Author's Note: Okay…quick update or what? A lot of you were pleading that let it be a joke, that Naruto had better be pulling Hinata's leg. I gotta say to you all, why do you think I put in all that stuff about Naruto getting used to a sightless life, it would make no sense.
This chapter is going to try and explain what happens, there will be reference to medical practise and medical guidelines, please don't misunderstand, I have little to no working knowledge of medicine and all the rules that doctors and those of the medical profession. I do higher level human biology that helps me explain a few things but for the majority I'm piecing it together from what little I know and trying to fill in gaps with educated guesses. Don't take what I say as fact, I may be right or wrong
This chapter is just running out the seventh day, it doesn't explain what is going to happen, it explains what happened with Naruto's eye but apart from that, it's a Naruhina Chapter. It isn't over yet.
Out of Sight, Centre of Mind
Chapter eleven – Darkness, Forever in Darkness
"N-Naruto-kun? You…y-you cant see?" Hinata said as she leaned in closer peering directly into Naruto's lifeless eyes. Hinata was still in slight shock. She was lead to believe that Naruto had regained his sight, then his words sent her to the opposite extreme. Naruto's voice sounded so empty, so sad. She knew he had been confident that everything would work out, that he'd be able to see everything with his own eyes once more.
"I-I'm sorry" Hinata's eyes shot open, her forehead had been resting against Naruto's. They were each cradling each other's faces. Hinata was about to tell Naruto how sorry she was when it was in fact Naruto to say the apologetic.
"N-Naruto…"
"I shouldn't have convinced myself that I was ever going to see again, I knew it was a shot in the dark" His words hurt himself as his words personified the sightlessness that he was experiencing. "…I just…so wanted to see your eyes again, to see your smile, I wanted it so bad that I convinced myself that I would. If I believed enough, my wish would come true" Hinata pulled Naruto into a hug, his words brought tears to her eyes.
"oi, Naruto, get back in here, I still need to explain to you what's going to happen" Tsunade's voice sounded from the door "…I know you wanted to explain to Hinata what happened but you need to know what's happening to you, you need to come to terms with it.
"Alright" Hinata reluctantly released Naruto and he once again disappeared behind the door. Hinata was too tense to sit so she stood and waited for the door to open once again.
Tsunade sat Naruto down at the bed, Amato was too engrossed in his paperwork to pay any attention
"Okay Naruto, you do understand what has happened to you, right?" Tsunade asked
"I'm blind…what more do I need to understand?" Naruto said gloomily
"Many ninjas have life altering changes in there lives. Many of which choose to commit suicide rather than live a life of disability. I need to know if you're thinking anywhere along those lines" Tsunade was speaking that complete truth, many ninja had taken there own lives because they were too proud to accept that they were no longer "useful" She knew that Naruto was one of the proudest people she had ever come across, she had to make sure he wouldn't try anything stupid
"I'm not going to go down that road, Obachan. I've been along it before but…Hinata-chan set me right" Tsunade knew that Naruto wouldn't say anything beyond that so didn't push.
"Our options are limited Naruto, there's nothing much I can do beyond what we have already done" Naruto sat quietly, listening to what she was saying. "…The one sure fire way of getting your sight back would be to replace your eyes entirely, therein lies the problem. In order for a set of replacement eyes to function properly, the eyes need to be taken from a living donor, otherwise the nerves die and we find ourselves at the same problem we face now. Even if we take them from live donors, it is a completely and utterly unethical procedure. The removal of the eyes of a physically fit and healthy person is considered mutilation, no doctor would even consider doing it if they took their oath to "Do no harm" seriously. Lets just assume for the moment that we ignored the morality and took eyes from someone else and gave them to you…could you live with that?"
"no" came Naruto's voice "…I could never give my problem to someone else, it is mine and mine alone"
"Then you can see…understand that we cant do anything. I'm not going to give you false hope by telling you that given enough time under that bandage you wore, that your sight will return, baring some kind of divine intervention by god himself, you will never see again, understood" Tsunade was being harsh, but if she was kind about it, Naruto would get the impression that his eyes would heal and he would never move on. She was being cruel to be kind
"I…I understand" Naruto's reply came louder than his voice before. Tsunade's harsh explanation set everything in stone in Naruto's mind. Although he was still coming to terms with the fact that he lost his sight, a weight was off his mind that he wont have to worry whether or not his sight would return, if there's anything that he could do.
