Author's note: Hey guys and girls, I got chapter six for you. A HUGE thanks to the reviewers, thanks to all of you, I've formed a few more ideas and situations for the story. It's going slow but at least its going. I'm so glad I haven't given up on this, usually I start something but forget about it when I find something good on TV.
I am feeling honored, this fic. Has been added to the KnH C2, imagine my surprise when I opened my email in the morning to find that out. Thanks to whomever on KnH did this.
I was rereading my previous chapters and I noticed some inconsistencies, these have been corrected.
About the previous chapter: Just incase there was any misunderstanding, the previous chapter, where Naruto was lying in bed thinking, was not a time jump, it was merely Naruto thinking about the past. It fits in after Hinata leaves Naruto for the night (Chapter4) and before the start of this chapter. The part about Hinata was a flashback to a few months before (When he could see)
A quick question: Today is the 10th, anyone know what is special about today?
AkiaBinZaid - I've explained what the situation was concerning the previous chapter. I'll try not to confuse you in the future
Chibified Kitsunes - You've waited long enough, your idea is in this chapter, it may not be as effective as when I read it in your fic. but it will still help the story (At the very least it'll make a few people go "awww") I didn't lift it directly out of your fic, I used the basic idea and went from there. Thanks again
HinatasBiggestFanBoy - Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. I was going to use the "I got lost on the road of life" but I decided that it was just too cliché. Anyways thank you for reading
minimerc - Yes, poor naru-chan. Thank you for reviewing. "...help him 'appreciate' Hinata a lot more..." I liked your well placed quote marks
lil uchiha bunny - will he ever see again? well...you'll see (But will Naruto?)
Crutches - Thank you, I try to write as best I can
S-Wanderer999 - Oh I'm wayyy ahead of you on that, this is one of the reasons I borrowed Chibi's idea.
Violentlycheerful - Well, thank you for the birthday greeting. I like the emotion that is displayed in other stories so I thought I'd try my hand at writing some.
Hisoka316 - "... one of the very best fanfics...amazing job...love this fic..." Thank you soooo much, (Even if you are inflating my ego to monstrous proportions)
Nonengel - The second POV wont be for another chapter or two, glad to see you liked it (Because you were my first ever reader/reviewer)
Boredathome - The Hinata POV will happen at a different time to Naruto's, it will explain why she was out that night (If I think of a reason. At the time I wrote Naruto's, I didn't really think that far ahead)
KyLewin - As long as you liked it I don't mind which part in particular you liked most. I was planning on doing Hinata's side to the story when I do her POV chapter. Thank you
Dargon Sheinto - I'm glad you liked it (So far)
moonspirit - You're hooked are you? Wow, I never thought I would be able to get anyone 'hooked'. It's good that you like my story
Magicians of the Yami - of course I'll keep on going, and thank you too for the birthday greeting
warprince2000 - well since you asked so politely, I have updated. Enjoy
nArUtOhInAtA fOrEvEr - Yes, he got over Sakura (I wonder who he'll go for now?) Thank you, enjoy the chapter
darkshaman817 - Do you mean the naruhina in this fic. or naruhina in general. Anyway, in hindsight I probably should of put more thoughts about her in that chapter
Overlord of DARKNESS - 10/10? Wow, thank you. You're wondering what Hinata was ready for? I might bring it out in the next chapter...might. And don't worry; I would never, EVER make either Naruto or Hinata die.
randomreader( ) - You haven't noticed any OOC? Okay, cool. It's just that one or two people had a problem with Sasuke displaying emotion in chapter four. Thank you, is "cute" the highest compliment you can give? or the highest one you can give to my fic. Either way, I'm glad you liked it
Well my beloved readers, here ya go, please read, review and suggest.
Out of Sight, Center of Mind
Chapter Six - Sightless Sight
Naruto stood in the dreamscape of his mind, before the great gates that symbolized the seal that held the nine-tailed fox demon, Kyuubi
"What the hell?! I can see?" Naruto exclaimed as he flexed his left hand in front of his face. For a moment Naruto was happy, but that soon faded as he could see where he was
"Hey! Stupid fox, Why'd you bring me here!?" Naruto shouted into the infinite darkness beyond the gates
"To talk, you stupid brat!" A loud, almost growling voice echoed from behind the gates. Naruto could also hear a sound of faint movement
"About?" Naruto asked as he folded his arms
"You tell me" Kyuubi said
"You called me here, I don't want to talk to you" Naruto replied
"Maybe you don't want to, but sooner or later you would've demanded answers. So I brought you here before you went and threw yourself off another cliff" Kyuubi said as he walked forward and lay down in front of the gates, the dim light reflecting his features. Minutes passed before Naruto asked the question
"Why aren't you healing me?" Naruto asked
"I am, but in order for me to completely heal the nerves in you eyes I would need to focas most of my chakra to them. While this would heal the nerve endings, your eyeballs would most-likely melt due to so much raw chakra, I figured you wouldn't really like that" Kyuubi responded
"Will my eyes ever heal?" Naruto asked, his tone of voice unchanged
"I'm a demon, not a doctor" Kyuubi said angrily. Naruto's hopes had hit the floor but they bounced back as he thought up an idea
"If my sight doesn't return, could you enhance my other senses?" Naruto asked "...if you can make me stronger by giving me chakra, then surely you could give me better senses. Kyuubi thought about it and answered
"Very well, just ask and your senses will improve" Kyuubi growled "...but your making it harder for yourself" he continued
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked feeling confused
"Chakra can be used for more than fighting and healing" Kyuubi said cryptically
"...?" Naruto didn't look less confused. He could see Kyuubi roll his eyes
"There are ways in which ninjas can release their chakra in controlled amounts and actually feel the shape of an object and given enough practice, more complex things. I've never had to do this myself so I can't give you exact information, nor can I instruct you on how to do it" Kyuubi said
"Uhm, okay...thanks" Naruto said, trying to sound grateful, or at least, make it seem like he understood
"Just...don't get yourself killed" Kyuubi said as he wandered back into the empty darkness "...go back to sleep, it'll be a long day" the fox suggested as he disappeared completely into the darkness
"Catch ya later..." Naruto called out "...STUPID FOX!" Naruto shouted as the world around him faded into the darkness.
"N...ra...un" Naruto could hear a voice, fading in and out in the darkness of his unconscious state
"Narat...un" He heard the voice again slightly clearer, he felt a weight on his shoulder along with the voice. Suddenly he felt like he was falling, but abruptly stopped.
"Naruto-kun" He heard the voice loud and clearly now
"Hinata-chan?" Naruto said as he fully awoke and submitted to a yawn
"Good morning, Naruto-kun" Hinata greeted
"Morning" Naruto said as he sat up in his bed, while he rubbed the back of his neck
"I came by earlier but you were sound asleep so I waited around. I decided to wake you up now because it's now a little past eleven and I guessed you wouldn't like to oversleep" Hinata explained as she gathered some of Naruto's clean clothes and gave them to him
"Thanks, Hinata-chan" Naruto said as he accepted his clothes
"I'll be waiting outside" Hinata said before she left Naruto's room. Hinata walked out of the room and closed the door, allowing Naruto some privacy. She walked into Naruto's kitchen and sat down at the table. She finished the glass of water that she had helped herself to earlier. Once she had finished it she laid her head on her hands and thought about her decision to her father the previous night.
Naruto was becoming quite skilled at dressing himself sightless. Although he still had trouble with what way around his clothes went, it took him less time than before. After he had placed his forehead protector over his eyes and Tsunade's necklace around his neck he made his way toward the door, he didn't hit anything this time, probably because he had knocked everything out the way the previous morning when he had to make his mad-dash to the toilet. He placed his hand on the door handle and prepared himself incase Hinata was leaning against it like the previous morning. He opened the door and when nothing fell on him, he decided it was safe to walk forward. As Naruto walked out of his bedroom Hinata stood and faced him
"Would you like some breakfast this morning, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked kindly
"Mmm...No thanks, Hinata-chan. For once I'm not hungry" Naruto said as he walked forward, he was starting to build a mental map of where everything was in his apartment
"Okay then. I was wondering, Naruto-kun, If you would like to go to the Hyuuga estate today, unless you have something else you wish to do" Hinata suggested. Naruto thought about it
"Nope, I can't think of anything else I want to do. Sounds like fun" Naruto smiled. Hinata smiled to herself and reached out to place Naruto's hand on her arm
"Hold on Hinata-chan, I need to use the bathroom first, I'll meet you outside, 'kay?" Naruto said
"Of course Naruto-kun" Hinata said as she let go of Naruto and walked out the door. Once Hinata had left, Naruto casually walked into the bathroom and quickly relieved himself. Naruto washed his hands and went outside to meet Hinata.
Hinata had been waiting patiently for Naruto outside, while leaning on the wall beside the door. Once again she found her thoughts wandering back to her talk with Neji and then to her father
'Did I make the right choice. Maybe I should ask Naruto-kun. No, this was and is my decision and no one else's.' Hinata pondered to herself. Before too long Naruto emerged from his apartment
"Ready to go, Naruto-kun?" Hinata pushed herself up from the wall and once again placed Naruto's hand on her arm
"Lead on, Hinata-chan" Naruto said as he pumped his left fist into the air while the right held onto Hinata. Once they had made it to the ground floor, they started walking to the Hyuuga estate. As they were walking, Hinata readied herself to ask a question that had been bothering her
"Naruto-kun? Who is the 'Stupid fox'?" Hinata asked curious. From Hinata's perspective, Naruto had turned sheet white and his breathing quickened
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked trying in vain to avoid the question
"Earlier, when I came over, while you were still asleep, you were mumbling something in your sleep, then you clearly said 'Stupid fox'. What did you mean by it?" Hinata asked, completely confused about why Naruto would say something like that in his sleep. Naruto turned even paler; it looked like he didn't have a single blood cell in his face
'CRAP! She heard me when I was talking with Kyuubi! This could be bad. If she finds out and she reacts badly, then she would probably tell Sakura-chan and Ino and in turn, they would tell everyone else in the village. I would lose all respect. Things would go back to how they were before. I cant tell her the truth, at least...not yet' Naruto thought, he realized he was keeping Hinata waiting
"I...I was having a dream about...a fox, It was talking to me, as it was walking away...I called it 'Stupid' I don't know why, I just did" Naruto inwardly applauded himself he left out having to explain about Kyuubi and he didn't lie to Hinata
"Oh, okay then" Hinata said
'That doesn't sound right, that seemed like a...patched together story, He may not have been lying but I'm sure he was leaving something out. If he doesn't wish to talk about it then I wont force it out, If he wants to, then he'll tell me' Hinata thought as she prepared to guide Naruto through an oncoming crowd of people
"There are some people coming this way Naruto-kun, I'll guide you through them just don't rush and stay close to me" Hinata warned Naruto as she brought her left arm inward, bringing Naruto closer. It wasn't until there bodies were in contact that Hinata had realized what she had done, She blushed bright red and looked away from Naruto. Fortunately for Naruto she did, otherwise she would have seen a blush on his face as well. As her blush subsided and she got used to the contact she began to slowly walk forward, guiding Naruto through the crowd. They passed a pair of men. Hinata wasn't sure if they were ninjas or not because they weren't wearing their headbands. She noticed that they were staring at Naruto, then they gave each other a knowing grin and instantly started to walk, past them and away through the crowd. Hinata noted to herself that the actions of those two men were unusual but decided not to dwell on the subject. Soon enough they emerged from the crowd almost untouched, it was almost as if the crowd parted when Naruto approached. As they left the crowd behind, Hinata turned to Naruto
"Naruto-kun, over the past couple of days I've noticed that people treat you badly. First was that nurse, but I just thought that she was a particularly bad nurse. Later, on our way to the ramen stand, I saw the looks a few passer byers have given you. And just now a few people in that crowd gave you a particularly spiteful look, Why is this?" Hinata asked. Naruto sighed deeply
"Hinata-chan, there are some things...some things which I keep to myself, some things which I need to keep to myself, all you need to know is that...I was alone" Naruto said sadly
"...but not anymore" Naruto continued, brightening up
"Okay Naruto-kun, but sometimes it really helps to talk to someone, think about it" Hinata said as she placed a comforting hand on Naruto's. The two walked in a comfortable silence for about ten minutes, until Hinata turned and guided Naruto to go down a main road towards a large estate on the outskirts of the village
"We're almost there Naruto-kun" Hinata said
"Great, its just too bad I can't see where you live" Naruto didn't know if he was complaining or making a joke. Hinata stayed quiet because she wasn't sure either and she didn't want to accidentally make him feel bad
"So, what is there to do at the Hyuuga estate?" Naruto asked curious
"There are a few things we can do. The gardens are among the finest in all of Konoha, even if you cannot see them, the smell of the flowers alone makes you feel so happy and content, regardless of how you are feeling at the time. I often go there after a long day of training, or before...when my family gave me looks of disappointment and disgust" Hinata said sadly
"Before when?" Naruto asked
"Before the chuunin exams, when I hardly did anything but stand around. And before a couple of days ago, before I started helping you, before that...I had almost no focus in my life, nothing to keep me going" Hinata said, wiping away a lone tear that was building up in her eye as she remembered what things were like before
"You have defiantly changed, Hinata-chan, don't ever let anyone tell you any different" Naruto said happily
'He thinks I've changed, that means more coming from him than anyone else, I knew I had changed and now Naruto-kun thinks it as well' Hinata squealed happily in thought
"Thank you, Naruto-kun" Hinata said her voice soaked in gratitude
"What else is there to do?" Naruto asked unaware of exactly how happy he had actually made Hinata. The main gates of the estate were only a few yards ahead
"There are training gyms. Small rooms that we go to read and listen to music and a library which rivals that at the village head quarters" Hinata explained
"Library? I don't think we'll need to go there" Naruto joked. Hinata looked to Naruto in fear that she had inadvertently insulted him but when she saw the mile-wide grin on his face she breathed a sigh of relief
"It could be helpful, Naruto-kun, I mean, you can't have been the only blind ninja in the history of the five great countries, surely there could be something that could be of help" Hinata said hopefully
"You could be right, I should really stop to think about things before I act...If I did, then I would still be able to see" Naruto said grimly. Hinata noticed this, it reminded her of herself, when she would wonder 'what-if'? It took her a while to realize that it only makes things seem more painful when she did this
"Naruto-kun, you must never think like that, you may be right, but think of it like this, IF Neji-nii-san had aimed slightly to my left in the chuunin exams, he would of hit my heart straight on and I would be dead by now" Hinata explained
'I could of used a better comparison, I may only make him feel worse' Hinata thought
"Your right, as always" Naruto said, moments before he tripped on a ledge of some sort, Hinata acted quickly to prevent Naruto from cracking his skull open on the stone steps lead up to the front door of the Hyuuga main house, she grabbed Naruto around the waist with her free hand and inter-locked her other arm with his and put out her foot to brace herself against the steps. Naruto's head had stopped just above the edge of the step, Hinata had succeeded
"Are...are y-you alright, N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked concerned and breathing heavily
"F-fine" Naruto said a bit shaken and breathing just as much as Hinata. Hinata gently lowered Naruto on to the steps while he supported himself with his free hand. Once Naruto had recovered and got back to his feet, Naruto shakily reached out his arm to Hinata
"That...was close" Naruto said, his breathing returning to normal
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun" Hinata apologized
"What for?" Naruto asked not sure why Hinata was blaming herself
"I should of told you about the steps, but I didn't, what if I had gotten you hurt" Hinata was ready to break down into tears
"But you didn't get me hurt, and you even stopped me from falling, besides, its not like you meant it" Naruto said trying to cheer Hinata up
"You just said yourself that you shouldn't live life 'what if?' " Naruto continued. Hinata smiled softly at Naruto's uncanny ability to make her feel better
"Shall we go? No sense in hanging around outside" Naruto said taking hold of Hinata's arm
"There are a few steps, so be careful" Hinata warned this time, as she carefully guided Naruto up the steps. Hinata approached the large doors with Naruto by her side. Using her free hand, she turned the handle of one of the doors and opened it. Once the door was sufficiently open, Hinata guided Naruto through into the house and closed the door behind them.
