Chapter 6
The Fun Begins
Naruto stood just off of the road that entered the main entrance to the city. He was only a couple hundred yards outside the city, but he knew the fight was between ninja and should be kept away from prying eyes. The city guards would have a hard time seeing that far at night, and he was planning on actually fighting in the clearing where the woods would block the view of the guards. He didn't worry about people on the road because there were none, and probably wouldn't be for at least an hour. The clearing to his right was the closest clearing that had suitable size. His opponent would have the advantage because he would know the terrain, but that wasn't on Naruto's mind.
He had woken up a half hour ago when Sakura told him it was time for him to get moving. His shadow clone hadn't warned him of her presence because she was a ninja of the Leaf and her skill at stealth was better than most. She had seemed worried when she woke him up. She had taken a minute to reiterate that these were semi-Leaf ninja but that didn't mean they were completely allies either. Naruto's first thought was that they were probably like the rest of their village and hated him beyond anything for what the Kyuubi had done. He had left quickly without thinking too much about the fact that there would be no one else there to watch. It was a slightly unnerving to know that if he lost, he would be left to deal with his own wounds while his opponent would have backup.
Now, however, he focused his attention on the two older ninja that appeared across the road. Naruto guessed that the leader was the slightly shorter man. He had age and probably experience on his side. He was wearing dark clothes and a flack jacket. His forehead protector displayed the emblem of the leaf. It lacked the telltale slash across the symbol that the Akatsuki liked to have on their village insignia, but Naruto knew that wasn't something all missing ninja did. Most missing ninja simply removed their forehead protector so they couldn't be tracked as easily by hunter ninja. His subordinate stood to the side and just behind. He wore a dark cloak with a hood. Naruto identified it as a typical ANBU cloak. Though the missing ninja lacked the animalistic mask, this guy was obviously ex-ANBU.
Due to his experience with the Sound attack ANBU and some of the defensive ANBU of his native village; Naruto knew the cloak held a purpose. Attack ANBU were generally used for offensive purposes; they traveled light with the typical light armor of an ANBU, which could be more effective than the flack jacket worn by other ninja. The armor concentrated on the vital areas more likely to be attacked and kept movement free allowing its user to be used much more agile and faster than the typical chuunin or jounin. Their weapons were generally the standard light weapons other ninja used. Some also carried more personalized weapons such as short swords or odd weapons that were custom made for their own attack style. They didn't carry supply packs with them; they were trained to survive for as long as needed without it. The emphasis was on speed and stealth. They all wore the distinctive mask unique to ANBU though. Naruto had come in contact with attack ANBU a few times when Sound assissins were sent after Jiraiya or himself. Jiraiya had initially taken care of most of the threats until later in his training when Naruto was able to carry his own weight in repelling an attack.
Naruto's experience with the cloaked ANBU, who focused more on defense, came from his days as a prankster and when the Sound invaded. The ANBU wore masks to hide as much as they could. The cloak was an extension of this. It provided enough cover to prevent an enemy from even knowing his opponent's gender. Defensive ANBU rarely talked, they preferred to communicate silently with each other. Again this was part of the scheme designed to keep as much hidden and secret as possible. The cloak was light weight and usually held a spare weapon or two. Many were customized and could be used as weapons themselves. Defensive ANBU were not as concerned with speed or weight as attack ANBU were, but most villages easily interchanged members from one division to another with few problems. Naruto also knew that when one got used to it, the cloak could be much more an advantage than a hindrance. The cloak did limit one's movements slightly when the speed of battle increased beyond a certain point. But the cloak could be used to hide what weapon one was about to use or the hand seals one was making. In fact, to those who knew how to use it, the cloak was valueable just for its ability to hide the little things which made up for its minor restrictions on movement.
Naruto decided that this was going to be a difficult fight, one that would require some small sense of a real plan. That type of fighting didn't suit him though. He was a think-on-your-feet kind of guy. Strategies and tactics were for Shikamaru. Besides, there was nothing Naruto could do to plan without any information about his opponent other than their gender.
The man that Naruto had presumed was the leader stepped forward to address him. "You chose a good location for this. An open area to see your opponent where terrain won't hinder or aid either participant much, yet it has cover a within a reasonable distance. That shows that you understand your opponent has the advantage. I will be the judge for this. When I say it is over, it is over. Not before, not after. I will make my decision whether to accept your squad leader's offer after that. My decision on that will be final." Naruto had the vague sense that this man had grown up with Sarutobi Asuma. His voice sounded like he had been smoking for years.
Naruto simply nodded and shifted his gaze back to his opponent. The judge, whom Naruto thought would be biased because of the way he worded the terms of the fight, moved behind his subordinate. Then, two things happened at once. The first: his opponent seemed to disappear, but Naruto knew better. He was an ANBU after all and probably prided himself on his speed. The second: "Begin," it was so soft Naruto almost thought he imagined it. He had probably only heard it because of his heightened hearing the fox's chakra had given him by messing with his body during puberty.