A stray thought surged through Tsunade's mind the moment she was about to let Naruto leave
"By the way Naruto…since you're not going to find out any other way, I feel I should tell you…you're apartment is pink" Tsunade whispered. She could see Naruto's face twitching
"What!" Naruto yelled "…my apartment is pink? PINK!" Naruto was now more annoyed at Tsunade than at being blind
"yep" Tsunade's cool response came as she struggled not to laugh at Naruto's reaction
"You…deceitful old hag. Why would you do such a thing. Come here, I'll get you" Naruto's voice lacked seriousness and the clearly comical punches that he was throwing wildly only added to the fact that Naruto didn't really care even although he was annoyed. Tsunade took this as a positive step.
"Alright then Naruto, I'm gonna let you go home. But we're going to have to find some way to work out this problem tomorrow" Tsunade said
"What do you mean? What problem?" Naruto asked confused
"Well Naruto, did you really think that Hinata would be around to help you twentyfour-seven? She has her own team to get back to, it was just a temporary thing, her helping you around. You also need some way to get back to your own team." Tsunade was thinking on how Naruto could possibly be useful as a part of a Gennin team
"I'm fine with my own team" Naruto said, not knowing what Tsunade was on about
"Naruto, what use do you think you could be on missions in your currant state, do you think that you could fight coordinated with both of your team mates against enemies whereby a single mistake could lead to death of yourself and your team mates? No. To be honest with you Naruto, I would have issues with assigning you to such a mission with your team" Tsunade said seriously
"So what am I going to do?" Naruto asked
"Like I said, we have a problem" Tsunade responded "…I'll tell you what, tomorrow morning I'll have a meeting with all the Jounnin sensei and work…something out" Tsunade was already thinking about it
"Why all the sensei, why not just Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, once again feeling confused
"Well, this affects everyone, we don't just have to think about you, we have to work something out with everyone. Your team mates can't function effectively without a third person so something has to be done. Since you yourself have seemed to affect everyone around you, your situation affects your friends. Don't worry about it Naruto…that's my job" Tsunade confirmed "…anyway, I think Hinata might be getting impatient, go see her"
"That meant to be a joke, Obachan?" Naruto asked
"of course it is, I'm being a bitch to you because it's fun" Tsunade said sarcastically
"Thought so" Naruto stood up and walked forwards towards the door. With his mind now clear of distraction, he could now use the Chakra-sense to his skill level as before.
The moment Hinata heard the door knob turn she lost all sense of trying to calm herself and focused solely on who was coming out. When she saw the black t-shirt, blond hair and dull-blue eyes of Naruto she took a few steps forward and once again joined with Naruto in a hug
"a-are you alright?" Hinata shakily asked "…I heard you shout" Naruto returned the hug
"I'm fine, Tsunade just told me about her choice of colour for my apartment" Naruto said with a growl behind him
"Hey, you keep on calling me old" Tsunade's voice shouted through. None of this light-hearted attitude was getting through to Hinata, she still held onto Naruto. Naruto redirected his attention on her
"Hinata-chan, I'm fine now. I was just disappointed with what happened, I already know that I can live on without my eyes" Naruto found it odd that after what had happened it was he who was comforting her "…I'll tell you what, if you cheer up now, I'll let you wash my hair" Hinata stopped shaking and looked up into Naruto's eyes with a blush. She gulped a few times before finding her breath to speak. A smile threatened to show itself on Hinata's lips
"A-alright" Hinata's voice came over as a whisper…if that. Naruto grinned and pulled out of the hug and set himself up so that Hinata would be able to guide him. Slowly, Hinata started to recognise that Naruto didn't seem to mind that he couldn't see. With a breath, she slipped her arm around Naruto's waist, he mirrored with his arm over her shoulder
Hinata carefully guided Naruto outside
"Where would you like to go Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, she was getting more comfortable with Naruto's condition
"I think I'm just going to call it a night, you know?" Naruto said, his voice carried an air of acceptance
"A-Are you sure? It is pretty early…and, well…um…" Hinata trailed off, she couldn't bring herself to remind him of his promise to let her wash his hair. With a blush she stayed quiet. Naruto suddenly remembered
"Oh wait, you wanted to get me in the shower didn't you?" Naruto's word choice made Hinata feel even more embarrassed "…oh you should have said" Naruto grinned cheekily
"Well…er…I-I d-do…" Hinata could barely form words in her currant state of embarrassment as well as a strange sense of anticipation
"Come on then, no sense in waiting" Naruto said as he aimlessly pulled Hinata along. Hinata could only direct Naruto since she did not have it within herself to stop him.
