Chapter 49
I reached 2000 reviews last chapter! You guys must really like this story! The 2000th reviewer was a good friend of mine, KingKakashi. His story "Naruto vs Sasuke the Aftermath" is one of the best I've read. Pick it up when you have the time. Now on to the next chapter!
(Konoha Hospital)
Tsunade carried Naruto back into his room and set him back onto his bed. He was panting with exhaustion and pain from the brief walk to and from the morgue. Tsunade gave him a sad but comforting smile as she placed her hand on his head. She then called upon her medical jutsu to place him in a deep healing sleep. As Naruto dozed off she stood up and prepared herself for the most difficult thing she would have to do for the day. She had to go back down and begin the autopsy on Hinata.
'I am definitely going to need some sake after this.' She thought as she moved to leave Naruto's room.
She was surprised when she ran into Kurenai and Kakashi. Kakashi should have still been in bed recovering but it seemed that he was well enough to move with help from Kurenai, though it may have been an excuse to hold himself close to the crimson eyed beauty.
"You should be in bed Kakashi." Tsunade said.
"I'll be alright Hokage-sama." He said in a solemn tone as he looked at the door of Naruto's room. Seeing his disheartened expression she couldn't bring herself to order him back to his bed.
"Where are you both going?" Tsunade asked in a curious tone. Kurenai was adamant about Kakashi remaining in bed until he was fully healed. For her to not only allow him out of it but to also be the one supporting him, Tsunade knew that something was up.
"We want to see Hinata." Kurenai said with tears in her eyes. She had cried for hours over the loss of the sweet girl who was Kurenai's sister in name and her daughter in heart.
"Very well." Tsunade said with a sigh. It was a good thing that none of the other genin knew that Hinata was dead. It would spread far too quickly through the village for Tsunade's liking and she would also have to deal with more grief from the genin.
All three shinobi walked towards the morgue where Hinata remained. There was a depressing sadness around them as they entered and looked at Hinata. It instantly vanished when all three noticed her condition. Without saying a word Tsunade ran full speed towards Hinata, her heart beating a mile a second. She dared not hope until she checked for herself.
"It can't be! She's alive!" Tsunade cried out in joy and shock. Kakashi fell back onto his butt in shock and Kurenai seemed catatonic for a few seconds before she rushed forward and clutched Hinata to her.
"Hinata! Hinata can you hear me! Please wake up!" Kurenai cried out and she hoped and prayed that this was not some cruel trick or a dream.
"Nee-san?" came the soft reply as Hinata slowly opened her eyes.
"Hinata!" Kurenai shouted as she held her fast and broke down into tears. Tsunade, Kurenai, and Kakashi all felt as if a weight had been lifted from their hearts in that moment. Tsunade had a smile on her face that brightened the room and Kakashi had joyous tears flowing down his face. None knew how it happened. Hinata was truly dead not a few minutes before but she was now completely healed! It was nothing short of a miracle. Kakashi got to his feet and wrapped his arms around Kurenai and Hinata both. Tsunade stayed out of it for now as she tried to make some sense of what had happened. When nothing came to mind she simply shrugged it off and accepted it for now. Besides she knew of someone who would probably destroy his room in joy when he saw who was back from the world of the dead.
"Naruto-kun. Where is Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked after Kurenai had stopped sobbing in relief.
"I'll take you to him Hinata. Kakashi, you need to get back to bed and I'm ordering you this time. Kurenai take him back and get him settled. I'll be with you both shortly." Tsunade ordered. It was obvious that the last thing Kurenai wanted to do was to release Hinata and Kakashi looked ready to argue as well until Tsunade gave them a hard stare telling them that these orders were non-negotiable.
"Hai Tsunade-sama." They both answered. They knew where Tsunade was taking Hinata and to be truthful they didn't want to interrupt the reunion. Kurenai placed Hinata back onto the table and gave her one last hug telling her she would see her in a bit. She walked over to Kakashi and together they walked out of the door.
"She's alive. My little sister's alive. Somebody pinch me." Kurenai said in a tone that was just shy of disbelief. She gave a short yelp as she felt a sharp pain on her rump. She glared at Kakashi who was looking back at her innocently.
