Chapter 2: The Looks
"We're just looking and looking at each other. And I can feel something new between us, something even more intimate than anything we've done. Eye to eye. It's the most powerful connection in the world." ― Sophie Kinsella
Naruto & Hinata (Kusagakure)
'Stop staring at Hinata like that!'
Naruto scowls, he crushes at the hand of the first bandit trying to wiggle out of his hold, the man wincing and finally turning his leering gaze away from her while she continues interrogating his partner.
"You don't have to break my hand, you've already captured me!" He hisses, auburn eyes finally looking up to meet his blue and his skin gains a shade of white.
He knows who he is; good.
"You're...the Hero from the war?!" He sputters in shock and Naruto nods, loosening his grip on his hand enough for it to no longer have be a sharp hue of violet-red.
"There's been talk of a planned breakout at Hōzuki Castle in the coming weeks, that you've been part of the groups stealing from traveling merchants to feed supplies and routes to escape back to the prisoners." Naruto finally voices icily, growing impatient.
The man shakes his head vehemently, though he sees the flash of crimson in his eyes and wrinkles under the weight of it.
"W-We only wanted to get a few ryo from the merchants here and there to pocket for ourselves! Sometimes if we're lucky they'll be carrying special collectors' items like old dishes and bowls that can be resold at a higher market price or we offer it to the prisoners who are feeling homesick for an item unique to their nation for the right trade or price. The prison breakout idea seems like it's already been squashed from what I last heard; too many of them feared solitary confinement in trying to make an attempt." He explains practically in one breath.
"Hishida, you say too much! Damn it, are you trying to get us put away for an even longer period of time?!" His partner yells over at him.
Before Naruto can cut in, Hinata jabs at his arm and his voice falls away to a low yelp.
"Amane, you seem to forget you haven't answered any of my questions yet. What were you and Hishida's next steps after you sold off these goods? If you could even sell them off without any guards or police catching wind of your operation?" Hinata questions.
Amane scowls, looking nearly ready to spit at her face in retort until he catches Naruto's stare.
"We we're going to head South to Ame, it seems like it's one of the few places you Konoha shinobi have left abandoned to time since the war's end." He mutters.
And with this, neither have anything left to say to them as the rest of Kusa's police force enter the scene.
Hinata moves herself by Naruto's side as they men get cuffed and sent away, lips set in a frown.
"Well, they were-" Words escape her, shaking her head.
"Creepy? Gross? Faces I should've punched in?" Naruto guesses.
Hinata reaches for his hand then, fingers tracing along his palm. "Yeah, all of those things. However, they aren't involved in any major schemes or seem to be working for a bigger group."
And among their belongings there weren't any strange photos or camera equipment, they wouldn't know about the crime involving their own personal photos.
"He was staring at you in a perverted way." Naruto is still grumbling to himself, calming when Hinata leans further into him, forcing his blue eyes to meet her lavender.
"I know, but you stopped him." She asserts.
She nods then in the direction of the grasslands that will lead back out of the village towards Taki, late morning breeze fluttering over them.
"Lets keep going."
Naruto & Hinata (Forests near Takigakure)
"Let's take a break here for lunch." Naruto suggests when the sun is about midway in the sky. Sweat beads at his brows, wiping them away with his hand only seems to make a dozen more reappear in their place.
Hinata nods her agreement, resting back into the shade of the trees. A flock of birds scatters at their movement, bluish-green feathers cascading down towards them as they take to the higher branches of the treetops. It is cooler and quieter here than in the forests closer to Konoha. They've only passed a few traveling merchants and backpackers since leaving out of Kusa this morning, most on their way south or west to the larger nations to sell goods or take in the sights now that there are less restrictions on where people can travel.
Their gazes linger on Naruto more than her for the most part, some smiling and others just bowing respectfully before carrying on with their day.
Nothing suspicious.
"Are we sure these photos are even real Hinata? How do we know the people in those pictures are us and not like maybe a shadow clone someone made of us?!" Naruto abruptly wonders, glancing up from his bento.
Hinata twists at her chopsticks, she had already considered that factor. "I remember doing all of those things in those photos with you for one Naruto, and two...is there anyone that could replicate where those same scars and birthmarks were unless they saw that much of our skin prior?"
