Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
CHAPTER 36
"…the damage is too extensive…"
"…is there anything else…"
"…she's blind…"
"…I know what to do…"
"…no other choice…"
"…fine...do it."
Pain. Mind searing pain. In her dreams she clawed out her own eyes, the warm blood running down her cheeks like the benediction to a tearful prayer for mercy and relief. But no relief ever came.
She knew she was blind, there was no way this much pain was insignificant. She had forsaken Sakura's warning, placed her need for revenge above her own self preservation, and now she was paying for it with her most precious inheritance, her eyes.
Perhaps she deserved this. She should just accept her fate. Accept the abyss. Accept that she would never be good enough. Who did she think she was anyways?
"Hime."
Right, she was his. He still needed her.
"Hime, if you can hear me, please don't give up."
But it hurt so much. The darkness was easier.
"I'm here for you Hime. We never give up remember? Fight with me!"
Fight. Endure. The light. He was the light. He was warmth. He was comfort. He was hope.
She stretched up through the agony for him. Higher, and higher. Pushed herself further than she had ever struggled to reach in her entire life. Just when she thought her existence would snap, his chakra flooded her mind, body, and soul. A rescue line tossed into the bottomless hell that burned inside of her head, that she groped for in the blackness. She grasped onto his presence, embraced it, clung to it for dear life. And when she couldn't climb any more, it enveloped her, and hauled her into the breathtaking heights of heaven.
Hinata gasped, the flashes of light behind her eyelids making her raise a hand to rub her face only to be met with the rough texture of wrapped gauze. Course blankets rustled over her arms and she shifted with a groan in a bed that was definitely not her own. She rolled onto her side, hot tears that felt like the blood of her nightmares streaming out of her bandaged eyes and saturating the already uncomfortable dressings.
"Hime!"
She whimpered like a scared child when his warm arms engulfed her, easing her up off the crinkly pillow. His voice was husky, like he had just woke up from sleep himself, and he shifted her around against him for a minute before pressing a cool glass of water to her lips.
Hinata gulped the liquid down, her mouth dry and cottony like she had been asleep for weeks. Her mind raced to separate the nightmares from what she could remember as fact, and as soon as Naruto pulled the empty glass from her fingers she began sputtering out her panicked questions.
"Shh, Hime, it's ok. You're safe. We're in Konoha, the hospital actually," Naruto murmured comfortingly, and she felt the bed dip next to her as he climbed in by her side.
She smiled a bit with trembling lips, sliding over to make room only to be firmly pulled back into his chest. A warmth rose up to her face that had nothing to do with the pain as she felt the firm planes of his torso press into the thin fabric of her hospital gown, and the nothingness she wore beneath it. Even as she nestled into the desperately craved solace of his strength she chided him. "Sakura will scold you for being in the bed."
Naruto huffed and she could feel his sleepy breath fan the bangs on her forehead. "It's three in the morning, I think we're fine."
Hinata fidgeted against him, her hand raising again to her bandaged eyes, which ached slightly with a dull pain, but nothing like the torture she had experienced for…for...how long?
As though reading her thoughts Naruto began to patiently explain the events that had taken place since they returned from the battle with Sasuke. As Sakura had predicted, the extreme usage of her Byakugan had only enflamed the remnants of the chakra-seeking poison in Hinata's network, essentially destroying her eyes over the following days despite the continuous efforts of Shizune, Sakura, and Tsunade to repair the damage. After watching her suffer for three days, the Godaime had called in Hizashi and Neji for a family conference and carefully explained to them that the Byakugan Princess was blind.
"Completely blind?" Neji was the one who uncharacteristically challenged the Hokage, the strain in his voice reflected in the furrow of his brows. "Not just her Byakugan, but her normal sight as well?"
Tsunade scowled at his incredulous tone. "I don't like this anymore than you do. She is my apprentice after all. To lose a talented kunoichi, let alone a medic of her skill, is a huge disappointment."
"I care not for the loss of your weapon," Hizashi's sharp words silenced them both as they looked to where he stood at Hinata's bedside, her limp hand clasped in his own. "Nor do I care about her rank in the Hyuga. I simply want my daughter to be relieved of her pain, so that she doesn't suffer for the rest of her days." He squeezed her hand, his heart aching at the extreme level of sedation that was required for her to be able to sleep. "Hinata is more than a tool or a dōjutsu, her inner strength can overcome any challenge."
The room fell silent, only the steady beeping of the heart monitor marking the passage of time. Finally Tsunade sighed, a small chagrined smile crossing her face. "You're right Hyuga-sama, spoken like a true father. I can treat her pain, but the fact remains, her eyes are beyond repair."
Hizashi looked out the window, as though calling upon a hidden strength. But instead of murmuring a prayer he called out in a half amused tone. "Come inside Naruto, if you have something to add now is the time."
Climbing through the window with a sheepish smile on his face, Naruto came to stand opposite Hizashi by Hinata's bed. He stared at her for a moment, warring emotions moving over his features as Hizashi studied him. Finally Naruto raised his blue eyes to the silver gaze of The Hyuga Clan Head, and one of the only other people on the earth who loved Hinata as much as he did.
"What you said, Hizashi-sama, about Hime's strength coming from within herself, not from her eyes, not from her status, I know this to be true." Naruto leaned over and brushed the bangs aside on her damp forehead, exposing the seal that had been branded upon her with the intent to subdue her, punish her, prevent her from becoming anything more than just a weak woman. She had overcome everything with her own perseverance, her pure determination, and her sharp intelligence, to become the caring and powerful kunoichi she was, despite its cursed presence.
Naruto took a deep breath, reaching a hand into his ninja pouch as he steadily held Hizashi's inquiring gaze. "Because of that, I have faith that she will accomplish her goals," pulling out the small vial with the two perfect Hyuga eyes floating inside, he extended the glass to the gaping Hyuga, "even without her own eyes."
Hinata was clinging to Naruto's shirt with a shaking grip, struggling to breathe through her shock as she tried to process what he was telling her. He was keenly sensing her mounting panic, and continued rushing through his explanation as he ran his hand up and down her arm in soothing strokes.
"The procedure went perfectly, Hime. Tsunade did it herself, blood and all. She refused to let anyone lay a finger on her apprentice. No one else knows about the transplant besides the five of us. Hizashi and Tsunade both agreed that this was best kept confidential."
Hinata nodded jerkily, resisting the urge to rip off the bandages and rub the foreign orbs that now filled her head. "B-but my Byakugan..."
"Hime," Naruto cupped her face in his hands and whispered fiercely, "I was there the day you first awakened your dōjutsu. There was no one coaching you, no magic trick that instantly unlocked it, no secret code that cracked and suddenly gave you the perfect eyes. It was you. Your guts, your chakra, and your faith in yourself that flooded your eyes and earned you the Byakugan." He pressed her forehead against his own, tracing her trembling lips with his thumb. "Everything that you have become, every jutsu that you have learned and created, it's all because of what you are in your heart. And I have faith that you still will be a kunoichi remembered through the generations, this is not the end."
