Chapter Thirty-One

Hinata's fingers slowly danced with the rhythm of knitting and purling as she worked back and forth the growing swatch of red fibers as she waited outside the Haruno family's store. While Mom and Aunt Kushina could knit on autopilot, her skill, even after eight years of practice, was still novice at best. Thankfully, the original design is not a fancy one. Hinata pulled out the scrap of Naruto's red scarf from her knitting bag and eyed it thoughtfully. Originally, she'd hoped to incorporate the original in the replacement, but the scrap was too badly damaged, and the skill to incorporate the remnant seamlessly was far beyond her current skill level. When she asked Mom and Aunt Kushina for help, they both suggested she keep the original and make a completely new one instead.

A mild cramping sensation in her stomach caused her to pause, lest she lose focus. It had started last night before dinner and had persisted through this morning. Hinata didn't exactly feel sick, but she also didn't feel well, either. Come on, Sakura, what's taking so long?

Sakura burst out through the store's front door in a huff, "Sorry about that! Let's get going!" Sakura was halfway down the block before Hinata even had her knitting back in the bag.

"Sakura, wait up!" Hinata hollered as she tried running after the pink blur. Normally, keeping up with the girl wasn't a problem, but her innards revolted in protest. Dammit, not now!

Sakura turned to see her struggling and ran back to her, "Hey, you okay?" she asked, eying Hinata head to toe. "You don't look well, Hinata."

Tell me something I don't know! They were already late to meet up with Naruto, and they'd probably be late for the study session he'd called for teams seven, eight, and ten. With part one of the Chunin Exam only two precious weeks away, Hinata regretted losing almost three weeks of prep time for the mission to the Land of the Waves. Hinata silently wished they'd stayed out of the exam to give her more time to prepare for the duel with Hanabi in July, but that would have meant holding back Naruto and Sakura potentially. "I'm fine, Sakura, I'm just feeling a bit under the weather," Hinata clutched her stomach. She forced herself to move at speed-walk. What else could go wrong?

"Are you sure you should be out, we could reschedule," Sakura said concerned as she came along side Hinata. Sakura continued to eye her with her emerald eyes, looking for anything to explain Hinata's current state. The recent unexpected difficulty of their mission forced all three of them out of their comfort zone. Sakura had become more sensitive to the needs of Naruto and Hinata while proving herself a skilled medic when Naruto and Kakashi had been badly wounded. Naruto, as always, proved himself an admirable fighter. He also proved himself a decisive leader when the mission went well beyond its initial parameters.

"I'm fine, Sakura, really!" Hinata forced a smile. The mission had taught Hinata the importance of trusting her own abilities and not giving up. On several occasions, the enemy had used powerful genjutsu and environmental effects to ambush them. Hinata had been the team's eyes, guiding them out of several occasions that should have ended in their deaths. Having survived such severe circumstances, standing up to Grandfather almost seemed easy. She hurried again despite her ongoing discomfort. Seriously Mom, how do you cause food poisoning with smashed cucumbers and beef udon?

When they got to Naruto's house, Aunt Kushina was in the backyard with her new apprentice, Konohamaru. The boy looked deathly focused and clean-cut in a navy-blue field uniform and a blue bandana tying down his unruly brown hair. He looks just like Naruto when he was that age! Hinata giggled. "Aunt Kushina, is Naruto here?"

"He's in the dojo!" She hollered over her shoulder with a smile, "The others will be here shortly!"

Whew, not late! She and Sakura went in through the back door. Sounds of taiko drumming music carried down the hall from the training dojo as did the sound of physical exertion. As they opened the door, they were greeted by the sight of a shirtless Naruto pumping himself up and down on his dad's pullup bar, a stepstool below him necessary due to Naruto's lack of height. The thin layer of sweat on his skin made Naruto's tight body glow as well-toned bands of muscle contracted and released with every movement. Naruto didn't even pause his movement as he turned his head, "Hey, you two!"

Hinata reached a hand over her heart as it fluttered in her chest. For a moment, the pain in her gut subsided, and all the blood in her body rushed to her cheeks. She hadn't seen Naruto shirtless while training since he was Konohamaru's age. While he hadn't been chubby then, the transformation had been incredible. Damn boy!

"Hinata!" a firm set of hands steadied her down to her knees. "Hinata, breathe slowly!" Sakura commanded. She did as commanded, feeling some of the heat bleeding off of her.

"Hinata, are you okay?" Naruto dropped from the bar and ran up to them, giving her an even better view of him. His chest and abs looked like they'd been carved from the granite of Hokage Rock. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she shivered all the way to her toes. Oh god! Oh god! "I-I'm fine, Naruto! Really!" Hinata clamped her eyes closed, trying not to faint as the thought of Naruto's body against hers invaded her thoughts.

"She's fine, Naruto," Sakura quipped, "Why don't you put a shirt on and get ready for study session, wonder-boy! The last thing we need is Sasuke catching you trying to show off!"

Naruto removed his hand from Hinata's shoulder, cooling some of her fever. "Show off, my foot!" Naruto said as he turned back toward the bar where his shirt was. "I figured you were all running late," he pulled his shirt back over his head clumsily, "So, no sense in missing some time to train, ya know!" Oblivious as ever, thank god!

"Why don't you get cleaned up, and we'll greet the group when they get here," Sakura suggested.

