The Wanderers
Chapter 37 – Naruto/Hinata – Rightful Revenge
A/N: I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed my story. I never thought I'd hit such a milestone as 300 reviews, it makes me proud to be a writer. Even if it's only a few reviews with each chapter, it means a lot to me.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, the Kyuubi would be a more complex character.
***Previously-On***
After escaping the Hidden Village of Sound, the group was accosted by a warrior covered in white armour, bearing a frightening resemblance to the warrior from Kakashi's memories. After a short monologue, in which he confessed to compliance in the destruction of Konoha, the warrior dispersed the Konoha shinobi under orders from a mysterious leader, causing all of them to be sent to different parts of the world. Now, separated from their friends and comrades, each of the surviving Konoha shinobi are struggling to find each other again before they are found again by the group that had caused them so much grief.
Sasuke was amazed to find his mother, Mikoto Uchiha, alive and well, though he wasn't sure about her explanation as to why she hadn't contacted him in so long. He found himself embedded with the organisation called Cascading Flow, and oddly found himself enjoying the company of his previous companion Fiore. After formulating a plan of attack, Sasuke decided to assist in Cascading Flow's efforts in assassinating the Daimyo of the Land of Earth, since it served his own battle efforts as well. Unfortunately after confronting the Daimyo, Mikoto was killed by one of the four leaders of the Quiraji, who subsequently fled when he was confronted by Elika and Fiore. Sasuke confronted his own grief and decided to stay with his new allies, figuring he'll need their help in the coming battles.
***End Summary***
***Four Weeks after Separation***
Naruto let out a groan as his eyes slowly opened to his surroundings. He could feel a soft bed beneath him and a silk blanket over his front. As his eyes adjusted to the light he noticed that he was lying in a bedroom he didn't recognise, but a smile came over his face when he heard a soft humming from the adjacent room.
It was the one that Hinata would hum whenever she was cooking.
He struggled to sit up in the bed, ignoring the aching muscles that lined his body. Through the open door in the room he saw the woman he loved humming softly to herself as she worked over a kitchen bench. It was strange to him that she was wearing his orange jacket over her own clothes, but the simple fact that she was up and about was enough for him to let out a sigh of relief and fall back onto the soft pillow behind him, happy that her illness hadn't returned.
Even without chakra Hinata heard his sigh with an almost startled jump, turning around quickly to see him lying on the bed she'd placed him on with his eyes open and a smile on his face.
In a single fluid motion she dropped the utensils and vegetables from her hands and leapt into the room, throwing herself onto the bed and wrapping her arms around him tightly.
Naruto's smile widened as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "Hey…"
Nuzzling her long dark hair into his neck, Hinata let out a short laugh while struggling to keep herself from crying in happiness. "Hey…I…Nar…"
He let out a laugh of his own and stroked her hair affectionately. "It's okay. I'm just happy you are safe."
The Hyuuga heiress turned her head slightly so that she could kiss him on the cheek before looking into his eyes. "Is it true what the townsfolk are saying? Did you really do all those things?"
"I don't know…what are they saying?" asked Naruto with a confused gaze.
"That you carried me here on your own for days…That you charged down an army of thousands by yourself to keep me safe from enemy catapult fire…That you led a charge into an army just to take out their general, to collect some stone that healed me of an illness that even doctors couldn't cure?"
Naruto smiled in a rare case of embarrassment, "Well, maybe I did that stuff…"
Hinata stared at him through her big white eyes, "You did that…for me?"
"Well you are my precious Hinata; I wasn't going to let you di…"
His sentence was muffled as she swung a leg over his body and shoved her lips onto his, kissing him deeply than they had ever kissed before.
"Hm…Hin…arms…" struggled Naruto, unable to move underneath her surprisingly tight embrace.
After a long time Hinata pulled her head back and smiled warmly at him. "I…um…don't know what to say…"
Finally able to move his arms so that he was lying in a more comfortable position, Naruto smiled and ran his fingers along the side of her face. "Me neither. I'm just happy you aren't sick anymore."
She smiled with a slight blush and slowly sat up so that she was sitting on his hips. She seemed to have a confused look on her face, causing Naruto to once again wonder about what she was wearing.
"Hinata…why are you wearing my jacket?"
The young girl looked down at the unzipped jacket around her shoulders, her blush deepening as she turned to him shyly. "Well…you were asleep for two days, and the doctor said I shouldn't move you…I had gotten kind of lonely and so I put it on so it felt like you were hugging me…it's just a stupid thing, I'll take it off now…"
Naruto grinned and patted her legs. "I think it's very cute of you. Though I might need it back at some point...when you're done, of course."
She let out a short squeal and buried her head in his chest, in a vain attempt to hide her embarrassment. Eventually she looked up at him with an oddly serious expression.
"What is it?" asked Naruto, trying not to be concerned.
"I…I've got to make it up to you. You did all that stuff…and I haven't done anything in return…"
"Hinata you don't have to…no wait...you don't…wait…"
She looked up at him from her lowered position underneath his legs. "You don't want me to?"
Naruto considered it for a second, and then mentally slapped himself for having considering it. He smiled at her and nodded, as he felt a shock up his body.
I need to do heroic stuff more often…
oOoOoOo
Naruto smiled and played with Hinata's hair as she made herself comfortable beside him. His body was still sore, but it had been totally worth it.
"Ano…Naruto…"
Naruto turned his head slightly so that their noses were almost touching. "What is it?"
"Do…you think I'm…loose?"
He placed a hand on the back of her head and rubbed her dark hair caringly, "What? What gave you that idea?"
"Well we do…those kind of things…quite often…and I was talking with some of the woman in the town, and they said…"
Naruto cut her off by lightly pecked her on the lips and placed his forehead onto hers. "Hinata, I love you. No matter what you do, that is never going to change."
"O…okay. Thank you, Naruto…I don't know what I would do without you."
