Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the original characters.

Author Note: I would like to thank everyone who added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone who reviewed the last chapter. For anyone that is curious to know what the Guardian Chronicles are called in AO3 then they have the same names, but there will be slight changes in the first part of the series.


"Sunshine, why did you make me soba?"

Naruto blinked and felt her cheeks heat up when Shouto tilted his head with his heterochromatic eyes. Curiosity and confusion flashed through his eyes as her boyfriend rubbed his hair with his white towel. Droplets of waters dribbled down the sides of his faces, trailing down his neck and the whiskered teen felt her throat dried up.

She cleared her throat and looked back up at the furrowed eyebrows of her boyfriend. "You gave me a new nickname."

"Sunshine suits you as much as Princess and Love." Shouto explained with a slight smile on his lips. Naruto felt her heart fluttered with nerves and happiness. Her cheeks reddened and looked down at the cold bowl nipping her palms. They had been together for the past month and a couple of weeks but her stomach still fluttered with happiness and another emotion that she couldn't exactly place her finger on it. "You brighten my day."

He really is smooth. Naruto shuffled her legs together and felt her throat dry up as those heterochromatic eyes continued to gaze at her with fond and sincere eyes. The wonderful and embarrassing thing about having a blunt boyfriend was that he had no filter. Only Shouto can say things that makes me blush. She looked away from him and waited for the heat in her cheeks to die away.

There was something about the way Shouto looked at her that made her blush like a little girl.

"W-Well I made it because I wanted to apologize to ya," Naruto admitted, clearing her throat. Shouto blinked and tilted his head to the side as the blond-haired girl softly placed the bowl of the noodles onto the table. The whiskered-teen gazed down at the shining white bowl before looking back up at the younger boy. "I realized that I was a bitch when I told you that you look like an asshole."

Shouto inclined his head. "Why are you apologizing?"

"I shouldn't have judged you from my first impression," Naruto explained with a grimace. Her hand ran through her hair and the 15-year-old girl sat down on the floor. Shouto only looked at her with unbothered eyes as he took a seat right beside her. The minty scent of his shampoo delighted her nose like it always did whenever he used that particular scent. "I should have gotten to know you before making that judgment."

Her boyfriend stroked her back with a heated hand and the whiskered teen leaned closer to his hand. Her back sang with content and pleasure as Shouto's hand lingered on the knots in her back. He pressed against the knot, digging his hand against the knot and the heat in his left hand intensified to the point that it felt like it left a mark on her.

Her muscles let out whimpers of relief and loosened to the point that she slumped her back.

"If you have gotten to know me then you would have been right," Shouto said softly. Naruto frowned and twisted her head around to meet the thoughtful eyes of the 15-year-old boy. Blue eyes drank in the thoughtfulness in his eyes before moving down to the slope of his nose. It really is straight. Her finger longed to trace it but the blonde held back the urge. "You are the first one to open my eyes."

Naruto jolted. "Really? But I was judging you because of my experience and I shouldn't have generalized you."

"Yeah. You were wrong to do that," her boyfriend confirmed with a tiny, amused smile. Naruto poked her tongue against her cheek and straightened her back, only to blink when Shouto's hands cupped her face. He moved closer and the blonde realized with a pounding heart that the distance between them was closer. "But you made me want to prove you wrong about what you thought about me."

Their eyes shined differently from your eyes…like they are not afraid to trust people.

A hearty laugh fled out of Naruto's lip and her boyfriend just gave her a befuddled look as his hand scratched his head. The grasshoppers chirped as the moonlight beamed down on Shouto. The slivery glow of the moonlight brought out almost a celestial glow to her boyfriend. The smile on Naruto's lips widened when the boy finally asked. "Mind explaining to me what is funny, Princess?"

"Because you are one of the reasons that I started to trust people," Naruto explained with a playful smile. She bent forward and placed her legs around either sides of the boy's waist before pushing herself forward. Her breasts hit the firm, solid muscles of her boyfriend's chest and the heterochromatic boy snuck a glance before quickly jerking his head back at her with reddened cheeks. "I wanted to prove you wrong about your presumption that I don't trust people."

Shouto's eyes widened slightly and a quiet chuckle came out of his lips. "Oh, is that so?"

"Definitely," Naruto let out a breathless laugh and played with his wet hair as her lips glided down to his neck. Citrus. Her nose tingled with that delightful scent and she couldn't stop herself from littering his neck with kisses. Chuckles turned to sighs and quiet gasps as she continued showering kisses on his neck and she finally placed one last kiss to the corner of his lips. "I wanted you to say that you were wrong."

Shouto let out a husky laugh. "I don't think I was wrong, Princess. You were afraid to trust."

