First Mistake
"Was it really a mistake Hinata?" Hanabi questions her, arched brow and amused smile curling her features. Heat steadily begins to burn at her cheeks, looking up from the photo back to her unable to hide a tiny grin. "Well…no." But then her gaze falls back to the photo and her grin fades, this intimate photo of her and Naruto is now being used against her as blackmail. Post-War.
Chapter 1: The Photographs
"What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that's gone forever, impossible to reproduce." –Karl Lagerfeld
Hinata
'Okay, I'm alone.'
The reminder does nothing though to quell the tightness in her chest or the way her fingers shake turning this same envelop over and over in her hands. She bites down on her lip until she feels the metallic tang of blood hit her tongue, sighing.
Inside will be the same pictures, the same moments captured in time that were meant only for her and Naruto to see...
Morning light approaches from behind her, slipping in through the thin slits of her blinds prickling her back and arms with goosebumps. The sky is a soft orange-gray hue of the coming heat of the day, low steel grey clouds brewing on the horizon that storms may pass through later in the afternoon or evening. She swallows a knot threatening to wrap around her throat, daring to finally open the envelop once more.
The photos tumble out one by one like confetti, the first few showing herself, opal eyes wide and bright for the camera. Her cheeks are the same ruddy pink they feel now, violet hair swishing down covering her naked breasts.
The other sets are of Naruto, naked just as her, tan skin and fingers curling around her hips, tumbling them into white sheets, both their lips wide in frozen laughter captured by each snap of the camera.
It is the last pictures though that make her stomach fully clench. They are the ones she still can't really wrap her mind around of Hanabi, out and about at night with a guy encased in shadow.
There are no time stamps or unique identifiers in the bent corners that could maybe have given her a clue of where these were developed, this was the work of someone seasoned in the field of black mail and dirty work it seemed.
The tiny warning message in neat black cursive is at the bottom of the photos of her and Naruto, looking it over again for the umpteenth time.
'More to come! You wouldn't want these photos all over the news and media now, would you? If you want to keep this private then by the end of the year you should send the 1 million ryo to the address listed below.' She reads.
It is mid-June now, less than half the year is left...
The fact that they are dragging it out though must mean they don't have much to go off of besides these photos, she imagines; hopefully.
She can't be sure who this is or if it is a group of people and for what reason even. Is this more than just about the Ryo; what if she sends it and they post the photos anyways? Enjoyment of her and Naruto's embarrassment? Exposing their relationship early to the public?
Especially Hanabi, what has she done to become a part of this? Why is she a target as well?
And what will happen if she does nothing?
A knock frazzles her out of her thoughts, Father's voice floating from the door.
"Breakfast will be ready in 10 minutes." Hiashi repeats gently.
And carefully she gathers up each photo, stacking them back together neatly and quickly back into the envelop before burying it back down into her underwear drawer far out of sight for anyone's eyes.
She clicks open her door, meeting Father's small grin. He gets up early, probably the first to rise in the compound to greet her and Hanabi now since Neji's death, as if ensuring they too haven't disappeared, never to return home in the night like him...
"Okay, have you already gotten Hanabi?" Hinata asks.
Hiashi shakes his head, gesturing down the hall to her room. "I'm heading her way next. No rush, I'll meet you at the dining area shortly."
Hinata nods, slowly shutting back her door trying to quell the uneasiness swirling in her stomach.
The pictures seem to taunt her from their hiding space as she gets ready, adjusting off her nightgown and splashing water on her heated cheeks.
Mulling over it by herself isn't going to help things.
'I need to find Naruto, to see if he got these photos as well.' She decides.
Ichiraku's (Afternoon)
"Naruto? Oh, you just missed him! He ordered his usual Miso and beef ramen then headed for the Training grounds I believe." Teuchi relates, before his attention turns towards a group of businessmen coming in.
"Thanks, I'll take a look there." Hinata replies after him and he nods at her before giving the men a set of menus.