"...Good point!" Naruto assesses, face burning as he stare goes back down into his onigiri.
The very idea of this all is still sending a ripple of disgust and frustration through him.
They have no real starting point besides the knowing it all started in Taki.
Hinata nudges at his foot, getting his attention once more. "We'll get some answers soon enough."
Though they both know that isn't a guarantee.
It's late afternoon when they start to hear the familiar crackling of the waterfalls nearby, the smell of dew and moss filling the air. The first guard outside the entry point for Taki blinks at them owlishly as they approach, maybe wondering if they're actually real while his partner regards them sleepily.
Ichiro and Masa respectively going by their name tags.
'Here it comes again...' Naruto muses, watching as recognition soon begins to shine in Ichiro's auburn orbs.
"Hold on, aren't you the Great War Hero?! Naruto, right? Ah, and the Hyuga Princess too?! I need your autographs! No wait, pardon my rudeness! Welcome, Welcome, to Takigakure! Are you two on vacation, because I know the best tourist spots that give you-"
"Actually we were here a few weeks ago." Naruto interrupts him quickly before he can go into a long-winded speech.
Still Ichiro gazes at him starry eyed, a look he feels he'll probably never get used to seeing directed his way.
Masa's head perks up at hearing they've been here before, rubbing at his eyes. A lopsided grin crosses his lips, nodding in understanding as he waggles his brows suggestively.
"Couldn't get enough of it here, could ya? Yeah, a lot of newlyweds and honeymooners should be coming back here soon like you two. Will help our economy boost up again after how much the War drained us." He considers.
Naruto and Hinata glance to each other, flustered and uncertain on what to say to that comment. There's no reason for him to know their real reason for returning back and perhaps it's better to pretend they're here for a holiday rather than business.
"There's one thing you could help us with." Hinata begins and Ichiro puffs up his chest proudly, eager to help or provide history on their tiny nation while Masa rolls his eyes at his antics, half-listening again.
"Sure, ask away!" He chirps, peering between both showing off his pearly whites.
This is the most excitement he and Masa have had all day!
Naruto adjusts his bag, blue eyes taking to the trees that cast long shadows against the buildings...
Perfect hiding spots.
"Where are the best places to take pictures?" She questions.
Naruto (Emerald Towers Hotel-Takigakure/Takigakure Center Square)
"That man was of no help, you know!" Naruto gripes, falling back into the bedsheets with a sigh.
If he wanted a history lesson on Takigakure's culture and geography he would've consulted with Kakashi-sensei, Shikamaru...or even a book!
At least nobody had given them too many questioning stares upon checking into the hotel. Like it's namesake, the wallpapers and décor of the room are shades of soft greens to deeper verdant and turquoises meant to remind one of nature or the forest floor.
Hinata giggles, tumbling down beside him.
"He's just passionate about his home village, he's probably seen all the rapid signs of technology like we're having in Konoha and doesn't want people to forget the past." She hums.
Naruto turns over to her, she's so much more patient and nicer than he would've been, sighing as a curtain of her violet hair falls over her eyes.
He shifts a hand up to brush it away, opal eyes shining in the falling twilight.
"Didn't he say that there's a camera shop next to the market district? We should check there before it closes." He suggests.
Hinata nods adjusting herself back into a sitting position, though her eyes flutter slowly as she leans into his arm barely covering up a yawn.
"Or I can go and you just get some sleep?" He pursues. It has been a long day for them both after all.
"I'm okay, I don't want you to have to go alone." Hinata murmurs.
Her breasts press into his side as she stretches, his whole body warming at least a degree or two.
"Yeah, you should go before you completely forget why you came here." Kurama chortles.
He pointedly ignores Kurama while gently laying Hinata back down.
"It shouldn't take more than an hour or so." He determines, adjusting back on his jacket. Hopefully none of the stores have closed yet before he makes it back into the square.
He can feel Hinata's stare on him as she moves to sit up again, hand reaching up pressing at the small of his back.
"Don't draw too much attention to yourself." She smiles.
"No promises on that!" He grins.