"Definitely," Naruto agreed as she gazed at him with smile. She drunk in the husky, throaty laughs of her boyfriend and felt her stomach flipped and danced with happiness. It was definitely not the first time she ever heard him laugh but his laugh always brought out those sensations inside of her. Maybe it was because his laughs brought some color into her world. "You were right."

Her boyfriend smiled even wider and brushed his lips against hers before pulling away from her. His heterochromatic eyes looked at her with a sense of wonder and it was not long before he glided his lips back down onto her. Pleasure tingled behind her lips and her whole body trembled. It was funny that even a gentle kiss could bring out such a reaction from her.

"I know that it's difficult for you to say those words," Shouto said as his hot breath touched her lips. "Now do you want to tell me what made you realize this?"

Naruto blinked and then reddened before rubbing the back of her neck. "Well I might have yelled at a customer?"

The heterochromatic-haired boy raised an eyebrow at her and tilted his head. Naruto couldn't exactly look him in the eyes and felt her cheeks heat up even more with embarrassment. I know he wants me to explain why I yelled at a customer. Her heart hopped with nerves and the blonde looked down at her lap.

"What did the customer say to make you angry?" Shouto asked. "I know it takes a lot for you to yell at a customer."

She let out a nervous laugh. "Well this jerk asked me why I was dating you because apparently I'm a warm, kind person while you were a jerk. He didn't even know you and he just acted like you were some asshole that I shouldn't date, which is stupid. I mean you are this wonderful, kind boy and he is saying all that—"

Her words died down when Shouto pulled her in for another kiss. He kissed her with a fervent need and that made her heart soared with giddy happiness that brought out sighs out of her lips. Whatever words, thoughts and even her burning anger died away as her boyfriend ran his hands through her hair. He tugged slightly and a whimper escaped her lips.

The scent of his citrus body soap was really smelled addicting against her nose.

"W-Why?" Naruto finally stuttered when her boyfriend released his lips from her.

Shouto smiled fondly and stroke her chin. "You look really tempting when you ramble…and I'm happy that you defended me."

His eyes shone with sincerity and Naruto could only stare at him as her throat dried up at the genuine emotions shining through his eyes. Her heart fluttered and then fell down as Shouto pressed a kiss against her forehead before moving down to her cheeks. He really is too good to me. It was a miracle that he stuck by her side.

"Shouto, you are so great," Naruto informed him and heterochromatic eyes gazed down at her with surprise. She ran her hand through his soft, smooth hair before clasping their hands together. "I was a bitch to you when we first met and you still like me."

"Well I got to know you, Pretty Girl," Shouto reminded her as he looked down at their clasped hands with a slight smile. "And even though you had a harsh way of saying things, your actions proved that you were anything but harsh. You cried when you heard what happened to me and that was the first time someone ever did that."

Naruto quirked her lips slightly. "So you like me because of that?"

"It helped me deepen my feelings for you and I started to like you when you went off on Endeavor," Shouto curled his lips into a tiny smile as the whiskered teen let out a nervous smile. "But I like you because you are Naruto. I like how you make me want to be a better person and because you believe in me. I like the fact that you support me even when you have your own problems."

Naruto felt tears welled behind her eyes and Shouto blinked. His eyes screamed with uncertainty and apology but the blonde only shook her head. I'm not crying because I'm hurt. Those sweet words made her throat clogged up with happiness. His words told her that even if she had doubts about whether or not she was a monster, then Shouto made it seem like she was everything that was good.

"I like you too," she finally whispered.

Shouto flashed her a little smile but that smile blinded her. It makes me forget the stress of work. She massaged his hand and gazed down at the three thin, faint scars in his arm before looking out at the window. A raven inspected them with such thoughtful eyes before flying away. There have been a lot of ravens watching me lately. There had been one when she had been training with Shinso.

There had also been a few hawks as well when she thought about it.

A pair of guilty brown eyes flashed before her eyes and then it was replaced with teasing black eyes. Which one? Naruto frowned and rubbed the back of her neck. For just a second, Shouto's hard chest was replaced with the rough bark of the tree post. She saw Sasuke standing before her as he looked at her with faint amusement.

Huh? Why do I remember it like that?

Her teammate had never been amused when it came to her tactics or when she needed him to get her out of those stupid ropes. Maybe it is because I had that silly idea that Sasuke was here. That could be the reason. Her former teammate would never come here and he certainly would never visit her. Not when he told her that…

Our bond meant nothing to me.

Her heart groaned with sadness and pain like it always did whenever those harsh words played in her ear.

"Something else seems to be bothering you."

