I'm getting some positive feedback about the story. And don't worry. A priority of mine is to make sure Shin isn't perfect. And you'll see some of his flaws later on. Also, do not make any assumptions. The readers of my EVA fic know this full well and they've learned never to assume anything about what I write. In regards to Shin, he is here to stay. This story centers around Shin, Hinata, and Naruto in that order. I started this fic because of Shin and in the end you will either love him or hate him. I can't choose for you, but the importance that he plays is immense. As far as original characters go, he's the first I've done in a long time and I don't intend to kill him off.

War of Love

Chapter 1: Tortoise or Hare?

Shin focused his eyes and looked on as Hinata charged him. Because the Hyuga family excelled in close-combat conditions, he couldn't let her get close enough to actually use the Jyuken. With a leap, Shin dodged the first blow but Hinata was just as fast. Two swings nearly clipped him and with her using Jyuken, even a grazing blow could cause damage. The only tactic was to avoid the blows at all costs. Shin bowed aside and bent backwards as Hinata threw another punch at him. It flew right over his chest and Shin grabbed the ground with his hand, performing a back flip in the process.

As Hinata came in for another strike, the young man drew his knife and sliced the air. Without warning, Hinata tripped and Shin moved in for the kill. However, such a simple trick wouldn't be enough. Hinata twisted around to land on her back and kicked upwards, nearly catching Shin on the head. She pushed off the ground with her hands and soared through the air before landing on a tree branch. Shin breathed hard and grinned at his fiancée.

"Very impressive, Hinata-hime. You are quite skilled at the Jyuken."

"You as well," Hinata replied with a smile of her own. "But how did you trip me?"

"Well, that's my little secret," Shin replied. "Let's keep going."

Shin leapt into the air and came spiraling down towards Hinata. The young woman slid aside and kicked towards him as Shin landed. Moving aside, Shin grabbed Hinata's leg in the process but received a kick from the other leg. It sent him flying but he landed on his feet. Hinata continued attacking and Shin kept retreating. He led her around the area before jumping above and getting out of her range once again. This time, when Hinata charged, he remained standing. Hinata was about to land a blow on him when she completely ignored Shin and leapt towards another higher branch. Shin disappeared in a puff of smoke, to be replaced by a block of wood. The real Shin jumped out of his hiding spot and quickly started running again. There was no way Hinata's Byakugan would fall for such a simple trick, apparently. Shin suddenly turned around and kicked at Hinata. The young woman deflected the blow before finally landing one of her own.

With the force of the punch sending him flying downwards, Shin spun around to balance himself before planting his feet into a tree. He slid for a bit before coming to a stop and standing on the trunk. There wasn't any time to rest as Hinata soon followed up on her attack. With no other option, Shin activated his bloodline limit. One moment, his eyes were glossy white. The next, they flashed and turned pitch black. Shin blinked once and clapped his hand together. Without warning, Hinata felt her legs weaken and nearly tripped. She rolled for a bit before sliding back onto her feet. By then Shin had run away again and was standing behind several trees. He continued shifting about, looking all around him. Hinata pressed on, having no trouble finding Shin. She closed the distance quickly but again Shin clapped his hands together. This time her arms started aching, but she quickly suppressed it. The young man started rubbing his hands together and the aching increased. Soon the burning became unbearable and Hinata was tempted to fall back. But she wasn't about to let Shin get the better of her that easily. One of the things Naruto had taught her was to keep on going no matter what.

Seeing that Hinata wasn't going to be deterred, Shin grimaced and squeezed his hands tighter. At the last moment, Shin pulled his hands towards them and Hinata felt a strong tug grab her. She came flying towards Shin but again reacted quickly. With a single punch Hinata knocked Shin down and his eyes returned its glossy state. Shin landed on his feet and slid back, but he didn't bother attacking or moving again.

"Very impressive, Hinata-hime," Shin said. "I don't think I'll be able to take much more of that."