Naruto knew better than to be a remain stationary. He jumped to the right and out of the way just as a blade of a small sword missed his head. Next, Naruto sent a small amount of the Kyuubi's chakra to his eyes. Naruto had been practicing on controlling specifically which chakra he was using, his or the demons, he hadn't perfected it yet but was making steady progress. He caught only a flicker of movement before the cloaked figure disappeared again. This surprised Naruto, normally people weren't fast enough to fool his eyes. It was night so he could understand missing something with his regular eyes, but with the cat-like slits for pupils the demon fox's chakra gave him the darkness should had little affect on his vision.
This time Naruto instinctively ducked and turned in one fluid motion. At the same time he removed a kunai with his right hand and brought it up in a quick slash. The strike was aimed at a target behind him that he didn't have time to see. Naruto had struck out behind him, the most likely location for a hidden opponent to attack from. Naruto was lucky, his opponent had attacked from behind again. This time instead of just a straight jab, his attempt had been a slash at about neck level, which Naruto had ducked under. Unfortunately though, Naruto's kunai was only able to create a small cut diagonally across the front of the man's cloak. Before Naruto could follow up his attack with a more penetrating one opponent disappeared again. Naruto noticed two things on this attack though.
One was that the man knew exactly how to use the cloak. His face was the only thing visible for longer than absolutely necessary. The weapon his opponent used had exited the cloak, swiped at Naruto, and reentered concealment in only the time it took for Naruto to just swing once. There was no delay in it. The other thing that Naruto noticed was a shift in the cloak just below the cut, almost like a bulge at the man's stomach. The cut in the cloak meant that the cloak couldn't flow fluidly like it usually did, something had moved the cloak from inside. Then he figured it out. His opponent was using the short range teleportation jutsu favored by the ANBU. Naruto had never seen it used in battle because it was generally a slower technique than the alternatives. Ninjutsu by nature was slower than taijutsu, but the series of necessary hand seals made this one was much slower than the replacement technique, so most didn't see a real application for it in battle. This guy specialized in it and was using the cloak to hide the seals to make it seem like he was really disappearing.
This whole line of thought took just over a second, which in a fast passed battle such as this is a second too long to be thinking about anything. Naruto was never good at concentrating, but his style of combat had always relied on 'thinking' in the middle of combat. He was locked in a speed battle. His opponent would disappear and attack from an unprotected angle. Naruto would dodge, block, or attack trying to predict where the next attack would come from. At the moment Naruto was loosing. He had only been able to make a few more superficial cuts to the cloak while his enemy had landed more than one solid hit with multiple types of weapons: shuriken, kunai, and that short sword he apparently preferred.
Naruto had not been standing in one spot, but with the guy using the technique the way he was, he might have well been anchored down. Naruto gave a quick glance at the 'judge', he had a definite smirk on his face. He was enjoying watching Naruto slowly loose. It occurred to Naruto that his opponent was toying with him, but that just meant he was an idiot, underestimating one's opponent and giving them time to act was one of the worst mistakes a ninja could make. Especially since it was often mistakes that won or lost a ninja battle. Ninja fights were fast and deadly, not fun and drawn out. Well, maybe they were fun, but that was if you liked that kind of stuff. Naruto definitely did.
Currently his opponent seemed to be taking a break, or thinking over his strategy. Naruto was given a few seconds to drop fully into his defensive stance without the obnoxious interruptions of an attack. The warm liquid slowly creeping down his left shoulder, right forearm, and his left leg told Naruto his opponent's attacks had not been as futile as his own attempts at causing an injury. He had just been able to stitch the back of his jacket together earlier that night. He would have to sew all of these back up too. He hadn't had a chance to wash out the previous blood stain, so he didn't really mind that his blood soaking into the orange material.
The ex ANBU chose to strike again, but he had delayed just long enough for Naruto to come up with a plan. Naruto waited for the next attack to come, defended against it, and as soon as his 'enemy' disappeared again he created seven shadow clones all in a circle around him. They were about two arm's lengths away, just out of striking range from the original, but that was where Naruto wanted them. And right on cue Naruto felt the presence of the cloaked man to his side. Naruto blocked the attack, but just barely. His clone on that side swiped at the ninja. His reward was only a small slice in the cloak again and a swift kick relieving him of his existence.
Immediately on the retreat of the opponent Naruto's clones shifted so they were each equidistant from each other and forming a circle around Naruto again. The same thing happened again, but this time it was on Naruto's left and just behind him. Naruto blocked, the clone attacked, only got a piece of the cloak, and then got removed from the match. This whole occurrence happened within half a second, the ninja was there, gone, and back in just over a second. Naruto had very little time to react and prepare for the next attack. His clones were disappearing rapidly. Until finally he was alone with his opponent in the night with just the 'judge' as company.
That was when it ended, or at least his opponent realized his mistake. When the last shadow clone disappeared the missing ninja decided to let up again. Naruto guessed he was running low on chakra, a ninja who attacked like this most likely didn't have much stamina. Short quick jabs and retreats meant he liked to rest and was generally poor when he needed to fight for longer than normal. Naruto was good at stamina, he didn't even feel tired yet, though the light wounds he had accumulated were slowing him down slightly.
Naruto had been straining his ears and eyes for any sign of the incoming attack. He was warned by the soft 'puff' of displaced air just behind and to his right. He spun, whipping his arm around with a kunai, in a wide horizontal slash. The missing ANBU was caught off guard by the speed of the attack and had to dodge or loose the blood in his jugular the kunai. The speed of Naruto's opponent was too much for him to overcome. The kunai harmlessly bit a piece of the neckline from the cloak.
