Author's Notes: Hello everybody, remember me? Welcome to the tenth chapter…enjoy your visit!
Thanks to all my reviewers. It's hard to believe that its been eleven months (give or take) since the publish date. A lot has happened since then, my simple idea (taken from MASH) for a fic has evolved into this. There were times where I thought about giving up, but it looks like this fic has been well accepted by you all. It was you, the reviewers, who kept me going, it was you who gave me reason to continue. I write not so much for myself…but for you
This may be a cliché but – Sorry for the late update, I lost motivation for writing, every time I would start writing a family member would walk behind me as I was typing, this is really unnerving and puts me off.
Those of you who know me, know that I am a fan of MASH. As such, I managed to work in a quote from it, see if you cant find it
… - Square brackets are used to write phonetics (sounds) And just in case the square brackets don't show, I have put the phonetics in italics
Out of Sight, Centre of Mind
Chapter ten – Full Circle
dun-dum…dun-dum…dun-dum Inside the pink covered walls of the main room of an apartment, slept a boy and a girl
dun-dum…dun-dum…dun-dum Somewhere in the transition between waking and sleeping was Naruto. He was currently feeling the most comfortable, safest and secure he had ever experienced in his life.
dun-dum…dun-dum…dun-dum The same repeating beat was sounding in Naruto's right ear. Naruto didn't dare move in case he disturbed the comfort he felt. He was still half asleep and couldn't remember anything except the process required to breathe. As he breathed, he caught scent of possibly the greatest smell he had ever known to exist. Naruto's four unimpaired were returning one by one as his mind awakened. First to return was his hearing;
dun-dum…dun-dum… dun-dum all Naruto could hear was the repeating beat in his ear, it was very hypnotic, Naruto once again found himself under it's spell
The second sense to return was Naruto's scent. He could still smell the sweet scent that he forced himself not to drool over
His sense of feeling came back subtlety. His head was laying against something soft and warm, his neck was being supported by something that Naruto could only think of as a cushion. His legs were seemingly tangled with something. His right arm was being weighed on by the mass that he himself was half lying on top of. His left arm was beside his head. Naruto's forearm was lying onto something that felt the same as what was under his neck. Finally his hand was in contact with what felt like…skin
Like a tap filling up a water glass, Naruto memory returned. His intimate moments with Hinata, the sharing of personal information between the two of them and how he fell asleep in her arms. Naruto finally realised what everything he felt was. The steady beat he was hearing was Hinata's heart beat, Naruto's head rested on the left side of Hinata's chest. The 'cushion' that was supporting Naruto's neck was…Naruto's face turned an incredible shade of royal purple. He then felt the tenderness underneath his left forearm as well as the skin under his fingertips. With a forced, audible gulp Naruto moved his fingers slightly. He was relieved when he realised that the skin was only her neck. The colour faded ever so slightly from Naruto's face but returned a moment later with a vengeance when he felt a part of his body react to the extreme closeness of a female. He heard a sigh over the top of Hinata's heartbeat, before she snuggled in closer to the petrified Naruto. He was shaking, unknowing of what to do, he could hardly move because Hinata had her arms linked behind Naruto's back. Naruto carefully and reluctantly lifted his left arm from Hinata's body and pulled the hem of his shirt down to cover his embarrassment. Naruto's movement caused Hinata to stir. The loss of pressure and warmth on her chest had her moving uncomfortably. Naruto was a moment away from returning his arm to where it was but stopped himself when he realised what he'd have to intentionally touch. In Naruto's mind it was a no-win situation, so he decided to take the innocent way out. Which was to wait with his arm firmly on his leg
'That…is not my leg' Naruto thought when he failed to feel his hand on his leg. He did however feel something under his hand
'I have terrible luck' Naruto groaned in his mind. He realised with yet more embarrassment that his hand was on Hinata's thigh…not his own. It wouldn't have been so bad - if Hinata hadn't woken up.
Hinata's process of waking up was faster than Naruto's. She was fully awake in seconds. What woke her up was probably what had made her wake up with such speed. The loss of warmth on her chest was enough to slightly awaken her conscious mind, What made her fully waken up was the sudden contact with her thigh. Her body was still half asleep even if her mind wasn't. This stopped her from jumping in surprise. Naruto should have been unaware that Hinata was awake. But there was one factor that alerted Naruto that she was no longer asleep
dun-dum…dun-dum…dun-dumdun-dumdun-dum The tempo of the beat increased. Naruto smiled as Hinata's heartbeat rapidly increased, though he was disappointed with the fact that they'd have to get up now
"morning Hinata-chan" Naruto greeted softly. He didn't even notice himself tracing circles on Hinata's thigh with his index finger. Hinata's heartbeat was still racing, Naruto was still practically hypnotised by the beat. Over it all, Naruto heard Hinata's breath. He then felt her arms, which were loosely around his back, tighten and slide up to Naruto's head. Hinata cradled Naruto's head between her arms and kissed the top of his hair
"morning" came Hinata's soft, heavenly voice. Naruto heard the tired tone in her voice and found the reason why she didn't stutter or react timidly at Naruto's contact with her thigh, to which Naruto was still tracing circles on
"I could stay here all day" Naruto said softly, being wary not to break the mood that had formed over the two. Hinata hummed her acknowledgment. With a content smile Naruto's hand drew tiredly up the side of Hinata's body to her right shoulder blade where his other hand was. Naruto shifted up closer to Hinata, he tightened his grip around her back and to her legs with his own. Naruto still heard Hinata's heartbeat, it was holding steady at the rapid rate it was at. Naruto heard a very audible gulp, he also felt Hinata's body temperature increase, most likely from a blush. Naruto could work out that Hinata's shy side had returned. As much as he didn't want to move, Naruto didn't want to make Hinata feel uncomfortable either. It was an easy decision when he thought about it. With a few movements, Naruto pushed up off the couch and into a sitting position. Hinata had been brought up to a sitting position by Naruto's movement because her arms her still firmly around his back. Hinata leaned into Naruto in a hug
"I'm sorry Naruto-kun…I can't be with you for today" Hinata said regretfully. Naruto remembered her training session and sighed in disappointment. Disappointment at not being with Hinata for the day, not her going to train to become stronger
"I understand. But you'll be back later, yeah? I want you to be the first person I see when I open my eyes" Naruto said. Hinata blushed anew and increased the pressure on the hug and planted a soft kiss on the base of his neck. Naruto's neck tingled where Hinata had kissed him. With a gulp and infinite care, Naruto shifted both of their forms so that there legs hung over the edge of the couch
"As much as I'd love to, We can't sit here all day" Naruto said while rubbing Hinata's back softly. He heard a heavy sigh come from the girl in his arms.
"You're right" Hinata's soft, tired voice said "…I'll go make us some breakfast" With that, Hinata stood up and left the warm embrace of Naruto
"Wait, you don't have to" Naruto said
"It's okay" Hinata said. She was feeling a bit cold from the loss of heat from Naruto and shivered slightly, she was only wearing her purple leggings and her black tank top. Hinata made her way over to Naruto's little kitchen. She walked through the doorway and starting looking for something to eat
'Hmm…Naruto-kun's been having a little too much Ramen as of late' Hinata thought as she looked through the cupboards that were stockpiled with cups of Ramen. The only thing edible that wasn't Ramen was bread and butter. With a shrug of her shoulders, Hinata put as many slices bread in the toaster as it could hold and set it for a light toast. Hinata then looked in the fridge, looking for something to drink. She retrieved a carton of orange juice from the back of the under-filled fridge. She brought it out and placed I on the countertop, then proceeded to look for a couple of glasses. She checked in one of the high cupboards and found a few glasses. She quickly brought them out and filled them with orange juice. The moment that she put the carton back down, the toast popped out of the toaster
'Perfect timing' Hinata thought. She quickly removed the hot toast and put it on a breadboard. Finally she reached out and took hold of the butter container. She found a butter knife in a drawer and began scraping the butter on the hot slices of toast
Naruto wasn't sure of what to do. There wasn't much to do aside from sit there on the couch. Hinata walked out of the kitchen with the fresh toast and the glasses of orange juice on a small tray that she had found. Naruto's ears perked at the sound of Hinata's footsteps. Hinata deposited the tray on the table
"Naruto-kun? Would you like some help?" Hinata asked. She was aware of how much he had been helped over the week. She also knew that if she kept on helping him with every little thing then he would never get used to his blindness if it turns out to be permanent. Naruto silently appreciated this
"I'll be fine, thanks" Naruto stood up and stepped over to the table. He banged his knee against a chair by accident but didn't make a fuss as he sat down. Hinata smiled and sat down also
"It's a big day for the both of us" Naruto said. Hinata nodded
"Have some toast" Hinata put a few slices on a small plate and placed it in front of Naruto
"Thanks" Naruto grinned as he picked up the toast and bit into it with a satisfying crunch. As they had grown accustomed to over the week, the two ate in silence.