"What would you like to do first, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as they stood at an intersection of corridors
"We could go to the library first, if there's something that could help me, then we might as well check it out" Naruto suggested
"Uhm, okay" Hinata got the feeling that Naruto had no idea of exactly how big the library was, even after she had explained it. They started off down a long series of corridors with many more doors on either side, which were used for either storage, bathrooms and servants quarters
"Cool! I can hear people" Naruto said, straining his ears
"Excuse me?" Hinata asked confused by what Naruto said
"My hearing is improving. If I concentrate hard enough, then I can actually hear echoes of people down these corridors. And not just people, I can hear the wind and the birds outside and the sounds made by the floorboards as we walk over them" Naruto explained
"I never could of imagined that being sightless could be so...centering" Hinata knew that he didn't mean to use that word but she understood what he meant. Hinata recalled to when she would stand at her window and listen to the wind, she knew almost exactly what he was feeling when he described how well he could hear
"The library is just up ahead Naruto-kun" Hinata said
"What kind of stuff is in this library?" Naruto asked, truth be told, he had rarely gone to a library, he went once when he was little but was thrown out because of who and what he was
"Most kinds of 'stuff', technique scrolls, Konoha history logs, reference books, family lines and story books. The Hyuuga also stand guardian to some very powerful forbidden scrolls, these are all hidden away behind sealed, hidden doors somewhere in the estate, not even the all seeing eyes of the Hyuuga can see" Hinata explained, a part of her sounded like a tour guide and another sounded like her father, she let escape a giggle as she thought about a mixture of the two, her father leading people around historical monuments explaining how they were constructed, answering questions posed by tourists and telling little children to stay away from the exhibits.
"What? What's so funny?" Naruto asked excitedly. Hinata decided that she wouldn't explain exactly what she was thinking, out of respect for her father
"Uhmm...nothing" Hinata said, now fully under control of her giggles. Naruto let it by.
"Technique scrolls you say?" Naruto said breaking out into an incredible grin. As Hinata saw the grin, she could almost feel all her worries melt away, but decided that she should burst Naruto's bubble before it got too big
"Only high ranking Hyuuga are permitted to remove those scrolls and like I said, they are sealed away. Besides that, we're not here to study new jutsu" Hinata explained. She could hear Naruto let out a sigh
"Right...so, exactly what are we looking for?" Naruto asked, he was still unsure of what help they could find in a library
"I remember a while ago when I was looking for a certain book to read, when I stumbled across a scroll, I accidentally knocked it off the shelf. It was titled 'Blind Ninjas' or something like that" Hinata explained
"I was thinking that we should go get that scroll and look through it, to see if there is anything that you could use" Hinata said as she reached out and opened the large door to the library
"Blind Ninjas? Sounds like the name of some story" Naruto said doubtfully. The large doors silently opened and they walked through, Hinata noiselessly pushed the door back and let it swing closed
"It wasn't a story, It was a scroll that was once used to teach handicapped ninjas so they could live on with their lives as ninjas" Hinata said to Naruto. A large crash sounded behind them from the massive doors, and as loud as the crash was, it was nothing compared to the resulting echoes that resonated off the walls of the massive library which they stood in
"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Naruto asked as he instinctively hugged Hinata's arm to himself in shock. Hinata was in a severe blushing state as she felt Naruto cling to her, inwardly she scolded herself for not warning Naruto about the loud noise made from the doors and the even greater echoes that are made as a result
"That w-was the door closing, Naruto-kun" Hinata said
"Then what was the loud sound after that, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, seemingly unaware that he was firmly gripping Hinata's arm to himself
"Th-that was the echo" Hinata said, still blushing profusely
"Echo? I've never heard an echo like that" Naruto was astonished
"Naruto-kun, it was so loud because of the size of the library and the marble walls, the entire library acts like an echo chamber, why do you think that you're meant to keep quiet in libraries?" Hinata explained
"How big is this library?" Naruto was beginning to regain his breath
"Its five stories high and about twenty meters in diameter, we're on the third story, everything underneath us is underground" Hinata explained to Naruto
"I'd hate to have to sort all the books here into alphabetical order, it would take forever" Naruto said, recovering from the shock. Hinata giggled at Naruto's remark
"To completely order every book and scroll takes twenty-six people, a couple of days" Hinata said, Naruto was at a loss for words
"This way, Naruto-kun" Hinata started walking forward
"Hang on..." Naruto said suddenly finding his words "...If this place is so big, then how do you know where everything is" Naruto asked
"Its quite simple for us" Hinata said as she brought Naruto to a halt, she joined her hands together, interlocking her fingers with her right index finger pointed upward
"What do you mean, 'us'?" Naruto was unsure of what to make of Hinata's words
"Byakugan!" Hinata said calmly but firmly as her bloodline limit activated. Naruto thought Hinata was annoyed at him, from the way she just spoke, for he didn't know what Hinata had just done
"Sorry" Naruto said unwanting to annoy Hinata. Hinata realized why Naruto had apologized, and blushed very slightly in embarrassment
"Naruto-kun, I just activated my Byakugan" Hinata said as she scanned the entire library
"Oh, right...why?" Naruto cocked his head in a questioning manner. Hinata fought against the urge to roll her eyes and answered
"The Hyuuga's blood limit allow us to see everything in a range. Using my Byakugan, I can see every book and scroll in the library which does not have a seal on it" Hinata explained as she caught sight of the scroll in question and started to guide Naruto toward one of the staircases at the side of the library. Realization finally dawned on to Naruto as he remembered Kakashi, Sakura and Lee all trying to explain the uses and effects of the Hyuuga's blood limit
"So your using your...eye-thingy to find the scroll" Naruto pieced together
"Y-yes" Hinata was unsure as to how Naruto had just referred to her bloodline but decided against saying anything for it might remind Naruto of his own eyes.
"I think I understand now" Naruto said triumphantly. No other words passed between them as they began to slowly descend down the stairs.
After many steps and more than a few slips on Naruto's behalf, they stepped onto the first story and slowly walked toward one of the many bookshelves. Hinata stopped in front of one somewhat large bookshelf, which was easily three times the size of either Naruto or Hinata.
"It should be somewhere in these shelves, Naruto-kun. But I'll be needing my arm" Hinata said, needing her arm so she could climb the bookcase mounted ladder find the scroll.
"Sure, just say if you need any help" Naruto said as he released Hinata's arm. Hinata smiled at his offer before setting her sights on the collection of books in front of them. Hinata reasoned that she would need her bloodline again to help her again
"Byakugan!" Hinata said once again before the chakra filled her eyes, activating her enhanced eyesight. No sooner than she had activated her Byakugan she deactivated it having found the scroll in question. Unfortunately it happened to be on the top shelf and the last time she had climbed to the top of one of these bookcases she had fallen off one of the ladders used to reach the top and had only succeeded in breaking her arm. Since then, she had grown a fear of heights, although she didn't feel afraid if she had a wide base to stand upon and freedom to move, like on the branch of a tree, or a roof-top, but when she didn't have this, like say on a ladder, she felt really uncomfortable. A stray thought surfaced in her mind to ask Naruto to get the scroll but quickly discarded it as she realized how dangerous that could be. Swallowing her fear Hinata slid the ladder into the appropriate position and locked the wheels in place to ensure she wouldn't roll away as she climbed. Hinata began to climb the ladder as quickly but as carefully as possibly. As she got higher and higher she began to feel very !" Hinata was beginning to feel the effects of vertigo as she clinged onto the ladder with one hand and onto the bookshelf with her other managing to knock a few books off of them
"What is it Hinata-chan!?" Naruto asked concerned
"please...h-help" Hinata whispered feeling very scared. Naruto was at a loss of what to do. Until he remembered his deal with Kyuubi earlier. Naruto closed his eyes and focused his mind
'STUPID FOX! Enhance my senses' Naruto near enough screamed in his mind. He heard the faint snort that only belonged to the demon fox
'I was wondering when you would need me. I hope you're ready for this' Kyuubi said as he began focusing his chakra into his sensory organs, increasing their effectiveness by many times. The sudden burst of awareness hit Naruto like a wave of adrenaline. Using his hearing and her smell, Naruto sensed exactly where Hinata was. He reached out his hand and placed it on the ladder. He could feel every groove and every grain of the wooden ladder as he placed his other hand on the ladder and began to climb. Hinata remained unmoving with her eyes firmly clamped shut, wishing that it was all a bad dream
"Don't worry Hinata-chan, I'm coming for you, just hang on" Naruto assured her. From hearing her sobs and using his enhanced scent, Naruto reached Hinata and placed a hand on her back as he stepped off the ladder onto the bookshelves using them to bring himself up beside her
"Hinata-chan? I'm here, don't be afraid. Here, just hold on to me" Naruto said as he rubbed Hinata's back. Feeling his hand on her back, Hinata willed herself to open one eye, to see Naruto's ever-lovable face, minus his eyes. Taking his advice and trusting him completely she reached out and snaked her left arm across his shoulder in a sort of half-hug. Naruto edged himself closer and placed a foot on the ladder rung below the one that Hinata was standing on. Tightening her grip with her left arm, she put her other arm around Naruto, completing the awkward hug. Naruto was going very red in the face, as his enhanced scent was taking in Hinata's smell. It was very, very sweet. Naruto cursed the currant situation since he couldn't stay and indulge himself in the scent for any longer. Naruto scolded himself for thinking such things when Hinata was in danger. With Hinata firmly around his neck Naruto began to awkwardly climb down the ladder, Hinata tightened her grip on Naruto with every jolt from stepping down onto the next rung. After an eternity for Hinata, the pair of them stepped onto the solid ground, Hinata still held onto Naruto, although she seemed a lot more relaxed now that they were on the ground. Suddenly Naruto felt very disoriented, having to take a step to stop himself from falling over. The world around him seemed to be quieter; he was having trouble hearing anything. Naruto figured that his hearing had returned to normal, along with his other senses.