Naruto's opponent smiled, all this time the 'all powerful fox' had been able to damage only his cloak. Just as his arrogance and pride filled his head, his shield decided to fall from his shoulders. The cloak, which had been receiving small randomly placed cuts throughout the whole engagement, had actually been the target of Naruto's attacks. The cuts were placed exactly where they were needed so the last strike would remove it from his opponent. Naruto had remembered something Jiraiya had taught him on his travels. "Ninja should rarely attack outright. The true art of a shinobi is to trick one's opponent. Attacking something in a way they do not expect opens holes and allows for an easy kill."
The most powerful ninja could be taken down by a genin if that genin knew where to strike and how. Power was a tool, if relied on too heavily it could be beaten by one of the many other tools available to a ninja. Power was useful, but by no means was it to be the sole weapon. Naruto's opponent had expected him to use only power, but Naruto chose to display his uncanny ability to come up with a good plan in the middle of battle in a matter of seconds. His first real ninja fight had nothing to do with power or speed or strength. It had everything to do with hiding one's intentions.
Zabuza had captured Kakashi in a water prison. Kakashi had told Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto to run. But Sasuke had pointed out that they would be found and killed easily later if they did. They had to free Kakashi. Naruto had come up with the plan to secretly transform into a large windmill shuriken and have Sasuke throw him and another one, hiding the Naruto-shuriken with the real one, at the real Zabuza instead of the water clone. The plan worked since the real one was caught while the Naruto-shuriken was avoided. But just after passing Zabuza, Naruto transformed back and threw a kunai at Zabuza forcing him to dodge away from the prison and releasing the technique and its affects on Kakashi. Zabuza was tricked and did not see the real plan until Kakashi had been released. The same principle was applied here.
Naruto had attacked the information shield. The cloak hid his opponent's actions, so Naruto removed it. Now it wasn't a hindrance and the battle could be fought fairly. But it was already in Naruto's favor. A ninja of this type preferred secrecy, and relied on it. Just like how the ninja's combat style showed he didn't have much stamina, his equipment indicated he didn't do well in open combat. Naruto was surprised though, the man was wearing only a traditional chuunin flack jacket, not the normal armor of an ANBU, and apparently he hadn't been an ANBU but merely wanted to appear as one. Misinformation was as much a weapon as anything else in the ninja world. He had probably tried to join the organization and was rejected. That was probably one reason for his decision to leave the village and enter the permanent service of the lord of Fire.
The now shaken ninja tried to teleport away again, but this time Naruto was ready, he moved faster than his opponent had expected. His right hand held a resengan that had been formed almost instantly, and thrust it at man's chest. The man had to break from forming the seals for the teleportation technique to catch Naruto's wrist. But it was too late. Just as he caught the wrist he felt a kunai pressed to the soft part of his neck. A second Naruto was standing behind him. The Naruto in front still held the resengan. If he attacked or blocked one, the other would finish him off. He was defeated and he knew it.
Naruto had created an extra clone and hid himself using the technique the Fourth had used that gave him the name "the Yellow Flash". The clone in the center needed to avoid a direct hit at all costs, which is why he concentrated on blocking until there were none of the other clones left. Naruto also knew he had to hide his intentions from the 'judge' in order to keep the fight going until he had proven himself. If the fight ended prematurely, before Naruto could show that he had actually won, the leader of the palace ninja could say he didn't prove himself worthy and deny whatever Shikamaru had requested.
"The fight is over." The voice of the sole spectator sounded loud in the soft quiet of the early morning. Naruto's clone released the let the resengan it was holding dissipate and then allowed itself to be released and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto removed the threatening metal from his foe's throat and placed it back in its proper holster. The fight had only lasted about a minute, but that was still a decent amount time for a ninja battle. The early morning was quiet. The nocturnal animals were bedding down for the day and it was still an hour or two before the morning birds would start to wake up.
"Tousi, go back and get your wounds checked out." Tousi, who Naruto guessed was about twenty-four or twenty-six, just old enough to know the truth about the Kyuubi, jumped off towards the city and vanished. Naruto hadn't known the man's name or rank until the very end of the battle, but now he knew both. Naruto had watched until Tousi was out of sight then he turned to the leader of the band of ninja. He didn't say anything but only waited for the man's assessment.
"I assume you know the truth about your origins, you are the demon fox after all." This man had no reservations about saying what he thought or felt. Naruto felt a slight surge of anger but he held it back. He didn't know if his indifference towards this statement would confirm the man's opinions. "I still do not trust you. You caused the death of many of the families of my subordinates. But you have proven yourself a skilled ninja in spite of your rank. Tell that young chuunin, Shikamaru, to come see me during the welcome party tonight." With that the older ninja disappeared using the same technique Naruto's opponent had been using throughout the fight.
Naruto was left standing with a mixture of emotions. Sadness, anger at the man that just left, relief for having won, happiness for probably getting the deal, but most of all was pain. Pain not from the minor physical wounds that the demon fox's chakra was already starting to heal, but emotional pain from yet another group that thought him noting more than a killer and responsible for the evil overgrown chakra filled fur ball residing in his stomach.
