DOWNFALL OF THE LIGHT
Chapter 7: Vicious Reality
Disclaimer: FOR THE LAST TIME! I don't own Naruto or Warcraft 3! I just love these two things so I am writing a fic about it. Please don't sue if you don't have to! If you do sue, man I will get my vengeance when I come out of jail. When I do come out, oh, you will be sorry! So, don't sue. (You DON'T!)
"...": Speech.
'...': Thoughts
Scene Changes are lists in bolded italic brackets.
AN: This is OpposingForce speaking, thank you all for your honest opinions! I have to thank somebody who said my fighting scenes are good, it really encouraged me. Not only that, I'm glad some of you actually answered the question that I asked at the end of the chapter. So the moral of this is READ WHAT I NEED TO SAY, THIS FIC IS WRITTEN BY YOUR SUPPORT! No, I wasn't mad, I just needed to 'express' myself in another form. Don't worry, I am not mad. By the looks of it, the vote on the Wave country thing seems to be tying right now, emmm... seems really troublesome right now. There is one thing I have to thank, the song Next Year's Today by Eason Chan! (I AM cantonese after all, if you don't know him that is fine.) That song made me think a lot. To tell you the truth, I really don't like the Wave Country idea, it would take me too long and I really want to get the chunnin exam on the road as soon as I can. To all Haku fans, please don't worry, Haku WILL be alive. I'll get him in the story somehow. Without further adieu, let's get this thing started.
(That current evening)
It was the same evening as Team 7 passed Kakashi's survival training, Team 7 has become the official genin team that would be guided by the genius jounin Hatake Kakashi. However, Hyuga Hinata wasn't too happy at all. Sure, she was glad that she passed just like how her older cousin Hyuga Neji passed last year but the test wasn't the key element that made her so upset was the fact she had herself a rival. A rival by the name of Haruno Sakura, one of the academy's most popular girls, what luck.
'Amongst every person who graduated, why did she had to be one on my team?' she kept asking herself that question. 'Is Kami-sama against me or what? A boy would do, any boy would do. Even if it was Sasuke-kun I would be fine since I would naturally pick Naruto-kun and he would've no objections to my love. Why did Sakura-san have to be on my team?' She sighed sadly and walked back into the gates of the Hyuga mansion with a quite depressed look. As she entered she bumped into someone. It appeared she was so absorbed that she didn't even notice if anyone was actually there. She quickly apologized without even looking at the person or had the intention of caring who the person was, she just kept walking.
"Hinata-sama, wait," called the person she bumped just now. She knew this voice.
"What do you want, Neji-ni-san?" asked Hinata in an annoyed tone. "I already apologized to you, why can't you just leave me be?"
"Whoa..." Neji was taken quite aback at her words. "I know you said sorry, you're really not yourself today, Hinata-sama. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! I never felt better in my life!" she exclaimed sarcastically. Anyone in the right mind would know something was definitely wrong. Neji has never seen his little cousin like this, it kind of worried him.
"Hinata-sama, what is really wrong?" Without saying anything, the Hyuga heiress went to the older Hyuga and hugged her older cousin just trying to calm herself down. Neji knew this all too well, that was what she always did when she was sad. "You want to talk about it?"
"You busy right now?" she asked no louder than a whisper.
"Not at the moment, I had a day off luckily."
"You want to come into my room instead of the living room?" Neji nodded at that suggestion and followed her lead back into the Hyuga estate.
(Inside Hinata's bedroom, no, nothing is happening for all perverts out there!)
"So what is this all about, Hinata-sama?" asked Neji sitting a few feet in front of her. He then offered her a cup of tea and she slowly drank it.
"It's about him, Neji-ni-san..." answered Hinata quietly as she took another silent sip. The Hyuga genius obviously knew who this 'him' was. Why wouldn't he know, Hinata talked about him whenever she was sad, which was pretty often. Despite how many times his name was mentioned, Neji never got sick of it since he wanted the best for his little cousin.
"Hinata-sama, how many times have I told you? That guy won't come back, move on, forget about him and save yourself from a lot of grief. With his sudden departure nearly 7 years ago, you could assume that he's dead." However, Hinata gave a warm smile.
"You're wrong, Neji-ni-san," said Hinata with a smile across her face.
"What do you mean by that? What? Did you see him? Is he still alive?" Neji pushed on his questions with much interest, all lavender eye girl could do was wait until he was done.
"He's the male genin on my team. He came back a few days ago."
"He's actually back?" asked Neji with his eyes widening a bit. "That's great news for you, Hinata-sama. Did you tell him your feelings yet? You have been hiding it for so long, you really should tell him." Hinata shook her head slightly and Neji's more excited expression turned into a frown. "Why not tell him?"
"He changed so much... so much that I couldn't even imagine. He's so secretive, collected, mysterious and unpredictable...."
"Unpredictable?" questioned a confused Hyuga male. "Like too mischievous?"
"No, not that. I mean, he's very... you know... you can't use logic to predict was he's trying to do, not that it's a bad thing. You can say his strength is unbelievable. We had the bell exercise today, you know about the teamwork?" Neji nodded and continued to listen attentively. "Naruto took on Kakashi-sensei one on one and he was beating him. In the end, he asked us to aid him but I know that he didn't need our help at all." The older Hyuga's eyes widened as he heard this.
Kakashi, the genius who has the Sharingan in his left eye, the rival of his sensei, Maito Gai (AN: I'm just mention his name now, you will see the real person a little later), was challenged by a genin and lost. He was getting impatient, he had to know more. "Naruto defeated Kakashi-sensei... it didn't even look like he was using his full potential." Neji froze, he challenged Kakashi before but he wasn't even close to beat him (AN:That was a several months ago, now he's obviously a lot stronger.).