She should've known Naruto would've came here before the lunch rush took over, scent of broths, spices, and noodles encompassing the air.
'The training grounds, but I don't know which one he's at. It's possible he might not even be there by the time I get there.' Hinata considers, clicking her tongue weighing her options on what to do next.
"Hey Hinata, want to catch a quick bite with us?!" Ino waves at her through the commotion and Hinata blinks, cheeks starting to burn hoping she hasn't been calling out to her for too long.
Sakura motions for Ino to hush as she walks over, scooting over in the booth for her. "You look a bit spaced out, have you eaten anything today?"
She had a simple egg omelet with tea for breakfast, though they sit sourly now in her stomach from being too nervous about what she needed to get done today to eat anymore than that.
"I did eat earlier." Hinata murmurs while Ino waves Ayame over to order a medium bowl of tonkatsu ramen with dumplings for her.
Sakura leans her head against her palm, emerald orbs studying her curiously. "Were you looking for Naruto? He's been on the go lately so often that it takes luck to actually catch him. He's either trying and failing to get to those Hokage meetings he's supposed to do with Kakashi-sensei and Shikamaru, sleeping, training, or away on a mission."
'I can't tell them why I need to see him.' A lie settles up on her tongue, but both of them know her too well.
And that last thing she needs is more suspicious questions or conspiratorial looks, more prying...
"Yes, Father wanted to me to give him a personal thank you letter for attending Neji's private funeral with us." It's a half-truth, because Naruto was indeed there, but he already received said thank you note weeks ago.
The smile stiffens on Ino's face, nodding somberly. "The Flower shop has been busy for all the wrong reasons as of late. I don't think we'll have much white lilies or carnations in stock for a while. Dad used to help with most of the unpacking of the deliveries and stocking of the shelves..."
Sakura stares down into her bowl and Hinata internally chides herself for bringing up painful memories for them all.
"I'm going to open that new wing in the hospital soon with Lady Tsunade next week Pig, you should come help me! I could especially use your help with the more difficult psychiatric patients in the 12 and under group. Most of them refuse to speak or say little of who they were before the war." Sakura mentions after a moment, brightening the mood.
Ino straightens, taking a sip of her water. "I don't know Forehead, I'd feel bad leaving my Mom with all those orders...though they have started to ease down some now thankfully."
"She'll understand Ino, plus you may get to see Sai there! He's been making various silly drawings for the kids on the pediatric unit to cheer them up before they go into surgery or into the recovery unit!" Sakura emphasizes with a wink.
Hinata can't help the smile that crosses her face as well seeing Ino fluster questioning what difference his presence is going to make.
"Yeah, and what about you? Is it true the rumors I've heard that you plan to travel with Sasuke in the coming months?!" Ino questions her right back.
Pink floods Sakura's face matching her hair as she gives a light shrug as if this is her first time hearing such news. "Maybe. Right now he wants to travel alone for a bit to atone for his actions, but once he returns..." She trails off with a grin.
Hinata ducks her head into her bowl as Sakura and Ino's attention fix upon her next, purposely taking in a large slurp of noodles.
"And what about you Hinata? I know Naruto isn't as dense now as he was when we were younger. Has he properly asked you out yet?" Ino smirks with a raised brow.
Sakura snorts, swirling at the remnants of ice in her glass. "I don't know about that Ino. Naruto still has his moments of cluelessness."
'We've done much more than dates.' The thought rises up before she can help it, picturing the last time.
The soft groan that escaped his lips pressing into her, the snickering in her ear rolling them over sinking into her...
"These will be our own secret photos, a memory only you and I will have." Naruto laughs warmly into her cheek. A light moan escapes her lips as his fingers part at her legs, sighing as he tugs away at the last of their clothes.
The camera's shuttering echoes in the background, disappearing as Naruto presses as kiss into the curve of her neck.
"Ah, nothing as of yet!" She states, trying to keep her voice from being too high-pitched, too cheerful.
