Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.


Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys I'm back again with another chapter and this one is going to be exciting for Naruto and Hinata both. Their relationship is put to the test with the introduction of a familiar movie character. Naruto's personally requested on his day off to perform a mission for a certain someone who turns out to be more of a handful than what they bargained for, even if she's paying them a fortune. Foreshadowing for the future is coming with the team receiving a warning that they can't possibly overlook. Hinata gets a lot of attention in this chapter as jealousy sets in causing the shy and reserved heiress to act out in surprising ways.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy!


Chapter 81

The Demon Priestess

"Come here Ai, it's laundry time!" Naruto's voice called out with a joyful tone to it. Naruto was currently taking on a different kind of battle right now and that was dealing with the hustle and bustle of his children on laundry day. One would ask how there could be such a dramatic tone shift from what Naruto just went through with the criminals of the Hidden Stone all the way to going back to the domestic life of a father and the answer to that question was simple.

It's been a week since Naruto and Patrol Squad 9 returned from their mission as they were called back and relieved of duty following this unexpected assault. This was a very detrimental position that this situation put Tsunade in as she took several measures following this incident. The first of which was to send an entire battalion sized force up to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass. It was more of a show of force rather than anything else, but it was also meant to be an insurance policy against any actual invasion from the Hidden Stone. The village was also running low on personnel as they were still recovering from the joint Sand and Sound invasion so there was only so much the new Hokage could do in this situation. Taking preemptive measures Tsunade also dispatched additional forces to the northeastern border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water. This was meant to protect them from any incursion by the Land of Lightning.

No one was dumb enough to simply ignore the Hidden Cloud at a time like this when such a bizarre, yet dangerous incident just occurred. Tsunade didn't put it pass the hot headed Fourth Raikage to try something sneaky at such a turbulent time as this. He's done it many time in the past before and he'd do it again if given the chance. On top of the forces being deployed to those two major borders it was already set in motion that an entire battalion of shinobi would be placed at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice which holds the Hidden Sound Village. Following the failed invasion, tensions were very high between the two countries and not wanting to have a repeat of what happened with the invasion the entire region was locked down as a result. Not a single Sound Shinobi would be able to move anywhere outside of their country. If they tried to go west, they would be going into the Land of Iron's territory and no one was stupid enough to do that… that was the home country of the legendary Samurai Clans. If they went east, they would have to go through the Land of Hot Water who would not welcome them within their borders in the slightest and they would still have a difficult time of invading the Land of Fire still as the Hidden Leaf would see them coming from a mile away.

As things stood now with the general state of affairs going on tensions were shimmering beneath the surface. With so many legions of shinobi deployed in this time of crisis the Land of Fire's most western border with the Land of Rivers was very undefended, but it was the general consensus that the Hidden Sand had surrendered completely with no threat of further retaliation coming from the Land of Wind that was on the opposite side of the country filled with hundreds of beautiful rivers. It also went without saying that they would warn the Hidden Leaf if the Hidden Stone tried to be sneaky and move their forces through the Hidden Sand's home country. Everything was at a tense stalemate with no possible end in sight. This was a complete mess and something Tsunade didn't want to deal with so soon after beginning her reign.

Another thing to happen was the fact the Fire Daimyō himself had to be notified of this dangerous situation. The second Saitou heard about the dire situation Naruto had been in he immediately rushed to the village to greet him which was incredibly embarrassing. He would have been fine with just Saitou showing up but the fact that he brought little Naho with him didn't escape Naruto's observation. He knew what the sly old man was trying to do, and he wouldn't fall for it. He could have done without the tremendous water works that the father and daughter duo lavished him with. It was ridiculously over dramatic. They cried enough for Naruto to not want to use his Water Style ever again.

After confirming that his new "friend" was safe although Naruto would classify himself as a potential suitor with the way this crafty old man thinks the Fire Daimyō then switched gears and became serious. An emergency Daimyō Summit was then held immediately following this where in not so many polite terms Saitou bullied the Land of Earth's Daimyō who's name was Ogawa Tsuchi. His blood line has been the Daimyō of the Land of Earth for well over 200 years at this point, but it had nothing on the 1000 plus years that the Madoka family blood line has existed in the world. From what Naruto had heard from Shoko who was a witness to the long distance live on-screen chat between the two leaders it was a shouting match from both men as Ogawa was a very stern and impatient man in his own right.

This lengthy discussion would go on for well over four hours with a portion of it spent with the two men in a more heated debate about the repercussions following the false invasion of the Land of Fire. It was a lot to go over but, in the end, Saitou's will won out over Ogawa's as the Land of Earth was made to pay a sizeable fine towards his country that would put a monetary and military dent in the Land of Earth. This obviously didn't sit well with Ogawa, but his foot was pretty much in his mouth since there was no way he could refute or deny the fact that Ōnoki the Third Tsuchikage knew about this unsanctioned actions when Ogawa was forced to question him on it.

With no other choice but to appease the demands of the actual victims of this attack, Ogawa was forced to pay a hefty compensation towards Saitou and his court. Ōnoki was also formally punished for his part to play in this affair since it was pretty much agreed upon by everyone present that it would be impossible to fully pin the responsibilities of this incident on Balalaika. You couldn't properly punish this woman who had such a massive grip on the criminal underworld and no one present wanted to openly admit that a portion of their economy dealt with the underworld to help stimulate every country. The only true evidence they had was the metallic balls implanted into the necks of the prisoners and while that smelled suspiciously of Balalaika's Steel Style Kekkei Genkai, you couldn't pin it on the woman even if your life depended on it.

The prison guards and staff that worked at the prison also weren't helpful in the slightest as they all denied ever seeing the King Pin ever showing up at the facility. The obvious fact that some of the guards resigned and or ended up moving with their families out of the Hidden Stone Village didn't go over the heads of anyone but it was at this point that everyone knew that this was a dead end. It was pointless to do anything to the crafty woman and everyone present knew it.

A secret meeting was held between Dino and Balalaika in Tanzaku town the following day with Balalaika actually surprising the old draconic man by apologizing. She explained her motives and reasonings behind doing what she did, and the senior crime boss wasn't pleased with the reckless actions of the powerful woman. Admitting to her faults the King Pin of Hotel Moscow took preemptive measures by paying a substantial amount of money and other resources to Dino as a show of faith that she wouldn't overstep her boundaries again. Of course, the peace offering Dino was given didn't really amount to much and didn't hurt Balalaika's pockets in the slightest, but this notion wasn't lost on either faction leader who left this glaring oversight unspoken.

As things stood now, Naruto had the last few days off for recovery and he was given awards for his bravery. Chūnin and Jōnin he's never met before came to congratulate him and even took him and the other members of Squad 9 out to celebrate. This novel experience of celebrating with an entire crowd of people he didn't even know ended up being to much for Naruto to handle as he left the party early despite the protest of his teammates and other party members. Naruto hated himself for even feeling this… but he remembered a time in the not so distant past that not everyone in the village used to be this nice to him. With his photographic memory he even recognized a few ninja in the room with them that used to not be the kindest individuals to him as a child.

It was all to overwhelming for Naruto to handle who left leaving a slightly somber mood over the atmosphere of the local restaurant he was taken too. Kosuke and his other teammates knew what was really bothering Naruto who left with a forced smile that was slipping off his face the longer he lingered in the establishment. Kosuke himself knew better than anyone since he was an old friend of Hiruzen who took care of Naruto growing up. With a heavy heart the eternal Genin explained to everyone present what was really going through Naruto's mind which further brought down the mood of everyone present. They knew they had a lot to repent and make up for with the way Naruto's childhood went.

Coming home Naruto was happy to spend the time with all of his children and Shoko who decided to stick around since she hasn't had a lot of time to spend with her surrogate son. Laughter and the pitter patter of feet rung in Naruto's ear as he watched little Ai come running up to him with a laundry basket held above her head.

"Here you go papa! Are you going to turn on the machine now!?" This was without a doubt one of Ai's favorite things to do now ever since discovering the wonder of the Washing Machine and Dryer. It was a relatively new invention to come out in the last 7 years or so. The invention was a very useful one that helped with cleaning clothes a lot faster than the old traditional way of using a wooden scrubbing rack to wash your clothes. "Yep… do you want to do the honors Ai?" Naruto grinned as he picked the tiny 4-year-old up and held her out to the button on the convenient cleaning machine.

Pressing the button with her tiny little fingers Ai's eyes lit up in excitement when the machine turned on an audible rumble was heard ringing out a pleasant consistent sound that caused the little mermaid girl to squeal in delight. A warm smile couldn't be kept off of Naruto's face even if he himself tried as he watched the childish and innocent wonder on his youngest child's face. The simple things in life as they say. These were the moments that he lived for.

"Yeah this thing is cool and all but how did you get your hands on one Naruto? Didn't you say these things were expensive?" Dai inquired as he was standing with Naruto as well. He was preparing another load to be washed after this one was finished and he himself couldn't keep the smile off his face at seeing the happiness on his youngest sisters face. He was just curious to know how his guardian could afford this thing when he told them he got it years ago when it was first made public.

"Uhh… Shoko got it for me…" Naruto's answer was as pathetic as the poker face he was currented sporting. He sure as hell wasn't going to tell his kids… especial the boys that he stole these machines years ago when he had to go out on supply runs around the village. Times were rough for him back then since he wasn't even allowed in most stores back in the day. It was quite the story Naruto could tell about how he got both those heavy machines all the way from a warehouse store on the other side of the village to his apartment as a little kid, but he would be damned if he didn't take that story with him to the grave. It was bad enough he passed on his more questionable habits to Iris and Chaos. He wasn't going to make the same mistake with his new children.

A snicker from Shoko who was nearby listening in on this conversation prompted Naruto to level her with a potent pout and glare combination. He wasn't going to allow her to call him out on his terrible bluff. "I'm going to go get dinner started… what would you like guys?" Naruto called out as Chaos seemingly teleported in from thin air, drool was escaping her mouth since the little Angeloid was hungry. "Yakisoba!" This was Chaos's first pick and one the others were soon to join in on as everyone in the house had a general consensus that they enjoyed this noodle dish. Even Naruto couldn't deny he loved the rich flavoring of these noodles.

"Alright then… Yakisoba coming right up!"