It didn't take Naruto long to finish his toast, Hinata wasn't feeling too hungry so she left a few slices
"Here, Naruto-kun" Hinata slid the glass of juice into Naruto's hand. Naruto accepted it and downed the entire glass. Hinata giggled at his acceptance of the breakfast that she prepared
"I can't wait till tonight" Naruto exclaimed
"Why?" Hinata asked
"After the bandages come off I can finally have a shower without having to worry about the state of the bandages. My scalp has been itching all week" Naruto said scratching his head. An idea formed in Hinata's mind and it wasn't Dark Hinata's suggestion. Though she was proud of the shy girl for thinking of it
'I always knew you were more like me, it's always the shy ones that you look out for' Dark Hinata made her presence known to Hinata. Hinata groaned inside her mind at the reappearance of her dark side
'Suggest it and I wont bother you for the rest of the day' Dark Hinata promised. Hinata had her doubts, especially since the two halves of herself were with her at all times
"I-If it bothers you that much, Naruto-kun, Th-then I-I…I could…w-wash your h-hair for you" Hinata blushed and stuttered her way through her sentence. Naruto looked very red in the face
"I-I don't know. I mean, my bandages could come off and damage my eyes and screw up the day for me" Naruto said. In truth; Naruto was severely tempted to take Hinata's offer up on the shower but he knew what could happen. Hinata was about to give up when her darkside persisted that she continue
"Uh, I suppose I-I could cover up the window and put a hand towel over your eyes" Hinata suggested
"It's okay, r-really" Naruto put up his arms in front of him to shrug it off. Hinata made a disappointed sigh. Naruto picked up on this and grinned evilly
"If you really want, then you could give me a shower tonight" Naruto said. Hinata missed a heartbeat and coughed
"U-Uhm, well, uhh" Hinata couldn't form any words from the embarrassment
"I'll take that as a yes then" Naruto said, still grinning. Before Hinata had a chance to respond in any way, Naruto stood up and stretched
"Anyway, lets not waste anymore time. You have to get to your training" Naruto said. Hinata had almost forgotten again
"B-But what about you?" Hinata asked, concerned
"huh?" This confused Naruto
"You need someone to help you around today" Hinata pointed out
"Oh yeah…well, we'll work something out" Naruto said "…come on, let's go" Hinata smiled and stood up. She quickly made her way around the table and took Naruto by the arm. She effortlessly guided Naruto to and out the door.
Once they were outside, Naruto took a deep breath
"I think it's gonna be a good day" Naruto said, feeling the calmness of the morning air
"Wait, I-I forgot my jacket, hold on" Hinata said before quickly darting back inside to retrieve her jacket from the coat hooks where she left it last night. She wondered if Naruto would like his jacket as well, seeing it hung up beside hers. Then again, it wasn't a cold day; the temperature was quite pleasant. She only wanted her jacket because her black tank top was something far too revealing to be worn outside. She quickly came back outside to see Naruto waiting patiently for her. With a small smile she took her place beside Naruto and snaked her arm around his waist as she had been accustomed to. Naruto mirrored.
Naruto and Hinata walked together, attracting stares from villagers who could not believe the clearly intimate union between the Demon Fox and the Hyuuga Heiress. Hinata noticed the stares, noting the mixed reactions. Some villagers showed suppressed disgust others were shaking their heads and chuckling. It was almost exactly the impression that Hinata was expecting; Being the second most known member of the Hyuuga clan -second to her father- the entire village knew who she was. To be seen with Naruto caused great confusion within the villagers
'I wonder why I didn't notice the villagers' reactions before' Hinata thought, The reason behind her ignorance was that when she had guided Naruto before, Hinata had kept her head down. Now; she felt more confident and although she didn't notice, she was walking upright and boldly, not ashamed or embarrassed of who she was or whom she was with. Hinata didn't consciously realise the boost of confidence that being with Naruto gave her. To the trained eye; the clearest evidence of her lack of insecurity was the fact that her jacket was unzipped. Those who knew Hinata, knew that she wore her jacket on even the hottest of days, it gave her a false sense of a barrier to protect her. The fact that her jacket was unzipped was an indication that she had brought down her walls and was now open. Hinata herself couldn't explain the feeling inside of her. As Hinata glanced around she saw the Ninja Academy
"Naruto-kun, Why don't we have a look inside the Ninja Academy, there might be someone there to help you" Hinata suggested, thinking that Iruka might be there
"Yeah, sounds good to me" Naruto nodded. Hinata noticed that Naruto had become slightly quieter over the week. Maybe she was having an effect on him as he was on her. He still had his outbursts but he was no longer in a constant state of hyperactivity. Hinata led Naruto through the gates. The sound of faint running entered Naruto's ears. He assumed that it was merely the students in a Physical Training lesson. He didn't just allow himself to be led, he put as much effort into moving as Hinata did. Naruto hated the thought of being treated like a cripple…though the idea that Hinata would be with him all the time was appealing
'No! I can't take Hinata-chan away from her life, this is the entire reason I learned the Chakra-Sense; in case I am without sight permanently. I can't just rely on others, I must hold up my end and prove to all that I will continue my existence as a Ninja of the Leaf' Naruto declared to himself. An idea struck Naruto after his train of thought ended.
'I can't use my chakra-sense on a permanent basis because of the fact that it drains too much Chakra to maintain, although the amount that I use up isn't enough that I pass out, but it's enough to cause me to weaken slightly' Naruto remembered in Tsunade's office when he came over light-headed from the use of the sense
'…it's all to do with the amount I use. When I use it I release the chakra from my entire body. If I limit how much of my body I release it from then that would increase the amount of time I could use it for. I could use my hands like I've been practising but that wouldn't be very practical' Naruto thought, trying to work a way to perfect his chakra sense for mobility
'my feet, my legs…I could release chakra from my legs. I'll be able to sense anything on the ground and avoid it. I suppose it would be like walking around with a cap pulled down; I'd only see what is on the ground in front of me' Naruto wasted no time in putting the theory into practise. With Naruto's ability to release chakra for tasks such as climbing trees and walking on water, he found no hard task to extend this skill to include releasing chakra from his leg from the knee down.
"Mind your step Naruto-kun, there are a few steps" Hinata warned. Naruto snapped out of his thought processes to acknowledge Hinata's words
"Okay, thanks" Naruto slowly stepped up the hazard that Hinata had pointed out to him
"I wonder what's gonna happen after tonight" Naruto thought aloud
"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, Naruto was up the steps and she had resumed her position at her boyfriend's side
"Well, you were given the week off to help me, but you cant be with me all the time –unfortunately-" Naruto said the last part under his breath, but Hinata heard I clearly enough and with a blush, snuggled in closer to Naruto, slipping under his arm. She had to crouch down ever so slightly. In truth Hinata was taller than Naruto, but not by very much. You couldn't tell unless you focused on the pair of them. And even then, the height difference was so little that no one really noticed…But Hinata did, she had the eyes to tell her these things.
