Author's Note: Hello! I'm still trying to figure out what kind of story I'm going to play in slot number four for my story rotations, but as of right now, I haven't thought of anything. I have a couple of options available, so once I decide which one(s) I like best, I'll post them to gauge responses. Then from there, I'll make a decision on which story will take over slot number four. In the meantime, enjoy!

P.S.: How many of you are familiar with the videogame series God Eater? It's one of my favorite series, and I was thinking of doing a version with Naruto characters? I want my fourth to be an action/adventure story.

Last Time:

"It's not easy dealing with this kind of thing on your own," Sakura reminded him as she turned around to face him. "So, during Spring Break, you saw him?"

Sasuke nodded. "Naruto still isn't sure how Orochimaru managed to get into the city let alone the same club as us. He's been investigating it, but he hasn't come up with any solid leads."

"Next time Orochimaru comes around, I'll rescue you," Sakura declared.

Sasuke chuckled, "You'll rescue me?"

Sakura nodded, "You saved me last time, so it's my turn to save you. Orochimaru's obviously poking around Whirlwind again, so when he rears his ugly head, I'll greet him with my fist."

"Thank you, Sakura," Sasuke said with a smile.

Sakura smiled in return, "You're welcome."

Opposites Attract: Chapter 49 – "Bonding"

"Would you relax?" Naruto encouraged as he opened the passenger side door for Hinata and helped her climb out. "My mother isn't so terrifying that you need to worry about your appearance or how you act. I promise you, it's probably nothing serious."

"I'm still allowed to be nervous," Hinata whined as Naruto took her hand. "I didn't expect for her to call me so soon after we got back from Suna. Do you think it's related to what happened with Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto shook his head, "That situation is being handled, I promise. Come on, we're a little early and knowing my mother, she's probably in a hurry to straighten up."

Hinata let out a heavy sigh and let Naruto lead her towards the building they had parked in front of. He typed in a code on the keypad, and after waiting for a second, a buzzer sound and the gate unlocked. He allowed Hinata ahead of him, and they climbed a long flight of stairs before reaching a plain door. He did a specific knock before the door opened.

"Ah, Young Master, welcome," Sakon greeted Naruto with a welcoming smile before letting him in. "And Lady Hyuuga, welcome welcome."

"Ah, thank you," Hinata responded before stepping in and hearing Sakon shut the door behind her. The two of them had stepped into a chic lounge with an impressive bar that lined the largest wall. There were a few couches with decorative pillows and plenty of armchairs spread about.

"This place is shaping up pretty nicely, Sakon," Naruto mentioned as Sakon stood beside him. "When is opening day?"

"Ah, not for another week or two," Sakon answered. "Ukon is a little finicky with the menu, so there's not much I can do until he finally settles on something. But, at least the spare time gives Kidoumaru and Tayuya some time to get a little extra training in as bartenders."

"Well with Ukon being as meticulous as he is, I'm sure it'll be great in the end." Naruto gave Sakon a reassuring pat on the back. "Is my mother here?"

"I'm right here," Kushina announced as she came out of a long hallway. "I had to run into the little girl's room." She gave Naruto a quick peck on the cheek before standing in front of Hinata and holding her hands, "It's lovely to see you again, Hinata."

"I'm happy to see you too, Mrs. Uzumaki," Hinata responded with a formal greeting.

Kushina giggled, "Relax, Hinata. You can call me Kushina. Maybe Auntie? Better yet, you can call me 'Okaa-chan' whenever you get comfortable enough with me dattebane."

Both Naruto and Hinata blushed, and Kushina giggled some more.

"Thank you for bringing Hinata here, Naruto-kun," Kushina thanked her son before releasing Hinata and turning Naruto towards the door. "I'm sure your father and grandfather are waiting for you somewhere, so go ahead and go. And you better be preparing for the start of the quarter, I won't have you slacking off, understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Naruto answered. He looked back at Hinata, "I'll come to pick you up later, okay?"

Hinata nodded and watched as Kushina ushered Naruto out the door before closing it. She felt a little anxious, but the sight of Kushina's smile calmed her nerves just enough to where it wasn't too obvious.