"I'm sorry N-Naruto-kun" Hinata apologized, loosening her grip on Naruto "I should of told you that I was uncomfortable with heights" Hinata said
"Don't worry about it, you're fine now, that's all that matters." Naruto smiled. Hinata brought her arms down from Naruto's shoulders, she still felt a bit shaken, but she felt strong enough to continue.
"I suppose it would be stupid of me to ask you to go back up there to get the scroll" Naruto joked
"A-actually, N-Naruto-kun, I must have knocked the scroll of one of the shelves when I-I was up there because there it is on the ground" Hinata said her voice was slightly nervous but it was understandable. On the floor was the scroll that they were looking for, Hinata knocked it off when she grabbed onto the bookcase for support
"Oh, that's lucky!" Naruto smiled widely. Hinata smiled slightly as well as she bent down to pick up the scroll
"Can we maybe go somewhere else, I don't feel comfortable in here" Hinata said as she clutched the medium sized scroll to herself
"Sure, where do you want to go" Naruto asked. Hinata thought about it, she was going to suggest the gardens but Naruto was going to want to know what was in the scroll, so she settled with one of the small reading rooms instead.
"This way, Naruto-kun" Hinata said as she placed Naruto's hand on her arm while supporting the scroll with her other. Hinata began to walk forward toward the stairs. Because they were traveling upward the trip did not take as long as the first time, Naruto could feel where the next step started when his foot bumped into it. Soon enough they stepped off onto the third-floor and headed toward the large doors. As Naruto heard the doors open he braced himself for the large sound of when they close. Hinata felt Naruto tense up, but she remembered that she did the same thing on her first visit. The doors shut behind them but not as loud as the first time because they were outside the Library. They stepped out into the intersection of corridors and started off down one to the smaller rooms near the library.
Because it was only a short way from the library to the reading rooms it didn't take them long to get to there. Hinata pushed the door open and led Naruto inside and let the door shut under it's own weight. It was a small room but enough for some quiet reading. In the room was a few pieces of furniture; a few armchairs, a couch and a small table to which all the furniture faced. Hinata guided Naruto to the couch and both sat down, while Hinata set the scroll on the table, which was perfectly placed to capture the afternoon sun as it shown in through the high windows.
"Are you comfortable, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked breaking the near endless silence between the two.
"I'm fine thanks, this seat is very comfy" Naruto said as he gently bounced on the leather cushion to test the softness. Hinata smiled as she undid the binder that held together the scroll. Once it was out of the way, she un-rolled it out onto the table. Hearing the scroll open, Naruto was eager to hear what it read
"Anything of use, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked. Hinata had not finished reading the first section yet
"Not yet, Naruto-kun. Please be patient" Hinata asked as she finished reading the introduction "From what I've read, the scroll could be helpful. The beginning says that this scroll can be used to teach a blind person how to function without their eyes" Hinata said as she unrolled the scroll further
'I find it extremely ironic that there would be a scroll made for a blind person, how would he be able to read it?' Hinata mentally questioned as she continued on to the second section
"The second section explains that you should train your own senses to fill in for your sight" Hinata summarized
"We've already covered that with the training we did the other night" Naruto said, unaware of how questionable that could of sounded to someone else
"Yes Naruto-kun" Hinata remembered back to the late afternoon where they trained Naruto's hearing. She unrolled the scroll fully, revealing the third and final sections of the scroll. Hinata read the first few lines
"This could be of help to you Naruto-kun" Hinata said "This section had details on chakra use for some kind of...extra sensory perception" Hinata explained
"Cool. What do I do?" Naruto said, his attention now focused on Hinata. Hinata read through the first and second paragraphs in the third section.
"If you release your chakra in controlled, limited amounts then you should be able to feel an objects shape" Hinata said, Naruto remembered his earlier talks with Kyuubi
"Yeah? How do I do that, then?" Naruto asked. Hinata read the section over and took out a kunai and carefully placed it on the table, fearing she may scratch the surface
"Hold out your hand" Hinata said. Naruto heard Hinata pull out the kunai, he was slightly confused but not uncomfortable for he trusted her. He held out his hand as he was asked. Hinata placed her hand on his wrist and brought it just above the kunai on the table. Referring back to the scroll, she read what to do next
"Concentrate, move some chakra into your hand..." Hinata waited for Naruto to do this
"Right" Naruto said as he pushed some chakra into his hand
"...and carefully release some of it from your palm, but not all of it" Hinata instructed. Naruto did this but didn't feel any different
"Concentrate on the chakra being released but don't forget about the chakra in you hand" After a few minutes of skull cracking concentration Naruto stopped releasing chakra
"That...was weird" Naruto said, relaxing his hand
"What did you feel, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked curious
"It's hard to describe, it's like...feeling something so...so...that you can almost see it in your mind." Naruto struggled with trying to find words. Hinata half understood
"Why don't you try it, Hinata-chan, then you could help me" Naruto suggested. Hinata thought about it, and decided 'why not?' Without another word Hinata mimicked Naruto's actions and closed her eyes, she followed the instructions she had just given to Naruto and started to release the necessary chakra. Being a member of the Hyuuga, this was no difficult task for her. Although Naruto didn't explain it very well to her, Hinata had a vague idea of what to expect but she felt nothing out of the ordinary, certainly nothing to what Naruto explained
"I cant feel anything" Hinata said as she quickly read the scroll again "Here it says that the scroll as for the blind, but I can see, maybe it has something to do with that" Hinata suggested
"Your probably right, shame you can't use it as well, though. Would have made this a lot easier" Naruto said
"I'm sorry Naruto-kun" Hinata felt sad that she couldn't help Naruto
"Don't be, its not like you don't want to help me, right?" Naruto smiled. Hinata smiled faintly back
"Right" Hinata said quietly, but thankfully
"You know, Hinata, You don't have to stay here if you have something else to do, I'll be fine" Naruto said as he placed his hand over the kunai on the table. Hinata was about to decline before she remembered something
"Are you sure Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked
"Sure! I don't mind" Naruto said as he began to release his chakra. Hinata smiled at how helpful and kind Naruto was
"O-okay. I'll try not to be long" Hinata said after she had risen to her feet
"Take your time" Naruto said, struggling to concentrate. Hinata took one last look at Naruto before she walked out the room to find her father.
Naruto was finding his currant task very difficult. He could control and maintain his chakra flow quite well, but his problem was interpreting what he felt after he had released the chakra. He could feel the flat surface of the table and the position of the kunai, although he couldn't feel its exact shape. It was like trying to feel something underneath the thick duvet of your bed; you can feel where it is but not what shape or exactly how big it is.
"This could be difficult. Man, I hate being blind" he said to himself. A thought occurred to him to ask Kyuubi for help but remembered once again to his earlier discussion with the fox
"...I can't give you exact information, nor can I instruct you on how to do it" was what the fox said to him. Naruto sighed in realization that he would have to do it the hard way.
'Maybe if I try to move my hand as I release the chakra' Naruto thought. This time when he released his chakra he moved his hand in a circular motion, spreading his chakra around on the kunai. What he felt was different; he got a clearer 'feeling' this time. Naruto smiled to himself at his minor victory.
'This is a good technique but it doesn't seem like something I can use in day-to-day life. The scroll probably says something about it, I guess I'll have to make do without Hinata-chan for the time-being' Naruto thought to himself. Naruto was thinking about ways around this problem. It finally occurred to him when he thought back to his Rasengan training and his unique method for forming the stage-one Rasengan. He didn't move the chakra directly but instead moved his hands to form the swirling movement. His currant situation seemed to be the opposite
'Maybe, instead of moving my hands I could try moving my chakra like how I was meant to in the Rasengan, that way, I could master the rasengan as well' Naruto thought. Naruto attempted this, trying to move his chakra as it was released and keeping his hand still, but it proved to be a lot more difficult than he first thought. Over and over he tried but nothing happened. Naruto was now very close to ripping out his hair in frustration. Unknown to Naruto, across from him, sitting on one of the armchairs, sat Neji, watching Naruto. Neji had seen Naruto arrive with Hinata while he was practicing his Byakugan, wanting to know what they were doing, Neji followed them. When they were in the library Neji stood watching them, although this was a bit difficult, seeing as Hinata used her Byakugan. Neji had to jump atop one of the bookcases to get in her blind spot and prevent her from seeing him. And when Hinata was on the ladder, Neji was about to jump to save her until he felt a familiar chakra spike coming from Naruto, although it was no where near the strength of that at the chuunin exams, but it was still detectable to Neji. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Neji waited to see what Naruto was about to do. Needless to say, he found it curious that a sightless Naruto, of all people could save Hinata from a potentially dangerous fall.
Neji had silently entered the room shortly after Hinata had left, and sat down and watched in half-amusement, half-fascination as Naruto attempted to 'feel' the kunai lying on the table. Time and time again Naruto was unable to move his chakra after he had released it. Neji silently peered over at the scroll lying on the table, reading it over in a short time. The final step the scroll taught was releasing a wave of chakra from the entire body and feeling everything in a small radius. Neji doubted that Naruto could do that, the only ones that Neji believed could do that were the Hyuuga, for they had mastered chakra control at a young age. Neji shook his head at what Naruto was trying to do. Unfortunately for Neji, the rapid movement of his head caused sound to be released, which was marginally above the hearing threshold of Naruto's trained ears
"Who's there?" Naruto felt uncomfortable that someone of been sitting there with him without him noticing. For a moment Naruto thought that Hinata might of returned, but realized that he would have heard the door open and close and Hinata surely would of greeted him by now.
"...looks like your having trouble" Neji said. Naruto was startled by the voice
'That voice sounds familiar. Oh no...Neji' Naruto figured out who's voice it was, he was not in the mood to listen to Neji drone on about how he didn't think Naruto was capable of doing the technique on the scroll
"Hey Neji" Naruto greeted, feeling a little tense but didn't feel the need to pick up the kunai lying on the table, for defense
"Naruto" Neji said simply. Naruto was confused as to why Neji, of all Hyuuga would come and visit him
"Can I...help you?" Naruto asked, trying to find out why Neji would be there
"...no" Neji said simply. Naruto was mentally ripping his hair out
"Then why are you here?" Naruto asked directly
"I was curious" Neji said. Naruto could tell that he wasn't going to get a straight answer out of him so returned to his currant task. Naruto once again began to release chakra from his hand
"You know...I wouldn't complain if you were to give me a helpful hint" Naruto said. Although he was a proud person, Naruto realised that he would need help with this, so Naruto batted down his pride and indirectly asked for help. One phrase kept on running through his head before he asked
'It takes the bigger man to admit he needs help, it takes the bigger man to admit he needs help...' Naruto kept on thinking to himself. He could hear Neji give a grunt
"What makes you think that I can help you" Neji asked. Naruto thought back to the chuunin exams
"The Hyuuga are masters of chakra control, right? And since I'm trying to release chakra to try and feel this kunai, I thought that you could help me" Naruto said. Neji didn't feel like helping Naruto but he decided that it would be 'payment' for saving Hinata in the library
"I wont repeat myself so listen. There are eight chakra points in the palm of your hand, instead of releasing chakra from all eight at once, try and release chakra from one or two at a time, so it makes a wave of chakra" Neji said as he got up and left. Naruto thought it over; it seemed like a reasonable suggestion. Naruto attempted to release chakra from his hand in the way that Neji suggested. But he found it to be easier said than done. After a dozen more tries, Naruto was barely able to release chakra from one half of his hand at a time, it required a lot of concentration and an exert of chakra control much higher than he ever needed to use, but what he felt was more detailed than before. Ignoring the pain from the chakra strain in his hand Naruto proceeded to try and perfect this technique.
After Hinata left Naruto to himself, she went to look for her father. As she walked down the corridors, towards her father's study, Hinata began to feel very nervous. In her life Hinata was always on the edge of nervousness and today was no exception, Hinata could feel that her legs were slowing down and her arms tensing up. Hinata tried to move faster but her unconscious mind was telling her body to slow down
'I need to do this, so I can prove to everyone that I am not a failure' Hinata thought to herself, willing herself to move forward. Her father's study was just ahead. Hinata's hands once again began to shake as she carefully raised her hand and placed it on the handle to the door and was about to knock with the other.
"Come in" Hinata jumped at hearing her father's voice from inside the room, she hadn't even knocked yet. Taking a deep breath, Hinata pushed the door open and walked in.
