Disclaimer: I'm not claiming anything except my own characters...
Deemed to be forgotten
Smile
They stood there watching the clouds drift by. Naruto wondered if Shikamaru still indulges in his cloud watching past times. After remembering that he had a companion now, he shifted his attention to her. She didn't notice but Naruto was examining her.
Naruto was quite impressed.
The flower has bloomed into a beautiful one…
He said in his mind. Hinata grew into a graceful, charming and beautiful lady. She grew into one of those women that would make you stare at them in awe. He wondered why he never did take a close look on Hinata before...
Oh yeah, because I was too infatuated with Sakura…
He recalled the antics he has caused just because he wanted Sakura to look his way. But it was not all just antics; some of them were quite heroic.
"Naruto-kun…?" Hinata called. She had a faint blush in her cheeks.
"I'm sorry…" He said in a gloomy expression.
She had grown into a beautiful flower yet he has lost his radiance….
"Let us go tell Hokage-sama…" She said. Naruto raised his eyebrows. "…that you are alive…" She added.
Naruto stayed silent.
Was he ready?
He asked himself.
Hinata stood there waiting for his reply. Naruto looked down. To Hinata, it looked like Naruto's mind was somewhere else. What has happened to him anyway? She wanted to know…why he changed so much…
"…Naruto-kun…?" She asked.
Naruto winced and snapped off his thoughts. "…I'm sorry…" He said with a light cold tone.
Hinata sighed and then smiled at him. "Well…I think you're not ready yet." She ended it with another warm smile.
Naruto was startled by her smile. He felt a strange feeling course through his body. It seemed like it hit his heart. He hasn't felt that for a long time…a human's warmth…
He brushed back his long blonde bangs.
"You really think I should tell her?" He asked.
"She will be happy…" Hinata said. You don't know how sad she was when you died…you don't know how sad we were…" Her tone saddened. She began crying again. She covered her face with her small pale hands.
Naruto felt sad that she was crying.
"Don't cry please…" He pleaded and he embraced Hinata. "I don't want to see people sad because of me…" He added.
Hinata sobbed before replying. "That's why you have to tell the rest…that you are alive…" She removed her hands from her face. Naruto saw her tears flowing. She looked up at him again. "We are all sad because we know that you are dead and yet…you…you…were alive…all along…" She sobbed between pauses.
Naruto wiped away her tears. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Ok…" He opened his eyes and Hinata saw how captivating his eyes are. "But…I'm not ready to walk on those streets again…" He said.
"Why?" She asked.
"…" Naruto just stared at her.
There was silence.
"I…understand…" Hinata whispered.
"W-What did you say?"
"I understand, Naruto-kun…I understand that you are not ready to tell yet…" Hinata smiled.
Naruto stayed silent. He then shifted his attention at a bench near a tree.
"Come, let us sit there…" He said to Hinata. They approached the bench and sat there.
"Why are we sitting here?" Hinata asked him.
"I thought you had many questions to ask me…" Naruto said.
Hinata smiled. "Oh, right…" She whispered.
There was silence. Naruto wondered why she wasn't asking yet.
"Hmmm…Aren't you going to ask me?" He asked.
Hinata smiled once again. "If you really want to be the interviewee… do you think you are really ready to answer my questions?" She asked.
Naruto raised one eyebrow while staring at her white eyes. He had to ask himself. Was her ready to tell? …Ready to tell it all? He diverted his attention to the marble pavement leading to his so-called grave.
Hinata was correct; he wasn't ready to tell what happened yet. He wasn't ready to tell the reason why he kept his existence in secrecy for absolutely ten years.
Coincidentally, they both sighed at the same moment.
Naruto then found himself staring at her white eyes. He was so…captivated. He could feel his darkness being drained out of him while he stared at her pure white eyes. The warmth she was radiating was different…It was something he hadn't felt before.
He shook off the thoughts and decided that if she wasn't going to ask, he was the one that was going to.
"So…what has happened around here?" He asked.
"Well, Tsunade-sama tried hard to get Konoha in a good condition again. Hopefully, it's in top condition now even if war could happen anytime…" She said.
"What happened to you then?" He asked.
"To me…well…nothing much…" She said.
"Don't answer me with that…" He said.
Hinata frowned. "Why?"
"A lot can happen in ten years…" He said. "And by the looks of it…you grew…so…much…" He stated slowly.
"You really think so?" She asked.
