Hey, hey!
Back again. This chapter is pretty detailed. It's a flashback chapter of Naruto and Pain. How they grew comfortable around one another. This chapter almost adds on the mystery of not only what exactly happened in the Hyuga massacre, but now what is going on with Naruto.
Not any Sakura, Sasuke, Ino or Shikamaru in this chapter. Next chapter there will be.
Without further wait, hope you enjoy the chapter.
'Current time'
'Flashback'
'Flashback Kurama talking'
'Strained talking'
"So. We are just fine with the fact that you and this 'Tobi' fellow don't really share eye to eye?"
Pain slowly dragged his eyes over to Naruto. They were in one of many abandoned buildings that Rain village harbored. Pain liked to wonder out. He was a man that liked to be hidden, but he also liked to be out of the Akatsuki main headquarters. Naruto guessed he liked to get fresh air.
Sometimes Naruto would follow him. They would train or just feed off of one another their energy and ideas. Never in a million years did Naruto think he'd be in a situation like this. What a time to be alive.
Pain gave Naruto this blank stare. Naruto learned over time what each blank stare kind of meant. For goodness sake he's had an Uchiha on his team. Hinata was his lover. He knew a thing or two about reading people's aura.
He held his hands up in mock defense to Pain, "I'm just here for the ride and protection. Don't get me wrong. Whether what you want to happen to the world or Tobi wants is no sweat off my back. Granted. I'm here to serve you Sir. Not Tobi, and I can tell his purpose isn't up to par with yours. His you might can say is more of anger and selfishness."
Pain stared at Naruto a little longer. To any other person they would have been terrified. Thinking they've overstepped their boundaries. However, believe it or not. Pain listened quite well, "How do you figure this? I have known him a lot longer than I've known you."
Naruto grinned brightly at Pain. Like he was proud about something, "My sunshine tells me he's an Uchiha. Trust me when I say there is another motive. That guy in the mask thinks he's out of Hinata's range with her Byakugan, he's not. Her range goes way further than the average Hyuga."
Not like there were many to compare hers to.
Pain nodded his head at Naruto. He had knew this about Hinata. Konan discovered this some time ago in training. Naruto continued to smile at Pain, "You knew about my Sunshine. Yet, you didn't tell him. The man in the mask. You two talk alone together a lot, yet you didn't tell him about Hinata's Byakugan range. Why?"
Pain again looked at Naruto for a long pause. His eyes so mysterious to a stranger, but yet, Naruto could read him perfectly. Pain turned his head from Naruto as he continued to look around the debilitating building. "Everything does not need to be known. Just like you do not know about the conversations I have with him."
Naruto gave a sound of understanding as he shrugged his shoulders. The two remained quiet for a little while longer before Naruto as usual couldn't take the silence, "Why not attack Konoha first? Why have me and Hinata attack all these other snakes and followers before getting to the real deal?"
Pain watched as two rats fed on another deceased one. Another reason why he hated this world, "It's too soon. Not only for the Hyuga, but for you as well. Could you face them all now, knowing what you know? Could you be okay with knowing that they did nothing to help your family name survive and live on?"
Naruto frowned at this, "I'd be okay."
If Pain was the type, he'd roll his eyes. "You'd rage."
He faced Naruto in an odd moment of understanding as he looked at him, "It's only normal. You were a miserable orphan because of them. They took away your family legacy from you. For what? Left you to be the jailer of the nine-tails fox. Left you to an early death. Like I said, it would be normal for you or anyone else in your shoes to rage once they saw that village they once called home again."
Naruto's fists balled and Pain could see a shift in start to happen. "Are you two going to make it?"
He wasn't talking about Naruto and Hinata.
Naruto's relaxed demeanor turned to one of frost. The real Naruto was in front of them now. The one Naruto kept from the rest of Akatsuki and that masked man. Only Hinata, Konan and Pain has seen this side of him. The side of pure anger, despair, hate, hostility.
The side of lucifer.
It was a long time coming really. That's how Naruto saw it. He's been a patient person for a very long time. Now he was that deviant that they painted him out to be. He'd be the lucifer that was in the heavens and hells. Their nightmare and savior. Little did they know the plans Naruto had for them.
"Kurama will be fine. We're fine. Don't worry, you don't have to kill me off just yet sir."
This time Naruto's void eyes dragged over to Pain. The two men eyed one another for a moment. Naruto couldn't help but think about the moment in time that him and Pain actually clicked. How this odd camaraderie came to be.
