CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The Centre of the Universe!
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A/N: Smut warning for this chapter.
XXX
106 Days Since Sasuke
"What's this?" Naruto asked as he entered the massive war room and looked up at the globe. The multicoloured dots had been replaced by wave patterns, some moving away from the Homebase, others moving towards it.
"These are the battlefronts as they stand," Kakashi explained, "The areas in blue are currently controlled by us, while the areas in red have fallen to the Akatsuki."
Naruto took one more look up at the transparent structure. Based on this map, it looked like they were doing pretty well. Konoha, Kumo, Kiri, Taki, Yu, Shimo, and Uzushio were all in the blue, with Suna, Iwa, Kusa, Ame, Tetsu, and Oto in the red. Over a hundred days into the fighting and the Allied Shinobi Nations were winning seven to six. Plus, with Taki fighting on their side, if they could take Oto, they could isolate Tetsu and knock the Iron Samurai out of the war. At least, that was how he saw it, but everyone else in the room seemed a whole lot gloomier.
"Why's everyone so down? We're winning the war, aren't we?" Naruto shrugged.
"Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi returned from their attempt to take back Iwagakure," Tsunade informed him.
"And?"
"They were the only ones that returned from that attempt. Naruto… Onoki, the Tsuchikage is dead."
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.
.
"Damn… Old Man Tsuchikage's dead? Who killed him?" Naruto asked.
"Apparently, Sasuke landed the final blow," Jiraiya said.
Naruto's head dropped. Once again, his failure to kill Sasuke all those months ago back in Konoha had caught up to him, "S-Sasuke? Oh man, that sucks. I really liked that grumpy old man too."
"It's a lot more serious than whether you liked that grumpy old man or not, Naruto," Tsunade sighed, "Breaking the news to the Iwa shinobi will be tough. Those people live and die on the word of their Tsuchikage, luckily, the old bastard planned ahead and gave his hat to Kurotsuchi."
"But that means we'll have to cancel our plans to take back Iwa and Suna," Kakashi said.
"And with winter about to set in, it means we can't even get a big win in before we take a break," Jiraiya explained.
"A big win? Take a break? What are you guys talking about, dattebayo? We've killed two members of the Akatsuki, captured one, and knowing Gaara, we've probably killed or captured another two!" Naruto said, "Let's strike while the iron is hot and go for Ame!"
"The iron isn't hot, Naruto," Tsunade interrupted him, "It's the exact opposite. Winter is around the corner and it's about to get stupid cold. If we launch any attacks now, we'll lose half our shinobi to cold and illness before we even reach Ame. Plus, even with three members of the Akatsuki down, Ame is like a fortress. If we were to attack it, we'll need all nine jinchuuriki and all Six Kage just to stand a chance, and we just can't make that kind of gamble, logistically, at the moment."
"So, that's it then? We just sit around for three months with our thumbs in our mouths? What was the point of bringing the jinchuuriki into this war if we're going to cancel whole attacks just because of a little snow, dattebayo?"
"Naruto! Not everyone can call upon unlimited bouts of boiling hot chakra whenever they feel like it, you know. Some of us don't do well in the snow," Kakashi returned.
"It's not all bad news though," Jiraiya began, "Speaking of the Nine-Tailed chakra. Now that we're about to take a break, I'll need you to come with me, Naruto."
"Huh, why?"
"According to Kurotsuchi, Sasuke has mastered Orochimaru's snake summons. With Sakura being able to use slug summons, I think it's only fair that I train you to complete the three-way deadlock. Tomorrow, we're heading to Mount Myoboku!"
Jiraiya's animated speech was cut off by the door swinging open. "Tsunade! What's this I hear about the Tsuchikage's passing?" Danzo asked, climbing up the stairs into the war hall. "Not only did you fail to protect Iwa at the start of the war, but you've failed to protect its most valuable shinobi? Will you stop at nothing to win this unwinnable war of yours?"
"Lord Onoki sacrificed his own life for the sake of his village. That's the whole point of being a Kage. He knew what he was doing when he left the Homebase. We'll find a way to break it to the Iwa shinobi and we'll continue with this 'unwinnable' war after three months," Tsunade replied.
"Find a way to break it to the Iwa shinobi? No need, I've already told them myself," Danzo said, a slight smirk forming across his face.
"You didn't…" Tsunade sat up.
"Are you calling me a liar? You can go and find out for yourself if you don't believe me. I hear the Iwa Barracks are rowdier than ever right now."
Tsunade got up off her chair and equipped her Hokage hat, "Meeting adjourned," she said before marching out of the room.
Naruto, Jiraiya, and Kakashi all exchanged looks. They'd all accepted the fact that Danzo was probably the mole, but at the same time, it didn't make sense. Danzo was one of Konoha's most important shinobi. He wanted the war to end, but letting the Akatsuki win would've marked the end of not just the war, but the end of Konoha.
