The First Night
Naruto and Hinata sat on opposite sides of the bed while drinking their glasses of lemonade. There was this awkward silence that permeated between them after the events that transpired earlier. Neither knew what to say or how to break through this stalemate. The distance between them created by so many years of separation was rearing its ugly head once more and they both scrambled mentally to think up ways to close it.
"Is it just me or can you just feel the tension between us right now? I bet I could cut it with a butter knife if I had one. You'd think this is the first time we're spending a night together, not a married couple with an eight year old child." Naruto decided to finally come out and express his honest feelings.
Hinata couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's honesty. His trait of always speaking his mind hadn't quite changed. It helped make her feel at ease. "You're right. I think we're both trying too hard. Perhaps we should just be ourselves, just like old times…just like the first time we spent a night together."
Naruto's eyes widened with excitement. "You still remember about that time?"
"Of course. It is still to this day one of my fondest memories."
"It was the same for me too. Maybe we can take a trip down memory lane together. It's nice to remember our humble beginnings."
Flashback Start: 20 years ago
A young Naruto was stoked to be having a friend over for the very first time. Sure it was to study for the upcoming exams, but to have Hinata over was just so exciting. He couldn't wait and thus ran around the house making sure that it looked in perfect condition. Before long the doorbell rang and Naruto rushed over to welcome his guests.
Upon opening the door, Naruto found the usual sight of Hinata gently smiling at him. What he did not expect however was the person that was standing beside her. It was her father, Hiashi, with the usual stoic look on his face.
"EHHH? What are you doing here old man?" Naruto asked as tactlessly as usual.
"Is that any way to welcome your guests, young man?" Hiashi asked back in a somewhat chiding tone. He took it upon himself to become a guardian figure for Naruto in the absence of his father.
"Oh yeah, sorry about that. Come on in." Naruto stepped aside to allow for the Hyuga to enter. Despite that, he was still shocked to see Hinata's father. "But seriously, what brings you here?"
"I'm here to keep an eye out on the two of you. Adult supervision if you will." Hiashi replied as he took off his shoes and the three made their way to the living room.
"I thought you'd send someone else to do that. You're the clan leader after all. Is it okay for someone as important as that to be looking after some children?"
Hiashi sighed. "Unfortunately, being a clan leader has its own set of hardships. Even I get stressed out with work from time to time. Right now, I just wish to be away from the others. This place is the perfect getaway. It always has been."
In the past, whenever Hiashi was tired or frustrated with his clan related work, he would always visit his closest friend in order to unwind. Together the two would spend the night away just relaxing and conversing about trivial matters. Ever since Minato's passing, Hiashi had no one to confide in. The stress had been steadily building up. Thus he took this opportunity to visit his old friend's home and just let loose for a bit. The atmosphere of this house alone had a soothing effect and the memories of the time spent here were precious. Plus he could keep an eye out on the children. It was like killing two birds with one stone.
"In any case, don't mind me. I'll keep myself busy. The two of you can get to studying for your exams." Hiashi instructed as he placed the bag he had been carrying on the dining table. "But before that, let the three of us have dinner first. We bought food along the way."
Thus the three sat down at the dinner table and started eating. It was fun for the kids to be able to eat together like this. Even though Naruto visited the Hyuga compound often, having dinner at his house away from the hustle and bustle of the clan was a great change of pace for both parties.
"Are you eating well while you are at home Naruto?" Hiashi decided to start some small talk and check up on his friend's son.
"Yeah, I'm eating some good food actually. There's someone who leaves me food often and cleans up the house as well. I think the Hokage arranged for it so that I don't have to worry about all that stuff. Pretty convenient if you ask me."
"I see. That is good to know. However as I've mentioned before, if you ever require company you're always welcome at the Hyuga compound any time. Hinata certainly appreciates it."
"Otou-sama is right. Hanabi loves playing with you as well. I mean…I…l-like it too." Hinata stuttered to get the last bit out. She didn't know why she sometimes had difficulty telling Naruto exactly how she felt about certain matters. She never really had such an issue before. Unbeknownst to her though, this was the side effect of her very rapidly developing crush on him, and these feelings were completely foreign to her.
"Thanks guys. I appreciate the love." Naruto responded to the kindness.
Once they finished eating, Hiashi decided to clean up and asked the children to get on with their studies. So Naruto led Hinata to his father's study, a small yet stacked room full of book shelves located right next to the living room. The sheer amount of books and documents in here was staggering, and even Hinata was impressed despite her clan having its own study area as well.
"There're a lot of books in here." She said almost a bit in awe.
"You think so too huh? My dad built this place. He was a really knowledgeable person. Well he had to be since he was going to be the next Hokage after all…" Naruto stopped abruptly as memories of his father overcame him with pain.
"It's been a while since the incident. I know first-hand how difficult it is, but are you managing without your father?"