It was the next morning and everyone was getting up to start their day. A knock came to the front door of the Uzumaki household and the first to the door was Shoko who came back a minute later with a certain look in her eye. "Sweetie, we've been summoned to the Hokage Tower. It looks like we have an impromptu mission." A sigh escaped Naruto's lips as he and the children were sitting around the table eating breakfast. He was planning on spending the day with them. He still had two off days stored up from the whole fiasco he just endured days prior. Now that plan was out the window. To say the children were upset would be an understatement as Naruto had to pacify the upset children before he left.

He agreed that it wasn't fair that he be called away on a mission while on his off day, but he had no choice in the matter. It didn't take long for Naruto to get dressed and be ready to head out as he and Shoko soon left the apartment with Aria once again watching over the children. They would be heading over to the casino to spend their day under the protection and watchful eye of Dino and the mafia.


Hokage Administration Building / Mission Assignment Venue

He would try his best, but Naruto didn't know how much restraint he could show about keeping the irritation off his face. This was supposed to be his off day to spend with his family. He shouldn't even be on the active duty roster to participate in missions and the fact that Shoko was tagging along who was recently reinstated as a shinobi of the village meant that this was something specific being asked of them.

Coming upon the mission assignment desk in the wide-open patio like room Naruto saw Lady Tsunade sitting behind the very long desk with Shizune standing dutifully behind her. All along the desk were many other seats filled with Chūnin staffers all handing out assignments and filing away files of importance. There was a certain hustle and bustle to the room that Naruto has come to associate with this wing of the administration building. Taking in Tsunade's appearance Naruto noted that she wasn't wearing the traditional ceremonial robes of the Hokage nor the esteemed Hokage hat. It was a stark contrast compared to how Naruto remembered the Third Hokage. Hiruzen prided himself on his position as a Kage and always wore the ceremonial clothes to be a visible symbol to his people who he would take afternoon walks around the village to greet.

Bowing to the Kage of their village out of custom and respect both Naruto and Shoko looked up expectantly at the Slug Princess who motioned for them to come closer to the table. "You're not wearing the robes of the Hokage…?" Naruto pointed out, but it came out a little harsher than what he meant it to as Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the tone taken with her. "Naruto…!" Shoko admonished as she elbowed him in the side with a disappointed look on her face.

"I'm sorry… that didn't come out the way I wanted it to. I'm just upset I'm being called in on my off days. My kids are starting to become restless with me. I hate doing this to them after promising them time together. I've only just got them used to the fact that I have some duties to perform on my actual work days that I can't ignore. They begrudgingly accepted that but now this is just ridiculous." Naruto revealed with a flustered and irritated expression on his face that got an understanding and soft look to come to Tsunade's eyes as she watched were Naruto's eyes were lingering too. There was a portrait picture of Hiruzen hanging high above them on the wall behind the mission table. It was directly above Tsunade's head were the Hokage traditionally sits. She understood that Naruto was trying to vent. He was still mourning the loss of such an important loved one in his life.

"I understand your frustrations. I'm different than how Sarutobi sensei was Naruto. I'm my own person and so there are going to be slight changes around here. I personally prefer to not wear the robes on every occasion. Besides, they're a little tight and restrictive on me for certain reasons." Tsunade admitted softly but towards the end she couldn't help the small smirk that wanted to split her face in half. A massive blush was on Naruto's face as his eyes unintentionally panned down to Tsunade's massive bust. Her cleavage was always out for the whole world to see which made it hard for his young pubescent mind to focus on anything else.

An understanding yet exasperated look was on Shoko's face as she understood the struggles her sensei had to face. She too had a very large and prominent bust size which made it more of a challenge for Shoko to find certain clothing and undergarments that she'd like. She had to shop in the higher digit sized sections of her favorite female stores and it was most definitely not because she was fat… she just had extra weight in other key featured areas of her body.

"I understand Lady Tsunade… I'm sorry." He truly was sorry as his frustrations were simply getting the better of him. He'd much rather be home right now than anywhere else. "It's quite alright Naruto… now the reason you are being called in is because you were personally requested to be apart of this mission. The client requested you personally and wants you to be apart of this escort mission. Because of all the recent attention you've been receiving lately and my personal interest in protecting you I opted to have Shoko here be team leader while you will be working with very familiar friends."

This statement was punctuated by the opening of the room door with Hinata and Shikamaru both walking in with Chūnin vests over their standard clothes. The bored look on his favorite friends face and the happy loved filled one on the beautiful face of his girlfriend were sights to definitely be seen as Naruto appreciated this forethought on Lady Tsunade's part more than she'd ever know. This was a well-balanced team that could protect a client with multiple different ways to do so. In every capacity Naruto and Hinata served as the heavy hitters and front-line battle types while Shikamaru served as the perfect support and strategist of the team as well as the closest guard to their client. Both Naruto and Hinata also had excellent ways of sensing and scouting the area around to weed out any threats against their client. While Shikamaru would serve as the perfect person to capture and immobilize any enemy at a moments notice.

This was a very well-balanced team and with Shoko tagging along that would instantly deter almost any kind of threat possible. She could fill every role the three of them could do but better. Having one of the Legendary Titan's as a squad lead instantly gave you an advantage against practically any kind of threat.

Coming to stand besides Naruto with a smile on her face Hinata gently squeezed her hand with his before standing at attention along with Shikamaru who gave a lazy wave in greeting. They would talk later… but for now it was mission time. "I have brought you all together because we have a special VIP client that wants a small tore around the local area of the Land of Fire. She requested Naruto in particular which has both my curiosity and caution peaked which is why I brought his closest friends together to guard him in the event anything goes wrong." Tsunade explained as Hinata and Shikamaru both looked to Naruto with various levels of concern on their faces.

"This is an automatic A – Rank protection and escort mission due to the fact that your client is the Priestess of the Land of Demons. She is its country's ruling body and as such she will be afforded this mission level and services. She's also a foreigner to the mainland continent as the Land of Demons is on the opposite continent past the Land of Waters and the Rishi Maze. I don't have to say this but please represent the Hidden Leaf in a good light. She's a young girl around your age and I don't know if this was intentional or not, but she paid the price for three S – Rank Mission. She's dumped a ridiculous amount money on us and I hate to sound like this, but we must put on the best face possible in this situation." Tsunade explained as all three recent Chūnin had their jaws a tad bit unhinged at the amount of money this young girl just so carelessly spent.

Apparently, money was no object to this girl if she's doing all of this just for the added bonus of meeting Naruto. Who was she… and more importantly how did she seem to know Naruto? This was the thought process of everyone involved as Tsunade handed over the mission scroll to Shoko who pocketed it. It was time to leave. "You are scheduled to meet her at the docks in South Fork Wharf Town. The trading hub their will be responsible for bringing her ship into port. I trust you are familiar with the place?" Tsunade explained before she paused upon seeing the dark look that came to Naruto's face and the look of recollection on Shoko's face. They were familiar with that place alright… how could they not be. It was the place where Shoko nearly died.


South Fork Wharf Town / Tourist Dock 1

"This place has changed so much since I was last here." Shoko mentioned with an absent-minded look to her wise purple eyes as she looked around the now much bigger port. The city itself as well as the port have expanded and got a face lift since the time Shoko was here years ago. It was now much cleaner and brighter with a massive improvement to the logistics of the trading hub. The place looked inviting to say the least.

"Tsk… please don't remind me of how it used to be Shoko. I want to leave as soon as we are done here." Naruto grumbled as this time he failed to keep the scowl off is face. This was the town in which Shoko nearly died, it was were she met and took in Aria, and it was the first true clue into the Four War Gods as Gōra had destroyed the docks in his surprise attack on Shoko that nearly killed her. He could forgive Gōra since he was being mind controlled and he's long since shed the negativity he harbored with Aria that he was able to get rid of soon after being introduced to her. But he would always associate this town with being the place where he almost lost his mother figure. It was on that day that he realized just how much he loved Shoko and how much she meant to him. This town was dead to Naruto as far as he was concerned.

A tender look came to Shoko's face as she stopped walking causing the others to come to a stop as well. "Hey… that's all in the past now sweetheart. I'm fine remember. I'm here now and everything is fine. Let go of this animosity okay. It will poison your heart. Be mindful of how it will affect Chaos." Shoko tenderly stated as she planted a soft kiss onto Naruto's cheek causing the young boy to blush in embarrassment. "Shoko… not in front of the others." Naruto whined as Hinata giggled at the cute sight while Shikamaru rolled his eyes while mumbling troublesome underneath his breath. Mothers were overrated as far as he was concerned… his mother being the prime example of course.

Chuckling at the embarrassment that she could cause to her son in all but blood the Legendary Titan continued her pace with the others falling in behind her. Iris and Chaos were of course looking around the area with childish excitement as they watched the cranes and pulleys move around with large cargo containers attached to them. The port was operating at full capacity right now and up ahead the team could see a foreign royal ship docked at the port. It was a long Yacht with gold trims in certain areas of it. It looked fancy and something that Naruto was definitely not used to. He didn't have anything fancy in his home. The entire apartment building was an old fixer upper that was held together by his hopes and dreams. It had rustic character to it that Naruto personally gravitated to since it's all he's ever known. It was probably why his inner mindscape for the Nine Tails looked like that…

Reaching the ramp attached to the royal cruise liner the team presented themselves while waiting for their client. It would be a minute later when a young girl accompanied by her decent sized entourage appeared at the ramp way. She was very beautiful with pale platinum blond hair flowing down her back that was tied into a short ponytail at the very end. She had striking lavender colored eyes with a deep magenta tint to them that gave them a very unique and prominent look to them.

On her head she wore a pure gold crown like headdress while she was adorned in a lavender kimono that had accents of magenta and other similar shades contrasting together to pull the design together into something beautiful that one would think suited the young girl. Naruto estimated that she was the same age as him and his friends being 12 almost 13 years old. She was undeniably beautiful with a certain ethereal look to her that had Naruto and Hinata sharing a quick glance between the two of them.

This was the girl that had requested Naruto in particular… how did she even know him or know of him for that matter when her home country was on the opposite side of the world? They didn't even learn about the Land of Demons while they were still in the academy. The affairs of the continent of Solitas didn't usually concern those in the Elemental Nations which their continent was actually called Anima. They were thousands of miles away after all, so they rarely got visitors from that smaller continent to the far east. The furthest contact has always been the Land of Water which is the closest landmass to Solitas with the Rishi Maze separating the two on the Land of Water's north eastern and far eastern edges. The land of Water was also the furthest eastern point of the territory the continent of Anima owned and was a part of the Elemental Nations. The Rishi Maze was a neutral barrier island chain that didn't belong to any continent and separated the western hemisphere from the eastern hemisphere of the planet.