Hinata panted but smiled. "You weren't bad either, Shin-kun. But how did you do that?"

"Well, that I can't tell you just yet." Shin rubbed the spot where Hinata punched him and sighed. "I think I'll need a bit of time to let my body recover. Should we go back to the river?"

"Uh, okay."

The two shinobi walked slowly back towards their little spot. As they stepped through the undergrowth Shin started humming. Though he had lost the sparring match, Shin wasn't down or anything. Unlike Naruto, who would have been disappointed. Shin reminded Hinata more of Shikamaru than anyone else so far. Laid back but not as lazy as the Shadow ninja.

"So what's on your mind?" Shin suddenly asked.

"Uh, what?"

Shin grinned. "You keep sneaking looks towards me. Something has to be on your mind."

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

"It's okay. It's the first time a girl outside of my family has paid that much attention to me, and I kind of like it."

Hinata blushed and looked away a bit. Shin really was a flirt, despite his claims of not having much experience with women.

"So what's on your mind?" Shin repeated. "All things considered, I can be a good listener."

Hinata shook her head. "It's nothing. I was just thinking."

Though he could have pressed on Shin shrugged and let it go, to Hinata's immense relief.

"I wonder what life in Konoha is like," Shin said.

"Umm, you're here, aren't you?"

Shin smiled. "I've only been here for a day and I've spent most of it at your house. Though I walked around yesterday, I can't say I got to know the people or their lives."

"I see."

"Hinata-hime, mind showing me around a bit?"

"Huh? Oh, of course not!"

"Haha. No need to be so tense, Hinata-hime. I would hope I'm not a stranger anymore."

"Oh, it's just, well…"

Hinata trailed on but Shin got the message. He still was a stranger here and it would be some time before that changed.

"It's okay if you're tired," Shin said quietly. "You don't have to spend the entire day with me."

"Umm, it's not that I don't like being with you," Hinata replied, just as softly, "but well, I'm supposed to go train with my friends later."

"Then go. I'll see you this evening for dinner."

Shin walked back to the spot with the poles and cast his line again. With one last look, Hinata started running back towards the village. Though she felt bad for leaving Shin, there was also a part of her that was relieved at going to see her friends. When she returned to Konoha, it was almost lunch time. It would be easy to find Naruto right now. Hinata walked over to Ichiraku and saw him sitting at his usual spot, already on his third bowl.

"Umm, Naruto-kun?"

"Huh? Oh, hi Hinata-chan! What brings you here?"

"I just got back from a little training," Hinata replied. "You?"

"Oh, well I always eat lunch here," Naruto said between mouthfuls. "Ichiraku has the best ramen in town. So, were you with that Shin guy?"

Reluctantly, Hinata nodded and sat down next to Naruto. She laid her head down and sighed.

"Well, if that guy bothers you, just tell me," Naruto said cheerfully. "I'll take care of him."

Hinata smiled weakly. "Thanks, Naruto-kun. But everything is all right. I can take care of this myself."

"All right. But remember, you have friends for a reason. So, how about a meal on me?"

Her smile brightened and Hinata nodded. Naruto rarely treated anyone to ramen but from time to time he did this for his close friends. And spending time with him was certainly a plus.

"So you left Shin?"

The two turned around and saw Neji standing there.

"A wise decision, Hinata-sama."

Hinata frowned. "You don't have to treat me like a little girl, Neji-niisan. What are you doing here anyways?"

"The Hokage has ordered that all members of the Hyuuga family report to her. Apparently something is up."

"Hmm? What does that old lady want with all of you?" Naruto blurted out.

"It's none of your concern," Neji replied. "Apparently it's a family matter."

Hinata's frown deepened and she sighed. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, but I have to go to this. I'll eat ramen with you another time."

Naruto replied with his usual grin. "I'll be waiting for you, Hinata-chan."

