Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Well here is the first chap...hope you enjoy it!!!
To the following readers:
Dragon Man 180: Thanks for the source...
HinatasBiggestFanBoy: Its good you think it's nice.
irukapooka: I need made up ones or real ones. Any would be fine.
joekool: About Naruto going to the sand village: I think I would not let him go there...I already have plans on where they would go...
AkiaBinZaid: I actually planned to make this chapter longer...maybe the actual chapter length will be long...
J-kwong: Sorry for confusing you...It happens after the Sasuke runs away arc.
xero-ghost: There is a story behind Naruto calling kakashi just as Kakashi-san...maybe what you are thinking of is right...maybe...I'm goona show their travels and such but I'm gonna do a time lapse later on...
ErkTheSlayer: (gets the cup of Halo-halo) Thank you!!!
Overlord of DARKNESS: About putting Gaara in the story: Maybe I will...Maybe I won't...but if many of my readers wants him to be in the story...I will...
To the other readers: Thank you for thinking that this fic is nice/great/good...
Chapter 1: Somewhere to stay…
Kakashi rushed back to Konoha only to find a destroyed building lying in crumbles…
He approached the Chuunin examining the site.
"What happened here?" He asked.
The Chuunin who was kneeling at the ground, inspecting the building's shattered wall stood up and faced Kakashi.
"We don't exactly know…"
"It just went like 'boom!'…" Another man said it. Kakashi turned his head and saw Asuma walking towards him. As usual, Asuma was smoking. "How about you, what happened to you? All of us rushed here when it exploded. You were not here…and after minutes…here you are…out of breath…" Asuma added.
Kakashi stared at him.
"Sir, we have found out what it was!!!" Another Chuunin said to Asuma.
"Tell me the details…" Asuma said lazily.
"No, tell me." Kakashi said.
The Chuunin stared at Asuma. "I'll be the one to report to Tsunade-sama. I have to tell her something." Kakashi said.
"Fine, tell him." Asuma agreed.
Kakashi gestured for the Chuunin to get closer. "Whisper it to me…" The Chuunin then whispered it to him.
"Oh…" He whispered. "Listen; don't tell anyone besides the jounins here what you just found out, ok?" Kakashi asked. The Chuunin nodded.
He then disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Kakashi arrived at Tsunade's office.
"So tell me what happened." She ordered while almost dozing off.
"There was a bomb Tsunade-sama, where it came from is still unknown…" Kakashi said.
"Oh, it was a bomb…"
"What shall we do, Tsunade-sama?" Kakashi asked.
"Don't tell the public… what was the building that exploded?" She asked.
"It was a restaurant, Tsunade-sama."
"It perfectly suits the situation. Just tell the public that a gas tank was left open and there was an electricity spark that caused the explosion. Tell the restaurant owner what really happened and tell him to keep it down…" She said.
"I will." Kakashi said.
"You may go now…" She said.
"There IS another problem, Tsunade-sama…"
"What is it then? Spit it out…" She said.
"Naruto ran away." Kakashi said plainly.
"WHAT? NARUTO RAN AWAY?!" She said and then she was fuming with anger.
"Yes he did…"
"WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HIM, KAKASHI?" She asked with a loud voice and she looked like she was ready to kill.
"I tried to, Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade then calmed down. "Tell me the story then…"
Kakashi was just about to tell the story when.
"Tsunade-sama…!" A man barged in her office.
"Huh, Hyuuga-sama, what are you doing?"
"Have you seen my daughter?!"
"Why?" She asked.
"She has run away!!!" Hiashi said.
"What a coincidence… I know someone who has run away too…" Kakashi whispered. Hiashi approached him and took him by the collar.
"Who is it then?" Hiashi asked.
"Please calm down, Hyuuga-sama…" Tsunade said.
"I will not calm down until Kakashi tells me who this person that run away is… that person might be with my daughter!" He said.
"Let him go first Hyuuga-sama." Tsunade said. Hiashi let go of Kakashi.