He started back towards the hotel. He moved at a quicker pace than a normal person, but to anyone who knew the human sugar high, they would have said it was little faster than a crawl.
Hinata had been her normal worrisome self as she went to bed that night. She was worried about Naruto because she knew that most of the missing ninja had all left the village before Naruto's return. As such they would not have gotten a chance to learn of his actions. Naruto had been slowly turning the hearts of the villagers since he had become an active ninja. But these would probably still hold their grudge against him as hard as ever. The ninja chosen to fight Naruto would probably be the strongest one the group had to offer, and there would be no holding back. Hinata feared for the object of her affection.
When Naruto had gotten back to the hotel he didn't feel like sleeping. Actually he felt like he should go see Hinata. He knew she would be asleep and he didn't want to wake her, but he just seemed to instinctually find the room she was sleeping in and enter silently. It was about five in the morning, he still had about an hour or two before sunrise. He knew the servants that would be occupying the beds in the room would not be up for a while.
Naruto had opened the window silently and entered. He didn't enter the room fully. He sat on the sill, letting the window stay open. It was a quiet night, but it had gotten slightly chilly outside. The soft breeze pushed the cooling air into the room. Hinata was lying on the floor, near the foot of the beds and closer to the door than the window. He loved they way she looked when she slept. She was peaceful. Her shyness evaporated, her worry left her features, and her skin took on a natural hue when she slept. She was often very pale, but when he was around her it seamed that her face liked to invent new shades of red and pink. She was always soft, but Naruto knew that softness was one of her strengths even in battle. She was fluid in her movements and she could drop anyone before they knew what hit them with just one well placed strike.
Naruto caught a whiff of the scent he hated most. It was blood. Naruto looked down at his leg noticing the small red area where his blood soaked into his pants. He had brought the smell into the room his perfect angel was sleeping. He had never thought he deserved her respect, let alone her love. She did not deserve to be tainted by the blood on the hands of the demon host.
Naruto was also self-conscious about how ratty he looked when he was around her. Most of the time he didn't pay much attention to the state his clothes were in, but around her…he wanted to look at least decent. Naruto took off his jacket and pulled out the small sewing kit he carried for field repairs to his clothing. He started sewing up the holes that testified to all the wounds he had received that night. He had gotten good at making small repairs since his jacket and pants got torn often. But, the blood stains woud bee to be washed out.
Naruto finished making the minor repairs to his jacket as he noticed Hinata's face grimace a little. Naruto knew she was small and wore such a large coat to stave off the cold. The night air that he had allowed in was probably making her cold, especially since she wasn't using a blanket. And without thinking, just like every night they had spent on this mission, Naruto took off his jacket and draped it on the sleeping Hyuuga so she would stay warm. He didn't really need it to keep warm. The Kyuubi's element had been fire and he could be kept warm by making his chakra internally warm him up.
Naruto would need to leave in order to properly take care of the damage to his pants. So, silently he slipped out the window again just as the sky in the east was beginning to brighten with the sun's attempts at creating a beautiful sunrise.
Just as the window closed again Hinat woke up. She had felt oddly comfortable for the last bit of her sleep, but that feeling had left just before. She recognized the sudden change in the ambient threat and woke up in response. Immediately on waking up she had to smile. She barely saw a sliver of orange by the window, and she felt the warm jacket around her shoulders. It still held his warmth but most of all it felt and smelt like he did. Her Naruto was safe and back to fussing over her supposed chills while she slept.
But oddly, she still felt something was wrong. Naruto rarely specifically watched her sleep. The only time he did that was when he needed to have something cheer him up. There was something wrong and Naruto didn't know what it was or he wouldn't have needed something to comfort him. Hinata started to get concerned. The sky told her that the sun would rise in about a half hour, she had gotten enough sleep for the night. She got up and left silently. She left no sign that she had been in the room like she had been trained to do and then went in search of one of her other teammates. They should have seen him and be able to tell her something about what was going on.
Shikamaru had just been woken up by Sakura. It was almost dawn and it was his turn for watch. Sakura had apparently stayed on watch longer in order to give him more time to sleep. She informed him that she hadn't seen Naruto but apparently Hinata was looking for him. The agile Hyuuga was under the belief that Naruto was at least back from his fight. He had been relieved at that information, but it now meant he needed to get the answer. There was no other important information to pass on. Nothing had happened regarding Shiro.
Shikamaru dismissed Sakura to get some much needed sleep, though they both had supposed that Naruto was the one that needed it the most. Shikamaru knew Naruto could handle the lack of sleep. His stamina was one of the boy's greatest strengths. Shikamaru's first act on duty was to perform a quick patrol of the entrances and exits into and out of Shiro's room. After all, a good assassin would be able to enter from multiple entrances, not just the front door. Then again, a very good assassin could waltz right in, kill, and leave through the front door without any troubles. The thought that the girl, at the mere age of fifteen, was a Sound ninja and an assassin briefly passed through his mind. He dismissed it remembering that he and Hinata had made sure the girl was not a ninja before allowing Shiro to be alone with her.