"What? You told me to pinch you." He said in a chuckle.
"And you had to pinch me there because?" Kurenai asked with an eye twitch.
"I could always kiss it better." Kakashi said with an eye smile.
"Pervert." Kurenai said with a blush as she elbowed him lightly in the chest.
Kakashi simply laughed as they went back into his room and he settled in his bed. Surprisingly, Kurenai crawled onto the bed as well and snuggled into his chest. Kakashi wrapped her in his arms, knowing that the last few minutes had left her emotionally drained. She was still crying a few tears of joy and sorrow into his chest. He said nothing as no words were needed.
"It's a miracle." He heard her murmur.
"Yes it is. It's so hard to believe but she's back." He said in a comforting tone. He felt the same relief she did though he held it in as one of them had to be strong. She had comforted him after the invasion during the chunin exams after he was forced to kill Minato. He thought it only fair of him to return the same affection and strength to her. They fell into a light sleep in each other's arms.
(Naruto's room)
After giving Hinata a new set of clean cloths and a thorough check only to find that she was perfectly healthy, Tsunade carried the girl to Naruto's room. Being dead, even for a short time had locked Hinata's muscles and she would need time to get back to full strength. Tsunade could think of no better place for her to be than with Naruto.
She walked into the room and saw that Naruto was still asleep. She walked over and gently placed Hinata beside her love. Hinata refrained from hugging him to death as she wanted to do. She could tell that he needed his rest and she would be the first thing he saw when he awoke. Her body was still as stiff as he was from rigor mortis but like Naruto she was able to will one of her hands up and gently stroked his whiskered face. Naruto sighed in relaxation as he drifted into a deeper sleep. Hinata smiled lovingly at him and placed her head in his shoulder. Before she too feel into the warm embrace of sleep she felt Naruto's arms unconsciously wrap around her.
Tsunade smiled warmly at the scene and felt her heart grow with joy at the revival of Hinata. She had always liked the little girl that had won the heart of Naruto and was overjoyed that by some miracle she lived. They both had gone through so much in their short lives that they deserved happiness. She made a promise to herself then and there that she would do everything in her power to protect them and their future. She gave a short laugh at the thought of a few children with Naruto's energy and Hinata's sweetness calling her "Baa-chan". Her mirth ended when an anbu guard appeared behind her.
"Hokage-sama, the councils are becoming very restless as to the events that have occurred in the last day. They humbly request your presence to explain." He said respectfully.
"Very well. Stand guard here and let no one in aside from myself, Kakashi Hatake or Kurenai Yuhi." She ordered.
"Hai Hokage-sama." The anbu said as he disappeared. Though she couldn't see him, Tsunade knew that the guard was keeping a close eye on the room.
'Time to see what these meddlers want.' Tsunade thought as she left.
(Council Room)
Tsunade walked into the council room with her head held high and a stare that told all that she wasn't there to put up with senseless crap.
"What do you want? Need I remind you that I am the Hokage and that I summon you not the other way around?" Tsunade said in anger as she sat down at the front of the room. Her hardened gaze made many of the overzealous members of the council think twice about how they would address her. One fat civilian council member was the first to stand and speak.
"Hokage-sama we are only concerned with what happened not too long ago. We all felt the massive influx of demonic chakra. The demon-brat must have released his wrath upon us!" He shouted in fear. A majority of the civilians nodded their agreement.
"No such thing has happened. Naru-chan is fine as I have just finished healing him." Tsunade said dismissively.
"You saved him! Are you insane! If by some miracle the fox hasn't broken through the seal he should be killed immediately before something like this happens again!" The same man said before he and the rest of the council was treated to an eruption of killing intent.
Tsunade stood up slowly and calmly walked over to the fat fool. Everyone in the room, including the shinobi members were suffering from the oppressive killing intent. While the shinobi were sweating the civilians were either feeling faint or trying to draw a breath. Tsunade stood directly in front of the man and gave him a glare that would have made demons think twice before facing her wrath.
"Listen and listen well you fat piece of slime! I am the Hokage! My word is law and if you EVER dare to call me insane or question my judgment in how I handle MY shinobi then I will kill you myself. Is that clear?!" Tsunade shouted as the intense pressure doubled and the civilians began passing out one after another.
