn't have time to sit down and learn how. I learned through 5 years of trial and error and learning this skill nearly killed me several times. And I've only passed this skill on to two other people, my daughter and my son. You should consider yourself lucky that I'm passing it on to you. Because, quite frankly, there will come a time when your Byakugan will be rendered obsolete, and you will need a back up plan." then he turned to Hinata. "What about you Hinata? Would you like to learn too? No saying that you absolutely have to." he finished with a smile.

"Actually," started Hinata, "I'm trying to increase the distance that my Byakugan can see for my Archery."

"A noble endeavor." then Hasrayo took note of how Hinata seemed a little strange about something. Then he said, "Neji, I want you to go forty meters out of my sight and meditate. It will help open your senses better. I'll be there in a few minutes." Neji simply nodded his head and made to leave. When he was gone, Hasrayo turned to his granddaughter and said, "Alright. What's on your mind?" Hinata looked down. Was she really that see through? "Hinata. Remember what I told you the first day after you came to live with us? You can talk to us about anything. So, what's on your mind?" she didn't say anything. "I see. Well then, let me guess. Is it about someone you know? Like Naruto?"

She allowed a small blush to come to her face and then ever so delicately nodded. "I want him to see look at me as more than a friend. But I'm scared that if I approach him, I may end up ruining the friendship we have."

"Hinata, I was well into my 40's when I met the love of my life, your grandmother. Hell, The first time Hiashi approached me about courting Hitomi, I nearly lost it because I thought that things were moving too fast. But the fact of the matter is, people find love in their own time, not on the schedule of others. And just so you know, while I think time is moving a little too fast for my taste where you are concerned, I'm still going to tell you to follow your heart . Besides, Naruto may be able to hide it from most others, but I can see he harbors the same feelings for you as you do for him. Now does that mean I'm gong to just up and except him? The only thing I can say there is maybe. Mostly because, he's a lot like me in a way. But truth be told, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I mean, honestly, while I think that you'd be perfect together, I'm not a hundred percent sure that you understand what you're getting yourself into. That boy is a warrior born. The art of combat comes naturally to him. But he's also damaged. Much of his social interaction has left him a scarred and somewhat serious kinda person. He tries to hide his pain and he really doesn't understand the idea of love. That's mainly because he's never really been shown what love is. That's where you come in Hinata. If you truly with all your heart love him, then it will be up to you to show him. But understand now, if he touches you in anyway so as to cause you harm or in a perverted way, I'll kill him. Make sure he understands that before you get into this." Then he made his way to leave and get Neji. But before he was out of sight he said, "Don't let the fear of what could be keep you from pursuing what you have your heart set out to do." and then he was gone leaving Hinata to herself with a little more courage but still the same amount of uncertainty.

And where was Naruto? Well, the first thing he did when they got back was ask if he could get a little training in before dinner. After being given an affirmative, courtesy, of Gai, he went out to a clearing that he had been using on his days off. He saw that the only other person there was Inari who was trying to get higher and higher on the tree he was working on. All in all, he was doing pretty well for a child of eight having made it 10 feet up the tree. And that was only a few days after learning the exercise.

Anyway, Naruto brought out his scroll. He was looking through it contents carefully. Finally, he stopped at the very end of the scroll. He made sure that no one was looking before he unsealed his little dagger. Inari was distracted by the pop and fell down with a loud "Umph!" then he went over to where Naruto was and looked over his shoulder. "Oh wow!" he said watching as Naruto examined the Dagger.

This brought Naruto out of his examination as he turned to face Inari. But instead of being mad, he was calm. "It is a beautiful piece, isn't it?" then he said, "You know who I got this from?" Inari shook his head. "I got this from then Colonel Mifune now the Lord over all The Land of Iron's forces." Inari opened his mouth in awe. "I was three at the time. He was there to share a drink with his old friend, The Hokage. I didn't know anyone was in there with him, so I barged in. It was my third birthday and I always saw the old man on my birthday. Anyway, he greeted me like always and I sat down on his lap. When I noticed the other guy, I asked who he was. When I knew who he was I asked him what he was. He told me that he was one of the best swordsmen on this side of the continent. So I was in awe but then I asked why he wasn't the best. His answer was, Because the best had to do to much work to stay the best, having to fight every other day, so no peace, having people coming out to find him so they could be trained by him and even then with only the idea of being the best themselves, so no real students, and he would have to train every day to be the best as long as he can, so no breaks. Then we all shared a laugh. I asked if he could show me some cool sword moves. That's when he pulled the dagger from his belt and handed it to me and told me to hold it. I didn't know what I was doing but I held it best I could. He looked me over a minute and then said something to the old man. Then he told me that I had a swordsman's grip. As I was about to hand the dagger back he said I could I could keep it as long as I promised to become a master swordsman someday. I gave him my word and promise, and I never go back on a promise. I only started training with a real sword a little over a month ago. But I will become the greatest swordsman the world has ever known. But that's a long time off." he finished with a smile. "Especially if I slack on my training. Yugao-sensei will kill me if I don't keep my skills sharp." then he resealed the dagger and unsheathed Kougamaru and got into a standard Kenjutsu stance. Then he said to Inari, "You may not want to stand too close." and then he went to work practicing. A little later, Sasuke came along and told them that dinner was ready. They were about fifteen minutes from the house so they had a little ways to go and it was a clear, cool evening.