The peculiar thing was that in the past few days when Hinata slipped under Naruto's arm, she didn't crouch down at all, in fact she seemed smaller than him. This was because of Hinata's shy nature and her tendency to try and shrink into her coat, she herself didn't realise that she crouched ever so slightly, thus making herself seem deceptively small. But with her new found confidence. Hinata had forgotten this habit and stood tall, proud…and ever-so-slightly taller than Naruto
Hinata guided Naruto through the open door of the academy and down a corridor. She stopped Naruto at a door, then knocked before opening it. Naruto heard the voices of the Chuunin and Jounin inside the room, along with that he smelt the faint smell of coffee, an indication that they were on a break from their teaching duties
"Excuse me" He heard Hinata's voice, louder than normal. A familiar voice answered
"Oh, Hinata, good to see you" the owner of the voice exited the room and shut the door "…Naruto, it's good to see…what's with the forehead protector?" the voice of a tired Umino Iruka asked
"Iruka-Sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, as he lunged towards the voice
"Th-that's enough Naruto, now answer my question" Iruka said, he had been looking forward to going home and climbing into his nice soft, warm bed after his recent mission. With a small smile Naruto released the Chuunin and took a step back, accidentally bumping into Hinata in the process
"Oh, sorry Hinata-chan" Naruto apologised. Iruka briefly examined the two before him
'exactly what have I missed' Iruka thought to himself taking into account Naruto's forehead protector as well as the interaction between Naruto and the normally shy girl that was Hinata '…she looks different somehow' Iruka couldn't put his finger on it and discarded his thoughts
"Naruto?" Iruka said, returning the boy's attention to himself
"Oh, right…"
'He is a lot quieter since I last saw him, he hasn't even pestered me for some ramen yet' Iruka idly thought
"…a wee bit of an accident on my last mission…" Naruto carefully explained "…long story short, I'm blind till at least tonight" Iruka's light-hearted attitude dropped in an instant
"Y-you're blind?" Iruka asked in disbelief
"Either that or Obachan has blown a small joke WAY out of proportion" Naruto said trying hard not to make his former sensei worried. Hinata heard Naruto's words and was reminded of Naruto's pink apartment, she remembered that she still had to talk to the Hokage about it
"how bad is it?" Iruka asked seriously. Naruto really didn't want Iruka to be concerned, he wasn't doing a spectacular job of it though
"well…it's like being unable to see out of one eye…except I'm unable to see out of both" Naruto made a mental note to 'not become a diplomat'
"HAVE YOU SEEN A DOCTER ABOUT THIS? WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT AND ABOUT, YOU SHOULD BE AT HOME!" Iruka exploded in a panic of worry. Naruto slapped his forehead. Hinata was glad that someone was concerned for Naruto's sake
"Oh, I almost forgot, my apartment was trashed as well" Naruto said with an off-handed smile
"WHAT?"
'Nice going Naruto' Naruto thought to himself
"Iruka-sensei, chill, it's alright, I'm not worried, so you shouldn't be either" Naruto raised his arms in front of himself "…besides, it's all been taken care of. Obachan was kind enough to give me a new apartment, and with people such as Hinata-chan here to help me, then I couldn't be happier" Naruto grinned as he slipped an arm around Hinata's waist. Iruka didn't know what to think; In the short time he had been away so much had changed
"uh…I-Iruka-sensei? I was wondering if you could be so kind as to take Naruto off my hands for a while? I-I have to go home to train" Hinata asked
"Ahh…well, I was going to go home, I've just come off a mission and I needed some rest" Iruka heard the disappointed sigh that emanated from the shy girl "…but I suppose it'll just be for a few hours" Hinata instantly brightened up
"Hinata-chan? You sound almost glad to be rid of me" Naruto said playfully. Hinata picked up on this and rubbed his back affectionately and pecked him on the cheek
"See you later" Hinata waved her goodbye, turned and left
"Well Naruto, what do you want to do? Wanna get some Ramen" Iruka asked, full well knowing the answer
"Maybe later" Naruto answered, having just had some breakfast
"Okay then lets g…WHAT? YOU DON'T WANT RAMEN?" Iruka yelled
"Quiet down, this is a school you know" Naruto said. Iruka's jaw was hanging loose
"Don't you like Ramen anymore?" Iruka asked in shock
"Sir, you offend me! You ever say that again I may just have to challenge you to a duel" Naruto said in a fake 'Noble' manner as if he were protecting a lady's honour. A deathly silence loomed over the two
"Okay…so that's a no on the ramen front?" Iruka confirmed
"Yes"
"Yes?"
"No"
"What?"
"Later. I'm just not hungry right now" Naruto said before falling into the trap "…with being on the inactive list I can't do any missions nor can I train so I have nothing to waste my energy with, eliminating the need for my somewhat large intake of ramen" Naruto explained
"You sound nothing like the Naruto I knew" Iruka said
"Come on, lets get out of here, I want to hear why you haven't been around for the week" Naruto said excitedly. With a smile made his way towards the door
"Well, it all started when Tsunade…"
"…Iruka-sensei" Naruto's voice sound annoyed. Iruka turned around to see that Naruto hadn't moved
"Right, right. You're blind" Iruka shook his head and returned to Naruto's side to guide him by the shoulder, out the door
"Well, It all started when Tsunade-sama handed me the mission dossier…" Iruka began to retell his mission from the start. He was once again interrupted when Naruto walked into the door that Iruka had stopped at to open. Naruto was not best pleased as he rubbed his nose
"hehe, er, sorry" Iruka said sheepishly. Carefully he opened the door before cautiously moving forward with an annoyed Naruto
"I opened it up and my mission was to rendezvous with one of our spies that are working inside the Hidden Sound…err…I shouldn't have told you that" Iruka realised his folly only after he had made it; spilling classified information to a lower ninja is a dangerous offence
"Told me what?" Naruto asked innocently
"Idiot! You should have been listening" Iruka said angrily "…So anyway, there I was sitting there for two days in the cold, forced to stay awake because of the danger of being so close to the Sound border" Iruka had just stepped outside into the warmth of mid-afternoon, Naruto on hand
"Why were you near the Sound?" Naruto asked
"I cant tell you. So anyway, on the third day the spy found me in the pre-determined meeting spot. I was in a bad way, sleep-deprived, starved and barely hydrated. He thought that I was posing as a Leaf Shinobi because I was in a bad shape, I guess he assumed that I looked so bad because I had been in a fight with the 'real' contact and taken his place. He refused to believe that I was really the person he was meant to meet. I eventually convinced him and he handed me some information and I staggered off back to Konoha. Easy? I think not. I had to dodge patrols, scouts and even had to stay under the cover of darkness to get home. Being forced to eat what ever I found. After I returned I dropped off the package. THEN I had to come here to see how the academy students were doing" Iruka sighed, he remembered what it was like, he could still taste the foul mushrooms that he had to eat"…I intend to sleep for an eternity after I'm finished with you" Iruka added as an afterthought
"You may not want to have some Ramen but I do" Iruka declared
"Alright, alright. Fine" Naruto relented. Iruka walked out of the Academy grounds and started off towards the Ichiraku
Hinata was nearing the Hyuuga estate with an air of confidence surrounding her. She looked ahead, She could see the guardsmen as well as a few clan members at the windows of the large house in the compound. The most noticeable skyline feature that the Hyuuga house casts is the watchman's tower. The 'tower was nothing more than a raised platform that looked down all around the Hyuuga estate. The platform was so high so that the blind spot of the byakugan was aimed towards the sky, giving the designated watchmen an unbroken view of the entire estate and surrounding streets. Hinata could see the currant watchman kneeling on the platform in his duty Kimono. His grey hair was blowing slightly in the wind. The duty of a watchman was reserved for elderly Hyuuga who are unable to perform mission and do not have a seat on the council and so they spend there days on lookout, sleeping and attending formal events in their off hours, fortunately they are permitted to eat on duty. Even so, it was a job that Hinata would not like to have; she didn't believe that she would be up to it.
As Hinata passed through the gates, the guardsmen nodded to her. She returned the gesture and proceeded to the main training grounds. The training equipment was still there, but Hiato was not. Hinata assumed that he would be there momentarily, the Watchman must have passed word to him. Hinata quickly ran to her room to retrieve her training robe. She picked up the purple top from her room and quickly tied the black belt around her waist. She ran back to the training ground where she saw Hiato emerge from one of the sliding doors. Wordlessly, he walked and stood in the Yin-Yang decorated circular platform and stood on one side. Hinata assumed that she was to do the same. She wasted no time in doing so. Hiato opened his eyes
"Lets see how much you have remembered" Hiato said before rushing the girl. Hinata was surprised that he was the one to take the offensive
'Last time, he only defended, yet he still managed to wear me down, this is going to be difficult' Hinata thought as Hiato approached. Hinata hadn't enough time to activate her Byakugan. She dropped into the defensive stance and prepared for the approaching man. He started off with an open palm strike, aiming for Hinata's chest. Hinata quickly ducked underneath in an attempt to get behind the man. Unfortunately she met Hiato's knee, which came up to meet her as she ducked down. Given the short amount of time, Hinata twisted her body to direct the attack to skiff her side…it still hurt. The strike to her side had caused her body to spin, Hinata used this to her advantage. She planted her hands on the ground and boosted up into a handstand, once she was up, she utilised the momentum and split her legs in front and behind her. She spun with her legs now ready to release chakra. As she spun, she felt a contact on her leg and ceased her rotation with a smile and returned to her feet. She returned to her feet a little too late to witness the wince of pain that Hiato showed as Hinata delivered the chakra filled kick that caught him in the back.