He smiled back at her and closed his eyes, feeling a wave of fatigue come over him after their session together. But Naruto was not planning to sleep.
He had a prior commitment. One that he wasn't going to wait any longer for. And it was not going to be pleasant.
For his third trip to his mindscape, Naruto had prepared himself for anything the demon fox was going to throw at him.
To his surprise, the sewer hadn't changed one bit from the last time he had come here. The blood red water still came up to his ankles, and it still had the distinct smell of death and misery about it. Underneath his feet he could still hear the cracking of something he didn't want to recognise.
"I guess some things never change" he mumbled while looking around the area.
Seeing that he wasn't going to get anything done by standing around contemplating his frustrations, Naruto began to walk down the main sewer corridor. He had no idea how long it would take to find his quarry, but he had the time to do so since anything that happened within his mindscape took virtually no time on the outside. As much as he wanted to spend his time with his beautiful dark haired girlfriend, Naruto felt compelled to ensure that nothing would happen to her like that again.
He knew what he had to do, and nothing was going to stop him.
After a few minutes of walking he came to the ruined remains of the large gate he had encountered the last time. The seal paper that had been broken upon the Kyuubi's initial 'death' still lay in the red water beneath, which this time Naruto picked up and examined carefully. He still had no clue what it meant or what it did, as the scroll containing his family's seal knowledge had been given to Neji before they had been separated by the white armoured warrior, but given the information his father had left him he figured it was important.
I might need this, even if it is ruined. It doesn't hurt to be holding another card.
Leaning towards caution, Naruto placed the large piece of paper in his jacket and stepped through the massive hole in the bars, hoping he wouldn't have to climb a gigantic staircase like last time.
Naruto trudged through the sewer, occupying his mind by wondering if there was a specific reason his mindscape smelt like the awful ramen that he had once tasted in Suna.
oOoOoOo
Okay…this is just cruel…
Naruto groaned as he climbed the twentieth set of stairs, causing him to also wonder how he felt pain in a non-existent space within his head.
If I get the time…I'm doing some redecorating. Some wallpaper…less blood and despair…
As soon as the thought came to his head Naruto turned around on the staircase to find himself standing in front of a set of blood red silk blinds. He frowned and turned around again, rolling his eyes when he saw that the staircase that he had just spent forever climbing had seemingly disappeared.
I hate this place so much…seriously, my hatred is unending…
He let out a short sigh and pushed through the silk blinds, recognising the plush bedroom that the Kyuubi had created for itself before. He noticed that it had gotten significantly larger since his last visit, but it was still covered in 'exotic' jewels and tapestries that depicted a massive demon fox destroying one civilization after another.
How big can one's ego…No, actually considering the source material, I can't say I'm surprised.
The large bed from his previous visit had been pushed back to the far side of the room, as Naruto looked around for the reason he had entered his mindscape in the first place. He could see dozens of shadowy figures cowering behind silk curtains, but Naruto paid them no heed.
"Come out! I know you are in here somewhere!"
He tried to spread out his chakra to sense the demon's presence, but after a few seconds he knew it was a waste of time as he saw a female figure hidden behind a section of wall. Naruto didn't have to look particularly hard to see that the figure behind the blinds was naked, though in quick order he could see that she was pulling a long dress over her arms and tying it at her waist.
He rolled his eyes again and crossed his arms, tapping his foot onto the cushioned floor impatiently.
After half a minute the figure walked out of the barrier and into his view, causing Naruto to almost take a double-take in response to seeing the woman standing at the other side of the room.
She was tall, taller than Naruto ever expected to be, with a flourishing blood red silk kimono that hugged her more than considerable figure tightly. Her hair almost ran to her knees with a flame pattern running up its long strands.
Her black and red eyes stared at him as she licked her flush red lips.
"Captor…you have returned to my humble abode." It was the same voice as the little girl from before Hinata got sick, though it seemed far more appropriate coming from the more adult persona and body shape.
Naruto frowned and uncrossed his arms. "You appear to have aged considerably since we last spoke."
"I no longer needed to maintain that form. This one…has its benefits."
Why is the Kyuubi like this? How does a demonic fox become…wait, I'm angry at this thing.
He took a deep breath and glared down at her. "I have come here for a reason, Kyuubi. You cannot seduce me, so I wouldn't bother."
The Kyuubi smiled widely, showing a full set of razor sharp teeth, "This body isn't for you, Uzumaki Naruto. If I am to be trapped in this prison for the rest of your life, I may as well take some pleasure in my transparent punishment."
Naruto slowly closed a fist and glared at her angrily. In an instant he teleported directly in front of her and gave her the hardest punch to her face he had ever thrown. It was as if all of his anger and frustration he had accumulated over the days when Hinata lay dying in the town was released in that single blow.
The Kyuubi fell to the ground and spat blood onto the ground beneath her, swearing loudly as she did so.
Naruto took a step back and unclenched his blood-covered hand, "Get up. I know that wasn't enough to put you down."
Beneath his feet the Kyuubi stared at him hatefully and picked herself up from the ground, wiping her mouth as the teeth he had broken with his fist grew back to their full length. "No…it was not."
She straightened out her dress, making sure that she was still adequately displaying skin, though to what purpose Naruto could not figure out. "Is this why you have come here? To torture your prisoner?"
"I'm here to avenge Hinata's illness! You deserve far worse than what you will EVER receive from me!" Naruto wasn't one to yell in such a fashion, but seeing the evil smile on the demon's fake face was enough to send him into an almost blind fury.
I can still see her face as she lay on that bed dying…this thing has to pay.
The Kyuubi eyed him warily, flicking her wrists so that she could cross her pale arms. "A beating? It's a little crude, don't you think?"
Naruto gritted his teeth angrily and clenched his fists again. There was nothing it could say to him to calm him down, not until that image of Hinata was gone from his mind. He reached out and grabbed her on the shoulder.