Naruto strode with a mile-wide grin plastered on his face. Although to the observer, he appeared to be pulling Hinata along, she was in fact guiding Naruto to turn at street ends and to avoid the few on the streets at the time. Hinata guided Naruto around the last corner before they were climbing the stairs to Naruto's apartment. Hinata was almost shaking. She looked at him briefly, it was good to be able to see his eyes again. But they looked different to the ones that she remembered. They were unfocused and the iris didn't respond to the changing of light intensity
'without any light being sensed by the nerves, light wouldn't have to be controlled into the eye. I guess it all comes with being blind. No matter, the spark is still in his eyes' Hinata thought as she was staring at Naruto's eyes as they climbed the stairs. Naruto could feel Hinata's eyes on him
"Something wrong Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked
"N-nothing. I'm just getting used to seeing your eyes again" Hinata admitted, her stutter was returning
"Okay, lets get inside. Pink? Can you believe that…pink!" Naruto exclaimed. Hinata's face became as white as a sheet…fortunately for her, he didn't seem to pick up that she could have told him. They arrived at Naruto's front door. Hinata quickly brought out the keys and unlocked the door and let Naruto and herself in. She was shivering slightly since she still did not have her jacket. After getting inside, Hinata carefully released Naruto from her support.
"Naruto-kun, you go sit down, I'll go and draw you a b-bath" Hinata said, a blush on her cheeks from the thought of it
"u-uh a-alright" Naruto felt similarly to Hinata about it, even although it was he who was so enthusiastic about it earlier. In an attempt to find a seat, Naruto put into practise the skill he learned the previous day. He began to release chakra from his shins and feet, he could feel everything that was at his feet, he could feel the legs of chairs as well as the groove in between the planks of wood of the floor. Naruto carefully made his way towards one of the chairs
"I should really practise with that cane the Sakura-chan gave me, now that I'm…" Naruto was talking to himself, he remembered the cane that Sakura gave him the other day, he forgot to put it on that morning, he shrugged it off, there was always another day to think about that.
He could hear the sounds of running water through the darkness. Like before, he found himself hypnotized by the simplest of sounds. Naruto sat immobile, he lost track of how long he just sat there. He was lost in the sound of the water. A second sound was heard. A rhythmic sound, a steady beat, slowly getting louder. A faint smell also was felt by his sensitive nose. It was a smell that he had become all but addicted to over the week. Naruto swivelled around in his seat
"Hinata-chan?" He smiled but did not get an answer…at least not a verbal one. The answer that he got was in the form of an unexpected but welcomed pressure on his lips. The warmth of two arms circled around his back as the kiss was deepened. Naruto was surprised but certainly did not reject it. Hinata broke the kiss far too soon for Naruto's liking. However the hug remained and a new pressure on his left shoulder: Hinata's resting head.
"Your bath's ready Naruto-kun" Hinata's soft voice said to him
"Thanks, you gonna help me?" Naruto's voice was the perfect tone that didn't break the mood but it did convey the sense of playfulness that he was aiming for. Hinata smiled and had a small blush on her cheeks.
"Of course Naruto-kun" Hinata was now almost comfortable with the idea of bathing Naruto. Fortunately for her sanity, she had put bubblebath in the water, there was at least a foot of foam between the water and any on-lookers…not that Hinata wanted to look. She kept on telling herself that the smell of the foam would make him feel relaxed, it had nothing to do with her discomfort at seeing Naruto naked…again.
Hinata slowly straightened upright, pulling Naruto gentle to his feet in the process. Though he knew he didn't need help, Naruto was perfectly happy with letting Hinata help him in this way. She led him towards the bathroom door. Hinata guided him in first.
"I'll be back when you say you're in" Hinata said, before leaving Naruto to his privacy. Hinata quickly exited the bathroom and leaned against the wall and breathed heavily. She didn't realise but she was shaking. The blush had grown, but nit by very much. She could hear Naruto undressing through the closed door
Naruto had quickly undressed, not wanting to keep Hinata waiting. He felt around until his hand found the side of the bathtub. It was bigger than his last one. He slowly placed one leg into the tub, careful of the unknown temperature of the water…since the water walking incident was Ebisu, he was always cautious of water temperature. The heat given off by the water was very pleasant and the smell of the bubblebath was already making his muscles feel relaxed. He lowered his foot, first he felt the rough yet silken soft texture of the foam, he felt how it moulded around his foot, giving it way. His foot descended some more. Through the foam, his foot suddenly contacted with the surface of the water, he felt the water surround his foot, it was the first time in a few weeks that he had felt anything like this, excluding the suiton shower courtesy of Tsunade. The temperature felt perfect to Naruto; it was hot but not scalding. He quickly got in the tub, now confident of the water's pleasant temperature. Being a shower person, Naruto knew little of the pleasure of hot water surrounding his body, providing constant pressure and warmth on his entire body. He leaned back onto the angled back of the tub, feeling completely relaxed.
