Never will he ever look at me.

I'm a failure. I'm weak. I'm a coward.

He's always been there; brave, strong, and determined.

He's been the guardian, the protector.

But I... I have always lingered in the shadows.

But not anymore.

Hyuuga Hinata jumped into the battle, preparing for the worst. Red flashed before her eyes.

She saw herself proclaiming her love for Naruto before Pain and the boy himself, yet she heard no words. Another flash of Red.

Her eyes struggled to stay open as she saw Pain before her, ready to deliver the final blow. The wound that would prove her weakness. Her failure.

Her sacrifice.

Hinata woke with a start. Her body attempted to jolt upward, only to be shot down by pain. Her vision was hazy. She could feel the sheets sticking desperatly to her body. She was soaked. She tried to focus, her eyes blinked slowly. Her hearing slowly came back. She could hear distant voices as they grew louder each moment. It was hot. That was all her mind was capable of thinking. Hot... too hot! Her thoughts screamed at her. She needed something cool. Desperately. As few moments later, she could feel a cold, damp cloth on her forehead.

"Ne, Hinata. You awake?" a low voice said. Hinata. That was her. She tried to speak, but it seemed like everything she was saying was gibberish. Whoever she was speaking to gave her an odd look, then turned away. She was frustrated. She wanted. Wanted...

"It's okay, Hinata. We're here to help you. Someone give me the anethesia, quick!" a soft, feminine voice soothed. Hinata tried to open her eyes more, but they only opened halfway. She was getting more and more frustrated. A sharp, searing pain shot into her arm. It felt as if something was being forced into her body. Her body then started to relax. It felt cool. Her eyelids grew heavier. She slowly drifted off into a calm bliss.

*******Meanwhile********

Many tents were pitched throughout the surrounding area. People gathered around fires, making food for their families. Some sat together and cried, grieving for the loss of their homes, their families, their friends, and their lives. Konoha as they knew it was obliterated. All that was left were the crushed ruins and the gapeing crater where the city once was. One pair flew by carrying a stretcher for the injured. They sprinted toward one of the largest tents. A few nurses stading by the opening of the tent saw them running, and opened the curtain. The pair entered quickly, wanting to aid the injured person as quickly as possible. Beside the large tent, however, stood a small group of people in a semi-circle, surrounding the opening of the tent.

"Hinata, Hinata!" a young man called desperately. He struggled against two other boys around the same age as they restrained him. "Let me GO!" he exclaimed. The two others didn't abide with his request, but rather clung to him harder.

"Naruto, get a hold on yourself! She's just woken up! The last thing she needs is a knucklehead like you bursting into her tent!" said one of the boys restraining him. He had long, dark hair pulled neatly behind his head. His oddly colored white eyes were fierce yet held a sort of tranquility.

"Neji-san is right, Naruto-kun! We must allow Hinata-san to heal and replenish her youth before we see her!" said the other boy that was restraining him. He was a bit gawkier than the other boy. Clad in a bright green jumpsuit, one could feel the energy radiating off of him. Although his face was stern, his eyes defied his facade. They were circular and bursting with hope and inspiration. His hair was slick and styled as a bowl-cut.

The boy they were holding onto snarled viciously, wanting to be released from his captivity. The two others restraining him looked at eachother with questions in their eyes. He had never reacted this violently before to one of his friend's getting hurt. Not even his crush!

As if on cue, a girl with short, pink hair opened the tent and exited it. She looked up to behold the sight in front of her.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" the boy cried. He instantly fought harder against his captors. The boy with long, dark hair's face tensed.

"Sakura-chan! Please! Help us!" the boy in the green jumpsuit pleaded. Her eyes bulged and she quickly rushed over to the three. She placed her hands on the boys' shoulders in an attempt to hold him down. At her touch, he instantly stopped struggling.

"Sakura-chan! Please! Where is- can I?- Please, Sakura-chan! I need to see her-" the boy stuttered quickly. The girl, Sakura, furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Naruto, just what happened to you out there? What happened between you and Hinata?" Sakura asked. She wanted answers. Sure, she had seen the shy Hyuuga girl jump to the rescue, only to be beaten down brutally. But, what happened to make Naruto notice her all of a sudden? It wasn't like they were ever close or anything. But the boy mearly brushed off her questions as if he had never heard them. He kept on looking beyond her, directly at the tent's opening. He pulled a little bit to get a better glimpse only to be shoved hard on the shoulders. He was forced down to his knees. The two other boys saw this as an opportunity to place one hand on his back and pull the boy's arms back, rendering him helpless.

Sakura crouched down infront of the boy. Her eyes searched for his, only to see his looking anywhere but at her. Her blood began to boil. Why wasn't he answering her?