"Welcome Hinata, please, have a seat" Hiashi said as he was signing a few scrolls. Hinata did as she was requested and sat down in the chair directly opposite Hiashi
"I've come t-to find out about my t-training" Hinata said, she tried hard not to stutter but her father had always been an intimidating person in her life and it was hard for her to be completely comfortable around him. After hearing what his daughter wanted, Hiashi looked up from the scrolls
"It has been arranged, one of the elders shall train you. Listen to him Hinata, he was the one who trained me." Hiashi said as he picked up a small scroll from an ordered pile on the desk and placed it on the edge of the desk nearest Hinata
"That scroll will teach you the basics of what you need to know, read through it and make sure you understand it" Hiashi said as he turned his attention back to his work
"When do I t-train?" Hinata asked as she picked up the scroll and put it in her coat pocket
"At your earliest convenience, I have informed your new teacher that you will be aiding that Naruto boy" Hiashi said with an almost undetectable degree of spite at his name
"Y-yes father" Hinata said before bowing and exiting the study. Once she was clear of her father's study Hinata immediately relaxed, but she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous of her training in the near future.
'I should get back and see how Naruto-kun is doing' Hinata thought to herself as she made her way to the room where Naruto was in. On her way she passed Neji
"Hello Neji-nii-san" Hinata greeted as he passed
"Hinata-sama" Neji acknowledged "...I have helped Naruto with the scroll" Neji said, stopping to talk to Hinata. Hinata was very surprised that Neji of all people would help Naruto
"Why?" Hinata blurted out without really thinking. Neji was slightly surprised at the usually quiet girl's outburst but he didn't show it
"He seemed to be having trouble" Neji said. "...just try to get him to stop practicing the scroll before he damages his hand from excessive chakra use" he warned
"I will" Hinata said "...good day, Neji-nii-san" Hinata bowed before walking away down the corridor. Neji simply nodded to her before walking in the opposite direction.
After a quick walk through the corridors of the Hyuuga estate, Hinata arrived back at the room where she had left Naruto. Not too loudly and not too quietly Hinata opened the door, so to signify to Naruto that she was there but not to startle him.
"Hinata-chan?" Naruto said, relaxing his hand so he could talk to the new arrival
"Yes Naruto-kun" Hinata said as she sat down in the seat opposite Naruto, the one that Neji sat in.
"I can do it, I can actually feel the kunai now" Naruto said excitedly
"How did you manage to do it Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, happy that Naruto was able to do it
"I was having some trouble at first, but then Neji came by and gave me a few pointers. After he left I was able to train my chakra control and now I'm able to release my chakra in such a way that I can feel every detail of the kunai" Naruto explained happily. Hinata was surprised that Naruto was able to learn it so fast.
"You can feel the exact shape of the kunai?" Hinata asked
"Yes, and the way I feel it, I can almost see it in my mind" Naruto said, his voice full of pride. Hinata looked over at the last section of the scroll, to see if this was what was meant to happen.
"The scroll says that if you can master this, and if a completely blind ninja uses this skill, your mind actually gets tricked and you think you can see the object" Hinata said, scanning the scroll once again
"Cool" Naruto said. Hinata read the final part of the scroll
"Naruto-kun, the last part of the scroll says that you have to release chakra from every chakra hole in your body, so you can feel everything around you, like you have just done with the kunai" Hinata explained. Naruto sighed; he thought that this would be the end
'doesn't matter, at least this way I'll be able to feel my way around...but if that happens, then Hinata-chan wont have to help me anymore, wait...I'll still need her help me though, to read things, and to take me around the village' Naruto thought
"Okay, I suppose I can work on that as we move around today" Naruto said while he got up and stretched his aching joints
'Why I am worried about not having Hinata-chan to help me?' Naruto thought idly
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata wasn't sure what he had in mind
"I really don't like being cooped up in one place for a lengthy amount of time, besides, the next step to the scroll doesn't require me to stay in one place, right?" Naruto explained. Hinata thought it over and decided that he was right
"I suppose so. Then in that case, where would you like to go today?" Hinata asked. Naruto thought about it deeply but couldn't think of an answer
"Dunno" Naruto said, shrugging his shoulders "...is there anything you want to do?" Naruto asked, in the past few days he'd realized that they had been doing things he wanted, it was only fair that they do something that Hinata wanted.
"Well...if you sore from sitting around, then we could take a walk around the gardens that I mentioned earlier" Hinata shyly suggested, she had rarely been asked what she wanted to do, often she did what others wanted because she was eager to please and didn't want to provoke a potential argument with whomever she was with.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about the gardens, lets go then" Naruto said happily, already he was trying to release his chakra from his entire body, in an attempt to feel his way around but couldn't quite do it. Hinata stood up and once again placed Naruto's hand on her arm and guided him out of the room and down yet another labyrinth of corridors to the gardens.
Naruto couldn't believe how hard a time he was having, releasing his chakra from his entire body
'I just need more time, I'll have this by the end of the day' Naruto thought. Being at such a close proximity to Naruto, Hinata was able to feel the chakra emanating from him
"Naruto-kun, I think it would be wise to stop releasing your chakra for the time being, just to give your body a rest from the chakra strain" Hinata said, remembering Neji's warning's earlier. Naruto turned his head to Hinata in a questioning manner.
"I don't need to rest, my body has been able to take a hell of a beating before, I can handle a bit of chakra strain" Naruto said proudly. Hinata felt a great admiration for him at this moment and almost let him carry on, but her sense of reason kicked in and told Hinata to tell Naruto to give it a rest.
"N-no, N-Naruto-kun. You...you w-will listen to me, and I am telling y-you to stop for the t-time being" Hinata was feeling very lightheaded from her own words, she had never told anyone what to do in her life, except from the incidents with Kiba. To say that Naruto was amazed was an understatement; he was on the brinks of shock from being told what to do by the quiet, shy, blue-haired girl.
He was about to say something in protest but stopped short as he remembered Tsunade's words
' Oh yeah; "...SHE is in charge..." was what obaachan said. I suppose I will have to do what Hinata-chan says' Naruto thought
"Okay Hinata-chan, your the boss" Naruto said jokingly, barely containing his laughter, he was not laughing at Hinata but at his own half-joke. Hinata couldn't help but giggle; she understood that Naruto wasn't making fun of her. Hearing Hinata's giggles, Naruto decided that it was safe and burst into a fit of laughter which Hinata soon joined. After a few minutes, their laughing died down and neither could really remember what they were laughing at in the first place. Hinata had just noticed that they had stopped walking, during the laughter they must have halted. Slowly, they began again, toward the gardens. On the way, a question surfaced within Naruto's mind
"Hey Hinata-chan, where did you go after you left earlier?" Naruto asked, curious
"I just went to have a word with my father, that's all" Hinata replied. Naruto was about to ask why, but stopped himself as he realized that it was none of his business
"Okay" Naruto said. They walked in yet another silence
Naruto and Hinata emerged into the Hyuuga gardens, feeling the mid-afternoon sun on them. The sight of these gardens were so beautiful that Hinata always took a breath when she sees them, to her, the sheer beauty of the lush, green grass, the untouched trees, the colors of the flowers are of such a sight that she cannot get completely used to it. The smells of all the different kinds of flowers were among the nicest smells either Naruto or Hinata had ever smelled. Hinata looked over to Naruto, his jaw was hanging loose and his nostrils were flaring, clearly he was trying to take in all of the smells at once. Wordlessly, Hinata began to move forward, guiding Naruto along a path. Hinata had decided to take Naruto to the one place where she felt truly at peace. She brought him past various hedges, towering trees and beds of flowers. Naruto realized that he was no longer walking on concrete but on wood
"Hinata-chan?" Naruto wondered where Hinata was taking him, he wasn't complaining, just unsure. He could see why Hinata came here; it reminded him of when he was younger, when he was happy in his ignorance of Kyuubi. Hinata came to a stop; Naruto could hear the sounds of running water around them. They were standing at the apex of a wooden bridge that crossed over a clear water stream, which ran through the garden.
"This is where I come when I want to get away, I come here and I feel as if everything is okay, I love this place" Hinata explained, she had never even told anyone about this little retreat she had, much less brought anyone here, but she didn't feel nervous. Naruto felt Hinata lean forward and decided he should do the same, cautiously he leaned forward, reaching out with his free hand, he felt a wooden rail just in front of him, just above waist height. Taking his hand off Hinata, he placed it on the rail and let his weight lean down on the rail. He liked it here aswell. He could feel all of his worries drifting away with the water beneath them. Hinata had brought him here for exactly that reason; she had noticed that Naruto had been feeling down in the time they spent together. He'd flash his foxy-grin whenever he could but there were times where Hinata could see suppressed pain behind the smile; it was hard to notice, especially without being able to see his eyes. Hinata could read someone like a book when she could see their eyes. In their academy days, Hinata could see beyond Naruto's fake smile, when all the other kids were laughing at him. Hinata turned her head to look at Naruto and was pleased by the gentle smile on his lips and couldn't help but smile herself, she was happy that she was able to help
'Man, who would of thought that listening to water could make you feel like this' Naruto thought, listening intently to the steam's sounds
"I can see...understand why you come here, Hinata-chan" Naruto said, no longer able to prevent his smile from growing to a wide, foxy-grin. Hinata smiled as she noticed that it was a true smile
'Naruto-kun is feeling better now. I knew it was a good idea to bring him here' Hinata thought with a sense of pride.
"You know what, I feel like taking a walk" Naruto said, still with the smile. Hinata took Naruto's hand and placed it on her arm, and continued across the bridge and onto the pathway on the other side
"Where would you like to go, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. Naruto thought about it
"Just a walk around Konoha, maybe we could stop of for some lunch" Naruto said, starting to feel the effects of skipping breakfast that morning.
"Okay Naruto-kun" Hinata said before she turned and guided Naruto down a small path which lead towards a gate, leading out of the Hyuuga estate. As they were walking down the path towards the gate, they met someone unexpected, who appeared behind them
"Well, this is what I call, the blind, leading the blind" Hinata's sister, Hanabi said. The reason she was unexpected was that she was usually inside the gym, training her fighting skills, not 'wasting time' walking around the gardens.
"Hanabi" Hinata greeted, turning around to face her sister. Although the two rarely talked, they still saw eye-to-eye. Naruto disliked the voice; it insulted Hinata's ability
"Hinata, who's this?" Hanabi asked, pointing towards Naruto
"This is Uzumaki Naruto" Hinata told her sister
"Naruto, Naruto..." Hanabi repeated, trying to remember him, then it hit her "...He's the boy you li..." Hanabi continued before finding a hand over her mouth, she looked up to see a blushing but narrow eyed Hinata, to whom the hand belonged. Hinata still had her hand over Hanabi's mouth when she turned to Naruto, to see if he had picked up on what her sister had just tried to say. Fortunately for her though, He seemed unaware, if his unchanged expression told her anything. Hanabi almost laughed, she almost spilled Hinata's single biggest secret. Seeing her sister's warning look, Hanabi calmed herself. Deciding it was safe, Hinata removed her hand.
"Who's this Hinata-chan" Naruto finally asked, as he gave up on trying to figure out what the little girl had tried to say before stopping abruptly
"This is my little sister, Hanabi" Hinata introduced
"Sister? I didn't know you had a sister, Hinata-chan" Naruto said. Hanabi let a smirk to come across her face at hearing the affectionate suffix used towards her sister by Naruto
"Is there something we can do for you, Hanabi?" Hinata asked, feeling uncomfortable with the smile on her sister's face
"Nothing much, I just wanted to know if it was true, that you're going to receive training from one of the elders" Hanabi said
"Y-yes, it's true" Hinata confirmed
"I hope you know what you're doing, I haven't had the training because my body is still too small" Hanabi said, inwardly cursing her body for letting her sister get ahead of her
"I'll be fine" Hinata responded. Hanabi raised an eyebrow
"Fine, but even if you complete the training, I'll still be able to beat you" Hanabi proudly said
"We'll see" Hinata replied. She disliked it when her sister starts acting superior, she didn't dislike Hanabi herself, just the way she sometimes acted, of course, Hinata never voiced these opinions
"See you later Hinata-nee-chan" Hanabi said before turning around and walking off down the path. When he could no longer sense her, Naruto spoke up
"What's up with her?" He asked
"Nothing, that's how she acts" Hinata said as they began walking forward towards the gate
"How do you live with her?" Naruto asked. Hinata giggled slightly
"She's my sister, I sort of have to. Besides, she is one of the few in this family who sees me for who I really am" Hinata explained
"Oh, okay then. Anyway, what was she talking about?" Naruto asked as they stepped through the gate, out onto a small street, behind the Hyuuga grounds
"I asked my father and I'm going to receive training from a Hyuuga master" Hinata said
"Cool, so your going to become even stronger" Naruto complimented, causing Hinata to blush
"M-maybe, Naruto-kun" Hinata said slightly unsure, after all, the training was difficult
"When are you going to start?" Naruto asked
"My father said that I could start whenever I wanted, but the elders never like to be kept waiting, so, sometime soon." Hinata said
"What, like today? Tomorrow?" Naruto asked
"Like I said, the elders don't like to be kept waiting, so tomorrow would probably be the best time" Hinata didn't want to leave Naruto, but she knew better than to keep the clan elders waiting, besides, it wasn't as if Naruto couldn't survive without her for a few hours
"Okay, but that leaves me without a guide tomorrow." Naruto almost sounded like he was complaining
"N-not all d-day tomorrow, just for a few hours" Hinata, she could hear the complaint in his voice and blushed very slightly "...and we can find someone to fill in for me in that time." She suggested
"Oh that's okay then, if its just for a few hours" Naruto said, feeling relieved for reasons he didn't understand. Hinata's faint blush surfaced with a vengeance at hearing that Naruto was relieved that she wasn't going to be gone all day.
