Author's Note: Thank you all for your patience these last few weeks! I appreciated the comments I got in response to my hiatus that showed support and love. It means more to me more than you guys will possibly understand, so thank you for that. I'm doing slightly better, but all in all, my Writer's Block has greatly improved. We're back to our regularly scheduled stories!
Last Time:
At the mention of Naruto's name, Nozomi flared up. Kabuto wasn't sure when, but in just two seconds flat, Nozomi removed a knife from her jacket's pocket and had the blade pressed against his neck. He was stunned, and the crazed look in Nozomi's eyes was unlike anything he'd seen before.
"You keep Naruto-kun's name out of your mouth," Nozomi ordered. "I'm doing this so that Naruto-kun and I can finally be together. Having my father's company rebuild his home will show how caring and compassionate I am. I'm showing him that I can do things for him that Hinata could never do."
Kabuto swallowed hard, "Right."
Nozomi calmed down in the next instant and pulled away from Kabuto. She calmly folded her knife back and tucked it away into her jacket's pocket, "I'll wire you your money. I suppose an incapacitated Shikamaru is enough."
With that, Nozomi grabbed her purse and left. Kabuto rubbed his neck and felt a bit of blood at the tip of his fingers. He groaned, "This better be worth it."
Opposite Attract: Chapter 58 – The 26th Annual Hyuuga Enterprise Charitarian Masquerade Ball
Per usual, Konoha's Elite flocked to Hyuuga Enterprise's annual soiree that always guaranteed a night of expensive liquor and insightful gossip. Everyone came wearing designer dresses and specially hand-tailored suits that were all paired with handmade and one-of-a-kind masks.
Unbeknownst to many, the ball almost didn't happen because of last year's series of unfortunate events. Luckily, though, Naruto was more than willing to offer an extra layer of protection for the night's affairs and brought on members of Whirlwind to serve as "plains clothes" security. With the extra layer of security on top of their usual hires, Hiashi and Hiyori were more than thankful for Naruto's assistance.
Naruto made sure to keep quiet about Shikamaru's unfortunate accident, and convinced the two of them that it was just a mugging turned sour. Fortunately, Hiashi and Hiyori bought the lie and accepted that there wasn't much for them to worry about. However, Naruto could only worry about who might've attacked Shikamaru, and wondered if Orochimaru would pull the same stunt Baji pulled just a year ago.
"Fox."
Naruto looked up from his watch and saw Hinata was standing just in front of him. He could see the concerned look in her eyes through the holes in her mask, and he gave her a reassuring smile to ease her nerves. He noticed she held two glasses of champagne, and he took one for himself before placing a gentle kiss on Hinata's cheek.
"Thank you, Love." Naruto lightly tapped his glass against Hinata's before downing half the flute's contents. He let out a heavy sigh as he took a look around, and he could see a few members of Whirlwind lingering nearby and pretending not to be watching Naruto.
"Hey," Hinata regained Naruto's attention as she slipped her hand onto his bicep and gently squeezed it, "relax."
Naruto automatically pursed his lips together. He was trying his best to keep his worries beneath the surface, but it was getting harder and harder with each passing second. "It's hard to relax, given the circumstances."
"I know," Hinata agreed. "But there's not much we can do right not but wait for Shikamaru to wake up. Last time we checked, the doctor said he was stable and is making steady progress with his recovery, so it could be any day now that he wakes up."
"Even with that in mind, I can't help but worry about who attacked him and why they did it," Naruto explained. "There are too many unknown factors in all of this situation, and I can't help but feel uneasy about it all."
"Breath," Hinata encouraged as she stood in front of Naruto. "Patience is a virtue, remember?"
"Patience is a virtue," Naruto repeated quietly before finishing the rest of his champagne. "Right. Sorry. Stressing out about it won't fix anything."
Hinata smiled a bit, "Good. Now let's go mingle. I promised my parents I would be more talkative with guests this year."
"You mean I don't get you all to myself?" Naruto whined then chuckled when Hinata nudged him. He put his hand on her waist and gently kissed her forehead before making their way through the party.