When the two left Naruto turned back to his ramen, thinking a bit about what had happened.

Forest+

Shin didn't move much as he continued fishing. It was probably a good thing Hinata had left as the young man clutched the knife. It was quite sad how quickly they had caught up. The blade extended and Shin swiped the air. The clinking of metal could be heard as the knives fell apart.

"That was a clumsy attack," Shin stated, not even looking. "I would expect you to give me more credit than that."

A low rumble of a laugh answered. "If you had died from that, would you really have been worth the effort?"

"I guess not. But I thought you learned to respect my family the last time you idiots fought with us."

"Oh? And you're telling me you can also control your bloodline limit?"

Sticking the rod into the ground, Shin stood and turned to face his opponent. The man cast aside his straw hat and leveled his sword.

"Well if that's the case, I better finish you off quickly."

In an instant the taller man charged forward. Shin quickly moved out of the way and threw a line of kunai at his target. He wasn't expecting any of them to hit but those weren't his target. As he looked on, Shin saw the lines and smiled. A small amount of chakra had been imbedded onto those weapons and they grazed the lines. The sudden tension in his muscles caused his opponent to slow slightly but he quickly compensated. This guy was obviously no pushover. With his eyes now completely black, Shin jumped away again. He couldn't let this guy get close to him.

As Shin jumped around, his opponent seemed to begin getting annoyed. He disappeared and suddenly jumped out from some branches. Shin ignored the attack and instead turned around and unleashed another volley of kunai. His enemy jumped out from hiding and the water clone disappeared.

"I guess I shouldn't have expected that to work," he said with a grin. "Now, shall we get serious?"

Shin didn't bother waiting and ran off again. Fighting someone of that rank and ability was suicide, even with his bloodline limit. He had to get back to the village and warn the people. However, his opponent wasn't going to make that easy. Several more kunai sailed through the air and Shin dodged them. His opponent was closing in fast and Shin quickly moved to block his movements. Three swipes through the air and branches were severed and flung about, blocking his path. That barely fazed the enemy as he smashed them aside effortlessly.

A near miss sent Shin's sense tingling and he sidestepped to avoid another swing. Shin then turned tail and ran again. He was almost in sight of the village when finally his opponent landed in front of him and landed a punch. The blow sent Shin flying back and he handed hard on his back. Blood seeped from his mouth and he wiped it away. Now was not the time to show weakness.

"Haha. You certainly managed to get far, but you're nothing like the rest of your family. No wonder they sent such a weakling to Leaf."

Shin glared. "You know nothing."

"Oh? It seems I've struck a nerve." The man lowered his sword and the wrappings came off. "Here, let my Samehada make everything better."

With a slow grace, Shin assumed a combat stance and stood there. With his knife still in hand, the dark eyes only stared forward at his opponent.

"Come and try," he uttered.

Kisame bared his teeth in a cruel smile and launched himself. At the last second before his sword touched Shin the young man twirled his hand and created a whirl of dust. Three swipes followed quickly and blood spouted from Kisame's sword arm. The shinobi paused for a second and looked around. Shin had disappeared from his spot and was nowhere to be seen.

Examining his wounds, Kisame grunted. "That little twerp actually managed to hurt me. Well, he certainly shows promise. Next time I'll just have to kill him."

With that the rogue shinobi disappeared back into the shadows of the forest. It was obvious that his opponent had retreated to Leaf and alerted the ninjas there. Soon ANBU squadrons would be everywhere, but they would find nothing.

Shin gripped his side as he leapt to Leaf's front gates. He jumped over the wall with three leaps and landed on the ledges. Several guards saw him and immediately rushed over. A few moments later, his energy exhausted, Shin blacked out.

Hospital+

Hinata looked down at her fiancé with a worried look. The doctors had determined that Shin was bleeding internally and one of the medic-nins had healed the wound. Whoever Shin had fought was obviously strong and search teams had already been dispatched. They found several kunai fragments as well as a few intact ones. Besides the path of the battle, there was precious little evidence as to who had attacked Shin.