"H-h-h-hai H-H-Ho-k-kage-sama." The man said as he fell to his knees.
"Good." Tsunade said simply as she reigned in her killing intent and had her anbu guards awaken the unconscious members.
"Is there anything else?" Tsunade asked calmly as she sat down.
"What is the status of the mission that took place a little while ago?" Koharu asked.
Tsunade calmly told them about what had taken place. She told them about the sound five and how they were all dead. However, she didn't tell them that she suspected Danzo to have had a hand in this. She had the mask that Kakashi retrieved but none of the genin could help her with incriminating evidence. As she had yet to talk to Naruto, neither she nor the council was aware of what had taken place and that Danzo was no longer among the living.
"So Sasuke Uchiha betrayed our village and suffered the consequences for it. Fitting end for a traitor." Shikaku said in his normal tone.
"How can you say that?! He was the last Uchiha we had in the village. Without him, we have lost one of the most powerful bloodlines! We should punish that brat for what he has done." Shouted a civilian woman.
She shut up quickly when she was pinned with glares from Shikaku, Choza, Inoichi, and Shibi. They all knew what had happened to their children as they had been to the hospital for hours praying for their recovery.
"Don't talk about things you don't understand." Shibi said his voice for the first time that anyone could remember was angry.
"This is beside the point. The Uchiha was a traitor and died a traitor's death; however, I would like to know what caused the boy to unleash so much demonic chakra. I truly feared that the seal was about to break and spell doom for us all." Homura said his attention on Tsunade.
"If the boy's lack of emotional control is any indication, someone close to him must have been severely hurt or killed." Hiashi stated, speaking for the first time.
"Hiashi is correct. Hinata Yuhi was severely injured." Tsunade said attempting to keep the truth under wraps for as long as she could.
"Injured? If she was simply injured then why did you have her placed in the morgue?" Hiashi asked in mock confusion.
'How did he find out about that?!' Tsunade thought with a snarl. She didn't have the full story on what happened but there was something about Hiashi that was sending off warning bells in Tsunade's head.
"By the way, where is Danzo?" Hiashi asked, intending to continue on the attack. He knew that with Naruto alive and in the hospital that Danzo must have failed in his plan and most likely was no longer alive. While this may have been enough to keep Hiashi's involvement hidden, he wasn't about to take any chances. He had to find a way to get rid of the boy before he could tell Tsunade everything. There was always a chance that Danzo had ratted him out before his death.
"That is a good question, where exactly is Danzo?" Koharu asked in confusion.
"Truthfully, I don't have a clue." Tsunade said in a dismissive tone. She didn't care where the old war hawk was as long as he wasn't causing her any trouble.
"I believe that unless there is anything else to discuss that this meeting should be adjourned." Hiashi said calmly.
This brought narrowed looks from the other shinobi clan heads as well as Tsunade who were trying to figure out what he was up to. However, Tsunade believed this to be the best course of action as well. Danzo being absent was something to be concerned about as the old man had never missed a meeting or let an opportunity to take her job slip pass. Something was wrong if he had let an opportunity like this pass him by. Also, she needed the full story from Naruto if she was to figure out the best way to keep him safe.
"Very well this meeting is now closed, but be prepared to return soon for I will debrief my shinobi to figure out everything that happened." Tsunade said as she stood to leave.
'I must figure out a way to get rid of that boy. He is far too dangerous if he was able to get rid of Danzo.' Hiashi thought as he turned and left.
(Naruto's room)
Naruto slowly began to pull himself from his dreamless sleep. He felt better after seeing Hinata for the last time, but there would always be a hole in his heart. He was broken from his thoughts when he felt something strange. He was sure that he had been placed in bed alone, yet he felt someone else snuggling tightly to his body. His eyesight was still a bit blurry but he was able to turn his head and see a shape lying beside him, their head resting on his shoulder.
'Who is this?' Naruto thought as he vision began to clear. The first thing he saw was a head covered in dark blue hair.