Hinata was forcing herself to nod along with his words, forcing her mind to accept her circumstances and acknowledge her own potential, even as her shoulders shook with her muffled sobs, and Naruto swallowed hard against the lump in his throat as he roughly gathered her sagging body up against him, squeezing her fiercely. "We never give up, right?" he choked out into her hair. "No matter what. I will be here with you, I will fight with you."
The hospital bed creaked as he rocked her in his arms while she cried into his chest. She was scared, she was hurting, and she was woefully overwhelmed by the new state of her existence. A valued piece of her identity had been lost, painfully destroyed, and now there was a foreign body in its place. Her mind warred with conflicting emotions of wanting to reject the alien organs while at the same time trying to foster an appreciation for their existence, for the glimmer of hope that they offered her to yet fulfill her destiny.
I am more than just a dōjutsu, she argued with herself. I am more than just a Hyuga. I am more than just a kunoichi. I am the sum of my parts. My destiny was never just in my eyes, it is in my chakra, my soul, my mind. The traits that make me unique, that make me powerful, that will help me change the Hyuga are the parts that can never be taken away from me.
Summoning all her courage, Hinata sniffled away the last of her tears, reaching up with trembling fingers to pull off the tear soaked bandages that kept her blind. Keeping her lids tightly shut, she let the tingling sensation of healing chakra fill her head as she dared to carefully assess herself for the first time. The transplant was flawless, Tsunade-shishō had truly outdone herself. Every nerve connected seamlessly as Hinata increased the flow of chakra, reaching out to test the reaction of the new orbs. There was no resistance as she pooled her chakra in the eyes—her eyes now—no unwelcome traces of a previous consciousness. They were pristine, definitely natural, and seemed to meld with her body as though they were long lost pieces of herself.
Feeling her confidence building as these realizations accumulated one by one, like the loops of gauze falling from her face into a growing pile on the blanket, Hinata took a final steadying breath and blinked.
The darkness was spotted with the hazy blinking lights of the monitor where she knew her vitals signs were displayed. The dim glow slowly brought the rough outlines of the room to her extremely fuzzy perception. The muscles of her face contracted as she struggled to focus, squinting through the discomfort and annoying blurriness. She pursed her lips, choosing to center her attempts on what was right before her, and slowly, ever so slowly, the familiar contours of Naruto's face sharpened to her view.
Even in the scant bit of light, his eyes were as blue as ever, filled with a strained worry that warmed her fragile heart. Hinata reached up and placed her hand over his rough cheek, stubbled with several days of growth from refusing to leave the hospital until she was awake and out of danger.
"I see you," she whispered, feeling his smile under her hand as she drank in his face with her new eyes. I will always see you Naruto-kun, even when I am old and blind.
"I see you too, Hime," his husky voice breathed the soft words across her lips as he leaned in, brushing his mouth over her own. His kiss was as firm and steady as his love, a reunion filled with relief and reassurance. A reaffirmation of their promises to themselves and each other, to never give up, to never leave. Her hand moved over his face and around his neck, and his own slid down her back to slowly encircle her waist.
She sighed as his tongue traced along her lips, opening herself up to him and his languid explorations. Her fingers threaded up into his hair as his thumb kneaded the slope of her hip, triggering her to press her pelvis into his warm body. He hummed deeply in response, making Hinata shiver as the vibrations of his voice reverberated against her chest, and she tightened her grip on his hair, kissing him harshly with a building passion that bubbled up from her gut, riding on the built up stress that thrummed for release after days of fighting through pain and fear. Naruto instantly responded, his hand dancing down to palm her round butt and aggressively yank her into full contact with his growing length beneath his sweatpants.
The world was fading away around them as they gave themselves over to the revitalizing passion of their desires. Physically and emotionally anchoring themselves once more to what they knew to be unshakable, no matter what turmoil raged around them: the bond they shared in their heart and souls. Hinata threw her leg up over Naruto's hip, and the heat of his hand as it caressed the fullness of her thigh down to her knee only kindled her fire as she seized his bottom lip between her teeth. Naruto hissed, grasping her leg and pinning it to his side as he roughly rolled on top of her, unreservedly grinding himself into her center and making her gasp as well. Her freed hands were instantly creeping up his shirt, worshipping the flexing muscles of his back as he rocked upon her in a rhythm that every fiber of her body sang along with.
They had never gotten farther than that glorious night when he had snuck into her room disguised as a frog. And their multiple attempts at romantic satisfaction since then were always interrupted by nosy teammates, protective older brothers, or just thwarted by their own rigorous mission schedule. And yet again, just as Naruto's panting mouth was blazing a trail down Hinata's neck to where her hospital gown was slipping lower and lower to expose the generous swell of her breast, the sound of pounding footsteps on the linoleum tiles of the hallway broke the amorous spell they were weaving.
Hinata whimpered when the lights abruptly flicked on, clapping her hands over her tender eyes, groaning in discomfort and frustration.
"Hinata-sama! Your heart rate monitor was alarming! Are you ok? Are you in pain?" The nurse that barged into the room rushed to her side, pulling a stethoscope from around her neck and pressing it to Hinata's chest. Hinata was breathing hard and trembling with the chill caused by the sudden absence of Naruto's hot body against her. She failed miserably at keeping the annoyance out of her tone as she grumbled, "Please turn off the lights, they hurt my eyes."
"Oh sorry!" The nurse jumped and spun to reach for the switch but froze in her tracks and screamed. Hinata peeked between her fingers, squinting to try and discern what had scared the woman, who was now grabbing the chart from the bottom of Hinata's bed and waving it frantically at the nightstand.
"Go away! Ugh! How did a frog get in here? Disgusting! Shoo! This is a hospital!" The nurse's pitiful attacks were only making the blue-eyed amphibian scowl harder, to Hinata's immense amusement, and before she could reach over and snatch up her disguised visitor, he shot the nurse with a jet stream of mucousy water straight from his mouth.
Hinata sighed as she collapsed back onto the uncomfortable mattress, pressing the starchy pillow over her head to block out the blaring fluorescent lighting and the nurse's screeching.
At least now she knew she could roll her new eyes just as well as before.
At Danzo's signal, Sai guided his bird down to the ground, allowing the Root leader and his other two masked bodyguards to hop easily onto the grassy clearing. Quickly dispelling the ink jutsu, Sai nodded to him and without a word Danzo turned to enter the forest.
As he walked behind them, scanning the dense flora and fauna for any signs of traps or hidden threats, Sai wondered again who this mysterious contact could be, that they were able to draw one of the most intrinsically suspicious shinobi outside the walls of Konoha. The trees themselves seemed to be watching the small group with hidden eyes, making Sai suppress an uncharacteristic shudder as the shadows loomed ahead.
After what seemed like an endless period of time spent wandering in circles, Danzo suddenly stopped, jabbing his cane into the earth and calmly resting his hand on top. Sai adjusted his mask as he glanced around, wondering what they had stopped for, but the other two Root shinobi seemed unperturbed, so he settled into a relaxed stance while remaining on alert.