As Hinata and Naruto walked, Naruto could hear the sounds of more people, signifying that they were now on a large street.
"I really shouldn't of skipped breakfast this morning" Naruto said, rubbing his empty stomach. Hinata too, felt rather hungry, even though she did have some breakfast that morning.
"Doesn't matter, you just weren't hungry" Hinata said as they rounded the last street corner onto the small street that was home to the Ichiraku ramen stand. Naruto's nostrils began flaring intensely at the smell of freshly made ramen, a small trail of drool fell down the right side of his chin. Hinata looked to Naruto, hearing him sniffing the air. Once again she found herself giggling at Naruto's cuteness. Naruto was too entranced by the ever-strengthening smell being emitted by the upcoming ramen stand. Hinata pulled back the flaps so that they could enter the stand.
"Welcome!" The stand owner turned and greeted his newest customers of the day, while the waitress was wiping up spilled ramen on the counter. The stand was empty seeing as it was past lunchtime and the regulars had gone back to work. Hinata guided Naruto to a stool and then sat herself next to him
"It's good to see my two favorite customers back again" The old man said happily "...what can I get you?" He asked
"One shrimp and one beef" Naruto said, barely able to wait while the ramen is prepared. Naruto proceeded to tell Hinata about his team's "Mission" to remove Kakashi's mask. So he could try and get his mind off the waiting for the food.
"We tried following him, we tried watching him eat, we even tried to attack him to get him to remove that dang mask" Naruto explained as he reminisced. Hinata was happy to once again hear about Naruto's missions
"There you go" the old man placed their ramen in front of them. Naruto smelled the ramen in front of him and momentarily forgot about his story and reached for the bowl with one hand while the other reached for a pair of chopsticks. When he couldn't find the cup of chopsticks, Naruto decided that he would try and use his new chakra sense. Putting his hands out towards the counter, Naruto focused chakra to them and then released it in small wave motions
'Whoa, this is a lot more complicated than the kunai' Naruto thought, feeling almost every detail on the counter top, after a moment of decision, Naruto decided he had found the cup and reached out for it to his right. His chakra sense had not failed him, as he picked up the cup and removed a pair of chopsticks
"HAHA! I DID IT!" Naruto shouted with pride before offering a pair of chopsticks to Hinata, who as always smiled at Naruto's little outburst
"Thank you Naruto-kun" Hinata accepted a pair for herself and broke them apart, as did Naruto. Hinata had been politely waiting for Naruto to get some chopsticks before she got her own, seeing that he was doing his new-found skill, decided not to interfere, though she was slightly surprised that he actually held out the cup for her, a gesture that made her blush
'I don't think I'll get completely used to it when I'm around Naruto-kun' Hinata thought as she and Naruto both lowered their chopsticks into their ramen. Naruto lowered his chopsticks into the ramen and quickly pulled out some long strands of noodles before slurping them up, quite loudly. Hinata was eating her ramen with a lot more grace, making almost no sound. While Naruto's speed with eating noodles blind was almost up to par to when he could see, he noticed the lack of slurping sounds coming from Hinata
"Hinata-chan, aren't you hungry?" Naruto asked, He couldn't hear Hinata slurp up her ramen like he thought everyone did and thought that she wasn't eating
"No, I-I am" Hinata said before she made a very watery slurp with her noodles to prove to Naruto that she was in fact eating, she felt very light headed from embarrassment, but seeing that no one minded, she decided that it was okay and just slurped away her ramen like Naruto. Without the need to show eating manners, Hinata was able to eat her ramen at almost the same speed as Naruto, which was saying something. This did not go unnoticed by Naruto, who was surprised, at how fast she was eating, judging from the shortening intervals between slurps. Seeing a challenge arise, Naruto picked up his pace, Hinata had realized what was going on, she smiled faintly and began to eat faster. The two workers of the stand were watching the unofficial race that was taking place, from the speeds the two were eating at the workers were wondering if they were even bothering to chew. Hinata had finished pulling all of her noodles out of her bowl and proceeded to raise the bowl to her mouth so she could drink all of the left over water and put the bowl on the counter with her chopsticks, while letting out a satisfied sigh. Naruto heard Hinata finish off her ramen as he was bringing his bowl up to his mouth. Once his bowl rested on the counter beside Hinata's, Naruto turned to face her. Hinata was struggling with all of her will to prevent the eruption of laughter break through from within her because of their 'Ramen Race' Hinata also noticed that his shoulders were shaking, as well as her own as she was contain her own laughter
'Why is his face going red...' Hinata was in mid-thought when Naruto burst out laughing uncontrollably. Finding his laughter very infectious, along with her own pent up humor, Hinata erupted into almost a fit of hysterics. It had been far too long since she had REALLY laughed. Even the stand owners were struggling not to laugh, it took a while for Naruto and Hinata to calm down.
"Well, I'm not hungry anymore" Naruto said, smiling at the still-giggling Hinata
"Oh? giggle is the great Uzumaki Naruto turning down a free bowl of ramen? giggle This is truly a day to remember" Hinata said, struggling to control her laughter
"Free?" Naruto's head perked up like a dog, waiting to be walked. Seeing this, Hinata almost lost herself in another fit of laughter but contained herself to a healthy laugh
"Yes Naruto-kun, I would be happy to" Hinata said after her second bout with laughter had subsided
"Oh, no, I couldn't accept..." Naruto's manners had returned, and told him to protest, until Hinata interrupted
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist" Hinata said, putting her hand on Naruto's shoulder. She hadn't noticed what she was doing until her hand was resting on his shoulder, then the shy Hinata returned, along with a blush that would blend in with Sakura's dress.
"Well, if you insist, I suppose we can half the bill" Naruto suggested, feeling guilty for allowing Hinata to pay for his food, and surprisingly comfortable with the hand on his shoulder, with the exception of Iruka no one touched him in anyway but to cause harm.
"...hey old man, two more bowls" Naruto requested
"P-Please" Hinata added, she had never liked to be impolite. Still feeling nervous, she carefully raised her hand off his shoulder and put it down on the counter top. Hinata sat looking at her hands in silence, not daring to look up at Naruto.
"Something wrong, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked
"N-nothing's wrong, Naruto-kun" Hinata replied, stealing a glance at Naruto before returning her vision to her battling thumbs on the counter top
"I was just wondering where your alter-ego went" Naruto chuckled, Hinata smiled at him. Naruto stopped smiling and craned his head, angling his right ear towards the entrance to the stand as if he heard something. Hinata noticed this as she was taking another look at Naruto. Wondering what he was listening for, Hinata turned towards the entrance to where Naruto was listening intently. Hinata noticed that his forehead was wrinkled in thought
'I wonder what he hears' Hinata thought to herself, looking between the entrance and Naruto. Naruto let out a tired sigh as he shook his head and turned back to face the counter once again. Hinata was very confused, however this confusion lifted when she saw who entered the stand. She turned to look at Naruto who had sensed the presence of the newcomer; he was still shaking his head and rubbing his forehead just above his right eyebrow
"Naruto-kun! I Rock Lee challenge your strength to my own" The bowl-headed, fuzzy eye browed green beast of Konoha said while striking a very cheesy pose
"Great, Now my day is complete" Naruto said under his breath so that only Hinata heard him, while still shaking his head. Without saying a word Naruto stood up to face Lee in much the same way he stood before Kiba a couple of days previous.
"You know I'd like to answer your challenge anytime, Fuzzy-eyebrows but given my currant condition, it would be somewhat of a one-sided battle, it wouldn't be a fair challenge because I'm hardly up to my full strength" Naruto said to Lee, feeling a little disappointed that he had to turn down a fight, that would prove his strength.
"Naruto-kun! Sasuke-kun and Sakura-san told me about your situation, this is why I wish to fight" Lee said, earning yet more confusion. A matter of minutes before Lee arrived at the ramen stand; he was on a training field with Gai, training his heart out, trying to become stronger
Flashback
Lee Was standing on the grassy training field with Gai, running through a complex series of punching and kicking combinations, when he saw Sasuke and Sakura walking past, well...Sasuke walking and Sakura trailing behind
"Sakura-san, Sasuke-kun!" Lee yelled, waving at the pair
"Lee, now is a good opportunity to find out about one of your rivals, Know your rival off the battle field and you will know him on it" Gai said while Lee was scribbling away in his note book which seemingly materialized when Gai started speaking
"Yes sir, Gai-sensei" Lee said while saluting with the pencil in hand, accidentally drawing a line on his forehead. Sakura stopped and walked over to Lee and Gai, while Sasuke was muttering complaints as he too, trudged his way toward Gai and his 'mini-me'
"Hello Lee-san" Sakura greeted while Sasuke grunted, rolling his eyes and looking away
"Where is Naruto-kun today?" Lee asked, noticing the lack of the loud-mouthed ninja
"He's with Hinata, he had a bit of an accident and is temporarily without his sight" Sakura explained with a little sorrow in her voice, she knew that her use of the word "Temporarily" was a flexible one, it was still fifty-fifty on whether Naruto would regain his sight
"I'm sorry to hear that, but this is a great chance to prove my strength" Lee said with flames in his eyes
"The fire of youth burns fiercely within you, Lee" Gai said while shaking his fist in pride, with his eyes closed in thought, to add impact "...but Lee, you cannot face Naruto-kun, such a match would be handicapped" Gai opened his eyes to see Sasuke and Sakura walking away, which caused a vein to pop out from Gai's forehead
"Students of rival Kakashi, you too have adopted his somewhat 'hip' attitude" Gai said to himself in anger for being bested by Kakashi who isn't even around "...Lets go, Lee...Lee?...LEE!?" Gai screamed when he noticed the trail of dust leading away, clearly the signs of the green-beast's hunt for a challenge
End Flashback
Hinata was feeling nervous about Lee challenging Naruto to a fight but didn't say anything since Lee wasn't being rude to him like Kiba a few nights before
"Naruto-kun, for our fight, I too shall go without my sight and rely entirely on my battle heightened senses. This shall be a true test of my strength since...since..." Lee quickly whipped out his notebook and turned back a couple of pages
"...since true strength does not mean muscle strength, you must have other worthy qualities if you must be truly strong" Lee said quoting from his notepad, remembering Kakashi's and Gai's game of Rock, Paper, Scissors and how even luck is also a part of strength. Naruto thought about it and was about to answer when a violent gust of wind blew through the entrance of the stand, knocking over various items in the stand.
"G-Gai-Sensei" Lee cried out. Before them stood Gai, with an protruding vein on his forehead
"Lee, You FOOL!" He said while punching him clean across the jaw. Hinata was shocked that a sensei would strike down their own subordinate, Naruto on the other hand had seen it all before and wasn't as shocked. Hinata was about to go to Lee to see if she could help him before Naruto, who sensed that Hinata wanted to help, put his hand on her shoulder
"Don't worry, they'll work things out" Naruto said softly to her. Hinata still wanted to go over to Lee, until she saw Gai walk towards him with a smile on his face
"Lee, you truly are the incarnation of the flames of courage and strength." Gai said, beaming with pride. Lee was looking at Gai with awe, until the inevitable...
"GAI-SENSEI!" Lee screamed out as he flung himself towards his mentor
"LEE!" Gai screamed just as much as Lee, as they hugged tightly. Hinata's eyes were wide; she couldn't believe what she was seeing
"Man, I love being blind" Naruto said cheerily as he sat back down. Hinata decided to do the same, her stomach feeling slightly unsettled
"Why do they do that? First Lee-san gets punched then they are hugging" Hinata said trying to get the image out of her head
"It's just the way they are, sensei to student. At least this doesn't usually last long" Naruto explained. Sure enough when Hinata turned around, Lee and Gai were no longer embraced
"Naruto-kun, I await you answer" Lee said,
"Sure, why not?" Naruto said, Hinata looked to Naruto and then to Lee, she had never seen Lee fight but from what she had heard from Shino, he was very strong
"I-If things get out of h-hand then I will stop you" Hinata spoke up "...H-Hokage-sama said that I h-have to keep Naruto-kun out of trouble" She looked to Lee
"Of course, Hinata-san" Lee said, giving her a 'thumbs up'
"Anything you say Hinata-chan" Naruto said, now happy that he could have a fight
'This will be a good opportunity to try out my chakra-sense' Naruto thought to himself as he began to try and release chakra from his entire body
"Okay, fuzzy-eyebrows, come find me later when you want to do it" Naruto said
"Yes, Naruto-kun. Before I go, may I join you for a bowl of ramen?" Lee said, following his sensei's earlier teachings of 'know your enemy...'
