Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Warning: this chapter contains sexually explicit content not intended for underage readers.
CHAPTER 37
Hinata led the way up the steps to the Hokage's office, freely pouring healing chakra into her eyes now that Team Kakashi was safely back in Konoha after successfully completing their mission. She had been able to activate her new Byakugan only two weeks after Tsunade finally gave her the go ahead to start training her eyes. But as summer had passed, her headaches had increased along with her dōjutsu's strength. This had been her first major mission and her talents had been as useful as ever, but the painful price of her actions was nearly making her stagger down the hallway.
Her hand missed the door handle on her first reach and before she could make a second attempt Kakashi slid past her and knocked soundly, calling out their arrival. Yanking the large door open he looked at Hinata with concern showing in his single exposed eye through the white Dog ANBU mask. She shook her head minutely, trying to deflect his worry, but her commander only grunted dubiously before he swept inside as Tsunade's sharp voice bid them to enter. Hinata could feel Naruto's eyes boring a hole in the back of her head as she ducked in after Kakashi and knew he would be interrogating her as soon as their mission report was done.
Tsunade was brooding over her desk, drowning in maps of the border stations around the Land of Fire as Shiranui Genma and the newly promoted Nara Shikamaru, both in their standard issue Jonin gear, stood on each side of her pointing to various places on the sea of scrolls. The senbon chewing shinobi was a long time member of ANBU, but had been acting as a Jonin Commander along with the newly promoted Shikamaru for the troops that had been sent out to fortify the border outposts. The Akatsuki threat that Sai had revealed had resulted in a massive hidden agenda of strategies that had been personally devised by the father and son Nara duo. The trick so far had been to execute these preparations without drawing Danzo's attention. It appeared that Genma and Shikamaru were currently going over last minute details before heading out on another 'routine check' of Konoha's defenses.
Genma eyed the five white animal masks that entered the Hokage Office, but was immediately curious about the two new faces that accompanied them with slightly anxious expressions. The petite blond girl was cute, a bit young for his taste but she had a nice rack. He bobbed his senbon between his teeth as he blatantly eyed her figure until the man that was with her stepped in his line of sight, pinning him with a dark-eyed glare from behind a sleek fringe of parted black hair. Genma raised a sardonic eyebrow at the guy's sharp, even features and blue kimono, which was left open to expose a fair amount of his bare chest. The only possessions on his person were a bamboo jug and pipe tucked into the orange sash around his waist.
"Oi Fox, what's with the Sasuke wannabe?" Genma drawled, dismissing the scowl on the unknown man's pretty face. "Can't find the real deal so you just gonna collect all the look alikes?"
"Who's Sasuke?" the girl asked, peeking out from behind the protective back of the now very annoyed man. She seemed unfazed by her companion's sour demeanor and chirped out their introductions in a sweet voice. "This is Utakata-shishō, and I am Hotaru, his student. We don't know of anyone named Sasuke."
"Kiss my ass, Genma," Naruto snapped from behind his mask. Then leaned over and jabbed a finger in his green vest, a mocking tone saturating his voice. "Don't tell me you're still bitter about losing that drinking contest?" Genma's immediate response to the taunting accusation was to shoot the senbon out of his mouth, which Naruto caught with ease just before it hit his jugular, bursting out in raucous laughter.
"Excuse me?" Kakashi pushed his mask intimidatingly into Naruto's own, immediately silencing his gloating. "You just turned eighteen, you're not old enough to drink."
"It was a kage bunshin, Dog, relax!" Naruto hurriedly explained, neatly tucking the senbon into Kakashi's gravity defying hair. "Baka over there was so smashed he couldn't tell the difference and challenged it to a shots contest. Paid for my last three trips to Ichiraku with the winnings." Kakashi groaned in disgust at the chewed senbon that now was in his hair, and released Naruto to rip the thing off his head and flick it back at Genma.
"What was one of your clones even doing in that bar?" Genma groused, still bitter over the landslide loss as he once again reclaimed his flying senbon and stuck it back in his mouth, making Shikamaru gag at the sight.
Naruto shrugged, mostly to hide his shudder at Genma's nonchalance at the germ riddled senbon that was again bouncing angrily between his lips. "Eh, sometimes when they finish their chores they get a bit wild and wander off instead of dispelling. Usually happens when I make 'em with too much chakra."
"Mendokusē," Shikamaru groaned as Tsunade slammed her hand on the desk.
"Enough! Shikamaru, Genma, you are dismissed. And go brush your teeth for Kami's sake. Now, Commander, report!"
Without waiting for her to change her mind, the two Jonin instantly disappeared in a swirl of leaves and Kakashi launched into the shortest version of a mission report that he thought he could get away with.
"The mission was overall successful, Hokage-sama. With the help of Fox and Owl we were able to locate Utakata-san using the information from Jiraiya's Network. The extraction was complicated by the presence of the Magaki Group, who were seeking to capture Hotaru-san for the kinjutsu sealed upon her body. The village of Tsuchigumo was extremely hostile and unwilling to offer her or Utakata asylum. Tiger detected the approach of the Akatsuki member Deidara with the tracker seed he had implanted during the Sand Mission. The decision was made to immediately retreat and bring both Utakata-san and Hotaru-san back to Konoha where we could offer them greater protection."
Tsunade nodded, catching the hand sign that Kakashi flashed which meant there was more information he wished to share, but it was top secret. Turning to the two newcomers she gave them her most magnanimous smile.
"Welcome to Konohagakure, I am Senju Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage. I assure you that while you are behind our walls everything will be done to keep both of you…and the Six-Tails, completely safe."
Utakata's face darkened and he narrowed his eyes in a guarded expression. "We did not exactly have much choice, it was either this or run for our lives forever. But both of us are familiar with the Shinobi way of collecting 'weapons'. What assurance do we have that you are not going to simply lock us up and turn us into tools for your political and military aspirations?"