Together, Hinata and Naruto stopped and talked to as many guests are they could recognize despite their masks. It was charming to see the two of them together, striking up conversations about anything and everything and be able to maintain an engaging discussion for an acceptable amount of time before moving on to the next set of guests. Naruto had many of the guests laughing while Hinata charmed them with natural ease. It was almost as fascinating to watch as it was to participate.
Some time passed before the two of them finally came across Minato and Kushina, who seemed to be off by themselves in one corner. They appeared to be chatting about something when Hinata and Naruto approached, but they quickly ceased their conversation and greeted the two of them.
"You look lovely as always, Dear," Kushina gushed as she held Hinata at arms-length and took in the sight of her. Hinata wore a medium-length black lace dress paired with ballerina strapped heels. Her hair was curled and wavy over her right shoulder, and she wore simple diamond jewelry that wasn't too gaudy or attention-seeking.
"Thank you," Hinata accepted Kushina's compliments. "Are you two enjoying yourselves?"
"We always do," Minato assured her as he shook Naruto's hand. "We saw the two of you making your way through the party earlier. You're a couple of naturals are mingling."
"Thank you," Naruto and Hinata said together before smiling at one another.
"You two are just the cutest," Kushina noted.
"Pardon me."
Naruto and Hinata looked between them to see Nozomi casually squeeze between the two of them and lace her arm with Naruto's. Hinata exchanged a look with Naruto, who looked just as confused as her. Minato, on the other hand, seemed curious, whereas Kushina clearly wore a fake smile.
"Good evening," Minato greeted Nozomi politely with an extended hand.
"Good evening," Nozomi returned his greeting in a sickenly sweet tone as she extended her own hand and took his. They exchanged a firm handshake before she directed her attention towards Kushina, "Good evening, ma'am. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Good evening," Kushina spoke curtly as she directed her eyes to where Nozomi was touching her son. "Dear," Kushina looked at Hinata, "you know I wouldn't be asking you this in any other situation, but I'm going to request permission to break the rules. Oh, but do understand that I intended to break them anyway."
"You have clemency, Lady Kushina," Hinata granted Kushina permission to break the oh-so sacred rules of a Hyuuga Enterprise Charitarian Masquerade Ball. It was one of those unknown, yet slightly well-known rules, where you could ask a Hyuuga for permission to bend the previously established three rules.
"I take it you're Nakamura Nozomi, yes?" Kushina asked politely.
Nozomi nodded, "I am. I just wanted to come over and meet the two of you. I've heard a lot about you, and I was just eager to meet the most talked about couple in Konoha. Well, second-most talked about couple."
"Yes, my son and his girlfriend certainly do attract more than enough attention," Kushina commented, and couldn't help but notice the slight twitch at the corner of Nozomi's mouth.
"I suppose we should be thanking your family's company for offering their services in rebuilding our estate," Minato noted. "It truly means a lot."
Nozomi looked to Minato, "There's really no need to thank us, Mister Minato. Just consider it a kind gesture from one property developer to another. We were really sorry to hear about the fire, so it only made sense that we offer whatever help we could."
"How do you know our son?" Kushina asked.
"We're classmates at the university," Naruto answered.
"And neighbors," Nozomi added.
"Oh, you live in the same building?" Kushina asked.
"The same hallway," Hinata answered.
"She's my next-door neighbor, Okaa-chan," Naruto added.
Kushina's smile faded, and all feigned sweetness she was maintaining disappeared instantly, "Son, do you mind if I speak to you? Privately."
"Um, sure." Naruto slipped his arm away from Nozomi's grasp and joined his mother to a secluded corner away from the majority of the party. He looked back to see that Hinata and Minato started to chat with one another while Nozomi stood awkwardly to the side.
"You're moving," Kushina told him.
Naruto blinked a few times, "Okaa-chan?"
"You're moving," Kushina repeated. "I don't like that girl, and I get a gross vibe from her. I especially don't like how she looked at you just before she walked over."
"What're you talking about?" Naruto was genuinely confused.
"You are moving," Kushina repeated once more. "I do not like that girl, and I do not trust her. Your father and I will set you up with a room in the hotel tonight, and if you want to stay there permanently, we'll arrange that for you as well. Otherwise, you're going to find yourself a new apartment that isn't owned by the Nakamura Group."
"A vast majority of the apartment buildings in Konoha are owned by the Nakamura Group," Naruto noted. "It's going to be next to impossible for me to find an apartment that they don't own."