Naruto jerked her head up and blinked before letting out a tiny squeak of surprise when heterochromatic eyes looked down at her with concern. He is really close. That turquoise eye had more hints of emerald green then she had ever realized. His grey eye used to remind her of a storm cloud but right now it resembled the glowing moon standing in the night sky.

Should I tell him?

Her boyfriend despised Sasuke for what he did to her and it was within his right. I hate Endeavor and what he put him through. Gazing at that burnt red mark on his face reminded her of her anger. An anger that grew even more intense the more she learnt of what the Hero had done to him and his siblings.

If Shouto ran into his father or thought he ran into him then she would want to know, even if it made her anger grow. Besides, if I can't tell him then that means I can't tell him anything and you should be open with the person you are dating…even if you are worried that it would make them angry. The more she thought about it, the more she was reminded of the fact that they needed to communicate.

It was easy for her to keep secrets from Hinata but hiding things from Shouto was now getting to the point that it was difficult.

"I had the strangest idea that Sasuke was at my workplace," Naruto admitted. Shouto stiffened and then jerked his head down at her. His eyes were wide with alarm and he stopped patting her back. Instead his grip on her waist tightened and the blonde gazed at him. "It is stupid because there would be no reason for him to be there. Besides, how would he know where I work? It is a stupid idea formed from me missing him."

Shouto frowned and asked stiffly. "You still miss him after all that bullshit he put you through?"

"It is…weird," Naruto agreed, closing her eyes. The image of a scowling 10-year-old Sasuke came to her mind and Naruto felt her throat clogging up slightly as other images came to her mind. Here, I got you some kunai. This is the type of kunai that you have to look for, Naruto! Don't pick the cheapest one! Pick the one with quality! She chuckled. "But he is my first friend and the closest thing I had to a brother before Katsuki. I still have some good memories with him even when he was being an ass."

"You didn't pay attention when you bought the groceries, didn't you? This is why you have food poisoning!"

She shook her head and wrinkled her nose as the image of grumbling Sasuke was replaced with the concern eyes of Shouto.

"Naruto, I still can't fully comprehend how you can still care for him when he nearly killed you," Shouto whispered as his eyes fixated on her. "He put you through so much and you make so many excuses for him…and I still can't understand why. Every time I think of how close you were to dying, I want to find that asshole and just…murder him."

Naruto closed her eyes and sighed. "Sometimes I think I'm insane for still caring about him and then I will remember what he was like…before he lost his parents and his clans member. He was a totally different person, still an asshole but a lovable one…kinda similar to Katsuki."

"Bakugou is lovable?" Shouto asked, raising an eyebrow.

The blonde snorted. "I know you like Katsuki and consider him to be your friend as much as Izuku."

"Oh I consider him to be my friend but your cousin is in denial about our friendship," Shouto commented with a slight smile. Naruto chuckled and the whiskered teen pecked him on the lips before looking up at his heterochromatic eyes. "But I still don't fully understand how that makes you say that you miss him."

Naruto hummed. "Well don't you miss Touya? Even though he hasn't been a part of your life for a long time, don't you ever see things that remind you of him and think…I miss that bastard?"

Her boyfriend paused and tilted his head as his eyes gazed down at her with consideration. It was not the same comparison because Touya probably never hurt her boyfriend. Every time Shouto talks about him, he doesn't give me the impression that Touya had ever been mean to him. She allowed her hands to be swept up to his hair, ruffling and playing with the softness that was his hair.

"Every year the memory I have of To-niisan fades because I don't really have a lot of memories with him," Shouto explained quietly. His voice sounded thoughtful and considerate and he closed his heterochromatic eyes. He furrowed his eyebrows together. "But the memories that I do have makes me miss him. Natsu-niisan and Fuyumi-neechan probably miss him even more than me because they had more memories of him. I'm starting to forget what he even looks like."

Hurt colored his tone and Naruto wrapped her arms around him. She pressed her ear against his chest and listened to the rapid heartbeat of her boyfriend. It really hurts not to remember what your own sibling looks like. What could she do to cheer him up? Was there anything that she even could say to cheer him up? Maybe there was something that they could do.

She had three more years here and this might help Shouto.

"Have you ever thought of looking for him?"

Shouto frowned and then shook his head as his hand rubbed soft, lingering circles around her back. "I never really thought about searching for him but there is a reason that he run away from home, Princess. If I go looking for him then wouldn't it bring back the bad memories? And even if I do go looking for him…would he even be happy to see me?"

Vulnerability colored his tone and Naruto felt her heart ached for the boy sitting right in front of her. She rubbed her eyes and took in several deep breaths to calm down her sobbing heart. It really hurts to see him like this. As much as she could pour all her feelings to him, Naruto knew and understood that feelings would never be enough to help someone heal.