Naruto laid on his back for what felt like the thousandth time that day. He was sore, every muscle in his body felt battered and broken. He wasn't a quitter, but damn was he in pain.
What kind of annoying training was this from this Akatsuki leader? All he did was use nothing but brute force and lay him out on his fucking face. Pain said nothing. He didn't critique. Didn't give any input on what Naruto's goal was to be at. He just beat the shit out of him.
Like he was nothing. Just like those villagers when he was growing up. Just treated him like utter shit.
Pain walked over to Naruto and stood above him. The blonde just stared up at Pain in utter aggravation. Naruto couldn't take too much more of this belittling. He was going to snap sooner or later.
That's when Naruto saw it. A smirk etch onto Pain's face, "Is that creature within you fed up yet? Are you ready to transform into a monster yet? To show the real you."
Naruto just continued to stare at Pain in silence. Is that what all this was about? He still just wanted the nine tails to come out so he could extract it? Did he go back on his deal?
Pain's eyes widened with slight excitement, passionate in what he was doing to Naruto. Breaking him at this very moment, "You cannot control it. You need to control it. That seal on you is faltered now thanks to Orochimaru. The Toad Sannin could only help you but so much, but sooner or later, with the right push, you'll snap. You'll kill who you love. She'll die."
Naruto lifted his head off the ground just a little to look at Pain slightly confused, but completely angry. "Why?"
He wanted to say more. He wanted to go off really, but him and Hinata just got here. Just begged for their protection and Naruto agreed to go through all this mental and physical dumpster fire training. So he would endure as much as he could.
Naruto rolled out the way when he saw Pain about to stomp on his stomach. Pain simply looked at Naruto like nothing just happened, "If you love her so much. Than try harder to better yourself. The nine tails isn't going to hug it out with you. Unlike you, that demon knowns how humans really are."
Naruto couldn't stop himself from cutting him off, "I DO know how humans really are."
"Then act like it. Stop acting as if every human on this planet can be saved. Stop acting like this world is all how you make it. It is not. This world is how people like the Hyuga family want to make it. If you do not fit that picture…well you seem to 'know' what happens to people that don't fit that social status."
Naruto sat up and rested on his bum as he continued to look at Pain, "I know what happens."
"Yet you choose to ignore it."
Naruto frowned at Pain's rebuttal, "If I didn't ever ignore it. I would have ended up like you."
There was a long pregnant pause and it was like Naruto was slowly starting to understand where all of this was going. Pain grinned at Naruto and a chuckle escaped his lips, "You ended up here with me anyways. So, stop ignoring what is right in front of you. Get a grip of this demon and get to work."
Naruto wanted to roll his eyes at that statement. Easier said than done, "I can't get through to it. It keeps just wanting me to release it. It won't let me balance us and make it equal. It just won't talk to me without trying to control me."
Pain looked interested now, "Oh. So you've tried this before." It was more of a statement than a question for Naruto. "So. There is a little bit of darkness in that welcoming heart of yours. Have you tried seeing things from this demons point of view? Understanding it's hate instead of trying to flower it with your annoying optimism?"
Why was he helping him? Pain was just making it harder for himself to extract the nine tails later. He was literally working to make Naruto unstoppable.
Pain's amused face soon went back to its usual voided look, "Uzumaki's…there are not many of us left."
Naruto's eyes widened dramatically, and his mouth hung wide open, "Wha-what did you just say?" He felt shivers roll up his spine in excitement and yet he wanted to throw up instantly. He couldn't be related to this man. There was no way this evil fucking human being was an Uzumaki.
How would Naruto even know? He has no clue what his own mother looked like. Or his father. He was robbed of knowing that.
Having his question unanswered Naruto crossed his legs and got into a meditative position. He was slightly annoyed with his situation right now but chose to move past it. He'd get to the bottom of what Pain was talking about sooner or later. Right now, he had more urgent matters to attend to.
"A weakling like you has some nerve being in front of me right now. I'm in no mood to speak to the likes of you. Not now, not ever."
Naruto told himself when speaking to this demon he had to tread lightly. If the nine tailed fox triggered him and made him lose control at this very moment, surely Pain would kill him. Naruto paused and looked at the entrapped demon when he started to hear him growl and grow more hostile.
"If I wanted to control you. If I wanted to break free for even the slightest bit of time, do you honestly think that HUMAN could stop me? You fucking moron. I am a demon. The nine tails. This mere human couldn't even make me flinch. I should slit your fucking throat for thinking such a thing."
Naruto looked on interested, "You know my thoughts?"