Two distortions in the space overhead wavered the atmosphere up on a large branch, prompting Sai to reach for a kunai, but Torune waved him down. Warily squinting up at the two figures that appeared out of nothingness, Sai felt his gut clench at the sight of their black cloaks covered in red clouds. Danzo-sama is meeting with the Akatsuki?
"They are alone," the green haired one with yellow eyes confirmed to his partner, a black haired man in an orange swirling mask that revealed only a single eye.
"Of course we are," Danzo's gravelly voice had the slightest tinge of irritation at his caution being questioned.
"Indeed, then let us delay no longer," the masked Akatsuki said as he leapt to the ground. He stared at Sai for a moment, assessing him as well as the other two agents before he continued.
"It has come to my attention that you wish to hire our services, Danzo," the man's hoarse voice rattled as though being forced out of a damaged throat, but the injury did not remove the sharp edge of power that he exuded with his words as well as his posture. The aura that surrounded him was impressive, even to Sai who was by no means a Sensor. He looked over at Fū, wondering if the bead of sweat running down the man's neck from under his mask was a sign of his strain to maintain his senses while enduring the weight of this man's presence.
"The Akatsuki's reputation is formidable," Danzo complimented smoothly. "Even the Tsuchikage has procured your services on multiple occasions. I seek a larger transaction than perhaps your small band has ever executed, but I can promise a worthy payment."
The green haired man had meanwhile sunk into the tree bough, to then reappear by walking straight out of its trunk upon the ground and rejoining his partner's side. Sai's face twitched, those must have been the eyes he had felt upon him as they travelled through the forest. Suddenly the man turned and stared directly into Sai's face as though able to see straight through his blank mask, grinning with a wide toothy smile that even a novice at reading emotions could see was badly faked, for there was still a distinct look of hatred in his glowing yellow eyes. It took his years of practice as an agent of Root to suppress an unwelcome shudder, as Sai ignored the disturbing man and refocused on the conversation.
"I seek to destroy Konoha's government, and then raise it up again as Hokage." Danzo's face was carved in stone, unflinching as he delivered his diabolical statement. "In return for the support of the Akatsuki, I am prepared to hand over the Kyūbi, to add to your collection."
The man in the orange mask crossed his arms, chuckling darkly. "Of course you would know of our little project, your spy network nearly rivals Jiraiya's." Danzo's hand clenched on his cane at the insinuation that he was outdone by that wandering lecher of a Sannin. But Danzo needed this outside support to push his plans through to fruition, and so held back his retort. He wasn't getting any younger, and the Namikaze boy was only getting stronger as time went by, he had to take his chance to seize control of Konoha before it slipped through his fingers like all the ones before.
Apparently the orange masked man was the one in charge, as he hummed thoughtfully before continuing. "You make a tempting bargain, but are you sure about what you ask? Our methods are not subtle, infiltration of a council room is not our style. We tend to exert our intentions with more…violence. Are you willing to risk the Village herself for your goals?"
Danzo barely hesitated to answer, his priorities clear in his own mind. "If civilian lives are lost then so be it, I am not concerned with useless mouths to feed. As for the shinobi, I plan to dispose of most of them anyways, my Root is better trained, more loyal, and will replace them easily."
"I see," the impression of a smile bled into the raspy voice. "In that case you have a deal, Shimura Danzo. I will inform Leader of our accord and he will select the two best Akatsuki to assist you in your little coup." The man snickered behind his mask. "Perhaps we shall send Uchiha Itachi? How ironic for him to seal the demise of the village that shunned him in return for martyring his own Clan for their protection, wouldn't you say?"
Sai couldn't repress the widening of his eyes, but his shock at this statement was overwhelmed by Danzo's unusually fierce reaction. "Itachi failed a direct order to eliminate an enemy. The fact that they were his family is irrelevant, just like all bonds are irrelevant to a true shinobi. And it was his emotions over those bonds that led to his weakness and Sarutobi's mistake of allowing his younger brother, that pathetic excuse for an Uchiha, to survive. Had Sarutobi not interfered with my directive and promised Itachi he would protect that brat, Sasuke would have never lived long enough to defect and cause Konoha the shame of being a rogue nin. The Sharingan belongs to Konoha now, not the Uchiha."
The Akatsuki seemed wholly unimpressed with the outburst, shaking his head in a condescending manner. "Tut tut, Danzo. You don't need to argue with me. I hate the Uchiha Killer as much as you. The only reason Leader keeps him around is for his Mangekyo. Those dōjutsu are priceless these days, don't you agree?"
The Root leader glared with his single eye at the cocky man, surreptitiously flexing his hidden arm as he wondered again exactly how much the Akatsuki knew about his…assets. Danzo's threatening gaze seemed to be having no effect upon the two confidently relaxed mercenaries, so he switched back to his previous tactic. In a forcibly calm voice he sweetened his previous deal.
"I am sure that you Akatsuki are very powerful, I have heard that you not only possess the Mangekyo, but the Rinnegan as well." Danzo smugly noted the way the pasty one seemed to instantly become nervously defensive at this guarded secret being announced by an outsider. "Despite this impressive power, I do not simply want you to help me win a battle, I will need protection from the other Hidden Villages until I can stabilize Konoha again. And in return, I will give you an unsealed Hyuga, descended from the main branch, with activated Byakugan."
Alarm bells went off in Sai's head. If there was anything that Danzo loved, it was his country and his weapons, so why would he give away a weapon that he had spent years honing, a weapon as irreplaceable as a Main Branch Hyuga? Due to Sai's own reports from when he had first joined Team Kakashi, Danzo was well aware that the Hyuga were seeking a new seal to apply to all clan members. A fluke event like Hanabi's escape and recapture was unlikely to ever happen again.
"I will need her assistance to subdue the Hyuga during the coup," Danzo continued, seeing that he had the orange masked man's full attention once more. "But after that arrogant Clan and all the others are under my control as Hokage, her Byakugan is all yours."
"You seem fairly confident that you are offering something that I cannot seek elsewhere, but Leader may not agree," the masked man once more spoke on behalf of his now skittishly shifting partner. "I can perhaps convince him to add an additional team in exchange for the Hyuga, but he himself is the possessor of the Rinnegan, and he never leaves the base."
Danzo snorted dismissively at this evasive promise. "If you are referring to the pregnant paramour of Hiashi that Orochimaru claimed to possess, then you underestimate me," the slightest gleam of satisfaction sparkled in Danzo's eye as he flaunted the reach of his own Network. "Any spy worth his name can deduce that The Snake is dead, and his trail of destroyed labs that continue to pop up are clear evidence of his systematic execution. My subordinate is a member of the ANBU team that has personally ransacked most of his abandoned laboratories, and no trace of any Hyuga or their eyes have ever been found."