"Sorry to call you out so soon after you just got back from Suna City," Kushina apologized. "Naruto-kun called and told Minato-kun and I about your proposal to turn Oto City into a neutral zone, so I guess I should thank you for that first."

"Ah," Hinata let out a bit of nervous laugh and waved her hand, "there's really no need. I was just thinking of possible solutions, and that seemed to be the most logical one at the time. If it's not possible, then I understand."

"That's the thing, it's completely feasible," Kushina informed her. "Minato-kun is going to speak with the other Heads throughout the week and negotiate terms with them. It may lead to a summit, but at least it'll be for something meaningful. So truly, thank you."

Hinata wasn't sure how to respond.

"Come," Kushina ushered Hinata towards a set of plush looking seating, "sit with me for a moment, will you?"

"Of course," Hinata agreed and took a seat beside Kushina on the couch. As soon as they sat, the doors to the kitchen opened, and Tayuya came out with a wood cutting board with an arrangement of sushi on it. "Ah, thank you."

"You're welcome." Tayuya smiled at the two of them before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Hinata couldn't help but stare after her before looking back at Kushina, "Kushina-san, the people here look familiar."

"I'm sure they do," Kushina responded. "They used to work for Baji. You probably saw them around during the earlier days of the incident that was brewing between our family and Baji. After Baji…expired, they pleaded with Minato-kun and me to allow them to join Whirlwind since they didn't have anywhere else to go."

"Our family?" Hinata repeated.

Kushina looked at her with a look of confusion before realizing Hinata's own confusion, "My apologies. I never got to speak with you formally once you made your decision to stay by Naruto-kun's side. It's been one thing after another, and there's barely been any time to just sit down and talk."

"It has been a long six months," Hinata admitted.

Kushina nodded in agreement, "It has, but it seems like things have calmed down. At least, for now, that is. So, in the meantime, I wanted to welcome you to the family."

Hinata felt a comforting feeling wash over her at the sound of Kushina's words, "Thank you."

"Now then," Kushina took ahold of Hinata's hand and gave it a comforting pat, "what I'm about to tell you is going to feel like a lot, but I promise you that I will be there with you every step of the way. And not only that, you'll have an incredible support system standing behind you these next few months, and for the rest of your life."

"This sounds a bit extreme," Hinata confessed with a nervous laugh.

"I suppose it does, but it's necessary," Kushina responded with a slightly apologetic look. "With you deciding to remain by Naruto-kun's side, that unfortunately places a target on your back. As you may remember, Minato-kun and I were targeted not too long ago because of a feud between Whirlwind and the Eternal Flame. Luckily, all of that is resolved now – and this may sound a bit cliched – but we're all one big happy family now."

Hinata unintentionally squeezed Kushina's hand, "So, you're saying it's dangerous?"

Kushina let out a heavy sigh and nodded, "It's dangerous. But, we're not the type of people who are going to let you wander around on your own. If you haven't already noticed, Naruto-kun always has two escorts with him. Usually, it's Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan, but when it's not them, it's Deidara-kun and Sasori-kun. As for Minato-kun, he usually has Obito-kun and Kakashi-kun while I have Rin-chan and Anko-chan."

"Really?" Hinata asked and saw Kushina nod. "I guess that makes me feel a little safer?"

"As it should," Kushina assured her. "We're not so simple minded that we wander around without some sort of protection with us at all times. Usually, it won't be obvious that you're traveling with someone, but sometimes it will be. But, that's a secondary point."

"And what's the primary point?"

Kushina let out a heavy sigh, "There are some things you'll need to learn. Now, as I mentioned before, I grew up in this kind of lifestyle, so it was second nature to me by the time I started dating Minato-kun. For you, this is going to be the hard part."

Hinata gave Kushina a quizzical look.

"Consider them precautionary measures," Kushina continued. "Now, are you trained in self-defense in any way, shape, or form?"

Hinata nodded, "Mother and Father had me enrolled in classes when I was younger. Primarily Krav Maga, but I also know taekwondo, jujutsu, and karate."