Jiraiya broke the silence, "I'll come by your place tomorrow morning, I'll give you time to pack and say goodbye."
XXX
Only now, sitting on his bed, packing his backpack with whatever clothing he believed he needed for the trip to Mount Myoboku did Naruto stop to think about what Tsunade had said earlier.
Fuu, Yugito, and Hotaru were still in the Land of Fire trying to help Hotaru learn the Fury Jutsu. Han and Roshi were in Uzushio. Gaara and B were camped out in Yugakure to make sure the White Zetsu army didn't try to retake the village. A was in Kumo. Mei was in Kiri. Temari was in Yu. Meaning the only Kage and jinchuuriki that'd be left at Homebase were Tsunade, Kurotsuchi, and Hinata. Fingers crossed they would be able to hold down the fort without him.
"What's on your mind?"
Naruto hadn't heard Hinata come in. He clutched his chest for a moment before turning to the Hyuuga jinchuuriki. "Don't scare me like that," he replied before returning to the task of packing his backpack… "And nothing. I was just lost in my own thoughts."
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"Jiraiya is taking me to Mount Myoboku tomorrow. He said he wanted to teach me how to summon toads, so I could keep up with Sakura and Sasuke."
"Oh…" Hinata leaned against the doorframe, disappointment written across her face, "When will you get back?"
Naruto paused for a minute, "I don't know. He didn't really say… why do you ask?"
She shrugged, "I… I don't know, I just thought we could've used this winter break to finally slow things down and spend time with each other. You know, every day of this war's just been 'go, go, go,' so I was hoping we could have some time to ourselves for once."
Hinata was right, but Naruto tried to find some optimism in his departure. He jumped off his bed and walked over to Hinata. "Hey, look at it this way. The faster I master the Summoning Jutsu and control the Nine-Tails, the faster this war comes to an end. We're just sacrificing one three-month winter break for an eternity of time together, dattebayo."
"Mh, I understand. We'll do what we have to do for the sake of Uzushio's safety," Hinata tried to absorb some of Naruto's optimism by slapping her fist against her palm, "Yeah. I guess you're right. I'll try and control my own tailed beast while you're gone."
"That's the spirit!" Naruto chuckled, pulling Hinata's head into his chest. His laughter was broken by the rumbling of thunder. What was probably the last thunderstorm of the season was slowly rolling over the mountains to dump gallons of rain on the military village. He stared out the window at the terrifying anvil-shaped mass looming overhead as flashes of lightning jumped from cloud to cloud.
The wind was starting to pick up too. Everything about the ominous cloud implied that the upcoming storm was going to be big. Hinata brushed some hair away from her face and whispered, "I left some clothes on the line up top, so I should probably bring them down before they get wet."
"Yeah, you probably should," he said letting her go. Hinata disappeared around the corner. "Oi, Hinata!" Naruto called before she could leave the hotel room. Hinata's head popped out from behind the wall, "I… I just figured that while we're both still in the village, why don't you spend the night here, with me, when you're done?"
A slight red hue formed across Hinata's pale face. Her head dropped, "Uh yeah… I probably could. I'll get Karin to babysit Akiko… and be here later."
XXX
Hours passed and afternoon turned to evening, which as the rainclouds moved across the village sky, turned to night. The wind, rain, lightning, and thunder all came together in a violent crescendo over the Kumo Homebase as midnight approached.
Naruto had just finished packing when he heard the knock at his door. He popped his head out of his bedroom to ask, "Who is it?"
"It's… it's me… Hinata," the reply came after a moment of contemplation.
"Coming," Naruto yelled back. His room was a mess, with clothes, scrolls, and accessories scattered around the room, including over the TV he had put on for ambience, but it wasn't anything Hinata wasn't used to seeing at this point. When Naruto opened the door, he was greeted by Hinata in her purple robe. "Hinata! Just in time too, come on in."
She was oddly hesitant.
Eventually, she followed Naruto through the dark halls of his hotel room until they reached his bedroom. "How are your legs feeling by the way?" Hinata asked.
Naruto looked down at them. They were still missing a bit of muscle mass, but at least he could stand on them, he could jump, and best of all, he could fight. Not at full strength, but fight, nonetheless. They'd kept him out of the war for so long that it was almost depressing. Hidan and Kakuzu in the Tsuchigumo Village, Kisame and Suigetsu in the Hidden Mist, the failed attempts to retake Iwa and Suna, Naruto had volunteered for all of those campaigns and was shut down by Tsunade on all occasions. When he heard about Sasuke in the Land of Earth, Kakashi and Jiraiya had to physically hold him down to his bed and warn him about the dangers of taking on Sasuke when he wasn't at full health.