"Believe it!" he shot a thumb up as he exited, "I'll be down in a bit!"

As Naruto left, Sakura spoke muted, "I bet he planned that, that sneaky boy!"

"Huh?" Hinata breathed.

"Naruto, I bet he planned that little show, trying to impress us," Sakura rubbed her chin in contemplation.

"Impress us?" Hinata asked, still feeling dazed from the experience.

"Yeah, Hinata," Sakura laid in thick, "Think about it; he knew we'd be here first – team ten probably had to stop for snacks, knowing Choji, and no offense to Sasuke, but he and team eight are always fashionably late. I bet he was waiting here shirtless and started pumping iron when he heard the door open!"

Hinata wrinkled her forehead, "Why would he do that?"

"Really, Hinata," Sakura looked at her skeptically, "you mean you didn't enjoy watching that hunk of man-meat hanging there in mid-air from the pullup bar?" Sakura grinned as Hinata's mouth dropped, "I knew it!"

"Sa-Sakura!" Hinata stammered in embarrassment. Her gut began cramping again.

"Hey, it's all right, Hinata," Sakura laughed, "I'll admit he's pleasing to the eye, but he's got nothing on Sasuke!"

"Is that so?" Hinata replied with just a mild sass entering her voice.

"Ah, so you do like him like that!" Sakura giggled "Tell me, you lock lips with him yet?" Sakura grinned.

"Umm…" Hinata blushed again, "no…"

"It's okay," Sakura patted her on the back, "With all we have going on, I could understand wanting to hold off for a bit. Maybe after you're done with the duel, eh?"

"Sakura," Hinata fidgeted nervously with her fingers, "What-what is it like?"

"Kissing?" Sakura raised an eyebrow, before turning a mild shade of pink. "Like nothing you've ever experienced," she sighed dreamily. "I still remember that first time with Sasuke: feeling scared and exhilarated at the same time!" Sakura closed her eyes, hugging herself, "I'm telling ya, like nothing you've experienced yet!"

Hinata's mind wandered back in time when Naruto had kissed her forehead when she'd stayed with his family when Mom started cancer treatment. She remembered kissing him on the cheek as he lay unconscious after their first mission. A simple peck here and there, but what will it be like when it happens for real?

"Hinata," Sakura offered her a hand, "Come on, he'll be down any moment." As Sakura helped her up, Naruto bolted through the door wearing his usual orange pants and black t-shirt. His hair was unmanaged and wet, suggesting he'd rinsed off quickly, "Hey you two, we'll set up in the living room!"

Hinata was barely through the door to the living room when the cramping became strangely more intense, and she noticed an odd sensation. Oh god! Not waiting to explain to Sakura or Naruto, Hinata bolted for the stairs, clutching her stomach as she made for the guest bathroom upstairs. Having been over to the house so much, it was automatic versus using the closer downstairs restroom. "Hey, Hinata, are you all right?" Naruto called as she flew by. She didn't answer as she blasted up the stairs, racing for the toilet.

The door closed with a moderate bang as she fumbled with her outfit and sat down. Wet your pants in front of your lifelong friend and the guy you love; smooth one Hinata! Hinata's embarrassment took pause as she noticed a dark rust-red stain on her underwear as she looked down. Momentary panic gripped her at the thought of serious food poisoning, and her mind raced through any other form of poisoning. The momentary cold sweat gave way to the realization there was a truly benign explanation. Of all the times for this to happen!

"Hinata, are you okay in there?" Sakura's concerned voice called through the door.

"I'm fine!" she hollered back breathlessly, "Just… just give me a minute!" Thankfully, the blood hadn't dripped through the dark blue of her mission gear pants, and her underwear was moist but not soaked. Hinata cleaned up as best as she could and got her pants back up. "Sakura, could-could you come in for a moment?" she asked.

The door opened, "Hinata, are you okay?" real concern was in Sakura's wide eyes.

"I'll be fine," she sighed, "Umm… Sakura, I don't suppose you have a pad with you?"

"Oh," Sakura paused for a moment, realizing what Hinata was asking for, "Oh, first time?" Hinata nodded a reply. Sakura rummaged through her backpack, "You sure you're okay?" she asked as she searched.

While mom had made her fully aware that it could happened; it had been another abstract problem like acne that she was too busy to deal with. Hinata sighed, "I just had my first period right in front of Naruto," she shook her head in self-disgust, "Do I look all right?"

"Oh Hinata," Sakura offered her a sealed feminine pad, "his skull is too thick to register what happened!" Sakura giggled lightly. "You want to talk about disaster, Ino had hers in the middle of a necking party with Sasuke before he and I got together!"

Okay, so it can be worse! "Thanks for the encouragement," she offered. "Of all the times for this to happened…"

"Hinata," Sakura shrugged as she spoke softly, "It happens; it means your becoming a woman."

"There has never been a woman clan leader in my clan," Hinata sighed. "Imagine if this had happened during my duel with Hanabi."

"Truth be known, I'd rather have you leading the clan than her," Sakura offered.

"Why is that?"

"Well, having pretty much shut out everyone but your grandfather, I get the sense he's not well equipped to explain this to your sister." Sakura paused, "That and he won't be around too much longer. Imagine a clan leader who has no idea it's going to happen suddenly having it, and none of her advisors having the guts to explain it."