Crossing the roof to get to one of Shiro's walls that was exposed to the outside, Shikamaru spotted Naruto's trademark pants hanging to dry. They were just a little brighter than he remembered, but then again, they didn't have the blood stain from the attack Naruto had taken from the sound ninja. Naruto must have washed them when he got back. But then, where was he, and where was his coat? After patrolling and making sure all the entrances were secure, Shikamaru checked inside the room Shiro was occupying.
He was not noticed, he entered silently through an outside window. He was a master of shadows, even more so than most ninja. He moved using the shadows as a cloak. He checked every part of the room quickly and left without Shiro, his young 'companion', or his personal body guards aware that he had even entered the room. Afterward Shikamaru took up a post that could watch most of the entrances from one point, but he didn't stay in one place for long. He would be too much of a target if he did that, and he would leave the other entrances unguarded for too long.
Hinata had found Shikamaru shortly after his first patrol and asked him about Naruto. The intelligent shadow user told her about the trouble he had last night in dealing with the leader of the palace ninja. He specifically told her that their problem had been only when he mentioned Naruto and that Naruto would have to prove himself. Hinata had understood that Shikamaru hadn't gotten the arrangement he wanted the night before. But Shikamaru failed to mention any of the specifics on their way back to the hotel. Hinata was more worried now. Naruto had been in a fight, and he had received some injuries based on the blood stains and stitching in his jacket.
Hinata looked at her stoic team leader and saw a slight hint of concern on his normally calm and thoughtful face. He hadn't heard back from Naruto since he had gone to fight. He was concerned about the safety of his friend but he also needed any information Naruto could give him about his opponent and what the leader's decision had been. Shikamaru gave the graceful girl a knowing look and nodded. It was a silent agreement for her to find him.
Hinata understood the slight nod and disappeared from view with a speed Shikamaru didn't know she had. After a very brief search with her Byakugan she found him on the roof. The sun was just rising as she got to her love. He was now wearing his pants again. But Hinata hadn't known he took them off. She did notice the repairs Naruto had done to them though. It seemed to her that his whole body had received an equal share of the injuries, not just his torso and arms.
Instinctively Hinata started to pull out her ointment. She had learned how to make the homemade remedy from her mother when she was younger. That was one of the things that first gave her an interest in medical techniques. Now though she was just glad she could help her friends with the accelerating and scar reducing effects it had on their healing. She saw many places on Naruto's exposed upper body that could use it. Though, she had to admit he was already healing from the wounds he had sustained.
Naruto had been wearing a protective shirt under his jacket like he always did. The shirt had some holes in it to allow it to breath. But it generally covered the shoulders, neck and torso. So to one unfamiliar with the garment, it would look rather like a t-shirt. The cuts and slashes in it told Hinata all she needed. He would need to use the cream that was in the jar she was already opening up for him.
Naruto's back had been turned to the direction that Hinata approached from. He tensed as soon as he felt the presence of someone skilled in the art of stealth, but after Hinata took a few steps toward him he fully relaxed. Naruto had been trained by Jiraiya to distinguish many facts by simple things like the sound of one's footsteps or their footprints. Naruto was first able to tell it was a light female from the sound of her landing. But he recognized Hinata's pace and footsteps as she approachedhim.
Naruto turned towards the pale purple eyed girl he knew he would give anything for, including his life. Living for something is much harder to do than dying. Dying is a single act, living requires strength to continue, Naruto was willing to fight and die for each of his precious people, but this one, he was devoted to making sure he lived for. He had never really been able to tell her how he felt, he hoped his love for her showed through his actions. He admired the girl that always helped pull him out of his sadness. He wore his mask well, but she had seen him without it on his birthday and spoke with him. In return he had given her a necklace, which she still wore, on her birthday and worked up the courage to kiss the shy girl effectively starting their relationship.
Now he saw concern in the eyes that seemed to see everything. She had was already holding a jar of her ointment and opening it, preparing to put it on him. He made no real protest but was surprised at her next action. Hinata had opened the jar as she got closer, but couldn't contain herself as she closed the last few feet between them. She latched onto Naruto before he knew she wanted to hold him, or realistically be held by him. He instinctively brought up his hands and embraced the worried girl that was hugging him like he would disappear if she didn't.
Hinata hadn't known she was so worried about him. The last time he had fought on this mission without backup he had come close to dying. So close that she had been worried she wouldn't be able to close the wound and save his life. He had come close to bleeding to death. This time, like the last, she hadn't known about the fight until after it was over. She knew he was safe, but she was still worried for him until just now, when all of her emotions seemed to come out in a rush. She needed to hold him, and be comforted by his arms gently wrapping around her protectively. For all the strength she had gained and the confidence she had built up. She seemed to always need someone, namely Naruto, to go to for support. He always seemed to be able to stand no matter what the problem and always cared, no matter what or who the problem was.
Shyly the midnight blue haired girl pulled back and looked up into the happy face of the slightly taller blonde. Suddenly, remembering that a ninja should be emotionless while on a mission she politely stepped back from the comforting and protecting arms around her. She hated to leave the embrace that she loved, she liked to just be close to him, even if they were just sitting still, being near him was always good. Though, the number one most hyper active ninja in the village would rarely sit still for long.