That battle in Konoha had ruined him. In his mind, he was 0-3 against the Uchiha. He'd lost against him when they were children. He'd lost against him in Oto. He'd failed to kill him in Konoha. Naruto just needed one last bite of the cherry. He wanted to prove to Sasuke and, more importantly, himself, that he had it in his locker. That if only he was trapped in a bubble with only him and Sasuke, that he could defeat the Uchiha.
"Naruto!"
"Huh?" the Uzumaki returned to reality. He shook his head, "Uh… sorry… what was your question?"
"You were thinking about Sasuke again, weren't you."
"You're not gonna hit me again if I say yes, are you?"
Hinata sighed before dropping herself onto Naruto's bed, "Of course not. I'm just concerned. I've seen you obsess over things before, but not to this extent… not for this long."
"I'm trying not to, I swear I am, but it just feels like no matter how much I try to distract myself from him, he always comes back to haunt me," Naruto admitted. He paused for a moment to stare at his large window overlooking the Homebase cityscape. Gallons of rain flew past his window, interrupted only by brief flashes of lightning and the rumbling of thunder. "Maybe when I come back from my training with Jiraiya, I'll have the mental fitness to not focus on that kinda stuff, dattebayo."
.
.
.
"I… I think I know how I can help you forget about Sasuke," Hinata broke the silence.
"You do?"
"Yeah, just close your eyes."
Naruto backed away, "No, you're gonna hit me again."
"I'm not gonna hit you."
"Are you sure? Because you can get pretty scary when you're angry, dattebayo."
"I promise I'm not going to hit you," Hinata said before raising her pinkie finger, "Pinkie promise."
Still making sure to keep his distance, Naruto locked his pinkie with hers. "Pinkie promise."
"Now then, sit on the bed and close your eyes."
Seeing as a pinkie promise was the most sacred promise possible, Naruto did as was instructed and sat down on his bed. He made sure to clear a pile of clothes before turning to Hinata and closing his eyes.
Darkness.
.
"Can I open them now?"
"No. Keep them closed," Hinata's voice trailed off. She switched off the lights.
.
.
"Now?"
"No," the TV went quiet.
.
.
.
"Now?"
"… Yeah… open your eyes."
Naruto's eyes slowly creaked open. "Oh?" The more they opened, the wider they grew. "Oh!"
Hinata had removed her long purple bathrobe to reveal a much shorter lace nightgown that would've left nothing to the imagination were it not for the purple lingerie set Hinata was wearing underneath. The Hyuuga's soft pale skin and innocent facial expressions heavily contrasted the sensual mix of floral pattern underwear that hugged at her round breasts and curvaceous figure. Naruto's eyes trailed from her face to her waist. She had a purple garter belt around her hips that ran down into lavender stockings.
"…" for the first time in a long time, Naruto was speechless… "Whoa…"
Hinata gripped the robe she'd placed on his bed before asking, "What? Don't you like it?"
Naruto stopped her, "No, I like it. I love it! It's just… whoa… you're just whoa…"
He could feel his heart in the back of his throat. He tried to swallow, but it just felt like pushing down rocks. Naruto had been in an actual war yet seeing Hinata in her nude glory somehow made him more nervous than staring death in the eyes. Naruto took Hinata's smooth hand in his sweaty palm.
He brought her closer.
She closed her eyes.
He closed his.
Their lips met somewhere in the middle.
It was the deepest, most passionate kiss they'd ever shared, and it grew more intense as Naruto placed the palm of his other hand on Hinata's lower back.
She jumped a bit. Moaning into his mouth.
He pulled her closer, drilling his tongue into her slightly open mouth.
She sat down, straddling his leg, all while still locked to the lips with her lover.
He gently bit her lower lip, inciting another moan.
They locked tongues once more, rolling them over the other, sucking on them, thrusting one against the other. Only stopping to fill their lungs and breathe hot air into each other faces.
Still straddling his leg, Hinata dampened his pants by grinding against them.
They went for another kiss. This time a peck.
Naruto kissed the side of her face, then her jaw, then her neck. And then he sucked on it.
Hinata melted in his mouth. Gripping his side with her free hand.
Naruto licked at her neck. He kissed it. Then he went in to suck on it a bit more.
"Harder," she purred.
The sucking intensified.
"Fuck."
Her grip tightened. Her toes clenched. Her back arched.
"Harder."
Naruto bit down on her neck. Hinata threw her head back.
She shoved Naruto back onto the bed. Breathing heavily.
She looked down at him.
He looked up at her. He saw nothing but lust in her eyes.
Hinata stood up and removed her nightgown.
Naruto took this moment to catch his breath.
She unzipped his pants as he unzipped his jacket.