'It can't be. I must be dreaming.' Naruto thought solemnly. He knew Hinata was died. There was no way that she could be lying beside him alive and well. He wanted to curse his dreams for bringing her back to him only to lose her once he truly woke up. He unwrapped his arms from around her and gently began to rub her head. He felt Hinata begin to squirm a bit before she looked up and sleepily opened her eyes. Naruto had to admit that dream Hinata looked just as beautiful as he fallen love.
"Naruto-kun." She said softly in a voice full of love.
Naruto felt his heart break once again at the voice. It warmed him at the same time that it caused a knife like feeling to go through his heart. He was instantly reminded that he would never truly hear Hinata say it again. Deciding that he couldn't take this anymore, he closed his eyes and turned his head away from her, hoping that he could force himself to wake up.
Hinata was slightly confused by the way Naruto was acting. It was as if he didn't want to see her. He had looked at her in painful longing as if he was staring at something that he would never see again. Truly she had felt the same way before.
Death was not something she would ever forget. She hadn't really felt the mortal injury given to her by Sasuke. Her body had immediately gone into shock from the wound and she had only felt numb. She knew that she was soon to die and remembered staring into Naruto's soul shattered eyes. She professed her love for him and was able to give him a small kiss before darkness enveloped her. The next thing she remembered was being surrounded by a blindingly bright light. She could see nothing but the light that surrounded her.
She was confused before she suddenly saw Naruto once again. However she never wanted to see him the way she had. His body was a mess of scars and injuries. Blood was spilling from an incalculable amount of wounds. He was on his knees surrounded by dead bodies. She could see him falling forward and knew that if she didn't do something then he too would die. She refused to allow his dreams to end so soon. She knew that he was on a self destructive path because of her death and she wouldn't allow him to give up because of her. She wasn't sure how but she was able to break from the light and lay her hands onto his face. This hadn't been easy as the light seemed to try and pull her back to it. She was sure that this was something that the dead weren't supposed to do but quickly ignored it as she brought him back from the brink of death. He looked up to her and actual had a resigned look on his face as he closed his eyes. She retracted her hands when she noticed that her presence was actually making it easier for him to give up. She knew that she couldn't converse with him so she simply gave him a sad smile and shook her head. She could feel the light bringing her back into it and knew that her time with him was up.
'Don't ever give up Naruto-kun. I'll always be waiting for you.' She thought. She could see him attempt to reach for her, but he suddenly vanished and she once again found herself surrounded by the blinding light. With a sigh she looked up and began to float towards the source of the light when she heard a strange voice.
"Not yet."
Hinata was confused as she stopped her ascent. She looked around but could find no source from wince the feminine voice could have come.
"Who's there?" Hinata asked in confusion.
"Your time has not yet come Hinata Yuhi. There is much left for you to do. Awaken." The voice said.
Hinata suddenly saw the light begin to swirl around her until it compressed itself into a small blindingly bright ball of white light. It flew into her chest and she felt her entire body begin to glow. She couldn't breathe for a moment and was about to panic until her breathing returned to normal. Her vision began to darken and she felt her spirit begin to draw back to earth.
"Who are you?" She asked before she passed out.
"Who am I? I guess I'll copy that idiot on earth and just say that is a secret!" the voice said with a chuckle.
Hinata soon passed out and the next thing she knew she was staring at the ceiling of the hospital. The first and last thing to come to her mind before sleep took her was of Naruto. Hinata was broken from her thoughts when she felt Naruto begin to move once again.
"Naruto-kun." Hinata said gently once again.
"Go away. Haven't I been tortured enough?" Naruto said angrily, still believing himself to be in a dream.
"I won't go away. I came back for you." Hinata said softly as she laid her hand on his shoulder. Naruto turned to look at her and momentarily lost himself in her beautiful lavender eyes.
"My Hinata-chan is dead. You're nothing but an illusion made by my mind." Naruto said in a hard tone. Naruto refused to allow himself to believe that Hinata had been brought back. It couldn't be true and if he allowed himself to believe that this was truly happening only to awaken later on a find that it was a dream, he would most likely lose it.
"You always were stubborn Naruto-kun." Hinata said with an exasperated tone as she pushed her body up to kiss him.