Naruto recognized when Hinata seemed to find her strength again. He had hoped that she would realize she was always strong, but he did love to hold her. Now though he saw the critical eye of a medical ninja giving him a check up. She was quickly looking at all of the wounds he had gotten from the fight, no matter how minor and evaluating them. After about a minute of close scrutiny, and Naruto being a little antsy at the close attention, she let up. She immediately dipped a finger in the jar to apply some of the cream on his wounds.
"Hinata, you don't need to waste that on me, it would be much better use saving for later use on one of you guys." At this Hinata looked at him with a questioning gaze that had a hint of playful ness in it.
Her gaze seemed to say, "You think we are going to be stupid enough to get hurt?" They both knew that Naruto's fighting style incorperated the Kyuubi's chakra to speed up his healing, rven though it also couldn't be relied on. This fact was never lost on Hinata though. She stated "You can't and shouldn't rely on him to heal you." She had been applying the cream to his arms and almost on contact the already healing wounds seemed to be visibly speeding up and closing, leaving hardly any sign of their previous existence.
Hinata quickly finished with the small cuts on his arms. "Take off your shirt, I need to get the rest." It was an order from a medically trained Hinata, not a perverted girlfriend that made Naruto take off his shirt without hesitation. That fact didn't stop Hinata from blushing profusely at the sight of her beau without a shirt on. She decided to get the ones on his back rather than his chest and stomach first. Most of the cuts and scrapes were shallow, but some seemed to have been deep enough have been caused by a full kunai blade. Hinata could tell that the bladed weapon hadn't been kunai from the width and shape of the wounds though. They still looked like they hurt a lot and Naruto seemed to be moving around without a problem.
After a getting all of the wounds on his back Hinata moved to his front. Naruto stopped her and advised that he should probably get his chest and the rest of his cuts. Especially since she insisted on her face blending in with the red pastels the sun was making behind her. Hinata blushed deeper and acknowledged her embaracement by letting him take the small brown jar then taking a few steps back.
After a few minutes Naruto was done and was already putting his protective shirt back on. Hinata had made it a point to not look directly at him while he was applying the ointment. She had slipped into a slight reverie when she started to think about all the times Naruto had fought and she felt for him. But ever since she saw him in his own trashed apartment a few days ago she has seen him with a new light. She saw the pain he was always able to hide. He was able to hide his true pain even from her. She had watched him for longer than anyone and she had never seen through the happy mask he wore until recently.
A soft hand on her shoulder brought her back from remembering the pain she saw in his eyes. She looked at his eyes now and only saw a shadow of it reflected there. He was smiling in his normally happy go lucky manner and telling her that her medicine was working great in a very loud manner. She wanted to say something to him for making her worry, but she knew he wouldn't understand. Besides he had already been back before she knew he was in danger. Then she saw something shift in his eyes, he was looking at her quizzically as if he was a little embarrassed and confused.
"Hinata? Is there something wrong?" She hadn't realized she was staring at him again. He had obviously been standing there for longer than his attention deficient mind could stand before he asked. She was still holding his jacket and he was offering to take it back so she didn't have to hold it. He looked at her with a look she couldn't really read as she handed him his bright orange jacket. He had lost the confused look but he still faintly held onto the embarrassed one. She couldn't understand why he would be embarrassed when he was only with her. His eyes held something; they had lost all their pain, all their sorrow; now they showed something different. She never recalled being looked at like that. It reminded her of the way her mother used to look at her when she was very young.
The Hyuuga prided themselves on being able to see more than others could see. Being more perceptive with both their regular sight and their Byakugan. Consequently Hinata had learned how to determine emotions from a person'sfacial expressions, even if they were trying to hide them. It was almost easier when they tried to wear a metaphorical mask than when they didn't because she almost never saw a true expression. The eyes almost always told a person's real fealings. Now though she was confused.
She let herself be led off the roof and down to a small restaurant/bar to get a quick and cheap breakfast. She was able to pull herself away from thinking too deeply about Naruto so she could properly enjoy the time she had with him. As their food was served she remembered all of a sudden that she was to tell Naruto to go see Shikamaru and give a report about last night as soon as he could.
Naruto agreed to do as he was ordered but secretly planned to take as long as he could with the first person he had told without any other reason than to just tell her.
Shikamaru noticed that Naruto had taken his time with Hinata when he arrived a few hours later. It was only about eight in the morning but, Shikamaru had only gotten a few hours sleep and this evening would be interesting. As with all formal weddings there were parties surrounding it, tonight was the eve of the wedding, so it was going to be an interesting party. The tired team leader looked at his overly happy and hyper subordinate.
Shikamaru made note of Naruto's mood only briefly. It had seemed Naruto had been sad the last couple of days but he trusted Naruto to not let it affect the mission. He had apparently grown more mature over the course of his training and new how to act in a given situation. Naruto was normally happy, so he was back to his normal self. "What did the leader of the palace ninja say?" It wasn't a question about the fight. They both knew the outcome of the battle from the shear fact that Naruto was standing right in front of him.
Naruto told him that the leader wanted to talk to Shikamaru later that night. The placement of the meeting and the fact that he didn't want to tell Naruto meant that the man was probably going to agree but still distrusted Naruto. Shikamaru brushed that thought away as he ordered Naruto to take his shift at watch. Sakura and Hinata would be helping, but it was primarily his watch…and command. Shikamaru was going to need the rest of the sleep he should have gotten last night.