"I can read your body language you simpleton. I see you quivering with fear in front of this man and letting him get the best of you. It's sickening to watch. All humans disgust me, but you are top tier."
"You hate me, and humans so much, why not rage the fuck out when I was younger. When I was stuck in that shit hole orphanage. When I was living off of damn table scraps."
Naruto watched as the demon fox in front of him paused and smiled. A big, terrifying smile. One that promised Naruto immediate death if he got too close to him. "I knew you weren't ever going to stick up for yourself the right way. Even if you knew my power lurked inside you, you would just hide it. Try your best to control it. It was more humoring on my end to watch a weakling like you suffer all those years."
Naruto ignored most of what the nine tails said, "I…I wouldn't have. I wouldn't have tried to hide it." Again Naruto watched as the fox in front of him grew more and more excited from their conversation. "What is this I'm hearing? Out of all humans, I never thought I'd hear this from you. Tell me. Are you implying we have more in common than I thought? That you are not just some worthless soul trying to suck the charka from me."
Naruto looked at the tailed beast a little lost at words. Searching for the right answer, "I'm not the same as the rest of the humans you hate. I don't know how, but I can tell that I'm different."
"Of course you're not the same you moron, you're an Uzumaki."
Naruto was tired of hearing that from people, without knowing the specific meaning to it. "BUT WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?! You know what it means. That fucking psycho that I'm stuck here training with knows what it means. I know people back at Konoha knows what that means! Why do I NOT KNOW what it means!? What fucking right do you all have to take that away from me?!"
He screamed. At the top of his lungs. Naruto let out all this pent up frustration, anger and betrayal. Years of it. The anger of not knowing who he was. Who his parents where. What his bloodline was. He really had no identity. Only what he made of it and it wasn't FAIR.
He caught himself hyperventilating. Naruto looked down at his hands and noticed them growing. Noticed his nails growing out into claws. If there was a mirror he surely wouldn't want to look into it right now. He knew what he'd see.
"I need Hinata. I need to get out of here. I can't do this right n-" Naruto paused when he thought back at Pain's words. How he told him that if he truly loved Hinata he would conquer this. If Naruto didn't get this under control, not only was his life at stake, but so was Hinata's. Everything he did was for them, everything he did was so Hinata could be happy.
Naruto looked over at the demon and the cage he was supposedly trapped in, "I'm not scared of you getting out anymore. You causing chaos. I'm not scared of what you could do anymore. I cannot find it in me to CARE anymore. You cannot just rip yourself out of me and have your way though. There has to be something mutual we can get from this."
The demon fox almost wanted to roll his eyes at Naruto, "I don't do deals with humans. The moment your home village welcomes you back with open arms, you'll go crawling back. Back to being their puppet. Their side show freak."
The fox watched as Naruto walked closer to it's space. Closer and closer, he could just grab Naruto right now and rip him to pieces. The temptation was getting closer and closer, "I'm not the same as all humans. I'm an Uzumaki. Now tell me how to break our seals. I want to show you just how much I'm a threat with or without you."
Pain watched as Naruto's body went through several motions in the time span of maybe ten minutes. Finally he watched as Naruto's body stiffened and the younger Uzumaki just went still and fully passed out on the ground.
He'd leave him there and let him figure it out himself.
Hinata had brought with her many of the Hyuga's accounting books when she left the village. Granting herself access to multiple of their accounts and funds. The girl was the only main house Hyuga alive. Sole heir to everything. Konan was reviewing the books Hinata gave her and was impressed. She was looking at one of the richest people in the nations standing in front of her right now.
Yet. She would never be able to tell it.
"You're family name holds a lot of weight to it. Hold your head high."
Hinata looked at the accounting books with a void look, refusing to look at Konan. "I'd say about 50 percent of it is all dirty money. Some of the money that my family has received was from the criminal activities done in Amegakure. By your organization. Helping fund the demise of their very own village."
A lone tear slid from Hinata's face as she slowly looked at Konan, "Please tell me why would I hold my head high. I have no honor left." She whispered this to Konan, but the older woman could now see all the pain and despair in the young woman's voice. She was a hollow shell. If she'd have to guess, her only reason for living now was because the young Uzumaki would be destroyed if something happened to her.
Hinata's skin was pale. Paler than what Konan would say a normal person's color should be. Her eyes looked tired. She was growing strain marks on her beautiful face and Konan would say if the young Hyuga didn't get herself together soon she would look very similar to Itachi.