Ino's blue eyes darken with suspicion, though she says nothing else on it when she manages to hold her stare.
For now.
They switch back to discussing the psychiatric clinic thankfully when a middle aged couple comes up to their booth to thank them all for their service in the war, the relief pulsing through her pounding heart.
Naruto & Hinata (Training Grounds)
"Shoot, it's going to rain." Naruto grumbles, taking in the bundle of clouds hovering overhead. Thunder booms again in the distance, silencing the buzz of cicadas among the trees.
Kakashi-sensei told him to focus on knowing the ins and outs of how to stealthily attack the way he was taught in the Anbu, on top that Shikamaru needs him to review over those books pertaining to the latest business regulations of each shop within Konoha's marketplace district.
"Ugh, why do I need to learn all of this now?!" He ruffles up his hair with a sigh.
He needs a distraction, moving towards the river to get the stench of sweat and grass off of him.
"Like Hinata?" Kurama questions with a snicker at his pause.
"Actually yeah, like Hinata!" He replies aloud.
The last time he saw her after Neji's funeral was near Takigakure on a simple mission to find a C-ranked criminal who had been had selling illicit drugs around the villages trying to create a network.
"Ah, so you're here too Naruto?" Hinata breathes out.
They watch as the drugs dealer Riku gets carted off the police glaring at them both, neither speaking for a moment until he is fully out of view.
"Part of my preparations for becoming Hokage one day is visiting each village, seeing what each of their needs are in order to keep this peace going you know!" He chuckles, hating the tinge of nervousness in his voice.
Sunlight shimmers on her violet hair, gazing at him softly in a way that makes his heart drum in his ears.
She gestures then to the old-timey camera in his hands, Naruto following her gaze as if noticing it himself for the first time.
"Oh, this! It's an antique camera Pervy-Sage rarely ever used from his travels, well at least not for good reasons. I thought it would be nice to be bring it with me to take pictures of the people, of the sights. A way to remember areas that need more development and care." Naruto explains.
Hinata nods, blinking in surprise when he holds up the camera to her.
"Wait, why are you holding it up to me?!" She questions in a light squeak.
Naruto laughs, adjusting the camera's lens until Hinata is properly in focus.
"Why not you? I haven't actually taken any pictures with this thing yet, I'm finally learning how each of these buttons and knobs work." He answers back easily.
"And you want it to be me? Your first photo?" Hinata pursues.
Naruto's smile widens, snapping a picture just as Hinata lets a giggle escape. It's rare to catch Hinata not with her team or family like this, to see her laugh without worry highlighting her beauty.
It's exciting, freeing to be this silly, daring, and carefree when just months ago they were in the depths of war.
"Of course!" He beams, snapping another shot just as her attention turns to the view of the forestry outside.
He still had that photo of her, that along with the other ones...
"Naruto?"
He glances back down into the river, Hinata's reflection now beside him.
He jolts up so fast he hears Kurama's loud bark of laughter in his mind, hoping she didn't just hear his pointed conversation with him.
"Oh hey Hinata! Getting some practice in as well?" Naruto asks, ringing out droplets of water from his hair and ears. His whole body warms all over again taking her in, calming himself at seeing her flustered expression.
"No, I-I had just missed you! I'm coming from Ichiraku's." Hinata mentions in one breath, sinking down beside him into the damp patch of grass.
"Well you caught me! What did you need me for?" He goes on, unsure what to make of the darkening of her cheeks.
Her fingers dig and twist at the dirt beneath them, leaving mini crescents in her wake.
"The photos, someone saw us. They sent them to me as some form of blackmail." She blurts out and the heat from his body drains to ice.
"...What?!"
His voice feels garbled, as if he swallowed glass and the shards are now cutting at every corner of his throat.
Hinata nods slowly, confirming he heard her correctly and he lowers his voice quickly.
"Wait, I never showed those photos to anyone; I promise! And they were still in my lockbox underneath my bed when I last checked." Naruto confirms, recalling he had glanced at them just the other night with none of them missing.