'How did that guy beat him?' Neji thought with amazement.
"Does his strength scare you, Hinata-sama?" Hinata simply shook her head.
"I feel very secure when I'm with him. But he always seem to be hiding something from me, he either doesn't talk about it or just ignores it. He talks to people but he never talks about himself. Still, that doesn't change the fact that I'm in love with him..."
"If you love him, you have to tell him."
"I don't think I can..." Neji gave her a confused look. "Someone else likes him too. I have a rival..."
'A rival?' thought Neji. 'It better not be a person like Lee...'
"She's my teammate, Haruno Sakura... how can I compete with her? She's very pretty, smart, charming, by the looks of it, she's sincere and gentle..."
"Nonsense, you have plenty of good qualities. You're honest, supportive, encouraging, a very good listener, you're not someone who pressures people and most importantly, you're always there for others. Look, you have a lot of friends in the academy, Uchiha Sasuke, Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino... I don't know why they are mostly guys but that's not the point." Hinata blushed a little hearing that fact, she of course knew the reason. All the other girls in the class were Sasuke-fan-girls, only the male students were left for her to be friends with. "You are very charming in your own way, Hinata-sama, that's why you are able to make friends especially ones of the opposite gender, I really thought your friends were just girls." Neji then poked her on her soft cheek which made her blush even deeper. "Trust me, if you weren't my cousin, I would've dated you long ago if I could."
"Yeah, same. But will Naruto-kun pay attention to me?" she asked nervously.
"He will, you two are on the same team after all. Have more confidence in yourself. I'm sure Naruto would see the real you one day. Hey, I did too remember?"
"When can I tell him how I feel?"
"That I really don't know. But when the moment is right, you'll know."
"Oh yeah, how are your teammates doing?" asked the Hyuga heiress.
"Gai-sensei is still being a lame butt. Lee is starting to act exactly like him and even has the same jumpsuit and the bowl haircut. Well, at least Lee still has his own character to a certain extent. Tenten... she has been quite stressed out lately since sensei needed to train her in hand to hand combat. She wants me to spend more time with her on the training since Lee well... you know..."
"You like Tenten-san don't you?" she asked teasingly.
"Well... I... I..." At this point Neji was blushing already but he had to keep a straight face. "You should worry about yourself first, I got to go and meet someone. Later."
"To meet Tenten-san?" Neji's eyes narrowed in disbelief and exited the room rather quickly. Hinata giggled, she knew she was right. With Hinata alone in the room, she used the time well to think about how to make Naruto notice and fall in love with her. It was a long night indeed.
(Morning during the very next day)
Morning came by quickly as the alarm clock in Naruto's apartment started its unbearable racket when it reach 8 AM. The Death Knight smashed it into pieces of useless metal as he was just getting to the good part of his dream. In his dream, Hinata was in there, that was all he could recall. He cursed under his breath and went on with his daily routines.
He then got dressed in black jeans with a ninja armour vest covered with a light dark blue jacket. He then tied his forehead protector on his forehead that spiked up his hair a little bit more. The dark shinobi didn't even bother to have breakfast this morning, too much was on his mind. He sat on the couch with emotionless eyes, they were always like that when no one was around. He no longer cared about anything, other than the fact he couldn't tell Hinata or Sakura about his bloodstained heritage (AN: There is actually a fic by that name!). Even though he didn't show it, deep down he cared for Hinata a lot, he would never do anything to make her upset. His own life alone would make Hinata so down that it would feel like his runeblade stabbed through his heart. She would hate him, Sakura would too. He knew both girls liked him a lot, and it wasn't any silly crush, it was for real.
The Death Knight knew how much the girls wanted to know more about him, especially Hinata. However, the cost was just too high to take. He sighed and took out his novel Life and Death Paradise Volume 2 to look for the answers he needed. It always helped. As he opened the front door with his book covering his face, he didn't even know someone was there.
"Sorry," he said as he kept walking not caring at all. (AN: He could get really into the novel.)
"Na-Naruto-kun..." Once he heard that voice, he knew who it was. Only one person in this village called him by that.
"Hinata-chan?" he asked turning around while putting his novel back into his pouch quickly. "Good morning, what are you doing here? How do you know where I live?"
"I... Iruka-sensei showed me this place before..." she answered nervously. "I'm sorry if you think I am a stalker... I better go..." As she was about to turn away and leave, Naruto saw she was carrying a Japanese style lunchbox of some kind. At that point, he figured why she was here.
"Hinata-chan, wait!" he said that last part a bit louder than he thought. He then grabbed her by the arm making her stop but to his surprise he wondered why he did that. She stiffened when he did so but soon relaxed. "I'm not mad, Hinata-chan, nor do I think you're a stalker." He then held her by both her shoulders which made her blush a little but her flush was more visible when her turned her around and looked directly into her lavender eyes. "You made breakfast for me didn't you?" Hinata nodded shyly trying not to be lost in his cerulean eyes. Her mind was filled with joy.
"I... I wanted... I mean, I was hoping if you and I could have breakfast together..." 'I have to be brave...' said Hinata in her head. 'I can't get him to notice me if I'm a coward...' She didn't dare look at him in the eyes, she was afraid of a rejection, his rejection. All she could do was wait.