The Kyuubi put up no resistance as he charged as much physical energy as he could, driving his fist straight into her face again, causing her to spiral backwards and slam into an invisible wall just before she would have struck the thin walls behind her.
Naruto grinned slowly as he saw the Kyuubi struggle to pick itself up, flailing almost helplessly while spitting out large globs of blood as the large cuts on its face quickly healed back into its regular form. He knew that he couldn't kill the demon fox; he doubted he could even damage it for long periods. But from its reactions, he knew he could cause it pain and discomfort, even for a short time.
And that was fine by him.
He teleported directly in front of her and reached down to grab at the scruff of her kimono, ignoring the exposed skin from her chest while pulling back another fist. "You aren't even going to fight back?"
The Kyuubi didn't grimace in front of his aggression, but Naruto didn't care about its reactions, only that it suffer for it what it had done.
He brought down his fist again, but felt resistance as looked down and saw his fist blocked by a hand extended away from the fallen Kyuubi. Naruto turned his head angrily to see what had stopped his blow, but his expression immediately shifted when he saw the person who had blocked his punch.
The figure pushed Naruto's hand back and stood between him and the Kyuubi, staring down at the young shinobi through a set of familiar light blue eyes.
"That is enough, Naruto" said the figure, holding a grim expression as he looked down at his son's surprised face. "There is no point in striking the Kyuubi."
"D…dad? What are…you doing here?" Naruto immediately relaxed most of his body, though a part of him considered the possibility that it was a trick the Kyuubi was playing on him.
Minato turned around to make sure the Kyuubi had picked itself up from the ground, covering itself up as if it had modesty and retreating backwards slightly from the two blonde shinobi. He looked back at his son with a slowly growing smile. "It is good to see you again, son. You've grown so much since we last spoke."
Naruto couldn't believe his eyes as he looked up and down at his father, "Why are you protecting the Kyuubi? Wait…better question…how are you here?"
Minato crossed his arms and frowned, "I am unsure. Clearly some of my chakra resided within you, and that's why I'm here."
"What about mum?" asked Naruto hopefully. Since his encounter with his parents, Naruto had missed them terribly, and any chance to spend more time with them was something he wasn't going to let slip through his fingers.
His father shook his head, "I'm sorry. But I don't have much time, Naruto, so I must be quick."
"Why did you stop me? Why did you help the Kyuubi?"
Behind the Fourth Hokage, the Kyuubi let out a huff and flicked her hair so that it partially fell on her front. "I did not ask, nor did I need, your assistance."
Minato turned his head to face the Kyuubi, "It was not for your benefit. I will not let my son become a monster like you."
"Give it time" muttered the Kyuubi, walked to her bed and sitting with her legs crossed.
Naruto watched the interaction with confusion, taking a step forward so that he was closer to his father. "I don't…can someone tell me what is going on?"
His father nodded with a smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You need to calm down, Naruto. Things here are not as you would expect."
Naruto frowned and indicated to the Kyuubi sitting behind his father, who was filing her long nails casually. "That…thing…nearly killed the most precious person to me. I have every right to hurt it for what it did!"
Minato shook his head slowly, "Are you so naïve?"
"Naïve? What are you talking about?"
"Are you calm? Can you talk like a civilised person?"
The younger shinobi glared at the Kyuubi for a few seconds before closing his eyes and letting out a slow breath and looking back at his father. "I'm okay. Really. Now can you tell me why I shouldn't be attacking the Kyuubi, who so thoroughly deserves it?"
His father nodded with a smile, indicting for Naruto to take a seat at a table that appeared beside them, while the Kyuubi merely scoffed and waved her hands, causing a set of red blinds to cover her area as another shadow joined her on the bed.
Minato glared at the blinds before turning to Naruto, shifting their chairs around so that they wouldn't have to look at the Kyuubi going about its 'business'.
For a few seconds neither of them said anything, until Minato's smile widened and he tapped his son on the arm affectionately. "It is good to see you, Naruto. I wish it were under better circumstances."
"Yeah, it's good to see you too, Dad. How much time do you have?"
"Enough. Why don't you tell me what happened?" Minato was exactly how he remembered him, though it was strange seeing him without his mother to influence his father's actions.
It didn't take Naruto long to give his father the abridged version of what had happened since they had last spoke, though he concentrated on the things he had done with Hinata.
Minato smiled as he watched his son's face light up at every mention of the Hyuuga heiress, reminding him of his own affection towards Kushina during their childhood.
"It sounds like you've had some interesting adventures" commented Minato as Naruto finished his tale. "It is good that Hinata is well too."
"No thanks to that…thing...over there. You understand why I'm here, right?"
"Tell me something, Naruto. You cured her disease and your own by the sounds of it, how?"
"By taking the sword that had that bloodstone in it, I told you that." He was fairly sure he had mentioned that in his story, and wondered how much his father had actually been listening.
"Hmm…" Minato placed his hands together and stared at his son's eyes intently. "And you honestly believe that is the reason she was cured?"
"Of course, why wouldn't…wait…what are you suggesting?"
The Fourth Hokage said nothing, watching as his son slowly tried to work it out for himself. To his credit, it didn't take Naruto long to work out what his father meant. His eyes widened as he leaned back into his chair, "You are saying that the bloodstone was not the thing that cured Hinata? Then what did?"
His blonde father indicated slightly with his head to the blinds away from them, at the now solitary shadow that seemed to be sitting patiently and listening to their conversation.
Naruto shook his head; he couldn't believe that was the case. "Surely you are making a joke."
Minato smiled slowly, "Your mother was the prankster, Naruto. Not I."
"But…why? It was the one that gave us the illness in the first place!"
His father stood up from the table and again indicated to the Kyuubi's shadow. "Perhaps you should ask it. Not everything is so black and white, son. In fact, almost everything is more grey than us shinobi would like."