Naruto nodded. "In my ten years of travel, I've been able to tell something about the person by looking at his eyes or by examining him and his actions. In the past, you were like a flower that has not yet bloomed but now…look at you… it looks like you have grown into the most beautiful woman I ever saw…" Naruto said. Hinata blushed at the remark. "So tell me…how much have you exactly grown…"
"Anou…" Hinata paused. "Anou…something pushed me to work harder so I trained a lot and eventually I got stronger. Father acknowledged me finally as the true heir and he just stepped down…" She said.
"Then that means that you are now the Hyuuga head?" Naruto said. Hinata smiled.
"I am the unofficial head but tomorrow it shall be official…" She said.
"Congratulations…" He said.
Hinata blushed and smiled. "Thank you."
Naruto then stood up. He offered his hand to Hinata. "It's getting late…" He said.
Hinata nodded and with his help, she stood up.
"Ah…Naruto-kun…" She stared at him before leaving.
"Why?" He asked.
"Of all people, you should not be the one that should forget how to smile." She then bowed down. She started walking.
Naruto watched her as she left him. "Hinata…" His voice halted every muscle in her legs. "Thank you…" He said. She smiled. She spun around and faced him. "Thank you for teaching me how to smile again…" He continued and he smiled at her.
His smile warmed her heart. His smile made her smile too.
"I didn't teach you…I just helped you remember…" With that she turned around and resumed her walking.
Naruto smiled. He was now certainly proud of her…
---
Tsunade leaned on her desk with her arms. Her head was resting in her forearms. She looked like she was sleeping but she wasn't. She was still awake…but she had felt tired. She then heard a small noise in her desk.
She peaked through her arms and saw a bottle of sake.
"It's still warm, Tsunade-sama…" Shizune said. Tsunade straightened up and she stretched her arms.
"Where did this come from?" Tsunade asked.
"As usual, the bar located near." Shizune smiled.
Tsunade looked down at the bottle of sake. She stared at it like she was examining if it has poison or not, or something like that.
Shizune cocked her head sideward. "Is there something wrong, Tsunade-sama?" She asked the Hokage.
Tsunade shook her head. "No, there is nothing wrong." She smiled and took the bottle of sake.
---
Outside the administration building's door, a hooded man stood there thinking whether he should enter or not. His blue eyes stared at the door as his heart started to beat faster.
They're bound to know sooner or later…
He thought.
Yeah, they're bound to, but now is not the time…
He sighed.
Maybe I'll just visit her as a shadow…
---
"Tsunade-sama…I'll just leave you for a while, I have to check something…" Shizune said before she closed the door. Tsunade, on the other hand, drank down her third bottle of sake. She bowed her head and her eyes were almost shut. She was not yet drunk but she was dead tired. She hadn't slept for two straight days because of some top secret issues and those issues just wouldn't leave her. Now, she recalled that someone younger than her who would take her place could do something more. Right now, she jus wanted to sleep. She leaned her arms at her table and she rested her head at her forearms. She started to sleep.
Just after that, the hooded man came in. He made sure that she was asleep. He smirked a little. "A Hokage shouldn't drop her guard…" He whispered. "But I guess luck is on my side…"
"Naruto…" Tsunade murmured.
The hooded man removed his hood and he looked down at the fifth Hokage.
"Tsunade…Obaachan…" A small smile formed at his lips.
"Stop calling me…like that…" She continued to whisper.
"What would you do if Naruto was alive all these years?" He asked silently.
"First…I would…give him…my strongest punch…" She said. "Then, I'll hug him so tight and say to him he is such an idiot…" She added.
Naruto smiled. "But you'll kill Naruto if you do that…"
"Don't worry; he's one tough ninja…" Tsunade whispered. Naruto laughed softly. "But he's one big idiot too…he shouldn't have died by the hands of that Uchiha kid…" She murmured.
"Tsunade…" Naruto whispered.
He stared at her in silence.
Suddenly, he heard the door creak.
---
"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune said as she opened the door. By the time the door was open, she saw that the window was open. The curtain was moving with the wind. She closed the door and she approached the window and closed it too. After that, she looked down at Tsunade. "I guess she fell asleep…" She whispered.
---
Naruto looked up at the now closed window of Tsunade's office. He put on his hood again.
"Goodnight, Tsunade…" He whispered and he started walking away from the building.
As he walked in the streets, he was having a bad feeling. He felt bad about something but he wasn't sure what that something was. He walked around Konoha to familiarize his self once again with the place he called home. He found out that nothing much has changed and he was especially happy seeing his favorite ramen shop still standing.
He wanted to eat there but he can't.
He then wandered to the training grounds. The area has grown more trees and the other trees seem larger. He approached a tree stump and he sat there.