She's right, eight years old is also way too young to be leading a clan, not that grandfather wouldn't actually be pulling the strings. "Wait," Hinata realized she'd missed something, "what do you mean he won't be around much longer?"

Sakura stared emptily, realizing she said something she shouldn't, "This doesn't leave this restroom, understand?" Sakura held out her pinkie.

"I swear," Hinata curled her pinkie around hers.

"I was doing some medical history research for Tsunade," she explained, "when you were being monitored for your heart."

Hinata nodded, "Go on."

"Part of the reason Tsunade was so worried about you developing heart problems was because it happened to your grandfather, after the duel with your dad about thirteen years ago."

"What happened?"

"Your dad used gentle fist on your grandfather in that duel; the winning blow caused your grandfather, not exactly young at the time, to have a heart attack – almost killed him apparently. He has some kind of permanent electrical issue with his heart as a result. He is high risk for a second heart attack to the point where none of the village doctors wanted to risk doing surgery with him."

So, that's why he never trains anymore. Hinata felt conflicted. On one hand, Grandfather certainly had reason to be upset after something like that. On the other hand, none of it justified any of his behavior toward her branch of the family. He had been malicious before, but he had a choice of how to live the rest of his life. He chose bitterness. "I understand now," Hinata said to herself.

"Feel better?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, I'll be down in a minute. Just tell Naruto I had to use the bathroom badly."

"Can do," Sakura said, exiting the bathroom.

In the time it took Hinata to run upstairs, get cleaned up, and get back down, the other two teams had arrived – all except Sasuke. "Hinata, are you okay?" Naruto walked up to her, placing his hand on her forehead.

Hinata shivered at his touch. "I'm fine, Naruto, I just ate something that didn't agree with me, I think." Thankfully, Naruto seemed too preoccupied to push the issue further. Small miracles! Hinata found a seat on the couch.

"All right everyone," Naruto said, "It seems we're short one, but we're already late getting started. Sasuke will have to catch up." Everyone else nodded in agreement. "So, let's start with what we know and go from there. First off, does anyone have any idea what will be on the test?"

"Literally, anything," Shikamaru leaned back on the sofa, hands behind his head, "The test follows no pattern and can be over literally anything at our academic level or beyond," he sighed, "What a pain!"

"Hey, maybe we'll get lucky then, and there will be a question on ramen, eh Naruto!" Choji laughed as he munched on a piece of candy. The rest of the group, Hinata included, laughed.

"I'm being serious," Naruto sounded exasperated. Hinata could feel the scared frustration coming off him; Naruto hated written tests with a passion. While she didn't experience it half as bad as he did, the stress of being timed on a written exam made his dyslexia intolerable. It fed back into a horrible loop of not being able to work fast but needing to work fast. They had shared many long nights of reading together preparing for finals in their last year of the Academy. Naruto said sullenly, "If we can't predict what's on it, how are we to be ready?"

"You're not supposed to be, that's the point," Sasuke's voice shot from the front door, "Sorry I'm late!"

"Dude, where have you been!" Naruto asked in frustration.

Another tall boy, similar in appearance to Sasuke walked through the door, "Sorry Naruto, I needed to borrow my little brother for something earlier!" Itachi Uchiha smiled sweetly, as if nostalgic for being young as the rest of them.

"Itachi!" Naruto spoke with disbelief, "What are you doing here?" Hinata knew Itachi Uchiha by reputation only. He was the heir to the Uchiha Clan. By all accounts, he was a bookworm – a pencil pusher at some government job. Despite that, Hinata knew not to underestimate him – she had seen his ANBU tattoo as she spied a quick glance with her Byakugan. More to him than he wants us to see.

"I thought I might give you all a leg up on the test," Itachi smiled contently. "That is, if you're interested."

Sasuke grinned, knowing he'd finally one-upped Naruto. "Why don't you tell him, big brother," Sasuke beamed.

"Yeah, tell us, Itachi," Ino beamed.

"Dude, keep us in the know!" Choji scarfed down another snack.

"I'm telling you, there's no secret; the test is meant to be one you can't prepare for!" Shikamaru huffed.

"You'll pardon us for not consigning ourselves to failing, Shikamaru," Kiba snapped.

"Easy kids," Itachi raised his hands, "I'm about to let you all in on a big secret, but you didn't hear it from me, okay?" Itachi smiled widely.

"What is it?" Hinata asked, listening intently.

"The test isn't about how smart any of you are," Itachi winked, "It's about how well you can cheat!"

"Say what?" Naruto asked. Hinata could hear a pin drop.

"You heard him," Sasuke beamed, "we have a leg up now!"

"Ch-cheat?" Hinata stammered. She'd never cheated in her life.

"Relax, that's part of the challenge!" Itachi laughed. "The test is a test of espionage skill and communication! They literally pull out nine questions every year from some random set of encyclopedias. If it was a test of academic skill, no one would pass. The key to winning isn't to be smartest, it's to be craftiest!"

"Huh?" Naruto still didn't seem to get it; neither did Hinata.

"Naruto, you're competing for a chance to be recognized as a shinobi; Shinobi acquire information via subterfuge and thinking outside the box! What sense would it make to put random-ass academic questions to such a group?" Itachi turned his palms up and shrugged.

"Wait a minute, so why tell us, then?" Sakura asked accusingly. "What's in it for you?"