Konan didn't show mercy to Hinata's misery though, this was not the place for that. "He won't make it if you continue to hold him back like this. If you continue to be brittle and not level headed. If you weren't going to be a strong woman for him, than you should have never led him out here to his death. How selfish of you."
Hinata wouldn't make excuses of how they ended up here. The point was they were here now and this woman before her was right. "Do you know how I can get the images out of my head? How I can get the pain to go away so I can be better?"
Konan wished it could be that easy, "No. Don't be absurd. There is no such thing. You take one step at a time. One goal at a time. You have to find your passion."
Hinata remained silent as Konan guided them out of her miniature office, through the darkened halls of their hideout and finally outside. Of course it was raining. It seemed the rain was coming down harder than usual. Konan noted how Hinata did not hesitate as she followed her out into the rain. This Hinata was an odd one. Konan didn't know many people that enjoyed heavy rain on them.
The two walked in silence in the rain. Konan wanted Hinata to get a good glimpse of the village. Of how broken it was, just like her. "This village was never really good. It was always riddled with war, crimes and violence. As you said before, even your family had their hands in the dirty money here. As you can imagine children were stuck in the crossfire of all the sins that happened here. I grew up here. I was an orphan."
Hinata's bangs stuck to her face, but she looked at Konan with precise vision as the woman spoke. "I was a child that was stuck here. Stuck in the middle of chaos and I couldn't get out. Me or my friends. We tried to fight back. That's what we were in the beginning. Freedom fighters."
Hinata's eyes widened at this. The wind picked up and while Hinata did indeed get cold easily, she didn't seem to feel anything right now but fire from her emotions. She hadn't felt such fire in a long time. Not since she first donned her Anbu uniform.
Freedom fighters? So they weren't always after Jinchuriki? They weren't always on a path of destruction? It almost reminded Hinata of how her and Naruto were now. The path they were on now.
"We couldn't prevail past the evil in this place though. It proved too much. I lost someone very dear to me. I lost two people actually. I lost them to violence because humankind is selfish and greedy."
Konan stopped walking when they arrived at an abandoned building, she looked at Hinata as she let the words sink in for the younger woman. Hinata's mouth was hung open slightly, shocked at history she never knew being told to her. "I hate fighting. Konan-sama."
Konan actually gave a hint of a smile to Hinata. "I remember being like you. So stuck in a shell. I wish I wasn't like that back then. Maybe if I was the way I am now, I wouldn't have lost them. I loved them so much. Will you let that happen to the nine tails jailer? Will you wait until it's too late to come to your senses and fight?"
Hinata felt like her whole body was burning. Even though she was shivering, soaking wet. "No one will ever harm Naruto. Ever. Not as long as I'm breathing." Konan raised a brow at Hinata, her words now becoming useful to her, "You do as I tell you. Not Pain, but as I tell you. You understand that? If you listen to just me, than I can make it so your lover doesn't have to die at the end of all this."
Konan watched as Hinata bowed low to her. The desperation rolling off of the young Hyuga, "I will not disappoint you Konan-sama. I will never disappoint you!"
The older woman used one of her hands to reach for Hinata's face. She found Hinata's chin and raised the young woman up. Konan pulled Hinata closer to her and whispered in her ear, "Good. Keep it up and we could end up friends."
Best friends.
"So. You're my father?"
The older looking version of Naruto, who he just discovered was his father, named Minato-freaking-Namikaze. The fourth Hokage of Konoha. He couldn't even get his father's last name. Considering from just discovering his father was the fourth Hokage, there were no good reasons Naruto could guess why he wasn't told.
All he could think about was how they did all of this to hold him back.
What other reason? To protect him from outsiders trying to steal him as a child? If he was protected correctly than that wouldn't have been an issue as a newborn.
"Yes Naruto. I am, and this is your mother."
Naruto turned and looked at the red haired woman. A chili pepper she was. She looked enraged at the moment towards him. Naruto couldn't help but ignore that and think about how Sasuke's former teammate, when he was rogue had red hair. He heard a while ago that she had an enormous chakra reserve. Something along the lines that she was a Uzumaki as well.
Well Hinata eliminated that chance of ever finding out exactly her back story.
Pain hinted that he was an Uzumaki, yet he didn't look like his mother. Things were, and yet at the same time, were not adding up. "Are you two upset with me?"
Minato, and who he just learned name was Kushina Uzumaki stared at Naruto for a moment. He tried multiple times to read their faces but couldn't really get a good read on them. "So. I was an orphan. Did you know? I know about the history of the nine-tails attacking Konoha. How you sacrificed your life to save the village. I didn't really know about you doing it for your wife and child. Was that your last dying wish? For me to suffer all my life?"