Naruto stepped forward, gesturing to his mask as he looked at his Hokage, asking silent permission to reveal his identity. She nodded, knowing that his unique way with words and bijū connection were going to be their best hope of a quick and smooth adjustment for the suspicious jinchuriki.
Pulling the mask off his face, Naruto grinned brightly at the two foreigners who stood defensively in the presence of what seemed to them like yet another, if slightly less unfavorable situation. He held out a fist to Utakata, looking him squarely in the eyes with an open gaze that held no guile or aggression. Utakata's head tilted slightly, as though someone had just whispered in his ear, studying the whisker marks on Naruto's face as he slowly lifted his own fist.
"My name is Namikaze Naruto! I am the jinchuriki of the Kyūbi, and it is our goal to protect our precious people from those who seek to spread hatred throughout the world." His fist gently bumped into the pale knuckles of Utakata's hand, and Naruto's grin widened at the look of shock on the other jinchuriki's face.
"For the sake of the friendship I have with Kurama, I want to gather his siblings together so we can all protect each other from the Akatsuki, who seek to use the bijū's power for their own desires. Neither of you are here as pawns in a game. You are here because we value you for who you are, not what you can do for us. You are important to Kurama, and so you are important to me." He planted his fist over his chest, pleased to see the gleam of hope that flickered in Utakata's dark eyes. Within his gut he could feel Kurama's tails thrashing with smug satisfaction, an entire conversation having taken place between him and his long lost brother in the span of a few seconds during the fist bump. The reunion of the two chakra demons was charging the air with a buzzing high of excitement that everyone could feel, and for the first time since they had met, Utakata smiled.
"And as for you Hotaru-san," Naruto said, turning his charming smile on the girl who was still slightly hiding behind her shishō. "I know the perfect person to help you destroy that kinjutsu without risking your life or the village." She gasped at his statement, unconsciously clutching onto the sleeve of her master.
"Thank-you, Namikaze-san," she whispered with a trembling smile. "I have thought a lot about my purpose, and I believe I can honor my clan more by becoming a strong shinobi like my master than by harboring a jutsu meant to destroy an entire village."
Tsunade snapped her fingers and two more ANBU were instantly kneeling on each side of her desk, their Toad and Panther masks bowed in respect. "I assume you heard everything?" she asked.
"Hai Hokage-sama," Toad answered. "I will get to work immediately on her seal."
"In the meantime, we request permission for them to stay at our compound," Panther added, looking at Naruto who was happily nodding his agreement. "It will be easier for Toad to do his work there, and I can protect them better within our sealed barrier."
"Granted," Tsunade dismissed them with a curt wave of her hand, eager to hear the rest of what Kakashi had to say. No sooner had the door shut behind them than the rest of Team Kakashi were removing their masks, and Sai stepped forward.
"Hokage-sama, upon Yamato's detection of the presence of Deidara within our vicinity I sent several of my ink creatures out into the forest before we flew out of the area with our target." Sai pulled out a large scroll as he spoke, kneeling on the floor and throwing it open with a practiced flick of his wrist. With a few hand signs a small flock of ink birds and mice suddenly entered through the window and splashed upon the paper to reveal a jumble of words.
The group leaned in, rapidly reading the intel that the disguised ink spies had retrieved. Tsunade glowered over the ominous information. They had been right to act quickly, Deidara and another Akatsuki in an orange mask were indeed looking for Utakata. But the last bird that dissolved was the one that had her clicking her teeth in aggravation.
"The Sanbi is loose in Kiri," Tsunade sighed, sitting heavily down in her chair and planting her elbows on the gleaming wood of her desk, tapping her steepled fingers to her lips in thought. "I did wonder what had happened to it after the death of the Fourth Mizukage. It seems the Akatsuki have found it first, damn it." Her brown eyes flashed over to Naruto, who was frowning deeply with a glazed over look in his eyes. "Speak up Brat, none of us are mind readers."
Huffing at her tone, Naruto crossed his arms as he relayed what Kurama had told him. "We can sense his exact location if we get close enough. That much chakra is hard to miss. Kurama says his brother will still be somewhat weakened from his regeneration, but even so is a powerful fighter who can defend himself and hide within his elements. Although without a jinchuriki to protect him until he is fully recovered, he is potentially still vulnerable to shinobi like the Akatsuki and their powerful attacks, especially if they have done their homework."
"There is no other option than to go retrieve him I guess," Tsunade sighed, the stress of what she was about to order making her roll her shoulders as she fought the itch to reach for a sake bottle. But there was none here, and so far she had upheld her vow to herself and Konoha. She was the Hokage dammit, and there was no way she was going to slack off and give that bastard Danzo any more advantages. Ever since she had been informed of the infuriating betrayal, she had sworn off her drunken habits, replacing her boozy evenings with hours of strategy meetings with various experienced shinobi whom she could trust with her life.
According to Sai's continued intelligence, Root had more than lived up to its name. The whole underground force was tapped into all different levels of Konoha and other village's governments, like roots reaching through the earth seeking sustenance to feed their mighty tree. Gaara had officially sent word that the Sand had retrieved the Nanabi, and Tsunade had strategically allowed Sai to leak the info to Danzo as a way to justify sending more troops out to the borders. With Sai's help they had specifically deployed the agents from Root that had managed to successfully infiltrate Konoha's ranks along with the rest of the shinobi. There were only a few, most Root agents being too emotionally damaged to blend in well. But still, there were now fewer Root in Konoha, and a few more deaths that occurred 'during skirmishes with rogue shinobi and bandits'. Tsunade trusted Shikamaru and Genma to ensure that this latest deployment of hidden agents were also all killed in action while outside of the village.
Within Konoha, the loyal shinobi had also been striving to solidify defenses. Sai was working around the clock trying to maintain appearances with Danzo while closely working with the most trusted members of T&I, especially the Yamanaka Clan Head and his daughter Ino.