This was definitely a treat for the natives of the Land of Fire to meet a foreigner who just so happened to be the ruler of her country. This was sure to be an interesting visit as the young girl walked down the boarding ramp with her entourage of followers and attendances dutifully falling in line behind her. Two stood out to the group in particular and they were older men acting as her bodyguards. The leader of her protection detail was a young man by the name of Taruho who was devoted to the protection of his Priestess with his very life.

Taruho had short shoulder-length brown hair and pupil-less navy-blue eyes. He wore red rectangular glasses and a traditional attire that consisted of a green vest with grey armored chest plate over a white and light purple collared kimono jacket, purple hakama, sandals and a black eboshi. Along with his outfit was a red quiver strapped to his back filled with arrows. His loyalty and dutiful disposition was unflinching as his trusted partner and fellow bodyguard Susuki walked on his other side.

Susuki was a very stocky man with a wide face, beady eyes, and neck-length brown hair that thickly covers his ears in noticeable cascading layers. He wore the typical traditional attire of Shion's guards, which consists of a green vest over a white shirt, with purple hakama, sandals and a tall hat. Along with the attire is a quiver strapped to his back.

Along with these two men were eight other similarly dressed men bringing the total number of guards to ten. Behind them was a long line of handmaidens and attendees who were all young girls shrouded head to toe in cloaks and kimonos meant to wait on the Priestess's every whim at all times of the day or night no matter the circumstances. The team couldn't see these girls faces as they were covered in a small cloth to further obscure their identity.

'This is quite the show being demonstrated… I forgot how extra royals tend to be. This is going to be one interesting mission.' Shoko dryly thought to herself as she could see a full crew still stationed on the ship with an even larger complement of guards visibly seen. It would seem like the priestess's detail was a lot larger than Shoko anticipated. Stretching out her senses the powerful woman could detect a total of 20 more guards on board the expensive vessel with an extra complement of 35 crew and other staff members. Probably more attendants and servants if the Titan had to guess. It was quite the procession, but Shoko counted her lucky stars that it was nothing in comparison to the spectacle that is put on when the Fire Daimyō travels. The word ridiculous would be an understatement if Shoko were to describe what his entourage looked like.

Reaching solid ground for the first time in nearly a month the young girl immediately zeroed in on Naruto before making a be-line straight for him. No one was able to get a word in before the girl was upon Naruto in seconds. "It's you… I finally get to meet you in person." The girl beamed as she grabbed Naruto's hand into her own while her lavender colored eyes bored into his own with an intensity that was quickly making Naruto very uncomfortable.

The most neutral look Naruto has ever seen was on Hinata's face right now and that was sending an electric surge of fear up and down his spine. He's mentioned it before, but he wasn't sure of Hinata's personality response to jealousy. Was she the normal jealous type that would be very vocal and animated about their displeasure or would her soft spoken and meek nature make her more quiet and docile in her own negative feelings. Naruto wasn't sure where Hinata landed on this spectrum… it's long since been confirmed that Eva was definitely the possessive and jealous type. She didn't like to share him with those she didn't trust or like. He belong to her… not that he minded this notion of course, but that was getting off topic.

He could already feel a slight stirring from the top of his head. It would seem Eva didn't like what was happening right now, not that he could blame his faithful partner. He was uncomfortable right now with this girl invading his personal space so abruptly like this… especially since this was happening in front of both his girlfriend and mother figure.

"Uh… uhmm… it's nice to meet you priestess. May I ask how do…" Naruto began to greet awkwardly as he tried to ignore the very obvious sensation of the priestess's hands in his own. They were incredibly soft and smooth to the touch. Even Hinata's hands weren't this soft and that was saying something since her hands were the softest Naruto's ever felt from a girl his age… not that he's actually had as much exposure to his fellow female peers such as the other kunoichi like Sakura and Ino.

"… How do I know your name?" The girl interrupted Naruto by finishing off his sentence. Clamming up after this Naruto just decided to shake his head yes while Shikamaru could be seen in the background shaking his head in disappointment and exasperation. 'Girls are troublesome. I can already sense the drama incoming from a mile away and Naruto's going to be caught right in the middle of it all. Unlucky bastard… I feel bad.' Shikamaru sighed even in his mid as he leaned against a nearby rail while the priestess's entourage fanned out and surrounded the group.

"My name is Shion and I saw you in my vision a while ago. You were in my dreams and after seeing you I knew I had to seek you out to find you myself. You and I are meant to meet and be together. Our futures are intertwined somehow, I just know it." The now named Shion stated causing a pregnant pause to hang over the entire group present. Even her own guards and servants had shell shocked looks on their faces.

'Oh shit… this just took a dramatic turn. I wonder how Hinata is going to take that statement? It's pretty ambiguous… but to a 12-year-old girl who recently got together with her first boyfriend and best friend this could be interpreted many different ways. I know how I would have reacted.' Shoko snickered in her mind as she didn't want to admit it out loud that she liked juicy drama, particularly the relationship kind. That always made for grade A entertainment in Shoko's opinion but with the fact this drama was coming for her beloved son and his girlfriend made the tall woman hold off on her sense of humor. This could actually escalate to be a problem depending on how it was handled.

Whether it was by pure luck, sheer coincidence, or by divine intervention which unknowingly enough on the Titan's part it was the last scenario Shoko just so happened to pan her eyes over to Iris and Chaos at that exact moment and looking at Iris in particular Shoko could see that the girls eyes were glowing an ethereal emerald green. 'She knows something as usual… what is going on?'

'They are meant to be together… she saw him in her dream?' Hinata wasn't taking this explosive bomb of a revelation really well right now as she tried her best to keep an iron clad poker face in check using every lesson taught to her by the Hyūga clan. While her face was unflinching her heart wasn't. This was something she couldn't even begin to fathom. Naruto was her best friend and boyfriend. They were partners until the end just like how he and Eva were. Hinata's mind immediately flashed back to the unexpected and embarrassing conversation that they had with the Fire Daimyō. As she concluded back then and confirmed to herself… the topic and discussion of children were a million miles away for the young couple since Naruto already has 8 children to care for and who knows if that number won't expand in the future knowing his personality and luck. While that topic could wait the idea of marriage wasn't so far-fetched.

It was an unspoken agreement between the two friends back then when they were caught in the middle of that turbulent conversation that the notion of marriage could wait for at least a decade from now. But that didn't mean they couldn't or wouldn't be willing to get married before then if the stars ever so happened to align. The two already acted like a married couple and the level of their trust and bond towards each other was on a level all onto its own. They wouldn't mind marriage at all and even though they just recently got together in an actual official relationship the true reality of the situation was the two best friends have been together for years even if they didn't know it.

In Hinata's mind she wouldn't let anything, or anyone get in the way of her new relationship with Naruto. She would fight to be by his side no matter what and no one could take him from her. To see this complete stranger who she begrudgingly had to admit was extremely beautiful was blatantly flirting with her boyfriend at least from Hinata's biased and jealous point of view did not sit well with the Hyūga heiress. This was unacceptable. 'They say be careful of the quiet ones and all that jazz.' Shikamaru idly noted to himself as he along with Naruto who he could see peeking over to Hinata who was silently steaming in her own inner turmoil. Naruto was scared and Shikamaru was already tired of this mission and wanted to go home.

"You dreamed of me… you had a vision? Is that even possible?" Naruto stuttered out as Shion eagerly grabbed his other hand with her own causing a bead of sweat to trail down the side of Naruto's face. This was getting to much, especially since he couldn't lie to himself and say he didn't find the royal priestess to be extremely beautiful. Not as beautiful as Hinata or Eva was in Naruto's own biased mind… but distractingly beautiful nonetheless.

"Yes… it is one of my special power as a priestess. One of them is called Divination. The ability to seek out knowledge of the future or the unknown through the use of supernatural means and I channel that power through my visions and dreams while using this sacred bell as a focal point." Shion explained in an excited tone while pointed down to a small gold bell accessory pinned to the collar of her kimono. Now that it was pointed out Naruto focused in on the tiny little ornament and he had to withhold the gasp that wanted to escape his lips. That bell had extraordinary amounts of divine grace stored inside of its confines. It was incredibly powerful and much more so than anything he's ever felt from something that wasn't either Lady Sōkyoku or Lady Miya. It was incredible.

"The base skill for this is actually Clairvoyance. I can predict and scour the future to learn of any event yet to come. I can touch any object or person and learn about it or a location." It was painfully obvious at this point that Shion didn't have many if any friends at all her own age as she clearly didn't understand the term called personal space. Because she was invading Naruto's this whole time and it was starting to grate on Hinata's nerves.

"That's incredible Shion… so you came all this way to meet me because you saw me in a vision. I'm honored but you could have just sent a letter or something…" Naruto's voice lacked the enthusiasm that his statement would usually convey as he trailed off towards the end with a dry tone of voice. He was trying to gently remove his hands from the girl's own but she either didn't notice or didn't want to remove them as she kept a firm grip on his hands.

"Yes… there is so much that I want to talk to you about. We can do this on our tour. Taruho prepare everything to move out will ya." Shion absentmindedly commanded as she was carrying two medium sized bags across her shoulders. Taking one of them off she casually through it to Iris who barely caught it with an incredulous look of disbelief on her little face while the second bag landed in Hinata's arms who saw this coming a little faster than her surrogate daughter.

"Here I need someone to carry my bags. These servant girls will do. Let's go I want to make it to the first location soon." Shion prattled as she grabbed onto Naruto's arm with her own and strode off confidently with the blond haired Uzumaki trapped in her embrace. Iris was as still as a statue as she looked down to the bag in her hand and back up to the retreating form of Shion and her father. A sassy and disbelieving look was on the miffed little girl's face while Chaos was trying everything inhumanly possible to keep from dying of laughter. This was priceless in her opinion.