Kushina clapped her hands together, "Wonderful! I'm sure you're out of practice though?"

"Unfortunately," Hinata confessed.

"That'll be no problem at all," Kushina assured her. "Of course, you're going to need to learn how to defend yourself if the situation ever arises that you need to do so. Now, as I told you before, you'll rarely be alone if you're out and about, so the chances of you having to do anything physical is very slim. Now, as for weapons, are you familiar with any?"

"No?" Hinata watched as Kushina took a piece of sushi form the wooden slab. "Should I be?"

"Not now, but eventually you will need to be familiar with a least a simple handgun. By the time Naruto-kun was seven years old, he was deconstructing and reconstructing a handgun in less than a minute. He's also quite the shot; though Sasuke-kun is better."

"Oh…" Hinata began to twiddle her fingers. "I'm not entirely comfortable with guns."

"Don't worry," Kushina patted her knee, "you'll never have to carry one on your if you don't want to. I know Naruto-kun usually has one on him, but he just started that recently. And don't look at me like that, I can assure you that Naruto-kun could recite the gun safety laws forward and backward before we even took him to a shooting range. I personally prefer knives."

"Isn't there a cliché saying about never bringing a knife to a gunfight?" Hinata questioned.

Kushina nodded, "Yes, but then again, you've never seen me with a knife in a gunfight." Kushina giggled at Hinata's shocked expression. "And driving, how are you with that?"

"I don't have my license yet," Hinata confessed.

"That's all right," Kushina assured her. "I expected this much, so don't worry in the slightest, I'll make sure you're in tiptop shape in no time at all. Trust me."

"Is it okay if I'm feeling a little overwhelmed?" Hinata asked with a little bit of nervous laughter.

Kushina nodded, "It's a lot, I know, but all Minato-kun and I want is to make sure you're safe and that you're prepared. We're not doing this to put you in an uncomfortable position, and we wouldn't want you to do this if it wasn't necessary."

Hinata nodded, "Right."

As Hinata reached for a piece of sushi, the door opened, and she watched as Nohara Rin and Mitarashi Anko walked in. They were cheery and smiling as they greeted Kushina and Hinata before each taking a seat along with them.

"Nothing?" Kushina asked.

"Nothing," Rin repeated. "It's been pretty quiet these last few weeks since the dust settled between Whirlwind and The Eternal Flame. But, that's to be expected, isn't it? Now that Whirlwind maintains control over one hundred percent of Konoha and Fire Country, I doubt there's going to be anybody stupid enough to attempt anything against us."

"Don't be so naïve, Rin," Anko groaned. "There are always going to be people stupid enough to try and go against us despite how much power we have. They have it running through their tiny little brains that if they can put a dent in Whirlwind, then they're powerful enough to take down the whole establishment. What they fail to realize – until it's too late of course – is that Whirlwind isn't so easily swayed and we barely feel the 'dent' they believe they've made."

Rin shrugged, "I guess you're right."

Hinata watched as Kushina chatted away with Rin and Anko. She nibbled away at the sushi and sipped at the sake that Kidoumaru came and poured for them. Kushina asked about Anko and Kakashi's son Kosuke before turning to Rin and asking when she and Obito were going to begin having children.

Rin assured Kushina that they were trying, but Kushina wasn't satisfied with her answer. She settled for the fact that they were trying though and began to reminisce on the days when Naruto was a baby. The sake was beginning to get to her a little.

"He used to be so small," Kushina whined. "Now he's taller than me and looking more and more like Minato-kun every day. If he grew out his hair, he'd be a carbon copy."

Anko chuckled, "Honestly Lady Kushina, what did you expect to happen? He wasn't going to stay an infant forever. Though I guess I can understand where you're coming from. Kosuke-kun is growing pretty fast nowadays."

"Right? Before you know it, he'll be graduating high school and beginning college," Kushina warned. "Value the days when they're young and innocent and adorable. They only last so long before they grow into adults."