In the Council rooms Tsunade was carefully portraying herself as being in a constant state of slightly inebriated panic, acting the part of an overwhelmed Hokage who was slowly losing control of the world around her under the immense pressure of the Akatsuki threat. Most of the Clan Heads were aware of the false display, but the Elders and Danzo were buying it hook, line, and sinker. Sarutobi-sensei had been a little too thrilled (in Tsunade's opinion) to play the Devil's advocate and side with his former teammates in an attempt to egg them on.
Between Hinata and Neji, an entire layout of Root passages were emerging into a strictly classified map, which had been handed off to the rest of her teammates. Kakashi, Naruto, and Yamato had been having more fun than Tsunade thought was necessary using their various clones to stage anything from gas leak explosions to sinkholes to freak thunderstorms (the last of which she still wasn't entirely sure how they had pulled off). In each random disaster a few 'civilians' were killed as well as a hidden wing of Root's base or an agent or two hiding nearby.
Hinata had made leaps and bounds with her Byakugan's growth, blowing Tsunade's expectations out of the water. The extensive training she had put into her entire chakra network throughout her lifetime had swelled her coils to the point where she was easily on par with her father and brother. The fine control of her skill, from practicing with continuously filling her Byakugo no In, had also afforded Hinata a huge advantage in that she was quickly able to establish another continuous stream of chakra into her new eyes. The orbs themselves were drinking in the chakra as though they had always been her own, responding with unusual sensitivity to each advancement Hinata made. Tsunade was aware that Hinata had experienced discomfort and pain after extended periods of usage, but she attributed such things to the growing pains of her apprentice's rapidly adapting eyes.
Despite the excellent execution of her plans up to this point, the unanticipated threat of the Akatsuki potentially obtaining and unguarded Sanbi was a bump in the road that Tsunade could not ignore. And as much as she hated to send her strongest ANBU away from the home front, she knew that they had to protect the bijū at all costs. Kiri was only just beginning to stand up again after suffering through a devastating coup of their own, and was in no shape to defend their tailed beast, so it only made sense to send the best seal masters to do it for them.
"Team Kakashi, rest up." Tsunade's voice rang out through the room as she finalized her priorities. "In one week you will infiltrate The Land of Water and retrieve the Sanbi in any manner possible. Use the time to come up with a plan to complete your mission quickly and without alerting the Mizukage. I don't need to tell you what kind of hell will break loose if they find out we are stealing their bijū."
The group bowed smartly, a chorus of 'hai's' filling the room before three of them poofed away. But instead of disappearing, Naruto had reached out to Hinata, his hand grasping her arm to prevent her from leaving as he pulled her toward a chair and gently forced her to sit. Tsunade studied her apprentice, who had remained completely silent through the whole debrief and even now lacked the normal flush to her cheeks as she squinted up at Naruto's concerned face.
"Hinata," Tsunade's tone was that of a chiding mother, not a master or Hokage. "I sensed you channeling healing chakra the entire time. Your eyes are hurting again, aren't they?" Walking around her desk she approached the bowed head of dark hair, lifting Hinata's chin up with her hand and gently placing her painted fingernails along the chakra paths of the woman's temples. A few moments later Hinata was sighing in relief, and thanking her shishō.
"I don't understand what is happening," Hinata lamented, even as the pounding flow of blood in her veins diminished. "My Byakugan is fine, nearly completely restored to my previous range of sight. My chakra control is as stable as ever, and yet after just a few hours of using it the pain is nearly unbearable. To be honest, there are times when I'm not even using my bloodline at all, and suddenly the pain strikes out of nowhere."
Tsunade dropped her hands, planting them on her hips as Naruto continued to shift anxiously next to Hinata. "I see nothing wrong with the eyes themselves," she assured them both. "If anything, your vasculature is even more prolific than before and the optic nerve is larger than average. The muscles are strong and well attached all around the socket, your range of motion is perfect. I see no anatomical or physiological explanation for the headaches."
Hinata's shoulders slumped, she had half been hoping that it would be a simple fix, but no clear answer meant no end to the pain.
"Perhaps it's the chakra pathways?" Tsunade murmured as she walked back to her chair. "Have your father take a close look with his Byakugan. I know you have checked yourself over, but perhaps a fresh perspective will help. In the meantime, take her home Naruto, we are all tired and I am starving."
"Hai, thank-you Baa-chan," he grinned, scooping Hinata up in his arms and disappearing in a yellow flash.
Tsunade rolled her eyes as she grabbed the take out menu for her favorite restaurant from the drawer where she used to stash her sake. "Baka, stop calling me Granny, I'm not that old."
Hizashi and Neji were just finishing up dinner as Hiro-san cleared away the bowls when the front door opened and Hinata's soft voice called out a tired "Tadaima."
"Okaeri," the men said back in unison as she and Naruto both entered the room. Hiro-san quickly bustled back into the kitchen to fetch more food and Naruto immediately began to lavish her with praise for the wonderful smelling meal, making her smile despite swatting his shoulder and accusing him of outrageously manipulative flattery.
Between bites Naruto and Hinata filled in the Hyuga on what details they could regarding their successful mission. But during the whole conversation Hizashi was solely focused on his daughter, watching as she chewed tenderly, like someone who was babying a sore wound. Neji also seemed to pick up on the way Naruto was being even more obnoxiously joyful than usual, as though trying too hard to cheer her up with his antics. Knowing there was more to this than was being said, he quietly dismissed Hiro-san, thanking her for the meal and encouraging her to go relax.
Leaving them with a hot pot of tea Hiro-san blushed happily at Naruto's prolific thanks and shuffled off to bed after Neji promised to clear the dishes. As soon as the sound of her door sliding shut reached his ears, Hizashi wasted no time activating a privacy seal and turned to his daughter.
"Now," he said in a firm voice, "tell me what really happened."
By the time the tea was gone Hinata had poured out her fears and Naruto was once again shifting restlessly at her side as he sat at the low table, watching Hizashi and Neji scan her eyes with their own dōjutsu. After what seemed like hours of examination, he was nearly gnawing on his fingers.