Sai suddenly found himself under the full brunt of the masked man's formidable scrutiny, and he swore he saw a flash of red behind the single eyehole of the swirling mask. He straightened his shoulders in what he hoped appeared to be a complete lack of fear, betraying not even a single tremor in his body.
"And you trust him to tell you the whole truth and keep your secrets, even amongst his peers?" the man demanded, never taking his drilling focus from Sai's blank mask.
In response Danzo gestured to Sai, who obediently lifted the edge of his mask just enough to expose his open mouth, displaying the seal branded upon his tongue that prevented him from ever saying a word about his Root Leader or his plans. "I have taken strict precautions in training and sealing to ensure the loyalty of all my subordinates. I have never been betrayed," Danzo smirked.
"Indeed," the Akatsuki murmured, bringing his hand up to tap his chin in thought. The group held their breaths as he debated the unheard of offer that Danzo had laid before him.
"We accept."
With sudden swiftness the space around the two Akatsuki began to distort once more in a manner that Sai now felt certain was a teleportation jutsu of some sort. The yellow-eyed man sunk into the earth, and the formidable shinobi who had opened a portal of space turned just before he stepped into his own rip in time. "We will be in touch, just make sure that your Hyuga remains completely unsealed."
With that partial threat hanging in the empty air of the forest, they knew that they had been dismissed. As the four members of Root leapt upon the newly constructed birds from Sai's ninpo, Danzo could hardly contain his triumph. Soon I will be Hokage, and once I have secured my victory, I will be the leader of the most powerful Hidden Village in all the five nations. Before the dust of battle settles I will end the blight of the Akatsuki once and for all. No mutinous group of disloyal shinobi has any place in our world. And I have no intention of allowing my greatest weapons to ever leave the Hidden Leaf. The Byakugan, the Sharingan, and the bijū will all belong to Konoha.
Naruto slipped out of the women's ANBU locker room with Hime's bag tucked tightly under his arm and released a small sigh of relief, thankful that none of the kunoichi had seen through his henge and even more thankful that none of them had been half naked. Keeping his disguise in place he pulled the bag he had filled with the things from Hime's locker onto his shoulder and spun around to head back over to the hospital, when suddenly he ran smack into a solid chest.
"Oof!" Panic shot through him until he looked up into a familiar pale face.
"Dammit Sai, why are you creeping around? You nearly made me shit myself!" Hinata's high voice snapped in relieved anger.
Sai, to his credit, did not flinch but squinted suspiciously at his Hyuga teammate. "Perhaps I should ask you the same question...Naruto."
Naruto froze, frantically glancing up and down the hallway before yanking Sai by his arm around the corner. "How did you know it was me? I have her henge down pat!"
"I didn't, until you opened your mouth," Sai deadpanned as he let Naruto drag him further away to safety.
Reaching daylight and releasing his disguise Naruto sighed in relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He eyed his teammate's amused face and chuckled. "I guess that wasn't very 'Hyuga' of me, huh? Thanks for not ratting me out. I gotta take this over to Hime at the hospital, you wanna come?"
The glimmer of humor disappeared from his black eyes as a serious expression settled over Sai's face. "Yes," he nodded solemnly, "there is something important I want to discuss with you both. And Kakashi and Yamato as well. Do you think there is a way to set up a barrier and have a team meeting?"
Naruto's steps slowed as he took in Sai's request and studied his face. The lack of joy in his eyes was not a result of repressed emotions this time, on the contrary, he looked like he was struggling to contain himself as he stared hard at Naruto with a tense set to his shoulders. Naruto blinked, this was a new level of emotion from his teammate. It must be serious. Perhaps he is finally ready to talk to us…
"Tell you what," Naruto said in an easy tone, "Hime is being discharged today, that's why I had to sneak in there and get her stuff. Hizashi has some big ass Council meeting that'll probably drag on all night and Neji is out on a mission so I'm gonna bring her over to my place for dinner. Why don't you find Yamato and join us? We can make it a Team Kakashi thing!"
Sai's eyes widened, he had never been invited to Naruto's home before. All non-mission team interactions had taken place at ANBU headquarters or in civilian clothes while out and about in the village. This invitation was an intentional break in a wall that most ANBU kept high and tight for the entirety of their Black Ops careers, wanting to keep the darkness of their deeds as far from the wholesomeness of their homes and families as possible. The feeling of warmth that was slowly becoming more familiar bloomed in Sai's chest, solidifying the rightness of the recent decision he had made since returning with Danzo-sama.
"Ah," he relaxed a bit as he nodded in relief, "that would be perfect."
Sai exited onto the street, the door of the Yamanaka flower shop closing behind him with a tinkle of bells. The small bouquet of pansies and peonies were held carefully in his arms, a gift that he had read was very appropriate for a friend who was recovering from an illness or injury. Yet when he had explained to the kunoichi behind the counter—he believed Ino was her name—that he needed flowers for Hyuga Hinata, she had immediately scowled at him. Sai had nearly backed out of the shop in confused fear before an older man who must have been her father interceded and helpfully picked out an appropriate bouquet for his purposes. While Sai was rather proud of the progress he had made in his bonds with his teammates, expressing himself with words was still difficult, and Hanakotoba was an absolute mystery, so he had been very grateful for the man's patience as he tried to explain the feelings he wanted to convey with the flowers, all the while feeling the blond girl's looming presence nearby. By the time Sai had paid for the purple and pink flowers that represented thoughtfulness and bravery, Ino was once more flushed and batting her eyes so much that he was worried the flowers were irritating her allergies. Why would you work at a flower shop if you're allergic to flowers? He wondered in honest curiosity. Women are especially confusing at times.
The directions Naruto had given him took Sai along the outskirts of the main area of town, past the hospital and Hyuga Compound, and down a path through a wooded area that made him feel like he was much further outside the village than he actually was. Sai knew how persecuted Naruto had been as a child, so when his apartment had been nearly destroyed during the insane version of the Jonin Exams he and Hinata had participated in, it seemed only logical that Naruto would seek a more remotely peaceful place to call home. While few people disliked the jinchuriki son of their heroic Yondaime, some were still wary of the powerful man despite the genuinely pleasant demeanor that he always displayed as part of his constant personal mission to 'end the cycle of hatred' as he always liked to say.
The dirt path that diverted off into the forest was not terribly long, but wove in twisting cutbacks through the ancient trees, and Sai noted the presence of several traps that would have easily snared a less alert visitor. Rounding a final crop of ferns he passed through the open gates of the tall surrounding property wall and appraised the traditional wooden structure.
He immediately recognized Yamato's handiwork in the seamless design of the sloped hip and gable roof and broad stairs that led up to the inviting engawa that wrapped around the front of the two story dwelling and then vanished around the sides into the dense forest that snuggled up to each end of the sturdy structure. The home was large, but not enormous, and situated in such a way that it fit within the landscape instead of forcing the forest to give way to its presence. He could hear the sound of a spring that must not be far off, and the wind that rustled through the trees seemed to complete the aura of being lost in place far beyond the reach of the world and its troubles. A pang of longing for something he didn't know he wanted throbbed in Sai's chest as he knocked on the wide double doors and heard the welcoming sound of footsteps rushing to greet him.