Especially if he finds the people behind this blackmail.
'I won't let those photos of Hinata get posted all across the nations.' He tells himself again.
He halfway turns back to her to settle the spike of rage that hits him like a burn, catching her lips with a bruising pressure nearly making them both nearly slip off the bed.
A memory bubbles up, the way they positioned the camera to watch them just like this...
"I've lived an invisible life." Hinata mentions aloud, sitting up from their shared bed.
Naruto steps away from the balcony peering back to her; puzzled. This high up they have a perfect night view of the Land of Rivers, moonlight crossing against the grasslands and waterways bathing them all in a crisscross of silver light. They'd explored the land's hidden caverns earlier in the day, tried the aptly dubbed 'curry of life' that burned both their tongues.
He plops down beside her, laying himself sideways. "What do you mean?"
She turns over to meet his gaze, lilac orbs cloudy. "For so long I've been...I mean the way Father trained me it's been hard to break out of that mindset of making myself noticeable instead of in the shadows or staying silent. Even with you, there were so many times I wanted to make myself visible; for you to see me."
Her face flushes at Naruto's slow smile in return, tugging her closer pecking at her forehead.
"I can see you now, all of you." He emphasizes with a smirk, gaze trailing to her partially open robe making her skin warm pink.
And he wants to keep being able to see her, their traveling together having gone on nearly a month now since beginning in Taki. They've checked in with Kakashi here and there via messenger toads, though they can only use the excuse of ensuring a small area or village is 'crime-free' for so long.
"Hinata, you've always looked at me, wanted me, right? Even back in our Academy days?" He considers softly after a moment.
Now that he thinks about it, maybe he's lived an invisible life too. No matter how often he tried to make himself 'visible' to others during his childhood, he was still the majority of time ignored, glared/hissed at to go away, or at worst (and the one that stung the most), people pretended he wasn't even there until he finally decided to leave.
It's only as of recent he's been in the spotlight so often now.
"I've always wanted you Naruto, I'm sorry it took so long for me to properly tell you." Hinata mentions.
Naruto grins, shifting himself so that he is hovering about her. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you say you want me!"
Because for so long he's heard girls whisper and giggle amongst themselves they want guys who are cool and distant like Sasuke or smart and levelheaded like Shikamaru...
Neither of which he is.
He leans down to her, lips brushing against hers before his eyes shift to the camera still resting on the dresser. He reaches out his arm to grab it, clicking with the dials setting the timer on before setting it back down.
"Well, tonight I'll make sure neither of us feels invisible!" He ensures her, rolling Hinata beneath him once more.
"How long is the timer set for?" Hinata asks, fingers gliding against his chest while watching for the flash of the camera or sound of its shutter.
Naruto pauses at nipping at the curve of her neck with a smirk, following her gaze.
"10 seconds on repeat." He mutters after a moment, kissing his way down opening her robe completely and drawing a nipple into his mouth.
Her fingers tighten into his hair, gasping just as the first flash strikes against them.
"Do you want anything from the convenience store on my way back up?" He asks, pulling back from her before she can feel just how aroused he's becoming. He needs the cool of the evening breeze hitting him, anything to take his mind away from exploring her body.
Hinata thumbs at the edge of his lips catching her breath, swiping away the remnants of gloss before properly meeting his gaze.
"The usual will be fine." She states, eyes twinkling in knowing.
Their favorite midnight snacks, cinnamon rolls and ramen.
"Nice save there, I'm sure she didn't notice your erection!" Kurama jests.
At least Kurama is polite enough to wait until he is midway down the hall to mess with him again, away from Hinata seeing him glower or his lips twist in distress. He was never this talkative until they started dating.
Unlike in Konoha, the evening crowd is light in Taki. The rich amber glow of the sunset slowly fades into a deep blue-gray, a wave of yellow-white stars forming and stretching across the sky.
Most of the citizens give eager waves in recognition or hardy hellos and he wanders about until he sees just across from a family owned seafood buffet what he may be looking for.
'Hamasaki Antiques and Repairs.' He reads.
An old-timey camera and watch symbol hangs on the door's entrance and he breaks into a stride at seeing one of the men from earlier.