"Very Good" Hiato praised, an unnoticeable quiver in his voice "…we can begin" This confused Hinata
"B-Begin?" Hinata said, a bit out of breath but confidant as ever.
"Yes, do you really think that this is proper Hyuuga training, how is this any different from regular training? Now, we begin" Hiato said, walking over to the training equipment that had remained untouched
'Oh boy' Hinata thought, feeling a nervous shiver
Naruto and Iruka were happily slurping down their bowls of Ramen. Iruka was savouring every drop and strand while Naruto was devouring his without stopping for breath, even if he wasn't hungry, it was still Ramen. Iruka finished his bowl and turned to Naruto after signalling for another two bowls
"So what's been happening? You and Hinata-san especially" Iruka asked
"Well, you know how I told you that my apartment was trashed…well, there as a note left as well, putting into words the general feel of hatred towards me" Naruto explained
"That's happened before though, why was it any different this time?" Iruka asked
"I don't know, probably because I haven't had to see the hatred and only being with Hinata's kindness gave me security but that one note tore that all down, taking me with it. If it wasn't for Hinata-chan…" Naruto decided not to finish his sentence, he was flicking is forehead protector with the nail of his thumb in thought "…she made me feel good about who I was, for that, she has my love"
"Love? Wow" Iruka was surprised that his former pupil had found love in the space of time that he had been away "…I'm happy for you"
"Thanks" Naruto smiled, still flicking his forehead protector
"It's about time she got up the courage to tell you how she feels" Iruka said idly. Naruto choked on the noodles that he was eating
"WHAT? YOU MEAN YOU KNEW ABOUT IT TOO? It can't have been that obvious" Naruto was in shock. Iruka shook his head while chuckling
"It was that obvious, you were too busy focusing on Sakura to realise how she felt in the academy" Iruka said. That struck a nerve in Naruto as he went silent as the grave
'He's right, I did ignore her back then…Even before the Chuunin exams I didn't even give her a second glance' Naruto thought to himself. Iruka sensed a change in mood and turned to look at Naruto, who had his head down, the hand that was flicking his forehead protector was entangled into his spiky, golden fringe
'oops' Iruka thought to himself, he felt the need to change the subject
"I hope you haven't been causing trouble over the week" Iruka said. A second passed, then two, then three then Naruto's head sprang up
"I DON'T CAUSE TROUBLE! Trouble just…happens to find me" Naruto said cautiously. Iruka chuckled heartily at the boy. He tiredly leaned his head on his arm which was propped up on the counter
"So what exactly has happened over the past week?" Iruka asked his eyes were having trouble focusing. Naruto grinned inanely…how he loved telling grand stories of his adventures
"Well…it all started on the mission, Sasuke –as usual- was having his ass whipped by these mercenaries…" How Iruka hated it when Naruto told them like this
Hinata was having a far less fun time. Hiato had essentially deactivated her left arm during one of his strikes. This was much more intense than Hinata had initially thought.
To the side, the practise dummy that had all the tenketsus marked on its wooden frame…was now just a pile of splinters on the ground, an assortment of weapons lay bent and broken around her feet. Hiato stood about twelve feet away from Hinata. Hinata had to alter her stance to compensate for her lack of use in her left arm. She now stood to the side, her right foot where her weight is centred, her left foot back for balance, her left arm lay behind her body, motionless. Her right arm was poised in front of her, looking like a scorpion tail, ready to strike.
Hiato held in his hands, three kunai, each looked identical. Each had an explosive tag wrapped on its handle
"These three kunai have on their handle: an explosive tag. Only one is active and can explode, it is up to you to decide which…and act accordingly" Hiato began juggling the three kunai with expert precision so to confuse Hinata, every so often he would flip one behind his back and catch it when it came over his shoulder. He never once broke eye contact with Hinata.
Hinata had her Byakugan activated, she could see the way the chakra was flowing through each of the tags. One of the tags chakra flow was different to the others, she couldn't be sure since the three kunai were constantly being flipped around. Within a blink of an eye, she saw all three kunai flying towards her. She calculated each trajectory, the kunai were coming towards her in a parallel formation, two in front and one behind in the middle. It was then, as Hinata had made up her mind and began moving that she noticed that the chakra signature on each tag changed. In that split second her plan changed. The kunai were now in range. An adrenaline rush hit and the world seemed to slow down around Hinata. She jumped midway into the air and aligned her body so it was parallel to the ground. With the toe of her right foot and the heel of her left, she kicked the two kunai on the outside away from her. She landed just in time to catch the third kunai by the ring, she spun it around a few times on her finger before launching it high into the air. Simultaneously, all three kunai exploded, around her, Hinata wasn't fazed in the slightest that all three kunai had exploded when she was told that only one would. The raising of an eyebrow on Hiato showed that he was impressed that she had figured out that all three kunai were going to detonate.
"You lied to me" Hinata stated, her tone wasn't one of hurt, nor of surprise but of humour
"Sometimes you cant always trust information you are given in the field" Hiato said "…lets move onto the last lesson of the day" From nowhere Hiato brought out a nearly uncountable number of weapons
'bugger' Hinata mentally exclaimed, the small smirk faded from her lips
"I trust you know this part of the lesson" Hiato said as he arranged all the weapons on tables all around him. Each weapon was specifically designed for throwing, it had already been established that Hiato was deathly accurate in his use of projectile weapons.
This was the lesson that Hinata had been dreading
"So anyway, after I had delivered a swift kick to the back of fuzzy-eyebrows' knee, he went down. But moments later he found new strength and laid into me with everything he had. One of his attacks removed my headband and my bandages, which exposed my eyes
zzz…zzz…zzz
Naruto stopped retailing the week that he had had. Iruka had fallen asleep long ago but Naruto didn't even notice until now. Naruto was now aware of Iruka's lack of consciousness, he could plainly hear the snores from the exhausted Chuunin. He quickly and none too lightly poked him in the side, Iruka stirred slightly
"…hnnn…not now Anko…" Iruka sleepily slapped Naruto's hand away. A cold shiver ran down Naruto's spine at hearing that name. Iruka pulled his remaining hand away from the counter so he could rub his sore neck…unfortunately; the hand he pulled away was the hand that was supporting his head. All that Naruto heard was a loud 'thud' and the grumbling of a Chuunin whose face was now bruised. As if it was made of rubber; Iruka's head bounced back up so that he was in an upright position, fully awake.
"Sign what, Radar?" Iruka said. Naruto was severely confused by his choice of words. Iruka looked around, seeing where he was, blushed at his use of the quote from his favourite comedy.
"Uhhh, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto questioned. Iruka misunderstood
"yeah, yeah. There was this traveller from the west and he had these film reels with him, he sold them to us, and they have been playing in the movie houses" Iruka explained
"…No, did you fall asleep during one of my story tellings?" Naruto asked with venom on his tongue
"Ah ha…ha ha ha, er, no of course not, heh heh" Iruka grinned sheepishly. Iruka could just imagine the rolling of Naruto's eyes right about now.
"Why don't we head over to the Hyuuga estate, then you can meet up with Hinata and I can go home and sleep" Iruka said, the tone in his voice said that it wasn't a suggestion
"I'm not sure if Hinata-chan will be done with her training…"
"Naruto!" Iruka's voice dripped with irritation as well as exhaustion
"…but you know, we could always go over their just to see her" Naruto sensed Iruka's true meaning
"I'm glad you agree, lets go" Iruka said while stifling a yawn
Hinata walked along the central path of the Hyuuga estate, she had cuts and bruises across her body. She was clearly hurting but she could still stand and walk. She did not wear her jacket, it hurt every time it rubbed against her body. Fortunately, the weather had not changed much, and it was still a pleasant temperature. As she looked up she saw Naruto and Iruka walking up the main road that led to the main gates. Iruka looked like the walking dead, there was nothing to keep him from falling asleep as he walked, Hinata wondered if he was even awake as he walked, and Naruto was blind so neither of the two saw Hinata walk up to them.