"I hated the test because I went through it, much like all of you, only to discover that all my hard work was for nothing, and others passed by copying my work leisurely," he sighed. "You might say, the test itself is a cheat! There will be shinobi planted among you that have all the answers, and the proctor's main purpose is grade you on how well you're cheating."

"Wait, what about someone like me?" Shikamaru asked. Being the smartest boy in the room, except maybe Itachi, it was a fair question.

"The smartest kid in the team is always separated from their team, usually put in with a different team when taking the test. I'd suggest you all come up with a coordinated means of communicating that isn't too noticeable." He stared at Hinata, "and remember some of you have unique abilities that might aid whatever group you're part of." He winked at her. "Now you kids play nice!"

"Wait," Shikamaru stopped him, "you said the test was a cheat; how do we know you're not setting us up?"

"You don't," Itachi replied plainly, "but would I set up my baby brother to fail?" he asked as he raked noogies through Sasuke's hair.

"Hey, cut that out!" Sasuke protested.

Itachi released his brother, "Oh, by the way, you're Shikamaru Nara, right?"

"That's right," Shikamaru answered unimpressed. Hinata wondered where this was going.

Itachi tossed a coin at the younger boy, "What can you tell me about this?"

"It's a coin," he replied sarcastically.

"And we have a genius, ladies and gentlemen," Itatchi laughed. Hinata could tell it was a challenge. Shikamaru hated anyone who questioned his intelligence.

"It's made to look like one of ours," Shikamaru eyed it thoughtfully, "but it's not. This is a Kumokagure coin with its markings altered to look like one of ours."

"How can you tell?" Itachi asked.

"For one, the hole in the center of ours is square, this one was rounded, indicating someone altered it from a round hole. They also scraped off some of the kanji to make it look like a roughly used Konoha five-hundred Ryo coin. But they made one major flaw."

"And that is?"

"Two actually," Shikamaru corrected as he tested the coin in his hand, "ours have ridged edges, this is completely smooth, and the metal composition is wrong" he bounced the coin his hand, "it's too light to be ours."

"Highest marks," Itachi clapped, as did everyone else. "By the way," he resumed as he stopped clapping, "Report to Intelligence Branch tomorrow morning at 0900."

"EH?" Shikamaru looked startled. "What are you talking about?"

"By special order of Lord Fourth," Itachi pulled out a letter and began to read, "Shikamaru Nara is ordered to appear at Shinobi Intelligence Branch at 0900 tomorrow morning for orientation and training as an intelligence analyst."

"Let me see that!" Shikamaru got off the couch, taking the letter from Itachi. He skimmed it for a moment and turned to Naruto, "What the hell is this!"

"I didn't have anything to do with it!" Naruto shrugged and shook his head.

Hinata noticed Itachi chuckling, "Actually, it was your Mom, Shikamaru!"

"Mom," Shikamaru's eyes became so wide Hinata worried they might roll out of their sockets.

"She begged Lord Fourth to, 'Give my lazy-bum of a son some meaningful work he can't weasel out of,'" Itachi smiled. Hinata giggled slightly. Shikamaru was known to be a genius, but he was one of the least-motivated individuals unless he was challenged. "The fact that I suggested intelligence duties was inconsequential!" Itatchi giggled.

"I don't accept the responsibility!" Shikamaru shouted.

"Oh, that's too bad," Itachi said, turning for the door. "Intelligence operatives have access to all sorts of secret crap, like the layout of the Forest of Death – something you and your friends might find useful in a few months."

Way to put him on the spot. Hinata felt bad for Shikamaru. Whereas he never had anything to prove when it came to knowledge or pride, he still was fiercely loyal to his friends. Shikamaru's hand shook angrily before clamping into a pale fist, "FINE!" he glowered. "Just know, I'll get you for this, Itachi!"

"I look forward to it," Itachi smiled playfully, "in the meantime, welcome to the wonderous world of a working stiff!" Itachi vanished through the door.

"Ugh, what a pain!" Shikamaru sighed, falling back on the couch. "Does anyone care to join me for one last night of freedom at the arcade since we're done here?"

"Na-Naruto, how about we join him," Hinata spoke.

"But Hinata, we have to practice tonight," Naruto replied.

Before he could say anything, Sakaru smacked him in the back of the head, "You dolt! The girl just asked you to take a night off and spend some of it with her and your best friend!"

"Hey, if it includes a trip to that barbeque joint, count me in!" Choji said.

"And me Kiba," joined.

"Me as well," Shino spoke softly.

"I'm in," Sasuke nodded.

"Don't count me out, team leader," Ino winked.

"So, Naruto, what's it going to be!" Sakura bellowed, "one night of freedom, or drilling yourself into the ground!"

"All right," he smiled, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head, "but he has to come up with our plan of action!" he pointed to Shikamaru.

"Count on me!" Shikamaru grinned, "See you all there in an hour!"

The group dispersed, but Hinata remained behind on the couch. "Na-Naruto…"

"What's up, Hinata," he sat next to her on the couch. The sudden pressure of his thigh on her knee made her heart jump.

"I-I'm sorry about us missing practice… I…" she fidgeted nervously.

"Hinata," he smiled, staring her in the eyes, "It's okay, really." He laughed briefly, "I guess we could use a night off, especially if you're not feeling well."