Minato's eyes widened slightly at his sons steel words. Bitter. Anger. That's what he saw right now when he looked at Naruto. That chip on his shoulder that he remembered Kushina having when they were younger. That was Naruto to an extreme right now. "Naruto. No-"
"First of all young man. That is NOT how we will be talking to our parents. Do you understand that?! Do NOT sit here and pretend that we did not sacrifice our lives so you, the love of our life could have a life!"
Naruto stopped himself from all but snarling, "WHAT LIFE?! I almost didn't make it?! People beat me. Threatened me. I grew up with little to nothing. I was never taught how to handle money. How to cook. How to clean. How to bathe appropriately. I was teased left and right for not having anything. I was called a monster from almost EVERYONE I met. The first time I actually enjoyed a vegetable was a year ago, because someone FINALLY loved me. It took me 17 years to finally figure out and feel real love. That's 17 years of me being numb!"
Kushina blinked back tears at Naruto, "Numb? M-m-monster?" She turned and looked at her husband almost breaking in front of him, "Minato-kun?"
Said person was speechless. He loved his village. Did everything to protect Konoha. Even sacrificing his life for them. Why would they do this? Why would they do this to his own flesh and blood. "No one was there for you? Not even Kakashi?"
Naruto's eyes snapped to his father. Confusion etched on his face, "Who is Kakashi-sensei to you?"
Minato caught on that Kakashi was Naruto's teacher. Okay. His son was a shinobi. So, how did they end up in this situation? "He was my student. I was his sensei. He later moved on to be in Anbu. I was hoping that he would rise to the occasion while you were growing up. I ordered Kakashi to protect your mom and you."
Naruto's face scrunched up, "I didn't meet sensei until I graduated the academy." Where was he?
At this point Minato's heart dropped. "What?"
Naruto looked off to the side and scratched the back of his head bashfully, "Don't get me wrong. Kakashi-sensei took care of me. He did try to give me fruit and vegetables almost everyday once I joined his team. Not too much training from him. That was really from pervy-sage."
Minato now looked confused, "Pervy what? Wait, Jiraiya-sensei? He became your sensei as well?"
Naruto smiled at this, "He was your sensei?! That's cool!" At this time Minato frowned at Naruto, "No. Not in this case. When I passed where was he? When did you meet him?"
Naruto genuinely cared for Jiraiya. He didn't really have any ill will towards him what so ever. Even if Jiraiya could have been in his life earlier, "I met him when I was about 13 years old." He watched as Minato's face just became more and more grim. It made him feel intimidated actually. Was this the face his father opponents faced before meeting their end. Chilling.
"I am sorry. Naruto. I…expected more from the people I deemed close to me. I know, trust me I know this doesn't fix anything, but I am so sorry son." In Minato's mind. His son had lived over a decade without real proper loving care.
Naruto looked at his parents for a moment before he just felt awful. He didn't want them to think it was all bad. Sure it was, but maybe it could have been worse. "The third Hokage. He looked out for me too. When he could. He got me an apartment. It was out the west side of town, kind of a dangerous area, but it was a roof over my head. After a while in the orphanage he got me that spot. An allowance as well. Not really enough when the citizens overpriced me or refused to sell to me. So, this nice Ramen stand guy took me in kind of. He fed me every day. Rain or shine."
Kushina swallowed a thick lump in her throat, "He didn't take you shopping? He didn't have you stay with him? With a Hokage's income, home, protection. He…didn't take you in?"
He just let him fend for himself.
Naruto scratched his chin in thought, "I guess I never really asked for him help. So, I can't really be angry about it."
"YES YOU CAN!" Kushina finally burst after hearing everything. Anger clear in her burning eyes as she seemed to be losing a grip on herself, "They haven't changed one damn bit! Dammit! What is it that you need Naruto? Why did you break the seal with the nine tails? Both of them at that! Even with all that was said and done just now. It does not grant you the right to take innocent lives."
Naruto eyed his mother before he felt something. He looked around in the area around them and smiled. Hinata was near him. She was there waiting for him to accomplish his goal. "Taking innocent lives? I haven't done it yet in my 19 years of living. I don't really plan on doing it now. I'm tired of this restrain between me and this fox though. There will be no mutual settlement between us if we are forced apart by the seals. He wants the seals off, than let them off. I'm not afraid of him."