"You two don't look too good" Hinata said, causing the two in front of her to jump in mortal terror. Iruka, seeing who it was, smiled and began walking away, seeing as he was no longer needed he could –finally- go home.
"Hinata-chan? We were just coming to see…meet with you" Naruto corrected himself. Hinata smiled softly before moving to take Naruto's arm. She took hold of his left arm and put it around herself, but she winced and hissed through her teeth when his arm brushed the bruises and cuts that all but covered her body.
"Hinata-chan? What's wrong?" Naruto asked concerned
"Training was…unpleasant" Hinata chose her word carefully
"Sorry" Naruto understood "…is it bad?" Naruto asked
"Imagine your clothes filled with shards of glass" Hinata said
"Ouch" Naruto said, Hinata nodded to herself
"But it was worth the pain" Hinata said proudly
"Have you put any of your ointment on the cuts" Naruto said
"I've run out" Hinata said
"You can use some of mine…AHH SHOOT! I forgot my jacket!" Naruto said in anger, feeling only his t-shirt
"It's okay, I don't mind" Hinata smiled at Naruto's good intentions. She saw the expression on his mouth and forehead and smiled again
"Or were you just looking for another 'thank-you kiss' like yesterday?" Hinata grinned at seeing the redness under his headband. She put her hand on his jaw line and brought his face to hers and joined their lips in a kiss, not as intense as the one they shared yesterday but not as simple as a 'peck'. Hinata brought her head back to look at Naruto
"Thank you anyway" Hinata said before walking Naruto away from the estate
"When will you go and see Tsunade-sama?" Hinata asked. Naruto shrugged his shoulders
"I don't know…a couple of hours from now?" Naruto said
"Okay, what do you want to do until then?" Hinata asked, checking the time
"Well, I'm not hungry…I cant train under pain of death from Obachan…" Naruto was struggling
"We could take a walk outside the village" Hinata cut in
"…Perfect" Naruto grinned and let Hinata guide him.
As they walked Hinata got the eerie sensation of being watched but shrugged it off as mind tricks from chakra depletion. Hiato had taught her how to open specific chakra points to allow her to reactivate her left arm. It took up a noticeable amount of chakra but not enough to make her feel weak, her left arm felt heavy but mobile and it felt like it was burning but she pushed all these minor pains –and the feeling of being watched- to the back off her mind as she focused on Naruto. After her training session, Hinata was feeling tired and weak. The session was shorter than the last one but what it lacked in duration, it made up for in intensity. Not only had she gained a better understanding of the battlefield, not to mention the two milestones of skill and power that she received. Hinata was glowing with pride of herself. She was smiling…she hadn't stopped smiling after the training.
She wasn't sure if she should be taking Naruto outside the village but she reassured herself that it was just a wander outside the gates then coming back, what could happen?
As they walked Hinata noticed the amount of people were waning, as she had seen on previous night. She wondered why, it was beginning to get dark but it was still relatively early.
'I suppose they are afraid of an attack at night, people feel safest when in their homes' Hinata thought. She was almost an expert on reading people and analysing them at a glance, it was a natural skill, this was what allowed her to see the pain that Naruto bottles up.
Despite the decreasing number of people, she could still feel the itching feeling of being watched, it was very unnerving. Once again she just shrugged it off and continued to walk with Naruto.
Soon enough the gates came into view. They were open, a rare sight in the attack fearing time that Konoha was in. There was a pleasant breeze being blown in through the gate. It gave Hinata Goosebumps on her exposed arms, but she found it pleasing, especially being with Naruto. She could feel Naruto's bare arm on the back of her neck, his arm was warm and the breeze was having no effect on him. With a content sigh she snuggled in deeper towards Naruto, resting her head on his shoulder, while still making sure that she was keeping him steady and guided. Hinata continued walking, Naruto by her side, there was a single guard that Hinata could see and at least three others that she knew would be lurking nearby. The guard eyeballed both Naruto and Hinata but made no attempt to prevent them from leaving. After all; Konoha citizens were allowed to leave and enter the village at will. Though it was harder to enter the village than to leave ever since the Itachi incident.
Hinata planned on a gentle stroll outside the gate and through the forest surrounding Konoha then coming back and heading to the hospital.
The moment they walked out of the gates, Hinata felt revitalised. She was away from the hustle and bustle of the village and now, alone with Naruto. She drew a deep breath through her nose, taking in the freshness of the air away from ramen stands, hotsprings and bars
Hinata guided Naruto along the dirt road that led away from Konoha.
"Where are you taking me Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked curiously
"Just for a little stroll" Hinata said "…just something that I used to do when father would find me a complete failure, it really helps to get away from it all, out here…there's no one to look down on you…no expectations to live up to" Naruto became concerned
"Hinata-chan? Are you alright?" Naruto asked.
"I'm fine, why do you ask?" Hinata turned to look at Naruto's face, she read the expression of concern
"You're fine now…what about before?" Naruto pried "…You seem to have all these little comforts and retreats that you used to come to. Has everything been alright in the past?"
"Well I…" She began but saw the look on his face and couldn't lie to him "…not always fine" Hinata said quietly, her feet beginning to drag, she took a glance behind her and noticed that they were now out quite far, the gates were still just in view. Naruto pulled her to a stop and held both of her arms so that they were face to face. He did this so that he could get a straight answer out of the girl as well as it being easier to comfort her if she got emotional. Hinata looked up from the ground, she had reverted from the confident 'new' Hinata and the shy version had returned. When her head rose she looked at Naruto's forehead protector -secured over his eyes- and saw her own eyes in the reflection, reminding her of all those confrontations with her father about her uselessness. Her head sank again
"I didn't have a pleasant childhood" Hinata said so softly that Naruto almost missed over the wind blown leaves around them
"Join the club" Naruto said unintentionally harshly, he played back what he said in his head and regretted his word choice "…I mean, I understand. But there must be more to it" Naruto said softly
"I-I used to be able to live with my underachievement…more precisely, my father was able to, he used to have an endless patience with me. Until she left" Hinata said sadly
"Who?"
"my m-mother" Hinata sniffed. Naruto had no idea how to proceed
"Is she…dead?" The sorrow filled sniff that Hinata gave was a dagger to Naruto's heart
"I h-hope not…she left on a mission and was never heard from a-again, that was five years ago" Hinata shook slightly "…after that my father became cold, accepting only strength and discarding weakness in the slightest form, including me"
"and you came to places like the flower garden or went for a stroll outside the village to clear your head" Naruto said
"I came outside the village to run away" Hinata remembered the childhood experience
"I never made much farther than here before they caught me"
"You couldn't have had it that bad, you must have had friends, right?" Naruto asked. Hinata shook her head
"Shino-kun and Kiba-kun were the only friends I had, we only became friends when team eight was formed, before then the only one that gave me any kind of support was…you" Hinata briefly looked up
"But I never did anything for you" Naruto once again heard himself and realised how bad he made himself feel. Without giving Hinata a chance to respond, Naruto pulled Hinata close to him and wrapped his arms all the way around her back, resting his forehead on her shoulder
"I'm sorry, I could have…should have done something" Naruto said regretfully. Hinata was surprised when Naruto suddenly hugged her but she didn't mind, her arms were on his chest and were being held there by the hug
"You couldn't have known what I was going through, it wasn't your fault" Hinata said
"I should have read the signs, I knew what it was like to be alone but I just ignored you. I'm so sorry" Hinata felt him increase pressure on the hug but it wasn't painfully tight. Hinata smiled and kissed his neck
"I forgive you Naruto-kun" Hinata smiled, but once again, felt the feeling of being watched
"Aww, aint this cute? The brat found a bratette" a pair of men jumped down from the trees, one was gesturing towards Hinata
"Correct me if I'm wrong Hiro, but didn't we tell this monster to get the hell out of our village?" One asked
"I believe you're correct Kazu" The second one stepped forwards. Hinata recognised them both instantly, they were the two guys who they ran into before they found the note on the door of Naruto's old apartment
"You two!" Hinata said angrily, she jumped back and out of Naruto's hug, he was a bit surprised at what had just happened "…you were the ones to leave that note, you threatened to harm Naruto-kun" Hinata growled
"Yeah, and you totally ruined the mood here" three pairs of eyes focused on Naruto who had missed the point that these two guys were the ones who forced him to move apartment and caused him emotional harm. An almost comical silence ensued, one could almost see the tumbleweed roll past.