Hinata shrugs, falling back into the grass. "It might've been when we were there actually in Takigakure, someone surely saw you or me in the crowds and followed us around."
The icy sensation in veins quickly switches to a boil, gritting his teeth as he lays down beside her. Someone had actually seen Hinata fully nude, a view that is supposed to be reserved only for him...
"How long ago were you sent the photos?" He finally asks.
"Tomorrow will make a week, they've so far only demanded ryo and nothing beyond that. Oh, and the promise they'll send the photos to all the gossip magazines and media outlets if I don't follow their orders. It's more than just us though, I don't mind if people find out about our relationship early though I wouldn't want it in this way. I'm concerned because they had a photo of Hanabi among them with a man I can't make out. I don't know what their purpose is bringing her into this." Hinata considers.
'Hanabi, has she somehow maybe gotten involved with some creeps or is this someone or some group with more sinister reasons?' Naruto wonders.
He turns himself over so that he is looking at Hinata properly, reaching a hand forth to her cheek when he sees tears pooling in her eyes.
"Hey, you're not alone in this. We'll figure out who's behind this!" He states which such assuredness that Hinata cracks a smile.
They grow silent once more, Hinata shifting herself closer to him until she is pressing against his side. He wraps her into him just as a streak of lightning ripples across the sky, seeming to tear open a way for the rainfall to truly begin.
Neither move even as a drizzle slowly starts to come down.
"Did you receive any photos as well? I mean, of the ones you took of us in Taki or in any of the other places?" She questions.
Naruto shakes his head, though it wasn't like he had had the time to really check his mailbox or see if he received any strange packages or envelopes. By the time he gets back to the apartment it is always nightfall, his whole body sore or his head pounding from the myriad of topics Granny and Kakashi-sensei are forcing him to review.
Meeting Hinata back then in Taki for a moment made him forget the rising stress and kickstarted them traveling around briefly until the mission truly had to end. Back in Konoha again now he has to deal with the suddenness of having so many fans, of those even wanting to emulate his signature moves.
Like the pictures they took, she has captured and occupied a space in his mind, in his heart with an intensity he isn't sure how to convey.
He lifts Hinata's chin up slowly, swallowing forcing his tongue to work.
"We need to go back to Takigakure, to all the places we went, though that is the best place to start to catch these pervs and hopefully jab and smash a few heads before they do this to anyone else!" Naruto reasons sharply.
Hinata readily agrees, straightening up. Just knowing Naruto will be with her on this task makes her chest briefly relax.
"And you know for sure that's where these particular photos were taken?" He adds on at the sudden thought.
She sees it clearly in her mind. The scent of pine and moss in the air, the glitter of sunlight slipping through patches in the trees...
"I'm sure." Hinata confirms.
'I'm used to people embarrassing me or trying to find a way to get under my skin, however this is far more cruel than any of the light antics I used to pull.' Naruto scowls.
He clenches and unclenches his fists, heat shimmering at the bottom of his chest itching to rise up.
He thumbs at Hinata's bottom lip before she can say anymore, leaning closer catching her lips. The knots in his stomach unwind when Hinata immediately reciprocates, fingers curling into his hair letting a soft moan escape when he eventually pulls away.
"We shouldn't." She breathes out in a gasp, lightly pushing Naruto back at feeling his own hands begin to roam.
A flash of crimson swirls with the blue of his eyes, tone edged with a pointedness that makes her toes curl.
"Only I should be able to see you this way." He grunts.
Hinata snuggles against his chest, downpour starting to chill their skin. "We're going to need permission to suddenly request to go Taki and the rest of the places we went with a good enough cover story."
She can feel Naruto smile into her forehead, brainstorming how to best approach this.
"I have connections; we'll make this work!"
Naruto & Hinata (Hokage Office)
"Uh oh, what trouble could you be in now to have Hinata with you Naruto?" Kakashi asks straight forth to see them both here at the office.