It helped but it didn't cure the hollowing thoughts and doubts.

"Do you want to tell me why you think he wouldn't be happy to see you?" Naruto asked. Her hand stroke his cheek and she took in the citrus scent of his body before looking up at him with concern, curious eyes. "You are his brother and from what you told me, he helped you whenever things had been too intense with that shitty old man of yours."

Shouto's eyes wavered with doubt. "Because what if he saw me and remembers Endeavor? What if he takes one look at me and think that I'm like Endeavor. That I'm not his little brother? What if he thinks that Endeavor actually succeeded with me? Endeavor compared us and he never really saw me as his son. How do I know for certain that Touya hasn't began to think like him?"

That kind of loaded question was difficult for her to answer because…she didn't know if there was a right answer.

"If he thinks like that, Shouto then you should tell him that you are Todoroki Shouto," Naruto suggested lightly. "If he thinks that you are another Endeavor then he is ridiculous. You might carry some of his traits but you aren't Endeavor. You are Todoroki Shouto. You are Shouto and if your brother can't see that then he is the biggest idiot in the world."

Her boyfriend grew quiet and looked down at her with warm eyes that made her stomach do a flip.

"Princess."

Naruto blinked and felt her heart jumped up to her throat when Shouto slanted his lips over hers. She felt herself becoming breathless and the world around her seemed to have faded. It felt like there had been a smoke bomb being set off because she couldn't see anything. She could only feel the gratitude and adoration behind Shouto's soft lips.

It felt like there was an earthquake with how her legs wobbled from the emotions coming out of him.

"Shouto?"

She couldn't stop herself from panting or looking up at him with wonder and affection when he stopped kissing her. A smile played on his lips and Naruto felt her heart ready to explode from the pure radiance of his smile. He really does have a wonderful smile. She cleared her throat and just listened to the chirps of the grasshoppers.

"I'm lucky to have you in my life."


"I hope you have a good reason for requesting the meeting at this time of the night."

Hinata nodded as Nedzu let out a little yawn, rubbing his eyes while the other members of the teaching staff gazed at her. In the corner of the room was Jiraiya. The Toad Sannin stared at her with concern and curious eyes. I wish he had been able to contact Hokage-sama but she is talking to Naruto-chan's grandmother over their plans. Looking at Jiraiya and the hero Uzushiokage reminded her that the situation was nothing like the past.

The Fifth Hokage had to negotiate and apologize for the actions caused by her best friend's grandfather as well as figure out ways to stimulate their economy again.

"Uchiha Sasuke is in Japan."

The chatter in the room died down as the heroes gazed at her, Kiba and Shino with wide, alarmed eyes. Hinata pressed her lips into a thin line and felt her palms moistened as guilty brown eyes fixated on Naruto. Idiot. Fool. Jerk. Anger flooded into her and her blood simmered with rage as faded blue eyes flashed before her eyes.

Did he know how much suffering he caused to Naruto?

"How do you know this, Hinata?" Jiraiya asked. Hinata jerked her head as black eyes schooled into nothing. His voice carried no emotion while everyone else flickered their eyes between them. Beside her, Kiba frowned and stared at the man with disbelief. Just because you and Shino-kun believe me, doesn't mean Jiraiya-sama is obligated to believe me. The white-haired man eyed her. "This is a huge piece of information."

Aizawa nodded while Eisuke balled his hands into a fist. Hinata stole a glance at Midnight and held back a blush when the woman pointed to her eyes. So I have to ask, have you ever used your eyes to sneak a peak to see your crush's package? That woman had no sense of shame when she asked her that question and the embarrassment had never faded from that day.

"I caught him watching Naruto-chan," Hinata admitted. "He used the Henge but I have been watching him and Naruto-chan long enough to know the way he looked at Naruto-chan."

Did you see Sasuke-kun staring at her? I don't understand why he only pays attention to her! I'm way more prettier than that stupid Naruto!

Hinata curled her lips into a bitter smile as jealous brown eyes flashed before her eyes. She really was an idiot if she thinks that she was prettier than Naruto-chan. The image of the wall in front of he faded, replaced with an image of a smiling 8-year-old Naruto. Long golden hair weaved into two pigtails, bright blue eyes that resembled the sunny skies and slight delicate features that made her best friend resembled a doll.

The image faded and Hinata shook her head.

"What is the henge?" All Might questioned with a slight cough. Sunken blue eyes gazed at them with curiosity while everyone else exchanged glances between them. Hinata smoothed her wrinkled jacket while Aizawa raised an eyebrow at her. "And if you could recognize him then why haven't you arrested him? Isn't he a criminal in your village?"