Naruto closed his eyes and when he opened them he stood in front of the nine tails fox again, alongside of him were his parents. "I said I'm not scared of you. Not that I want to control you. Not that I want to use you. I am Naruto Uzumaki, I am way more than just the jailer to the nine tails fox."
"Kurama."
Naruto blinked. Followed by his parents. "Your name? That's your name?"
The fox finally rolled his eyes at Naruto, "Yes…you fucking twit. Who would have thought you'd stop lying to yourself long enough to tell your truth for once. I must say. I am impressed."
Naruto ignored the slight insults. He didn't have much time left to find a resolution, "What is it that we can do to make this work." Naruto smiled when he felt his father and mother grip his shoulder in support of what he wanted to do. That they were silently telling him that they understood, that whatever he did, he had their support.
Kurama smiled at the scene in front of him. His devilish aura surrounding the Namikaze family, "A merge."
Naruto blinked his eyes open. He wasn't in his meditative stance anymore, which he figured he wouldn't be after having his verbal spats with Kurama. However, he thought he'd be on the ground, head against the cold hard concrete.
Instead it was in the lap of his fallen angel. Hinata looked down at Naruto and smiled at him. He hadn't seen Hinata look so relaxed for some time. Naruto gave Hinata a look like he was curious with what she was thinking. Hinata just smiled at him and shook her head for him not to be worried. "Are you okay Naruto-kun?"
Naruto smiled at Hinata. She couldn't help but notice how his birthmarked shaped whiskers were extended and how his smile showed that his canines were longer than normal and sharp. She wouldn't ask him about it now. Not in front of the man that could take Naruto from her. In private they shall tell one another all their secrets.
"I'm fine Hinata. Don't worry."
Naruto heard Pain clear his voice to get his attention, "You seem less tense. This will be good. You'll be easier to train. In the morning we shall try again, this time you won't flop around like a fish out of water."
Naruto grinned at Pain. Was he trying to crack a joke? Was Naruto growing on him already.
After that day, training with Pain became easier. It went from training to more of a mentorship thing. Naruto learned a lot from the man. Still, what remained a mystery to him was how they could be of the same clan. It was still one of those things on Naruto's to do list, finding out who Pain really was.
Naruto watched over time how Hinata and Konan grew a bond. Hinata had a mother, she didn't get to experience too much of her birth mother, however she did have her sensei in team eight fill in those shoes. Now it seems as if Konan has stepped in for the position slightly.
She did not allow Hinata to dwell on her past. What happened to the Hyuga clan. Konan challenged Hinata to find out what she wanted from life. Find her way without living in the Hyuga's shadows. Hinata was more than just the 'reject' of the Hyuga clan.
She was a force. She could take out the mightiest of men if she put her mind to it and didn't give up. Naruto would watch Hinata and Konan train and realized it was really just Konan pushing Hinata to her limit to see how far Hinata was willing to go.
Naruto knew Hinata was used to such training styles from Anbu, so she was able to rise to the occasion. She was able to grow her gentle step twin lion fists. She was able to actually focus on a lot of her family style jutsu's that she couldn't master back in Konoha. Konan told her that it was because Konoha held her back. Gave her too much fear to progress. Out here in the real world Hinata had to progress, or she'd die.
Naruto would watch Hinata train for strategizing purposes and, well because he loved to watch her. That and he knew that Tobi bastard was somewhere around them watching them. He didn't like Tobi around Hinata alone. Not because he thought Tobi wanted her. He didn't get that feeling, it was more so because Tobi wanted to get to Naruto. The mere fact the nine tails was right here for the picking and wasn't being touched, Naruto could tell really bothered the masked man.
Naruto came out of his long thoughts when he heard Pain speak again, "As long as you can complete the missions I give you, that is all I care about. As promised, after we knock out a few of these other powerhouse villages. Konoha is all yours. Understood?"
Pain turned to walk away, and Naruto smiled at him. His smile shined bright. His canine teeth as pointy as ever and one of his eyes flashed for a moment a fiery red, "Yes sir."
So, a lot of things to now think about. What has Naruto done to himself? How corrupt had the Hyuga clan gotten? What is Konan's grand plan now that Hinata and Naruto can be her additional aid? Just added things to think about in addition to the massacre. Keep everything thinking.
The title 'Best Friend' for this story branches out. Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto and Shikamaru. Hinata and Sakura. Hinata and Ino. Naruto and Pain and now Hinata and Konan. Let's see which friendships can withstand the storm ahead.
Well see you all next weekend!