"Perhaps he isn't as strong as he thought," Neji commented.

"That's not very nice, Neji-niisan," Hinata replied.

Neji shrugged and was about to leave when Shin awoke. He made no noise but simply opened his eyes, which had returned to a grayish color.

"I guess I made it," he muttered.

"Shin-kun, stay still," Hinata quickly said. "You suffered a serious injury and will need time to recover."

"Hmph. Was it internal bleeding?"

Hinata was surprised by his guess and only nodded.

"Then I inflicted that upon myself. I guess I still can't control my powers very well."

Neji and Hinata looked at each other puzzlingly.

"Umm, what do you mean?" Hinata finally asked.

Shin rose out of the bed and looked at his bandages. With a single move he tore all of them off, surprising Neji and Hinata again. The third surprise came as there was not a mark on him.

"If used improperly, my bloodline limit can kill me and everyone around me. I'm fortunate that I didn't do more damage to my own body in that fight."

"So who did you fight?" Neji asked.

Shin grinned and regarded the two. "Hoshigaki Kisame of the Akatsuki."

It seemed that Shin had dropped too many surprises on the group as Hinata looked ready to faint. Neji only looked at him in surprise.

"You fought Hoshigaki Kisame of the Akatsuki and are still alive?"

"Oh give me some credit," Shin replied. "My bloodline limit does give me an edge but I doubt I could have lasted much longer. I survived, but I certainly didn't win."

"The Hokage has to know about this right away!" Hinata suddenly interrupted.

Neji nodded. "I'll go report to her. This is certainly an issue for consideration."

When he had disappeared, Hinata looked over at Shin again. His bare chest showed no signs of the operation that had been performed to save his life. It was as if nothing had happened and yet he had just survived an encounter with a member of the Akatsuki. So why was he just a chuunin? Even jounins had trouble confronting those renegades.

"Something wrong?" Shin asked, noticing his fiancée's look.

"Shin, what is your bloodline limit?"

Upon hearing the question Shin looked away. Hinata frowned but remained silent. If Shin wasn't ready to share that with her yet, she'd let it go. Besides, he probably had his reasons. It apparently nearly killed him. Hinata placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled kindly.

"When you're ready to tell me, you can tell me. But is keeping secrets really the right thing to do?"

"Aren't you keeping a secret too?"

"Huh?"

Shin raised his hand and pressed it against Hinata's heart. "This wants something, and yet you do your best to suppress it. You keep it a secret. Aren't you being a hypocrite?"

Hinata's face reddened and she looked away, moving the place where Shin's hand touched. This time both of them became red and Shin retracted his arm as if it were touching something poisonous.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"It's, uh, it's okay," Hinata stuttered out.

She turned away and tried to regain her composure. That was extremely embarrassing and Hinata wasn't sure if she could face Shin without her face turning into a tomato. The two let the silence remain as Hinata sat down again. But her thoughts slowly drifted to what Shin had said before the accidental 'touch,' which was also partially her fault.

It was true that Hinata felt something for Naruto, and she was surprised that Shin had picked up on that so quickly. But right now she just couldn't figure out a way to approach her comrade. Naruto and several others were preparing for an operation against Sound, which might save Sasuke and Hinata desperately wanted to join them. But with Shin here that would probably be impossible now.

"Hinata-hime, I think I'll check out now," Shin suddenly said.

He stood and stretched a bit. Hinata frowned and stood as well.

"You should rest some more," Hinata stated. "Even if you can heal quickly, your body took a lot of damage. It would be foolish to put more stress on it."

"I'll be fine," Shin assured her. "Besides, this just shows that I need more training. My brothers or sisters could have easily defeated a single member of the Akatsuki. I on the other hand nearly died. I have a long way to go."