"Sai! Welcome! I'm glad you found it," Naruto's beaming face appeared as the doors flung open, and he reached to pull his teammate inside. The evening light and soft summer breeze drifted into the genkan from the kōshi-ranma overhead, and Sai could hear the voices of Kakashi, Yamato, Hinata, and Shizune chattering away in the back of the house as he bent to remove his shoes.
"C'mon, dinner is ready, we were just waiting for you," Naruto said with an enthusiasm that infected even Sai, causing him to quicken his own steps in anticipation of the meal that was heralded by the amazing aroma that floated to his nose. Naruto was giving him a lightning tour as he nearly bounded down the hallway.
"There's the formal living room that I pretty much never use, down that hallway is the study where all my fūinjutsu genius comes from, and the bathroom if you need it. The kitchen, dining room, and tv room are in the back here, facing the courtyard. Hinata did that little garden area out there, I have a decent green thumb but only she can get those sunflowers to grow like that. Those stairs lead up to the bedrooms, and that's pretty much it!"
Loud barking erupted and several ninken that Sai recognized as part of Kakashi's pack came barging in through the open shoji doors that led out to the courtyard. He looked outside and saw the pristine pond and garden, neatly contained by a waist-high wooden fence with a gate that was still swinging from the canine's violent entrance from beyond it's border.
"Dammit Bull I've already had to patch that gate three times! Just jump the damn thing if it's locked!" Sai couldn't help but smile at the livid exchange between Naruto and the massive dog as he looked beyond the courtyard wall to the wide open training ground that occupied the clearing beyond it. A well worn training post that seemed to have been challenged by many fighters over the years stood in the center, and peeking over the top of the higher walls on the far side were the rooftops of two other structures that were nearly the same size as Naruto's home.
"Who lives there?" Sai asked, gesturing to the two buildings in the distance, one of which definitely seemed to be currently occupied judging by the smoke drifting up from the chimney.
"Dog and Shizune live in the furthest one. There's a nice little back entrance to the big property wall that's a shortcut to the hospital for her. The other one belongs to…some people I met while traveling with Ero-sennin. They didn't have anywhere else to go, so I brought them back. So to speak. It's a long story." The sheepish way Naruto was rubbing the back of his neck made Sai even more curious but Pakkun was yanking on a mouthful of his host's pant leg, grumbling about dinner getting cold if they didn't hurry.
Is it possible to be homesick for something you never had? Sai wondered as he joined the group of friendly faces at the table. Kakashi greeted them with an eye smile and Shizune was hovering over Hinata like a fussy older sister while Naruto was whining to Yamato about his gate and trying to sweet talk the man into fixing it for him. The whole scene exuded a warmth that pulled on Sai's heart like a moth to flame, and he suddenly found himself inexplicably fighting the prickle of tears.
"Sai," Hinata's soft voice cut through the noise and all eyes focused on his pink tinged face. "Are you alright?"
He swallowed hard, unable to form words around the confusing lump in his throat. He wasn't even sure what he would say if he could talk right now, all he could think of was how happy he was, for no reason. Ducking his head to hide his traitorous eyes behind the fringe of his hair, Sai groped for the chopsticks by his bowl, and for lack of any idea of what else to do, snapped them apart with a forced, "Itadakimasu!"
That seemed to break the spell, and the rest of dinner flew by in a familiar blur of food, barking, teasing, and laughter that always characterized the non-work related conversations of Sai's unique team. He observed them as he never had before, not with the cold logic of a man trying to solve a puzzle, but with the vulnerable openness of a heart taking its first unsteady steps out into the world. Their companionship was effortless, their words unguarded, and their expressions nothing but genuine. It was somehow more intimidating and simultaneously satisfying than anything Sai had experienced. Because he cared more about them than any mission he had ever undertaken. He desperately wanted this to continue, this joy. This is what he wanted to protect. The bonds they had, the connections that wove between them all, and the rest of the village as well. He wanted—no needed—to know that no matter what happened to him, that this feeling would continue on. This burning desire to see them all safely through the trials ahead. To perpetuate this simple perfection, this dedication to one another, this tenacious dream for something better yet to come.
I see, Sai nearly gasped as the epiphany washed over him. This is the Will of Fire, the bond that connects us, and motivates us to protect each other, and the future that we create. He looked around him, at Kakashi sneaking food to his dogs while Shizune pretended not to see, at Naruto scooping up another massive bite of food with his chopsticks and trying to force feed it to a blushing Hinata as she insisted that her eyes had healed enough to at least see her own bowl of food, and Yamato picking Shizune's brain for seasoning tips on his tonkatsu recipe.
My precious people.
He couldn't contain himself anymore, before he could even process that the rest of the room had no idea of the rollercoaster of thoughts that had been racing through his head, Sai had stood up abruptly from his seat, rattling the dishes and silencing the room as they stared in frozen astonishment at the fierce look of determination on his face.
"Commander! The village is in danger!"
The shinobi all blinked, Kakashi released the hunk of meat in his hand and it plopped to the floor with a wet splat, but even the ninken ignored it to stare at Sai. "By who?"
"I-I cannot tell you!"
Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "Can't or won't?"
"I want to, but…but…" The unaccustomed fluster of his thrumming emotions was making Sai more tongue tied than ever before. Finally giving up on ever finding the right words to say what he knew he could never explain, he forcefully planted his hands on the table and opened his mouth.
Had they been normal people they probably would have recoiled in disgust, but as it was, the shinobi gathered around the table simply leaned in and stared at the bold black marks of the seal on Sai's protruding tongue.
"I see," Kakashi said, completely calm once more. "Shizune, will you please take the boys back to the house? I think it's going to be a late night."
A flurry of activity began as soon as the Commander of Team Kakashi uttered those words, as though everyone but Sai had known exactly what to do. The back gate creaked with Shizune and the dogs' departure, and Sai mutely shifted in his seat. The tea Hinata brought him sat untouched as he watched Yamato clear the dishes and Naruto go about setting up a privacy seal while they all waited for Kakashi to return with whatever it was he left the house to retrieve. Sai couldn't help the worry that knotted his gut as he looked at his Hyuga teammate. When she learns about Hanabi, about what I have done, will she hate me?
Always quick to pick up on any of her teammates' distress, Hinata sat down by his side and gently asked him if he wanted to share his thoughts. Sai's gaze dropped, the nearly robotic confidence of his normal speech weakening with his strained new emotions. "I hope that after you learn what I really am, you will be able to forgive me."
Hinata's hand reached over and clasped his own, where it was tightly fisted on the table as he sat stiffly waiting to make his confession. "Sai," she said in her gentle tone, "whatever it is, I forgive you."
He blinked in confusion. "But you do not know what I have done, it is easy to forgive what you do not understand. Anyone can ignore what they could never see in the first place."