"I would love to, Hinata-chan." The response he gave her made her melt. A massive wave of emotions raced through her head, she didn't know how to react. He then took her hand gently but genuinely. "C'mon, I can tell you're hungry. And Hinata-chan, you didn't have to work yourself so hard for me." His words were very kind, the heiress' heart was beating so fast she could faint at the spot.
"I wanted to, Naruto-kun..." she replied with a shade of fuchsia.
"You're very sweet, Hinata-chan." He then bent down slightly to give her a kiss on the cheek. It was then when she nearly passed out. Blood was rushing to her cheeks so quickly that she couldn't take it, it was overwhelming. Uncontrollably, she fell into his arms, her eyes were gleaming with absolute tranquillity. 'Hinata-chan blushes so easily, it's very cute too.' thought Naruto lifting her in a marriage like scenario. 'Maybe that kiss was too much for her but I know she liked it.' With that thought ended, he carried her inside and allowed her to rest on the couch. He really didn't want to have his best friend in this situation. (AN: Would you? If you said yes, I am sure you won't have a lot of friends later on in your life)
(Moments Later)
"Where... where am I?" asked Hinata as she slowly opening her eyes. She gasped when she saw Naruto was sitting beside her. To be more specific, his lap was her pillow.
"You're awake, Hinata-chan," said Naruto with a smile offering her a cup of water. She then sat up silently and softly. "Don't worry about it, you're just in my living room." She took the cup and drank the contents slowly.
"What happened just now?"
"You fainted after I kissed you on the cheek," explained Naruto while chuckling silently. Her eyes completely opened, she couldn't believe that she fainted in front of the person she loved because of a kiss, that must've made her look like a weakling. Her hopes slid down to 0, her chances to claim his heart had just become minimal. "Don't worry about it, Hinata-chan," continued Naruto knowing what she was thinking of. "When a girl first kissed me, I basically reacted the same way. That happened when I was like 8."
"Who kissed you then?" asked Hinata allowing her curiosity to take over.
"My little sister." answered Naruto with a smile.
"I never recall you having a sister..."
"Of course you don't, she isn't my biological sister. Our relationship with one another is really sibling like. I met her in the deep forests one day when I was like 7 or 8. She was stranded from her family so Jiraiya sensei and I took her along with us in our worldwide journey. I got to know her really well, she was definitely the best partner I could have, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be alive right now."
"Is that so..." said Hinata sadly. But Naruto didn't catch her tone yet.
"Yeah, she's really an amazing girl to be with, anyone would like her. She reminds me of you when I first met her. Shy, quiet, kind, sincere and always supportive, those are really your qualities." Hinata then smiled when he heard him say his sister reminded him of her, not the other way around. Hinata knew Naruto never truly forgotten her.
"What's her name?"
"Her name is Rin, Kamishiro Rin."
"Is she pretty?"
"Very. You can say guys would blush if she turned her head towards their direction. I saw it happen many times."
"Do you love her?" asked the Hyuga girl trying her best to keep her envy inside.
"Yeah, she's my sister after all. Rin-chan is really important to me. I consider her as family, I would do almost anything to make her feel happy and appreciated." Hinata nodded while Naruto smiled at her considerately. "Hinata-chan, I know what you're thinking, you're afraid that Rin-chan would have good qualities in her that may be better than yours. I'll say this, no matter how pretty or nice she is, in my eyes, you are always better."
"Do you mean that?" she asked lightening up a lot. He nodded with a smile. Hinata's eyes tear up and hugged the boy immediately. Naruto was expecting it this time, he was glad that she was back to her cheerful self. He embraced her without any slight of doubt, he knew he was doing the right thing. Despite how much Hinata wanted that embrace to last, she broke out of it. She couldn't believe how cold the room actually was without his warmth, Naruto felt the same way as well. The Death Knight was surprised how disappointed he was when she wasn't in contact any longer. Luckily, the Hyuga heiress still held his hand. "Naruto-kun, if Rin-san is your sister, where is she now?"
"She's at her home country, the Hidden Village of Air. She went home last year or so and became a chunnin. I wanted to take it with her but she wanted me to become a chunnin of Konoha. She always thought about me when I never think of myself."
"Do you miss her?" she asked sincerely as Naruto nodded sadly.
"I miss her a lot. She was always there for me when I had my emotional breakdowns. We were always there for each other. She taught me how I should never fail to utilize human assets in achievement of goal. Whenever there is a war, no one could fight it alone."
"You really do have a supportive and caring sister, Naruto-kun," said Hinata kindly.
"I know I do, Hinata-chan. Thank you. Hey, you know what? I think we should finish your breakfast before we are really late." Hinata agreed happily as she took his hand to help herself back up. Without knowing the reason, the heiress gently kissed him on the cheek. The Death Knight obviously blushed while Hinata giggled cutely. Naruto then opened the box, it smelled delicious. To him, this had to be better than anything that he ate in his whole life. The two ate in silence but they often stole glances at another. When the other noticed another's attention, they would quickly look away. With this action going on, there was no need for words since their presence alone satisfied one another.
(Currently at the bridge where Team 7 was supposed to meet that morning)
Sakura had been waiting on the designated waiting area for over half an hour. Due to Naruto's words, she expected that pervert to be late. However, she was surprised to see Naruto and Hinata not there yet. To her knowledge, the dark shinobi should be the very first one to be here. When it hit her mind that Hinata wasn't here, she wondered what the Hyuga girl would be doing? Was she trying to hit on Naruto already? No, Sakura refused to believe that, there was no way Hinata would take that much of an initiative. More thoughts came to the emerald-eyed genin as she thought about how to really attract Naruto. Amongst all the guys she met in her life, Naruto and Sasuke were the most different. She had to admit her teammate was really like Sasuke. Other people would like her because she was pretty or popular but Naruto never looked into that aspect, he wanted to be her friend because he knew it was something he should do as a teammate. He complimented her looks, yes, but he never got lost into them unlike some other males in the classroom. The key thing that attracted Sakura was the way the blue-eyed genin talked.