Naruto froze. He felt the soft malleable lips press against his own and felt a fire erupt in his once dead chest. There was no way that his mind alone was enough to make him feel this way. He wrapped his arms around her, ignoring the harsh pain that accompanied moving any part of his body. He returned the kiss with his entire soul and in that one moment allowed himself to believe. It was a desperate hope and longing that allowed him to accept that this was not a dream. He knew that if this turned out to be a dream that opening his heart and allowing himself to believe would crush him beyond words. However, his very soul was telling him that this wasn't a dream. This wasn't a figment of his imagination. This was real. His Hinata was back. Their lips broke apart and his nearly crushed her small form into his body. It was as if he was trying to force her into his body and make them one.
"H-how?" He asked with tears running down his face as he buried his head into her soft hair and allowed her scent to comfort him.
"I don't know. I just heard a voice tell me that my time hadn't yet come." Hinata responded as she snuggled deeply into his embrace.
Naruto found that he really didn't care how his love was brought back. If he had to guess he would say that it had something to do with his sword, though without the blade or the mysterious man, he wouldn't be able to tell. He shook his head and just basked in the feeling of joy, peace and love he felt from holding Hinata. For the first time in a long time, he felt that things were finally looking up for him.
'Thank you. Whoever you are who brought her back to me, thank you.' Naruto thought as he pulled her tighter into his embrace. They stayed inseparable until Tsunade walked in. She gave them a warm smile and pulled up a chair.
"How are you two feeling?" She asked.
"Everything's perfect, kaa-san." Naruto said with a smile as he looked down into Hinata's face causing her to give a slight blush. Shaking her head in amusement, Tsunade walked over to the two of them and performed a diagnostic jutsu on the two of them.
"You both have a while to go before you're completely healed. Your chakra system is still very fragile Naru-chan not to mention that your body needs a lot of rest to recover from the beating it went through. Your body is still attempting to shake off the rigor mortis you went through Hinata, but you should be fine in about a day or two." Tsunade said with a smile.
'Kaa-san? Hinata thought as she observed Naruto and Tsunade. She could see that love and affection that was between the two of them and could only smile in joy that Naruto had found a mother figure. She missed her mother deeply but would always have the memories of her to lift her spirits. It was only fair that Naruto gain someone to make such memories as well.
"So when can I leave Kaa-san?" Naruto asked with a serious tone.
"Not for a while, why?" Tsunade asked curiously.
"I have some unfinished business to attend to." Naruto all but snarled in anger.
Both Tsunade and Hinata looked at Naruto in confusion as well as concern. They could see the hate in Naruto's eyes and were unnerved by it.
"What's wrong Naru-chan? What did you mean about unfinished business? For that matter, what exactly happened out there?" Tsunade asked, wanting to know everything.
Naruto took a deep breath and recounted everything that happened. He told them about how he killed Sasuke and found out Danzo's location. He told them how Orochimaru and Hiashi were working with Danzo as well. After he had told them everything he fell silent.
Hinata was stunned that her very father would do something like this. While she knew that his heart had died with her mother she would never have thought that he could do something so cruel. She thought that she had severed all emotional ties with her old family but to find out that her own father would work with a madman to engager her life as well as the one she loved was too much for her and she began to weep in sadness. Naruto held her tighter to him as he attempted to sooth her. He had plenty of reasons to seek Hiashi's death but making Hinata cry was just another mark against the soon to be dead man.
Tsunade was livid. To find out that Danzo was behind this was not surprising. He had always been a power hungry man who followed his own ends. To find out that he was working with Orochimaru was not terribly unexpected considering they must have worked out some kind of deal. However, finding out that Hiashi had been a part of this as well was shocking. While he may not have known about the entire plot, he had basically given his daughter to the wolves for no other reason than he could think of no other use for her. Tsunade really wanted to go to the Hyuga compound and smash Hiashi's head in. However she knew that it wasn't possible yet.
"I'm afraid there's not much we can do about this Naru-chan." Tsuande said in anger.
"What?! Have you lost your mind Kaa-san! There's no way that we can allow him to get away with this. If you're not going to do anything then just let me at him after I've recovered. I'll take care of it." Naruto said as his eyes flicker red for a brief moment. He immediately winced in pain and fell back on the bed.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said in shock.