"Tell me then…" Hiashi said after cooling down.
"Uzumaki Naruto." Tsunade and Kakashi said in unison.
"What, Uzumaki Naruto has ran away?" Hiashi asked.
"Yes he ran away, and Hatake Kakashi here will tell us first why…" Tsunade said. 'Damn, this is going to be long…first, I had to wake up suddenly because of the explosion and then this!!! Naruto, why did you have to run away?' Tsunade asked in her mind.
"I don't know all the details Tsunade-sama, I just know that we had a previous misunderstanding and he has been having a hard time since the "Uchiha Sasuke retrieval mission", as you can see, Haruno Sakura is deeply infatuated with Uchiha Sasuke and Naruto has promised her that he'd bring Sasuke back. Well, Naruto wasn't able to fulfill that promise and well, Sakura became angry at him (I'll let Naruto tell the WHOLE story about the reason he wants to leave Konoha to Hinata, what Kakashi is saying now is just based on his current knowledge) and she…" Kakashi paused.
"She did what?" Tsunade urged Kakashi to continue. Hiashi was just listening intently.
"She slapped Naruto…" Kakashi said. "And that was just yesterday… I don't know what happened next or if anything else happened to push him to run away from here." He added.
"She slapped Naruto because of that Uchiha kid, eh? And you had a misunderstanding with him when?" She asked.
"After Sakura slapped Naruto…" Kakashi replied.
"And what about you, Hyuuga-sama, why did you think your daughter run away?" She turned her attention to the silent Hyuuga head.
"Maybe she just wanted to run away from her obligations…" He said in a grim voice.
Tsunade sighed. "Maybe…" She emphasized the word. "Or you're not telling the truth at all…" Tsunade said.
"What makes you think that I am lying from you, Tsunade-sama?" He asked.
"Hyuuga-sama, I know of your daughter's problems…her teacher, Kurenai, told me that…and you know; lying can't do anything good in our current situation…" She said.
"Fine, I was lying from you…" He said.
There was silence for a moment.
"You're daughter have enough reasons to run away from you… If I was in your daughter's shoes, I would probably run away too…" She sighed. "You treated her like she wasn't your daughter, you treated her like an object that you wanted to throw away… and I suppose you need to reflect on the things you've done to her…" she stared at Hiashi. Hiashi turned paler and regret was clearly shown in his face.
"You…you are right …" Hiashi said and he bowed his head and he left.
"How about Naruto, if the Akatsuki finds out he has run away, I bet they would chase him down and take him if they can, what would we do about him?" Kakashi asked once Hiashi left the room.
Tsunade closed her eyes and she looked like she was absorbed in deep thought. After a brief moment "We have to get him back…" She said.
"I suggest you place guards at the country's exits or you hire some people because we'd be using a lot of ninjas to guard the country's exits. You can also send some search parties that will search for Naruto and at the same time, if possible, to search for the one that placed the bomb inside Konoha." Kakashi said.
"I will think about all of it first, I will have an important meeting with all the Jounins and Chuunins tomorrow morning… and also the ANBU." She said. "Make sure you tell everyone…"
"Yes, I will." Kakashi then left.
The next day in Konoha, everyone was very busy but the busy villagers had a feeling of fear in their hearts because of the explosion.
"Hey, do you believe that the explosion was only because of a gas tank?" An old man asked the vendor of the newspapers in the stand. "Could be…" The vendor replied; she was a woman at the age of forty.
"Hmmm…" Another man but younger than them said. He was currently reading the daily newspaper.
"How about you young man, what do you think?"
"It can be" He said. "But if it wasn't the truth, maybe they have a good reason of hiding it." He added.
Far off the distance, a teenager with the ability to control bugs was listening in on the conversation.
"So Shino, what are they talking about?" Another teenager with a dog beside him asked.
"They're talking about the explosion last night." Shino said plainly.
"Why is Hinata so late? She's usually the first to arrive here…" The other teenager said.