Naruto quickly snapped himself out of his thoughts. He promised himself he'd be strong just like his father and walk in his footsteps. "Yeah I'm fine. I think I'm getting used to life without him. It's still painful to think about, but lately I've been dreaming about him quite a lot. They feel so different from all other dreams I have. They almost feel so real and I can remember them so clearly. In my dreams, I get to talk to him about everyday life and get to spend time with him like we used to. He even encouraged me to become Hokage. Honestly it's helped me cope with everything a lot better. Do you dream about your mother too Hinata?"
Hinata was a little surprised to hear about Naruto's dreams. The way he described them made them sound so enticing. She wished she could meet her mother too, even if just in her dreams. "I can't say I do. But I'm glad you're feeling better. If you ever need someone to listen to you, I'm always here."
"Thanks Hinata. It always calms me just talking to you about it. It's probably because you understand how I actually feel. I'll tell you more about my dreams when I have them." Naruto felt a strong bond forming with his newfound friend as she went through a lot of the emotional hardships he did from losing one of her own parents. As painful as it was, in its own way the pain brought them together and they appreciated each other for it. "Anyway, let's get to studying for the exam. If I am to become as great as my father one day, I need to study hard and graduate from the academy with top scores just like he did. We might even be able to find some stuff here that'll be of help."
Hinata nodded happily, glad to see Naruto regain his positivity. "Yeah, let's do our best together."
The two children focused on their exam subjects, all the way from ninja world history to mathematics and helped each other in understanding any parts either did not quite get. It was very helpful for Naruto to have someone as intelligent as Hinata explain certain topics to him. For Hinata the studying experience was a lot more engaging and fun with Naruto, whom she adored, as opposed to an older clan member tutoring her in a more formal setting. Thus they both made much greater progress together than they would have individually.
After studying for three hours straight, the two decided to take a quick break and unwind for a bit.
"Hey Hinata, you wanna play a game for a bit? We've been studying for some time now. I think I need to relax for a bit."
"Okay, sure. So what do you have in mind?"
"Cool. Let's go to the backyard first. I'll explain it there."
As the two were about to head to out into the backyard, they found Hiashi dozed off on the couch in the living room by himself. It was a rare sight for Naruto to see the Hyuga clan leader with his guard down. This gave him some silly ideas.
"Your father is asleep!" He said in a hushed tone. "This could be a golden chance!"
"Golden chance? Chance for what?"
"You know, we could like write something unflattering on his face with a permanent marker. I bet he won't see that coming."
"Eh? No! We shouldn't do that. That's terrible Naruto-kun. He's my father and the clan leader. He has a reputation to keep after all."
"Oh come on Hinata, you're no fun. You know it'd be hilarious. He seems a little too uptight."
"He'll get mad. Besides, he'd wake up if you tried to write on his face. He's a ninja after all and a very powerful one at that. He used to be part of your father's team."
"Oh yeah, that's true. I guess I didn't think it through. Oh well, let's head outside and start our game."
Hinata sighed a breath of relief, having subverted a disaster. The more she got to know Naruto, the more she realised how flippant he could be at times. In a way it meant it was never boring being around him, especially considering the more formal environment of her clan. But at the same it could also be tiring keeping the young Uzumaki in check.
"So, what are we playing?" She asked as the two took a stepped on to the backyard and now stood under the starry night sky.
"Hide and seek! You're seeking first and I'm hiding. Come and find me after 60 seconds. LET'S GOOOOO!"
And just like that, Naruto was gone like the wind back inside the house and Hinata was left standing outside dumbfounded. She didn't even get a chance to tell him the advantage she had in this game. Clearly Naruto did not yet know what the Hyuga's eyes were truly capable of. At first Hinata thought it would be unfair to use her Byakugan to locate Naruto's whereabouts, but something inside of her wanted to use it in order to toy around with him. She giggled a bit at the thought and went along with it. Unbeknownst to her, Naruto's personality traits were starting to rub off on her.
Naruto on the other hand was currently hiding inside the closet of his parent's room behind an assortment of clothing. He knew how difficult it would be to find him here. It was now just a matter of biding his time. Eventually after a bit he saw Hinata walk into the room through the small opening between the closet doors. She searched everywhere – under the bed, behind the curtains until slowly making her way over to the closet. Naruto's heart was pounding, but just as it looked like she was about to check the closet, she suddenly turned around and moved away from his field of view. Naruto let out a sigh of relief and giggled inwardly. He had won.
"FOUND YOU!" Hinata shouted as the door to the closet swung open the next moment.
"BWAAAA!" Naruto screamed from the sudden shock of being found and fell face first on to the floor.
Hinata was able to gracefully avoid him, but quickly helped him back up. "Are you okay Naruto-kun?"