'Did she just call me a servant girl?' Hinata felt a lump form in her throat as she took several deep and calming breathes that got easier when Shoko came up to pat her on the back in a comforting understanding. "It's okay… remember your training and your duty as a Hidden Leaf Ninja. The mission comes first." Shoko advised the young heiress with words of advice and wisdom. The adult knew how hard such a turbulent matter could be given Hinata's age and experience, not to mention the fact she was in early puberty and her feelings and bond she shared with Naruto were incredibly powerful. This would be a difficult task for Hinata to overcome… if she could overcome it.

'She didn't even acknowledge us or even ask for our names though.' Shoko couldn't help but sweat drop even despite the advice she just gave her charge. Shion acted as if the rest of them didn't even exist… she was incredibly narrow minded.

The group plus the large entourage left South Wharf Town the next morning after Shion spent the rest of the day touring the town much to Naruto's secret not so secret displeasure. He didn't want to stay another minute in the town and here they were spending an entire day in it. He even had to sleep in one of the hotels overnight. It went without saying that when morning came Naruto was eager to leave the town in his dust as they left the settlement on his insistence before even the sun could fully rise into the morning sky. Since this insistence came from Naruto's mouth Shion was obviously quick to agree which set the group out on an early morning journey.


Land of Fire / Shukuba Town

The time spent in Shukuba Town was interesting to say the least. It was a pleasure and tourist town in the Land of Fire that had entertainment for all ages, but it mainly catered to adults which was an embarrassing atmosphere that was draped over the group for the duration of the time they were in the town. As for Shion she seemed to not notice this general consensus of discomfort in the three Chūnin as she dragged them around with her to different stores and locations in the town with Naruto's armed forcibly linked with her own the entire time.

After passing the fourth building in a row that was a brothel Naruto could honestly say he wanted out of this town as well. This wasn't his scene… he was sure if he could get Jiraiya out here the old perv wouldn't want to leave but that wasn't the case here. It was starting to make him uncomfortable since there were woman out in broad daylight wearing some revealing clothes, it was making it extremely difficult on Naruto's end to keep his eyes straight forward. The temptation to at least sneak a peek at the many "sights" well within view was starting to degrade his moral compass. He didn't know how much more he could take of this psychological torture on his mind.

The final straw to break Naruto's spirits was when he actually caught Shoko blatantly checking out some of the men and women that they were passing by. One daring woman even came up to Shoko and began flirting with her openly. This was something Naruto's never seen before as Shoko engaged the woman back for a few minutes before leaving her behind with a flirtatious wink.

Naruto wanted a straight answer, so he addressed his favorite person in the world in a way he only does in private. "Mom… please tell me you haven't been to this town before…?" Shoko knew Naruto was being serious if he was referring to her in such an affection way outside of the privacy of a more secure location or their home. Despite knowing this fact, the Titan couldn't help the teasing tone to come to her voice. "Don't ask questions you don't really want the answer to honey." That smart aleck response was all that Naruto needed to hear to get the unfortunate answer he didn't want to here. That killed the blond-haired boy who began tugging on his surrogate mother's sleeve who allowed herself to be pulled away with an amused smile on her face.

"What's the matter honey? You look like you're having female troubles." Shoko snickered once she saw Naruto subtly re-adjust his pants after they came out of a female lingerie store. Shion wanted to go in and try out the local selection from a store on this side of the world. The designs were similar but there were obvious differences that the young girl found fascinating as she tried on several different selections much to the discomfort of Shikamaru and the royal guards and the abject horror of Naruto who didn't need Chaos's ability to sense negative energy to feel the potent waves rolling off his girlfriend who he hasn't been able to spend a lot of time with during this mission so far since Shion has had him glued to her arm.

The fact that she modeled for him and asked his opinion on her undergarments made Naruto feel a certain unwanted reaction on his person. It didn't help that he felt like he was standing next to the sun in the form of the animosity boiling over in not only Hinata and Eva but in little Iris as well. The little princess was the pure definition of jealousy and that was something Naruto was getting a first-hand reminder on this fact as Iris was extremely possessive and overprotective of him when it came to females in his life. The cute little innocent crush she had on her father was being put to the test in the face of this obvious threat. Despite Chaos's own powerful affections and passive aggressive possessive nature towards her father the little crazy girl was enjoying the drama unfolding before her.

"Shut it Shoko… this is not funny." Naruto growled with a mortified blush on his face as he fixed himself to be presentable for the others. Sure, he was used to seeing Eva naked everyday since they were 4 years old. He's seen the twins naked every day since they were born as he's their father and the one who has been taking care of them since the very beginning. He's seen the rest of his children all in the nude as well and this same sentiment has extended to Aria, Shoko, and especially Anko numerous times over the years. He was used to the female form from his many female family members and he's even seen Hinata in a state of undress…

… But there was a big difference between those instances which were all innocent and completely normal for him compared to the situation he was in now with a girl who is a total stranger hanging off of him and acting like his girlfriend. He's seen her in a very revealing state of undress and for a royal priestess this was completely unfathomable and unacceptable. The dirty and hateful glares he was receiving for Taruho and Susuki would have melted him on the spot if he let them.

Naruto didn't figure it out in the moment that it happened but after handling some of his more male oriented business by re-adjusting himself so as to not be so noticeable to everyone else Hinata let out a very high-pitched squeak before darting passed her boyfriend with her hands covering her face. Sure, she felt like she was seconds away from killing Shion for what she was currently doing but what she just saw trumped the anger she was currently feeling. A cheshire grin of epic proportions came to Shoko's face since as a woman she had an inkling into what she guessed the pubescent girl had just accidentally seen.

"Hinata did you just use your Byakugan?" Shoko snickered as Hinata passed by both Naruto and Shoko at a speed that would make Naruto think she had somehow learned his Accelerating Turn. The fastest and most abrupt answer of no escaped the heiress's mouth as she left the store. She was just trying to scout the local area around the town for any potential threats, not accidently catch a glimpse of something very prominent with her boyfriend. Damn her X – Ray vision… it as a blessing when she was intentionally trying to use it and sometimes it was a curse as it made accidental situations like this both frequent and possible. She's already had one close up encounter with this situation before in the not so distant pass and that had been a terrible prank orchestrated by Eva and the girls … this time she metaphorically walked in on this one and she didn't need a second occurrence if she could help it.

Shoko's rambunctious and infectious laughter would follow the group out of the town leaving the others not in the know heavily confused as the experienced woman knew just what Hinata had seen. The joys of youth as Shoko put it… it wasn't a very well-known fact but Hyūga men and woman often grew up to be very distinct perverts in their romantic private life. It didn't take a genius to figure out why and it looks like Hinata was heading down that path as well.


Land of Fire – Evening Time

Respect. It was seemingly a concept that Shion didn't show to her subjects at all based on the way she was treating them. To put it bluntly… she was very spoiled. From the very beginning Shion has been disrespecting her guards and handmaidens with her snobbish attitude. She was incredibly demanding and disrespectful to everyone besides Naruto. This lack of respect was starting to grate on everyone's nerves… especially Hinata.

"We've got camp set up now… if we keep to this schedule, we should reach the Fire Temple early in the afternoon tomorrow. It will be our final destination on the itinerary our client setup." Shikamaru informed as he and his squad were sitting around discussing the progress of the mission. It wasn't a long one to begin with, but it felt like it was lasting an eternity for the team. Putting up with Shion's demanding and spoiled attitude was a task to great for the three Chūnin. Being older Shoko has had her fair share of experience when it comes to dealing with arrogant and high-class clients. Shion's personality and attitude did upset her but she was mature enough to put aside her own feelings on the matter for the good of the mission. It wasn't technically her place to interfere on the private affairs of her client and how they interact with their affiliates.

"That's good… I don't know how much more I can handle of this. Come girls… lets get you ready for bed." Naruto grumbled as he tried to put on a more pleasant face while addressing his children. He was at his wits end with the demanding nature of his esteemed client. She hasn't left his side since she stepped off her ship… and she still hasn't explained to him her real intentions for her visit.

"No…no… no! That is not how I want my hair tonight! Do it again!" Shion's voice yelled out as one of her handmaidens were busy attending to her hair while another prepared her sleeping attire for the night. The group were hunkered down in a wide-open field at the edge of the forest they were traveling through. It was a beautiful field with patches of flowers spread all throughout it. It was quite scenic… if only Shion's personality matched the tranquility of this clearing then the mission would be going far smoother.

"I'm sorry my lady… I'll do better." The poor handmaiden had a sad and slightly fearful look on her face as she rearranged Shion's hair into the way the young priestess liked. The young teenage handmaiden didn't even receive a thank you afterwards as she was dismissed by Shion who didn't even turn to her. Leaving the tent that was housing their client the handmaiden bumped into Hinata who was bringing a fresh batch of dry wood for the campfire they had set up. "Ah… I'm sorry miss. Are you okay?" Hinata asked in concern as the older girl quick backed up before bowing. "No… I was at fault ma'am… please excuse me." The girl mumbled as she tried to pass Hinata when her sleeve hiked up on her arm allowing the Hyūga heiress to see her skin.

A small gasp escaped Hinata's mouth as she gazed upon the girls arm which were bone white and slightly withered. Looking the girl over in full detail Hinata could see that the girl's face was very haggard and ghastly while her dull red hair fell in waves down her back. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying while she had a grey cloak over a green kimono. All in all, the girl looked pitiful and this caught Hinata's attention the most. "What happened… are you okay?" It looked like this girl wasn't taking care of herself properly. It was a pitiful sight to see and one that tore at Hinata's heart strings.

"No…no… you have it all wrong. I get this reaction all the time. You see… I'm not human. I'm a Banshee… and so I look like this." The handmaiden explained to a shell shocked Hinata who didn't see this coming at all. She wouldn't have known considering the fact that all of the handmaidens wore very concealing cloaks and face clothes that shrouded their identities into obscurity. So, this is what one of the girls looked like underneath her clothes. "You're not human… I never would have known. Does that mean the other handmaidens aren't human either?" Hinata asked in fascination as this was not what she was expecting to learn tonight.

"Some of the other girls aren't human either while the rest are. We've all served the priestess line for generations. All of our families have been their vasal for hundreds of years." The girl explained to a fascinated Hinata who brought the dry wood over to the campfire. This was far more interesting than anything she was expecting. "That's interesting… my name is Hinata Hyūga. What's yours?" Hinata introduced herself to the maiden who looked shocked. It looked like she wasn't expecting to gain any attention from a stranger.