"Maybe something happened, Kiba…" Shino said.
Kiba cocked his head backward in frustration. "I don't like waiting this long…and where is Kurenai-sensei anyway?" He asked.
Shino just shrugged.
"I'm right here…" A woman said behind them.
"Whoa Kurenai-sensei, when did you get here?" Kiba asked.
"Just now…" She said.
"Why are you late anyway, Kurenai-sensei?" Shino asked.
"There was an important meeting with the Hokage this morning." She said.
"Hinata is really late today." Shino said.
"She will not be joining us anymore." Kurenai said.
"WHAT?!" Kiba exclaimed.
"What do you mean, Kurenai-sensei?" Shino asked still with his usual tone.
'Should I tell these kids?' Kurenai asked herself. "She…"
"Hmmm…"
"What is it, Shino?" Kurenai asked.
"She has run away, right?" Shino asked.
"How did you find out?" Kurenai asked.
"I didn't find out, I just assumed…" Shino said.
"SHE HAS RUN AWAY?" Kiba exclaimed.
"Calmed down Kiba, you shouldn't be surprised…" Shino said.
"Yeah, I shouldn't be surprised but…" "She has already developed some guts." Someone said. That someone was Neji passing by.
"Wait, Hyuuga Neji!" Kurenai exclaimed.
Neji stopped and looked at Kurenai.
"What is the matter, Kurenai-san?" Neji asked.
"Something tells me you helped her run away." She said.
Neji closed his eyes and grinned. "True…" He said and he opened his eyes, a grin still prevailing in his face.
"You helped her? Hyuuga Neji, the Hyuuga Neji, helped her? Hyuuga Neji helped a main house member? Hyuuga Neji helped Hyuuga Hinata who he almost killed at the chuunin exams?" Kiba asked frantically.
"I just want her to live a happier life…" Neji said. "It was also a way for me to say sorry for the cruel things I've done to her…" He continued. He then turned. "If you don't want to believe it then don't, but it is true…" He then walked away.
At another place in Konoha, a pink haired girl sat alone under the shades of the cherry blossom trees.
'Sasuke has left and now Naruto…' She thought.
Flashback:
"Sakura, your sensei is here!!!" Sakura's mom exclaimed.
Sakura rushed to the door.
"Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked.
"I just want to tell you something…"
"What is it then, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Well…" Kakashi closed his eyes and scratched his head. 'How should I start this?'
"Well?" Sakura asked to urge Kakashi to continue.
"Well…"Kakashi sighed. "There's no more Team 7…"
"No more Team 7" Sakura repeated. "What do you mean?"
"Naruto is not here anymore…" Kakashi said. "Since you are the only Team 7 member remaining, Tsunade-sama decided to remove Team 7 and just rearrange the teams…"
"Naruto is not here anymore…" Sakura felt her knees weaken. 'Was it because of me?' She thought. "Where is Naruto?" She asked.
"We don't exactly know…" Kakashi said.
"Then do you mean that he left without anyone noticing him at all?" She asked.
"I saw him last night but…he actually was able to escape from me." Kakashi said.
Sakura lowered her head and she looked at the ground.
"Sakura, don't blame yourself…" Kakashi said. "I got to go now…" Kakashi then left.
End of Flashback
"How could I not blame myself?" Sakura asked herself out loud.
"Naruto where is Sasuke?"
"I…I wasn't able to get him back…"
"You promised! How could you…How could you not bring him back? I thought you can't go back on your word?"
"But he tried to…"
"No stop explaining anymore!!!"
"Pak" (Sakura slapped Naruto)
"I hate you!"
That conversation rang through her head clearly like it was really happening currently around her. Tears welled up in her eyes and she blamed herself for being so bad to Naruto.
'He tried to make me happy and there I was…hurting him every time…' She thought.
"Hey cheer up will ya?" A female voice said beside her. Sakura wiped away her tears and looked up. Ino was there standing and grinning at her.