"Sure, pull up a stool" Naruto said, Hinata smiled and nodded to Lee and Gai as she herself took her seat next to Naruto "...I never figured you to be a ramen lover, fuzzy eyebrows"
"It's all I ever used to eat before Gai-sensei started training me. Mister, one bowl of spicy chicken" Lee said
"Lee, do not forget about your training. Training on a full stomach can be hazardous to those around you" Gai warned as he signaled for the same ramen as Lee
"Yes, Gai-sensei" Lee said, while Hinata and Naruto were quietly talking to each other
"What's wrong, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked
"Hokage-sama wanted me to look after you, to keep you out of trouble so that you don't aggravate your condition" Hinata said, not stuttering because as far as she was concerned, for the time being they were alone
"Hinata-chan, I want to do this, not because it's another fight, but because this will prove once and for all if I can actually live as a ninja without my sight, I need to do this" Naruto explained
"But Naruto-kun, what if you get hurt?" Hinata said, Naruto thought about and then answered
"Then I'll get hurt" Naruto said, Hinata was plagued with doubt
"Alright, Naruto-kun, if it means that much to you, then I suppose you have to, but just remember, if things get too violent, then I am stopping it, no questions" Hinata said firmly
"Deal" Naruto said, just as his ramen appeared before him. Naruto got another pair of chopsticks and was about to dig in when he abruptly stopped and turned to Hinata, Hinata, who was about to start eating her ramen, noticed Naruto turn towards her
"Hinata-chan? Why do care about me getting hurt?" Naruto asked, Hinata started blushing, she hadn't thought about Naruto actually being able to ask her about that. Fortunately for her, though Lee turned back around and started talking to them
Naruto-kun, how long do you have to where the blindfold?" Lee asked
"At least 'till the end of the week, if I cant see by then, then I'll probably never see again" Naruto said in a neutral voice as he began to eat his ramen. Lee nodded in understanding
"I know how you feel, it was a waking nightmare, the nurses and the doctors telling me to quit being a ninja because of my arm and leg. I'm sorry that you may have to give up life as a ninja" Lee said, understanding after going through something similar.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said anything about giving up being a ninja? I'm going to be the Hokage, no matter what" Naruto said, pointing in Lee's direction. Gai was in tears from Naruto's determination
"Naruto-kun, the undying fire of the power of youth burns fiercely within you" Gai said through his tears of admiration
"So, what will you two be doing tomorrow?" Lee asked, all but ignoring Gai
"Hinata needs to go and train with her family" Naruto explained, not realizing the consequences
"Hinata-san is going away? Do you have anyone to help you around tomorrow?" Lee asked. Naruto practically choked on his noodles "...If you would like, I would be your guide tomorrow" Naruto had to think fast
"No, no, no, haha you really don't have to, I'll find someone else don't you worry, besides, you have to get stronger, right?" Naruto baited
"Of course, I will become even stronger and show everyone that my way of the ninja cannot be broken" Lee took Naruto's bait at a chance to outline his 'way of the ninja'. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, Lee was an okay guy to talk to and to eat lunch with, but there were few people who Naruto could actually spend a day with, except for Hinata. Lee and Gai finished off their ramen and stood up
"I shall meet you at the seventh training field whenever you are ready" Lee said as he exited the stand
"Naruto-kun, are you sure you do not need us to help you tomorrow?" Gai asked on his way out "...I promise that if we fail you, I will do five hundred one-legged, no handed back flips, standing still, or failing that, I promise to..."
"I'm sure, I really don't want to keep Lee and yourself from your training" Naruto interrupted, he really didn't feel like listening to an endless list of 'things to do if I fail'
"Very well, Naruto-kun" Gai said as he too exited the stand. Naruto breathed a huge sigh of relief
"Finally, they're away, I don't think I could handle any more of them" Naruto said. Until another person walked in who was on Naruto's 'Annoying persons list'
"Naruto, I thought I'd find you here" Jiraiya said from behind them. Naruto smacked his forehead
"Damn it, too many people know where I eat" Naruto said, Hinata giggled softly, though she didn't know who the old man was.
"Oi, Naruto, did I hear correctly or did Gai say that you needed help getting around tomorrow, Tsunade said that some girl was showing you around" Jiraiya said
"Yeah, Hinata-chan here was helping me but she has to go away for a little bit tomorrow to train" Naruto explained
"Really? I guess it is up to me to look after you tomorrow, since Gai and Lee obviously cant" Jiraiya said with a wicked grin. Naruto's face paled as he shot up and shakily walked over to entrance and stuck his head out
"FUZZY EYEBROWS, GET BACK HERE" Naruto screamed, preferring to take the lesser of two evils "...Damn it, looks like I'm stuck with you" Naruto pouted as he made his way back over to the counter top when he didn't get any response. He would of made it to his stool aswell if Jiraiya hadn't stuck out his foot in a remorseless way. Naruto was on his feet within seconds
"DAMN YOU ERO-SENNIN" Naruto screamed at him, although, internally he was almost grateful that wasn't treating him like a cripple
"E-excuse me, b-but who are you?" Hinata asked Jiraiya, Naruto held his hands up to Hinata as if to signal that she shouldn't ask
"Hinata-chan, that would be a..."
"Who am I, you ask? So glad you asked..." Jiraiya said, starting to do his introductory dance, completely ignoring Naruto
"No" Naruto said shaking his head, and pointing his finger to where he guessed the old pervert was standing
"...I am the man who has no enemies in the..."
"No" Naruto said, still shaking his head and pointing at him
"...north, east, south or west..."
"No"
"...not even in the heavens!..."
"No!"
"...I am one of the Sannin..."
"No!"
"...The white-haired frog tamer..."
"No!"
"...even a crying baby would stare in awe..."
"NO!"
"...the great Jiraiya!"
"God damn it, NO!" Naruto hated it when Jiraiya did his intro. Hinata was surprised that Naruto was showing disrespect to one of the strongest ninjas of all time
"Naruto-kun? Why did you say 'no', when Jiraiya-sama was introducing himself?" In truth, Hinata felt uncomfortable with his little 'dance' aswell
"You hear him introduce himself once, you've heard it a thousand times, you hear it a thousand times, you never want to hear it again" Naruto explained, Hinata found it hard to argue with.
"Is this the girl that is helping you, Naruto" Jiraiya asked
"Yeah, this is Hinata-chan, Naruto slowly walked over to Hinata, being very careful not to trip over anything this time, "someone's" foot, for example. Hinata stood and bowed to Jiraiya
"I-It's an honor to meet you, Jiraiya-sama" Hinata said politely
"The honor is mine, Hinata, Naruto sure is a lucky guy to have such a young, pretty..."
"Watch it, ero-sennin" Naruto interrupted as he sat back down in his stool once again
'I'll be damned if I let that pervert, creep Hinata-chan out' Naruto thought angrily
"Naruto, would it kill you to call me by my name? at least in front of your little girlfriend" Jiraiya asked. Hinata was nearing suffocation from embarrassment, Naruto wasn't much better off either
"Wh-wh-what are y-you talking about?" Naruto stuttered
"Ah, my boy, there's no need to hide it, I completely understand, I only wish I were in your position" Jiraiya said in an envious tone, Hinata was too stunned for words. Naruto felt he should say something but couldn't find any words. Jiraiya looked between the two's expressions
"Well whatever, I cant hang around here all day, there's...research to be done, see you tomorrow, Naruto" Jiraiya said seconds before he saw a young woman in a miniskirt pass the stand
"Mini-skirt drool" He was on his way out when he turned back to Naruto and Hinata who were as bright red statues "you two, be good, if you cant be good be careful and if you cant be careful then be sure to have a pram" Jiraiya laughed before running off down the street "...Miss, excuse me miss, can I tell you what a great set of...WHACK" was all that was heard. Hinata couldn't lift her gaze from the ground even if her father was riding around on a unicycle wearing a pink tutu. It took a few minutes before Naruto's brain allowed him to say anything
"H-he's an idiot, just ignore him" Naruto said, really trying to get the old hermit out of his head. Hinata was beginning to regain control of her vocal cords
"Y-yes, Naruto-kun" Hinata almost whispered. The stand was very quiet, the workers seemed to be on their break and no one else was in the stand
"Hey, why don't we go to the training field and meet up with fuzzy eyebrows, he must be getting anxious by now" Naruto said, he was planning to go back to his apartment to get his ninja equipment but he decided that it might make Hinata even more uncomfortable having just been given "advice" by Jiraiya
'doesn't matter, I'll just convince Fuzzy eyebrows to fight me hand to hand' Naruto thought
"Y-yes, Naruto-kun" Hinata said again as she put her arm out for Naruto, Naruto took it and felt a jump from Hinata
'She hasn't done that in a while, it's all that pervert's fault' Naruto thought angrily as they began to walk forward out the stand and on to the street. Seeing as he was about to fight Lee, Naruto decided that he should start trying to use his chakra sense. Once again, Naruto tried releasing his chakra in controlled amounts from his entire body, he wasn't making much progress but he did have to admit that Hinata's suggestion earlier to take a break was actually making it feel easier. He was about to try and release some more chakra when a stray thought hit him
"Oh crap! We forgot to pay the bill, Hinata-chan" Naruto remembered that they hadn't paid for their meal
"A-actually, I left some money on the counter before we left" Hinata said, her embarrassment beginning to slip
"oh? Thanks, last time I skipped out on paying, they barred me from there for an entire week, I lived off half eaten instant ramen cups that were in my fridge" Naruto explained. The two continued walking. Naruto kept on trying his new skill
'Why isn't this working, I can do it with my hands...of course, I forgot about Neji's advice. I'll try and release chakra from a few chakra point, thingies at a time' Naruto thought as he once again followed Neji's advice. The feeling he got was slightly disorienting but it was working better than before, he could feel Hinata next to him, the unevenness of the dirt road they were walking on and a few people who passed by
'I've almost got it, a little more time and I'll have this mastered' Naruto thought in triumph
"Naruto-kun" Hinata's firm voice broke the silence, slightly startling Naruto "...just remember, don't go over board, I'll stop your fight if you do and take you to the Hokage" Hinata said, without stuttering
"I understand, Hinata-chan" Naruto said grateful that she was concerned for him. Hinata turned and guided Naruto down the path leading towards the training field. As they emerged Hinata saw Gai and Lee training, Lee had a bandage tied around his eyes as he was sparring with Gai, not so far away was a small group of people all sitting on the ground talking. The group was comprised of the rest of the rookie-nine, even Sasuke was there but he seemed less than interested
"It seems as though Lee-san has told a few people of your little match" Hinata said, Naruto looked confused
"NARUTO! 'BOUT TIME YOU GOT HERE" Sakura shouted across the field when she noticed the orange wearing Ninja. Lee's bowl head perked up at hearing Naruto's name. Hinata guided Naruto over to where their friends were sitting. Lee moved his bandages so that he had one eye open and proceeded to walk over to them aswell
"Hi Naruto, Hinata" Sakura said as they came closer
"How'd you know about this?" Naruto asked
"Lee told Sasuke-kun and I, and I told Ino and she dragged Chouji and Shikamaru along" Sakura explained as she motioned to the group, Chouji was eating a seemingly bottomless bag of crisps while Shikamaru was sleeping, Ino proceeded to remedy this fact by pinching his nose closed and stopping him from being able to breath
"Damn it, woman. I was having such a trouble less dream" Shikamaru complained as he sat up
"What were you dreaming of Shikamaru? Was I in it?" Ino asked curious
"Yes you were, it's one of my favorite dreams where you are unable to speak" Shikamaru explained with a content sigh before Ino started pounding him in the stomach.