"Hinata-chan" Naruto called out. A few seconds after he called out, he heard the door open and the hesitant footsteps of Hinata
When Hinata saw Naruto feeling completely relaxed in the bath, she couldn't help but smile. She took a few steps forward towards the bath
"Naruto-kun? C-Can I wash your hair?" Hinata stuttered. She saw him smile
"Sure, anything you want Hinata-chan, I'm all yours" Naruto grinned. His words didn't make Hinata feel any easier, but she had consent so she set to work. She carefully removed the showerhead off the wall, she turned the knob on the wall and it sprayed hot water out of the head. She ran her hand under the water, checking the temperature before she started rinsing Naruto's hair. She moved the shower head across his head, completely drenching his hair while using her free hand to run across his scalp. Naruto's moans of pleasure started her hands to shake once again. Confident that his hair was sufficiently wet, she reached for one of the selection of shampoos at the side. She expertly flicked one bottle open with her thumb then squeezed a generous dollop on his wet hair. Quickly putting the bottle down, she began scratching in the shampoo into his scalp until it became all lathery. She was careful to keep it out of his eyes, even although the light-sensitive nerves were damaged didn't mean that the pain sensitive nerves were. Naruto was sitting upright in the tub. Thinking the feeling of Hinata's hands going through his head was simply fantastic. Hinata was rubbing across his scalp as if she were relieving a serious itch. Naruto loved every moment of it.
Once the shampoo was completely covering his hair, she set about rinsing it clean. The jet of water swept across his head, removing the lather with the aid from Hinata's fingers. Once it was completely gone she ran a finger across his hair, satisfied with the squeak of cleanliness, she switched off the shower.
"That was fantastic Hinata-chan" Naruto had a smile seemingly carved into his face, never to be removed
"C-Can you take it f-from here Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, wondering if she should continue. Naruto thought about it, his finger on his chin
"You can stay and wash my back if you want" Naruto grinned cheekily. Hinata could not find any words so she just continued on. Grabbing a flannel from the side along with a bar of soap, she thoroughly washed Naruto's back. She was especially careful not to let her hands go beneath the water.
The feeling of the rough flannel and the slippery soap on his spine was almost too much for Naruto to bear. His eyes were closing uncontrollably; his left leg was jolting like when you scratch a dog behind the ear. Hinata giggled at this. She carefully dipped the flannel into the water to rinse off the soap. With the wet flannel, she rinsed of the soap off of his back, leaving it completely clean.
"I'll let you finish up Naruto-kun. I'll be outside. There's a robe on the door for you" Hinata said
"Right, thanks Hinata-chan" Naruto smiled appreciatively. Hinata kissed Naruto quickly before leaving the room. Naruto quickly set about washing himself.
Hinata took a seat at the table. She was amazed that she had survived that. The blush was still apparent. She waited patiently for Naruto to finish up. She glanced at the clock on the wall, she noticed that it was getting rather late. She decided that Naruto would need his bed after he came out. He probably wouldn't be feeling very hungry, Hinata decided. Hinata quickly went to Naruto's room and set things right. She made Naruto's bed quickly and she brought out a fresh set of pyjamas and set them on his bed. She went back out into the main room. As she entered the room, Naruto had emerged from the bathroom wearing the white robe that she had pointed out, she could hear the faint sound of draining water.
"Naruto-kun? Are you tired?" Hinata asked
"A bit" Hinata could see his eyes drooping slightly
"Okay, lets get you to bed" Hinata said in a caring manner. It warmed Naruto's heart at how kind Hinata was to him. Hinata approached him, slipped under his arm and guided him towards his bedroom. Once they were in, Hinata led him over to his bed
"Your nightwear is on your bed Naruto-kun" Hinata said.