Naruto enthusiastically acknowledged the order and immediately left. Shikamaru sighed and went to catch a few more hours of sleep.
It was a pretty slow day. Shiro didn't feel the need to leave his suite as the newly arriving guests came to meet him. He had invited the ones he knew about to come see him and his servants informed him of any others that arrived. There was much political dealing, though Naruto caught the distinct impression that the meetings were supposed to be secret. However the fact that Naruto moved so he couldn't be detected left the participants unaffected.
Shikamaru had woken up again at about lunch time and the team ate lunch in pairs, two ate and two watched, then the pairs switched. Shikamaru ordered Sakura and Hinata to catch as much sleep as they could before the party. They would all need to be on watch at night until they left the city again. It was easier to assassinate at night than in the day anyway. Shikamaru didn't think Naruto would be able to sleep and thus didn't order him to try. Shikamaru himself only took a small siesta, while Naruto kept watch, and then helped guard the pompous politician.
It was getting late when the four man team got back together again. It was about a half hour before Shikamaru and Sakura would head to the palace to meet with the palace ninja. Hinata and Naruto would take the last day shift as Shiro was about to leave for the palace himself. He was in his room 'getting pampered,' as Naruto described it, while Shikamaru laid out the protective plan to his subordinates. He had gotten a pretty decent view of the lay out of the palace and would be able to position the rest of the team where it would be best suited for completing the mission and returning their client's 'goods'.
Shikamaru quickly finished his explanation of how he was positioning the team and then asked for questions. It was sometimes hard to determine exactly where to go just by a description. Then there was one other thing to take care of. "As you all know, this mission has taken on some complications because of the palace ninja. Is there anything any of you want to say or ask?" It was true. The mission had become much more complicated because of the way the palace ninja felt about Naruto. He also opened the floor for questions because having a team member that didn't know all that was going on could mean that the team member made a snap decision based on imperfect information, and thus hurt the chances of a successful mission.
No one seemed to want to say anything so Shikamaru decided he should at least say what might be misinterpreted. "Ok, I know the truth about how the Fourth defeated the Kyuubi. I know that is why the villagers hold a grudge against Naruto. I suspect as well that the palace ninja hold the same grudge against Naruto…for false reasons." The last bit was added to make sure the other three members knew he didn't hold the same grudge against Naruto. "I am going early to finalize a deal with them so we can get some rest while the parties and ceremonies are going on and Nami Shiro is already being guarded." Shikamaru was pretty sure that everyone knew the last part, but there could be confusion on some of the finer details.
After a slight pause Shikamaru noticed the expressions on his teammates' faces were not sullen or confused but slightly hopeful and ready. They seemed ready to do what Shikamaru would ask and what the mission would require. "Ok, Sakura and I will be going then." The strategist and the medical specialist disappeared, the other two knew they were headed for the palace as they themselves disappeared from the spot they had just been occupying.
Hinata and Naruto usually didn't go on missions together. The last two were odd exceptions where teams were split up. Shiro and Kiba had been needed for a special tracking mission and would be gone for a while. Ino was needed in a special mission for information gathering without letting the victims know it had been gathered, which was her clan's specialty. That had left Hinata without a team, and Chouji and Shikamaru without a third member. The Hokage had decided to let Chouji sit the last mission out because of an injury he had received during training. This mission seemed to have come up quickly though and the team was just expanded onto from the last mission.
The two worked extremely well together for a pair that didn't collaborate on missions much. Hinata seemed to flow right into the shadows and watch the long distance while Naruto made sure to move with and against the shadows enough to go unnoticed. If one moved too well in the shadows, then a person would realize something was off and be put on the defensive. There was not much to do that they hadn't already been doing, but the patrol sweeps took less time and could be done twice as frequently with the two working together. It had only been a small amount of time since their leader had left until Shiro decided to leave.
Naruto knew that Sakura and Shikamaru were already at the palace and taking care of the palace ninja, but he couldn't help the bad feeling he had in his gut. And in the ninja world, a bad feeling shouldn't be ignored. Most of the time, especially if the enemy was skilled, a 'feeling' was all the warning one got before an attack. It was still daylight, and would be for a few more hours, but Shiro was already heading to the palace for a dinner and party to honor the wedding the palace was going to hold the next day. Naruto had opted to be the one down on the street, though he preferred to blend as a regular person rather than disguise himself as a servant. That left Hinata to follow on the rooftops and scan for enemies with her Byakuugan. Hinata kept hidden from view to make sure no one, not even one looking for her saw her. Naruto knew she was there, but during his trip to the palace he never saw her until Shiro was about to enter the gates.
Naurto didn't change his clothes, keeping the bright orange outfit, but it was a basic skill to hide in a crowd. A ninja could move in plain sight quickly through a crowd without anyone noticing them. It just took skill to move in the same manner the crowd did while moving at the necessary speed and in the desired direction without drawing attention. Naruto couldn't use his heightened sense of smell or hearing because the noises from the city covered over any sounds that he would recognize as threatening and the smells of the restaurants and other people masked any smell that a ninja would allow themselves to give off. It was the faint that was threatening to a ninja. The loud and obvious were easily avoidable, it was the quiet that went unnoticed that got them killed.