"Y-Yeah I'm fine." He replied while rubbing his nose, which he had smacked quite unceremoniously. "But to think you found me. I was sure that was a great hiding spot. Oh well, it's my turn now Hinata. I'll wait outside for 60 seconds. Make sure to hide by then."
Once again like the wind he was gone and Hinata was left to her own devices. She did find an initial hiding spot, but once Naruto started searching for her, she used her Byakugan to pinpoint his location and changed her hiding location accordingly to avoid him every time. Naruto kept trying and trying, but he just could not find her. At first he refused to give him due to his stubborn nature, but eventually he decided to throw in the towel and yelled out to Hinata to show herself.
"I guess I win then." She said from behind him.
"BWAAAAA!" Naruto screamed out once again in shock. He was not expecting her to appear behind him like that at all. "Whoa Hinata, you scared the living daylights out of me! But man, you're too good at this."
"Sorry about that." She apologised but giggled inwardly at the fact that Naruto had no idea of the unfair advantage she had.
"Anyway, even though I lost, it was still a lot of fun playing together. I'll beat you next time though."
"I don't get to play like this too often at the clan, so it was fun for me too. Let's do this again sometime, but for now we should get back to studying."
Naruto agreed and thus the two went back to the study to get back to work. They studied well past midnight and made great progress. It wasn't often that Hinata could stay up this late. It was as though she was breaking all of her clan's usual curfews even though she had her father's permission. It was actually kind of fun.
"Naruto-kun, maybe we should stop for toni…" Before she could finish, Hinata looked over towards her partner and found him out cold, his face laying on top of a text book and him drooling all over it.
Hinata smiled at the sight. It was just so cute seeing Naruto's sleeping face. She saw his hand lying right next to his face on the table and suddenly got the urge to hold it despite not knowing why. He wouldn't mind would he? No, he probably wouldn't. Having convinced herself that, she slowly moved her hand over to his, her heart pounding at the thought of holding his hand, but just as she was about to touch his, Naruto shuffled slightly in position, causing Hinata to jump away from her chair like a bunny rabbit.
"Hinata…I'll find you next time for sure." He whispered in his sleep.
"He's dreaming about me." Hinata sighed a breath of relief as she sat back down next to him. The thought brought a smile to her face and she mustered up the courage to extend her hand and place it on top of his. "It's so warm and strong."
Hinata felt so content right now. She looked at Naruto's peaceful sleeping face once more and became sleepy herself. Thus she laid her head next to his and before long she too was out cold.
Some time later, Hiashi awoke from his impromptu sleep and got up to wash his face. He didn't even realise he had dozed off at some point. The entire week's workload was really getting to him. He decided to head over to the study in order to check up on the children and was greeted by a very welcoming sight. Young Naruto and Hinata were sleeping next to one another with their heads on the desk and hands held together.
Hiashi almost jumped in joy at the sight. These were the baby steps to the "Uzumaki-Hyuga Alliance" that he and Minato had once envisioned for their children, and the results from such a union would certainly be of great magnitude. Little did he know at the time that one day his hopes and dreams would indeed come to fruition.
Flashback End: Present Day
The older Naruto and Hinata were lying in bed next to one another while also holding hands, just as their younger selves. They looked up at the ceiling mirror to see their own reflections and could almost envision their younger selves.
"Even though so many years have passed since we first became friends, I can honestly say that my feelings for you are just the same as back then." Naruto confessed with a smile. He was just glad to have his precious wife by his side again.
"Perhaps not much has changed between us after all." She replied, also feeling content in just having her beloved husband next to her once more. "On a slightly different but related note, how is father doing?"
"The old man's still kicking around as the Hyuga clan leader. He doesn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down either. I actually even brought him to meet with Boruto a while back. You should have seen the look on his face when he first met his grandson. He was practically about to cry. I swear I haven't ever seen him like that."
"Is that so? Now I kind of wish I was there to see his reaction first hand. Given the number of times he would indirectly prompt me to bring forth the next progeny of the Hyuga clan after you and I got married, I would imagine he was beyond himself when he finally got to meet that grandchild face to face."
"Absolutely, and it's always heart-warming to see the old man happy. He has been nothing short of a father figure to me, when my real father wasn't around. Through good times and bad, he has always been and continues to be one of my greatest supporters. For that I'm truly grateful."
"Believe me when I say this, Otou-sama has always considered you as nothing short of his own child. I don't think I've ever told you this, but on the day of our marriage, he told me something that moved me in a profound way. You see, during marriage, most fathers tell their daughters about how he is entrusting her to her husband and hopes that her husband will take good care of her in his stead from then on. However, Otou-sama did not tell me anything of that nature. In fact, what he told I will remember forever, "Hinata, on this day I'm entrusting you with my son. He is someone truly precious to me. Therefore, you must promise me that you will take the utmost care of him and grant him a family that he rightfully deserves". Those were his exact words to me and as you can see, you were very much like a son he never had."