Naruto slowly stood up from the table and softened the frown he had adopted since entering his mindscape. "I…I can't think of a reason why it would do such a thing."
Minato looked down at his hands, noticing they were fading in a similar manner to the last time he had seen his son. He looked up at Naruto with a warm smile, "My time is up. Hand me that seal you picked up earlier."
Giving his father the large paper seal, Naruto couldn't quite shake the feeling that his father had only appeared to give him some life lesson, one that he hadn't quite understood.
Beside him, Minato tapped the seal twice before giving it back to Naruto carefully, "The seal has been remade. Whether you apply it or not…is your choice. But I must warn…"
His voice faded away as Naruto watched him disappear from the room completely, left holding the large seal that had been completely restored. He looked down at it with a grim expression.
He could have just applied it himself. I guess I'm being asked to make a choice.
Looking over at the blinds, Naruto pocketed the seal within his jacket as they parted and the Kyuubi walked out in her kimono again, an odd aroma of sweat that smelled rather sweet to his nose.
Tough choice…
"Has the Hokage gone?" she asked, still licking her lips oddly on each syllable.
Taking another deep breath to prevent himself from reaching out and throttling her, Naruto stared down the Kyuubi's black and red eyes. "He has. He told me that you had something to do with Hinata getting better, which I find hard to believe."
The Kyuubi scoffed and flicked her hair dramatically, "Why should I care whether the Hyuuga girl lives or dies? It doesn't affect my existence."
It was only for a second, but Naruto could have sworn he had seen a slight softening in the demon's eyes. There was something here that he wasn't sure of, and he wasn't going to leave until he found out what it was.
"You're lying. Hinata's health directly affects what happens in here." Naruto kept his voice level, covering the fact that he was still working things out.
"You're delusional, boy. What does one mortal's life matter to a thing like me?"
I was right. Something is definitely going on here, as Father indicated.
Naruto grinned triumphantly, feeling like a few of the pieces were coming into place. It was rare for him to make such a bold conclusion, but since it involved him it made more sense.
"The longer Hinata lives, and influences me, the less I need to draw on your power. In fact, since becoming close to her, I've never had to utilise your power at all. That's probably why you aged so quickly and why this place has gotten so much bigger. You are regaining your strength."
Crossing her arms with a frown, the Kyuubi stared him down intently. "Say you are correct. I do have an invested interest in making my living situation more…tolerable. That doesn't…"
"You were responsible for healing the two of us" interrupted Naruto, finally understanding what his father had been alluding to.
He could see the annoyance on the demon's face, which only confirmed to him that he was correct. Still unsure as to why the Kyuubi would have cured an illness it had given them in the first place, he continued his hypothesis. "My guess is that you figured I might hurt myself upon seeing her die, which would damage your recovery here."
The Kyuubi narrowed her eyes before scoffing and turned around, flicking her hands to draw back the blinds before sitting back down on the bed. "It doesn't matter what you think. What's done is done."
There was something about the Kyuubi's manner that gave Naruto pause. He thought a creature as powerful as the Kyuubi would've been able to hide its emotions completely, and in its fox form that was the case, but in a human form it was a whole different story. It occurred to him that the Kyuubi had only taken a female form to toy with him, but it only served to cause Naruto to become suspect on the demon's reactions.
"That's not it at all…" he said quietly.
He looked around the room, noticing that the shadows around the room had disappeared completely. They weren't real people, that he knew. But there was a look in the Kyuubi's eyes that he recognised as clearly as a bowl of ramen in front of him. It was something he used to see in the mirror.
He took a cautious step towards the seated Kyuubi, "I think I understand…a bit."
"You understand what, boy?" asked the demon angrily. This had been the longest conversation it had had with the blonde shinobi that didn't involve teasing, and for some reason that annoyed it.
Naruto didn't want to sit on the bed, particularly since he could still smell what the Kyuubi had been doing on it, so he resolved to simply stand in front of the tall woman.
"You are lonely. It never occurred to me before…but even something like you must get lonely at times."
The Kyuubi scoffed again, but the expression on her face told him he was on the right track.
"Did you heal Hinata because of sympathy? Or for some other reason?" asked Naruto.
The flame haired woman turned her gaze to him, but there was no malice in the expression at all, something new to both of them. "I'm old…boy. Very old. Ever since that Sage locked me up in the first place, I haven't met any of my brothers and sisters. There are certain aspects of human existence I can…sympathise with."
"What do you mean?" This was a whole other side to the Kyuubi, one Naruto had never even considered before today.
"Your relationship with the Hyuuga girl…is hardly normal. I gave you that illness because I was angry at you. I'm still angry with you, as a matter of a fact. But seeing what you did in a vain attempt to save her…I can, at the very least, appreciate the effort."
Naruto felt all the anger he had brought into the room vanish upon seeing how oddly human the Kyuubi was, though a part of him still wondered whether it was messing with him or not.
"Well…thank you…I guess. Never thought I'd be saying that to you."
The Kyuubi seemed to nod her understanding, though she still stood up slowly from the bed and took a step towards him, seemingly growing another few inches so that she was towering over him easily. Looking down on the blonde shinobi, a teeth-filled smirk came across her face. "You should know that I will now be focusing my efforts on you, yes? You may have paid for your attempt at killing me, but I get bored easily in here, and may have to do some more redecorating."
Naruto felt the seal in his jacket, making a quick decision that would drastically affect the rest of his life. He looked up at the Kyuubi and smirked back. "You'll find me a gracious host. Leave everyone else out of it, and I won't reapply the seal completely. But if you try anything, then I swear I will lock you up in here so tightly that you won't be able to move a tiny finger, let alone have you little…parties with those other things."
Seeing the resolve in his eyes, the Kyuubi took a slight step back and barked out a short laugh. "How interesting! You are a most fascinating host, boy. So be it."