"Well?" he pressed, poorly hiding the nervousness in his voice. Hizashi looked mildly amused at his anxiety but Neji simply glared at the bouncing blond.
"Calm down, you're vibrating so much I can hardly ignore your chakra to study her eyes."
"Sorry," Naruto grumbled, but his pout relaxed as Hinata grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. A small shock of guilt accompanied the warmth that always blossomed on his skin whenever she touched him. He should be the one comforting her right now, yet even as she sat awaiting the uncertain verdict of her family she was thinking of him as well.
"Her network is extremely strained," Hizashi finally said, not sugar coating the truth but speaking with care.
"Ah," Neji agreed, crossing his arms as he assessed his sister once more without his Byakugan. "But not in the normal manner of a Hyuga who has overtaxed their limits after using their Byakugan for too long. It is as though her chakra is flooding her cranial network, the channels are near bursting. But there is something blocking it from fully accessing her eyes, and it is causing a massive increase in pressure and strain on her tenketsu."
"Are my tenketsu closed?" Hinata asked in confusion, she didn't remember noticing anything amiss.
"No, they are fine, but as Neji said, very strained, almost as if they are trying to aggressively expand…and…" Hizashi's voice trailed off as a look of shocked realization crossed his face. Hastily excusing himself he left the room, only to reappear a moment later with an ancient looking scroll in his hands that reminded Naruto of the ones he had seen while scavenging through the ruins of Uzushio.
"I recently found this in the recesses of the Clan Archives," Hizashi explained as he carefully unrolled the fragile parchment across the table. "I was going to show it to you Naruto, in the hope that it would help with your efforts to remove the Caged Bird Seal. It is a contract of some kind between a former Clan Head and Seal Master, a Namikaze I would surmise, judging by the symbol at the bottom. Most of the transcript has faded away and it is written in an archaic dialect that I am only vaguely familiar with, but there is a part that mentions something called the 'Tenseigan'. I had always thought it was a legend, but it appears that this person actually possessed the dōjutsu. From what I remember of family legends, and the fragments I can gather from this contract, I am under the impression that it is an evolved form of the Byakugan that only manifests in the Main Branch after certain…circumstances, have been fulfilled."
"My eye transplant," Hinata whispered, not noticing the way that Naruto's face had lit up as he scanned the document. "But does that mean that both I and the person who originally possessed these eyes are descendants of the Main Branch?"
"It all makes sense!" Naruto interjected excitedly. He was practically beaming, barely keeping his own Rinnegan from swirling to life as he devoured the ancient words. He glanced around at his silently confused audience, and forced himself to calm down and explain his monumental epiphany.
"Sai's information confirmed that the eyes did not belong to Hanabi, and that Danzo believed the rumors of Orochimaru kidnapping Hiashi's pregnant lover are true. Ero-sennin and I had caught wind of this supposed 'Main House Mystery Child' but dismissed the info as false bragging on Orochimaru's part, mostly because I assumed that the bastard Hiashi was completely sterile."
He gestured enthusiastically to Hinata and Neji, as though he could draw out their memories with his own hands. "Remember that night years ago, right before the chunin exams, when we heard that drunk guard raving like a loon at the compound gate? What was his name, To…Ta…Tadao? He was bragging about The Honorable Bitch and reuniting with his kids and other crazy stuff?"
Neji blinked, his sharp mind following and easily running ahead of where Naruto was headed. "I remember," he said in a stunned voice. "Ane had used him to father all of her children when she didn't fall pregnant right away. And then her own father had tried to use Tadao to assassinate Hiashi during the invasion." He looked at Hinata, who was sitting in frozen silence. "And the site of the invasion was the last place Hiashi's lover was ever seen, in life or death. We assumed she had been crushed in the collapse of the stadium but we never found a body."
"She must have actually been taken by Orochimaru," Naruto slammed his fist into his open palm, driving home his point. "The rumors were true after all. As a medic nin who was working with Kabuto, Karin would definitely have had access to any specimens that they possessed." He turned to Hinata, grasping her by the shoulders and excitedly forcing her to focus on his sparkling eyes. "Hime, do you know what this means? You are the one! The one who can release the Caged Bird Seal. The one who will restore the Hyuga!"
Hinata's entire face was a mix of disgust and fear. The staggering idea that her eyes had possibly been stolen by a mad shinobi scientist, that she had inherited anything associated with that monster Hiashi, and that those two evils could somehow come together to create a formula for an entire clan's salvation, all mixed into a nauseatingly confusing epiphany that her conscience was struggling to come to terms with.
"B-But I don't have the Tenseigan! I barely got the Byakugan back," she panted, panic welling up inside her as she thought of the lost child whose eyes she possessed and the mother who never saw them grow. The awe of the responsibility she owed to them for their sacrifices, the disbelief that she might finally be able to acquire the key to her dreams, and the fear of the immensity of the duty she now had to uphold. Her breaths started rapidly outpacing her racing thoughts, and she could hardly form words as she gasped out for more air. "I-I don't know how to unlock it! I don't know what to do…"
Naruto, you have to take her to the waterfall.
Naruto blinked at the voice that echoed in his head, realization dawning as the final pieces of the puzzle fell into place. I see, thanks Kurama!
"I know what to do," he said, his hands squeezing her shoulders in reassurance before he turned to Hizashi with confidence radiating from his entire countenance.
"Hizashi-sama," he said, the formality of his address making the Clan Head and Neji both straighten up in guarded surprise. "There is a place in Uzushiogakure, a 'holy ground' so to speak, where I can take her to unlock the dōjutsu. By combining her chakra and the fūinjutsu that I have been working on, I feel confident that we can release her Caged Bird Seal, and by doing so simultaneously open the gate that is barring her eyes from evolving into the Tenseigan."