"This gives me even more of a reason to return to Konoha ASAP. If Sasuke really intends to target old man in order to bring himself to power, then I must protect him."
Hinata nodded wholeheartedly in agreement, but at the same time an important thought re-surfaced on her mind. "What about your parents Naruto-kun? Have you thought about what your response to them will be?"
"Yes. That has been in the back of my mind for some time now, and after spending the day together with you, I've finally reached my decision. I don't want to hold any grudges. I'm going to forgive and make good with my parents, just for the simple fact alone that had they taken me away from Konoha when I was a child, I may have never gotten to meet you Hinata. I'm glad they kept me in Konoha, and because of that I was able to find my significant other and best friend alike…my wife and the mother of my child...the woman I love most. That is why I have no regrets anymore. As long as you are by my side, my sights are clear."
Hinata was so moved by her husband's words that she did not know quite how to respond.
"There's one more thing I've been thinking about Hinata. I think that after this whole ordeal with the Uchiha is over and Konoha is safe, I will give up my title of Hokage." Naruto confessed in a tone that showed not an ounce of regret, which shocked Hinata. "I'm not sure anymore whether this dream of mine to become the Hokage that I've been chasing was ever truly my own, or one that was planted in me by those around me. But one thing I do know for certain is that I want to be with you, the one I love. I want to have a family with you. I want to be there for Boruto, our precious son. And I'm not willing to sacrifice all of this for the sake of a dream that may or may not have been my own to begin with. Hinata, after I fulfil my final duty of protecting the village as its Hokage, let's go somewhere far away where no one from the village will be able to find us. There, the two of us along with Boruto will be able to live a peaceful life together. Finding out about the truth from my parents and being apart from you for so long has made me realise that this always was my one true dream, and I will not let it slip by my hands a second time, not at any cost."
Those words, they struck Hinata very hard. Those were the very words that she wanted to hear all those years ago when she decided to leave Konoha. After all the hardships and internal struggle, to hear him value her and their child above all others; to want to go to any lengths for them, even sacrifice his lifelong dream, made Hinata tear up. She couldn't hold back her feelings any longer and wrapped Naruto in a tight hug while bawling her eyes out.
"W-What's the matter Hinata? Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry." Naruto scrambled to defuse the situation, but Hinata held him in a vice-like grip and would not let go.
"Please give me a moment. I think…I needed this for 8 long years."
Naruto understood how his wife felt. He wanted this too. Thus he held her close in a warm embrace until she had calmed down and was once again ready to talk.
"Naruto-kun, you do not need to leave Konoha for us. You are the Hokage and there are many in the village who look up to you and depend on you now. You are responsible for them too. Whether or not becoming the Hokage was originally your dream, the blood, sweat and tears you poured to reach that goal were all real. I was there to witness it first hand myself and I can tell you this - one simply cannot pursue a goal with that much determination if it's not their dream. Even if the inspiration came from someone else - to become the Hokage - that was indeed your dream, and you've finally achieved it. You must not throw all of that away now."
"But Hinata-" Naruto was about to argue, but Hinata gently placed her index finger over his lips in order to stop him.
"I know what you're about to say but I want you to hear me out first. Naruto-kun, all those years ago when I left Konoha, I was being selfish. I wanted you all to myself. But I understand now that the village and the entire shinobi world at large need someone like you. If anyone can change the shinobi system for the better, it is you. But you cannot do it alone. So this time, I will be there by your side to help you achieve whatever goal…whatever dream that you may have. Because that is what best friends do. As your wife, this time I will fulfil my duty and place my faith upon you. I'm sure you will not go back on your promise. So together, let's create a home and a village where you, me and Boruto can live in true peace, alongside all those who have entrusted you with the role of their leader – the Hokage."
Hinata's words were like a beacon of light for Naruto, one that cleared up any last bits of doubt left in his mind. He knew exactly what he needed to do, and with her by his side once more, there was nothing that would be able to stop him from achieving his dreams, just like old times.
Sorry, of course I had to troll a bit with the whole "lemonade" thing. You know how I am. But regardless, even though you may not get to read exactly how Himawari is born, she will very soon be properly featured as part of the epilogue chapters.
For now, Naruto and Hinata's reunion is finally complete! It took nearly 2 years of writing to get here, but we're finally here. So it's quite a monumental occasion for me. Are you happy with how their whole reunion turned out? And did you enjoy the journey to this point? I'd love to know because it certainly wasn't a smooth ride, that's for sure.
There are only 2-3 chapters left that will deal with the liberation of Konoha. We're currently on track to finish those by the end of this year. After that will be the epilogue chapters that will wrap things up. But...I can assure you, even in this last stretch, surprises await! So stay tuned.
Let me know your thoughts as always. Until next time, take care.