"So anyways, we are going to kill you, Monster" Kazu said, returning the seriousness. Hinata's eyes widened, she thought that they were just going to beat him up, not kill him. Hinata quickly assessed the situation, she could see only one way out of the situation
"Naruto-kun, when I say…run like hell, alright?" Hinata whispered to Naruto
"What? Hell no, I aint running away" Naruto shouted. Hinata rolled her eyes at his shout, there was a reason for being quiet
"Runaway? There will be no running away…not even for your little bitch, we wouldn't want her to blab our names to the Hyuuga now would we" Hiro vanished from sight and appeared behind Hinata holding her by the arms and around the waist. She struggled but could wriggle out of his grip, she couldn't even bring her foot up behind her to kick him in the crotch, because of the way he was standing, he was not in striking position.
"HINATA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled as he ran forwards, he heard Hiro move and grab Hinata from behind, after this he activated his chakra-sense and was ready to attack. Problem was, that he focused on Hiro and Hinata that he completely forgot about Kazu, who promptly stuck a foot out in front of Naruto as he began to run. Naruto's face bounced off the dirt, probably breaking his nose in the process.
"Awww, wittle bwind boy cant save his wittle girl fwend" Kazu mocked as he lent over Naruto's prone form
"Shut up" Naruto said so softly that only Hinata heard it. He slowly rose off the ground, forgetting the pain in his face more for serious problems. Kazu smiled and pulled his fist back, about to punch Naruto square in the face. As Naruto got to his feet, Kazu lunged forward, his fist following through aimed at Naruto's face. A moment before the fist connected, Naruto ducked underneath his fist and threw all of his weight behind his own punch that was now heading towards Kazu's stomach. Kazu was caught entirely off guard. He dropped to one knee, clutching his stomach. Struggling to get to his feet with all the wind knocked out of him, Kazu tried taking a few paces back, Naruto didn't dare give him a chance to recover, remembering back to his fight with Lee…and how the slightest moment of inaction made all the difference.
Hinata was looking on with worry. Naruto had gotten hurt bad enough in a fair fight against Lee, he was now facing off with two full grown men and he still had to worry about her. Hiro didn't seem to give Hinata much room to move, in spite of the fact that his comrade was just knocked back the blind boy. He stayed put, not giving the gentle fist user a chance.
Naruto tracked Kazu with his chakra-sense and ran after him, albeit shakily. Without eyesight to keep himself steady, he relied on his hearing and balance to keep himself upright and coordinated. Naruto ran at Kazu, the silhouette that Naruto saw in his mind's eye indicated that he was struggling to get to his feet. He was either incredibly weak or he was not ready at all for Naruto to suddenly fight him, in any case, Naruto ran directly at him
"Y-You fool! Though we may not look it, we are higher class Chuunin and are not to be taken lightly." Kazu yelled at the approaching Naruto. Hinata saw Kazu reach behind his back and pull out a kunai, her eyes widened
'They're Chuunin? This is bad, we should have ran at the first opportunity…I should never have brought Naruto-kun outside the village' Hinata's eyes teared up but she did not take her eyes of Kazu and his Kunai. Hiro didn't seem to be doing anything aside from holding her and preventing her from moving, still she struggled to find any kind of opening to attack and get loose but found none.
Kazu threw the kunai with all of his might at Naruto. He sensed something flying towards him but it was so fast and his chakra sense barely gave a clear reading on a stationary object that he had no idea what it was…until the pain in his thigh. The kunai dug deep into Naruto's mid-thigh. This caused Naruto to fall over, and due to the momentum from his running he rolled when he hit the ground, forcing the kunai in deeper. It seemed miraculous that it missed the main artery and vein in his leg. Hinata became increasingly worried.
Naruto tried to get to his feet but the slightest pressure on his right leg caused him great pain and caused him to fall over yet again, working the kunai in deeper still and further damaging the muscle. Kazu had regained his breath and was once again standing over Naruto's writhing body. Not only had the kunai damaged his leg, but the pain that it caused clouded his mind, disabling him from using his chakra-sense to any degree of usefulness. Kazu grinned sadistically his he slowly brought his foot down on Naruto's chest; slowly applying pressure on his ribs. Naruto felt his ribs on the verge of cracking
"You do not understand, do you? You're about to die. It's because you are a monster, you didn't honestly think that moving apartment would erase the problem, did you? We do not back down when we decide that something needs changed…or destroyed." Kazu said, smiling more so as he saw Naruto beginning to grit his teeth from the pain in both his chest and his leg. Hinata was squirming and struggling trying to worm her way out of Hiro's grip in anyway he could.
"Che…AHHHH!" Naruto yelled out a moment after a loud crack was heard, his rib breaking. Hinata ceased moving immediately. Her voice came out as a dark, venomous whisper
"I will never forgive you" Hiro looked at the motionless girl that he was holding
'Okay Hinata, I know you can do this' Hinata willed herself. She took a deep breath. Planted her feet on a wide base on the ground, slowly raising herself to the balls of her feet. She closed her eyes. She began to release chakra in a spherical movement around her body. With a sudden jerk her body twisted
"Kaiten!" Hinata yelled of all of her lungs as the force of movement and chakra sent Hiro flying backwards, he slid along the ground before coming to a rest. Slowly he raised himself to his hands and knees but promptly collapsed. Hinata was thrown to the ground after she completed her Kaiten. She was now lying in a small crater, the world around her was spinning wildly from dizziness
Naruto's head perked up slightly but dropped as a fresh wave of pain set in
"Shit" Hiro cursed before collapsing. Kazu's interest was spiked at the sudden fight from the girl. He momentarily ceased his torture of Naruto and made his way over to Hinata's fallen form. Because of Hiro's hold on her, she couldn't form the hand seals required to activate her Byakugan, as such, the spinning movement of Kaiten threw her off her centre and messed up her balance as she felt dizzy. Usually the Byakugan compensates for this, but without it can cause problems of this nature. She shakily got to her hands and knees before boosting herself onto her feet –albeit off balance- taking a few steps to keep upright. She turned around to see Kazu standing near her, grinning
"I never would have thought that the little Hyuuga 'princess' would be good enough to fight back, I always thought that she stood at the back and did nothing but cry" Kazu laughed. Hinata stepped forward out of her little crater "…Hiro may have been caught off-guard but I am a different level from him" Using the time, Hinata quickly did the hand seals and activated her Byakugan. Veins extruded from around her eyes, the outline of the pupil became visible and the near three-sixty degree vision was active. The world became clearer for Hinata, the perception given by the Byakugan nullified the dizziness and allowed her to see everything around her. Hiro: lying unmoving; Naruto: writhing in pain but otherwise fine; and Kazu: standing before her, with apparently no qualms about killing her or Naruto.
Hinata took a deep breath, tried to block out the ache that the Kaiten gave her Tenkutsus. The first time she tried it with Hiato, it had almost –as Neji said- ripped her body apart.
"You are weak" Kazu said arrogantly
"You are weaker" Hinata threw back, she could see the way the chakra swirled and formed in his body, from this she could tell that he was not adept at moulding chakra in any complicated way, no evidence of a bloodline, his muscles looked only above average, hinting that he favoured Taijutsu like Lee but Kazu wasn't nearly as strong as Lee, judging from the muscle size and the fact that Kazu had no scars or evidence of stress on the muscles like she saw on Lee's. He probably favoured playing a number advantage on supposedly weaker opponents. He disgusted Hinata.
"You will now pay for what you have done to Naruto-kun" Hinata said, preparing to attack.
"Why do you care for him so?" Kazu asked in amused interest
"I owe him my life, I am the only one that knows him for who he is, I'm all he's got. I love…" Hinata's explanation was interrupted when Kazu suddenly lunged for Hinata. It annoyed her greatly, being interrupted was pretty high on her list of peeves.