He never looked like he was in a gaze, he always maintained control of the situation and willingly open up things that others could reflect on or add to the conversation. Sakura felt ashamed for liking him because of his looks at first and not his inner self. It was like the same reason why she liked Sasuke, it was no surprise why Sasuke never paid attention to her and decided to be Hinata's friend. Since the heiress always looked within, many of the males were her friends. It was something Sakura envied, what made her even more angry was the fact that she could've done the same but chose to be like a lovesick puppy to Sasuke.
She sighed disappointedly to herself and thought about the Death Knight again. No, this time something suddenly hit her. In truth, it was a several things. Somehow, she felt that they met before. There was this peculiar bond that made her felt secure. She had to admit they didn't know each other for a very long time but this feeling of security was definitely there. Sakura could tell Naruto was hiding a lot within himself and refused to talk about it. He talked about other people, how their lives are whatever but he never used himself much as an example. It was like as if his life was a sign of poison. The strangest part was his eyes, Sakura could never forget those teal pupils that suddenly flashed when he removed his blindfold the very first time she met him. They felt like they could pierce through your soul if it wanted to. She then decided, even if she wins him or not, she wanted to know more about him, it became her mission.
"Sakura-chan!" called Naruto from a far giving a slight wave. Sakura brightened but soon returned to normal when she saw Hinata next to him holding his arm while blushing. "Sorry we're late..."
"It's okay..." replied Sakura controlling her disappointment. "Where were you guys though? We were supposed to meet here at 9, not like 9:30."
"Yeah... Hinata-chan and I had breakfast this morning so that's why."
"Oh, why didn't you invite me?" she questioned. She already expected Hinata not to tell her but not Naruto either. "Am I a dead teammate to you?"
"No, Hinata-chan came a little late this morning and we really ate in a hurry." Hinata's head perked up as she heard Naruto defend her while he took the blame. He was lying of course, the Hyuga heiress was surprised that he was doing it so well.
"Kakashi is always late anyway, you could've called me or something."
"We really forgot..."
"As if I'll believe that," She retorted pouting slightly and turning away.
"Sakura-chan, I will make it up to you," said Naruto trying to compromise. It was then both girls looked at him. "I was thinking if you and I could have dinner tonight." Hinata's eyes widened in envy at that offer while Sakura was doing the exact opposite.
"You mean it?" asked Sakura with delight. "Just you and me?" Naruto nodded as Sakura hugged him tightly. Hinata deep down was crushed. To avoid further discussion, the Death Knight simply smiled and reached for his favourite novel. As the pink hair girl released him happily, Hinata wasn't feeling the same way. What enraged her even more was that Naruto did it right in front of her as if she didn't exist at all. As the Death Knight started to read about the human ambitions part of the novel, he felt someone slightly lowering his book. As his eyes looked up slightly, he saw a pair of sad and envious lavender ones.
"What do you need, Hinata-chan?"
"You really going to have dinner with Sakura-san?" asked Hinata in an upset expression. "What about me?"
"I need to spend equal time with my teammates, I really should know Sakura-chan better. Besides, what kind of teammate would I be if I just know how to work with one and not the other?"
"She pouts a little and you just give in."
"Do I sense jealousy in your voice, Hinata-chan?" asked male shinobi calmly.
"No, why would I be?" she countered his question. 'Oh yeah, she is...' thought Naruto sighing.
"Don't worry, Hinata-chan, it's only a dinner. It doesn't mean anything. Besides, you're my best friend, I wouldn't leave you out on anything."
"You're leaving me out now, Naruto-kun. What makes you so sure I don't want to know Sakura-san better?" She then narrowed her eyes at him to give him more pressure. The Death Knight rolled his eyes a little bit in exhaustion.
"Why don't you do that at your own time?" he said as he paid more attention to his book. He wanted to end this talk as soon as he could.
"I want to do it tonight, is there a problem?" asked Hinata putting her hands on her waist.
"Of course there is," he stated looking into her demanding eyes. "I am trying to know Sakura better tonight and I want to do it alone, thank you."
"Then take me along with you." she stated. Naruto nearly jerked back at that demand.
"Sorry, no can do. I'll treat you to something next time okay?" He then kissed her on the cheek making her blush like a strawberry. "We're friends, friends aren't suppose to abandon friends." He finished with a smile.
"Can you and I be more than friends?" she asked blindly. Naruto slightly blushed.
"Let's not talk about that right now, Hinata-chan." replied Naruto as he reverted his attention back to his novel. The Hyuga girl's eyes darkened in disappointment.
'He's hiding again,' thought Hinata sadly. 'When can I tell him my feelings? I love you, Naruto-kun...' With Sakura seeing this, she was wondering if Naruto rejected Hinata's confession. Believing it was a good time to confess as well, something struck her mind at the split second before her throat projected a sound.
'If he didn't want to hear anything like that from his good friend... why would he want to hear that from a stranger...' thought Sakura sadly. To make her feel worse, she suddenly saw her rival giving a kiss to the boy she admired. Even if it wasn't to the lips, Sakura became envious when she noticed how much Naruto liked it by showing a shade of crimson on his face. As Hinata extracted herself from the dark shinobi, she couldn't help but giggle when she saw his embarrassed face.