"Next to impossible," Kushina tapped his nose, "which means that there are buildings in Konoha that aren't owned by the Nakamura Group. And if you don't find anything you like, then I guess the Sannin Group will just need to get into residential properties."
Naruto sighed, "I rarely question your judgment, Okaa-chan –."
"Rarely?" Kushina raised an eyebrow.
"I never question your judgment," Naruto corrected himself, "so I'll move out tomorrow."
"Good." Kushina patted Naruto's cheek before glancing over towards Nozomi. She saw the way she seemed to stare intensely at Naruto, but the minute Nozomi noticed Kushina looking in their direction, she wore the sweetest look. Kushina, on the other hand, didn't bother to fix her own stoic expression. "She seems like the type who would put cameras up."
Naruto turned pale, "What was that?"
"Hm?" Kushina saw the sunken expression on her son's face, "Naruto-kun?"
"Excuse me." Naruto squeezed his mother's hand before hurrying off.
Kushina sighed and shook her head before taking her place at her husband's side, "Dear, he seems to be upset about something. Would you mind going after him?"
"Of course not." Hinata took Minato's hand and squeezed it before kissing Kushina's cheek. "Please enjoy the rest of your evening."
"You do the same," Kushina said as Hinata hurried off after Naruto. With Hinata gone, that just left Kushina and Minato with Nozomi, who seemed to ooze a sickly sweet aura that simply made Kushina sick to her stomach. "I suppose you should go and mingle with some more guests, Nozomi."
"I suppose so," Nozomi agreed. "Once again, it was a pleasure meeting the two of you." With that, Nozomi bowed respectfully towards the two of them and wandered off.
"Ugh," Kushina groaned. "There is something seriously off about that girl."
"I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her," Minato added as his smile disappeared. "I hope you told him to move?"
"I most certainly did," Kushina assured him.
Elsewhere, Naruto made his way through the party in search of a particular set of brothers. It took him a moment, but once he spotted ashen complexion against a tailored grey suit, he approached the two of them.
"Master," Sai greeted Naruto politely. "You look like you need something."
"Is it possible for you to trace the origin of those cameras you found in my apartment?" Naruto asked.
"Cameras?"
Naruto turned and saw Hinata just behind him, "Love."
"What cameras in what apartment?" Hinata asked.
Sai and Shin exchanged looks as Naruto struggled to find the right words, but it wasn't necessary. Suddenly, everyone's phones chimed in a chorus of notifications, and as people began to pull out their phones, there was a chorus of gasps and chatter that erupted almost immediately.
Then Naruto noticed that a cluster of eyes was suddenly on him and Hinata. Naruto watched as Hinata pulled her own phone from the clutch she carried with her, and a horrified expression covered her face in a matter of seconds. Tears streamed down her face without warning, and as Naruto took her phone, he could see what everyone else had seen.
Plastered in bolden letters across Hinata's screen was "Hyuuga Heiress and Sannin Inheritor Raunceous Affairs." Below were a series of videos taken from Naruto's apartment and other not-so-private places. They'd been uploaded to an anonymous account on a streaming site.
"Trace this," Naruto demanded of Sai and Shin, and the two of them nodded immediately. He looked at Hinata, "Hinata."
Hinata didn't talk. She couldn't. She began to hyperventilate at the thought of those private moments with Naruto becoming public. Then she caught sight of her mother's and father's expression as they saw the screenshots attached to the article that had spread like wildfire. The room suddenly began to spin, and before she could calm herself down, she blacked out.
Naruto caught her before she hit the ground, "Hinata! Oi, Hinata!"
"Tell me what you need." Sasuke had appeared by Naruto's side in a matter of seconds.
"Get my car," Naruto requested. He stood with Hinata in his arms and followed Sasuke as he parted the crowd for them.
"Well, I certainly didn't expect you to stoop so low as to release that footage," Kabuto muttered as he stood leaning against a pillar as Nozomi approached him.
"I didn't like the way his mother looked at me," Nozomi commented. "I figured if I showed her that Hinata is nothing but a cock-starving slut, she'd be nothing if not a little bit nicer towards me. After all, I'm the best choice for her son."
"Sure," Kabuto agreed.
To Be Continued…