Hizashi stared at the eager whiskered face that had lost all traces of joviality. Naruto's hardened blue eyes were steady as a rock with unabashed fervor and resolve. It was the look of a leader, of a Hokage, of Kami's Chosen. But despite the immense faith Hizashi held in this boy who had saved his daughter's life all those years ago in the wintery forest and blossomed into this venerable man and shinobi who stood before him, his fatherly heart throbbed in concern. He already had to give up her mother for the sake of the Clan, he could not bear to lose Hinata as well.
"She will be unharmed? You are certain this will work?" Hizashi demanded in a more severe voice than he intended. But it was his precious daughter who was at stake, and she was so much more important to him than any Legendary Eye.
Naruto didn't flinch at the father's stern insistence, instead bowing deeply as he respectfully acknowledged the love behind the imposition and ignored the doubt it conveyed. "I swear on my life, on my destiny, on my bond with my future wife," he answered with utmost deference. Lifting his head and opening his eyes, the spinning maelstrom of his bright Rinnegan struck the current and future Hyuga Clan Heads with speechless awe. "I will protect your daughter, Hizashi-sama. And I never go back on my word."
Not pausing to bask in their wonder at his revealed dōjutsu, Naruto turned to Hinata, feeling that despite what the Hyuga laws permitted, the Clan Head could never make such a decision on her behalf without her consent. Reaching out to take her hand like a warrior ready to pledge his fealty to his queen, Naruto threaded his chakra through their connection, seeking an understanding of her soul as well as her mind.
"Hime," he said with a solemn air of respect glowing from his swirling eyes. "The choice is yours alone. Will you come with me? Do you want to do this?" He leaned forward, waiting to feel her reciprocating chakra and the synchronization of their hearts in complete understanding and trust. Her hope and hesitance was easy to feel through his hiraishin mark, and he whispered patiently for her alone to hear. "I will not force you, Hime, if you don't want this, I will find another way."
Hinata studied his face, the storm emotions that were boiling within her steadily calming as his chakra danced with her own. Forgetting everything else she raised her free hand to cup his cheek, basking in the reassurance of his fortifying faith, and humbly grateful for his prioritization of her free will above all else. No matter what the cosmos said, he was yet again reminding her that her fate was ultimately her own. Her destiny would always be a product of her own creation and individuality. And right now, as he filled her with his perfect balance, she knew what she wanted.
"I will do it."
The abundant humidity is what immediately impressed her as Hinata took her first deep breath of island air, the ever operating shinobi part of her brain immediately thinking of all the jutsu she could pull out of the moist atmosphere by using her water affinity to fabricate unfathomable acts from nothingness. The trees here were younger than in Konoha, a new growth of jungle resurrected out of the destruction of Uzushio generations ago. She pulled her hair up high onto her head, scanning the wide expanse of beach that glowed in the pale moonlight, her spirit singing under its fragile light as it tickled the back of her bare neck. Waves lap in a regular beat, perfectly attuned to her heart, the small crests sliding up and over the sand from the forgotten harbor that once guarded the powerful vessels of the Shodaime's construction. Little remained of that once glorious nation, the wharf now rested at the bottom of the sea, and the massive boulders that once shielded the harbor were nothing more than dangerous hidden obstacles that lurked just below the surface.
The whole aura of forgotten life, reclaimed more fervently by nature than it ever had been by the citizens of Uzushio, filled her with a melancholy tranquility, like walking through a cemetery that was in full bloom. Closing her eyes she could feel it call to her, pulling her to the water as she stepped through the fine, shifting sand. The waves were creeping higher up the beach with the rising tide, and Hinata was startled out of her moonlight haze when the cool ocean swirled around her ankles. The air rushed out of her as she sank to her knees, digging her fingers deeply into the cool grains as they sucked her feet deeper with every wave. Squatting in the undulating waves, chin tucked between her knees, she let the hypnotizing sight of her hands being slowly caressed in the sea and sand calm her anxiousness.
"Hime."
Standing up, Hinata turned to see him bathed in the moonlight as well, the bright hair on his head reflecting its subdued rays as much as his eyes, which danced with a pupil slitted ferocity that stole her breath away. Naruto's feet were well sunk into the wet sand and she realized he had been admiring her for a while. The knowledge made her heady with a somewhat lustful pride, as she sauntered slowly over to his tall form. The entire ambiance of this place was mildly intoxicating, and the sensation only increased as he enveloped her in his strong embrace.
His hands traced up and down her curves as she buried her face into his bare shoulder, drinking in his solid support, his confidence, his admiration. Allowing all of him to balance the rest of her.
"Everything is prepared, I can do it now if you want," he murmured into her hair, and she could sense the deepening of his voice that meant his body was starting to hum for her. Normally she would try to distract him, delay his desires so they could focus on their task, but tonight it seemed as though the whole island sang their song, and their building euphoria was simply a side effect of their broadening consciousness. Hinata let her head fall back, presenting her lips to his scrutiny, and he didn't hesitate to taste her, eating up her whispered answer.
"Now."
It felt like ages ago that they had bid her anxious father and brother goodbye, arriving in a yellow flash upon this shore where Hinata had set about preparing camp. Now as Naruto grabbed the lit torch he had jabbed into the sand, they stumbled up the beach, past the tent she had pitched, towards a narrow jungle trail.
Hinata paused to discard her kimono style top next to their packs and followed him, clad only in her bindings. The instant they had landed upon the place where his hiraishin seal was carved into a volcanic boulder, Naruto had peeled out of his shirt before disappearing into the dense jungle, and now she knew why. The air clung tangibly to her skin and her pants as they wove down the dirt trail, making her clothing feel more restrictive than protective.
After several minutes of precise wandering she could see the flickering light of a fire up ahead, and they emerged out of the jungle into a small oasis that centered around the most beautiful waterfall Hinata had ever seen. The sense that something more abided within this space immediately touched her awareness, and she reverently knelt by the edge of the waters to gently touch its crystalline reflection. Naruto smiled in approval, appreciating her instinctual awareness of this holy place.