"Okay, thanks. You're not leaving are you?" Naruto asked, worried that Hinata might be going already
"No, I'm just going to wait outside while you change" Hinata comforted, she smiled at how he cared for her presence, she felt…needed. Hinata gave Naruto his privacy but only stood just out of sight.
Naruto quickly disrobed and donned his pyjamas. Once he was changed, he slipped into bed and got comfortable
"Hinata-chan" Naruto called out again. Hinata came back in, she smiled at seeing him all tucked up
"Goodnight Naruto-kun". She was about to turn and leave when he stopped her
"Wait, er…um, d-do y-you think that maybe…you wouldn't…leave me alone?" Naruto tripped over his words. Hinata could see that he was chewing his lower lip. Hinata wondered about it for a second
'I have already been away from home for a night, it wouldn't matter to father if I spent another…but this time I would be sleeping with Naruto under the covers.' She looked to her inner-selves for guidance but she found none
"S…Sure. If you really don't want to be alone, then I'll stay" Hinata said. Her heart melted when she saw the smile on his face when he heard that. She bushed when he shifted over and made room for her in the bed. Even although it was a double bed, to her it looked very small. She reached over and switched off the light
Carefully, she pulled back the covers enough to slide in next to Naruto. Feeling her warmth, Naruto shifted closer to her. His arms circled her and hers' him. Naruto took in a deep breath, kissed her once then rested his forehead against hers. Their legs slowly entangled of their own accord. Naruto shut his eyes and let sleep carry him away. He was not uncomfortable, he was not overly excited, he was at peace with everything. Hinata refused to shut her eyes. She stared intently at his closed ones. She felt his warmth.
She felt his undying love for her. She lay there, staring at Naruto's closed eyes for hours. She listened to his steady breaths. She felt him move in his sleep but never once loosening his grip on her. The warmth that Naruto projected –even within his sleep- was enough for Hinata to relax completely. Her eyes dropped. She allowed his forehead to support hers.
Soon enough, Hinata succumbed to the depths of sleep.
Author's Note: Done in a fraction of the time it took for the last chapter, that has to be worth something right?
The next chapter will be THE LAST chapter of "Out of Sight, Centre of Mind"
I want to keep on writing this fic but I know that if I do that, then it will become dry, and it will cheapen. So I'll quit while I'm ahead.
This does NOT mean I am going to hang up my keyboard and writing skills for good. The next chapter will not be the last you see of Scorpio, I assure you of that.
As you are all accustom to by now, there may be a bit of a wait before the next update, bare with me…please.
Plue-Sama – Yeah, that's what I wanted you to think. Mwahahaha! Yay, you found the quote. I just had to put it in. Thanks for reading
Crakbaby23 – Whoa whoa whoa! Don't you think that it would have been kinda predictable that Naruto would get his sight back? Come on. Give me a chance. Listen…all will be put right…eventually. But I'll thank you for not calling me a bastard again…alright? And its not all bad, the update time is shorter than before, and the next chapter…well, we'll jump off that bridge when we come to it
Danny-171984 – You would not believe how many people wanted it to be a joke. Thanks for the compliments, I thought that the whole Akatsuki scene has been visited and revisited too many times. My next piece of work may be more action based, you don't hate that do you? Unfortunately this chapter was a short one because I was just running out the clock of the seventh day so I can start work on the eighth.
Violently-Cheerful – Thanks for not complained about what I did…unless you hate me for keeping Naruto blind, in which case I'm sorry. Yeah, motivation can be a real pain, hence why I fail to keep to a regular update. Ah well. I'll have a looksie at your fic and review it
Dragon Man 180 – I know what you mean. That thought was running through my mind as I wrote it. It adds to the sorrow, and the fact that even in a world where such pure love can exist, something lost can alter someone's life…hmm? Maybe I could work that in somehow
Moonlightpath – yeah, Naruto can no longer see. Thank you, I try my best, I only write for the enjoyment of my reviewers
Anime/Manga Lubba – Loss of sight doesn't necessarily mean a sad ending, right?
Manatheron – You are the one that pushed me that extra mile to update when it had been far too long. I felt that this chapter kinda slowed down in terms of quality, but that is in the eyes of the reviewers. You are 100 right, this is just the start. You are very welcome, I love writing, but it is for you the reviewer that I write
Shadow-Sensei – Fortunately you didn't have to wait forever on this one. You serious? 2-3 hours…nice, I had no idea how long it takes to read one of my long chapters, I tend to scan quickly over them when I finish, usually I skip large portions so I had no idea about the timeframe…2-3 hours? Wow. I even get an honorific in my title? Even nicer.