Naruto indicated to the Kyuubi with a cautionary finger, "That better be a yes, demon. I am not as even-tempered as my father, and when it involves those around me I can become quite vengeful."
"So I've seen." The Kyuubi sat back down on her bed and indicated to the doorway he had come through. "Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out."
Naruto rolled his eyes and turned around, placing his hands in his pockets. "You aren't half-bad, Kyuubi. You might be a good person after all."
The flame haired woman looked at his back with a tired expression, "Do I need to burn down a civilisation to prove my point?"
Leaving their confrontation on that note, Naruto walked out of the room; trying to remember how to leave his mindscape in the same manner he had entered it.
Naruto jerked himself awake and clutched at his head with a tired expression on his face. It was never an easy transition going from reality to his mindscape, and he still wasn't quite sure how he did it, but the revelation of how Hinata had been cured was enough to cause him to wonder what else had been going on without his knowledge.
Beside him in the bed, Hinata stirred and ran a caring hand around his shoulder, sitting up beside him. "Are you okay, Naruto? You woke up rather suddenly."
He turned to her with a grim expression, his face immediately softening upon seeing her warm expression. There was something about her that calmed him down instantly, just one more thing he found amazing about her.
It was because of that fact that he felt there was no sense in hiding anything more from her.
"I have to tell you a few things, Hinata."
The Hyuuga shinobi nodded quietly and pulled him back down so she could lean on his chest. Naruto smiled sadly and began to tell her about the Kyuubi's return.
oOoOoOo
Not leaving any details out of his story, Naruto finished telling his lover about the things that had been going on without her knowledge, looking back at her with a hopeful expression. It wasn't lightly that he told her about his responsibility in her getting sick, but he trusted that she wouldn't hold it against him for too long.
It wasn't until he heard the soft purring that she usually made for him to realise that she had fallen asleep on his chest.
His face broke out into a smile. I wonder how much she actually heard.
Naruto didn't want to break her out of her rest, so he nuzzled back down into the pillow behind him and reminded himself of how lucky he truly was.
For her to trust me like this…I should see the general when I have the time. There's something I should pick up first…
He let out a sigh and stroked Hinata's hair absentmindedly. It was going to be difficult to get back to sleep, particularly since he didn't think the Kyuubi would waste any time in messing with him now that they had an accord.
Naruto was never given the opportunity to rest again as a massive tremor shot through the building they were staying in, causing both of them to spring up instantly, producing weapons that neither of them had gone to bed with.
"What do you think?" he asked cautiously, holding his kunai tightly.
Hinata activated her Byakugan, ignoring the immense fatigue she felt as she scanned the area. "It seems to be affecting the whole village. There is a large hole in one of the walls, like a blast has passed straight through."
"Can you see what did it?"
She shook her head, finding it difficult to concentrate on her doujutsu for an odd reason. "There is a…I'm not sure what it is. It's an area where I can't see anything."
Naruto swore under his breath and placed his kunai on the bed behind them. "We should get out there. If someone is attacking the city, we have to defend these people."
Beside him Hinata couldn't help but smile. She reached over and kissed him on the cheek. "That's why I love you. Always rushing to help others, regardless of the danger."
He grinned, and looked down at her. "Thanks. I think we should put some clothes on first."
A blush ran deep on Hinata's face, though it wasn't at her own nakedness, but rather at the pose the two of them were standing in that looked rather ridiculous considering their situation. Hinata quickly made her way to closet and began to clothe herself, while Naruto simply watched with amusement.
This…I could get used to. Particularly…
"Naruto, you should get ready too."
"Ah, good point. I would look pretty silly on the battlefield like this."
Hinata walked past him while shouldering on her jacket, kissing him again on the cheek. "I don't know, I think it would be a nice thing to see."
Her confidence has just gone through the roof lately. It's amazing to watch.
The ground trembled beneath them again, twice the strength of the previous quake. Naruto rushed to put his own clothes on, wary of the similar sounding quakes from when the town was being bombarded by the enemy army.
oOoOoOo
Standing on the battlements, Naruto frowned as Hinata scanned the two holes in the wall. They were massive, larger than a boulder could have produced, though Naruto couldn't think of a machine that could have done something like that.
"That area is still there, Naruto. It's about two kilometres straight north from here."
Her boyfriend frowned as he tried to see where she was talking about. It was in the middle of the day, and yet there was something about the light that obscured the area she was talking about. "We should go look into it. If whatever is doing this is related to the army from before, then this could be big trouble."
"Are you okay to move, Naruto? You were pretty worn out."
Naruto gave her a grin and placed a foot on the edge of the battlements, "I'm 100%. What about you? You nearly died a few days ago. I can check this out on my own, if you want."
Hinata shook her head again, placing her own foot beside Naruto's. "I want to be by your side Naruto, as we fight. You know we fight better together."
"I just wanted to make sure" replied Naruto with a widened grin.
They continued to smile at each other, seemingly forgetting that they had to move out.
Another blast slammed into the wall, causing them to almost fall off the battlements. Naruto frowned and leapt off the battlements as the wall began to collapse underneath them, not checking but he was sure that Hinata was following in his steps.
As they landed on the ground in front of the wall, they sped towards the suspicious area that they figured the attacks were coming from. Considering the scope of the attacks, both of them were on edge, but the fact that they were going to be fighting together made them happier than the fear of an unknown enemy.
oOoOoOo
It didn't take the two of them long to find out what had been attacking the town's walls, though neither of them had expected to see what was in front of them.
Standing a short distance away was a figure covered in white armour with light blue sheets around his shoulders, a pair of hate-filled burnished gold eyes staring at them as they ran towards him.
"Naruto, isn't that?"
"Yeah. Prepare yourself."
The two of them skidded to a halt a practical distance away from the warrior, their hands held up in taijutsu stances as he made the large bow in his hands vanish into thin air and crossed his arms upon seeing them.