"I'll… be fine, Naruto," Hinata planned her words carefully, "I'm feeling a lot better."

Naruto eyed her curiously, "Hinata, what's wrong?"

"W-Why does something have to be wrong?" she unconsciously began tapping her index fingers together. He was staring.

"Aside from your fidgeting," he mimicked the motion with a curious smile, "you stammer when you're feeling self-conscious. Something is bugging you, what is it?"

"I… Naruto, am I… holding you back?" Hinata let the words out. "Am I slowing you and Sakura down?"

"Hinata, we've been through this," Naruto shook his head. "You remember that first ambush where I froze up and almost took a poison shuriken to the neck?"

"I remember," she nodded her head forward nervously. Hinata clamped her eyes shut. On the way to the Land of the Waves, Naruto had been mere centimeters from a fatal shuriken wound, and she'd barely spotted the attack in time to move him out of the way. "I also remember being saved by you from a gejutsu."

She felt his hand under her chin, gently forcing her to look him in the eyes. The sight of his brilliant sapphires caused her heart to thunder against her sternum, as if it was trying to push her closer to Naruto. "Hinata, I want you to stop telling yourself that you're worthless; that's what your grandfather wants you to believe. You're one of the strongest shinobi I know!"

"S-Strongest?" Hinata stammered from his kind words.

"That's right," Naruto slowly inched closer, his hand having moved stealthily to her cheek. "So, no more worrying about if you're worth this; you are," Naruto smiled, almost nose to nose with her. "We'll take the night off and have fun with Shikamaru, we'll pick training back up like nothing changed, and we'll win this July; that's a promise!"

Hinata felt feverish at the promise, almost as feverish as she felt at his close proximity. She suddenly realized she was moving closer toward him as well. His smile pulled her in like a magnet, begging her lips to meet his. Oh god, he's going to kiss me! Hinata closed her eyes as he guided her to him.

"AAAAHHH-CHOOO!"

"Ah!" Hinata stifled a scream and her eyes jolted back open. She and Naruto snapped to see Mom entering through the back door. Did she see anything! Panic gripped her. Mom didn't seem to mind Naruto, but would she feel the same if she'd walked in on them kissing.

"Aahhh-Chooo!" Mom sneezed again, "Sorry kids, I'm not interrupting anything am I?" she asked innocently as she searched the kitchen for a tissue.

"Nothing!" she and Naruto answered in unison.

"Where did everyone else go?" Akemi asked, confused.

"The arcade," Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand, "and we're on our way, too!" Naruto dragged her out the door. Almost had him! Hinata cursed her bad luck as they ran down the street.

The sound of the clock ticking made the throbbing in Naruto's head pulse as he stared at part one of the Chunin Exam. Nine questions, nine stinking questions, who knew hell looked like the inside of a classroom! Between the stress of taking the test, Naruto's severe lack of sleep, and the gnawing reflection of sunlight off the room's sterile white walls; the words on the paper jumped and scrambled as if they were taunting him. They were a halfway through, questions five, and they had twenty-five minutes left.

Struggling to drown out the clock, Naruto pulled all his concentration to force the words into focus: What is the airspeed velocity of an unladdened swallow? Naruto raised his eyebrows. Who the hell comes up with this stuff? If any of the information was useful, Naruto would be less annoyed at the test. Nothing even remotely covered anything learned at the academy.

He sighed, running fingers through his hair in frustration, coughing once discretely. As he massaged his aching forehead, his eyes wandered to Hinata. She played the part of the nervous wreck expertly, drumming and tapping fingers and toes nervously and incessantly. By now, the proctor was so numb to it, among the other collections of groans and nervous tics, that he didn't notice Hinata's fidgeting with her index fingers was tapping a coded message. T-R-I-C-K-Q-U-E-S-T-I-O-N.

A trick question?

I-T-D-O-E-S-N-O-T-S-P-E-C-I-F-Y-W-H-A-T-T-Y-P-E-O-F-S-W-A-L-L-O-W. Hinata tapped the message, burying her head in her hands. What looked like frustration was actually her concealing her Byakugan. They had the bad luck not to end up in a room with any of their teammates. As much as he trusted Hinata's ability to see every answer on every test in the room, he was starting to doubt his ability to focus on anything but Hinata as he scribbled down the answer.

As he waited for her to tap the next answer, Naruto caught himself staring, grateful she couldn't see his thoughts. It was now mid-March, and they were running out of time. Despite near non-stop training since they got home from the Land of the Waves, Naruto was feeling increasingly helpless – especially after Hinata confided in him the blood wager she'd made with her grandfather. On top of training, they had looked at apartments for her should the worst happen, and they had taken several D-ranked missions for additional funds as much as practice – Naruto donating his pay to her emergency fund if she was suddenly homeless.

She tapped the next answer, and he wrote it out, not focused on what question was answered. Naruto stared at her, trying to memorize every detail, every minor imperfection, every curve. His mind began wandering into places that made him blush. Get a grip, boy! As much as he tried to stifle it, he began thinking about her in ways Grandpa thought about Granny Tsunade or Sasuke thought about Sakura. Naruto was usually cautious about letting his feelings for Hinata off the chain, but they'd been harder and harder control lately. Two weeks ago, after the study session, he damn near kissed her.