"Naruto! Tell me! Why are you so obsessed with seeing Hinata?" she asked. The boy panted ferociously, like a dog that was in desperate need of water. He looked at the ground, his eyes shifting constantly. "Naruto! Answer me!" she yelled this time. The boy lost it. He growled and snaped at her. Sakura jumped away, afraid of him. Why was he lashing out?

"I NEED TO SEE HER! I JUST- I NEED TO! PLEASE!" he cried, "I'M BEGGING YOU PLEASE!" Another boy walked out of the tent. He had red, upside down triangles on his cheeks and was accompanied by a large dog. "KIBA!" the boy cried.

"Huh? Naruto?" the boy said, looking at the situation. He walked over, confusion etched on his face. "What's going on here?" he asked.

"PLEASE! KIBA! HELP ME! I HAVE TO- I NEED TO- I JUST NEED TO SEE-!"

"Calm down, Naruto! We just knocked her out! She has a high fever and needs to rest. The best thing for you to do for her and you is get out. Walk around. Do something productive. I'm sure Hinata wouldn't like it if she saw you like this right now, creating this huge fiasco," said the boy with the dog. With that, he left the semi-cirle and headed out, presumably towards his family's tent. The captive boy hung his head, defeated. They were right. Hinata wouldn't like it if she saw him like that. She wouldn't have liked him either if she had seen him then. When he had transformed. He was almost completely possesed by the Kyubi. Tears gathered in his eyes. That's why he had to see her. To make sure that he hadn't caused any harm to her. To make sure that she was still there. That she was here, physically. Here for him. He had to make sure-

"Kiba's right, Naruto," Sakura said firmly. The two boys restraining him nodded in agreement. Sakura stared at Naruto fiercly, but her face changed to surprise when she saw drops of tears. He was- crying?

"Please, Sakura," he cried. He lifted his face. Water flowed generously from his bright, blue orbs. "I'm begging you!" he sobbed.

Sakura was astonished. This was the first time he had ever reacted this way. This was also one of the first times in a long time that he had left the -chan suffix off of her name. Her eyes were wide. Never did she believe that this would transpire. He was a wreck. A hopeless wreck.

"N-Naruto," she stuttered, "I... I can't let you see her now. She's asleep." Her heart nearly shattered after seeing his expression. She wished she had never said those words to him. He completely broke down. His body crumbled and sunk to the ground. The two boys restraining him released him, thinking it was safe. The boy just sat there, crying his heart out, making himself look like a fool. His body shook violently as the tears flowed graciously. The crowd surrounding the tent slowly dissipated except for the boy, Sakura, and another woman. The other woman had dark brown hair and a bludging stomach. She placed a hand gently on the boy's shoulder. He continued to cry heavily, but they slowly began to simmer.

Sakura didn't move. She was still shocked by his reaction. It wasn't until one of the nurses called her back into the tent that she realized she hadn't moved yet. She stood slowly and began to walk towards the tent. Just as she was opening the curtain, she looked back. The woman was helping the boy up and leading him away. His body still quivered slightly from his break down. Sakura frowned and walked into the tent, the tent that the boy wanted to desperately to be in.

Sakura stuck her head out from the tent. She glanced right, then left. Wrapping her cloak closer together, she walked out of the tent. She looked around her once again before walking determinedly to the left. She had a goal and nothing was going to stop her from reaching it. She weaved in and out from the tents at a fast pace. Her expression was set. She had to find out, she needed answers.

Reaching her destination, she slowed down. She hid behind tents to make sure her presence wasn't noticed. As an extra precaution, she lowered her chakara levels to a bare minimum. Nobody was able to detect her due to her superb chakara control.

She spotted her target. The boy from before sat perched in a tree. His legs dangled from the branch. He looked up almost longingly at the night sky. The night was mostly clear, a few clouds floating past here and there. All was silent in the area besides a few crakles and pops from a nearby fire. Sakura crept closer to the boy, being a quiet as possible.

"I know you're there, Sakura-chan. You don't need to hide," the boy said suddenly. Sakura's heart jumped. How could he have detected her? Sakura came out from hiding and walked over to the base of the tree he was in. The boy patted a seat beside him and Sakura obliged. She sat a good distance from him, not knowing why she wanted to be far apart from him. Perhaps it was because she was too afraid of him. But, she had never been afraid of him. Except for once-

"Being a sage makes me more aware of people's chakaras. That's why I was able to detect you," the boy said, "I figured that was what you were thinking of asking me." Sakura blinked. Actually, she never thought of asking him that. It did cross her mind, but she had too many other questions swarming through her mind.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" she asked. She turned her head to face him. He was still looking at the stars, his eyes never blinking.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, well... what happened to you?" she inquired. There was a long pause before he answered her.

"Well, I fought the guy who killed my master," he answered. Sakura sighed. That wasn't the responce she was looking for.

"Yes, I know that nimrod. Why are you so bent up over Hinata, though?" she said with a little more edge to her voice. Her goal was set and she was not backing down.