Shiro was just about to enter through the gates when Naruto left his street level position in favor of a higher vantage point. He was on the roof of the building across the street when he barely detected the presence of a ninja behind him. Judging from the faint sound he had hardly been able to distinguish from the sounds of the city her feet had made he was able to judge her gender, approximate weight, and her speed when she landed. From this, Naruto knew it was Hinata. But immediately after he relaxed he had to stiffen again. He felt the presence of three other shinobi, and Hinata must have felt or saw them too because he heard her shift into what he guessed was a defensive stance. They were positioned well. One was behind the pair with companions flanking the position Naruto and Hinata shared. They were either very, very weak, or not concerned about masking their presence to the couple they surrounded. Naruto guessed it was the latter.
Naruto didn't visibly react to the fact that they were surrounded, but Hinata knew that he was aware of the other group's presence because he hadn't turned around, or even shifted his eyes from watching Shiro present his identification as he gained access to the well guarded Palace. She hadn't deactivated her Byakuugan so she knew exactly where each one was, but they didn't seem to be concerned about hiding their positions. That meant they were either there to watch them and make sure she and Naruto didn't do anything wrong, or they were there as a distraction for a more stealthy ninja to attack. Hinata didn't like the implications of the second possibility, but she had to keep on the lookout against that chance.
"Kunoichi, you stay and watch your client. We are to take the demon to our leader." It was obvious these were the palace ninja now, and that they knew that Konoha laws did not apply to them. Or, at least they didn't think they did. Hinata wanted to protest, she wanted to fight back by telling them that Naruto was no demon and he wouldn't kill someone from Konoha. But she knew that wouldn't convince them. Her internal struggle just looked like a lack of confidence to the former Leaf shinobi. Naruto knew better though and turned around to reassure her.
"I'll be fine, just make sure the prick doesn't get himself killed, Sakura and Shikamaru should already be inside and able to help once you get there." The simple statement helped ease Hinata's apprehension. Her face and stance shifted back from her shy, insecure one to one of serenity. Naruto knew it had nothing to do with guarding the affluent asshole, but more with her worry for him. He made the statement to calm Hinata, but it had the added bonus of making the 'allied' ninja assume she was nervous about guarding Shiro rather than himself. Naruto wasn't manipulative and hadn't planed on that additional benefit though.
When he turned back to the palace one of the ninja jumped off towards the large building to lead the way, while the other two stayed back to keep an eye on the unruly blonde. The four sped off leaving little trace that they had even been in the area, except for the dark haired girl looking in the direction they had gone.
Hinata still had her Byakuugan activated and had been using it to keep track of Shiro during the short confrontation and now used it to focus on his position and move into the Fire Palace.
The dinner portion of the gathering had gone without any problems. Sakura had contacted Hinata a few minutes after making it inside the palace and the pair had kept watch while the 'two boys' were finalizing the deal. The dancing had been going on for about an hour and a few of the newly formed couples were out on the balconies looking at the pastels the retreating sun formed across the sky. Shikamaru made his presence known to Sakura and Hinata and informed them that Naruto and another of their team would need to help guard the perimeter of the palace. Those were the terms of the deal that had been worked out. The palace leader had wanted it to be 'the Hyuuga' but understood that specifying two of the team members for a given duty would have offered little flexibility or courtesy to the visiting shinobi. As it was though, Hinata wanted to be outside, with Naruto even if she couldn't show or act on her feelings in that environment.
Shikamaru knew that the real reason Naruto had been specified on outside patrol and Hinata only 'requested' was because the palace leader didn't trust Naruto at all. He would be easier to watch while outside and it would be more difficult for Naruto to get to the nobles without confronting other Ninja.
The party had been going very well for the last few hours. There were only one or two couples on the balconies seeking privacy. It was getting late and a few of the older Lords had already decided to leave, while the younger ones showed no signs of leaving…unless they were already bringing company back to their hotels. The temperature was dropping a little bit, but none of the ninja guarding the estate were affected and the ninja inside, which Shikamaru and Sakura were part of, never even noticed.
Suddenly Shikamaru heard a soft thud. It sounded like it had come from outside which meant it was probably much louder. He and Sakura also immediately noticed the other ninja in the room racing out through one of the balcony doors with only secondary regard to hiding their presence from the nobles. There was an attack. Immediately the two current Leaf ninja joined the former ones in the race to see who could get outside and help the fastest.
Sakura would be needed, but not for her fighting ability, they both knew that before they had reached the scene, though they didn't yet know to what extent. When they finally reached the courtyard, though it had only been a few seconds since the warning, Sakura realized she wouldn't be fighting in this battle. It took Shikamaru to fully realize the extent of this attack. The war had started.
Author's Note
Well I was able to knock this one out faster than I thought. Plus Crystlshake got this back to me faster than I thought too. I'd like to thank Crystlshake for helping again. The help really contributes to the quality of the story and how it feels. I know I won't be able to write another chapter in this before the break for the holidays and New Year. Have fun with family or doing whatever. As for me I'll be attending my brother's wedding and snowboarding. This story, while longer than my last couple is starting to feel like it is starting to close itself. I'm not sure how many more chapters it will be (at least 2) but I don't plan on making this one run forever and never finishing. I prefer stories with a close rather than just not ending.