Hinata inhaled. "The henge is a jutsu that allows you to transform to anyone or in some cases it could be used to exaggerate certain features as Naruto-chan demonstrated when she used her sub-version of that jutsu in the Sports Festival."

Some of the male heroes coughed and looked away from her while Jiraiya scratched his head. Aizawa thinned his lips and stared at his fellow male heroes with disgust. If only he knew that even Iruka-sensei fell for the very same jutsu. She darted her eyes to Kiba and Shino. Both males couldn't meet her eyes, only focusing their attention on the walls.

Their red cheeks spoke volumes to her and Hinata only shook her head.

"As for the reason why I haven't arrested Sasuke is because Tsunade-sama decided to be lenient with him," Hinata explained. Aizawa blinked. The older male's frown deepened while whispers broke out within the teaching staff. Kiba and Shino exchanged glances before giving her a grimace. All Might tightened his grip around the glass. "There is also the fact that until Tsunade-sama completes negotiation on matters like missing-nin…we can't arrest him. We lack the authority to do that unless Tsunade-sama can negotiate."

All Might narrowed his eyes. "Okay but why hasn't Hokage-sama make that boy a criminal? He harmed your fellow shinobi and should be treated as a danger to the world around him."

"She hasn't done it because of Naruto-chan," Hinata explained, dropping her arms. A tired sigh escaped her lips and the Hyuga Heiress leaned against the wall as her legs trembled. Several of the heroes arched their eyebrows with disbelief while All Might gazed at her with disbelief. "She believes in Naruto-chan and wants to see whether or not Naruto-chan can redeem Sasuke. There had been arguments caused about it."

Your cousin nearly lost his life and she doesn't want to label him as a missing nin!

Present Mic thinned his lips. "Once a person commits a crime, he is a criminal. There is no chance for someone can be redeemed even if Uzumaki believes that Villains have their own reasons for becoming such things. She shouldn't base her decision over Uzumaki's beliefs."

Hinata exhaled and nodded while Jiraiya pinched his nose. I know what they mean and I carry that same thought but it is Naruto who had been affected by what happened. Even though Naruto was with Todoroki and seemed to be happier than ever, Hinata also knew how stubborn her best friend could be when it came to Sasuke.

"If anyone should have lost faith in Sasuke by now, then it should be Naruto-chan," Hinata explained quietly. "But Naruto-chan has always been the type of person who believed in second chances and that there is good in people. I think if I even ask Naruto-chan, she will tell me that Sasuke still has some good in him."

All Might shook his head. "And why would young Uzumaki believe that?"

"Because Naruto-chan still remembers the days when Sasuke had been happy and was a genuinely nice person," Hinata explained. Y'know Hinata-chan, he is an asshole but sometimes he acts like his old self…and then he acts like an even bigger ass. She shook her head and shoved the memory to the side. "That's the reason she clings to this belief."

Guilty brown eyes flashed before her eyes and Hinata felt doubt flooding into her stomach.

Could there still be good in him even after hurting Naruto-chan?

She didn't know but no way could she ever forgive him for nearly killing their best friend.

"I'm curious to know why has he been watching her," Aizawa said quietly. The chatter died down and everyone turned their bodies around to face the black-haired man. His black eyes showed only blankness and the man tugged on his scarf before leaning his body forward. "It is odd for a teammate to watch the person he nearly killed and not make any contact with them."

Hinata regarded the man carefully and then looked out to the windows. She could see mice climbing up and down the trees and in the distance, she heard a wolf howling to the moon. Should I spill this piece of information? Her heart raced against her chest and the blue-haired girl felt her legs trembled with nerves. It was none of her business but they did need to know.

"Sasuke has been in love with Naruto-chan for as long as I could remember," Hinata explained. "Just like me, he has always had the habit of watching her and I think a part of him still carry those feelings for her."

All Might slammed his fist against the table. "He nearly murdered her! How can he be in love with her if he committed such a heinous crime towards her! Young Hyuga, I don't know how you people interpret love but that isn't love."

"In ordinary circumstances I will agree with you, All Might," Hinata said calmly. She looked down at her smooth hands before gazing at the furrowed eyebrows of the teachers in the room. "But if Sasuke still didn't love Naruto then he wouldn't keep giving her that particular stare. He wouldn't have watch her while she worked and looked almost hurt when Naruto-chan confirmed that she was in a relationship with Todoroki-san."

Aizawa eyed her. "If you believe that he isn't here to cause harm Uzumaki then why is he in the country?"