"Honestly," Rin sighed. "All this talk about children is going to make Lady Hinata uncomfortable. She's still just in high school after all."

"Ah, I'm sorry," Kushina apologized.

"You're fine," Hinata assured her with a nervous laugh. "I guess it's interesting to hear about Naruto-kun when he was a baby."

"You know, Hinata," Anko leaned forward in her seat as she studied Hinata, "you and Naruto-kun would make really cute kids. Do you want kids?"

"Huh?" Hinata's face – and quite literally her entire body – flushed red. "M-me? I mean, it's a little soon for me to be thinking about kids, isn't it? I mean, I'm just now starting my second year of high school, and Naruto-kun and I have only been dating for six months. I mean, we've known each other longer than that, and we probably liked each other for a long time before we even started dating, but still, it's too soon."

"It is too soon!" Kushina argued. "Don't do what I did. I got married at eighteen and had Naruto-kun when I was nineteen. I'll admit, I had a little more security than most girls my age, so I had absolutely no problem with it. So if you can do it, go for it."

Rin chuckled, "You just contradicted yourself, Lady Kushina."

"Did I?" Kushina asked, and both Rin and Anko laughed. "All I'm saying is that you will have mine and Minato-kun's full support if you happen to get pregnant earlier than anticipated."

Hinata wasn't sure to respond, and this just caused Anko and Rin to laugh even harder.

"Sorry, Lady Hinata," Anko apologized as she tried to catch her breath. "Lady Kushina can be a little blunt sometimes, but that's just a clear indication that she likes you."

"It's true," Kushina assured her. "I'm glad that my son was able to find someone like you. I know he can be a handful, but once you get past that, he's a lovely young man."

Hinata smiled and nodded, "I think so too."

As they continued to chat, time drifted by. When Kidoumaru came and informed Kushina that it was nearly eight, it shocked the four of them, but they shared a laugh about it. Tayuya guided the women out of the loft, and as they headed down the steps, Kushina linked her arm with Hinata's.

"Just like I told you before, you can call me whenever you need something," Kushina reminded Hinata. "As far as you and I are concerned, you're family and I will be there at your side whenever you need me to be, just say the word, okay?"

Hinata smiled, "Okay. Thank you, Kushina."

"You're welcome, sweetie." Kushina gave Hinata a sweet peck on the cheek before releasing her arm and heading out to the street.

"There you are," Minato said as he tucked his phone into his inside jacket pocket and opened his arms. As Kushina wrapped her arms around him, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her slightly off the ground, "I've been waiting for what feels like forever for you."

Kushina rolled her eyes as Minato put her down and loosened his grip, "Honestly, you couldn't have been waiting out here that long."

"It's been two minutes," Kakashi admitted as Anko approached him and wrapped her arms around his waist. As Minato glared at him, Kakashi flashed an innocent smile before turning his attention to Anko, "Hey."

"I missed you," Anko confessed as she rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him. "Did you miss me?"

"Always," Kakashi assured her.

"Hi," Naruto greeted Hinata as she walked up to him. He wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed her forehead before looking down at her, "How are you?"

"I can't complain," Hinata confessed with a sweet smile. "And you? Did you go prepare for the quarter like Kushina told you to?"

Naruto chuckled, "I did actually. Sasuke and I decided that we would get separate apartments but be in the same building, and we finally found a place. We just went and put down our deposits plus first and last month's rent."

"Just in time for classes on Monday," Hinata mentioned and saw Naruto nod. She eyed him for a moment before fiddling with her fingers, "Your apartment, is it close to the campus? Or do you need to take a train?"

"It's about a fifteen-minute drive," Naruto informed her. "But, it's a stone's throw away from the Hyuuga Compound."

Hinata lit up, "Really?"

Naruto laughed at the way Hinata lit up and gently brushed some of her hair behind her ear, "Yeah. It's just outside of the suburban area of the Third Ward and in the industrial area. And with Konoha City University over in the Second Ward, it's not an impossible drive."

"I'll get to see you more often then?" Hinata asked.