"You blush like a tomato, Naruto-kun!" exclaimed Hinata laughing softly.
"No... no, I do not..." mumbled Naruto attempting to hide his cheeks from her awkwardly. As hard as he might, it was never quite right for the Hyuga girl wasn't persuaded. She just giggled louder making the boy feeling even more awkward. "What... what was that kiss for?"
"Because you kissed me," answered Hinata timidly yet a little seductive.
"Is that so?" asked Naruto poking Hinata in the stomach tickling her. "If I kissed you 10 times, would you return those kisses to me?"
"Maybe I will."
"Then you're not being fair then," said Naruto getting closer to her with a smile. "Why do you get to be kissed when I don't?"
"Because... I like your kisses."
"Like I don't?" Hinata then grinned mischievously.
"Maybe." she answered cutely while trying very hard not to let Naruto have the upper hand. However, her efforts were proven futile when she laughed even louder. Naruto knew he won this little battle. Sakura tried her best not to look at them but her mind didn't agree with her. The longer she watched, the more worried she felt inside. The pink hair genin couldn't deny the fact that her other two teammates were very close. She didn't realize this today, she just chose to ignore it.
On the very first day, who was the first person Naruto decided talking to? Hinata. Even though Iruka told him to sit next to the Hyuga girl, when Sakura thought back closely, she had a feeling that he wanted to sit next to her. Who encouraged him when he had a successful test during the genin exam? Hinata. Who taught Hinata the move that finished her in one shot? Even though Hinata never told who it was, Sakura knew it must've been Naruto, there was no mistake about it. After seeing some of his attacks, Hinata's lethal attack's style was similar to the dark warrior's, he must've taught it to her. The once cheerful Sakura was really down in the dumps now. At that instant, she could tell that Naruto's heart already fell for her rival, she had no doubt about it. Her hopes of tonight's dinner wasn't as high as it used to be, all she could hope for now was she would come out of it in one piece.
(A necessary scene change, you will see why around... right now)
Several LONG hours later at the Hokage's office:
"Good morning, Hokage-sama," greeted Kakashi followed by his team of three with a very annoyed expression on their faces. Naruto's eye was glaring at the jounin while twitching slightly now and then. Sakura was basically doing the same thing but the twitching was a lot more constant. Hinata, hers was the scariest, it was just a smile, a smile without moving a muscle. Naruto and Sakura cold sweated remembering what they saw earlier, a shiver suddenly went down their spines as the heiress turned to face them asking what was wrong. The duo gave back a nothing and pretended nothing happened while something was freaking them out.
"Kakashi," said the 3rd giving a slight cough. "You are 3 hours late and you didn't pick up your mission info for the kids. I really hope you don't pass this horrible habit of yours to your genins."
"I am so sorry, Hokage-sama..." said Kakashi bowing with a nervous smile.
"I'll be really disappointed if Naruto turned out like you," said Jiraiya since he was present in the room at that time. "I never recalled the 4th teaching you to have such a lack of effort in punctuality."
"Why were you late?" questioned the 3rd.
"Because there was this woman outside my apartment tripped." answered Kakashi making up a horrible excuse. He really had some guts doing it in front of the Hokage, it was a good thing that Naruto wasn't the one in charge. "Being a good citizen, I had to..."
"Stop lying!" shouted Sakura losing her temper.
"Hokage-sama," said Hinata sweetly then her face flashed the deadliest glare Naruto has ever seen in his life to the jounin. "He was at the bookstore... Naruto-kun, would you mind ending the rest?"
"Reading Icha Icha Paradise Volume 6." finished Naruto completely obeying his best friend's command without a second thought. He never saw Hinata that upset before, he now knew she hated perverts, even more than he did. "He was reading it so attentively that he didn't even pick up our mission info."
"I said I was sorry that I forgot!" justified Kakashi.
"What kind of instructor forgets that?" questioned Sakura irritated.
"I swear it was an accident!"
"Yeah, you accidentally did it on purpose!" snapped Hinata angrily.
"You didn't seem to forget about your Icha Icha Paradise, Kakashi!" added the Death Knight losing his usual cool but not by a lot.
"C'mon guys, be reasonable..." said Kakashi. "I have been collecting all the other 5 volumes of it, you know I had to get that new copy." Meanwhile, Jiraiya had a very wide grin on his face and he seemed to be quite satisfied at something Kakashi just said. Naruto glanced over at Jiraiya with that stupid look, he sighed. 'Great, we have two perverts in this room, can't life get anymore wonderful?" he thought sarcastically as Jiraiya silently made his way to the masked jounin.
"Kakashi," said Jiraiya putting his hand on the jounin's shoulder with a smile. "I never knew you liked my books!" Sakura and Hinata both stared blankly at Jiraiya, they couldn't believe that old man next to the Hokage was the author of that perverted novel. Who would anyway? The girls eyed him suspiciously to make sure he wouldn't look at their bodies with any dirty looks. They made sure they watched out for their instructor as well for he was also a pervert. The only person who seemed to be normal was the Hokage and Naruto. By the sigh the Third just gave, Naruto knew nothing good would come out of this conversation.
"Jiraiya-sama," said Kakashi. "You have no idea how much I like your novels." A pervert wasn't someone that should be proud of but being a shameless pervert was even worse.