"Because she's hurt," his voice broke. His head began to sink. Sakura stared at the boy confused.

"She was doing her job, Naruto. She's a ninja. All ninja's go to battle and sometimes end up hurt or-"

"Dead," he finished for her. Sakura closed her lips into a tight line. True, Hinata had died, but she was brought back to life. She was healed and is being healed. It still didn't answer her question though.

"Naruto, all of us have been in the hospital. All of us have been injured. Why is this time any different?" she asked. For the first time in their conversation, the boy looked at her.

"Look around us! Everything's different," he replied. Tension hung in the air between the two. He turned his head back up to the sky. The nearly longingful look returned to his eyes. Sakura looked at him sadly.

"Naruto," she said, "she's okay. She's fine! Why are you so obsessed with seeing her?" A heavy pause.

"I... I don't know," he said, turning away from her. She gave an agrivated sigh. She was getting nowhere.

Look, Naruto, everyone KNOWS something happened between you and Hinata! Now, spill the beans or I'll beat you until you're a small as a bean! Inner Sakura screamed.

"Why won't you tell me what happened down there?" Sakura asked him, hurt dripping from each word. The boy looked at her with wide eyes. She could see him visibly gulp before he answered her.

"She loves me. She's the first person to say that she loves me."

Sakura blinked. There was no way in hell Hinata actually confessed to him. No way! The boy stared at her, looking for some sort of reaction from her. Her expression never changed. She was too shocked. The boy moved his hand to come up behind his head, a sort of trademark move of his when he was uncomfortable or nervous.

"Ne, Sakura? You weren't expecting that one either? I was just as shocked when she told-" he stopped. His hand moved back down to rest softly on the branch. Sakura could see several scars on the back of his hand. Knowing him, they would be gone within a few days. He healed so quickly, it sometimes scared her. She didn't know why it scared her though. Maybe it was the reason why he was able to heal so fast that scared her. When she had heard that Naruto had transformed almost completely into the Kyubi, she was mortified. He was terrifying enough with four tails- let alone all nine. Suddenly, his fingers clutched the branch, ripping the bark where his fingers traveled. Sakura's eyes darted up into his own. His eyes were blank, hallow, empty.

"Do you understand why I need to see her? I need to make sure she's still here. I need proof! She's- she's weird and all but overall, I like her as a person and- and I don't know what I would do if- i-if..." he said. Sakura reached out to touch his hand. Normally, the boy would blush when she did such a gesture. He had always crushed on her since their days at the academy. But now- his face didn't flush. His hands were warm like they always were, but they weren't welcoming to her hand. A slight sting corsed through Sakura's heart, but she chose to ignore it. Now was not the time for her to be selfish.

"What are you going to say to her?" she asked him. His head cocked to the side as his eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean, Sakura-?"

"I mean, what do you plan on saying to her? She did after all profess her love for you. What are you going to tell her?" she explained. The boy looked away.

"I... I don't... know," he answered, "I was just... I just wanted to see her, I guess." A light blush rose to his cheeks. How could he have been so stupid? Would he have been prepared to face Hinata if she asked him about his thoughts on her confession? What were his thoughts on her confession? Did he like her like that? Could he like her like that? Thoughts swarmed through his head, which made his head begin to hurt. Sakura scoffed.

"You baka. You weren't seriously going to go in there and have nothing to say to her?" she scolded. The boy shrunk away from her a little bit. Truth, he hadn't thought at all what he would actually say to her. He assumed that the perfect words would pop up at the right time. The more he thought about it, though, the more he saw the flaws in his plan. Most of the time when he would do that, it would end up badly, like Sakura punching him or something along those lines.

"But... I don't know what to say to her," he said truthfully. Sakura sighed. She could feel her heart growing heavy. Part of her really wanted to help him figure things out with Hinata. Another part, however, wanted to lead him in the wrong direction. Sure, she had always seen the boy as a nuisence, but she had always enjoyed the attention he showered her with. She wasn't sure if she was ready to let go of Naruto.

"Naruto," a voice called out behind them. It was their tall, silver-haired ex-sensei, Kakashi. The boy stood and turned to face him. The jonin was clad in his normal attire but also his white cloak. Sakura turned around too, then looked up at the boy, Naruto. A random thought crossed her mind as to where he got the name Naruto. She quickly dismissed it believing that he wouldn't know. Naruto jumped down off of the tree and walked over to their ex-sensei. Sakura jumped out of the tree as well and walked over to join them.

"It's time to go, Naruto. The kage meeting is in 4 days and it is a 5 day journey. If you want to meet with him, we must leave now," Kakashi explained to him. The boy nodded. Sakura looked at him with utter confusion. Why would they be wanting to go to the kage meeting?

"Meet me at the Northern point of camp in 30 minutes," Kakashi ordered.