Aloi-chan – Happily ever after would be kinda predictable, don't you think? Thanks for reading and not demanding that I change it because you didn't expect it.
Chibified Kitsunes – Good to see your review as ever Chibi-chan. Thanks for reviewing and for your suggestion.
Hinatasbiggestfanboy – Yeah, most people thought the same way about the ending there, but it aint over yet
Duel-Rasengan – Nice idea…bit Cliché on the Akatsuki thing but it's a good idea that I could use, I'll fike it away for later reference, thanks, I had a similar idea but I didn't really know how to work in the Naruhina. Thank you, the longest review you ever made? Well, good luck on your fic
Sephynarutocloud – Your in denial, accept that Naruto is blind. I updated sooner, yay!
Flip-Jounnin – wow, you didn't threaten to harm me if I didn't change it so Naruto could see. Thank you. Best fanfics you ever read? No matter how many times I hear that I just cant get used to it. Thanks for reviewing
Eva-Freak015 – I had Kyuubi explain why he doesn't heal Naruto's eyes in chapter 5…mind you it was a long time ago, I'm not surprised you don't remember
Aya-sama – awww, don't cry. Everything will turn out for the best you'll see
Madnarutofan – Yep, it is pretty sad, but everything works out, Naruto is happy
Nonengel – A great review, thanks. That was one of the purposes of that chapter, to tie up some loose ends. I tried to end this chapter in a satisfying way, what did you think? You were my first ever reviewer, I am eternally grateful that you have stuck with me through the course of this fic
Daniel of Lorien – You brought up a very good point, one that I had to explain why it couldn't happen. As for the Kyuubi eyes, I explained why Kyuubi doesn't do that in Chapter 5…remember?
Little Minamino – A joke? My friend…would I joke about something like that? I'm sorry that you didn't like it but I tried to balance it with this chapter. Naruto is happy, isn't that enough for now?
Ah-choo – Thanks, suspence? Not something I was aiming for but I'm glad that it had a positive effect
Tigerwolf – Thanks, sorry that you wanted Naruto to see again but that would just be too predictable
Randomreader – How can this be before Jiraiya? It has Tsunade in it. I tried to have so that Hinata would have to help Naruto. As well as I forgot about that option
nArUtOhInAtA fOrEvEr – Thank you very much for reading and your kind words. I'm glad you liked the ointment
Arurisonu Akane – Thanks for the review, you see that the blindness has brought the two closer together
Patch5129 – Didn't see that coming? Neither did Naruto. I was going to have Tsunade asleep but then I realised that it had only happened once in the series, I was just thrown off by the amount of fics that I have read where that happens. I thought it would make a nice change that she was awake and funny that everyone has branded her as a sleeper
Aznchicki – he's blind, yes. Thanks for reading
Makokam – Byakugan does need seals. Just watch the Hinata or Neji scenes. The sharingan? Yeah, that doesn't need seals. Yeah, the Kakashi mime was my idea, I'm glad you liked it. I'm trying to get through my work without the aid of others going over it. Kind of like, I will do this on my own since it is my first piece of work. But you aren't the first, only or the last to tell me about my grammatical issues. Updating? As a fellow writier you must understand that it cannot be rushed. My update speed depends on my motivation, If I write without motivation then the quality of the chapter is dramatically reduced, it wouldn't be fair to the readers if I write as fast as I can without putting my heart into it.
Fallon – Thanks, glad you liked it
Kenshinlover2002 – Awww, don't cry, please. Don't worry, even if he cant see, he's still happy with Hinata
Flameraven1 – You knew that it would be too predictable if he got his sight back, thanks for understanding
PersonnaJXT – Blind forever? That remains to be seen (no pun intended) Thanks for reading
Hisoka316 – Thanks for reading even although you don't like the outcome of Naruto's situation
Randomguyhere – I suppose I could have ended there…if I was Steven King. Not over yet
Sirius183 – Thanks for reading,
Minimerc – Yep, Hinata really came through for her love. The whole ordeal has brought the two closer together
Kzinti7 – Not the ending…not by a long shot
Jin-ashi – I'm glad you liked the mix. Thanks for reading
And…that's it, I'm away for a week so that'll be week off no writing. My goal will be to update before this fic becomes 1 year old, that gives me more or less a month to write a HUGE chapter…will I be able to do it? I'll see you then…for now, I leave you.