Ichiro? No, he was the excited guy. This is the lazy one who reminds him of Shikamaru.
Masa.
He yells out to him to wait up before he can consider it (so much for not drawing attention to himself), Masa slowing down to look around in puzzlement. Now that he's out of his security attire he notes he isn't as super old as he originally thought, dark hair peppered with only small flecks of gray with a slumped posture of exhaustion. Despite probably not seeing much of war, his stance is one that has been worn down by too many missions, too many ones that ended with a death...
When he eventually notices him, his look of confusion only grows at his waving.
"Hey, taking in the sites; alone I might add without your girl? Most places are unfortunately closing down for the night though! I know Ichiro went on and on earlier about our so called 'crazy' nightlife, but it's nothing like what I've seen in the bigger villages like Suna or even Kumo when I visited for vacations/missions. Now they have some great red-light districts and in my younger days, women if you wanted to sneak away would-oh crap, I rambling away just like he did." He gripes, covering his mouth.
Naruto feels his smile start to twitch into a near scowl, glad Hinata truly did decide to stay back at the hotel.
"Be nice Naruto." Kurama warns, he can already sense this conversation heading the wrong way.
"Yeah, Yeah. I know." Naruto scoffs back, knowing it isn't good if he has to tell him to calm down.
The mental reminder does nothing to sour his rising annoyance towards this guy.
He gestures with his head instead towards the Antique shop to change the topic. "Do you own that place?"
Masa follows the direction of his pointing before snorting, shoulders slouching even more so if possible. Steel gray orbs stare at the establishment as if that alone could make it abruptly combust or crumple into a heap of wood and ash.
"It...It's been passed down in our family throughout the generations. It was my Grandfather's originally who built it just when Taki was making a name for itself with our natural waterfalls, then my Dad's and then the Fourth Shinobi World War happened so I guess...yeah, now it's mine." He explains softly.
Naruto nods his understanding, the pair staring at the empty shop. Last rays of sunlight fall against splintered and cracked wood along the rooftop. Vines and mold creep along on the edges with old rainstorms and time leaving the gutters filled with dried leaves in shades of brown to yellow.
Masa chuckles weakly at his assessment, scratching at his head. "I know what you're thinking, I've done a shit job with the upkeep of this place and I agree. I've heard people mutter it behind my back enough times every time I took a mission to get away from here or slacked off in keeping to my hours running the shop. I told Dad that faster and better technology for film and even communication is rising from news articles I read and people I met...though he only thought it was all a fad."
"Why did he sign up for the war?" Naruto questions, hoping he's isn't coming off as too rude.
Tears burn at his eyes he quickly blinks away. "Maybe that's my fault too, he didn't want me to go out into the battlefield alone. He's good...or was good at using water jutsu, better than me even. He's from the old generation, stubborn men and women who don't want to be shown up by the younger fellas. He wanted to protect me, keep our family line going and he did just that when that Ten-Tails monster shot off all those spikes, pushing me out of the way."
Naruto instantly thinks of Neji, of Pervy Sage and the bitter taste in mouth explodes like a cannon, the ripples coursing all the way down to his toes.
"People still use old school stuff, your Father wasn't wrong." Naruto asserts to break the somber mood brewing up. He pulls out Jiraiya's old camera from within his jacket.
Now is the best time to ask.
Masa huffs, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Well, the business was dying even with that meager support. It didn't feel right to close it down immediately and my wife Keomi couldn't bare the thought of us not continuing the tradition even though I doubt our coming daughter would want...this." He scoffs, kicking up a patch of dust near the entrance.
"So other people did use this shop then you know?!" Naruto asks a bit too eagerly.
Masa studies the camera in his hands for a brief second, maybe trying to discern if it's one he or his Father made. Pervy Sage went everywhere, though he at least had enough common sense to develop the more dirty photos he collected on his own time without the use of a shop. He shakes his head with a sigh after a moment, though he gestures for him to follow him inside anyways.
'Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Why would the blackmailers even use a public location?' Naruto realizes at his expression.
And as if he read his thoughts, Masa goes on.
"Nah, you're the first customer we've had in weeks."