As she had predicted, Kazu seemed to be unskilled, not even using chakra to strengthen him muscles. Kazu ran and jumped at Hinata, bringing out a beautifully crafted custom knife
'he's a poser as well?' Hinata saw the knife, it was beautifully made, jewels lined the handle and a fabric tail was tied to the bottom of the handle, this was a blade not meant for killing, it was meant for display or for ceremonial practises.
'A weak Chuunin such as himself could not afford such a weapon. So he's an interrupter, a poser AND a thief' Hinata now held a severe hatred towards this man. Kazu threw his hand forwards in an attempt to plunge the blade deep into Hinata's gut. She merely sidestepped and hit the tenketsus on the arm that held the blade. As a result, he dropped the knife.
"You…bitch" Kazu spat angrily, he threw his enitire body to the side to try and catch Hinata off guard and gain the advantage…no such luck. Hinata tensed her calves and quadriceps like a spring and jumped into the air and over Kazu, slamming a heel into the back off his head as hard as she could as she passed over his head. Kazu slid across the ground, nearing Naruto, who had calmed down and was trying not to move
Kazu raised himself to his hands and knees
"You will now pay for that" Kazu said, he tried to get up but fell down onto his backside. He was passing his hand in front of his eyes frantically
"I-I can't see…what the hell?" Kazu said
"Join the club" He heard Naruto's voice. Naruto was slowly getting to his feet. Wincing from the pain would be an understatement; his face conveyed a look that said "Mind numbing…agony"
"Naruto-kun, you shouldn't really get up" Hinata said softly
"There's just one thing I HAVE to do" Naruto winced heavily at the raise of his voice, he knew that there was a possibility that he had broken ribs, or at least cracked. Despite the pain, he trudged towards Kazu. Ignoring the pain, released his chakra from his hands at Kazu, feeling his shape
"Hey" Naruto said. Despite his sightless state Kazu looked towards where he heard the voice. The next thing he felt was an extremely heavy impact to his nose. Naruto shook his fist after Kazu had had his nose compacted.
"Man he has a hard nose" Naruto said, simultaneously clutching his fist and ribs. Hinata looked at the fallen bodies of both Hiro and Kazu before returning her sights on her upright boyfriend
"You don't look so worse for wear" Hinata said, "…you could have helped me you know?"
"You were amazing, you didn't need help" Naruto said proudly
"Maybe, b-but they were weak" Hinata blushed from embarrassment. She looked up just in time to see Naruto approach her, his arms circled around her as he hugged her. Hinata pouted as Naruto pulled away suddenly
"W-What's wrong?" Hinata asked worried
"Nothing, just my ribs" Naruto said nervously. Hinata smiled softly and leaned forward, being careful not to touch his upper body, and kissed him, a short and sweet one but just the more meaningful.
"Let's go home" Hinata said. Naruto nodded, speechless. Hinata quickly looked over Naruto's body with her enhanced eyes to check for injury. He had bruised ribs and a few cracked ribs. It wasn't serious, just painful. The kunai in his leg was in pretty deep but it had only caused repairable muscles damage. Aside from that, he was perfectly fine. She switched off her Byakugan before her eyes wandered too low. With a slight blush, she took Naruto's arm and slung it over her shoulder to keep the wheight off his leg and led him back towards Konoha, albeit slowly and carefully in mind of his injury.
It took a while but soon they were passing through the gates once more. The guard they saw earlier glanced up and did a double take, he jogged over to them
"You alright?" The guard asked
"He's fine, but you should make a note to arrest two Konoha Chuunins by the names of Kazu and Hiro" The guard nodded and waved them through the gate
"Maybe you should get him to a hospital" The guard suggested. Hinata nodded politely.
Hinata led Naruto through the streets to the hospital. The sun had set since the incident with Kazu and Hiro. She wondered absently if the two Chuunin would be brought to justice or if they would just not come back…become missing nin. Naruto had been quiet but Hinata understood why. Judging from the facial expressions and his body language made clear that he was in pain from simply breathing and walking, talking may just be too painful. Hinata stayed quiet so not to provoke Naruto into a conversation. There was an air of apprehension over the two; they both knew that this would be the hospital visit that ultimately determined Naruto's ability to ever see again. Hinata wasn't sure if it was her or Naruto that was the cause of them going so slow. Hinata briefly looked up from Naruto to see that they were outside the hospital gates. With a deep breath, she continued onward.
"We're here Naruto-kun" Hinata whispered. Naruto nodded. Hinata walked forward ahead of Naruto to open the doors for him. Feelings of nostalgia arose in Naruto at the smell of the hospital, he remembered his initial visit at the start of the week. He quickly shook it off though. Hinata guided Naruto up to the front desk, the nurse behind it was not the one Hinata had met at the start of the week. This one looked self-centred, she sat reading a fashion magazine and was incessantly chewing some gum.
"E-Excuse me, we need to see a doctor" Hinata said. The nurse looked up from her magazine, looking annoyed
"Really? Is that why you came to a h-o-s-p-i-t-a-l?" The nurse said extremely sarcastically. Both Naruto and Hinata took an instant dislike to this nurse
"Just…get us a doctor" Hinata forced a smile onto her face
"Of course" The nurse matched the fakeness of Hinata's smile. Naruto felt the tension in the air and wisely stayed quiet. The nurse flipped through a folder on the desk "…doctor Amato is free: down that corridor, hang a right, two doors" The nurse returned to her magazine and pointed to the corridor next to the desk
"Thanks" Hinata kept the smile on her face until her back was turned. Hinata led Naruto down the corridor
"Hinata-chan? S-something wrong?" Naruto was getting used to the pain but he was noticing some changes in Hinata
"I'm just a little annoyed. Those two thugs, then that nurse…" Hinata took a breath to calm down "…I'm sorry, I'm just a little worked up" Naruto stayed quiet. Hinata followed the vague directions from the nurse and reached a door that read 'Dr. Amato' She knocked on the door and let herself and Naruto in. The room was quite small, but it was enough to house a basic bed for initial observations, and a desk at which a small man sat finishing off what were presumably patient reports. He turned around to see the two
"You don't have an appointment, what do you want?" He asked, his tone was neutral.
"He was attacked by two Chuunin. He has bruised and cracked ribs, as well as some minor cuts and bruises" Hinata explained. Amato's face softened as he rose from his seat.
"Alright, have a seat on the bed young man…you're blind?" Amato said surprised at seeing Naruto's forehead protector across his eyes
"Yep" Naruto said simply
"TWO Chuunin, attacked a blind boy?" Amato said in disbelief
"Doctor?" Hinata reminded Amato of Naruto's injuries
"huh? Oh of course, of course. No problem" Amato moved over to Naruto, a purple chakra surrounded his hand as he swept it lightly across Naruto's body, assessing the damage. "…only some minor injuries, nothing serious. You havn't removed the kunai?" Amato said, taking a closer look at the kunai, hilt deep in Naruto's thigh
"I didn't want to accidentally cut any arteries" Hinata said. Amato looked up then back at the kunai
"Alright. Okay then, um, err…what's your name?" Amato said
"Uzumaki Naruto" Naruto straightened up and patted his chest, only to cause a fresh wave of pain on his damaged ribs
"Okay, Naruto. I'm going to count to three and I'm going to pull the kunai out. Take deep breaths" Naruto nodded, and took a deep breath
"One…" Amato quickly and sharply pulled the kunai from Naruto's leg, then quickly put his hands on his thigh over the wound. His hands were now surrounded by a green Chakra that was repairing the muscle and sealing the wound.
"Do no harm doc. Do no harm, that ring any bells?" Naruto said through gritted teeth. Before too long the pain had dulled into a light tingle in his leg "…wow, that feels better, thanks" Amato smiled before getting to work on his ribs.
"It seems the cracks have developed into small fractures, has he been walking around?" He asked Hinata
"We walked from outside the village to here" Hinata informed him
"Okay, still not a problem" He focused the green Chakra on Naruto's damaged ribs. The process took no more than a couple of minutes. When Amato stepped back, Naruto moved around slightly to get a feel for his newly healed ribs.
"Feels better, thanks" Naruto smiled
"Don't mention it. Now, as to the condition with your eyes…" Amato moved forward
"Tsunade-sama is going to look at his eyes" Hinata said
"Oh right, you want me to send for her?" Amato offered
"Yeah that'd be great, these bandages are really starting to itch" Naruto said "…I'd appreciate it if you omit the part about my injuries to Tsunade-Obachan" Naruto added, remembering the scolding he had received from her after his fight with Lee.