He was already fully erect. She had felt his tip under his pants with every thrust. Now she could see it. At full mast. Or at least its silhouette under the guide of lightning flash.
Hinata sunk to her knees.
Naruto sat up, "I hope you don't mind that I didn't shave or anything, I didn't expect…"
"Shhh," once again, Hinata had accomplished the nigh-impossible feat of shutting the Uzumaki up.
Naruto's breathing tightened as Hinata's tongue pressed against the bottom of his shaft. He was halfway through removing his mesh shirt when he reached for the sheets and gripped them.
He looked down at her.
Hinata had an uncharacteristic smile about her as she continued to run her tongue up his shaft. Until she got to his tip. She took it in her mouth.
Naruto whimpered.
She circled her tongue around it.
He threw his head back.
She stroked his base with her hand, mouth still wrapped around his tip.
Naruto's mind was foggy. He tried to breathe, but every second breath got caught as she flicked and licked and stroked as if she'd done this before. Worse still, every time he looked down at her, she sought pleasure in his struggle.
Naruto sat up. Hinata swallowed him whole, almost getting down to the base. He was engulfed by her mouth. The damp walls of her mouth constricting around him. Her tongue massaging him. She stroked at the remaining shaft.
Something was building up inside of him.
Her mouth full, she pushed Naruto back down, before pulling away.
She wiped her lips, "Was that too…"
Naruto grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her back in. She swallowed him whole once more. Shockwaves rippled through his body. Exploding out of him and into her mouth. He made sure to shoot every last drop into her.
She tapped at his forearm to call for air.
Naruto let go.
Hinata pulled away.
"I'm so sorry. I… I don't know what came over me," he apologised profusely.
Hinata finished swallowing before replying, "It's okay… I kinda liked that."
"Oh?" Naruto helped Hinata off her knees, "Oh…" his eyes widened.
Hinata unclicked her garter straps and removed her belt.
Naruto pulled her onto the bed. He rolled her over to swap places.
It was his turn between Hinata's knees.
He placed the top of his tongue, flat against her. She twitched.
As he shifted from soft, broad strokes to a more aggressive, rigid motion, Hinata's twitching, and moaning grew more intense. To the point where when he finally inserted his index finger into her wetness, her left hand rushed to grab a handful of his spiky blonde mane.
Hinata's eyes rolled into the back of her head.
She didn't know where to look or grab as the heat of passion overwhelmed her.
She looked back down to Naruto, who had inserted a second finger into her.
The combination of his tongue flicking in and out of her, and fingers sending shockwaves rippling through her body filled the Hyuuga with a foreign feeling of unadulterated lust.
"Please…" she squeaked.
Naruto slowed down to look up at her, "Huh?"
Hinata's mind was foggy. As he looked up at her, her juices wetting his whiskered face, dripping off his chin. There was only one thing on her mind.
But she couldn't bring herself to physically say it.
"Please…" she repeated, between deep, steamy breaths, "Please…" the words were on the tip of her tongue.
Before she could collect herself, Naruto was leaning over her. His muscular arms like tree trunks on either side of her face. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" he asked, also between heavy breaths.
The muscle definition in his body highlighted by nothing but candlelight, Hinata finally mustered up the courage to plead, "Please get inside me."
Naruto's eyes widened.
No more words were needed.
With Hinata's tiny hand guiding him into her, Naruto sunk into the Hyuuga jinchuuriki until their hips finally met.
Naruto held that position for a solid minute.
Her right arm had wrapped around his body to dig her fingers into his shoulder.
Only when the tension in her hand loosened, did he pull his hips away from hers.
The next thrust came down harder. With more vigour. Each proceeding thrust sent ripples of lightning shooting through both their bodies.
Naruto lowered his body onto hers. She wrapped her arms and legs around him.
Their bodies were entangled in a sweaty tango filled with hair pulling from Naruto's side, neck biting from Hinata's side, and the occasional dirty talk from both parties as they exchanged moans and 'fucks'.
She placed her hand on his lower back, eliciting more aggressive pounding.
The two softest jinchuuriki were reduced to their most animalistic states as they clawed and bit their way to euphoria.
Suddenly, Naruto's eyes widened.
Hinata saw his eyes widen.
His thrusting lost its rhythm as waves of fire pooled around his lower abdomen.
"Inside," she cooed between moans.
"Huh?"
"Inside," she assured him.
He lasted another three or four thrusts before dissolving into her with one last push. They both went tense. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, none of them moved.
Naruto's pulsing finally ceased.
They fell limp in each other's arms. Collapsing onto the bed.
Nothing but the sound of their breathing synching up.
"I love you," Naruto reminded her.
"I love you more," she replied.
.
.
.
Their senses returned to them.
The still room filled with the sounds of rain, wind, and thunder rattling the windows.