"Stop grinning, this is not a time to smile that way…" Sakura said in a low volume.
Ino tilted her head sideward. "I know…" She then sat beside Sakura on the ground. They were both in silence. They were looking at the Cherry Blossom petals. Some were falling and Ino caught one.
"Is it about Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked while observing the lone Sakura petal in her hand.
"No it's not about him…" Sakura said still with her eyes observing the Sakura petals. A tone of sadness was in her voice.
"Then who are you thinking about?" Ino asked.
"Naruto…"
"What about Naruto?" Ino asked. The lone Sakura petal was blown away by the wind from Ino's hand, it went towards Sakura. Sakura tried to catch it but wasn't able to.
"He's not here anymore…" Sakura said while she watched the lone Sakura petal drift off and it later joined the other petals flying in the air.
"He's not here anymore?" Ino asked.
"I think he ran away…" Sakura said.
"Oh…" She sighed. She then turned her head towards Sakura. Sakura then turned her head too. Their eyes met. Ino raised her eyebrows. "And you're blaming yourself…" She said.
Sakura didn't reply.
"Don't blame yourself…" Ino said.
"But…"
"I know, you did hurt him but there may be a lot of things that has pushed him to run away from this place you know…" Ino said.
Sakura sighed. "You may be right but I want to…at least…say sorry to him…" She said.
Tsunade was busy thinking deeply about the things that happened last night. 'Too many things happened last night… damn Naruto…why did you have to run away? Why?' Tsunade thought.
"Uh, Tsunade-sama…" A man's voice broke her thoughts. It was Genma.
"What is it?" Tsunade asked.
"The three Sand-nins are here to see you."
"Huh, what…Oh those three…" Tsunade said when she saw Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro standing behind Genma. 'I almost forgot about them…'
"Tsunade-sama, forgive me but I must leave now…" Genma said. Tsunade nodded and he left.
"So what are the three of you doing here?" Tsunade asked.
"Gaara wants to ask something…" Temari said.
"So Gaara, what did you want to ask?"
"Where is Naruto? I can't find him anywhere…" Gaara said.
"Well Naruto is…uhhh…" Tsunade paused. 'Should I tell these kids? Maybe I should, in case they meet him…I should persuade these three to try and convince Naruto to come back if they meet him…' Tsunade thought. "Naruto has run away." Tsunade said.
"He ran away?!" Kankuro exclaimed.
"I thought he loved this place?" Temari asked. "He tried so hard to protect this place and now he has run away?" She added.
"We can say that he did love this place. We can say that he tried to protect it very hard, we can say that he once yearned for Konoha's acknowledgement…but certain things happened that change what he thinks of this place…" Tsunade said.
"It was because of this village's hate, is it? I guess it is…It was right he ran away…he doesn't deserve this village's hate…he deserves acknowledgement that he should have gained before…he suffered so much for this village and look what the village has given him…only hate…" Gaara paused. Temari and Kankuro were startled that Gaara said so much. "I believe that he'll be able to find the acknowledgement he seeks somewhere else…" He added.
Tsunade stayed silent.
Meanwhile outside Konoha, far from its gates, two teenagers traveled together. Those two teenagers were the ones who ran away last night from the place they called home. They were currently walking in the woods looking for shelter.
The blonde hair boy then stopped walking.
"What's the matter, Naruto-kun?" The girl asked.
"Are you sure you're not tired, Hinata?" The boy asked.
Hinata shook her head. "Are you really, really sure you're not tired?"
Hinata shook her head once more.
Naruto raised his eyebrows.
"Why d-do you ask anyway, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.
"I dunno, maybe I just don't want you to strain yourself…" Naruto started walking.
Hinata blushed. She was slightly startled.
"Hey I care…I am human and humans care for other people…" Naruto said.
"Who said you're not human?"
"…No one…" Naruto replied. "Are you comin' or what?" He asked.
Hinata then rushed to his side.
After minutes of walking, they caught site of a clear and clean stream.