"He'll be alright Hinata. This is what happens when your chakra system is so fragile and you allow demonic chakra to flow briefly through it. Control your temper Naru-chan. You can't call upon the fox's chakra for a while until your coils recover." Tsunade said as she walked over to him and fixed the damage that he had caused.
"We can't just let him get away with this!" Naruto said angrily.
"We won't, but we have to be careful with this information. I actually want to thank you for killing Danzo but if anyone else finds out that you killed him then you will be in big trouble. Danzo self destructing his base made it so that there is no evidence to confirm anything you just said. Without Danzo or one of his accomplices to interrogate the civilian council may try to make a case that you went rogue. Hiashi has no evidence against him right now so we can't go after him. I have no doubt that what you've told me is the truth but we need evidence before we go after him. If you kill him before then than not even I will be able to keep you from the consequences of the law." Tsunade said in annoyance to being bound by laws sometimes.
"What are we going to do?" Naruto asked.
"We'll wait for you to recover first of all. Hiashi is bound to slip up eventually and we will catch him. However, it would be best if you are one hundred percent before we take any drastic actions." Tsunade said simply.
"Can I stay with Naruto-kun Hokage-sama?" Hinata spoke for the first time.
"Oh course you can and please don't call me that. In a few years you might be calling me "Kaa-san" as well. Just call me Tsunade for now." Tsunade said, laughing slightly at the blush that appeared on both of their faces.
"Kaa-san!" Naruto said in indignation.
"Hai Tsunade-sama." Hinata said as her blush began to fade.
"Good, now that I've got the whole story you two need to go back to sleep and get some rest." Tsunade said as she walked over and gave Naruto a small kiss to the forehead. As she left, Hinata snuggled up with Naruto and laid her head on his chest.
"Oh and I don't want anything questionable to happen between you two. I'm not ready to be a grandmother just yet." Tsunade said with a laugh as she once again saw their faces turn bright red. After she left and they composed themselves, Naruto seemed unwilling to go to sleep.
"What's wrong Naruto-kun." Hinata asked in concern.
Naruto looked into her beautiful lavender eyes that where filled with such love and affection for him and couldn't help but draw her into a soft kiss. Hinata willingly allowed herself to be brought down onto him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Naruto's arms tightened around her waist as he slowly broke from the kiss.
"I'm afraid that when I wake up I'll find that this has all been dream." Naruto said softly.
Hinata smiled at his concern and slowly traced the whisker marks on his cheeks.
"I'll be here Naruto-kun. I refuse to leave you again." She said lovingly.
"I almost feel unworthy of you Hinata-chan. It's my fault you…" He began to say before he felt a soft slap to his face.
"I told you that I would slap you whenever you started doubting yourself Naruto-kun. It's not your fault. It's the fault of Sasuke, Danzo, Orochimaru, and my own father. Sasuke and Danzo are gone and we will deal with my father." She said adding a bit of venom in her tone as she said father.
"Yes we will, together." Naruto said as he lay down and allowed his tired body to rest. Hinata once again laid her head on his chest and gave a contented sigh as she too welcomed sleep.
(Unknown location)
"Are you sure about this information?" Asked a cloaked figure.
"Hai Leader-sama." A strange looking man responded. He had a Venus fly trap around his head and his face was all black on one half and all white on the other. He wore the signature black cloak with red clouds showing his membership in the Akatsuki. This was Zetsu.
"Very well. According to Zetsu, Sasuke Uchiha as well as Danzo are dead. The kyuubi container is badly hurt and ripe for the taking. Itachi, Kisame you two will go to Konoha and bring the container back here immediately. We can't remove the Kyuubi yet but we can at least keep him from becoming any stronger then he already is. It would be very troublesome should he continue to grow in strength." The unseen leader of the most deadly group of rogue ninjas in the world said.
"Hai leader-sama." Kisame said quickly. He had a smile on his face as he couldn't wait to go and cause some havoc.
Itachi simply nodded his head as he and Kisame disappeared. They ran full speed towards Konoha and their target. Both focused on their goal.
Here's chapter 49. Happy New Year! Till next time, Kyuubi123 out!