"My name is Tekla… Tekla L'Esprit Vexée." The maiden introduced herself with her full name rolling off her tongue in a silky manner that caused Hinata to pause in more surprise. That was quite the interesting name and definitely one she's never heard before. "My name is a mouthful… I get that response a lot too." Tekla mumbled in embarrassment while twisting strands of her brittle hair in her fingers as a nervous habit. She never liked saying her full name.

Seeing the bundle of nerves winding up in Tekla and knowing the feeling all too well from experience Hinata placated the older girl with a small peaceful smile. "No need to worry. Your name is fine." Hearing these kind words was enough to cause a smile to grow on Tekla's face as she watched Hinata's eyes dart off to Naruto who was busy trying to get Chaos to change into her pajamas. As usual it was like going to war as nothing was ever made simple by the rambunctious and psychotic little girl who was using Kayros to constantly stay an inch outside of Naruto's reach. The little Angeloid wouldn't make this easy on her father.

"You two seem close… my lady has taken a strong fancy to your teammate." Tekla spoke after a small pause in the conversation. She too was looking at Naruto who was struggling with his wild daughter. Shikamaru was next to the blond haired Uzumaki with an exasperated expression on his face as Chaos teased him about the embarrassing scenes that took place in Shukuba Town.

Hinata couldn't keep the blush off her face as she let a smile come to her mouth. "Yes… Naruto is my best friend and boyfriend. We're pretty close." Hinata revealed causing Tekla to raise an eyebrow in feminine surprise. "Congratulations to you then… I'm sorry you have had to put up with Lady Shion and her unbecoming behavior." Tekla stated softly while apologizing on behalf of the wild priestess. A mirthless chuckle escaped Hinata's lips as she shook her head. "You don't have to apologize for her. Though I do have to ask… has she always been like this?"

It was a question that has been burning at the back of Hinata's mind for a long while now. She couldn't have been like this all of her life, could she? She found that highly unlikely. Everyone has a story after all. A poorly veiled look of anger and resentment crossed Tekla's face in an instant, but it wasn't fast enough to escape Hinata's sharp eyes. "No… lady Shion used to be a kind and sweet girl. Her mother, the previous High Priestess died from unknown means. Lady Shion became cold and distant especially after her powers began to manifest. It left her isolated and without friends. Our country has been on a decline as Lady Shion isn't upholding her duties properly." Tekla explained with hidden amounts of venom dripping from her voice which also didn't go unnoticed by Hinata who stored this information away for later.

"I suspected as much… I'm sure things will get better if she gets a wake-up call. It was nice talking to you Tekla but if you'll excuse me, I have to go help Naruto." Hinata politely stated as she got up from her seated position with the older girl bowing to her in respect. "It was nice talking to you Ms. Hinata. I enjoyed myself." It was definitely a pleasant conversation and one the handmaiden wasn't expecting to have.

"TEKLA! I need you in here now!" This pleasant atmosphere was immediately ruined by Shion's voice who popped her head out of her tent with an annoyed look on her face. Hinata could see Tekla balling her hand into a fist underneath her cloak in response to this. Taking stock of the situation Shion stormed out of her tent and over to her handmaiden with frustration in her eyes. "What are you doing bothering these ninja? I need you to powder my face!" Shion ranted as she grabbed a hold of Tekla's hand and yanked on it causing the older girl to stumble and trip.

"That's enough Shion." Hinata usually never raised her voice but in this instance, she could make an exception as she placed her hand down over Shion's getting her to let her servant go. Hinata had seen enough, never in her life would she ever treat her fellow clan members like this. She's seen this type of treatment from her own family in the form of the main family members treating the branch family as little more than servants. It was despicable and unacceptable in Hinata's mind. She could not condone this any further.

"What is the meaning of this? Unhand me at once ninja!" Shion yelled drawing the attention of everyone else in the camp. Now tensions were rising as Taruho and Susuki along with the other guards quickly raised their weapons to Hinata while Naruto and the others rushed in to her defense.

"What are you doing shinobi? You are our escorts. Unhand Lady Shion at once!" Taruho yelled as Naruto rushed to stand by Hinata's side who was glaring into Shion's eyes. "Hinata what's going on?" Naruto's never seen his best friend this aggressive before and if he were to be honest… it scared him quite a bit.

"I've had enough of the way you've treated you subjects. You are a ruler and a Priestess no less. You are meant to protect and love your people! Not treat them as little more than slaves. This is nothing more than abuse!" Hinata yelled while squeezing down on Shion's hand who winced in pain. "Woah! Hinata calm down ok… this isn't like you alright." Naruto warned in a tone filled with nothing but concern and fear for his usually docile girlfriend. Intense bursts of anger were not apart of Hinata's personality. She was far to docile and soft spoken for that kind of behavior… but then again… everyone must have their limit. As things stood now it would seem Hinata has reached hers.

"How dare you talk to me that way! I can treat my subjects anyway I want. They are meant to die for me!" Shion yelled back with indignation in her voice. She's never been spoken to like this in her life, that much was obvious from the get-go. Of course, this was the wrong thing to say to Hinata of all people considering her back ground as the echoing sound of a slap rung out in the clearing causing a profound silence to overtake everyone.

"A ruler should never… never… expect their subjects to die for them without even feeling a thing. A ruler is kind and just. You would have no country if not for the people who live in it, so I strongly suggest you start thinking about what that truly means for you as the Priestess of the Land of Demons." Hinata addressed to the platinum blond haired girl who was stood shell shocked with a red mark across her face. These words were bouncing around the confines of her soul and the pang of guilt and hurt tugged at her heart. Shion had no words to speak as Hinata released her before grabbing a hold of Naruto's hand who while in a similar state of shock allowed himself to be pulled along.

"Come on Naruto lets go set up a perimeter patrol." Naruto was in no position to refuse as he called out to Iris and Chaos to stay behind as they wouldn't be going far. Taruho didn't like this fact or of anything that had occurred in these last two minutes, but Shoko was quick to cut the royal guard off before he could go off on the Hyūga Heiress.


It took them nearly five minutes but eventually Hinata dropped down into a small break in the woods a quarter of a mile away from camp with Naruto dropping down behind her in silence. The navy-blue haired girl was drawing in deep labored breaths with every step she took, and it wasn't because of the distance they ran… such a distance was nothing to a shinobi, even a Genin. What was really going on was the fact Hinata was incredibly angry right now. More angry than she's felt in a long time if ever. She was used to this feeling though, she's felt it every time she's seen one of the main branch family members mistreat one of the branch family members.

But this time… it was different. There was more mixed in here with Hinata's preexisting anger and she knew what it was. It was jealousy. Seeing Shion treating everyone else bad while in turn she would hang off of Naruto like she owned him was really starting to get underneath her skin. She never thought she'd be capable of acting in such a way. But that feeling wasn't going away, in fact it was bubbling over in Hinata the more steps she took away from the source of her problems.

"Hinata… I… what was that back there?" Naruto tentatively asked as he slowly approached the ever so slightly shorter girl from behind who up until this point refused to look at him. "I feel so angry Naruto… I feel like I'm about to explode." Hinata cried out as she took even more labored breaths. Small golden rippling sparks of energy were subconsciously rolling off her arms to her palms. Naruto could feel the holy energy from where he stood as he tried to grab a hold of the distraught girl.

"I know Shion is difficult and hasn't been the easiest person to be around. I'm sorry about all of this Hinata but please… I don't want to see you like this." Naruto gently pleaded as he reached out for Hinata but instead the powerful young girl lashed out at a nearby tree right in front of her. "She had no right!" Hinata screamed as her palm came in contact with the bark of the tree and a bright golden light came to life as Naruto could see pulsating bands of rippling holy energy diffuse across the surface of the tree shattering it to pieces in the blink of an eye.

'Oh my god… such power.' The entire tree from the very top to the trunk at the base was shattered and crumbling following the explosive blast Hinata sent transmitting through its insides as the heiress finally turned to face Naruto and what he saw caused his face to contort into a visage of sadness. Hinata was crying with tears falling down her face in waves. "Come here…" It was the only thing Naruto had to whisper before Hinata buried her faced in the crook of Naruto's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. Rocking from side to side ever so slowly Naruto whispered comforting words directly into Hinata's ear as he soothed the troubled girl. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for things to get this far." Hinata cried as she sobbed into Naruto's shoulder who gently shushed her with soft words. "You have nothing to apologize for. I know this has been difficult."

Naruto's words were comforting but they weren't completely enough as Hinata shook her head in displeasure. "I feel ashamed of myself. I don't know what came over me back there. I felt so much anger at Shion and just wanted to release it all. That wasn't me at all." Hearing this explanation got Naruto's mind thinking as he thought back to how Hinata's hands glowed in her holy light. "Hinata is it possible that your grace amplified your anger to the point it had to be released?" It was a valid theory that Hinata took a moment to contemplate as she thought back to how she felt earlier. Her holy grace was building up inside of her the entire time just alongside her anger. It was possible.

"I think it's possible… I didn't mean to." Hinata choked out as Naruto pulled the girl with him against a nearby tree before sliding down to sit in the soft grass beneath them. Hinata found herself situated in Naruto's lap who wrapped his arms around her to embrace her with all of his support and love. Hinata didn't even blush or react to the very intimate yet familiar scenario she found herself in. It was a mirror image to how she and Naruto were on the rooftop of the Mayor's office in Firebend Town.

"Do you want to talk about it?" It was a simple question that got the flood gates to open from Hinata as she released a lot of her pent-up frustrations that was festering in her heart from the very beginning of the mission. She even opened up what seeing the way Shion was treating her servants made her feel about her own family. It was a lot but eventually Naruto got to emotional girl to calm down quite a bit. "That's not all that has been bothering you either has it?" Naruto's inquiry was right on the money as Hinata craned her neck up to face Naruto who was waiting patiently for his partner to continue.

A gentle blush creeped onto Hinata's face as she stared into Naruto's eyes. "I was jealous… I was jealous of her hanging off of you." Naruto figured as much but he could see a metaphorical weight lift itself off of Hinata's shoulders at admitting this fact. No one really liked to admit such an imperfection or insecurity about themselves. It took a lot for someone to own up to such a truth.