Hinata looked at Shin's form. He was holding almost perfectly still though his muscles were tense. They relaxed a bit and Shin looked over at her with a smile.

"There's no need to worry about me, Hinata-hime. I'm a lot tougher than I look. Besides, it's hardly your job to look after me."

An odd choice of words, as Shin was supposed to be Hinata's fiancé. The young woman shook her head and sighed. Right now she didn't know what to make of Shin. He was certainly a strong shinobi as well as a fine young man. But her heart had already settled on someone else.

"Umm, any chance I can get a change of clothes?" Shin suddenly asked.

"Oh! I'll go arrange something."

With that Hinata disappeared from the room with Shin looking after her. A slight grin appeared on his face as he raised his hand before him. For a few seconds a small amount of chakra swirled in his hands. It disappeared moments later but the smile remained.

Office of the Hokage+

"I see." Tsunade clasped her hands together as she considered the implications. "Did Sentoki Shin say anything else about his encounter?"

"Not as when I left," Neji replied.

"Very well then. Dismissed."

Neji bowed and walked out of the room. Once the door closed Tsunade turned to her guest.

"Well Jiraiya. Do you think the organization is after Naruto again?"

"No doubt about it. They made an attempt on Sabaku no Gaara not too long ago and now one of them shows up close to Leaf? That can hardly be a coincidence."

Tsunade sighed. "I might have to push off the rescue mission because of this."

"That's not going to make Sakura or Naruto very happy."

A fist slammed down on the table. "I know that, damn it. But what choice do I have?"

"Well, you could trust them to carry through."

Tsunade looked over at her old comrade curiously. "I know you had a sense of humor, Jiraiya, but this is no laughing matter."

"I'm serious. Naruto and Sakura can take care of themselves. And with the team that is being assembled they'll be able to confront any challenge that comes their way."

The team was a group of jounins and chuunins from both Sand and Leaf. Because of the damage that Sound had inflicted upon both, there was a mutual agreement that the threat had to be neutralized. And with the possibility of Orochimaru possessing Sasuke's body, it made the situation all the more urgent.

"I still feel uneasy about this. I'm not in the business of making martyrs."

Jiraiya sighed. "Though we try to prevent the death of our comrades, sometimes there is nothing that can be done. If we try to save everyone, we might lose everyone in the process."

"I know that. There's no need to lecture me on something like that. All right, we'll try it your way. The mission will go forward, but they better be careful."

"Better to be slow and steady like Sakura than charging off like Naruto, eh?"

Tsunade nodded and stood from her desk. "An interesting way to say it, but yes. I better begin preparations for the expedition. I wish I could go with them."

Jiraiya nodded in agreement as Tsunade made her way to the door. Just as it closed, he noticed the large stack of papers on her desk. He sighed and shook his head this time. Just like the Legendary Sucker to walk out on paperwork. Sometimes Jiraiya wondered how his old teammate managed to stay Hokage.

Forest+

The sound of birds echoed distantly, the only thing that disturbed the calm. Leaves drifted in the wind be they clinging to their branches or flying through the air. Just mere meters away from this view an area of devastation stood alongside.

Hinata watched nervously as Shin walked around. Broken branches littered the site of his battle but the young man didn't seem bothered by the destruction present. He stretched a bit and looked around.

"See all those branches? Well, I kind of caused all that. My power is still unstable and I couldn't control what happened."

"It must be very strong then," Hinata stated, "to do all this by yourself."

"Well, I had some help. But it's frustrating not being able to target specific things."

"What do you mean?"

Shin chuckled. "I'd show you, but as I said, I can't target specific things. You might get hit too."

"I see."

The two stood there for a bit longer before Shin turned to face her.

"Are things moving too quickly?" he suddenly asked.

"Huh? What?" The question caught Hinata off guard and she blushed once more.

"I've only been here for two days and quite a few things seem to have happened already. That and I know for a fact that your dad is the one making you spend so much time with me."