Just think what it would have been like had Aunt Akemi not spoiled it! Naruto's heart fluttered as he imagined the two of them making out on the couch with the same intensity as Sasuke and Sakura the time he'd walked in on them. Head out of the gutter! You have fifteen minutes left!

The final fifteen minutes of the exam turned into a blur; Naruto wasn't even sure if he had written the answers Hinata tapped out. As they passed in their papers, she turned to him, offered him her cute smile, and winked playfully at him. Naruto grinned back in return, wishing they could just leave the test and everything else and find a quiet place to be alone together. "Everyone, please meet with your teams at the outside assembly area for the final question," the proctor announced.

Joints creaked from being seated so long. Naruto yawned vigorously as he stretched and made for the front. "Naruto-kun?" Hinata's sweet voice called from beside him.

"Yeah," he shook himself out of a daze, "What's up, Hinata?"

"Are you okay?" she looked concerned.

"Yeah, just didn't sleep well," he lied. He hadn't slept well since New Year's Eve, and it only got worse the closer they got to July. Don't forget your nightmares, either!

"Are you sure you want to practice today? You've been going at it really hard the past few week," she said as they walked to the assembly area.

Naruto shook his head, "We can't let up now, Hinata." Grandpa still hadn't come back from his mission. Mom, Dad, and Kakashi were increasingly busy, leaving just him to train her. The future of the Hyūga Clan, and more importantly Hinata, rested on him the next few months. So quit thinking with your tool and get down to business!

They met with Sakura, who was hold hands with Sasuke at the assembly field. Naruto felt slightly irked at the display of affection, but he pushed past it. "How'd it go?" Sasuke asked.

"Fine, Shikmaru's plan worked excellently!" Hinata said cheerfully. Seeing her smile made Naruto's toes curl in his shoes.

"Everyone, please gather with your teams!" the test proctors called.

Naruto gathered with Hinata and Sakura. "Listen up!" The proctor called. "You've all reached the final phase, one question remains! However, there is an added challenge. Before you have a chance to answer you as a team must decide if you'll be answering question ten." If? Naruto felt a chill down his spine; he didn't like where this was going. "If you choose to answer question ten and are wrong, you are disqualified from this and all future Chunin Exams. If you choose to not answer, you'll be disqualified from this exam, but will be welcome to test at all future exams. If you choose to answer, step forward; decide quickly as you have 3 minutes."

"Well super," Naruto vented. He looked at Sakura and Hinata, "What do you say?"

"I'm not a big fan of being permanently disqualified, but I'll defer to how you two vote," Sakura answered nervously.

"Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"With everything that's going on, I don't care if we disqualify one way or the other," Hinata answered, her expression was tired.

Think fast, we do this or don't do this? Naruto hated the thought of never being able to do the exam again, but he also was no coward. "We step forward!" he said firmly. They joined about maybe a third of the teams.

"Everyone who has decided not to answer question ten, you are dismissed," the proctor called. There was a long period as the others left. "As for everyone here, the question was if you'd face uncertainty with courage. You all pass!" A loud chorus of cheers rose from the crowd. Of course it'd be something stupid like that! Naruto sighed. "You're all dismissed! See you all on July eighth for part two!"

Naruto felt every muscle in his body release; he was exhausted and numb. Everything in him wanted to go back home and pour himself into his bed, but he saw Hinata. He took her by the hand, feeling his heart jump at contact with her smooth hand, "You ready?" She nodded.

"You kids behave out on the training ground," Sakura winked as she walked with Sasuke, "and I'll see you for team meeting in the morning."

The walk to the third training ground did little for Naruto. It felt nice to be moving, but two weeks of nightmare-haunted sleep remained unrelieved by the fresh air of the early afternoon. He leaned his head back letting the sun caress his face. As he did, Naruto's foot caught an uneven part of the trail, and he stumbled forward. Adrenaline surged through his system as the ground came at his face.

"NARUTO!" Hinata screamed as she braced herself against him. To Naruto's surprise, Hinata's slim form provided a hard stop against his fall.

"Thank you," Naruto said breathlessly. Careless much! What the hell is wrong with me! "Sorry, Hinata."

"It's okay, are-are you okay?" her eyes stared at him like two pale amethysts shimmering in the sun.

"F-Fine," he squeaked awkwardly, "right as rain!" Naruto felt flustered as much from being embarrassed from the fall as he was at hearing his voice crack. Naruto's throat pulsed with a rhythm to match his pounding heart in his chest.

Upon reaching Training Ground Three, Naruto and Hinata stood before the memorial to fallen shinobi, bowed, and said, "Thank you," in unison. They started with simple fighting techniques at first, no chakra enhancements. While Hinata preferred to remain on the defensive, Naruto had to remain on his guard for her occasional but effective counter-strikes. Gone was the shy girl who pulled her punches so much as to render them useless; in her place was a poisonous flower – look all you want but inhale the blossoms at your own peril.

"All right," he groaned as they paused, wiping away sweat from his forehead, "you ready to show me what you've been working on?"

Without a word, Hinata shed her jacket. She wore her usual dark blue uniform pants with a black sleeveless top. Her arms were thin but banded by tight masses of muscle. She was normally so body-conscious that seeing this much of her made his heart move faster than Naruto's dad moved on a battlefield. "Give me everything you've got this time," she said as she assumed a fighting stance.