"I'm sorry…" This apology came abruptly from Naruto's lips and it was enough to startle Hinata who turned around slightly in Naruto's lap to face him more properly. "Why are you apologizing… you didn't do anything?" Hinata was generally confused by what the blond haired Uzumaki was trying to prove as Naruto leaned forward to nuzzle Hinata against her cheek with his own getting the girl's cheeks to blush such an intense red that Naruto could feel the heat from her skin against his own.

"I'm sorry for not putting my foot down earlier. I allowed Shion to pull me around and I should have been the one to speak up against her attitude. I lead her on and condoned her actions when I shouldn't have been entertaining them. She was making me very uncomfortable the whole time, but I never spoke up… for that I'm sorry for the part I had to play in all of this." Naruto softly spoke with an air of sincerity in his voice that Hinata ever since the day they first met has associated with the blond-haired boy. He wasn't a liar by nature and honesty was always his first priority whenever he could help it. For his friends and family, they always had his honesty and sincerity without any strings attached.

A small warm love filled smile bloomed on Hinata's face at hearing the sincerity in her partner's voice. She wouldn't expect anything else of him. "Well… I don't know about you guys, but I rather liked the feisty Hinata. Who knew she'd be this hot while mad?" As if on que Eva's sassy and energetic voice decided to make its presence felt as the little winter fairy flew out of Naruto's hair with a grin on her face. Her choice of words were now at the forefront of the conversation with both Naruto and Hinata blushing a bit at the insinuations being laid down by their mutual partner.

"Eva!" The young couple whined causing tinker bell like laughter to come from the tiny blond-haired girls mouth. She too was heavily annoyed by the entire scope of Shion's behavior but unlike everyone else Eva due to her size has the luxury of tuning out the world by stashing herself away inside of Naruto's hair out of sight from anyone around. It took all of Eva's restraint to not blast the girl with her water several times throughout the day but ultimately, she held herself back. Her girlfriend on the other hand didn't show this same vein of restraint. It was for that very reason why Eva approved of Hinata's outburst. In hindsight of course, these instigative like thoughts were being forged by Eva's more demonic instincts, yes, that's true; but she couldn't deny the fact that she very much liked the more aggressive and dominant side of Hinata. It was so very rare to see, that it was definitely a treat whenever it appears.

"I didn't know I had that kind of anger in me either… but I have to ask Naruto. Do you find Shion attractive?" Hinata asked softly with a taint of insecurity and uncertainty in her voice that she tried to mask with an air of indifference, but Naruto could easily pick up on this poorly veiled attempt as he tried to lighten the mood with a joke even if the question his girlfriend asked him made him very uncomfortable because of the dreaded answer he knew he would inevitably give her.

"Is this a trap?" Naruto mused with a mixture of swagger and amusement in his voice in an attempt to coast along the question and lighten the mood at the same time. He wanted to pat himself on the back for the slightly flirtatious way he responded to his girlfriends question, but his world was about to be turned upside down with the way Hinata countered this statement with an action of her own.

"Even if I said it was… you'd still answer right?!" This bold rebuttal was accompanied by Hinata's voice taking on a slightly more husky tone with her beautiful lavender eyes having a tint of gold to them. With the way she was seated in his lap Hinata had her opposing arm clenching onto the collar of Naruto's Flak Jacket pulling his face closer down towards hers with their faces only being inches apart. That statement definitely came out more sensual than Hinata was ever intending as both young preteens felt like a bucket of ice-cold water was dumped on them before being suddenly thrust into the middle of a hot desert. The tone of the conversation took quite the dramatic tone in just a few short seconds with Hinata's actions as both Naruto and Eva looked at the normally meek and proper girl embracing her inner hormones.

"Hinata…!" Naruto stuttered out in astonishment as his eyebrows disappeared beneath his headband in shock and much to his embarrassment arousal. Hinata's statement was a major turn on to Naruto as he also much to his embarrassment felt blood rushing to more than just his cheeks which were already very red at this point. His Hinata… the normally meek and docile girl was opening being aggressively dominant and flirtatious with him, and so soon after they've finally gotten together? Granted, he understood how such a situation could come about.

When you combine all of the high amounts of stress surrounding how they became a couple to all of the challenges that they have faced together then such an eventuality could realistically come about. Their relationship has already been tested and complicated on several occasions in such a short amount of time. Now it all made sense… Hinata was feeling threatened in her position regarding his life. This aggressive and highly uncharacteristic response from her was her attempt to establish her dominance and self-claim to him as his girlfriend. 'Just as I have always been…' Naruto thought to himself privately at this line of thinking. She was marking and defending her territory and Naruto never thought he'd feel such a strong reaction to this but judging by how much this has brought him to attention it was only natural. Especially since Hinata suddenly perked up in his lap with her face inventing a new shade of red to add to the light spectrum.

"Wow! Hinata! Girl I never thought you had it in you?" Eva squeaked out in surprise as she felt her Yōki stir inside of her body in response to Hinata's bold actions. Eva was far less reserved than her partners, so she could freely admit that she was very much aroused by the indigo haired girls actions. "I'm sorry! Again, I don't know what came over me." Hinata cried out as she tried to distance herself from Naruto but the young Chūnin would have none of that as he gently wrapped his arms around Hinata once more and pulled her to his chest.

"Hey, it's ok… that was a little out there for all of us but let's just move on from that. I appreciate what your actions really mean… and I feel the same way Hinata." Naruto soothed as he got Hinata to look at him once more. "As far as your question goes… I feel really bad for saying this… but yes. I do think Shion is attractive… but I can't help it. She really hasn't been making it easy for me these last two days. But you're still the prettiest girl in the whole world Hinata." Naruto admitted with a maturity and resignation in his voice that caused Hinata's racing heart to come to tranquil calm.

She couldn't in good faith be mad at Naruto for feeling an attraction to another girl. Technically it was the exact same way how he has always been attracted to Eva. He even has a fancy towards Aria who is a very shapely young woman. He's grown up consistently surrounded by a large variety of females in his life. He lives with more than half a dozen of them every day of his life. It was only natural that he has a very strong but healthy attraction and preference for them. Hinata couldn't fault Naruto on this when as a fellow female Hinata could admit… albeit… begrudgingly that Shion was an incredibly attractive and beautiful girl for her age and anyone their age would think the same thing whether they were a boy or girl. She just has this very ethereal charm to her that came through in her appearance.

In the same vein it was very much akin to how Hinata thought Eva was very beautiful and attractive. The little fairy had a very cute charm to her in her natural state and she's even been able to pull off some beautiful and mature appearances over the years but even still Eva was a very beautiful girl. When Naruto and Hinata had fought against Eva almost a year ago when she was transformed into an actual human sized being the two friends got a very good look at the now normal sized fairy. Evangeline was down right attractive and dear Hinata say hot when compared to other girls in their age group. So, keeping this thought in mind Hinata couldn't be realistically mad at Naruto for his own thought process and feelings. It would be unfair to him and it would make her a jealous hypocrite… and that was something Hinata refused to ever become.

Hearing the tail end of Naruto's rushed statement caused a giggle to escape Hinata's lips while Eva let out a cute and girlish long-winded awe in the background. "Smooth Naru… real smooth." Eva complimented with a snicker causing a half-hearted glare to form on his face. Sticking his tongue out in retaliation Naruto watched as Eva laughed his indignation off. "I think it was charming Eva…" Hinata defended with a giggle causing Naruto to blush in embarrassment while Eva snickered more in amusement. "It was cheesy." Eva's rebuttal wouldn't go unanswered by Hinata who replied back with a finishing statement. "Well I like his cheesy compliments… they're more sincere than if he was putting to much effort into it."

It was a valid point that the three close friends could agree on as the two friends turned back to face each other. "I'm sorry for everything that's been happening Hinata… how about when this is all over and we're back home we can finally go on our first date like we've been wanting to do for these last few weeks now?" Naruto suggested in an attempt to bring peace to the conflict that was plaguing the couple. This suggestion brought a smile to Hinata's face as she was quick to agree. "I would love that a lot… maybe afterwards we can both feel secure in our relationship. I also think it would finally be appropriate to properly call each other boyfriend and girlfriend. I kind of jumped the kunai back there by explaining to that handmaiden that you were my boyfriend." Hinata squirmed a bit in subconscious insecurity as she lowered her eyes away from Naruto who gently took his hand to lift up her chin.

"Hey… I already consider you my girlfriend so there is nothing to worry about Hinata. We've been partners in crime for years now just like with Eva and I. We don't need stupid labels and titles to put on ourselves. We are whoever we want to be… but it would be nice to call you my girlfriend out in public, so I know how you feel." Naruto smoothly comforted the lavender eyed girl whose eyes were now half lidded and glazed over with love and slight amounts of lust mixed in. The boy with his hand underneath the chin of a girl pushing it up so that they could stare into each other's eyes… yeah… this was a textbook romantic gesture and one that not even a girl like Hinata was immune to as she felt her heartbeat quicken as her hormones skyrocketed along with Naruto's who drew his face in at the same time as Hinata.

The kiss that came along was different than any of the ones the two shared in the past. They haven't had too, too many; but they've shared enough between each other to know that this one felt different. It was like they advanced and leveled up in their relationship as the two friends could feel their bodies heating up by the second the longer that they kept their lips in contact.

They didn't know how long they were kissing each other but when Hinata parted her lips for Naruto to slip his tongue inside of her mouth that was when the young couple were pulled back to reality by a frigid cold blast of water from Eva who was now floating between their faces with a boiling red face of mortification. From head to toe Eva's skin had a healthy red sheen to it while she was crossing and rubbing her tiny legs together along with pulling on her dress. That was far too much hormonal stimulation for the tiny little fairy to experience, especially as the bystander and audience to Naruto and Hinata's first serious and unexpected kiss. It was so much that Eva could even call it a make out session.

Spluttering in shock and embarrassment no words could form between the friends as they could only look at each other in silence. "What was that?! You looked like you were about to suck the soul out of her lips Naru!" Eva squealed in embarrassment as Naruto took a second to take stock of the situation. Besides the raging storm of hormones inside of his body right now he felt not only his chakra but Yōki and holy grace inside of his body latching on to the equivalent sources of energy inside of Hinata's body. It was almost like they were becoming one… they were synchronizing on such a deep level.