He just stared at nothing.
He released a sigh and he look up at the sky.
It was already night.
The stars were twinkling at the sky.
It was…peaceful…too peaceful…
It was like the night from a long time ago…
Pictures of a bloody floor and a dead little boy flashed through his mind. He shut his eye and he shook his head.
Naruto, you haven't forgotten about that yet?
"No…" He whispered the reply.
Kyuubi snorted.
"I…I don't want to forget it…" He said.
You puzzle me, Naruto. Why wouldn't you want to forget a memory like that?
"That memory and experience…it adds more to my purpose…" He said.
What is your purpose Naruto?
"My purpose is…to protect the ones I love…I will never let that bastard who sent those pawns to kill that innocent boy…" He had so much anger in his voice.
Something tells me that you know who that bastard is…
Naruto smirked. "Indeed, I know who he is…death is too good for him yet he needs to die…" He said. "That man…has a death wish for planning to attack this village bit by bit…" He crinkled his eyebrows in determination. "I will be the on who will grant his death wish…"
And what makes you think that he'll come here?
"He wants to smoke me out of my hiding. When I come out, he'll come out."
He knows you?
"Ah, we both now each other fox…"
Then, he's—
Kyuubi's words were interrupted by a whistle alarming ninjas near the vicinity.
Because an alarm has been sounded, Naruto assumed that there will be enough ninjas to take care of what's happening. He then heard footsteps and he instantly hid behind a bush.
Step….Step….Step…
The sound increased as that person approached Naruto. Naruto stayed still and waited for the unknown person.
Soon, he heard heavy breaths and the person revealed himself. Naruto saw that he was carrying a large scroll. He was only a child…
…And that scroll…that was the scroll of forbidden jutsus, the scroll he stole when he was tricked a long time ago. The boy was wearing a thick jacket and black shorts. He had jet-black hair.
The child tripped on a root protruding from the ground. He leapt from his hiding place and he quickly grappled the child.
"What are you doing with this scroll?" Naruto asked with a cold voice. The boy struggled against him but found out it was no use.
"Why the hell do you care???" The boy protested.
"Why do I care?" Naruto laughed and his cold laugh made the boy freeze. "Listen kid, do you know what scroll this is?" He asked.
The kid grunted and protested with muffled curses while Naruto held him down.
Naruto tightened his grip. "Answer me!!!" Naruto commanded.
The boy then trembled. "…N-no…" The boy replied.
Naruto sighed. "You don't…then why do you have it? Don't you know that this is a forbidden scroll?" Naruto asked.
"S-someone told me that I will get stronger if-if I read this scroll…" The boy explained with a trembling voice.
"Someone told you?"
"Yeah…"
"Who is that someone?"
"I-I don't know him…" The boy said.
Naruto stayed silent. The boy didn't know but Naruto was examining the sound of his heartbeat. Naruto had the ability to tell if the person is lying or telling the truth by the heartbeat's sound because of his enhanced sense of hearing.
"D-damn…where is he???" Someone said a few feet away.
"P-please…let me go…" The child pleaded.
"I can't…" Naruto said.
"I-I don't want to be punished…"
"If you didn't want to be punished, you shouldn't have done this in the first place…" Naruto said. He was still holding the child down.
"We finally found—huh?" A ninja said.
Naruto stood up still holding the child.
"You were looking for this boy?" He asked the chuunin who was searching for the boy. A small smile formed in his lips.
The chuunin nodded.
"…Then go and get him…" Naruto said. The chuunin stepped forward and took the child.
He started scolding the child. After a few minutes, he turned to Naruto. "Thank you…if someone evil gets a hold of this scroll… it would be bad…" The Chuunin said. Naruto picked up the scroll and gave it to the chuunin.
"I know…" He paused. "…Iruka-sensei…" Naruto said.
"Hmmm, were you a past student of mine?" Iruka asked.
"Yes, I was…" Naruto said.
Iruka examined Naruto. He could not tell who he was because it was dim and the shadow caused by his hood covered his face until his nose. The shadow was covering his whisker lines as well.
"I guess…you could not tell…" Naruto said. "Who…I am…"
Iruka smiled. "How could I tell? I could not even see your face…" He said.
Iruka saw Naruto smile. "Does it matter?" Naruto asked.
"Yes it does…now tell me who you are, young man…" Iruka said.
Naruto laughed. "I'll ask you first…have you developed a heart disease?"
"Me? How can a healthy person like me develop heart disease?" Iruka smiled.