"There was meant to be an army here, and that castle was meant to be destroyed. Instead I find myself without any of the soldiers training here, and two shinobi children standing before me. How is it this has occurred?"
Naruto signalled silently to Hinata, He may not recognise us.
She nodded and signalled back, This is an opportunity. Find out how to defeat these people.
I agree.
A kunai slid out of Naruto's sleeve and struck the ground behind his leg without a sound, as he took a step forward to confront the warrior. "Leave these people in peace. They have done nothing to deserve such an attack."
"And what do you know of war, boy?" The warrior snarled as he looked over the two of them. "Poor shinobi, stuck in the wrong end of the world. Shall I show you the true strength of the Quiraji?"
The two shinobi glanced at each other for a second before turning back to him, neither of them had heard that name before, but both figured if it was surrounding this warrior then it couldn't be good.
Hinata grimaced as she tried to look at the warrior through her Byakugan, a sharp pain shooting through her head as if the doujutsu was resisting her efforts to maintain it. "Naruto…I think he's the cause of the area that I can't see."
"Yeah, that makes sense. I have a theory, are you ready?"
Hinata smiled with admiration at his taking the initiative and cancelled her Byakugan, placing her hands together in a handseal. She'd been with him long enough to work out part of his plan without him having to tell her what it is.
In turn, Naruto placed his hands together in a seal he hadn't had to use in a while, but if he wanted a larger concentration of chakra it required the handseal to be activated.
In front of them the warrior placed up both his hands aimed at the two of them, "I don't think so, shinobi."
He manipulated his fingers slightly and just as a month ago the two of them found themselves trapped in separate large purple domes, causing both of them to stop their techniques and look around at their prisons.
Hinata glanced at Naruto fearfully, but upon seeing his serious expression she calmed herself down and stared back at the warrior.
"Goodbye, shinobi. A fall from this height, you won't survive."
He closed his hands and the two prisons disappeared into thin air. He shrugged and took a step towards the castle walls, cracking his neck as he went to summon up his ranged weapon once again.
To his surprise he saw a crack of lightning as the two shinobi he had sent away appeared in front of him, staring at him triumphantly. His eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists angrily. "How did you escape? What kind of trickery have you shinobi committed?"
Naruto grinned and indicated to Hinata. "You shouldn't underestimate us. If people like you appear before us, we get stronger in response."
The white-eyed girl beside him nodded with a smile, "And you can't defeat us when we work together."
Staring at them through his burnished eyes, the white-armoured warrior took a long breath before reaching up and removing the sheets from beneath his shoulder plates. "Fascinating. Though mere children…you may provide some challenge after all. I'll even let you have the first punch. If you can't hit me, then you don't deserve the title of warriors."
Naruto clutched his fists up in defiance, "I'll pummel you into the ground!"
"Be careful, Naruto. There is something wrong here" warned Hinata.
He winked at her and rushed at the warrior, a fist raised to strike him. Just as he got close to the warrior, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
The warrior frowned as he watched the smoke dissipate. Once it cleared he saw that the orange-clad shinobi hadn't moved from his position.
"Clever, shinobi. You are more cautious than I would have expected."
The grin on Naruto's face widened, "You'll find us full of surprises."
He turned to Hinata and adopted a more serious expression, whispering quietly to her. "Did you see?"
She nodded slowly, "I think so. But I can't be sure…"
"Then you keep an eye on it, and I'll test it out."
"Are you sure? He looks dangerous…"
Naruto gave her a reassuring look and began running towards the warrior, dozens of clones appearing beside him as they charged at him.
The warrior frowned and placed a cautionary hand on the sword hilt at his belt. The clones of Naruto charged at him rapidly, but as before they vanished just before they were able to reach his position.
"What kind of strategy is this? You waste your energy for no purpose."
The Naruto clones continued to dissipate around him, while Hinata observed carefully from a distance. He was a patient warrior, but this was no kind of battle he had encountered before. Even through the smoke he could see one of the orange-clad clones was seemingly directing the other clones, avoiding coming within range.
Seeing that there was no threat to him from the chakra-clones, the white armoured warrior placed up his hands as a bow of spiritual energy appeared in his hands. An arrow quickly shot through the air, striking the warrior's target straight in his chest.
A grin came across his face as he saw the remaining clone dissipate quickly, the technique having been cancelled. "Only a shinobi…"
All of the smoke on the battlefield disappeared, and to his frustration he saw that the orange-clad shinobi was non-the-wiser, standing beside the female. "These shinobi are getting on my nerves…"
oOoOoOo
"Have you got it?"
Hinata nodded; even without her Byakugan she had better sight than most shinobi. "It's a radius of ten point four metres wide, all around him. It's as if anything in that area doesn't work, like a chakra nulling field or something."
"I think I get it. If chakra doesn't work…"
"Then we go with something else" finished Hinata. She took a short breath before nodding to him and running towards the warrior, Naruto right by her side.
The Quiraji warrior frowned and prepared his bow again, aiming down the weapon's sight at the blonde shinobi. He didn't see either of them as a threat, but the boy was more a concern than the dark haired girl.
He loosed an arrow at Naruto, easily able to track his weaving movements. The energy sped through the air, but just as it went to strike him in the face the shinobi disappeared, reappearing a few metres to the side of the strike while continuing to run at him rapidly.
Looking down the battlefield, he saw the two of them closing the distance quickly. Placing his hands up the warrior clenched his armoured gloves and waited to see how they planned to attack him.
As Hinata moved around the side, Naruto dove straight at the warrior, his fists raised. As his punch went to collide with the warrior's head he blocked the strike easily, though Naruto was already swinging himself up to strike straight into the warrior's chest.