"Says the guy who's always late to those dignitary meetings?" Naruto counters back with a snort.
Kakashi feels a smile tugging at his mouth. No matter how old he feels himself getting at times, Naruto can remind him of an old inside joke between Team 7 or tease him over his favorite books in the Make Out Paradise series that makes it feel like the years haven't passed at all.
Hinata shifts on her feet beside him, eyes not on him but on the vibrant fuschia pink sunrise hitting at his back. Her avoidance of his stare makes a prickle of worry cross his mind.
'Have they gone and done something that's going to piss off Hiashi?'
He doesn't need the headache of another concerned parent running in here questioning why the pharmacies aren't properly stocking condoms or birth control for their hormonal teens and young adults.
Baby booms are to be expected after war, however he couldn't tell these frantic Moms and over-protective Dads that and not risk potentially getting a black eye for his trouble.
Naruto snorts rudely, as if having seen a glimpse into his thoughts.
"It's nothing horrible! Hinata and I are simply requesting a mission to Taki; anyone is fine, even a D-rank one." He explains.
Kakashi pauses, this can't be the same Naruto who used to throw a fit for days at having to do the most banal of tasks on D-rank assignments like finding lost cats or dogs.
"You two just came from there a few months ago though, right? Stopped that man from trying to create a drug network before he could make a name for himself in the underground circuit." He recalls.
'Why the hurry to go back?' He wonders. If they had left something important there they would've come right out and said it, but they're both dancing around the subject. Neither of them give him anything to go off of except that it is a personal matter they don't want to discuss.
"Please, it's important Kakashi-sensei or err Lord Sixth!" Hinata jumps in abruptly.
They both look to her then and the flush of her cheeks spreads down to the tips of her ears and neck.
Kakashi doesn't immediately reply, studying the two's silent behavior. Maybe it's because he's known them so long or from all his training in Anbu, the faint brush of their shoulders, Naruto's hand on the side of her back, the lingering glance they send each other in understanding.
'Oh, they're together.' It clicks.
And from the way their body language speaks, it's gone well beyond what he is comfortable currently dwelling into.
"They're aren't any missions that involve Takigakure right now." He finally says after a moment of thumbing through the latest mission files he receives every morning.
He eyes them at their slumping figures, sliding one file closer.
"However, I will say Kusagakure has been reporting some issues with bandits in the area as of late. It's especially of concern as there has been talk some of these criminals could be connected to the ones already imprisoned within Hōzuki castle trying to plan a possible breakout. If you two want, you could investigate into that then head north to Taki once done." He explains.
'There's a possibility whoever sent these photos to Hinata could still be in the area. It's worth it to take a look.' Naruto considers, looking to Hinata to see if she is in agreement.
She nods, catching his gaze.
"Alright, can we head out tomorrow morning?" Naruto questions back to him.
Kakashi pauses before shrugging, though Naruto stiffens sensing the smirk beneath his mask. "Sure, but be honest with me; why so soon?"
A hint of red crosses his whiskered cheeks, cerulean eyes turning stormy. "It's pictures of us, similar in mind to the ones you'd find from your favorite book series."
Kakashi blinks, leaning back in his chair. "...Don't crack any heads that don't need to be cracked. We have a peaceful alliance with both nations, even from before the Fourth Shinobi World War."
He looks back to Hinata, face equally pink though her eyes match Naruto's steely resolve.
"We can't promise you that Kakashi-sensei, not when it involves blackmail."
And the coffee at the bottom of his stomach slushes, this runs deeper than he first imagined.
Hinata (Hyuga Manor-Following Morning)
"You're leaving again for another mission? So soon?!" Hanabi barely restrains her whisper, voice thick with sleep and annoyance. It doesn't surprise her she found her before she left the compound, Hanabi more of a night owl now more than ever since Neji's death. Moonlight shines over their figures, stepping back into the shadows to prevent the final night patrollers from seeing them.