The stars were glittering above and the new moon was on the horizon give the stars a greater chance to shine and look upon the world. The color of the sky was reminding Naruto of Hinata's beautiful dark blue hair, and from that reminder alone, Hinata's full face came into Naruto's mind. And as it came into his mind, a little smile came to Naruto's face, but, it was one of the rare true smiles he ever let go. And then he let out a little sigh.

"Yen for your thoughts, Dobe?" asked Sasuke.

"Just thinking." replied Naruto.

"It wouldn't happen to be about Hinata would it?" asked Sasuke with a small jeer.

"And what if it is?" asked Naruto without losing a beat.

"Dude? Tell her." said Sasuke.

"Does he mean that pretty girl with the lavender eyes?" asked Inari. "Yeah, tell her."

"You don't even know what we're talking about, do you?" asked Sasuke.

"No." replied Inari.

"Hey, Inari? Could you run on ahead? Me and Sasuke have to have a talk. And if you don't mind, kindly don't tell anybody what we're talking about." said Naruto.

"Anything for you, bro!" Inari said as to assure them. And then he ran ahead.

When he was gone, Naruto took on a serious expression. "Say I tell her Sasuke. Say I tell her I think about her as much as she thinks about me. Say I tell her that I would give up my entire world just to stay by her side. Say I tell her that I love her with both heart and soul. What then? Would our love save her from being persecuted by the masses that plague me continually? Would our love stop all the hate that is pointed at me? Will our love be allowed to go on when my power fully manifests and everyone knows exactly what I am? Can love save the children we may have from scorn, hate, and any hurt they may receive simply for existing? How can I tell her?"

"So, you would break her heart just to protect her? No forget breaking her heart, it would kill her. Hell Dobe, She's only as strong as she is now because of you. You made her want to grow stronger, You give her the strength to face each day, more confident than the last. If you were to reject her, she'll end up going back into her shell deeper and and more dangerous than before."

"Don't you think I know that!?" Naruto said with tears in his eyes. "But, I'm afraid." he said, barely above a whisper.

"Then stop being afraid. You have all the right in the world to be happy. And she will make you happy. And I guarantee, she will not regret one moment of it. Now, tell her. The sooner the better." said Sasuke.

"And since when did you become such a master on relationship's?" asked Naruto trying to psyche up his humor.

"While you may have a point, I can't sit by and let the closest person I have to a brother throw away the best thing that could ever happen to him. Now as I said, tell her. Please." said Sasuke looking Naruto square in the eye.

Naruto looked away from Sasuke. Then he asked, "How can I tell her? I had a hard enough time asking for a real sword. How exactly do you propose I tell Hinata that I'm over the moon for her?"

"Dobe, just be yourself. Be the one she cares about. You don't have to be all flowers and and candy for her. Just you being your regular, goofy old self will be enough for her. Trust me." said Sasuke with a smile on his face. "Besides, If it comes down to the people harassing you both, just remember two things. One, you are my cousin and I can politically protect you simply because our parents are related, and Two, now that you know exactly who your parents were, you can throw that in the peoples face at anytime."

"It won't be that simple. It's been established that both my parents were Half-breeds. You'd be surprised how many people will go from worshiping the ground my father walked on to cursing him simply for existing and rising above the station allotted for him by society. It's human nature Sasuke. And it would only be a matter of time before they demand his likeness be removed from the mountain."

"That's just your hypothesis. Now here's mine. Say they do find out that your parents were Half-breeds, they would have to openly admit their hypocrisy and spend an enormous amount of time trying to spin things in their own favor just to justify themselves but by the time they're done, You may find that a lot of people will be on your side while those who were directly responsible for your suffering end up looking like the bad guys. Take everyone else on this mission for example. They know what you are and wouldn't have you any other way, especially Hinata. Now quit being the idiot you pretend to be, muster up the amount of courage you inspire in others, and tell her." said Sasuke with finality.

Naruto stopped, took a deep breathe and let out a defeated sigh. "I guess, I guess I can't run from it anymore, can I? Alright, I'll... I'll do it first thing when the mission is over."

"I'd do it before." said Sasuke. "You never know what's going to happen, so I'd tell her as soon as I can. But hey, who am I to tell you what to do? I'm pretty sure she's having this debate with herself as we speak. And I warn you now, If you don't tell her by the time the mission is over, I will. Now come on, the food must be getting cold."

"Bet I beat you there." Naruto said as he started to run.

"Is that a fact?" said Sasuke as he joined the race.

Late into the evening found Hinata, Tsunami, and Luna sitting at the kitchen table. Hinata seemed a little anxious, but Tsunami and Luna were willing to give her all the time she needed. So steeling her resolve and mustering up her courage she asked, "How do you tell when you're in love?"

