Chapter 6- Always leave them wanting more
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters mentioned in this story.
After Hinata's confession, Naruto and Hinata could be seen together most of the time. The former looking for every opportunity to be with the latter.
When Naruto wasn't teaching taijutsu at the academy he could be seen watching Hinata study medical ninjutsu. When the chunin exam came around, the first person he wanted to tell was Hinata. Hinata, the girl who loved him.
His heart did a weird twisty thing whenever he thought of her.
"Is this how dad felt about mom?" Naruto thought.
He was confused. He didn't know anything about being in love. He thought he loved Sakura but the feelings weren't the same. This was different.
Sakura told him she loved him one time too, and Naruto felt none of the twisty thing. He had been angry with her.
"How did Hinata know she was in love?" Naruto wondered. He wanted to ask her but he felt like this was something that it was important to figure out on his own.
At first, all the time he spent with the Hyuga, had made him feel bad. He wanted to give her an answer but he didn't know it. Hinata insisted it was fine, that they could still hang out as friends.
" I told you before Naruto-kun, I want to walk beside you, whatever that means." Hinata's voice echoing in his mind.
"Hinata said she had a shift at the hospital later today, If we leave now…." One of Naruto's shadow clones thought out loud.
5 different blonde heads perked up at that idea.
"How about it boss?" another said as it threw its cards on the table in defeat.
"That's a great idea. Glad I thought of it, dattebayo." Naruto said cheekily.
"Hey-" the clone couldn't finish since Naruto dispelled the Jutsu.
After getting dressed and making himself presentable he headed over to the Hyuga compound.
Leaving his shoes at the door, a Hyuga branch member walked him to where Hinata was. Realizing that she was in the garden she confessed to him as he blushed. Then realizing that she was sitting in the blankets we were almost naked in, his blush intensified.
"For a ninja Hinata's awareness of her surroundings is shit." Naruto thought. Smirking evilly he tried to sneak up behind her.
" I'll scare her good, dattebayo." Naruto was directly behind her now
" What do you think, you're doing Naruto-kun." Hinata said. Her voice was as soft and sweet as ever but something about it didn't feel right, the hair on Naruto's neck stood up.
"It seemed like you were trying to sneak up on a Hyuga." Hinata teased, raising an eyebrow.
"How did I forget about her byakugan?" Naruto thought in shame.
"Because you're an idiot." Kurama laughed inside Naruto.
"Stupid fox," Naruto responded, sticking his tongue out.
" Stupid brat," Kurama said.
" he he, I forgot about that." Naruto laughed and rubbed his prosthetic hand behind his head.
Hinata laughed and Naruto thought it was the best laugh.
"What are you doing here Naruto-kun," Hinata asked.
" Well, I thought we could hang out or something before you had to go to the hospital."
Naruto said.
Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. Despite Naruto's increased presence around her, Hinata is still surprised every time he comes looking for her. Her heart soared.
Blushing, Hinata nodded.
"Alright, let me put everything away," Hinata said.
For the first time, Naruto noticed that Hinata wasn't just sitting outside enjoying the summer weather. He noticed a leather-bound book, a bowl with some mushed-up stuff inside, and empty containers.
"Whatchya got there Hinata." Naruto sat down and started sniffing the contents of the bowl.
"Hey Hinata… this stuff smells kind of weird."
Naruto could never associate Hinata with weird smells, he put the weird mush down and waited for Hinata to explain.
" I'm making medicinal ointment and pressing flowers," Hinata explained laughing at Naruto's expression.
" But why does it smell? What's flower pressing?" Naruto asked.
" Flower pressing is when you preserve the flowers by flattening them."
Hinata offered Naruto her notebook so he could see.
While Naruto browsed through her book she said, " some of the herbs I use or the combination of herbs sometimes smell weird, I add other things to it to lessen the smell, but I mostly want to be able to get the maximum benefits each herb provides.
Naruto nodded his head accepting the explanation. He didn't want to hold Hinata's hands if they smelt funny...he might anyway though, he liked the feel of her hands in his.
Hinata's hands were soft despite the years of training with her clan's Jutsu.
"Can I try?" Naruto asked sincerely.
Nodding Hinata began showing Naruto how to use the flower presser. Naruto ran around the garden gently plucking the flowers he wanted to preserve.
That's how Hanabi found Hinata and Naruto when she went to tell her sister lunch was ready.
Hinata was laughing at something Naruto said, the blonde was holding up what appeared to be a flattened flower over his head. Her elder sister tried not to laugh when Naruto fell. Hinata applied some of the ointment she was making on Naruto and gave him the rest for later. The two talked and continued pressing flowers. Hanabi smiled. Naruto may not realize it but he was falling in love with her sister. Hanabi asked her guard if they could have someone bring Naruto and Hinata's lunch outside.
"Hey, Hinata?" Naruto asked.
" mmm" she acknowledges him
"Maybe next time I can show you the plants I grew at home?" Naruto asked
Blushing Hinata said, " I'd like that."
The two sat and ate in silence, when they were done Naruto helped Hinata clean up. He put the flower book she helped him make in his pocket and walked Hinata to the hospital before going his separate way.
If Sakura saw the blush taking over Hinata's face she didn't say anything about it. The two girls started their rounds at the hospital.
Later that night there was a tap against Naruto's bedroom window. Noticing the messenger bird he opened it and took the scroll of its back. He had a mission.
The next morning, Naruto arrived at the Hokage's office. Seeing Sakura and Sai there, Naruto grinned.
"So the gangs back together again huh?" Naruto asked
"Seems like it, dickless" Sai said.
Naruto glared at Sai while Sakura, Kakashi, and Shikamaru looked on laughing.