"Hai," Naruto said weakly. With a poof, Kakashi was gone. Naruto turned to Sakura.

"I don't know when I'll be back, Sakura-chan," he said, "I know you said that I couldn't see her, but just before I leave for a few minutes-"

"Why are you going to the kage meeting?" she interrupted. Naruto sighed and looked away.

"I don't have time to explain. Can't I just see Hinata for a few minutes? Please?" he asked. When he looked back up at her, her breath was taken away. His eyes shone with fierce determination. It was the same determination he had when he had made that impossible promise to her. The promise. The promise he would bring her love back to her. Back to home. She looked away, ashamed of herself. How could she have made him make such a rediculous promise to her? She was weak, weak before them. She had always been the burden of the team. Everyone had to do everything for her. But this was something that she could control. If Hinata was to Naruto as Sasuke was to her, she had to step aside and let them be happy. She couldn't be selfish anymore. She wouldn't be selfish anymore. That was her promise. Her promise to make Naruto happy.

"Let's go, Naruto," she said. His face instantly lit up and he followed eagerly at her heels. Tsunade-sama would be ashamed if she ever heard she was doing this, but she had to follow through with her promise. They walked through the labrynth of tents until they reached the large one. They went directly to the side to the tent to a smaller one that held Hinata. Sakura stopped in front of the opening. She placed one hand on the curtain but turned her head around.

"You have 10 minutes, Naruto. I can't allow you any more than that," she said to him. He nodded and she pulled back the curtain. They walked into the dimly lit tent. There was a small lamp in the far corner. There was an old machine taking her heart rate through the IV. Her breathing was slow yet steady. She was practically sleeping. Sakura looked back at Naruto. His eyes were brimming with tears. He knelt down beside Hinata's body. Both of his hands reached out to grab her hand. He slowly brought the hand up to his lip and began mummbling what she presumed were apologies. Sakura felt embarrassed being in the tent with him. Although she knew regulation now was that she had to stay in the tent with visitors, she felt that it was too intimate of a moment for her to intrude on. She quietly stepped out of the tent and sat outside. Her heart was racing. Had he ever done anything like that to her before? Every time she had been unconcious at the hospital and woken up, Naruto had only been sitting across from her bed. Then he would preceed to ramble about how he was so glad she was up then ask her out for a bowl of ramen. He had never done something like that. Jealousy coursed through her veins. She was his first love. She should be getting that treatment, not the pampered Hyuuga. Her head pounded. She was so confused.

Naruto sat beside her, his hands enclosing her small one. He didn't know what to say, but his mouth seemed to have a mind of its' own (as always) and began to ramble off apologies. She looked so fragile- Naruto mentally cursed himself for letting her be in this predicament. He was growing more and more upset. If he hadn't left for that training, none of this would have happened. He could have been there to protect his village from the start instead of showing up when it was already a crater. He let his home down, his friends down, himself down- why did it take him so long with his training? If he had been smarter, he would have gotten back sooner he scolded himself. As he continued to mentally abuse himself, the girl beside him shifted slightly away from him. Naruto came back into reality and frowned when he realized her new position. It made him feel all the more isolated. He knew that she wasn't fully aware of her surroundings but he couldn't help but feel a little hurt.

He looked down at her hand. It was still touching his lips softly as he held it. He slowly brought it down to rest in his lap and stared at it. It was so small- then he reminded himself of her twin lion's fist. He shivered at the thought. The last time he saw that was when she- he shivered again. He continued to gaze at her hand as he began speaking.

"Hinata," he started, "I- I can't imagine... I just... I- I don't know. I wish... I wish that you were awake... I just- I just wanna know why." He lifted her hand slightly and began to carress the back of it softly. "Like, why would you do this for me? What were- why did you?" he asked. Hinata stirred slightly as he spoke and Naruto took this as a good sign. "I've always thought we were kinda weird, but you were always there for us- for me. Like at the Chuunin exams. You- you helped me beat Neji, your own cousin. I don't know why, but your words that day... helped me. Just like- just... like..." his voice trailed as tears began to form again in his eyes. "You said you loved me. You love me. I couldn't loose you. I can't loose you. Any of my friends, but you... you love me," he said incredulously. Her words were still just trying to sink in. He didn't understand them, but he would be damned if he wasn't going to try!

"Naruto," Sakura said breathlessly as she opened the curtain. Naruto looked up at her slowly, sad to see that his time was already up. He turned back to Hinata, still sleeping peacefully. With a gentle sigh, he placed her hand on top of her other hand and stood. Naruto exited the tent, never tearing his eyes away from the small Hyuuga. Once Sakura had closed the curtain, Naruto turned his attention to her. She looked a little distressed, but not enough to make him question anything.

"Arigato, Sakura," he said quietly. He turned and lept through the tents, going to meet Kakashi and leave her behind.