"Kiba-kun, what are you doing here?" Hinata asked with a soft voice but with an underling of firmness in it to remind him that she hadn't forgotten about the incident at the ramen stand
"We were already here when the bowl heads showed up" Kiba explained as he gestured to Shino and himself, Shino was as still and silent as ever. Hinata noticed that they had all avoided the subject of Naruto, clearly they had all been silenced, all but one who was asleep at the time
"Oi, Naruto, what's with the blind fold, you blind or someth..." Ino once again smacked him in the stomach and whispered in his ear not to go there
"Troublesome" Shikamaru muttered
"Naruto-kun, are you ready?" Lee asked, feeling anxious for the upcoming battle
"As ready as I'll ever be" Naruto said, Hinata walked him out into the middle of the field and set him facing Lee. Naruto let go of Hinata and was about to get into a ready stance when Hinata leaned over his shoulder and whispered in his ear
"Good luck" Hinata blushed and walked over to the other gennins. Naruto smiled and began focusing chakra. Lee replaced his bandage and was now sightless aswell, Gai had walked away and was watching on from afar
"Naruto-kun, a few ground rules, number one: no ninjutsu attacks, number two: no weapons, number three: don't hold back" Lee covered everything that Naruto was uncomfortable with
"Then we are ready" Naruto said
Hinata sat down beside Sakura and Ino
"Hi Hinata-chan" They both said, Hinata nodded to them. Sasuke seemed to be mildly interested in the fight that was about to commence. Kiba and Shino were talking to each other, Shikamaru had once again fallen asleep and Chouji was too busy inhaling his crisps to pay any attention to anything else
"So, what have you and Naruto been doing?" Sakura asked
"Nothing much" Hinata said. Sakura rolled her eyes
"Come on Hinata-chan, just ask him out, it'll be a surprise but he'd like it, I'm sure" Ino cut in. Sakura turned to face Ino
"Like you'd know anything about that" Sakura said. Ino blushed and glanced at the sleeping Shikamaru. This went beyond the notice of Sakura who had her eyes smugly closed, Hinata however saw this one little action and raised an eyebrow at Ino, she quickly nodded her head to Hinata's silent question. Hinata leaned back on her arms still trying to comprehend what Ino had just 'Told' her. Until Sakura pointed at Lee and Naruto
"They're about to begin" Sakura said. She turned her head to Hinata
"Are you sure about letting Naruto fight, Lee-san is very strong" Sakura said
"Naruto-kun is very strong as well" Hinata replied
Naruto focused his chakra and began releasing it a little bit at a time, he couldn't feel the exact shape of the area surrounding him but it would be enough for now, besides, he could still use his arms. Lee was focusing his mind trying to block out the sounds of the wind and the birdsong to try and hear any kind of footstep that would give away Naruto's position. Lee had begun silently walking forward and to the right, still being as quiet as possible. Naruto had succeeded in creating a bubble of low energy chakra that would alert Naruto if there was anything within three meters of him. Naruto had begun taking steps forward aswell. Then, the worst thing that could of happened at that time, did. Naruto stepped on a twig, making a small but audible snap. Lee perked up at the sound and ran as quickly yet as quietly as he could towards the sound
"Well, this is over" Sakura said, although she was slightly concerned for Naruto. Hinata just smiled at her
Lee had one arm raised out to the side and his other in front of him, because he didn't know exactly where Naruto was. Lee was getting closer and closer to Naruto but he still hadn't moved. Lee was about to make contact but Naruto suddenly ducked down low and used both his legs to trip up Lee. His right foot hooked Lee's left ankle as the other caught him behind his knee. Lee went down hard. Naruto's chakra sense hadn't improved enough for him to distinguish every little detail, but he felt the presence of Lee coming towards him at a speed and aimed low.
'What was that? Naruto-kun shouldn't have been able to sense me' Lee thought 'this will make things a lot more interesting' Lee smiled as he leaped up into a standing position. Using the point where Naruto had attacked him as a starting point and the very faint sounds of movement Lee decided to attack once again but this time prepared. Lee ran forwards and swung a waist-high roundhouse kick but hit nothing, realizing that he had just given his position away with his faint sounds of attack, Lee attempted to retreat a few steps until his heightened battle reflexes sensed something, without thinking, he brought up his hands which succeeded in blocking a punch.
Naruto was slightly surprised when Lee was able to block his punch but didn't have much time to think about as he was now on the defensive, blocking a heavy barrage of kicks and punches, Naruto attempted to throw back a punch to give him a second to breath. Just as Naruto had blocked another punch he threw one back and managed to connect with Lee's stomach but Naruto's attack had left himself vulnerable as Lee delivered a mid-kick to Naruto's exposed side, slightly winding him. Naruto was trying to control his breathing as jumped backwards so that Lee was on the outreaches of his chakra sense. Naruto chose another strategy, he circled around Lee and attacked from the side. Naruto ran forward and jumped with his fist outstretched in a flying punch. But Lee had heard Naruto's quick movements and felt him come closer, just as he was about to connect, Lee jumped back slightly with his legs put forward. All Naruto felt, was a heavy contact to his legs, and because he was in mid-air the sudden contact pushed him into the ground, much like Lee, a few minutes before. Lee was once again on the offensive after he landed on his feet. Naruto quickly got up and turned around just in time to stop another volley of punches.
'I have a slight advantage with my chakra sense but Fuzzy eyebrows packs a punch like a hammer, this could take a lot more than I thought' Naruto thought as he jumped back leaving some space between them. 'What can I do? I haven't mastered the sense for my entire body, only my hands...my hands, they give me almost a perfect feeling, if only in one direction' Naruto thought, as he entered a stance similar to the Hyuuga's Jyuuken style; one arm forward with his palm facing out and the other further back with his palm out to the side giving a short but wide forward arc of chakra, the range wasn't as good as when he used his entire body but it was much more clearer, Naruto focused his mind and kept on releasing a small amount of chakra from his entire body. This gave Naruto a balance between a ranged, multi-directional but unclear sense and a small, single directional but very clear forward sense. While this gave Naruto a better sense and a clearer image of his surrounding, this was draining his chakra slightly more than before and it would require a factor of concentration to maintain the balance. Naruto began circling around Lee, he was still outside his clear arc but was still in the outer range. Naruto carefully went towards him, careful not to make a sound
Sakura was shocked, Sasuke was intrigued, Ino was darting her eyesight between Lee and Naruto, Kiba's and Shino's jaws were hanging open, Chouji had stopped eating and Shikamaru...was still asleep. Hinata was still smiling and now she was fighting against a giggle from seeing everyone's expressions, from seeing the blind, uncoordinated blond ninja fight on equal terms with the strong, fast and very determined bowl top boy, But Hinata was still concerned for Naruto's safety, the few hits that Naruto had received, Hinata felt her heart miss a beat.
Naruto was now close enough to Lee that he was in his clear arc, Naruto could feel everything, Lee's stance, his body shape, his bowl cut. Naruto went for a low kick to Lee's legs to level the taijutsu specialist. Naruto kicked behind his knee, forcing it to bend and causing Lee to fall back. As Lee was falling back he brought his arms back and turned his fall into a back flip and kicked Naruto in the head and knocking him off balance. Despite the throbbing pain now in the right side of his head, Naruto continued his attack, briefly giving up the chakra sense in his hands so he could deliver some more punches, he managed to connect a few punches before Lee began blocking them. Naruto sensed a fist coming towards him, and brought his arm up to block it. Using his forearm, Naruto deflected Lee's punch and then grabbed onto his arm and pulled him forward and delivered a knee, deep into Lee's gut, knocking the wind right out of him. Lee fell to his knees clutching his stomach, he felt as if the ramen he had just had with Naruto and Hinata was about to come up, but he fought this down and forced himself to draw a breath, Naruto jumped back to give Lee some time to catch his breath, and to give himself time to shake off Lee's kick to his head. Lee was struggling to breathe but forced himself to his feet and charged forward to where he guessed Naruto was, Naruto was hoping that he would get a few more seconds breather before Lee got up. He was now laying into Naruto with all of his remaining strength, adrenaline was pumping through his body, nulling any and all pain, Lee just kept on attacking, completely ignoring the few punches and kicks Naruto was throwing back.
Hinata's smile disappeared as she saw Lee attack with everything he had, not giving Naruto a moment of rest. Sakura was getting worried as well, even Sasuke showed discomfort
Things were starting to look down, Lee hooked Naruto in the side of his head, causing his headband to loosen, then he used his punch's momentum and swung a high kick completely removing his forehead protector altogether. Lee's kick to Naruto's head sent him crashing into the ground face first.
Hinata had, had enough. She knew that she had to stop this now
"LEE-SAN, THATS ENOUGH" Hinata screamed, causing all those around her to jump out of their skins, it even woke Shikamaru up. She got to her feet and ran towards the downed Naruto. Sakura and Sasuke were close behind. Hinata reached Naruto and crouched beside him and rolled him over. His headband was lying a few feet away and there were white strips of material lying around Naruto. Hinata gasped as she rolled Naruto over, his bandages had been completely ripped off, and the sweat from the fight had caused the patches to come loose and fall off. His eyes were exposed. Before Hinata could tell Naruto not to open his eyes or even put her hand over them, Naruto opened his eyes to the setting sun, which was beaming down on them and screamed in pain. From Naruto's perspective the world turned from a pitch black to a painful white light causing him to roll around clutching his eyes, desperate to stop the pain. Sakura and Sasuke arrived and held Naruto still incase he further hurt himself. Gai had been watching the fight from afar with pride for his student, but having seen what had happened he ran towards Naruto, Lee had removed his blindfold as well and had arrived by Naruto's side.
"Naruto-kun, are you alright?" Lee asked in concern. Sakura slapped him upside the head for asking such a stupid question, she was too concerned for Naruto to be completely angry at Lee
"We have to get him to Tsunade-sama" Hinata said in a firm, commanding voice, but was drawing a very shaky breath
"I'll take him" Gai said. As Naruto apparently passed out due to the pain. Gai picked Naruto up and quickly but infinitely carefully ran towards the Hokage office, Hinata not more than a few feet behind him, Sasuke and Sakura following on. Lee would of come too, but the pain that he should of felt during the fight had caught up with him, He dropped to one knee as he waited out the pain.
Gai was running as fast as possible through the streets of Konoha with the number one loud-mouthed ninja unconscious in his arms. Even at Gai's speed Hinata was managing to keep up, she was putting all of her chakra in her legs to keep up. Gai burst through the entrance to the village head-quarters, and ran down a corridor
"Hinata-san, get the Hokage, I'll take Naruto-kun to the medical room" Gai said
"Yes" Hinata was getting out of breath fast, she stopped and opened the door, Tsunade was once again asleep on her desk her head propped up on one arm while the other had a pen in it, clearly she had fallen asleep in mid signature
"TSUNADE-SAMA!" Hinata shouted in an attempt to wake her up. Tsunade, groggily opened her eyes to Hinata's shout, her head slightly spinning, she had had one too many Sake the previous night.
"What is it Hinata?" Tsunade asked, shaking off a mild headache
"Naruto-kun is hurt" Hinata said. Tsunade was standing up in a second, her chair flying backwards
"Where is he?" Tsunade as she ran round her desk and towards the door
"Gai-sensei has taken him to the medical room" Hinata explained, Tsunade ran out the door and off down the corridor Hinata ran after her. When Hinata arrived at the medical room, Naruto was on a bed, Tsunade was standing over him performing some kind of jutsu on his face. Gai wasn't there; he had obviously gone to his student, although Sakura and Sasuke were in the room on the opposite side of Naruto's bed from Tsunade. Tsunade canceled her technique and sat down. Hinata approached them
"How is he?" Hinata asked. Sakura turned her head to Hinata then back to Tsunade in a questioning manner
"His optical nerves were shocked from the sudden light, they just couldn't adapt to the sudden change in their weakened state. There's still a chance that he will get his sight back but the odds have sunk dramatically. Hinata had a few tears beginning to form in her eyes
'This is all my fault, If I hadn't allowed Naruto to fight then this wouldn't of happened' Hinata thought
"How did this happen?" Tsunade asked
"Naruto and Lee-san were having a match" Sakura said "...Lee hit Naruto in the head a couple of times and his forehead protector and bandages fell off" Sakura explained
"It's my fault" Hinata cut in "...I was the one who let Naruto have the match in the first place" Hinata said, her tears beginning to fall. Until Sakura placed her hand on her shoulder
"This was nobody's fault, it was an accident" Sakura comforted. Hinata nodded but didn't feel much better. Naruto began to stir, the occupants of the room gathered round him. Naruto opened his eyes and gasped in pain
"Damn" was all he said, he still couldn't see. Tsunade stood up
"Firstly, Naruto; WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING! You know you shouldn't have been fighting in your condition!" Tsunade shouted
"Hey, Obaachan, little quieter, I've got one hell of a headache" Naruto said, rubbing the spot on his head where Lee kicked him "...Lee, challenged me, and I couldn't exactly refuse" Naruto explained
"I told you to stay out of trouble, Naruto. You of all people should know that a fight is a breeding ground for trouble" Tsunade said "...no more fights, Naruto, okay?" She pulled up a bag of medical supplies and brought out some bandages
"Okay" Naruto replied. Tsunade was about to place the bandages on Naruto's face when a thought occurred to her. Without a word, she performed a few hand seals and a fair amount of water fell on Naruto, completely drenching him
"What the hell did you do that for?" Naruto asked angrily, as he shook some of the water off. Tsunade smiled
"You haven't had a shower in ages, Naruto, now is as good a time as any since we are changing your bandages" Tsunade explained
"You could of at least told me" Naruto said, rubbing the water out of his hair
"Where's the fun in that?" Tsunade asked, throwing him a towel. Naruto dried himself off as best he can. Tsunade prepared the bandages, doing the same as last time, cutting two individual patches
"Naruto, close your eyes" Tsunade told Naruto. He closed his eyes and Tsunade placed the patches over his eyes, securing them using the same roll of medical tape she used a few days before, then she wrapped the long bandage around his head fixing that in place with some tape and a safety pin. Once she had put all the excess bandages back in the bag, she proceeded to adjust the one over Naruto's eyes. Tsunade had finished and was looking around Naruto's bed
"Where is his forehead protector?" she asked
"It must still be on the field" Sakura reasoned, until Hinata brought it out of her pocket "...oh, never mind" Sakura said. Hinata put Naruto's headband in his hand, which he quickly tied around his head, over his bandages.