"Don't give him any ideas, Jiraiya-sensei," hissed Naruto silently. Obviously Jiraiya had no intention whatsoever to listen to his apprentice. The girl's eyes widened even more when they heard Naruto calling the old man sensei. That was the sensei Naruto was talking about, their eyes were filled with suspicion and disbelief. His sensei, the author of that very sick book and he trained Naruto. One common thought hit the girls. 'NO WAY! That's so fake...' However, it was the truth, a very sad truth.
"You know," continued Jiraiya in a cheerful tone. "I'm recently working on Volume 7 and it's near completion. Since you are such a good fan, I could give you first dibs on it. In fact, let me make a better deal, I'll give you a free copy when it's done." Kakashi suddenly lightened up by a lot.
"Really? Thank you so much, Jiraiya-sama!" said Kakashi with much gratitude and appreciation. His students and the 3rd's eyes twitched is disbelief as the two perverts exited the room as if they were the best of buddies. It was clear to anyone that Kakashi cared a lot more about his novel than anything else. The trio sweatdropped awkwardly as they turned back to the Hokage.
'Amongst every instructor...' thought Sakura trying her best in controlling her infernal rage. 'Why do we have to get him?'
'I really hope Naruto-kun isn't a pervert...' said Hinata in her mind. The Death Knight on the other hand was attempting really hard not to send a legion of Death Coils at those two.
'I should've killed you when I had the chance, Kakashi...' thought Naruto bitterly. 'Jiraiya-sensei, don't worry I haven't forgotten about you... I'll make sure you suffer.' He then activated his Unholy Sight due to blinding rage with a flashing death glare. Hinata and Sakura jerked back almost immediately when they saw his eyes, they were teal, glowing radiantly with a sense of killing intent behind it. If they were in a dark room, the only things they would see would be a pair of green eyes.
"Naruto," called the 3rd kindly which snapped the Death Knight back to reality.
"What?" questioned Naruto with a cold expression.
"I have to tell you that you guys won't have a mission today."
"What?" asked the girls in unison.
"You guys were very late this morning, Team 8 and Team 10 took your missions since I assumed that you guys wouldn't show up."
'By the time we showed up, it's only natural for anybody to think that we would even come...' thought Hinata sadly.
"Is there at least a simple mission?" asked Naruto. "I really don't want to do nothing all afternoon." Secretly, the girls wanted to hang out with him since they had no mission. But when Naruto brought it up, they might as well see how it would go. They knew what Naruto was trying to do, he didn't want to get seduced.
"Well... there is one..." mumbled the Hokage searching his files on the desk. When he found a yellow folder, he handed to Naruto who immediately started to read it. "Let's see how you like it. You may start this immediately."
"Shouldn't we go with Kakashi-sensei?" asked Hinata shyly in a silent voice. "He is a jounin after all."
"I don't think he'll be back anytime soon, Hinata..." admitted the 3rd with a deep sigh. The girls were inclined to agree, by the way Kakashi left, it seemed like the two were having the best conversation ever. Naruto continued reading and a smirk came across his face.
"It really doesn't matter if Kakashi comes or not," said Naruto half laughing sarcastically.
"What do you mean, Naruto?" asked Sakura coming next to him to read the info. Hinata soon followed and their eyes narrowed when they read the important stuff.
"How do you like your first Konoha mission, Naruto?" asked the old man Hokage knowing Naruto completed plenty of other missions before. He felt like teasing him but the glare Naruto sent back showed that his feeling wasn't a pleasant one. Naruto dropped the stare and glanced over to the girls to see their reaction, he could tell it was only a matter of time before they blow.
"Why do we have to search for a lost cat?!" questioned the girls not believing this at all.
When the mission ended that day, the Death Knight was bored out of his mind. The mission went by very quickly, with the boy's abilities, the search and hunt lasted less than half an hour. What angered the team even more was the fact when they brought the cat back to the owner, the cat immediately fled again when Team 7 left the Hokage's office. Even though Hinata and Sakura didn't show much irritation, the Death Knight knew they were annoyed. Who wouldn't be? The mission was lame and they had to do it twice in one day. The payment wasn't high, 4000 yen (AN: around less than $40 Canadian, I think...) wasn't the ideal wage for such a boring mission. Naruto at that point knew being a genin sucked a lot. There were no killing missions, being a spy or undercover, no ambush and sabotages and most importantly, there was nothing coming out of it. What was beneficial in that previous mission? Nothing, absolutely nothing other than a few dollars and a permanent record that proved that you did a mission.
When it came to personal ninja development, anyone could say that mission actually dulled your senses. One thing struck Naruto's mind, why did ninjas have to do those missions. A lot of those D missions are things that the people who hire people to do them could do themselves. Naruto recalled there were situations like walking other people's dogs, watch over someone else's store while the owner felt like playing mahjong (AN: That is like impossible but I had to dramatize the ridiculousness of D rank missions.), babysitting while the parents had the ability to do it themselves etc.
'I'm a Death Knight!' thought Naruto getting ticked off. 'I can't get any stronger if I keep doing these missions...' Just then he felt someone encircling their arms softly around his neck into a loving embrace, he already knew who it was, this happened often when he was a kid.
"Naruto-kun..." cooed Hinata adorably while still hugging him. Sakura felt her eye twitched.
"What is it, Hinata-chan?" asked Naruto turning his head slightly nearly kissing her. When she saw his head move, she quickly retracted but deep down she wanted to kiss him right there and now.
"How did you like your first mission?"
"What do you think?" he questioned in a joking manner.
"I don't think you liked it too much, Naruto-kun." She then hugged him tighter making him blush a little bit since at that point he could feel her body completely.