Hinata wasn't too surprised that Shin knew about her father's instructions. He had surprised her often enough that she didn't underestimate his intelligence or his abilities.

"You don't have to spend all your time with me. Even if your father ordered you to, I can just as easily release you from following me around."

"It's okay," Hinata replied. "Besides, you just got out of the hospital."

Shin flexed his arm and shrugged. "I've been through worse. Well, if you're sure."

With that he sat down and leaned against a tree. Hinata followed his example but kept her eyes on him. Shin seemed too relaxed, especially after he had fought a member of the Akatsuki.

"Say, Hinata-hime, what's your family like?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, both our families possess bloodline limits, so there are some differences in how everything works within the family. But I've never lived with anyone else before in my life. I'm just curious as to how things work in your house."

"I see. Well, do you know about the main and branch houses?"

Shin nodded. "I was told a little about that before leaving. There's a good deal of tension between the two, isn't there?"

"Yes. It's kind of sad, really. But things got better when Neji made peace with my father."

"Oh? And why is that?"

Hinata hesitated. Should she really tell Shin more about her family and her friends? Even if he was a guest, he was still a shinobi from a different village. Before she could make up her mind, Shin seemed to sense her thoughts and waved his hand.

"Never mind. That's not important at the moment. Do you mind telling me about your father and sister?"

"My father is the head of the family and thus he has a lot of responsibilities. He tries to look out for the best interest of the family."

"Understandable."

Hinata looked over at Shin, wondering how he fit into her father's plan for the Hyuuga clan.

"He can be very stern at times," she continued, "but Father does his best."

"And your sister."

For a second Hinata wasn't sure what to say. "My sister is, well, she's actually stronger than me."

"Oh I doubt that."

Shin's declaration shocked Hinata and she stared intently at the young man. He was just staring blankly into the air and it was almost as if he wasn't paying attention. Why else would he say that? His next few words quickly answered her unspoken question.

"I believer her name is Hanabi, correct? Well, she may be strong, but your potential is far greater."

"How can you tell?"

As Shin looked over at her Hinata noticed his eyes turn black for an instant. That seemed to be a sign of his blood limit, but what was it really? Hinata straightened a bit against the trunk and sighed. She didn't know what was going on, but things weren't the way she had hoped they would be.

"Believe in yourself, Hinata-hime. Or else how will you ever get what you really want?"

"What I want?"

"There's no point in hiding it. I don't hold it against Naruto for capturing your heart. What would you say if I was willing to help you?"

By now Hinata had given up on being surprised by Shin's statements. Now her mind started working. Shin had motives that she couldn't possibly know. Even with the Byakugan, her abilities couldn't penetrate the shell Shin had around him. The two simply sat there, each against their own tree. Shin closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

"There's a lot that I can see, Hinata-hime. And sometimes it tires me. I'd like to help in something beautiful for once instead of causing destruction like this."

"I see."

Shin smiled sheepishly at Hinata. "Now isn't that selfish?"

For several seconds Hinata looked over at the sight before her. Whatever Shin was hiding, he apparently had a good reason. There was more than just a simple shinobi in Shin's heart. But then again, she didn't know what was in his heart. At the moment his eyes were closed and there was no sign that a deadly warrior sat close to her. But wait, was he really asleep?

"Shin?"

Hinata moved over and tapped his shoulder. There was no response. Perhaps Shin wasn't as fast a healer as he claimed to be. Smiling, Hinata sat next to him and took his hand.

"One step at a time, Shin," she whispered, "but I will give you a chance. You deserve that much."

End of Chapter 1

Hopefully my later chapters will be a lot longer. And as to why it took so long to get out? Was tired, school, multiple other projects, and the fact that I apparently broke an old rule on that I wasn't even aware of and got banned from updating for a bit. But then again, it is my responsibility to check up on updated rules so whatever.

Z98