Since he had entered the ten metre bubble Naruto could feel a debilitating feeling in his stomach, but it wasn't enough to stop him attacking the enemy warrior. His blow struck at the warrior's armour and bounced off easily, though it occupied the warrior's attention enough for their plan.
Behind the warrior, Hinata drove a hand into the warrior's side. It was a typical Jyuuken strike, but instead of using chakra Hinata had the idea of using her wind spiritual energy instead.
The warrior barely noticed the strike, but in a rapid spin he threw off Naruto's grip and struck at the girl, who was already moving out his range. He landed easily and glared as the two of them reconnected a short distance away.
"Foolish notions, shinobi. You cannot hope to defeat Shouri, the First."
Naruto rolled his eyes and looked over at Hinata. "Did it work?"
"My strike hit, but wasn't strong enough to penetrate his defence." Hinata looked down at her hands, "I'm sorry, Naruto. You could have…"
"Everything is fine, Hinata. Let's try it again, but this time I'll strike at him." Naruto clutched his fists, and looked over at the warrior, seeing him pull out his sword slowly. There was something about it that reminded him of the general's sword from before, though obviously without the bloodstone.
"Hinata, I want you to hang back and support me with Suiton techniques."
"What? Why?!"
Naruto smiled at her and patted her reassuringly on the arm, "Trust me, Hinata. I have a plan."
She looked dubious, but followed his lead as he stared down at Shouri. "Okay, I've got your back, Naruto. Let's go."
Shouri readied his sword, seeing that they had some kind of plan of attack he wondered how they were able to survive near him, most shinobi fell to pieces when they came into range.
"These shinobi are different…somehow…" he muttered to himself.
Naruto went to run towards the warrior, but upon seeing his opponent's readied stance he thought of a different plan of attack. Signalling quickly to Hinata, he prepared himself for one of his newer techniques.
A large cascade of water shot from around Hinata towards the white armoured warrior, falling to the ground just at the ten metre zone around Shouri. Despite the chakra-filled attack failing to do anything, Hinata kept up the attack, trying her best to cover the sphere around him completely with water.
Inside his null zone, Shouri watched as the water continued to shoot towards him and fall to the ground as the chakra disappeared in the attack and caused it to fall to the ground. "What is this?"
He sheathed his sword, frowning as rolled his eyes, feeling bored out of his mind. As a general, Shouri rarely got his hands dirty in a soldier's fight, and this barely registered as a distraction.
Looking down he saw the blonde shinobi standing in front of him, with one hand placed on his chestplate with the other pulled back to strike him.
"How did you…"
Naruto grinned and summoned up a large portion of his strength, driving his fist straight into the warrior's chest.
"KATTOKEN!"
His wind spiritual energy spun around his fist in a drilling motion, splitting apart Shouri's armour as his fist pushed straight through his chest while his other hand held him tightly so that he couldn't avoid the blow.
Shouri roared out in pain and struggled under Naruto's grip, slamming his fists into the blonde shinobi's face over and over again. Naruto grimaced in response, but continued his strike until he couldn't hold on anymore, sending the warrior flying backwards as he fell to the ground in pain.
The water stopped firing towards him and fell away, Naruto sensing his lover running towards him as he felt at his face painfully. The punches to his face weren't particularly strong, but since they were delivered by armoured gloves he had suffered more damage than he would have expected.
"Naruto! Are you okay?" Hinata ran up beside him and placed her hands caringly on his face, healing the bruises while doting on the boy she had come to love.
Across the makeshift battlefield, Shouri groaned as he picked himself up from the ground, holding his chest painfully. Bringing up his hand to his face, his eyes widened when he saw blood coming from his hand.
"How the…that wasn't chakra…that was spiritual energy! How did these shinobi learn our techniques!"
Several pieces of his white armour fell to the ground as he drew his sword angrily. "That does it. These shinobi will pay for their transgressions!"
oOoOoOo
Hinata took her hands off his face and kissed him tenderly on his forehead. "Are you better, Naruto?"
The blonde shinobi smiled warmly and stood up from the ground, "All better. Thanks, Hinata, but I don't think this is over."
"Did your attack work?"
"I think so…but I doubt he's finished by something like that." Naruto grimaced again, but ignored the pain shooting through his arms. Even when he protected his arms with physical energy, the Kattoken still hurt a hell of a lot, and probably damaged him more than he realised.
A shiver ran up his spine, and on instinct he pushed Hinata out of the way and placed up his arms defensively, running his Kattoken through them as a sword came crashing down onto his guard.
Shouri snarled as he attempted to cut off Naruto's arms, but found his defensive technique too strong to break through with just one swing. "Why didn't you teleport away, boy? I know you have that ability."
Naruto grinned and struggled as the warrior slammed his sword again and again into his guard. "I didn't need to. With attacks this weak, why should I bother?"
Never mind that I still have two more seconds before I can use it again.
Naruto wanted to attack back, but it was impossible to retaliate while defending himself from his attacks. Luckily he didn't have to as Hinata ran up beside the warrior and slammed a kunai into his side, using a blast of wind to increase her momentum to pierce through his armour.
The Quiraji leader grimaced in pain and stopped his attacks on Naruto, turning around quickly and driving the hilt of his sword straight into Hinata's chest, sending her flying backwards.
"Hinata!" Naruto vanished and appeared behind her, catching her and skidding along the ground. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.
Hinata grimaced, but stood up on her own, clutching her side. "I'll be fine. He's still coming."
"Do we keep fighting or retreat?" asked Naruto, concerned over her getting injured so soon after being healed from her illness.
She shook her head, "No. If we don't finish him off, then he might keep attacking the town."
Naruto nodded his agreement and pulled out his own kunai. "You're right. Let's go kick his ass."
The two shinobi panted heavily as their arms hung by their sides painfully. Across from them the white armoured warrior grimaced as he clutched at his shoulder, his armour in pieces around him.
"This is…absurd! No shinobi has this kind of power!"