"So, how did you feel about it then?" He was trying hard to keep a straight face, this time it was convincing enough to make Hinata believe it.
"I thought it was boring, but I liked it since I was with you." she admitted with a smile and hopped on his back making the boy giving her a piggyback.
"Is that so?" he said understandingly. Sakura saw enough, she couldn't take it any longer.
"Hinata-san, get off Naruto!" demanded Sakura not very pleased at all.
"But Naruto-kun really likes me on his back don't you, Naruto-kun?" asked the heiress with a giggle.
"Yeah..." replied Naruto. "You always did this when we were kids, sneaking up on me and jumped on me whether I was prepared or not. There were even times that you would pretend to be hurt so I would piggyback you."
"You did it voluntarily," said Hinata sweetly. "You can't blame me."
"Sure I can, if I didn't pick you up, you would cry." Hinata giggled a lot. "You were spoiled back then Hyuga Hinata, you were bad."
"You two knew each other when you were kids?" asked a surprised Sakura. Her mood went down considerably when the two nodded. Everything began to click together all of a sudden, the reason why Naruto seemed so relaxed talking to Hinata and not to mention they joked around from time to time when the boy never did when it came to her. Her hopes slid down by another notch.
"I like you too, Sakura-chan," said Naruto. "I will explain everything tonight, okay?" He then leaned slightly to give Sakura a gentle kiss, the girl flushed immediately while Naruto chuckled and released the girl who was currently on his back. She let out a silent groan of disappointment but decided to drop it when Naruto poked her soft cheek a little. "Well Sakura-chan, would you meet me at Ichikaru's Ramen at around 6 tonight? I would be glad if you show up."
"Of course I would!" exclaimed Sakura excitedly.
"Great I'll see you there tonight. Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan, I'll get going now." He did a farewell wave before he formed a set of seals and teleported away. The pink haired girl then made her way back home with a smile on her face, she didn't even bother bickering with her rival, she wanted to save her strength for tonight. The Hyuga heiress had other plans for she headed the direction opposite of where Naruto went to, she knew exactly what she should do for tonight.
(At Uchiha Sasuke's apartment that early evening)
"Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun!" shouted Hinata banging on the apartment door that belonged to the Uchiha. Knowing that sweet voice, the raven hair genin opened the door and greeted her with a smile.
"Hinata-san, what a surprise," said Sasuke. "You want to come in?" Hinata nodded and quickly found herself on the couch. Being a good host, the Uchiha went to the fridge and took out a can of juice and offered it to his friend. The heiress accepted it politely and drank it slowly. "So, what brings you here?"
"This might sound sudden," said Hinata timidly. "But are you busy tonight?"
"Me? Not at all, why?"
"I want to ask you a favor... can you accompany me to wherever I am going tonight?"
"You mean as a date?" asked Sasuke nearly choking on his soda. "You know I don't do dates, even though you are my friend, I have..."
"I don't mean that..." interrupted the Hyuga girl. "Let me put it this way, I want you to be my spying buddy."
"Spying buddy? That I could do." answered Sasuke with a smile. "But I want to ask who are you trying to spy on? This must be quite important... is it about him?" The girl nodded. Sasuke knew clearly knew who this him was, Hinata told him about it before but he never knew who the specific person was. "Why are you bringing him up all of a sudden? Is he back?"
"You want to know who it is, right?" Sasuke nodded allowing his curiosity to win over. "He's the person who beat you in the genin exam..."
"Naruto?" exclaimed Sasuke not believing what he was hearing. "You mean Naruto was the person that you have been waiting for all these years?" She nodded silently. "I can't believe it, Hinata-san you have to tell him how you feel, you can't wait any longer."
"That's why I need you tonight," explained Hinata. "Naruto-kun and Sakura-san are having a dinner tonight, I want to see if anything goes too out of control... if you know what I mean..."
"I get it, don't worry, I'll be there. What time and where?"
"6 tonight at Ichikaru's Ramen." she answered with a smile. With that out of the way, Hinata soon left the Uchiha's apartment allowing him to plan for tonight while she needed to do some preparations of her own. Deep down, she was quite nervous of what the outcome was going to be.
(At Ichikaru's Ramen later that evening)
Sakura went to the place Naruto designated at the preferred time that evening, she of course wasn't surprised to see him already there waiting patiently. The boy seemed to have a lot on his mind, Sakura could see that right through him. Little did she know, Hinata and Sasuke were hiding nearby preparing to listen to the entire thing. Naruto didn't even detect his new friend's presence, he started to snap back to reality when he heard her voice calling his name. He smiled a bit and offered her a seat.
"Why aren't they doing anything?" asked Hinata to Sasuke.
"She just arrived, what do you expect her to do?" answered Sasuke in a hiss. "Just keep watching." From afar, the two could see Naruto giving an order while Sakura was sitting rather quietly not making a move at all. As the food came to them, both of them ate silently not speaking a word to each other. Hinata couldn't understand why her rival wasn't doing anything, she was alone with him, it was the perfect time! (AN: I ain't gonna explain too much on the dinner, I don't find it really necessary. I really don't like mushy-mushy stuff with Naruto and Sakura, I can't stand writing it. Also, what is so fun about two people eating ramen? There is no point in that)
"Sakura-chan," said Naruto breaking their long silence. "Why are you so quiet?"
"I don't think that talking would be necessary, Naruto..." she answered.
"I thought you had a lot of questions you might want to ask."
"I do, but I think I already have most of the answers I need..."
"You might as well ask while you have the chance." Suggested Naruto while taking a zip of water.