" Some things never change," Sakura thought.
"So what's the mission Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.
Sakura quickly smacked Naruto upside his head.
"Have some respect, Naruto, he's the Hokage now. Call him by his title." Sakura lectured.
" He's lucky I didn't call him an old pervert." Naruto sassed, rubbing the back of the head.
Sweat dropping, Kakashi waved Sakura off. "It's fine Sakura, I prefer Sensei anyways."
"As for the mission, It's an A rank. You are to guard a VIP client. They have requested additional security and asked for Naruto specifically." Kakashi explained.
"Who's the VIP?" Sai asked
" A feudal lord from the Land of Mountains," Shikamaru said, showing a picture of the lord.
"She was in the village discussing trade treaties. She has requested for additional escorts to accompany her back to the Land of Mountains." Shikamaru explained.
"The Land of Mountains? Isn't the land trying to pressure the Kazekage and the Feudal Lord into unfair resource and mission treaties?" Sakura asked.
" That's exactly right. The Land of Mountains isn't exactly financially stable, they don't have a ninja village or exclusive trade agreements with neighboring lands so the feudal lord of the land of mountains has been trying to push for the land of wind to lower their cost for missions, and trade with nothing to benefit the Land of Wind. The Land of wind's feudal lord declined and so has the Kazekage thus leaving the land of mountains out in the cold." Kakashi started explaining since Naruto was going to need to learn the world of politics eventually.
"So why'd she come here? We have exclusive contracts with the land of wind and the sand village, even if we wanted to help we couldn't not without going behind Gaara's back." Naruto said the studying Iruka-sensei forced him to do coming in handy.
"She was hoping to persuade us in her favor," Kakashi said.
"But why did she personally request Naruto? And if the Land of Mountains is struggling financially, How are they able to afford an A rank mission?" Sakura asked.
"Who knows? Bring her home. Come right back. That's the mission. Naruto be on your guard around her, I got a feeling that she didn't ask for you because she is a fan." Kakashi ordered.
"Kakashi- sensei was right," Naruto thought bitterly
Ashinishi Gikari was absolutely annoying. First, she thought Sai was him.
Next, she forces Sakura to walk behind her entourage and him in the front next to her.
For the next 8 days, the woman clung to him as if her life depended on him. She would throw herself randomly forcing him to catch her.
She kept touching him. At all times. She would talk about how she admired his strength and would run her long-ass nails against his cheek. Then she would talk about how she heard that he's good friends with the Kazekage. Naruto was uncomfortable. He was suffocating under this woman.
He missed Hinata.
On the fifth day of their trip, Naruto overheard some of her personal guards talking about how Gikari was going to try and use him to force the lands of wind and fire to fund her country.
"If she could get the nine-tails jinchuriki to fall in love with her or even manage to seduce him, we'd have the strongest weapon. It could go one of two ways since he was friends with the Kazekage we'll ask again, and if not we threaten them with war." The guards laughed unknowingly revealing their plan. The rest of the trip was uneventful, with a couple of bandits here and there. Once they got to the gates of her estate, Team 7 turned right around and ran as fast as they could.
Stopping at a Dango stand somewhere in the Land of Wind team 7 had a chance to breathe.
"That was the most awful woman I've met in my entire life, and I've met Sakura," Sai said.
Naruto froze still as he felt Sakura's anger wash over him.
Sakura sent Sai flying into a nearby tree.
Sakura sat down and eyed Naruto waiting to see if he would laugh, satisfied she put her plan into action.
"This is my chance," Sakura thought
"Ignoring the last part of Sai's comment I kind of agree she was awful," Sakura said.
" Yeah, I couldn't see myself loving someone like her at all, I do feel bad that her people are suffering but from what I've heard from her entourage she's to blame," Naruto said
"Oh, so who could you see yourself loving then Naruto?" Sakura asked.
A flash of dark blue popped into his mind and Naruto fought off a blush.
" Is it Hinata?" Sakura probed.
" I'm not sure, I have these feelings that are all new to me, and …..I'm just unsure of what to do." Naruto admitted honestly.
" I read in a book that usually people go on dates to explore the romantic side of their relationship, regardless if the people involved with each other have feelings for each other or not. I've also read that it is customary for sexual intercourse to happen on the third date." Sai supplied.
He was struggling through his own feelings about Ino and had gotten good advice from the books.
A horrified expression was on both Naruto and Sakura's faces. Leave it to Sai to say something mildly helpful and then ruin it by being an emotionally stunted idiot.
" First of all Sai, Sexual intercourse should only happen when both people are ready not after a third date, it is not an obligation to be performed." Sakura lectured and rolled her eyes when she saw Sai pull out a notebook and start writing notes.
" Second of all, Sai actually has a point. Dating might be the answer to figuring out what you feel for Hinata." Sakura continued.
"Uzumaki Naruto this is your mission," Sakura said as she stood up on the bench they were sitting on.
" Take Hyuga Hinata on a date." Sakura declared.
"A date huh?" Naruto thought
" I'm taking her to Ichiraku's, dattebayo," Naruto said excitedly.
"Ichiraku's is not for a first date Naruto," Sakura said, exasperated by her friend's obsession with ramen.
" Ichiraku's is for every occasion," Naruto argued.
They started walking, Sakura was ahead of both Sai and Naruto talking about the proper places for dates.
"Psst Naruto," Sai whispered.
Looking over at Sai, he sees a book being handed to him.
Taking it from him, Naruto read the cover.
"All you need to know about dating: A Guide" Naruto read.
" It might come in handy," Sai said.
Naruto considered throwing the book at Sai's head but decided he might actually need it and put the book inside his kunai pouch.
" I'm asking Hinata on a date."
The thought made him feel warm.