Naruto began focusing warm, flaming chakra in his hands. Here I come! He charged at her with reckless abandon. Flaming phoenix attack, normally quite dangerous, were batted aside harmlessly as her arms weaved in the air, forming an intricate barrier that caught everything he threw. Not bad, but let's see her block this! Naruto quickly brought his hands together, "Shadow clone jutsu!" a swarm of clones followed him into the air, "Hundred shuriken rain technique!" Each of the hundred clones flung a shuriken at Hinata from every possible angle. Sorry, honey!

The dark metal shuriken caught on the barrier, forming a hedgehog of spikes momentarily as the bladed weapons began raining harmlessly to the ground. Having failed, Naruto willed all the clones to make human wave attacks to wear her down. Hinata cut them down by the dozen. The wave in front of him cleared, and he charged headlong at her with a flying sidekick. Hitting the chakra barrier, Naruto bounced off backwards, tumbling on his back.

He was so dizzy from what happened, he didn't register his shadow clones had disintegrated or that he was staring at the sky. He blinked and found himself in a frighteningly common setting – Konoha Hospital. NO! Hinata lay in a hospital bed crisscrossed with electrical wires, IV tubing, ventilator hoses, and other machinery designed to keep her alive. Naruto ran to the edge of the bed, "Hinata! HINATA!" he forced a choked scream through tears. Her face was cratered with an angry hellscape of bruises and other wounds from recent combat. I've failed her! I've failed…

A familiar hand rested on his shoulder, and Naruto turned to see his father's gaunt face. "I'm so sorry, Naruto," Dad shook his head, "There's nothing more that can be done…" Dad whimpered against tears. Naruto turned back to Hinata, "Honey, open your eyes!" he commanded; she didn't so much as twitch. A heavy, crushing weight in Naruto's stomach dropped him to his knees beside her, "Baby," he sobbed, "please tell me you can hear me!" He wailed with all his might, "PLEASE!" Naruto collapsed, crying into her limp hand. "Please… please… please…" he whimpered.

"Naruto…" a voice called at first barely perceptible. "Naruto…" this time clearly Hinata's voice. He tried to speak, but words refused to pass his vocal cords. "NARUTO!"

His eyes opened to the image of a heavenly angel come to rescue him from his nightmare. HINATA! Not fully out of the dream, Naruto spasmed upright, clutching to Hinata the way he'd clutched his mom the first time he'd fallen off of his bike. "YOU'RE ALIVE!" he squeaked loudly through tears that threatened to close his throat.

"I'm here, Naruto," she held him, "What's wrong! You passed out when you hit my chakra barrier." She sounded concerned, worried if she'd inadvertently hurt him.

He sobbed for a good few moments before he had enough strength to tell her. "It was the nightmare," he cried, "the same one I've had every night since we got back!" He paused, not wanting to relive it.

"It's okay, Naruto, it's just a bad dream," her voice and her arms soothed him like aloe on sunburned skin.

"I-I fail you, Hinata!" he said coldly, "I fail you, and you die!" cold tears began spilling from his face.

"It won't happen, Naruto!" she said firmly. "You've trained me, pushed me, and I'm not going to let you down!" she spoke clearly determined. She guided him gently backwards until his head rested on her knee. Sheer exhaustion threatened to overtake him again. "Just relax, you need to rest for a bit, and we'll pick back up in a while."

"No!" he whined like a child not wanting to sleep during naptime. "If I go to sleep…"

"I'll be here," she cut him off, "to protect you from your nightmares," Hinata smiled down at him as she ran her fingers through his hair. "Just relax, you need to rest, Naruto." Her voice carried him away. He didn't know how long he'd been out when he opened his eyes again. Despite feeling rested, he felt groggy, cloudy in the head. "Welcome back," Hinata greeted him with a playful tussle of his hair.

"How long was I out?" he moaned. As much as he could stay like this all day, they couldn't afford it.

"About forty-five, fifty minutes," she said, "I was about to wake you. Feeling any better?"

"Yes," he whispered a she again ran her fingers through his hair. Gingerly, he lifted himself off her thigh, stretching his neck and shoulders against muscle knots.

"Naruto," she paused, considering him, "If you're not feeling well…"

"No, we have to do this," he said, getting to his feet.

"Then… could you work a bit more with me on that last technique?" she fidgeted nervously.

"My multiple shadow clone technique?" he asked, confused. She nodded. "Umm, sure," he said in a confused tone. Hinata had trained with him on it in the past, when they were in the Land of the Waves, but she never pushed herself beyond eight clones. However, he saw no reason she couldn't do more. For the next several hours, Naruto patiently drilled her through the technique of first summoning three clones, then five, then ten, then twenty, and they kept going until she had a swarm of a hundred clones. She hadn't learned as fast as he had, but she had proved a quick study. Naruto split his curiosity at her sudden renewed interest in the normally forbidden technique with a quiet fantasy of being surrounded by Hinata clones. I wonder if she feels the same way when I summon my clones.