"Fine," said Sakura. "How long have you known Hinata-san for?"
"I say ever since I was 5, she isn't my best friend for nothing. She was the most important person in my life and she still is now."
"Do you like her more than a friend?"
"No, I don't like her like that..." answered Naruto sincerely and silently. 'I think I love her...' he added in thought.
"If you don't like in that sense, give me a chance, Naruto."
"I think you two should drop the rivalry," stated the Death Knight seriously. "Sakura-chan, I like you, I really do but you have to understand that I don't feel the same way towards you. There's no point in fighting over someone that never felt the same way towards you. In a love triangle, there will always be one person who would get left out and I know it hurts. Please Sakura-chan, don't allow yourself to fall into that trap, I really don't want to see you get hurt. I know my words hurt you spiritually right now but you have to realize that I'm trying to make this damage infliction to a minimum at the best of my ability..."
"I understand, Naruto..."
"Sakura-chan, I still want you to be my friend. You are a worthy friend and I want to treat you as a special person in my life. Believe me, it really pains me to see you get hurt. Whether we are a pair or not, when you are in trouble or a state of confusion, I really want to help you out because of who you are. What I am saying is... the first time I met you... I felt that you were like my sister and I always felt that way..."
"A sister?" she asked sadly. He nodded with a sad grin. "What is Hinata-san in your life? Is she more important?"
"I don't know... but I know that I care about her a lot too. I worry even more when she's sad or depressed. You have no idea how happy I feel when a smile creeps up on her face. It does brighten my day every time. Sakura-chan, your smiles lighten me up as well, I never want to see a frown on that pretty face of yours either."
"I make you happy too?"
"You do, you really do. Before our friendship falls apart, I really want you to know that this competition between you and Hinata-chan was already decided when Hinata-chan was put on this team. I don't intend to start any relationships and what not but I choose Hinata-chan over you." He was really surprised that she didn't cry a single drop. Somehow, she was smiling.
"Thanks for telling me, Naruto... actually I already knew that I would lose when I figured out that you two knew each other since you were kids. You two were really close all the time as if you know what each other were thinking... I do feel envious but I know there's nothing I could do to break that strong bond between you two. I wish you both the best..."
"Don't start wishing anything now, Sakura-chan," said Naruto with a chuckle. "I'm not having a relationship any time soon. I don't like Hinata like you think I do." The pink hair girl gave him an unconvinced look but the Death Knight pretended that he didn't see it. 'I can lie all I want,' thought Naruto. 'But I could never lie to myself. I fell in love with Hinata-chan... I know it... but I can't tell her... I can't fall in love with her because of who I am... I am a Death Knight, a demonic half demon half human... a demon could never be together with a human, it's just not possible.'
"Naruto... you are very special to me too," said Sakura with a blush. "Even though you don't like me like a girlfriend... you said I was like your sister... can I call you Naruto-nichan from now on? You really are like an older brother to me, one who I always wanted." He smiled genuinely and gave her a nod. What surprised her was that he gave her a kiss on the forehead. She flushed like a tomato immediately as he laughed to himself.
"How do you like the gift you brother gave you, Sakura-chan?" he asked teasingly.
"I love it!" she exclaimed while she gave him a tight sisterly hug.
"Shall we go now?" Sakura nodded happily and left the ramen stand with her now closer friend holding his hand energetically. (AN: They paid for their meal, I just didn't bother to explain it.) Sasuke and Hinata finally came out from their hiding positions and watched the two leave in amazement. The Uchiha was glad that this rivalry was officially over, he was happy that his friend now had a bigger chance to win the boy's heart but when he glanced at Hinata, she wasn't as cheerful as he expected her to be. She was in deep thought, Sasuke could see that. Despite how much he wanted to know what the heiress was thinking, he knew it was wise for him not to interlude.
'Naruto-kun... I know you were lying when you said you don't like me more than a friend,' thought Hinata as she felt her eyes starting to water slightly. 'I know what you meant by that, I know you love me... just like how I love you. Why won't you admit it, what are you hiding from me? I can't stop thinking about you, why won't you open up to me? I love you, I'm in love with you. Naruto-kun, I will let you know that I love you and I'll make sure that you'll tell me how you feel.' As she ended that thought, the remaining genins left the vicinity towards their home. The heiress knew she was very close, all it took now was a little more love and care and he would be hers. At this stage of the game, Hinata knew backing down was not an option. She was determined to win his heart since she knew he loved her as well, nothing would stand in her way.
AN: The longest chapter ever that I wrote is now done! Man, it was a lot longer than I thought! Sorry for those who wanted some action but you know I had to deal with this conflict sooner or later. I didn't want to prolong it too much since I was starting to run out of ideas. From the beginning, I never had the thought of Naruto having both girls, he's no player and he's dedicated to only one person. Of course you all know the person is Hinata. Sorry for those who wanted this competition to last longer but I needed to end it. It was starting to bug me. Also, I have decided not to put in the Wave Country incident in here, I want to get straight to the chunnin exams since the storyline there is utterly amazing. I did enough different unexpected changes that I know you readers out there are getting impatient. Don't worry, Haku would not be dead in my story and for those who want to know about Naruto's sister, I'll say she'll show up real soon. The chunnin exam would arrive in the next 2 to 3 at most chapters so don't worry. Your REVIEWS are always welcome! I really want to hear all your suggestions and advice. Also, the next chapter will come out in the next 2 to 3 days. I hope you guys liked this chapter, thank you everyone who reviewed my story, you guys know who you are! Until next time, later!