"I'll be right back" Amato quickly left, leaving Naruto and Hinata alone in Amato's office.
"Nervous?" Hinata asked
"A little"
Tsunade was at her desk writing out a few reports when Shizune barged in
"Tsunade-sama, wake up! Eh…?" Shizune stopped abruptly when she saw Tsunade doing her work
"Why does everyone assume that I only sleep in here. I swear, you doze off every once in a while and you get branded for life" Tsunade shook her head. Shizune shook her head clear of surprise
"We just received a call from the hospital, Naruto-kun is there" Shizune said calmly. Tsunade looked confused
"Oh yeah, I'm meant to be taking his bandages off aren't I?" Tsunade said. Right, I'll be right over. Tsunade grabbed her green coat from the stand and walked out her office, Shizune tailing her to make sure she doesn't try and duck out of her duties.
Tsunade shook her head as she felt Shizune following her
"You got no faith in me Shizune" She sighed
Amato led Tsunade down the corridor to his office where Naruto and Hinata were. She opened the door at the disadvantage of Naruto and Hinata. Obviously they had interrupted a personal moment between the two, if judging from the swollen lips and red faces.
"Should we come back?" Tsunade laughed at the two, they were both too embarrassed to say anything. "…alright, lets do this" Tsunade said seriously. "Hinata, wait outside. Amato, dim the lights" Tsunade ordered. Hinata opened her mouth to protest but the look she got from Tsunade set her right. She slowly walked outside the room and sat at one of the chairs outside the door. Never once taking her eyes off the closed door.
Inside the room, the lights had been dimmed. Naruto was lying down on the bed. Tsunade checked Naruto's eyes with a jutsu
"Alright Naruto, this may sting a little" Tsunade said as she removed his forehead protector and placed the fingertips of her index, middle and ring finger of each hand over Naruto's eyes. The bandages were still in place. Tsunade focused a heavy concentration of chakra through her fingertips in a very complex form and into his eyes. Naruto's face contorted in agony a sharp hiss was emitted through Naruto's clenched teeth
"Almost there Naruto" Tsunade said soothingly. Naruto couldn't hear the words clearly but could feel the tone, it calmed him slightly, but still he was writhing in pain.
Hinata became increasingly worried as she heard Naruto's movements and his sounds of pain. She forced herself to stay put
"Right, okay. I'm done" Tsunade said as she removed her hands from Naruto's face. "…how do you feel?"
"If I were to describe it…my head feels…lighter" Naruto said, shaking off the pain
"Right, now I'm going to remove your bandages" Tsunade said as she began unwrapping the long bandage that went around his head, leaving only the two individual patches that covered each eye
"Now, cover your eyes, keep your hand in front of them" Naruto did as he was told. Tsunade slipped her hand underneath his hands and removed the two patches. With an audible gulp she continued
"N-Now, look down, slowly take your hands away and carefully bring your head up" Tsunade held her breath as she watched Naruto's head dip in the almost unlit room, and slowly his head raised. She could hear hisses of pain, but more than that, she could see sparkles of light hitting in his eyes. "…Amato, get the lights, slightly brighter" Amato turned the knob of the light control. The room almost had a glow to it. Naruto's hand that had shielded his eyes dropped in his lap as he let out a breath that sounded like a laugh
Hinata couldn't hear any sound from inside the room. Her heart was beating so hard, she could hear it in her ears. Slowly, the door in front of her opened. She saw the black t-shirt, blond hair and blue eyes of Uzumaki Naruto. She rose from her seat and took a hesitant step forward
"N-N-Naruto-k-kun?" Hinata softly said. Naruto smiled and took a step forward towards Hinata, he shakily placed his hands on Hinata's face and smiled
"You have beautiful eyes Hinata-chan" Naruto said. Hinata's heart practically stopped, she dove forwards and tackled Naruto in a hug
"Naruto-kun, I'm so happy for you" Hinata had a few tears running down her cheeks as she hugged Naruto, she almost didn't hear what he said next
"How I wish I could see them one last time" Naruto said sorrowfully. Hinata stopped immediately.
Author's Note: It aint over yet, and if I can get back into a groove of things then the next update will be a lot sooner than this…granted: that isn't saying much, its been some four-five months since an update? Pretty easy to beat methinks. That was my attempt at a climax, I wouldn't do a cliff-hanger because the pattern of my updates wouldn't make them very effective. The end is in sight. You the reviewers have seen me to that:
Dragon Man 180 – I'm glad you liked the two aspects of Hinata, I thought it would be good to incorporate a "Devil/Angel" dilemma. You read my mind as for the cane (Or you also have seen "Daredevil"
Sephynarutocloud – long over for an update but it was for you (now don't murder me)
Devinji2000 – Thank you, I'm glad you liked it
Crakbaby23 – Sorry, I didn't read the bit about updating sooner hehe. Thanks for reviewing
Daniel of Lorien – Danny, good of you to review, much appreciated. I pride myself on my memory…asw ell as having every episode of Naruto so that I can watch it whenever I want.
nArUtOhInAtA forever – In all the fixs I read, I don't think I ever came across the revisit of Hinata's ointment. I thought it'd be good to put in. Thanks and continue reading
Duel Rasengan – Interesting idea…one that I used. Thank you
Archangel Rhapsody – Those words sound familiar…did I use them somewhere along the way? Thanks, please continue to read
Nonengel – Horribly cute? I try my best. Thanks for reading
Overlord – I am not very experienced with writing the intimate parts, but I'm glad you enjoyed it
TimeShifter – I thought that it'd be cute to have Hinata love dango as much as Naruto loves Ramen (They're more alike than they realise)
Konosuke – I'm sorry I haven't reviewed in a while. Thanks for taking the time to read it
Kylewin – They think it's all over…not by a long shot…that's all I'm saying. Thanks for reading
Danny-171984 – Because I only a had a week time frame, I was worried that Hinata would change too fast for some people's liking. I'm glad you liked the Light and Dark confrontation
Kenshinlover2002 - Thanks for reading. Sorry 'bout the late update
-red fox- supreme – hold up…you cant be serious, this beats twohalves? Okay that's your opinion. Thank you, that really means a lot
Shadow-sensei – well…you said that you could wait forever…but still I'm sorry for having to make you wait. Thanks for the review
Violently-Cheerful – Where have I been? I should have updated months ago! Sorry. Thanks for reading and reviewing
Chuupi – Thanks, I hope you haven't abandoned me
ShinobiWolf – I'm glad you don't have a problem with Hinata's development. Thanks for the review
Fallon – Hey man, short and sweet. Thanks
Notasu-sama – Thanks for reading. I was leaning towards having everyone hate Naruto because it was more uncommon but I decided that this way would be better accepted
Plue-sama – Worry not, there is at long last…a new chapter. Thanks, I hope you enjoyed this chapter
Crazymonkyboi412 – Nearly finished. You must now review
Little Minaimo – I hope this chapter has kept the pace. I'm glad you enjoyed it
Sirius183 – Curiosity killed the cat. Thanks for reading
RawD – Thank you for respecting me as the author and not trying to force me to change or control what I write. I hope you liked this chapter
Dragon Girl – Worry not little DragonGirl, Scorpio has updated for you
Patch5129 – You totally understood why I put in the cane. You are very smart, it was meant to subconsciously suggest to the reader that Naruto would remain sightless
ThanatosUpbringing – I was thinking of updating right about…now
NaruHina113 – I rily rily rily thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it
Liedral – Day seven…is not over quite yet. I hope you enjoyed it thus far
Jin-ashi – DarkHinata's character came from someone I know. I'm glad you liked her
Granite69 – Sorry, its my writing style to block together paragraphs, just increase the text size if its really annoying. You wouldn't be the only one to criticize this
Manatheron – Rushing me…no not at all. I decided that you have squirmed long enough. I updated…who would have thought. But you have been instrumental in pushing me along to getting these final chapters finished
Final thought: A lot of reviews, most of which telling me to update sooner…I guess since you took the time to write reviews for me…give me ideas along the way…I can work harder on this, increase the update speed and maybe…just maybe work on my grammatical issues.
And that's it…until next time, I will see you all on the seventh day closing. Followed by a day eight then the curtain call for this fic.
Scorpio…out!