"Well, I got to get back to work. Naruto, you're free to go, no more fights!" Tsunade warned as she walked out the room. Naruto sat up and let out a bit of a yawn
"How are you feeling, Naruto?" Sakura asked, concerned for her friend
"A little tired from my fight, but otherwise fine" Naruto said cheerily
"That's good, we were all worried about you" Sakura said in relief. Sasuke turned around and walked to the door
"Sasuke-kun, where are you going?" Sakura asked. Sasuke looked over his shoulder
"The idiot is okay, so I'm going home" Sasuke said unemotionally
"Mind if I walk you?" Sakura asked, blushing. Sasuke said nothing, but did however wait for Sakura to catch up. Soon enough it was just Hinata and Naruto once again
"Naruto-kun, where do you want to go now" Hinata asked as Naruto got up off the bed
"I think I'll just go home" Naruto said, stopping a yawn from escaping
"Okay, Naruto-kun" Hinata said as she put Naruto's hand on her arm and led him out the door
Naruto and Hinata were now out on the street, the sun had set and there were fewer people about.
"Naruto-kun, are you not worried about your sight? Now there is an even lower chance of you getting your sight back now" Hinata said. Naruto thought about it and answered
"Before, I would be, but after my fight with fuzzy eyebrows I'm not really worried. I can still fight, I will not give up my life as a ninja no matter what" Naruto said seriously. Hinata smiled. They turned round a corner onto the street that Naruto lives on, but as they did, they walked into somebody and caused Hinata and Naruto to fall over
"Hey! Watch it, ya little punk" One of the men said. Hinata looked up from Naruto's side and saw the mans, or rather the men's face, their were two of them. Hinata recognized the two men, they were the ones she saw that morning who gave Naruto the spiteful
"Why don't you watch it?!" Naruto said angrily as Hinata helped him to his feet
"You little punk, I ought to..." The man stopped when his partner tapped him on the shoulder, he gave a slight smirk and they walked away without a word. Once again Hinata thought that their actions was unusual but didn't think much of it. Soon enough they arrived at Naruto's apartment block, they started climbing the stairs
"Today's been a good day" Naruto said happily
"Yes Naruto-kun" Hinata answered. Hinata and Naruto stepped off the stairs onto Naruto's floor. The sun had set and the moon was out, only slightly illuminating the darkness
(A.N: Here it comes, Chibi)
Hinata stopped Naruto in front of his front door. There was a note pinned to the door by a kunai.
"What is it Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, curious as to why she stopped
"Naruto-kun, there is a note attached to your door" Hinata replied shakily, she didn't like the fact that there was a kunai in the door
"Really? What does it say" Naruto asked feeling excited that someone would leave him a note. Hinata took a closer look at the note and read aloud
"Leave Konoha, no one wants you here. Everyone hates you. No one loves you. Nothing awaits you here, you should have been killed at birth like the demon that you are" Hinata had a few tears in her eyes as she read it, she fearfully turned to look at Naruto. His face was unemotional, though he did seem to draw an erratic breath
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata said, really trying not to cry
"It's okay, I'm used to it" Naruto's voice was on the verge of breaking but he would hold it in until Hinata had gone home. Hinata nodded and turned the handle of the door. But instead of swinging open it fell down into the dark apartment with an echoing crash
"S-stupid door" Naruto tried to joke. Hinata had a sinking feeling; the note on the door and now the door crashing down, it may have been an old door but for both of the hinges to wear away and break within the nine hours of them being out was impossible. Something didn't feel right to Hinata. Naruto walked in, no longer holding onto Hinata. Hinata followed after. After she was inside, Hinata reached for the light switch that was beside the door. When the light filled every corner of the room, Hinata gasped in shock. The place was a tip, there were broken plates and glasses everywhere, the kitchen table was propped up on it's side by the wall, the chairs were no where to be seen and it looked like the floorboards had been torn up in some places. Naruto heard Hinata gasp, he knew that it was a bad sign but used his chakra sense to 'see' what she saw. Incidents like this had happened a few times before, but this time, Naruto felt hurt, unimaginably hurt. He didn't know why this time was any different. Naruto knew he wouldn't last long; he needed to be alone, so that Hinata wouldn't see his pain
"I-I'll see you t-tomorrow, H-Hinata-chan" Naruto said, unintentionally letting out a sniff and scrunching up his eyes so that no tears could escape, he didn't know why, it wasn't as if Hinata would see his eyes with his blindfold on, but Naruto decided not to tempt fate
"W-why did they do this, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, her heart felt like it had been ripped into two from the pain heard in Naruto's voice.
"Hinata-chan, please leave" Naruto couldn't believe he had just asked her to leave, he didn't want to, but his tears wouldn't wait. It was then, that the blue haired girl shocked Naruto once again
"No" Hinata's serious side had emerged; she knew that something was eating Naruto and that bottling it up without talking about it would lead to self-destruction. She too had been close to that stage before, but then Naruto found her and made her feel good about herself again.
"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, his knees began to feel weak.
"Naruto-kun, you don't have to put on a face anymore. I can see past it, there's no fooling me" Hinata said unfaltering. She walked up behind Naruto and put her hand on his shoulder for comfort. With Naruto being blind, he was unable to see the hate filled looks that were given to him every day, he was happy, he had all but forgotten about Kyuubi and the reason behind the villagers' hatred towards him. But now, the pain has returned by the painful reminder of having his house trashed and being left a note, telling him outright what the villagers think of him. It were as though Naruto's pain was a river, but being blind and being with Hinata had built up a dam to hold back the pain, but now the dam has broken, releasing the years of pain, loneliness and fear in one colossal wave. Naruto's inner mind was barely holding the dam together but now Hinata was there to catch the water. Naruto figured that Hinata was there and she wanted to help. The dam shattered, the feelings of pain, loneliness and fear was overwhelming Naruto's mind. He collapsed in on himself; dropping to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably, the fabric of his fore head protector began to look damp from his tears. From his knees, Naruto began to fall to the side, he would of hit the floor had Hinata not been there to catch him. She sat down on the floor beside Naruto. Almost instinctively, she brought him into a hug and pulled his head down to rest on her shoulder. Naruto's arms went around her and held on tight, never wanting to let go. Hinata in turn began stroking the back of his head. Hinata took his headband off, his bandages were drenched and now little streaks of tears were rolling down either side of his face. Naruto turned his head and completely buried his face into her shoulder and neck and wailing and shaking uncontrollably. Hinata felt as if her heart was being hit between a hammer and an anvil, she couldn't stand to see, the inspiration and love of her life in this state. But she would stay and help bear the pain with him. She didn't know how long she sat there with Naruto on her shoulder but she knew that he needed this. Hinata's shoulder was almost soaked, Naruto's cries were gradually dying down, he seemed to be more in control. Once Naruto decided that he had calmed down, he let go of Hinata but didn't say a word. Hinata let go of Naruto but kept her hand on his. Naruto managed to control his breathing to the point where he could speak
"W-why? Why do you care so much" Naruto asked, while giving a slight sniff. Hinata smiled softly and squeezed his hand in an affectionate way
"The note was wrong, Naruto-kun, you are not hated by Sakura-chan, Sasuke and especially not...me" Hinata said, her voice was soft, caring and true
"Thank you, Hinata-chan" Naruto said, now giving her a pure smile, full of joy. Naruto was about to get up until something hit him in what Hinata had just said
"Hinata-chan? What did you mean when you said 'especially not me" Naruto asked. Hinata blushed and giggled softly. She hadn't expected things to turn out like this
'Maybe it's time' Hinata thought
"Naruto-kun, the letter was wrong in every way. You are not a demon, you are wanted here, not everyone hates you and...at least one person you know loves you" Hinata was blushing but wasn't twiddling her thumbs, otherwise she would have to remove her hand from Naruto's. Naruto thought over what she said.
"Who is this one person?" Naruto asked. Hinata smiled once again
"I'll give you a clue; this person has blue hair and a special ability to do with their eyes" Hinata hinted. Naruto thought it over
"So, you mean to tell me..." Hinata's heart began to beat faster, her blush deepening "...that Sasuke is in love with me?" Naruto asked with a worried expression. Hinata tried to stop her laugh but failed completely, she burst out into a healthy laughter. Naruto was confused
"No, Naruto-kun. I'm pretty sure that Sasuke isn't in love with you" Hinata settled down and waited for him to come up with the right answer
"So, if it's not Sasuke then who is it? The only other person in this village that has blue hair is..." Naruto's jaw seemed to have come loose it was hanging like a dog on a hammock "...you?" Naruto continued, his heart was speeding up.
"Yes, Naruto-kun" Hinata said simply. She thought that her words came out rather easily. That confirmed it for Naruto
"You l-love m-me" Naruto was going over it in his mind and almost couldn't comprehend. He just kept on repeating the same sentence over and over again. Hinata figured there was only one way to get him to break the cycle. She leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. Naruto began blushing like Hinata used to. Naruto carefully touched his cheek where Hinata had just kissed him. Then he smiled, he turned his hand over and caressed hers.
"I feel the same way, Hinata-chan" Naruto said his blush ever increasing. Hinata smiled also, although she felt like she had a humming bird in her chest from the speed that her heart was traveling at. Naruto suddenly felt very tired. The crying he had done earlier had worn him out.
"Naruto-kun, you look tired so I'll be back in the morning. Are you going to be alright?" Hinata asked as she helped Naruto to his feet and guided him towards his room. This time however, they were holding hands. Hinata opened his door and turned on the light.
"Ahh, this could be a problem" Hinata said. His bed was now only useful as firewood, the mattress had been ripped open, and his clothes were lying all over the place.
"I don't think you'll be able to spend the night here Naruto-kun" Hinata said
"No need to worry, Hinata-chan, I'll be fine" Naruto said, seemingly unfazed that his room was trashed.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said firmly "... You can't stay here tonight, even if you can get to sleep, your door is still damaged and the people who did this could come back" Hinata explained. Naruto sighed
"What else can I do?" Naruto asked
"well...you could stay at...my house" Hinata said blushing. Naruto was also slightly blushing
"Will that be okay?" Naruto asked
"I'm supposed to protect you, right?" Hinata reasoned
"Okay then, we can go see Obaachan tomorrow to sort this out" Naruto planned. Hinata lead Naruto out of his house and walked down the street with him through Konoha, back to the Hyuuga estate
They were walking in silence, enjoying the warmth of each other's hands when Naruto realized that he hadn't answered Hinata's question before
"Hinata-chan, about earlier, you asked why they did that, well, I'll tell you. But promise me that you wont tell anyone else
"Of course I wont Naruto-kun" Hinata said, curious what could possibly merit the hatred of most of the village. Naruto took a breath to compose himself
"You know of the incident that happened almost thirteen years ago" Naruto began explaining
"Yes, the battle involving the Kyuubi and how the fourth killed it" Hinata remembered the stories
"He didn't kill it, you see, one part of the note earlier was correct, I carry the demon of thirteen years ago" Naruto explained. Hinata looked confused, then she figured it out.
"The fourth sealed it inside of you at the cost of his own life" Hinata guessed
"Yes" Naruto answered
"But I still don't see why the villagers hate you for it" Hinata said, confused
"I'm the demon that killed countless villagers" Naruto explained
"So you are the one responsible for the deaths of all those people" Hinata was trying to get Naruto to see things from her angle
"No, but..."
"So you asked for Kyuubi to be put inside of you" Hinata pushed on
"No"
"So how are the Kyuubi's actions your responsibility?" Hinata had succeeded, Naruto no longer felt guilty for the burden he had to carry
"I guess... it isn't" Naruto smiled happily. Hinata smiled aswell and gave Naruto another kiss on the cheek. To which he blushed once again
"Hinata-chan, you're the best!" Naruto said happily, Hinata smiled and rested her head on her boyfriends shoulder as they walked.
Author's notes: Done, At long last another chapter done. What did you think; too much, too little? What ever, THE'RE FINALLY TOGETHER. A special thanks to Chibified Kitsunes for her suggestion, if you haven't read her fic and don't know what idea I borrowed, then read it, it's very good!
A quick and rather surprising note: This chapter alone is longer than ALL previous chapters put together!
Chibified Kitsunes: Thank you, none of this would have been possible without your help. You have earned a place on my favorite authors list. You're the best, Chibi-chan.
Answer to the question at top: If you don't know then I am hurt. Check my profile for the answer