"Uzushio is a sanctuary island that was pulled from the sea by Kami, to serve as her hallowed ground where she could mingle with her creation, and commune with its people. The ancient carvings in the caves tell of great miracles that were performed in this place when devout followers of pure intent came to have their ambitions blessed, their wounds healed, their illnesses cured, or their minds opened." Naruto walked over to the blazing bonfire that he had built up, tossing in the smaller torch that had led them down the dark trail.
"When the Uzumaki found this place they settled around it to aid travelers who came here, offering simple sustenance and lodging to those who made the pilgrimage to commune with Kami's love and seek her favor. Over time the Namikaze settled here as well and opened up a whole new level of divine interaction through their use of seals and 'enchantments', capturing pieces of the god's blessings with their fūinjutsu arrays, which could then be taken across land and sea as a token of protection in battle, or a medicine to those unable to endure the journey across the water. Through their assistance the blessings of Kami flooded the land to all who sought her gifts, and for their help of the weak and devout Kami blessed their clans and thus the Hidden Village of Uzushiogakure flourished out of the whirlpools."
Hinata watched as he bent over a nearly empty pot of ink, stirring it thoughtfully as he reminisced over times he had only seen in his dreams. Her gaze traveled around the small oasis, noticing how that same ink had been painted across most of the boulders around them, and she swore she could feel the low drone of the stones as they awoke once more beneath his summoning spell.
"After the betrayal of Uzushio at the hands of her allies, the holy places were sealed shut. In Kami's heartbreak over the slaughter of her faithful people she removed her sanctuaries from this earth. Now, only small portals of her presence remain, doors that will only crack open for the three inheritors of her Eternal Will, the reincarnated souls of her first faithful: The Three Scions." Naruto pulled the fine paintbrush from the pot of ink, as Hinata solemnly approached his side, and he turned to her with a look full of adoration and respect. "You and I are part of them, I can feel it Hime. Now that we are here I can sense the whole majesty of Kami's blessing around you."
Hinata's eyes widened in awe. Is that what this feeling is, this awesome euphoria that makes me feel ages older but as rejuvenated as a child at the same time? This peaceful song that calls to my heart?
"I-I see," she whispered, tilting her face up to the moon and feeling its light wash over her features, caressing her cheeks like a mother's gentle touch. She smiled in her mind and her soul, her entire existence submitting to this feeling of an impending joyous reunion, and when she opened her eyes the stars twinkled in her silver gaze.
"Are you ready?" Naruto asked, brushing his thumb across her cheek, and she realized that a tear had fallen from her eye. Blinking up at him she nodded with an assurance as true as her faith.
"Always."
She didn't even blush as she turned her back to the fire and allowed him to untie her bindings. They pooled at her feet, forgotten in the dreaminess of their enchanted surroundings. His arms reach around her, sliding down her stomach and tugging at the button of her pants. As she shimmied her hips to let them fall around her ankles, he could not resist pressing himself into her back, dipping his head to reverently touch his lips to the smooth skin of her bare shoulder. His hot breath exhaled over her chest, making her shiver even in the heat of the fire and his burning embrace, and too soon she felt him step away.
Her arms came up to hug her breasts as the moist warmth of his mouth is replaced by the cool touch of the wet brush gliding down her back. The gentle strokes of his intricate seal, months of exhaustive research contained in hundreds of perfect lines, follow the contours of her spine. With each character laid upon her smooth skin she can feel the sanctity of their invocation building up within her spirit.
The ink is an indigo hue so deep it rivals the midnight sky, and the blue glow of his chakra makes it shimmer like starlight dusted straight from Kami's hand. With the precision of a master he paints his art upon her living canvas. The liquid coats her skin inch by inch as he drags his brush methodically across her hips, over the swell of her round bottom and down the curves of her muscled legs. Each twist of his hand created a strand of a carefully spun web of ancient complexity. As the pattern widens, the power of the seal weighs upon her like a physical burden laid upon her shoulders. The enormity of all her dreams being concentrated into the meticulous strokes that he steadily spread across her body, seeping into her blood, into her soul, her entire consciousness.
The symbols painted on the rocks began to illuminate with colors she could not name as the constant pressure in her eyes increased with every passing second, and she fought the instinct to squeeze them shut. Hinata forced herself to endure the labor pains, knowing that her suffering would be rewarded in the end, with a rebirth of herself in Kami's chosen image.
Every sense was heightened, and as Naruto walked around to face her, Hinata looked up through thick lashes at the firelight reflecting off his golden hair, and saw it haloing him as though he was the sun god himself. His sky blue Rinnegan was a veritable storm, the very maelstrom of his heritage, and as though in response to his visual summoning, her Byakugan instantly pulsed to life with such vibrance she gasped, her head falling forward.
Instantly he reached out to lift her quivering chin, his words tripping over themselves as he sought reassurance of her wellbeing, and offered his own. Hinata shook her head at his apprehension, he misunderstood, this was not the act of her caving in, but exploding outwards. Every tenketsu was throbbing under the chakra imbued ink that he had gently painted upon her body, and she ached for the completion of its building high. Her eyes boldly locked onto his frowning lips, and as she coaxed them back out of their anxious pout with a passionate kiss, her hands fell away from her bosom, exposing herself fully to his now hungry gaze.
She swore she saw a flash of red behind his spiraling Rinnegan as his free hand reached around her shoulder, fisting her thick ponytail and tilting her head back, angling his head to lick her lips as her mouth fell open in bliss. The temptation to taste this sweet fruit was too great, and Hinata hung on to his neck and let him pull her hair further, making her arch gracefully as his smoldering tongue traveled down her pale neck and followed the line of her bounding pulse all the way down between her breasts.