"I see all that I need to see," she said firmly, giving his hand a comforting squeeze. "I see your sincerity. I see that you have no malice in your heart, so I can determine that whatever you have done, it was not done out of hatred. I see that you have changed. I see you, Sai. You are one of my precious people, if you are honestly asking me for forgiveness, I will not withhold it from you."
The lump was back in Sai's throat, and an overwhelming wave of relief and regret washed over him in a confusing swirl of emotions that threatened to short circuit his elementary understanding of his evolving self awareness.
"I…don't know what to say," he whispered, "thank you doesn't feel like enough." Hinata simply nodded in understanding and patted his hand.
"Not every feeling has a name, Sai," she encouraged. "Sometimes it's ok to leave the logic behind and just accept the genuine emotions that come naturally to us."
The shoji doors of the back porch slid open, and Kakashi reappeared with two ANBU following behind him. Sai straightened at the sight of the Hokage's vigilant bodyguards, Toad-san and Panther-san. "Commander, do we have a mission?"
"Easy, Sai, nothing like that," Kakashi waved for him to settle down. "These are the people who can help you with your little problem."
Naruto flew through the final hand seals that engaged the privacy barrier, and the two ANBU reached up and removed their masks for the first time in Sai's presence, revealing faces that appeared to be the same age as Kakashi, and they smiled at Sai like they knew him already.
Naruto ran a finger under his nose as he tried to stifle his grin. "Sai, I want you to meet my parents. Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina."
Already far beyond the point of rationally processing any new information, Sai could only stare at the blond man and red haired woman, in flat disbelief. "But you are dead."
"We were, now we are not. It's complicated. Let's just say, no one knows fūinjutsu like a Namikaze." The smooth voice of the man barely disguised his pride. "And that is exactly why I can help you."
Sai waited for Hinata to scold Naruto for using his clones as a bad joke. He waited for Yamato to grumble about Kakashi's morbid sense of humor. He waited for the two ANBU in front of him to fade away like any other Genjutsu when he pulsed his chakra. But nothing happened. The undeniable face of the Yondaime was smiling at him, and no one seemed fazed in the least.
A thought popped into Sai's nearly bursting head and he blurted it out before thinking. "So Kakashi wasn't lying when he said Naruto raised his father from the dead to exact revenge on Konoha for a childhood of misery and abuse?"
"Actually that would be my job," Kushina smirked, cracking her knuckles in a way that even Sai could clearly interpret as completely murderous. Naruto must get his temper from her, he mused, slightly surprised at how easily his mind was accepting this ridiculous scenario being presented to him. Although if anyone were to pull off such a ludicrously brilliant stunt like malevolent resurrection it would be his extremely unpredictable teammate. And the vulpine grin on the woman's face was identical to the one that graced numerous sketches of Naruto's own mug in Sai's notebook. His keen eye for detail could not deny that Naruto was very much a perfect mix of the two of them.
"And I will gladly start with that mummified asshole who keeps trying to get his minions to destroy my village," she continued, as the diabolical glee that lit her face made her hair begin to ominously rise.
"You know about that?" Sai asked incredulously.
"Oh please, that old war monger has been trying to orchestrate a hostile take-over ever since he was passed over for Hokage in favor of Sarutobi-sama," Kushina sneered. "We know his latest evil plot involves the Hyuga and their Caged Bird Seal, but exactly how he's doing it is unclear."
"That is where you come in, I assume?" Minato raised a brow at Sai, who was looking around at his teammates in disbelief.
"You knew I was…with him?" Sai murmured in honest confusion. "This whole time you knew what I was, what my mission was, and yet you didn't kill me?"
"It was close a few times," Kakashi chuckled, looking pointedly at Hinata who blushed and hid behind her tea cup. "But personality differences aside, it was Kushina-senpai who insisted that we give you a chance. And once Naruto gets it in his head that someone has been grossly abused and misunderstood, well, he gets a bit obsessed."
"Says the man who camped outside my childhood apartment in the rain and snow for months," Naruto snorted. "I had to threaten to steal all your Icha Icha before you finally took the stick out of your ass and used the front door like a normal human."
"Oh that's nothing," Kushina interjected. "When I was pregnant he used to follow me all over the place to 'protect the Hokage's treasures'. Do you know how distracting it is to shop for maternity clothes with an ANBU hiding in the nursing bras?"
"IT WAS A BODYGUARD MISSION DAMMIT," Kakashi snapped. Turning to Minato he whined like a kicked puppy. "Sensei! Tell them you gave me the mission and I wasn't just a creepy stalker."
"You all need to lock it up and remember what we are doing here," the Yondaime covered his snickers with a stern command and crossed his arms with an air of authority. "Look at poor Sai," he mourned with a wave of his hand. "We've already broken him."
The man in question was, in fact, broken. He was certain that no well adjusted person would be so calm in the presence of such an obscenely illogical situation. A normal human would be running for the hills when the Zombie Hokage and his undead wife were staring at him with pensive faces. A sane person would never risk the very real torture of Danzo's wrath to put their faith in two people who were most likely a figment of Naruto's imagination. And a well balanced individual would most definitely not say what Sai was about to say.
"Yondaime-sama, Konoha is in imminent danger from inside and outside her walls. Unseal me, and I will tell you everything."
"Motherfucker."
Tsunade sank back into her favorite plush armchair in her living room. Her head fell with an exasperated thunk onto its pillowed back and she stared blankly at the ceiling, her evening imbibement of sake had taken a decidedly ominous turn. Having immediately come to the Senju Compound as soon as Sai finished spilling his guts, Naruto, Minato, and Kushina sat silently, allowing the heavy news of one of the greatest betrayals since Uchiha Madara to settle on their Hokage's shoulders.
The Princess of a dynasty nearly extinct sat amongst the priceless mementoes of her illustrious heritage, but she took no comfort in the tapestries from foreign dignitaries, the hand painted vases from her grandmother Mito's wedding, the ornate rug that was a gift from the Daimyo's grandfather, the sword from the samurai warrior who's life had been saved by her grandfather Hashirama, the massive shelf of intricately sealed scrolls protecting her uncle Tobirama's rarest jutsu research. All of it a testimony to the bonds of Konoha and those people that helped solidify her place amongst the nations. All useless to protect The Leaf from the bond broken within her midst.
Tsunade should have known. Should have seen this coming a mile away. Danzo had always been a xenophobic dick. Even her uncle had commented on more than one occasion that it was a pity he lacked a forward thinking perspective and was so single-mindedly obsessed with the 'old ways of shinobi', otherwise he would have made a dedicated and intelligent Hokage. Which was saying a lot coming from the Nidaime who had never forgiven the Uchiha Clan for Madara's betrayal. But to think that instead of dulling with time, the years had only sharpened Danzo's hatred into a weapon that he was willing to wield against his own people. Deplorable.