"Wow!" Hinata exclaimed.
The stream was sparkling because of the sun and there were a lot of big healthy fishes swimming in it.
"Well, I bet we can find our breakfast here, Hinata." Naruto grinned.
Hinata nodded and smiled.
She then sat on a clean boulder and she gently placed her bag on the ground.
Naruto meanwhile, plopped his bag down near Hinata's and approached the stream.
"Hey, what are you two doing here?" A female voice disturbed their peace. Naruto and Hinata turned their heads to see who it was and they saw a woman maybe at the age of twenty standing right there.
She had brown hair and onyx eyes. By the looks of her clothes which were simple and feminine, she was not a ninja. She wore a blue kimono which was slightly shorter in length and it allowed her to move and walk around comfortably.
"We were just resting here and I was just about to catch some fish…" Naruto said.
"Oh…" The woman whispered and she approached the two. "I'm sorry to disturb you…" The woman apologized.
"No it's alright…" Hinata said.
"I'm Chosi Chiaki; it's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled.
"Hyuuga Hinata…" Hinata smiled and held out her hand. Chiaki gently grabbed it and they shook hands.
"Uzumaki Naruto…" Naruto said and he grinned.
"Well would you like to come to my house? Since I disturbed you maybe I can cook you your breakfast." She smiled.
"OK!!!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Well let's go then…" Chiaki said. Naruto and Hinata then quickly picked up their bags and they followed Chiaki.
While they were walking,
"So where do you live, Chiaki-san?" Hinata asked.
"I live at the village of Shinkan." She said. "And please just call me Chiaki-chan…"
"Is this 'village of Shinkan' far?" Naruto asked.
"No." Chiaki said.
"So what is this place like?" Naruto asked.
"It's a pretty peaceful village. The villagers there are very friendly and kind." She said,
"Then I guess we can stay here at this village, ne Hinata?"
"I think so…" Hinata shyly said.
"What do you mean by' staying at this village'? Don't you have somewhere else to go?"
"Let's just say that we don't want to come back where we came from…" Naruto said.
Chiaki didn't reply after that, they just continued walking. After a small amount of time, Naruto and Hinata caught sight of a small village that was pretty busy but it looked peaceful.
Chiaki led them inside the village and she led them in front of a small house.
"It's pretty small but it's pretty comfy in there." Chiaki smiled.
They went inside. The house was pretty simple. There were two rooms. The dining room and living room was linked together. The kitchen was separated.
"Sit down; make yourselves feel at home…" Chiaki said. Naruto and Hinata sat in a chair in front of the dining table. Meanwhile, Chiaki went inside the kitchen. "Please wait for a while. I'm just going to prepare some food for the both of you!!!" Chiaki shouted from the kitchen.
"Ok!!!" Naruto replied. "So Hinata…this place…is somewhat nice…do you think of the same thing?" Naruto asked Hinata.
"Are y-you asking me?" Hinata asked.
"Heh, you're the only one in here who can speak…" Naruto grinned.
"Sorry, I was thinking of something…" Hinata apologized.
"It's Ok…"
Hinata smiled warmly.
"Yeah, this place…is nice…" Hinata said.
"So do you want to stay here?"
"How about you, do you want to stay here?"
"I'm the one asking you…" Naruto said.
"Why are you asking a-anyway?" Hinata asked.
"Because if you would stay here…I would too…" Naruto said.
"Really, you…you would stay with me?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah I would. So do you want to stay here?"
"Well since this place is nice…staying here would be fine…" Hinata said.
Naruto grinned. "This would be a nice place to get to know you better, ne Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.
'Did he just call me 'Hinata-chan'?' Hinata thought. She blushed "Y-you think so?" She nervously said. "Yeah…I would like to know you better…" Naruto said. Hinata blushed more. "Well, we could stay put for now since we already found a place where we could stay…" He added.
Sorry if I didn't put more NaruHina in it but there will be more in the next chapter...