"Kabuto," Jiraiya answered. Aizawa turned his head and rubbed his chin with a grimace. Principal Nedzu thinned his lips and then took a sip of his tea while the whole room grew icy cold from this revelation. Hinata felt her hand trembled with worry. A warm hand clasped her own and Hinata blinked when Kiba flashed her a reassuring smile. "Orochimaru must have realized that something has happened to his subordinate and sent Sasuke to check."

Hinata nodded while Midnight flickered her eyes between them.

"This is all very interesting but if you recognized him then why hasn't Uzumaki realize that her former teammate is in the country?" Midnight asked, leaning forward. Her eyes flickered between the three of them. "Uzumaki was able to tell that Kabuto was after a student, so it sounds unbelievable that she hadn't noticed it."

Aizawa frowned. "Midnight has a point."

Well I have to thank that hyperactive boy for making it difficult for Naruto-chan to concentrate. Hinata offered them a weary smile as Kiba and Shino looked at her with curious eyes. She stretched her fingers, felt the flood of pleasure from the crack of her fingers, and then surveyed the room. Every single hero in the room looked at her with concern.

"There are several reasons that I believe that made it hard for Naruto-chan to recognize Sasuke is here," Hinata said, rubbing her shoulders. She straightened her back and dropped her hands on either sides of her body. "She doesn't believe Sasuke would come to her workplace due to the fact of what he did to her. Then there was also the fact that she got a little bit angry—"

"Oh no," Jiraiya muttered. "From a scale of 1-10, how angry are we talking about?"

Hinata blinked and then replied. "I will rank it as a solid 6 in the Naruto-chan anger scale."

If it had went any higher then that poor boy was going to get sent to the hospital. It had been a miracle that Naruto kept her temper under control, because Hinata had seen how her best friend had been flexing her hand for a punch during the whole confrontation. Hinata took a deep breath and shook her head.

"Why was Uzumaki angry?" Aizawa questioned with raised eyebrows.

The Hyuga heiress allowed an amused smile to play on her lips. "One of the customers called Todoroki-san a jerk and implied that Naruto-chan deserved better than him."

Present Mic snorted and shook his head. "Ah, young love."

Aizawa shot an annoyed look to Present Mic and the male quickly made a zipping motion to his lips. Hinata quirked her lips into a small, soft smile before looking down at the table. Young love. Her stomach almost rolled with jealously and the girl furiously shook her head. This was definitely not the time to be jealous over the fact that Naruto-chan was dating someone she loved.

Her best friend should have this happiness and she was definitely content to follow with the wishes of the elders.

The clan must come first.

She couldn't be selfish when it came to her own desires, not when her own sister's happiness hinged on her following her clan duties.

"I will have Tsunade talk to the Hero Public Safety Commission alongside Uzushiokage and the Prime Minister about tightening security around Kabuto," Jiraiya said. The cheerful atmosphere faded at those words. Hinata felt sweat sticking to the back of her neck as black eyes looked at them with weariness. "We cannot afford to have Kabuto escape from his cell."

Nedzu grimaced. "There is no telling if he would retaliate against Uzumaki-san for her actions."

He will definitely try to hurt Naruto-chan for her actions…but this time I will protect her.

She would do everything in her power to keep Naruto safe.


"Todoroki-kun, why are you standing outside my door?"

Shouto stared at the curious eyes of Hinata before darting his eyes to the other end of the corridor. From where he stood, only darkness seemed to be greeting him from behind each door. Naruto did say that she was going to turn in early because she wanted to have a jog before resuming her training with Aizawa-sensei. He exhaled and looked back to Hinata.

"I have a couple of questions to ask you."

His voice sounded firm even though his stomach rolled with nerves over the talk that they were going to have. I just have to confirm. He inhaled and watched as Hinata stared at him with concern eyes before stiffly nodding her head. The blue-haired girl pushed the door to her bedroom opened and gestured with a quick wave to go into the room.

Shouto walked behind her and stood right next to the wall as Hinata closed the door with a quiet thud. He could only hear his thundering heart as the blue-haired girl took a seat on her light purple swivel chair. His palms began to sweat with anxiety as the girl swirled the chair at his direction. She smoothed the wrinkles of her hoodie and regarded him with considerate eyes.

"What do you want to talk to me about, Todoroki-san?" Hinata asked quietly. She straightened her back and offered him a blank look as her pale, lilac eyes darted to the windows before looking back at him. "It must be something urgent for you to wait outside my room at 1am."

He licked his chapped lips. "Naruto told me that she had the strangest idea that Sasuke came into her workplace, but I want to know if he had actually been there."