Goosebumps ripple across her skin in the wake of his panting breath as it fans the thin sheen of sweat that glows upon her body in the flickering light of the fire. Her breath hitched and her fingers dug into the firm muscles of his back as she bent beneath his lust, electricity dancing through the already sensitive pathways awakened within her body. It is as if the ozone itself has galvanized within the moisture of his kisses, as he palmed her breast in his large hand, lifting her tight nipple to his eager mouth. The heat burning within her is blazing hotter than the fire beside them, and she chants the syllables of his name in time with every swirl of his tongue over her sensitive peaks. When his mouth pulled away, his heat still remained, a searing mark of his passion rivaling the chakra saturated ink that glistened on her skin as she straightened up.
Bending to retrieve his forgotten brush, Naruto dipped it once more into the enchanted ink, smirking at her when she nearly flinched from the tickling light touch of its soft bristles compared to the ardent stroke of his tongue. He connected the wet brush's inky lines to the points of the array that peeked around from her back, drawing fresh pathways down along her ribs, over the swell of her hips, ghosting up the midline of her stomach, and then centering over her heart in a series of excruciatingly gentle strokes. Hinata clamped her lip between her teeth, the power boiling up within her soul and focusing behind her eyes becoming more and more difficult to contain as the counter seal neared completion.
Her mind was rising to another plane of existence, both within her body and outside of herself. A level of higher consciousness that connected with a deeply hidden and barred part of her soul that cried out for freedom. Soon, she would hold the key to its release.
The array on her forehead was the most difficult by far. Naruto's free hand rested against her cheek to hold her still as he inhaled deeply in preparation for the last part of the crucial design. She let her eyes fall to his lips, watching them twist and purse as he focused with an intensity that caused her adrenaline to spike. She could see the sweat beading down his temple, the whiskers on his cheeks twitching as his bijū chakra spiked with his attentiveness. Without hesitating Hinata placed her palms flat upon his bare chest and bled her chakra into his network, synchronizing and balancing with him as he focused on maintaining a steady hand and the perfect chakra harmony that the final step of this jutsu demanded. She felt, rather than heard, him sigh her name as the tense set of his shoulders relaxed infinitesimally and with a final flourish, he let his arm fall heavily to his side.
Her eyes snapped up to his, the knowledge that the time had actually come causing years worth of fear and sorrow and anticipation to swell in a ball of emotion in her throat, nearly choking her with its sentimentality.
Naruto shook his head at her unspoken doubt, knowing what she was thinking as he kissed her fervently, transferring the power of his faith into her with his touch. She leaned into him, the magnetic pull of her desire still simmering just below the surface of her adrenalin fueled perception, fortifying her bravery with his security and love.
Regretfully pulling back, Naruto tenderly tapped her nose with his own, it being one of the only patches of skin on her naked body not adorned with his sealing arts.
"The rest is up to you Hime," he whispered, taking her hand and walking with her over the surface of the water to the center of the consecrated circle of fūinjutsu formulas. As if upon command the clouds parted and the moonlight cascaded down from the heavens in a godly beam that lit Hinata and reflected off her porcelain skin with such generous brilliance Naruto squinted by her side.
He backed away, leaving her as the center of the newest midnight star, carving the breathtaking image of her magnificent glory into his memory. An aura of serene omnipotence engulfed her, and even the water began to orbit in worship as her Byakugan flared with an intensity that challenged mortal endurance. When her venerable gaze landed upon his admiring face, he knew she was ready. He nodded, lifting his hands, and she mirrored his steady sequence of hands seals. In a clear, high voice, Hinata recited the prayer that she had memorized from his carefully translated Namikaze scroll.
"Eyes that were shut, now shall see.
Lips that were sealed, now may speak.
Ears that were deaf, now perceive.
Feet that were shackled, now can flee.
A soul that was bound, now released.
Let the caged bird fly free."
Rays of light burst from the markings across her body, her hair tore free of its ties and swirled around her stoic face. The water churned around her, crashing towards the gravitational weight of her exploding presence but never touching her as the coalescence of Kami's Will and her own cocooned her in an effervescent aura. Unshaken by the divine chaos, Hinata continually formed one hand seal after another, her lips never stuttering on a single syllable of her destiny.
"A whole that was severed, now is complete.
A spirit enslaved, now has liberty.
A rhyme without rhythm, now shall sing.
A field that was barren, now with seed.
A sinner thought lost, now redeemed.
Let the caged bird fly free."
Her eyes shone like heavenly bodies, and everything around her froze, suspended in the air as though gravity itself held its breath. The Fates halted their dance, then shifted their steps as the choreography of destiny was altered. The song of creation crescendoed, the melody reaching its ultimate peak, and with a final declaration of victory, her voice echoed through the bonds of living slavery, shattering its chains.
"KAI!"
As soon as the flashing lights ceased, Naruto darted across the water, reaching out and grasping Hinata's hand just as she slipped beneath the surface, limp and unconscious from the tremendous aftershocks of the jutsu's ferocious climax. The ink bled away, dripping from her skin in pale purple rivulets under the moonlight, as he knelt beside the fire and cradled her against his pounding heart. Goosebumps rippled over her naked body and he whipped his head around, seeing her discarded bindings and grasped them to quickly dry her off. Noting that her breathing was quick and shallow as he scrubbed her chest, fear began to pick away at his sanity, and he forgot his task as he braced her head upon his shoulder. With shaking hands, he prayed to every god that ever bothered to listen as he gently pushed her wet hair off of her forehead.
A choking sob of relief escaped his constricted throat as he saw her pristine pale skin, adorned by nothing save the simple, regal diamond of her Byakugo no In.
Suddenly her eyes blinked open, and Naruto felt the whole universe cry out with him in united triumph as indigo irises dancing with what looked like brilliant pearly flower petals beamed up at him from her radiant face.
Her chakra pulsed and Naruto struggled for air as the power of her dōjutsu hit him like a thunderbolt, immediately resonating with his own, leaving them clutching one another as they reeled within the delirious euphoria.