A long and awkward silence over took the trio for more than 10 minutes as Hinata couldn't find it in herself to leave the warmth and security of Naruto's lap while Naruto himself didn't want to let go of the sensation of holding on to Hinata and so the two friends were at a standstill. No one said anything until Eva decided to be the tie breaker by mentioning the strength of Hinata's ever growing divine powers.

Having a neutral topic that everyone could engage in was the solution needed as Hinata explained how she's been training non-stop with improving upon her newfound technique. She's even received training scrolls from her father that used to belong to her mother Yume Hyūga. These old scrolls meant to world to Hinata who treasured them greatly ever since. She's been reading them prevalently trying her best to make the most out of the knowledge and teachings it could provide her.

It was an innocent suggestion on Naruto's part about seeing a demonstration of her technique once more in a small spar… he wasn't really expecting Hinata to actually take him seriously as a familiar challenging smirk came to Hinata's face that he was quickly growing accustomed to. With a silent countdown going on between the two friends they shot off in different directions from their seated positions with Hinata leaving Naruto's lap in a blur with him taking off for the opposite side of the clearing in the blink of an eye.

The sound of metal on metal could be heard in the treetops as visible sparks of metal flashed through the canopy as Naruto and Hinata raced through the trees tagging each other with simultaneous clashes of their kunai on each pass as they ricocheted off of nearby trees in a harmonious balance.

The sound of chakra rushing together into a maelstrom was heard in the night as a beautiful blue orb of chakra could be seen forming in the hands of Naruto and his clone. He had the perfect technique to use as a target for Hinata as vibrant golden ripples cascaded along Hinata's arm that illuminated the night sky and surrounding canopy in its illustrious light. Landing on opposing trees with Eva acting as his ever-present backup sent a blast of water towards Hinata who held her hand out in defense.

The second Eva's Yōki filled water came into contact with Hinata's golden shrouded hand, pulsating ripples of golden holy grace transmitted themselves down the length of the water spout Eva conjured up causing the entire construct to fall apart from the inside out leaving Naruto and Eva stunned at the exotic and esoteric nature of Hinata's technique. Clearly it had some unique properties that made it different than a standard attack.

Feeling pumped up Naruto rocketed off from his position with Hinata doing the same. The two friends met in the middle with the sky being set ablaze by a lightshow of blue and gold that showed a light so bright that it could be seen from all the way back at camp through the thick forest.

"Rasengan!"

"Overdrive!"

These two attacks met in the middle and an interesting phenomenon occurred. Naruto's Rasengan was only centimeters away from the palm of Hinata's hands as pulsating ripples of golden grace rippled across the actual surface of the Rasengan itself. For every pulsating ripple to blast its way across his attack Naruto would feel that jarring backlash vibrate through his body disrupting the delicate harmonic balance that his hybrid chakra sustains itself on every day. A bright blinding light and a rumbling sonic boom later and the two friends found themselves on opposite sides of the clearing with a deep torn up trench of earth dug into the ground from were their bodies bounced across the ground.

The tremors along with the bright flash of light could be felt all the way back at camp which set Shion's guards on edge, but Shoko was quick to placate them by explaining to them that it was only Naruto and Hinata training as she could sense them and their chakra from this distance with zero difficult.

"Note to self… don't ever try that again." Naruto weakly moaned as he picked his head off the ground just long enough to see Hinata doing the same on the other side of the field they were in. She could only shake her head in response before she passed out with Naruto soon doing the same with comical swirls in replace for his eyes. That had not been the smartest idea he or Hinata had ever come up with.


Land of Fire / Fire Temple of the Sage Monks

It was a sight to see as Naruto and Hinata stumbled back into camp nearly an hour after leaving with cuts, scrapes, and bruises littering their skin while their clothes themselves were ripped and torn in certain areas. To say that Shoko and Shikamaru were shocked would be an understatement. They could feel the tremor and the bright flash of light that these two kids produced, and it was only at Shoko's insistence that they weren't under attack that Shion's guards didn't fly into a panic. There were questions to be had of course as Shoko admonished their actions as highly irresponsible but that did nothing to stop the pleased look on the young couple's face as they hurried to bed together in the same tent. Iris and Chaos weren't going to be able to fall asleep without Naruto's presence, so the young father was quick to put them to bed despite the fact the two girls were eagerly asking the young couple about what had happened between them.

Of course, the two Chūnin just simplified down their answer to the excuse of training. Even Shion wasn't able to get a straight answer out of Naruto who was now being more distant with her. In the end the group set out early the next morning and traveled to their final destination on the itinerary list. It was the Fire Temple.

The group arrived early into the afternoon where they were greeted by the head of the Fire Temple himself. The Monk's name was Chiriku and he was a former member of the Guardian Shinobi 12. A highly coveted group of shinobi comprised of Elite Jōnin level ninja whose sole purpose of defending the Fire Daimyō himself.

Chiriku was a well renown shinobi in his day with a highly respectable bounty of 30,000,000 Ryō on his head for his many exploits in his career. Now he was a pacifistic ninja monk. They preached harmony and unity in the world while remaining ever vigilant of dangers to the Land of Fire.

Chiriku was a bald man with dark eyes, and very thick eyebrows. He wore the standard attire of the ninja monk which was a white kimono and a dark wolf grey sash over one side of his shoulder along with the sash worn by members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja group and went barefoot. Chiriku was a kind older man who greeted the group warming upon reaching the temple. He and a large procession of monks escorted the group to a large hall.

"Greetings everyone… my name is Chiriku and I am the Head Monk of the Fire Temple." Chiriku greeted as the group were sitting in seiza in front of the monk with Shion sitting ahead of the others. 'So, this is the Fire Temple… I think Hinata would benefit from learning from these monks on controlling her powers. I can sense a vast amount of holy energy on this land. All of these monks have a decent amount of holy reserves in them as well. I've never actually met someone with just chakra and grace inside of them before, not to mention it's in perfect balance too.' Naruto noticed as this place was incredibly tranquil and peaceful.

"Hello Monk Chiriku. My name is Shion and I am the High Priestess of the Land of Demons." Shion greeted in a more polite tone of voice but the shinobi in the room could pick up a small downtrodden inflection in her voice. She was still reeling from her confrontation with Hinata the previous night.

Chiriku was quick to greet Shion back as the young girl explained the real reason for her visit. "So, you want me to test the validity of your vision and reveal its deeper secrets?" Chiriku asked as Shion explained to him about her vision with everyone present listening in. To say that Naruto was beyond shocked at the details Shion revealed pertaining to her vision would be an understatement. A War? He was at the center of it and a massive unknown beast was causing the apocalypse to happen? This was too much but a painful pang in his heart told Naruto only one truth. This was all real… because it sounded very familiar.

'That beast… it's the beast Lady Sōkyoku talked about? It actually comes and the destruction it causes is catastrophic. I can't allow that thing to come.' Naruto resolved in his mind as he turned to Iris who was next to him and as he predicted her eyes were a powerful emerald green. "One more step closer huh?" Naruto whispered to his daughter in a metaphor only she would understand as the little girl shook her head back. "Yes."

This exchanged wasn't missed by anyone in the room as Iris's eyes changed back to blue. 'What does he mean by that?' Shikamaru ponders while Shoko narrows her eyes in concern. 'What do you know my baby boy? What are you and Iris hiding?' Whatever the father and daughter duo knew it must have been big… and it must have pertained to the vision Shion described of the future. A war or apocalyptic proportions? Wide scale destruction and death? Shoko didn't want to ever see war ever again. War has taken everything from her and she wouldn't let it take anything else from her ever again.

"Very well then… I will assist you in extracting this vision for you." Chiriku agreed as he too saw the powerful look in Iris's eyes. It reverberated throughout his soul warning him that the little girl was something magnificent. The group was moved to a special room that was set up for the procedure that was to take place. A large raised platform was in the center of the room with candles and other assorted accessories lining the perimeter of the room and forming a circle around the raised platform.

"Lady Shion and young Naruto here must lay on this stone tablet while holding hands. This physical connection will strengthen Lady Shion's vision since you are the focal point of her power." Chiriku explained as Naruto turned to Hinata with a soft look on his face. He squeezed her hand in comfort before stepping forward with Shion who was a little too eager to do the ceremony now.

Once in position the two young children touched hands as the mist from the candles moved to Chiriku's will who was slowly and methodically waving his hands around in specific patterns. The mist from the candles permeated throughout the room making it nearly impossible to see your hand in front of your face. It didn't take long before the mist started to change colors showing the occupants in the room Shion's memories.

Everyone could see inside Shion's mind now as darkness swirled around the audience giving them a perspective of what Shion saw in her vision. At first everyone thought that it was simply a transition for the technique being used but when Shoko looked up and saw billowing clouds overhead blotting out the sun, she knew right away that something wasn't right. The clouds… they didn't look normal. Toxic amounts of smog and pitch-black smoke rolled through the air while the heat and embers from thousands of acres of land burning mixed in with the clouds turning them a sickly orange and red that painted the atmosphere in the same color.

A beast unlike anything the world has ever seen was walking around the earth and it was a sight to see. It couldn't be properly described with words alone, but it had characteristics from animals such as a lion, leopard, a bear, a dragon, and so much more. It has seven necks, seven heads, with ten horns, as well as seven long thick tails of different shapes. It also has four stout arms and two legs that are even thicker than its arms. Its main body is that of a primate leaning forward and is covered in black fur and what appears to be scales all over its body. Its size is well over several hundred meters making it larger than anything ever seen before in their world.

Fire and brimstone was all that could be seen as it seemingly wandered around in what appeared to be freedom for the first time in a long time. A bright golden light was shown in the darkness and it didn't take those watching long to recognize that light as Naruto who was shrouded in ethereal golden flames.

"Naruto!" What was this form? Hinata's never seen anything quite like it before but if she had to guess it had something to do with Iris's true persona as Hinata knew her. It was the only explanation for the golden flames the teenage boy was shrouded in. Those present heard Naruto's short speech and the impactful words they contained and to say they were moved by Naruto's words would have been an understatement. This beast was a monster capable of untold destruction and it had to be stopped, no one was debating that fact but why Naruto? Why did it have to be him to risk his life for the sake of the world?

Hinata's heart hurt just knowing this fact as she knew it could be no one other than Naruto to stand in the face of this terrible threat. A tendril of fear unlike any other snaked its way up Hinata's spine and into her heart. It was suffocating but in the deepest recesses of Hinata's heart and soul she knew that even though this beast and the sheer thought of it scared her to death, she would stand with him in his endeavors. A familiar feeling was bubbling in her chest at this thought that crossed into her mind. She felt like this was something she had to do… like it was her destiny and duty to stand by him in his mission.