Tsunami smiled at the little girl. "That is the question that plagues the hearts and minds of many. It easy to say that you know, but at the same time you don't. I first thought I loved Budou when I was barely into my early 20's. And we were happy together for two years before he started to lose himself. I was hurt when he died, there's no mistaking that, but, I eventually moved on and found love again with Kaiza. But again, circumstances beyond our control took him as well. And again, I was sad when he died as well. Yet, I refuse to give up hope that I can fall in love again."

Then Luna said, "I don't really know about love, but I know about extreme like. There were plenty of boys back in Religia that liked me, but, I never saw myself with any of them. And then when I first arrived on this side of the continent, I met this strange yet at the same time wonderful person. I met him while he was crying about something, though what, I don't know. But he was kind and considerate, and I have to admit, he was quite handsome. But, I'm essentially a nun. I am married to the church. After all, the Church gave me a home, took care of me, taught me a way of life that I'm afraid to turn my back on because I don't want to come off as ungrateful. But, I do want to love and be loved. And yet, I honestly have no idea where to start. But you, you are feeling things that make you elated, happy, willing to take on any abstacle, aren't you? You probably understand love more deeply than you think you know. All you need to do is embrace your feelings. After all, Kodoki did not give us emotions just so we could ignore them. He wanted us to embrace them. So don't be afraid. Now what's this about?"

"Well, actually, it's about my crush, I mean teammate, Naruto. As of late I've been thinking about him more and more, and the more I think about him, the more I want to be at his side." said Hinata.

Then Tsunami smiled and said, "This sounds like more than a crush dear. Do you want him to look at you as more than a friend?" Hinata, not trusting her own voice, nodded. "Do you want him to look at you the same way you look at him?" again Hinata nodded. "Do you feel that you would do anything just to stand by his side?" Hinata looked away blushing. "Yep. This is the worst case of 'being in love' that I've seen." Hinata gave a small "eep!" "Don't worry child. You're not the first to harbor these kinds of feelings. Nearly every woman, young and old, has had these feelings. It's only natural. You don't need to be afraid of embracing them. The only time you should hate yourself over them is when you have them and do nothing about them. Take it from an older woman dear. Your young yet, and your heart is leading you to him so let it. He'll come around, I'm sure of it."

"But what if he thinks he doesn't deserve to be happy?" asked Hinata.

"I'm going to read you something." said Luna and she pulled out The Eternal Book. "The book of Fool's Love, Chapter 1, Verse 1. Ahem! 'Behold, the emotion love. Unprejudiced and unwavering. An emotion that comes in many forms. Behold the most powerful emotion that transcends time. Pure, Clean, unconditional, unpredictable. And yet, behold it. All are worthy of it. All deserve it. All can emulate it. Behold it for it is everyone's right to love and to be loved.' Even if he thinks he doesn't deserve it, he does deserve it, more so than most. You often need to assure those who need it that they deserve it. But as long as you remind him, he will thank you for it one day and give back to you a thousand times what you gave him. Because, Chapter 33, the final chapter, last verse says, 'For behold, love is infinite.'" Luna finished with a smile.

"You really think I can be by his side?" asked Hinata.

"He should feel privileged to have a love so pure that you are willing to give him." said Luna.

"Besides dear," started Tsunami, "He will need what you can give. After all, he only recently bared his soul to all of his friends, and while they may have accepted him, there will be plenty who will not. So it will be up to you to stand by his side and give him a reason to face each new day. Take it from a woman who gave her heart more than once."

"Thank you both for taking the time to talk with me." said Hinata, feeling a little bit better.

"No problem." said Luna.

"You're most certainly welcome." said Tsunami.

When Hinata went outside she noticed that most everybody else was asleep. So, she decided to go off to a small lake near the house. It was late at night and no one was around. She decided to practice one of the Kata left by her mother but, she didn't want her clothes to get wet so she took off her clothes and put her foot in to test the water. It felt cool against her bare skin causing goose bumps to appear on her pale, flawless skin.

Meanwhile, in a clearing about eighty meters off, Naruto was getting in some late night training with his sword. He had been at it since the end of dinner and had a lot of things on his mind. But, whenever he trained, he almost always came out of it feeling better for it. Anyway, he felt a little thirsty and went to grab his canteen only to find that it was empty. Luckily, there was a little lake not far from where he was, so he could fill his canteen and get back to training. But when he got there, he noticed something was off.

There was no light except the twinkling stars. But he could almost make out a shape on the water. It was moving this way and that almost as if it was dancing on the water. Then, his nose was hit with the most intoxicating scent he had ever smelled. Something started to move in his stomach, as if a thousand butterflies were taking wing inside of him. Then, he noticed the figure stop moving. Then he heard Hinata's voice asking, "Who's there?" That settled it. He quickly got away from there.

Now mind you, he hadn't seen anything, but part of him was a little disappointed. The other part was scared mainly of what Hasrayo would do if he found out about this little incident. Once he was far enough away he allowed himself to catch his breath. He resolved he would have to tell her about his feelings soon or else he would be destroyed by them. But he still couldn't figure out how to tell her. He took a deep breath and resolved to tell her on their next day off.

R&R.