"Just give me the word Baa-Chan and I'll send an army of clones to eliminate them all," Naruto growled, leaping to his feet and pacing back and forth over the smooth wooden floors of her dwindled clan's rich home. The thumping of his rapid footsteps overlaid with a memory of her grandfather's own as he animatedly regaled her and her grandmother with tales of battles he had fought and lords he had met, while she sat curled up in Mito's lap upon this very chair. The passion currently burning in Naruto's voice resonated with the fervor of Hashirama's own, making her fight back a smile despite the despair that loomed over her head. He will be a Hokage after your own heart grandfather. And I must keep Konoha whole so I can pass the hat to him when the time is right.
"Easy Brat," Tsunade said tiredly, feeling the weight of her own bones within her body. "If there is one thing I know about Danzo it is that he has ties to every nook and cranny of Konoha. You cannot simply rip a tumor out of the body, you will damage the tissue and possibly destroy the vitals structures around it, leaving the entire system vulnerable and weak."
Minato nodded in solemn agreement. "She's right son. Lightning and Stone wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of an internal civil war, and at the very least would steal anything they could get their hands on in the aftermath. Danzo knows this, and from what I understand it is how he manipulated Itachi and the Elders into agreeing to the Uchiha Massacre to avoid a coup. Sacrifice a small piece to save the whole."
"And if not the other Hidden Villages, the Akatsuki would simply wipe us off the earth if they could," Kushina added, the glower on her face matching her son's. "Jiraiya's intel points to the fact that had Danzo not offered up the Kyūbi, they would have come for him anyway. We need to act swiftly but cautiously. We have to beat him at his own game. Undermine and weaken him to the point that we can remove him with as little collateral damage as possible, while at the same time also continuing to inhibit the Akatsuki."
Naruto ran a hand roughly up over his face and down the back of his neck, harshly exhaling his frustration through his nose, but not rebelling against the sound logic they spoke as he recalled his own intel from The Network. "One of the Toads recently reported to me that Jiraiya was contacted by Taki. The Leader was worried about the safety of the Nanabi jinchuriki, a girl named Fū. The village was treating her with hostility and he had heard rumors of shinobi matching the Akatsuki's description being spotted nearby. I passed the message on to Gaara, he knows Fū from the last chunin exams Suna hosted and could give her asylum in his village. That will be one more bijû protected from the Akatsuki. Together she and Gaara should be able to defend themselves and all of Suna."
"That's a start," Tsunade agreed. "Breaking down the problem and distributing the work is the best approach. With Suna helping to impede the Akatsuki we can focus on our own problems." Out of reflex she nearly hollered for Raido to bring her some scrolls but then remembered she was ruling from her favorite chair at home instead of at her desk in the Hokage Tower. Standing with a tired groan, she brushed past her untouched evening sake, returning with a stack of blank papers and a pen.
"We need to establish who is trustworthy," Tsunade leaned forward, pulling the low table close to her chair and scribbling down names, her voice regaining some of its ring of authority again. "Minato, Kushina, you know the most about Root, combined with the intel from Sai I want you to begin staging various training exercises or any other excuse to get the ones hidden within our ranks into harm's way. Eliminate them. Make it look like an accident. Contact Shizune and Sakura if you need to obtain weapons of a more poisonous nature, just get as many of those assholes out of my army as possible."
"The Nara Clan is the most loyal and logical of any you will find within our walls," Tsunade rapidly moved on, gaining momentum as her mind cleared under the familiar pressure of the stress of impending battle. The page was swept aside and another fresh sheet stabbed with her strong handwriting. "I will recruit Shikaku and Shikamaru to assist in drafting a massive defensive strategy to prepare for a possible Akatsuki attack. We will make it look like we are just being cautious about intel received from Jiraiya, something Danzo knows about already and will not suspect as being a reaction to his deal with them. The new state of battle-readiness will justify increases in training and allow me to send more troops out to the border stations, where we can again lure more Root out of the shadows, for Danzo will surely send his spies to every corner he can reach."
"I'm going to double down on my Caged Bird Seal research," Naruto pledged as he sat once more, trying to read her scribbling words upside down. "I already started a clone working around the clock, it'll be a drain on my reserves, but I'm sure Kurama will be willing to give me a boost for such a thing as this. The sooner I can release the Hyuga the sooner we can remove the threat of Hanabi killing them."
His face clouded as he remembered the tears that had slipped down Hime's face when Sai had confirmed the true perpetrator behind the brutal attacks. She had shrunk under the guilt of her regret, her newly healed eyes emanating heartbreaking disappointment in herself and the young girl she had tried to save from this exact fate. He had wanted to stay by her side and reassure her with his own words, but had sensed that Sai had a lot more he wanted to say to help himself find a sense of self forgiveness and encouragement that only Hime could give. And in consoling her teammate, Naruto hoped Hime would see the need to forgive herself, and so he left them in Kakashi and Yamato's care. Naruto's barely contained fury over the massive degree of Danzo's treachery was much more fitting for a chakra blazing sprint across Konoha to interrupt their Hokage's peaceful evening. And now as more orders spilled from the tip of her pen he still could feel the agitated anticipation buzzing under his skin.
"Unless something critical comes up, consider Team Kakashi on home guard," Tsunade commanded, quickly flipping to another sheet of paper. "I want you to focus on the seal, and Hinata on healing and training her eyes. Keeping Sai within Konoha will keep him in frequent touch with Danzo and make him a more effective double agent. Kakashi and Yamato can work with the rest of the shinobi to get them in top shape."
She tossed down her pen, grasping the stack of scribbled thoughts and tapping the sheets of paper sharply onto the table before handing them over to Kushina. "These are my official orders to commence with the Level Two defensive preparations, and a list of names that I know we can stake our lives on. Use it to recruit and organize the training groups. There is a message in there for Jiraiya that I want delivered ASAP. Here are orders for Iruka, I want the academy to double the amount of disaster drills they conduct, including rehearsing the evacuation of the civilians. I also want the hospital to begin an inventory and stockpiling of supplies as if we are going to war."
Kushina efficiently rifled through the stack of scribbled orders, divvying up the messages between Minato and Naruto as Tsunade pursed her lips at the somewhat surreal feeling of preparing for war once more, but within her own safe little village, and not out on the marshy swamps of Kiri or the rocky hills of Stone. "Leave Danzo, the Elders, and the Clan Council to me," she nearly whispered, her eyes staring in blank rumination at the portrait of her uncle Tobirama, standing proudly upon the Hokage Tower on the day of his coronation, flanked by his two best shinobi, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo.
The future Sandaime and his Dark Hokage.
Theirs was a partnership as old as Konoha: the shining Hokage and his right hand. One was the face of honor and respect and bravery, the other was the kunai he kept hidden behind his back. The weapon that would not hesitate to eliminate Konoha's enemies by dragging them out of the light and into the darkness, where dirty deeds that were deemed necessary could be carried out unseen. An imperfect partnership at best, a fertile ground for sowing jealousy and loathing at worst. Tsunade would not perpetuate the mistakes of her Sensei. She had plenty of experience with the art of duplicity, and The Last Senju would not hesitate to personally stalk her prey into the darkness in which he thought he was safe, and slaughter him slowly.