Hinata (Emerald Towers Hotel-Takigakure)
Naruto looks completely dejected upon his return, faint hints of bags underneath his normally bright cobalt orbs.
"One of the guards owns that old antique shop near the market district, the quieter one Masa." He starts as he plops back down beside her.
"Ah, so he didn't know anything?" Hinata surmises from his expression.
Naruto clicks his tongue, reviewing over everything he learned from him. He'd earlier toyed with the idea of them visiting Hōzuki castle as well, requesting to see if that drugs dealer Riku knew anybody in the business of blackmail, but a brief talk with one of the policeman before they left indicated the man wasn't that skilled or connected to know those areas of criminal activity.
"You could always try your luck at Shangri-La, granted everyone there uses the transformation jutsu to hide and run from their real lives." The officer, Shuji points out.
He'll have to keep that in mind.
"Not exactly, he said that nobody has visited their shop properly in weeks. However, when I asked him to look back through his receipt logs and camera footage of the store, it came up around a month and half ago a pair of brothers went in with one purchasing an old-timey camera and the other purchasing a more digital model. He noted that they asked him a lot of questions like how to zoom in and take photos from a distance, how to develop film at home, how to avoid fingerprints getting on the film, that type of stuff." Naruto goes over.
"I should've charged them extra with how many questions they asked now that I think about it, they were here over 45 minutes!" Masa gruffs, watching and rewinding the clips showing the duo circle each aisle with no particular goal in mind.
Their fingers brush along every object as if just to further piss him off.
Naruto stays silent while Masa fumes at their whispered snickering in his direction, observing the duo carefully for their social cues, the things they leave unsaid...
"How old did they look?" Hinata questions.
Naruto wrinkles his nose and she can tell this lead is a bust. "Younger than you and I, not that means much sometimes. Though it seemed like they were just doing this for a project for their school, like a comparison between how film looks between old school vs new school technology. Also, I think they just stayed so long because they wanted to mess with Masa a bit over how well he actually knew the store. I doubt the people we're looking for would be so obvious to be caught on a camera feed or loiter around asking beginner questions they already know."
Hinata leans back into his shoulder, sighing. One part of her feels relief it isn't children who sent them these photos, but the other half is an anger that crawls down her like a flame, a tight knot curling once more at the pit of her stomach.
They still have no clear answers at this point.
'I still don't know what they will do in terms of Hanabi, what if they have more illicit photos of her than what they sent me?'
The thought sends a rush of goosebumps down her skin.
Naruto tilts her head up slowly, both seeing the tiredness in their eyes.
"On a brighter note, I got plenty of cinnamon rolls and ramen at the convenience store on the way back, enough for the guy at the check out to give me a strange look!" He cheers.
And Hinata giggles as he pokes at her side, blue eyes glinting in a way that makes her breath hitch.
"After dinner, let's shower...no a long bath! I checked and it's big enough to fit the both of us." He hums, nipping at her ear.
Hinata feels her face darken before she can hide it, making Naruto go on. "Don't worry, we'll lock the door and I can station a clone outside the door to make sure nobody interrupts or happens to be peeping!"
"I-I don't want your clone to watch us." Hinata murmurs, sinking back into the bedsheets avoiding Naruto's gaze.
His expression changes then to one of confusion and amusement. "You didn't mind him joining that one time in-"
"I remember! Geez, I just prefer to be with the original Naruto!" Hinata huffs, cutting him off.
It doesn't surprise her that Naruto pulls her up back into view, lips descending back to her neck with a growl.
"Well of course, nothing beats the original you know." He emphasizes lowly, guiding her hand back down him.
GRR!
Hinata blinks, fingertips brushing slowly along his stomach eliciting another gurgle.
And now Naruto's cheeks take on a tinge of pink.
She beams, wiggling out of his grip gesturing to the table where their meals await.
"Let's eat first."
Naruto & Hinata (Konoha, 3 days later)
A crescent moon starts to shine in the corner of the sky as evening sets in, approaching Konoha's gates now at the end of the day.
Kotetsu and Izumo greet them upon entry, nodding and taking in what must be scatterings of dirt and sweat in their attire.