It was the same feeling she had back in Firebend Town when she killed Mayor Oshimo Ringo. She felt justified and righteous in her actions of killing that despicable man. Now that feeling was returning, and it was telling Hinata that it was her duty to make it to that event so far ahead in the future. She would fight to ensure she was there for Naruto when he needed her… nothing would stop her from fulfilling this newfound promise to herself.

The vision came to an end not to long after that with those in the room turning to look at each other with a serious gaze. There was a lot to unpack in that shocking vision and Hinata took it upon herself to grab onto Naruto's other hand after he woke up. "You've kept this in for a while, haven't you?" That was the first thing Hinata said to Naruto once he regained consciousness and the young couple shared a brief but profound stare down of eye contact. An entire conversation of understanding happened in that one moment with Naruto shaking his head ever so slightly as a yes.

"How do you become so powerful… it feels so pure… so similar to my own?" Shion mumbled as she shook the cobwebs from her head. A faint blush was on her face since her hand was still entangled with Naruto's who saw this and extracted his hand before Hinata could intervene. "I have a very special connection to the supernatural realm and because of that I have a massive reserve of divine energy. But I'm surprised to see myself grow that powerful in the future." Naruto mused to himself as this was a fascinating development to learn. Obviously, he becomes very powerful in the future if he's standing against such a creature of destruction. The power rolling off of him was unlike anything he's seen anyone produce and he's spent his entire life around powerful individuals.

It also went without saying that he couldn't just openly admit to what Iris and Chaos were. It was a carefully guarded secret that he's managed to keep for his entire life. If people knew that Iris was a Primordial Goddess and Chaos was an Angeloid then the consequences for that would be catastrophic. His family would never be safe at all with every person on the face of the planet wanting to capture them for their own gains.

"Naruto, we have a lot to talk about you know… especially with the girls." Hinata pressed as this was something the whole family as a whole had to discuss. He was obviously carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders that whether he knew it or not was going to weigh down on his mind as time goes on. He's carried a lot so far and she's witnessed how it has affected him over the years. It was his major flaw as a person that she wanted to support him on… he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders for those around him. She wanted to be there for him and the rest of their extended family.

"I agree… we have to plan for this future if it ever does come. I will not allow our family or anyone else to be affected by this outcome." Shoko agreed as she placed a hand on her surrogate son's shoulder. She's always suspected Naruto had many secrets of his own that he's kept to himself over the years. There were things that he couldn't tell anyone, and she knew it all led back to Iris whose eyes were turning back blue now that the vision was over.

It wouldn't be for another hour before the group were given rooms to stay in for the rest of the day with the leaf shinobi having a deep conversation over what was revealed to them that day. Naruto couldn't go into deep details about everything but with Sōkyoku's permission he confirmed to them the existence of Sōkyoku and the fact that there were more Angeloids out there that were after Chaos. He couldn't mention Sōkyoku's actual name since that was forbidden but he did explain the warning the primordial entity had with him pertaining to the very subject they just witnessed.

It was a lot to sink in with Shion joining them later on in the afternoon. The atmosphere was tense between Hinata and Shion that didn't seem to want to dissipate anytime soon. Shion was still very much weary over Hinata's outburst the previous night and the Hyūga Chūnin wasn't a big fan of Shion's spoiled and arrogant attitude. Naruto did his best to be a peacemaker between the two females with it eventually slipping out in the conversation that Naruto and Hinata were an actual couple.

This bit of news was met with total shock to Shion who didn't even know how to process such a revelation. To put it bluntly, the young priestess was very coddled and sheltered growing up both in the times with and without her mother since. It has caused her to become emotionally stunted. She couldn't read the finer social cues even if she wanted to. To say the dynamic between the group changed after that would be an understatement as Shion graciously backed off a little bit but it was obvious that there was an infatuation brewing beneath the surface of the blond-haired girl.

From that moment on the tension was noticeably lighter around the group with Hinata even apologizing to the Priestess but not without adding in some advice about how Shion should treat others. It was well received but Shion couldn't shake the new feelings brewing in her heart. It was going to be a long road for the girl who was experiencing her first crush.

To that effect Naruto also took it upon himself to advocate for Hinata to train at the Fire Temple. She could learn a lot from these monks who could help her develop her powers. Of course, he and Iris would always be willing to help Hinata in any way they could as it was Iris's power that awakened Hinata's latent abilities after all.

This suggestion was taken under consideration by Chiriku after getting a demonstration of Hinata's abilities that managed to impress the head monk. It was a long shot but perhaps she could make it. The rest of the mission was spent in comfort as the team escorted Shion back to the port the following day now that her reason for being here was complete. Naruto in return extended an olive branch to the young girl by telling her about Hōrai Island and an opportunity for her to meet Miya in the future. A meeting with an actual goddess would do wonders for Shion.

The send-off was short but pleasant with Shion making one last play for Naruto before leaving on her ship which didn't go unnoticed or appreciated by Hinata who was now latching on to Naruto's arm for a change. "Shall be go home now?" Hinata suggested to Naruto who wore a look of contemplation of his face.

"Nah… let's go to Otaru Town down by the coast. It's a new town that sprung up recently following my teams mission to the Land of Waves. The town is centered around the Main land entrance to the bridge Old Man Tazuna built. I here they have a really great fish market starting up with good produce." Naruto suggested with a small smile on his face that Hinata particularly found charming in this moment. Maybe it was because of the trying and difficult time she's had on this mission dealing with Shion; or perhaps because of the difficult news they've all learned about the future but Hinata couldn't push the feeling in her heart away of wanting to be closer to her best friend and partner. With each passing day Hinata just felt her love growing for Naruto and she knew he felt the same way. Even if the future was looking very grim right now, she knew if they faced it together everything would be ok.


To be continued...


Jutsu Library

1.) Rasengan - The Rasengan is a spinning ball of chakra formed and held in the palm of the user's hand. Once it is formed, it also does not require any additional chakra to sustain it, which means that there is no definite limit to how long the Rasengan can be used. Though the Rasengan's shape is consistent from user to user, its size varies from only barely large enough to be noticeable to much larger than the user's hand. With greater experience with the Rasengan comes a larger size. On contact, the Rasengan grinds into its target, propels them along the Rasengan's trajectory - either away from the user or into the ground beneath them - and at some point, bursts causing severe damage at the point of contact.

2.) Overdrive - Hinata fuels her fist with her holy magic that is stored inside of her body causing the palms of her hand to glow a purifying and tranquil white color. To utilize the full capabilities of her Light-Based Powers Hinata has to come in physical contact with an object through which she can transfer her Holy Magic into the target in the form of a rippling wave like energy. Once she connects with a target Hinata releases a massive burst of light that shoots off in an omnidirectional rippling and pulsating wave. This wave can purify anything it touches with darks beings such as Demons, Yōkai, Devils, and even Fallen Angel's being the most susceptible to feeling the absolute brunt on this devastating attack. Unlike her normal Gentle Fist attacks an Overdrive pulse will diffuse itself across the entire surface of a person's body sending a rippling wave of energy throughout the person's chakra network that will temporarily block the body's ability to produce chakra from any point in their body. However, if Hinata were to infuse her Holy Grace with her Gentle Fist techniques then she could shut down an entire persons Chakra Network in one strike. Once she connects with her strike the person is launched away from Hinata in a disorienting spin much like how Naruto's Rasengan affects a target.


Author's Note (A/N): This was quite the chapter to unpack as Shion is introduced into the story as a character. This won't be the last we see of her either as the future holds a lot of promise for any characters. We get closure for Balalaika's involvement in the false invasion of the Land of Fire and Saitou's response to handling the situation. To simply put the dangerous woman got off scott free for her actions as no one could touch her.

We get another heartwarming family scene between Naruto and his children on laundry day. This was something I took from my childhood as my mother would always allow me to press the "on" button to the washing machine. I was a weird kid who loved to tinker with things and now as a grown man I still enjoy the more subtle things in life.

Naruto who sees Tsunade not wearing the traditional Hokage robes snaps at her as he is still mourning the loss of the Third Hokage. Tsunade informs the team of their new assignment which turns out to be Shoko, Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru together on one team which is a line up we've never seen before. I hope people picked up on the subtle RWBY references I placed into the chapter.

Shion is introduced into the story with her having a very narrow minded and self centered attitude. She claims she sees Naruto in her vision which if we look back a few chapters it is true as the foreshadowing of the future comes into play. After some embarrassing moments in Shukuba Town in which naruto not only witnesses Shoko flirting with woman in the middle of the street but he also has to contend with Shion modeling for him which was incurring the ire of Hinata.

Later on in the night Hinata's patience finally runs out when she witness's Shion mistreating her servants with one of them being a Banshee named Tekla. (This is a Star Wars reference). Hinata snaps at Shion and tells her off before storming away with Naruto in tow. Hinata unleashes her frustrations on a tree that is utterly obliterated with one touch from her hand.

After having a heart to heart conversation that manages to calm Hinata down long enough for them to have a more civilized talk. When the topic comes up of what Naruto thinks of Shion the entire vibe of the conversation is thrown for a loop when Hinata begins to aggressively flirt with him as her jealousy and insecurities come to light. This shocks the young couple who weren't prepared for this action or the powerful kiss that followed which tempers the two kids who felt their relationship advance without warning.

Their playful natures however, come out in a way to lighten the mood between them as Naruto and Hinata have a brief sparring session in which Naruto uses his Rasengan to test out Hinata's new ability which turns out to be far more powerful than anything the two friends could have imagined which results in them both being knocked unconscious.

The group meets Chiriku of the Fire Temple who helps them to understand Shion's vision more which is shared with everyone present who could all now see the grim future that awaits them. This sets a new tone for the group who discuss this new revelation at length while seeing Shion off the next day. Naruto also petitions Chiriku to allow Hinata to learn from him. Where will this lead in the future?

What does this vision mean for the future of the characters and the Shinobi World at large? A storm is brewing on the far off horizon and only time will tell what this may bring.


Next Chapter: Chapter 82 (Relationships)


That's the end of Chapter 81 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.

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Published: 2/10/2019