"I'd say you've got it," he patted her on the shoulder. Hinata dismissed the clones, nodding to herself and raising a fist in triumph. I wonder… Naruto stepped slightly away from Hinata, concentrating his chakra in his right palm. Concentrate! Dad, Uncle Kakashi, and Grandpa had tried teaching both of them Rasengan right after they got back from the first mission. Dad and Kakashi encouraged Naruto and Hinata to practice it until Grandpa returned to teach it more fully – thus far, neither had gotten a stable Rasengan to form in almost five months of practice. The chakra in his hand began rotating gradually, like a typhoon. More, more! The pattern swirled, building in strength as he added his chakra to the swirling mass, growing it to the size of a melon.

The mass of energy began bowing outward; it was unstable. SHIT! In a moment, he'd lose control and probably be missing part of his eyebrow – just like had happened the last time. That was how it usually went: Naruto's would tend to explode because he couldn't control it, and Hinata's would dissipate because she was too scared to lose control of it. Before the mass could collapse on itself, Hinata reactively pushed with her chakra, forcing it back into shape. Miraculously, it worked, at least for a moment, and it held its shape. I'll be damned! I never thought of that! Naruto had been so surprised that Hinata's knee-jerk reaction had held the Rasengan together that he dropped the mass of chakra, blasting them both backwards to the ground. Despite the failure, Naruto felt a moment of sharp realization. That's it!

"Na-Naruto, I'm sorry!" Hinata apologized as she dusted herself off.

"No, don't be!" he helped her up excitedly, "You had it, I know what to do!" Hinata's face twisted into a question, but he didn't stop to explain. Naruto almost bounced as he summoned several shadow clones and began the process of spinning and building his chakra. As the mass began shifting, he willed the clones to his aid, carefully shaping the swirling mass into the proper form. Hinata's wide gaze matched his own has he held out the perfectly formed Rasengan. Cautiously, he reached for her right hand with his left, and he let her hold the incredibly concentrated mass of his chakra in her hand. "It might not be perfect technique, but it works!"

Hinata stood in disbelief. Naruto retrieved the swirling mass, eying a nearby boulder. "Watch this!" he winked to Hinata. He charged forward, slamming the boulder into thousands of tiny shards as the Rasengan impacted. He hurried back to Hinata, "Try it! Use your clones!"

She nodded nervously. Hinata had always let her Rasengan's energy bleed off the second she felt she was losing control. Hinata summoned a dozen clones. In a moment, her chakra, more purple than blue, began forming into the swirling mass, her mouth hung wide as the sphere grew, eclipsing every effort she'd made until now. Several times, she nearly lost it, but the clones held the proper shape. Naruto reached her wrist, supporting her as she shivered. Come on girl, you've got this! Finally, the ball stabilized into a perfect orb of pale amethyst energy. "That's it!" he whispered excitedly, "We did it! No way Hanabi can counter this!"

Hinata's face morphed from disbelief to content determination as she activated her Byakugan, targeting a rock the size of a large jackfruit. She charged into the target, smashing it into dust. Hinata deactivated her Byakugan incredulous with joy. Too bad Dad, Uncle Kakashi, and Grandpa aren't here! "Hinata!" he ran up and wrapped her in a bearhug, "We did it!"

Her hands clamped around him, and they stood entwined, content. Naruto felt the gentle caress of a tear of joy slipping between their cheeks. He didn't know if it was his or hers, and quite frankly, he didn't care. Wish I could stay like this forever! "Uzumaki, what did I tell you about putting your hands on my cousin!" a gruff voice shouted. They separated, turning to see Neji, his Byakugan glowing.

"N-Neji! It isn't what it looks like!" Hinata screeched.

"It's exactly what it looks like," Neji's harsh expression turned to a grin, "and I want to help."

"Help?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Training Hinata, dolt!" he shook his head, "What did you think I was going to help you with?"

Naruto was speechless for a long moment. "What's in it for you?" he asked, "You never showed any interest in helping."

"Let's just say, I have a vested interest," he gestured toward Hinata, "in seeing her win."

"Ah ha," Naruto nodded tongue-in-cheek, "Would this vested interest be named Tenten?" he grinned as he saw the other boy's face twist in shock. Caught ya!

"How, how did you know?" he asked incredulously.

"Sakura told me," Naruto laughed, "She hears all the latest gossip. As for practice," Naruto turned to Hinata, "Do you trust him?"

She nodded, "Yes, and he provides a perfect model for the techniques Hanabi will know and use!" She turned curiously to Neji, "How is Tenten involved?"

Neji fidgeted nervously, "Father insists I marry one of my cousins, and is planning on arranging the marriage when I turn eighteen," he sighed. "Tenten has been my teammate and companion for almost two years now, I… I didn't expect it to turn into what it has. If Hinata wins, I'm told I'm wouldn't have to agree to the marriage"

"Say no more," Naruto said, "But if you're in, it's in until the bitter end."

"Of course," Neji nodded.

"All right then," Naruto nodded, "Let's get training!" Suddenly no longer tired, Naruto considered the situation. Hinata still had a long way to go in believing in herself, but she and he had turned a major corner, and they had done it without outside help. Maybe, just maybe, our chances are better than we thought!


Author's note: hey everyone, I forgot to say this in the original posting, thanks for reading, and I hope you're enjoying! Everyone stay safe, stay healthy, and we'll get through this together. As Naruto would say, "Believe it!"

Update 3/23/2020: A major shout out to fellow write Theblueswordsman for some much needed constructive criticism. I made a few edits to make clear that Hinata didn't learn multiple shadow clone or Rasengan in one go. Apologies, everyone, for such a mistake!