Hinata pressed her forehead to his damp cheek, panting as waves of refined consciousness surged through her network, and reveling in the feel of Naruto's chakra rising to meet each new peak. Their mouths crashed together with the force of their tumultuous emotions, sweat slicking their fevered skin as they rocked together before the dancing bonfire. Everything within Hinata screamed to touch him, to be a part of him, to join together with her other half.
Moaning into his kiss she abruptly pulled away and surged to her knees, gripping him by the hair and arching her chest into his face. Naruto growled as his teeth grazed across her pliant breast, his hands grasping her knees and firmly planting them on each side of his hips, then sliding his palms up her thighs to cup her round ass and yank her into him. Her pelvis rocked forward bringing his muscled chest into firm contact with her taut abdomen, the knot in her gut tightening even more as an ache that centered between her legs throbbed with the beating of her heart.
She keened out his name as his fingers traced the cleft between her cheeks, each stroke bringing him closer to that thrilling place, so sensitive that even in the madness of overstimulation that whirled around them she could practically cry with her need for more. He grinned maliciously into her breast, seizing her nipple between his teeth and tugging in a painfully delicious way that juxtaposed the pleasure with magnifying intensity.
His arm enveloped her waist, not to restrict her, but to feel every undulation of her hips as she rocked upon his hand, seeking more of that electrifying pleasure that was shooting through her core every time his fingers stroked her sensitive bud. Moisture slicked down his fingers and Naruto could feel his teeth sharpen as the feral instinct to claim his mate overwhelmed him. He sank two fingers deep inside her, his mouth watering as she moaned in carnal pleasure, her thighs trembling as she tried to ride him harder.
The aura around them was a whirlwind of chakra elements, growing in strength until it had pulled the fire from beside them and the water from the pool's edge into its chaotic revolutions. The opposing elements of nature clashed and writhed together like they themselves, fire and water tangling in a divergent union of antithetical balance. Hinata was lost to his burning touch as his passion devoured her like an inferno. Naruto was drowned in the torrents of her desire as it rained down upon him in a tempest of ferocity.
The rhythm of her gasps stuttered over the crown of his head as her peak approached. Naruto curled his fingers within her and every muscle in her body tensed. But she wanted more, she wanted his everything, his body and soul. She wanted a union she had been forever anticipating and too long denied.
"I want you, Naruto-kun," she pleaded, frowning as the nearly frantic need hummed through her body. He seemed to know exactly what her words were trying to convey, withdrawing his fingers with a final lascivious twist and immediately bringing the dripping digits up to his mouth. Hinata's mouth fell open in frank wonder as his slitted eyes drilled into her own whilst drawing his wet fingers across his tongue, the fangs of his vulpine grin making her willing to let him devour her very existence.
Hinata snapped. She tore at his pants, barely restraining from ripping them open and greedily wrapped her hand around his throbbing erection, pumping him with a possessively tight grip. Naruto nearly howled as his hips instinctively snapped up to meet her every stroke. She smirked down at his gaping expression, his vision nearly blurring with the delicious friction of her hand massaging his cock. Naruto didn't think he could handle much more, he felt as though his heart was going to burst from his chest, but all self awareness fled his mind when she paused her salacious ministrations, centered herself over him, and slowly sank into his lap.
Inch by blessed inch, Hinata bounced lower and lower, the stretching intensity of his full length filling her beyond her imagination, driving her lustful insanity further and further. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, and his clawed tipped nails marked her hips. Naruto gave up on all mortal comprehension, and simply let himself get washed away in her tight caress as her muscles contracted forcefully around him. He fell back onto the ground, thrusting upwards and piercing her with the final length of his firm cock, and she cried out his name to the heavens.
A wild rhythm possessed them as they fought for dominance and release. Hinata was grinding her pelvis over his, sliding her wet clit against him as every muscle in her body thrummed with delicious tension, the punctuating fulfillment of Naruto's thick cock driving each sensation deep into her core. His teeth sank into his lower lip as he watched her with unblinking eyes, drinking in her heaving breasts and arching torso, as each snap of his hips made her soft flesh bounce. The sight of her unashamedly spread wide to his gaze, her essence dripping down his turgid length as it disappeared into her hot folds over and over had his mind clouding with lust, and as she began to gasp and spasm around him, he simply stared in worshipful wonder.
The power of her orgasm rippled through her in waves of delirious ecstasy, and Hinata collapsed upon Naruto's chest, her hands clawing into his biceps as she pressed her tender folds down upon his still rock hard erection, reveling in the way the pressure drew out the echoing excitement within her core. With the afterglow of her peak still restlessly simmering in her loins, she raised up her head and met his dark gaze with a hungry glare of her own.
"More," she demanded.
He leapt to obey.
In a fluid and forceful motion he threw her on her back, splaying her hair across the ground where it glimmered in the glow of the moon and their encasing chakra, as he kicked off his pants. She instantly locked her legs around him, and as he sank himself deep within her once more he held onto her thighs for dear life. Giving over control to his vigorous rhythm, Hinata's heart sang under his carnal adoration. The twist of his mouth as he lost himself to her captivating pleasure made her lick her own lips, and she curled up to drag her tongue over the bounding pulse in his neck.
"Ah fuck, Hime, you're gonna kill me," Naruto growled, panting wildly as he braced an arm on the ground and unleashed his lust upon her. The string of lewd praises that fell from his lips went straight to her head and her pussy tightened in reflex, making them both gasp. Suddenly it seemed as though his cock hardened impossibly, and Hinata felt herself shatter once more as he cried out her name, pouring himself into her with all he had.
The chakra storm that had been raging along with their turbulent love making split the atmosphere and collided in a torrent of fire heated rain that pelted their naked bodies. They laid senselessly unaware of the freak weather, coiled around each other upon their discarded clothing, breathing one another's names.
A tainted bond had been broken, and was replaced with something indestructible, something boundless, something everlasting. With their dōjutsu slowly ebbing from their eyes, they smiled at the fading mirage of a red cord tied to their interlaced fingers, draped around their united bodies, knitting their souls together for a lifetime of lifetimes.