It had been nagging him since Naruto confessed to him a few hours ago. During the whole time he ate the delicious, cold soba noodles that his girlfriend made, a part of him had a nagging feeling that his girlfriend's strange thought could be true. I know I should believe her but Naruto can sense chakra signature from a very far distance. Knowing this made him come to a realization that still made his stomach roll with concern.

Sasuke could be in the country and his girlfriend was very much in denial over the possibility.

"Naruto-chan has a very silly idea," Hinata dismissed with a confident tone. Her lilac eyes stared at him with a haughty glint but Shouto observed that her shoulders were shaking like a willow tree. She took in a deep breath. "Sasuke isn't here."

Shouto narrowed his eyes. "Naruto could sense Kabuto from a mile away and you think she can't differentiate her own teammate's signature? Tell me the truth: is he here? I can figure out why Naruto doesn't believe it but you were with her. You know whether Naruto has been imagining things or not."

Hinata slumped her shoulders. Dread crept up to his throat and Shouto balled his hands into a fist as the haughty glint faded into a glint of concern and fear. He is here. The knowledge made his knees buckled and his heart threatened to escape from his ribs. Teary blue eyes came into his mind, replacing the concern lilac eyes right in front of him.

I should have tried talking to him.

His heart ached with pain as Naruto's guilt-ridden voice echoed in his ears.

"He is here but don't let Naruto-chan know," Hinata begged. Shouto jerked his head as the blue-haired girl looked up at him with reddened eyes. She sniffed and cleared her throat before turning the chair away from him. "It's way too soon for those two to meet. Naruto-chan barely recovered from what that stupid boy did! I can't afford her to go after him, not when—"

"—She nearly died," Shouto finished with a blank tone.

Hinata vigorously bobbed her head and furiously rubbed her eyes. Shouto watched with pursed lips and tight shoulders as his girlfriend's best friend trembled with fear. If I thought it was terrible then I can only imagine what it was like for her to witness the whole thing. His heart throbbed and cried with pain as various scenarios came into his mind.

Every single image ended up with his girlfriend staring at the world with vacant, empty eyes that resembled so much like Midoriya when he found out that they lost Bakugou.

"Naruto-chan told you," Hinata croaked. "She really does tell you everything, doesn't she?"

Shouto looked out to the window. "She tells me that the fact that she couldn't stop Sasuke was her biggest fucked up. She told me about how he nearly killed her and when I heard the story, I wanted to kill him for doing this to her."

The rain smashed and battered against the window as lightning struck down to the ground. Hinata remained unfazed and nodded while Shouto plopped himself down to the ground. He had this wonderful, amazing girl and…he tried to kill her. His throat burned and grew heavier with sorrow. If Sasuke succeeded with what he did then there would have been no Naruto.

That wonderful, kind girl sleeping next door would have been dead.

She could have died.

His heart mourned as bright blue eyes turned into vacant, lifeless eyes and Shouto's shoulders quivered with fear and rage. There are a few people I hate but Sasuke is definitely one of them. His girlfriend could definitely miss him. She could be fond with that asshole. But he could definitely never like the boy who nearly murdered Naruto.

"I hate him so much too," Hinata whispered. Shouto blinked and stared at the Hyuga Heiress, who clenched her jaws together and dug her nails against the palm of her hand. Blood dripped out and smacked the ground as furious eyes stared back at him. "And you know what else? I wish Naruto-chan will hate him. I just wish she didn't care about him because he always put her through so much pain, but she always forgives him."

He thinks it is easier for him to blame himself then to blame the person who hurt them.

Shouto inhaled and gazed at the teary eyes of Hinata before sweeping his eyes to the window. His heterochromatic eyes lingered on the glowing, slivery shine of the moon before landing his eyes on shuddering tree in front of him. Why would she have feelings for me? The question always lingered on his mind but it grew stronger with the knowledge that Sasuke was here.

Did Naruto really have feelings for him?

Am I a replacement for Sasuke?

He didn't want that.

Naruto wouldn't do this because she wasn't that type of girl.

But we only know each other for a couple of months and she has years and years of history with Sasuke.

He cleared his throat and kept his gaze focused on the willow tree in front of them. "Hyuga, you are Naruto's best friend and you know her the longest, so was Naruto…ever in love with Sasuke? Did they have feelings for each other before that incident?"

His heart yelled at him for him asking this and Shouto steadied his buckling knees. I am being ridiculous because why does it matter? Naruto is with me. He knew that. His girlfriend chose him but his stomach rolled and squeezed with doubts and concern. He should have asked his girlfriend but Naruto was wonderfully dense.

It took her a while to realize that she was his crush.