Naruto raised his hand and he removed his hood. Iruka froze. His jaw was dropped and he turned pale. "N-Naruto… is…that you?" He asked.
Naruto stayed silent. He stared at the shocked Iruka before him.
"B-But…you…I saw you..." Iruka stuttered. Because of his disbelief and shocked state, he loosened his grip on the boy and the boy ran away but was successfully stopped by a Naruto Bunshin. The Bunshin then tied the boy to a tree and stood guard as Naruto and Iruka stared at one another. After that, Iruka burst into tears. "N-Naruto…you were alive….why didn't you…tell us?" Iruka said while he cried.
Man, you should get a recorder or you'll end up repeating your reason a lot of times….
Kyuubi said. Naruto's eye twitched because of Kyuubi's comment.
"N-Naruto, why didn't you tell us?" Iruka repeated the question.
"I…"
---
"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune shook Tsunade's shoulder to wake her up.
"Hmmm…what do you want?" Tsunade said as she stretched her arms.
"Anou…there is an emergency…" Shizune said.
"What kind of emergency?" She asked.
"The scroll of forbidden jutsus has been stolen…by a kid…" Shizune said.
"It was stolen…by a kid???" Tsunade asked. Shizune nodded. "Give me the crystal ball then. Shizune went to a drawer a brought out the crystal ball that Sandaime used when he was still alive.
Tsunade activated the ball and saw the kids tied to a tree. "I guess it's been taken care of…" Her voice trailed off when she saw someone very familiar via the crystal ball. "Who the hell is with Iruka? He looks like…"
"I hid because I wanted to protect all of you…" Tsunade heard the man via the ball. The man's voice was cold.
"But…do you know how much sadness you gave us because we knew you were dead?" Iruka asked.
"I…know…" Tears started welling up in Naruto's eyes. "I'm sorry…but I had to hide…to protect you…to get myself some time to think..."
Iruka cried more.
"N-Naruto…it's all in the past…what matters is that you're still alive." Iruka's voice trembled because he was crying. He then smiled. "Everyone will be happy when they hear the news about you…" He said. He wiped his tears away
Tsunade instantly stood up after this.
"Tsunade-sama, where are you going?" Shizune asked.
"I'm going where Naruto is!" Tsunade said.
"You're going to the graveyard?" Shizune asked. She didn't hear the conversation between Naruto and Iruka.
"No…" Tsunade approached the door.
"Then where?" She asked.
"Just follow me!"
---
They have been standing like that for a while now. They have been saying no word at all. But their tears hadn't stopped yet. Iruka felt too emotional with the truth of Naruto's existence.
"Naruto…is that really you?" a female asked.
Naruto turned his head and he saw Tsunade.
"Had a good night's sleep Tsunade?" He asked.
"How did you know I was sleeping?"
"I passed by…" He said.
"You went there without alerting anyone?" She asked.
"There are still unwanted holes in the security that needs to be fixed…" He said.
Tsunade then approached him. When she was a feet away from him, she asked "So you were the one that was asking me all those questions?" She asked.
"Yes I was the one." He replied.
"You baka…!" Tsunade exclaimed. "You should have at least told me that you were still alive and you were just hiding! Don't you know how hard it is to choose another Hokage potential besides you!!!" She hit him in the head.
Naruto massaged the part that Tsunade hit with his hand. "Why am I your only choice?" He asked.
"It's not that you're my only choice…but you're the best choice for the village's future." She said. Tears started to fall.
"…" Naruto didn't reply. He soon smiled. "I thought you were going to hug me really tight?" He asked. Tsunade smiled. Shizune who was affected by the emotion wiped away her tears and smiled at the scene.
"So, where have you been all these years?" Tsunade asked after giving Naruto a hug.
"I'll tell you when the others find out about me…"
"And when would that be?" She asked.
"I don't know…" He said. "I'll come by your office tomorrow morning…" He said. "For the meantime, I need some rest… and make sure you take care of that kid…" He said and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"He has changed…much…" Tsunade whispered.
---
Hyuuga Hinata was leisurely taking a walk in the Hyuuga compound's garden. Violet flowers had bloomed earlier and she was here to see the sight.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" A man asked.
Hinata turned around and saw Naruto sitting in a bough.
"Naruto-kun, what are you doing here?" She asked.
Naruto smiled.
I'm so evil ending this chapter like that. Anyway, I'm tired so I ended it like that. Don't forget to leave a review!!! Also, "For You, I will" will not be updated for a long time. Sorry but I have a mjaor writer's block about it. I'm really sorry. But if it's possible, I might be adding anotherfic.
Next chapter:
Dream