"Of course," Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, "and you can even come over whenever you want." Naruto took ahold of Hinata's hand and placed the keys in her hand, "So, whenever you want to come over, feel free to come over."

"Is it really okay?" Hinata asked.

Naruto nodded, "It's okay."

Hinata smiled a bit and giggled when Naruto hugged her again and rocked back and forth with her.

"Come on," Naruto released Hinata and opened his passenger side door, "I'll drive you home."

"Thank you." Hinata stood on the tip of her toes and kissed his cheek. She giggled when a goofy grin formed on Naruto's lips. She looked over Naruto's shoulder and waved to Kushina who gave her a sweet smile before climbing into the back of Kakashi's car.

"I'll see you tomorrow for lunch," Naruto called as he made his way to the driver side.

"Don't be late," Minato requested before climbing into Minato's car.

Naruto chuckled and rolled his eyes before climbing into the driver's seat. He watched as Kakashi's car pulled off first, followed by Obito's and then Anko's. He pulled off after them and relaxed in his seat. Carefully, Hinata slid her hand over to Naruto's and smiled when he laced his fingers with hers.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata looked at him, "whenever you have business regarding Whirlwind, will you bring me along from now on?"

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked as he gently squeezed her hand. "A lot of it isn't just sitting down and meeting with others in a cordial setting."

"I suspected as much, but I want to be there," Hinata told him. "So, will you bring me along from now on?"

Naruto thought for a moment before bringing Hinata's hand up to his mouth and kissing the top of it. "Yeah, I'll bring you along. But if you want to leave, just let me know, and we'll leave, okay?"

Hinata nodded, "Okay."

After Naruto dropped Hinata off at home, he made his way towards his new apartment. As he arrived, he watched as one of the movers was just in the process of locking up. Naruto graciously thanked him for his, and his men's effort on such short noticed and provided him with a hefty tip that was enough to cause the man to blush and nearly kiss his feet.

Naruto waved him off as the man practically scurried down the hall and towards the elevator. He typed in his keycode and heard the lock click open. He walked in and flicked on the lights to his apartment for the first time.

It was a spacious luxury apartment that sat in the corner of his building, and he had the most outstanding view of Konoha from his living room through floor to ceiling windows. He removed his jacket and tossed it over his brand new soft leather sectional and tossed his keys into a decorative bowl that sat atop a sleek and glossy blacktop table that sat behind the couch.

He let out a heavy sigh of relief as he loosened his tie and made his way to the small sitting area set up at the corner of the room. He looked out over the city and watched as the sun began to set behind the horizon. He admired the view of his city as it became painted in hues of red and orange.

As he stood there admiring the view, he heard his phone ring. He checked the ID before answering, "Are you in your apartment?"

"Yeah, are you in yours?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, I just got in," Naruto answered as he stepped away from the window and climbed up a set of steps that led to the loft area where his bed was set up. "You're not going to do this every night, are you?"

"Only sometimes," Sasuke assured him. "But it would be a huge help if you actually texted me and let me know when you got home. Auntie and Uncle would kill me if anything happened to you."

"Well if you had only agreed to a single apartment, you wouldn't have this unnecessary stress," Naruto teased as he made his way into his walk-in closet and placed his shoes in their respective place on a shelf. "But at least we're in the same hallway."

"We lucked out with that one," Sasuke admitted. "Auntie and Uncle just contacted me though and told me that they're going to have a few members of Whirlwind move into the building and the two apartment buildings across the street. We don't own the building, so we don't have as much control as we would like."

"Ah, that's right." Naruto sucked his teeth as he removed his cufflinks, "Who owns it? The Nakamura Group, right?"

"Yeah," Sasuke answered. "Don't forget, we orientation tomorrow morning. Set your alarm for seven."

"Roger that," Naruto said as he placed his cufflinks into a cushioned case. "Good night."

"Good night."

Naruto hung up and dropped his phone onto the island in the center of his closet. "As Oji-chan would say, 'it seems it's time to start yet another chapter in this seemingly boundless realm of possibilities we call life.'" Naruto chuckled as his grandfather's quote, "Honestly."

To Be Continued…