"Sasuke had been hopelessly in love with Naruto-chan for as long as I could remember," Hinata admitted with a resigned tone. Shouto stiffened and wrapped his hand around the window still. His palms moistened and he felt numbness creeping up on his right side as ice began to decorate the window still. "But Naruto-chan has never loved him in that way."

"How do you know?" Shouto asked, turning his head around. Pale, lilac eyes looked at him with understanding and the heterochromatic boy kept his tone even as he elaborated his question. "Did Naruto ever tell you that?"

"Naruto-chan never told me that because I never felt the need to bring it up," Hinata answered with an amused tone and a sly smile. Shouto blinked and tilted his head as the girl inspected him with amused eyes. "But I know Naruto-chan never loved Sasuke in that way from the differences in the way that she acts around you and him. The way she looks at you is different from whatever looks she gave to Sasuke."

Oh.

Shouto rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the frost decorating the window still. A sigh escaped his lips and he brushed his left hand against the icy window still. The frost nipped him to the bone, bringing out a tiny shiver of discomfort. Shouto inhaled and heated up the window still. The frost melted away into water. The water dripped down in a slow tempo.

"Naruto-chan loves you and Sasuke in different ways," Hinata commented quietly. "If you are concern that Naruto-chan will dump you or is using you to replace Sasuke then you don't have to worry about that. She might be dense but she will never be cruel to do that to you. She really does like you."

He closed his eyes. "Is it that obvious that was my concern?"

"I would have been concerned if you weren't a little bit uncertain," Hinata replied. Shouto whirled around and looked at her with surprised eyes as the girl offered him a faint smile. "It is difficult for any boy to be confident on where he stands when Naruto still cares that deeply for Sasuke. If the person I am dating, still gives that level of concern and has that level of closeness to a friend…then I would be worried too."

"I should be confident because Naruto shows me that she likes me so many times," Shouto observed, looking down at the water droplets trickling down from the ledge of the window. "But she is this amazing person who went through things that would have made anyone else crack. Sometimes, I'm still…surprised that she picked me."

I'm always in awe about Naruto and her resilience.

He could never say those words but from the slight hints that Naruto had given him about her past, well he couldn't help but admire her. She went through so much and she still had this much strength inside of her. He had this wonderful person who liked him and a part of him just couldn't help but be surprised that this wonderful person picked him.

She could have anyone.

But she was with him.

Hinata smiled faintly.

"You make her happy," the Hyuga Heiress declared. Shouto blinked and the blue-haired girl offered him a faint smile before looking out at the window. "I was always worried that the day she finally found someone that she really liked then that person wouldn't appreciate how amazing she was. But I can see that out of every girl in Konoha, Naruto-chan had the best luck when it comes to relationships."

Shouto nodded and felt the corner of his lips tugged into a smile. He cleared his throat and looked down at his hands. I think I should ask Naruto what that means alongside why Hyuga told me thank you a few weeks ago. His chest tightened when he took in a deep breath and the male regarded Hinata.

"I will keep Naruto busy once I'm done with detention."

It was wrong of him to keep Sasuke a secret from Naruto.

He knew Naruto was going to be furious with him, but he had to do it.

Going after her former teammate right now was way too dangerous and risky if you asked him. His girlfriend didn't have a license and would be breaking several laws in order to achieve her goal. It was greedy of him but he couldn't let her do this. His girlfriend shouldn't ruin her future for her former teammate. I want her to recover before she did it again.

There was no point arguing with Naruto about Sasuke but he could try to prevent the time frame of her attempting to rescue her former teammate. Just a few more years. That would be enough time for his girlfriend to be able to cope with the pressure again. Right now, if his girlfriend failed then her backslide was going to be horrible.

Watching her through her depressive episode made his stomach roll with concern and his heart ached from the pain of seeing her endure it.

"Thank you, Todoroki-san."


Author Note: So Todoroki learns from Hinata that Sasuke was the one in love with Naruto and that Naruto really does like him. Jiraiya is going to inform Tsunade and Kenji over the new developments. Naruto is both in denial and in the dark about the fact that Sasuke is in Japan. There will be a tiny time skip in the next chapter to the License exam. So you have been warned.

Now here are a couple of questions for you:

Q1: How did you feel about the interaction between Todoroki and Naruto in this chapter? Are you a fan of their relationship or do you think that it could be improved even more?

Q2: How did you feel about Hinata's conversation with Todoroki?

Q3: How do you feel about the second scene of the chapter?

Q4: How do you think Inasa will react when he sees how Todoroki acts around Naruto?

Do tell me of your thoughts on this chapter and how the story could be improved. Constructive criticism is appreciated and do tell me how you found the writing for the last couple of chapters.