"Lord Sixth had mentioned you two went on a mission somewhere around Kusagakure. He said during morning briefings it would be part of a series of missions you two would be doing to see how peace efforts are going in the smaller regions along with getting some much needed rest and relaxation! You two deserve it what with how busy you've been helping all over with the reconstruction and healing of the village!" Izumo laughs.
Kotetsu grins in agreement. "I won't be surprised if you two take another so called 'mission' to one of the popular small hot springs or mountain villas nearby. I'm thinking of going to check out one of the hot springs later on this week."
Izumo fixes his attention towards him hearing that, grimace setting upon his face. "You can't play hooky, we're assigned guard duty at the entrance all this week!"
'Hmm, I'm glad Kakashi-sensei came up with that excuse for us; now we have a good cover story.' Naruto breathes a small sigh of relief, glad the pair hadn't dwelled into asking any further questions.
Hinata giggles beside him, these two act relatively the same as Ichiro and Masa in terms of personality.
"Come on, I'll walk you back to the Hyuga Manor." Naruto murmurs by her ear as they wave their goodbyes to the duo.
Ko stands guard outside the compound, bowing respectfully upon their approach.
"Welcome back Lady Hinata and good evening to you Naruto, I assume the mission went well?" He asks.
"Yes, there are a few skirmishes in the region mostly consisting of robberies and gang activity, but security and watch towers have been buffed up in patrolling and monitoring the area. Otherwise, Naruto and I enjoyed taking in the scenic views." Hinata explains away.
Naruto restrains a smile, he could never have lied so eloquently despite parts of her statement being true.
Ko steps aside at hearing footsteps coming up, Hiashi and Hanabi smiling in greeting.
"You're back big sis!" Hanabi cheers pouncing her in a hug, grin seeming to widen tenfold when she notes Naruto's presence beside her. She tugs her aside before she can say anything, cheeks growing ruddy in excitement.
"Is he here to propose?!" Hanabi whispers into her ear and Hinata feels herself redden, shaking her head hoping none of the guys are trying to eavesdrop.
"Where did you get that idea?" She questions at Hanabi's huff.
"Moegi showed it to me in passing from one of those Konoha Confidential magazines! It said in one of the articles that one way to know a man is about to propose is if he comes to your family's house for a meal." She reasons.
'She's trying to grow up too fast.' Hinata smiles, poking at her cheeks until she deflates them, keeping said thought to herself.
That image of her laughing with a stranger pops up again inevitably, head painfully thrumming at the reminder. No, she doesn't want to think of her silly, energetic sister making such foolish or dangerous decisions...
And the smile evaporates from her face seeing her expression, fingers sliding gently across her arm. "Whoa, you okay big sis?"
Hinata tacks back on a smile, nodding. "Just feeling a bit lightheaded is all."
Hiashi gestures them for them all to head inside. "Come, dinner has already been started. Naruto, you're welcome to join us as well."
Dinner passes with ease, reviewing over this 'mission' Kakashi-sensei has assigned them, pictures they took of the area, and where they plan to go next.
"I'll keep you updated if I get anymore photos." Hinata speaks so quietly Naruto has to strain to hear her as she walks him back to the gate.
He can't blame her, he can feel the dozens of curious eyes upon them wondering how deep the nature of their relationship truly runs. Hiashi never asked any prying questions over the meal, Hanabi on the other hand was more than happy to ask in offhanded ways how close are they.
When Naruto reaches back to his own apartment, he already gets his own first update.
An envelope is waiting for him on his bed right by the pillows, his name written in the same neat black cursive ink Hinata described her own as.
And at the top of said lewd photos within is a similar warning message; a thinly veiled threat.
We're watching you.
-x-
Happy Labor Day Weekend! Wow, 100 follows in 1 chapter, I feel the love lol! Ah, there's going to be so much romance, drama, adventure, and fluff/smut coming for Naruto and Hinata! I do also plan to cover the Hiden novels or at least refer to them a bit too maybe expanding on certain parts or putting my own spin on a section.
Some of you thought Naruto and Hinata's friends are doing this and to that I say no! I don't want their friends to be so mean or play such a mean prank on them lol. Good guess though, keep your guesses coming on who you think is behind this!
Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!