Despite having almost no strength left, Naruto still grinned and pointed a fist at his enemy. "We aren't just any shinobi! I am Uzumaki Naruto, and this beautiful girl is Hyuuga Hinata. Remember our names!"
Beside him Hinata tried to stop herself from blushing, despite feeling more tired than she had before. It was embarrassing for him to call her beautiful like that, but she couldn't help but feel happy despite their situation.
Shouri frowned and let one of his hands hang uselessly at his side. "Clearly I have underestimated how strong you Konoha shinobi truly are. I should have killed you when I had the chance."
"Yeah, you should have. It's too late now."
A large crack of darkness appeared in the air behind Shouri, as the white armoured warrior reached down and picked up his broken sword, placing it into the sheath on his belt.
"For now, you can have your victory, shinobi. Do not think this changes anything. The Quiraji remember what happened in this land, and we will not forgive you."
Before either of them could say anything in return he disappeared within the crack, which promptly closed behind him. The two of them glanced at each other for a few seconds before smiling and collapsing on the ground beside each other.
"That was…a tough battle" puffed Naruto, feeling every ache in his body a thousand times over.
Hinata let out a short laugh, then regretted it as she held her side painfully, "Yeah. I was a little worried when you…"
"Yeah, it was a bit touch and go for a while there. How are your injuries?"
"I don't think either of us will be able to move for a while, but we should be okay." Hinata didn't sound concerned, though at a great struggle they moved so that they were able to hold hands while they lay on the ground and recovered from their injuries.
After a few minutes Naruto turned his head so that he was able to look at Hinata's face. He smiled as he tugged at her hand lightly. "Hey Hinata, there's something I've wanted to ask you for a while now."
"What is it?" asked Hinata quietly.
Alright, Naruto. Sink or swim.
"We've…been through a lot together. I used to wonder how I didn't notice you before the Chuunin Exams in Suna, but I know it's because I wasn't ready to be with someone as stunning as you. I…didn't have anyone growing up. At best I had Iruka-sensei, but even then he was just a friend. But when I'm with you…all that pain, all that loneliness…it's as if it never happened in the first place. I feel stronger when I'm with you, I feel calmer…hell I just feel better. Someone like me doesn't deserve someone like you."
"Ano…thank you, Naruto. But I don't understand what you wanted to ask."
He smiled knowingly, "I'm getting to that. I just wanted to compliment you a little bit more first."
Hinata responded with her own smile, feeling too tired to even blush properly. "Don't let me stop you then. But if I faint, you need to wake me up."
"I promise. As I was saying. I never expected to meet someone like you, not even in my vain attempts to get Sakura's attention. It took me a while, but I realised the difference between the two of you is gigantic. You are the nicest…kindest…best person I've ever met. If you can love someone like me…then I must have done something right."
"What are you trying to say, Naruto?"
He laughed painfully, tightening his hold on her hand. "Well, I can't get on a knee, but imagine I'm doing that."
Hinata gasped as she realised what was happening, but let him continue without interruption.
Oh my god…oh my god…
"So yeah, imagine that kind of pose. I…um…know this might be a bit sudden and all. It's something that I wanted to ask for a while, but I could never find the right words. It's strange actually, this is the kind of thing I'm normally terrible at, but…oh now I'm rambling."
"It's okay Naruto, I think I understand…"
"Yeah, but I want to ask anyway. I know we are only 16…and are pretty young by this world's standards…but considering what we just went through, and our lives…I don't want to wait anymore. I love you, Hinata, and that's never going to change, no matter what happens. I know we spend all our time together, but…I know this might sound selfish…but I want more."
"Naruto?"
Looking deep into her white eyes, Naruto tried to look as adult as possible, but he couldn't keep the grin from his face.
"Hyuuga Hinata…will you marry me?"
He could feel her grip on his hand tight instantly, as her white eyes widened as far as they could. A thousand thoughts ran through her head at once, and she internally cursed the fact that she couldn't move any more than her hand.
But all her thoughts were centralised on one point, and her answer was right in front of her.
"Naruto…you are the most wonderful man I know. I know why you sell yourself short…and that's because you aren't used to people pointing out how strong you actually are. Naruto, you are a very kind man, and considering what you did to save me…I can't think of anyone I would rather be with. I know it took a while for us to be together, but that first time we kissed…even though I think we were drunk…I knew right then. There was no-one else I wanted to be with."
"Hinata…"
Using more strength then she thought she had, Hinata shuffled herself forward, though only enough so that their foreheads touched.
"Uzumaki Naruto…I would love to marry you."
He brought up their hands and kissed her hand, it was the best they could do considering their immobility. He stared deep into her eyes and widened his smile.
"I…I don't know what to say now. I only practised the first bit."
Hinata shut her eyes and laughed softly. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
"Um…I don't have a ring or anything yet…but when we get back to the town I'll…sort out something."
Hinata simply nodded and loosened the grip on his hand, as her head fell onto the grass completely. "As long as we are together…I…don't…min…"
Naruto watched as Hinata fell asleep lying beside him, the fatigue finally overwhelming her. He pulled her hand towards his chest and closed his own eyes.
"I'm so happy you said yes, Hinata. I wasn't…concerned or anything…but you never…know…"
His own fatigue caught up with him and he in turn fell asleep, holding the hand of his fiancé.
Author's Note:
I will be writing the wedding, fear not. The fourth Bonus Chapter will be their wedding, as if I had just added it on to the end of this chapter. It'll be after Chapter 40.
Three more people to go. Next up is Kiba, then Kakashi, and finally Itachi. After their stories are finished, and a final NaruHina chapter, we move into the last third of the story, which is when some serious stuff goes down.
Please review and tell me what you think. I try to reply to each review, and believe me I read them all. Tell me what can be improved, what you liked, what you didn't, everything. I'm a writer so I'm always open to criticism.