"Any questions?" she barked, barely waiting for their replies. "Dismissed, and be prepared for further orders."
Instantly alone once more, Tsunade sat unmoving in the flickering light of the lamp that burned beside her. In the evenings she preferred to simply light the kerosene as her grandmother had done, before her parents had rewired the old mansion with electricity, enjoying the nostalgic peace of drinking her sake and losing herself in the memories of her younger days. But now the fuzzy false comfort of alcohol seemed pitifully lacking in appeal, the idea of being even minutely inebriated when there was a disaster brewing right beneath her was repulsive. Her red nails gleamed as she reached out for the slender neck of the smooth ceramic flask, the warmth of the sake lost after the lengthy discussion. Standing up, Tsunade carried it and the lamp to her room, her robe sweeping along the hallways and up the stairs as her silhouette danced in the small sphere of light cast by the tiny flame. Entering the silent bedroom where she slept in solitude, and yet was surrounded by the ghosts of her family lost or taken long ago, Tsunade blew the light out and went to the open window which let the summer breeze breathe upon her face as her eyes drifted over to the Hokage Monument. Her grandfather, uncle, and sensei sternly looked back at her. The wind ruffled her hair and she inhaled deeply, feeling the refreshing scent of the night that was usually lost upon her drunken state of mind at this point, and twirled the sake bottle lazily within her grasp, her internal resolve settling firmly into place within her heart.
Stretching her arm through the window, she poured the alcohol out, watching the last drop bounce and cling to the ceramic rim before finally falling to the ground. Her fingers loosed and the shattering sound of her 'last drink' hitting the stone path below rang out in the still air. Until she could rest in peace knowing that Konoha was safe once more, she would stay as sober as the stone expression on her grandfather's carved face.
OMAKE: Home is Where the Heart is
Shortly after the Jonin Wars—uh, Exams…
Hinata landed softly atop the worn training post in the clearing of their old training ground, her arms full of fresh supplies to stuff into their hidden tree. She gazed in curiosity at Naruto, his head was bent in concentration as he dragged a large stick through the freshly fallen layer of snow. She watched him work on his unknown task as he marched in focused lines across the edge of the training field and down along the edge of the tree line, his hot breaths misting the air around his head. Looking around from her high perch she realized that there were lines all around the area, from one end of the forest to the other.
Seeming to have completed his work, Naruto proudly jabbed the stick into the ground, and Hinata saw that there were a few others similarly poking up out of the earth, marking some unseen image that was in his head. His grin flashed brightly through the chill air as he trotted over to her, arms spread out to display his accomplishment. "Well, what do you think?"
Hinata sat down on the post, settling the bag of provisions into her lap as she looked around and tried to see the meaning behind the pattern that he had made.
"What is it?" she asked, scanning the white covered landscape.
Naruto scoffed, as though it should be obvious, but only glee danced in his clear blue eyes. "Our home."
Her head snapped down to look at his beaming face, her mouth hanging open slightly as she repeated his words in her head. "What…"
"My apartment is beyond saving, and now with my parents here and Dog and Shizune together, there's just no room for us all. I want a home big enough for all my precious people. A new Namikaze Clan founded on family bonds, not family blood." He reached up and yanked her stunned body off the post, catching her in his arms and swinging her around. "And I couldn't think of a more perfect place than this, where all my best memories took place."
Hinata bobbed her head in silent awe as he dragged her around, animatedly explaining various scratches in the snow. The longest line was going to be the surrounding outer wall, he wanted it to be at least ten feet tall, and he and his father would slather the thing in so much seal work that an ant wouldn't cross without them knowing about it. Kakashi and Shizune's home would be here, by this flat part where they could have a fenced in yard big enough for his pack of Ninken any other 'pups' that came along. His parents' home would be over on the other corner, closest to the spring, so they could always hear the water that reminded them of their homeland in Uzushio.
"And here!" He declared with gusto, planting her body in the middle of a large square that was staked around with sticks poking out of the snow, "is where our home will stand! I was thinking two stories, with the bedrooms upstairs. We could probably see the Hokage Monument from our bedroom window. The back is gonna be where the kitchen and dining room are, so we'll have a great view of the trees from the window over the kitchen sink. And then I was thinking of having a back room opening up off that, an informal one with a tv and couches. And in the springtime we could open the whole wall of shoji doors so that the garden felt like it was blooming right into the house. You could have as much space as you want for your garden, and then there could be a cute little garden gate that separated the training grounds that will be in the middle of the compound, so we can all meet in the middle and spar and train and our kids will always be close to their family and…Hime?" Naruto's rapid fire speech trailed away when he finally noticed that she hadn't said anything in a while, and turned to see tears falling from her face.
"Hime! Do you not like it? We can change it! It's just lines in the snow right now. Yamato is gonna be here soon to help me get the framework up but nothing is set in stone. Hime? Talk to me!"
He rushed to her side, wiping the freezing tears from her pink cheeks with his mittened hands. He was so stupid! Of course she would want a say in all this. He had been so excited about the idea that he had been out here since dawn running around like a man possessed as he etched his dreams into reality. Fear seized his heart as he blabbered on, unable to stop his anxiety from spilling out of his mouth.
"I'm such an idiot. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done this without you. I'll make it however you like, Hime. I'll—"
"I love it," she whispered, sniffling as she looked up into his worried face with shimmering silver eyes. "It's just…you never actually said…I mean, of course I always assumed…but to see it all is like…so real. Y-you really want me to be a part of your f-family?"
Naruto blinked, what she was trying to say finally dawning on him, and he nearly flinched at Kurama's taunting laughter. Baka! You forgot to actually ask her!
A sheepish smile spread across his face as he slowly sank to his knees, pulling off his mittens and her own so she could feel the heat of his skin even in the midst of the freezing air.
"Hime," he said carefully, weighing each word before letting it roll off his tongue, "I know this is all out of order. I haven't talked to your father, I don't know how long we would have to wait, I don't have a ring, I don't even have a roof over my head right now, but it doesn't make any of this less real to me. I can't imagine having any of this, without you to give it all the love and meaning it deserves. You are all I have ever wanted. If the world falls down around me, I won't care as long as I have you by my side. Will you stay with me, build a home with me, build a family with me…will you be my wife, Hyuga Hinata?"
Her lips were trembling so much she couldn't speak, she simply fell into his arms and clung to him, her love, her life, her future. "I love you, Namikaze Naruto," she gasped into his neck. "Nothing would make me happier than to be your wife."
In the weeks that followed, Yamato made sure to create lots of noise as he approached the building site of the Namikaze Compound whenever he had time to lend a hand to the swarm of clones that were almost always racing around from one project to another. After the embarrassing incident of interrupting the scene of his two teammates locked in an extremely compromising romantic position upon the snow covered ground of the unbuilt home, he had no desire to ever witness the wrath of a cock-blocked Naruto ever again.