In these early rays of reddish-orange light peeking over the horizon, she studies her like a puzzle.
"It's not 'so soon' Hanabi; I need to investigate into a matter with Naruto." Hinata answers back, double-checking her bag that she has everything for the journey. The photos still rest in the confines of her drawer, the ones that include Hanabi...
As if mocking her, the pictures pop up one by one reminding her they could be splashed everywhere across Konoha and even the other nations if she refuses to give into the demand.
A grin starts to etch up Hanabi's lips at her mention of Naruto, expression softening. "Oh, you didn't say Naruto was involved in this big sister! Now I see why you're in such a rush; when are you going to invite him over again?"
She purses her lips, more importantly she wants to ask her what she's been hiding from her. Who is that man she's laughing with in those pictures that keep swirling in her mind at the start and end of each day?
Asking her outright though could make her more guarded, that she'll put extra effort into hiding where she goes and with who.
"Hey, you know you can tell me anything, right? Even a secret you want to keep hidden from Father or Ko." Hinata begins.
Hanabi's brows furrow, puzzlement crossing her features. "Sure, and you know you can do the same with me, right?"
Hinata nods, swallowing down a coiling in her throat before it can stick and stepping forward to pull her into a hug.
She smells of hydrangeas and roses, the flowers in bloom in the garden and she considers for a moment if she has been using that back route into the woods for secret rendezvous.
'You can't talk, you've done the same thing.' A part of her notes bitterly..
And she had been far less careful, indulging Naruto, indulging herself in letting her inhibitions and walls fall down.
"We should be back in a two to three weeks time at the latest; please tell Father it's nothing major and I just need to get out of the house more." Hinata reasons, at least part of that statement rings true.
She's been cooped at home for hours when not volunteering her time at the hospital's eye center, artery & vein-cardiology clinic, or the pharmacy. Neji would disapprove of how sedentary they've all been as of late.
"You owe me all the sweets in world and what's really been going on between you two when you come back!" Hanabi teases, squeezing her back.
'Don't do anything silly or reckless.' Hinata tacks on mentally, giving her one final smile before slipping into the darkness of the forests.
Naruto is already by the gates as she approaches, two cups in hand with steam floating up.
He beams at her approach, holding one out to her.
"Morning! I made some green tea for you, careful it's hot though. I kind of had trouble sleeping last night so I got up early to give us some energy for the day." He remarks.
Hinata softens, accepting the cup slowly.
"You remembered." She murmurs, glad for the warmth with the lingering chill of her meeting with Hanabi still weighing on her.
Naruto shrugs, gesturing for them to sit at the open benches nearby.
"Of course! You ordered that nearly every morning when we were in Taki you know; with a cinnamon roll for dessert!" He chuckles, before coughing recalling then why they had ordered breakfast room service style in the first place.
'I hadn't realized I ordered the same things so often.' Hinata muses..
"You always ordered a ramen bowl on the side! Even if it was a meal where it would offset the taste of it like when you had that fruit parfait before." She laughs in counter.
Naruto finds her hand, squeezing at it.
"We're pretty predictable when it comes to our favorite foods, it's our actions where we changed things up." Naruto notes, free hand scratching nervously at his cheek.
Because it is only when they altered their usual pattern of behavior did it catch this unwanted attention.
Hinata nods, returning his grip. They need to get going to make good time, their target could easily be waiting on their return or ready to do worse if they keep waiting without responding to the threat...
She has to shield Hanabi from this, ensure she hasn't inadvertently endangered herself. The same thought burns at her again, a wondering on the person or people behind this.
'Who is doing this?'
-x-
Yes, who indeed is doing this?! Welcome to my next NaruHina story idea that I've been so giddy about for the last few months lol! I hope you all are curious or have ideas running through your mind on the people behind Naruto and Hinata's blackmail. It's an idea I haven't really seen done before and I'm excited for all the twists and turns of their adventure!
Let me know your thoughts!
Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!