Concrit is still encouraged, but review anyway if you want.


Iron Threads

Chapter Four:

Of Diplomacy


Gaara and his siblings arrived right on schedule. Hinata and Lee said their good byes to Hanabi and the clan and headed toward Naruto's house in relative silence. They were surprised upon arriving to discover that Anko and Kakashi were also accompanying them on their journey.

"This is starting to look like a couples' retreat," Kakashi told the Hokage as they all met in the foyer of the house, "We have you and your wife, Anko and I—"

Anko, who had her arms wrapped possessively around Kakashi's free arm, added, "Anko your girlfriend."

Kakashi ignored the last statement and continued, "And then you have Lee and Hinata, who I'm sure will be an item after this trip."

The two of them blushed and laughed uncomfortably. Naruto only grinned sheepishly.

"Well, I have to bring Sakura," he began, "You and Anko are our top two Jounin, Hinata's coming for diplomatic appeasement and Lee is her bodyguard in Neji's stead."

"Do you even know what 'diplomatic appeasement' means?" the older Jounin asked of his former student.

"Nope, but Gaara says it will make the Raikage happy, so I say we do it," Naruto answered.

"The Raikage is a buffoon," Gaara interjected, "However, we need this buffoon in order to have the summit, so we'll try and give him whatever he wants. But if it means that you'll be hurt in anyway, Hinata-san, I will personally step in to stop it."

Hinata bowed to Gaara, "Thank you, Kazekage-sama, for your gracious offer, but I have Lee-san here to protect me."

Gaara smirked at the taijutsu specialist, "I see. You're in good hands then."

Naruto was starting to get restless. The Hokage was never one to remain still for long. He headed out the door.

"Come on, let's go already," the blonde said. They went outside and Naruto stopped dead in his tracks.

"Um…how are we supposed to get there?" the Hokage asked.

"Simple, we walk," Kankuro told him. Naruto blinked.

"Genin walk. Chunin walk. Jounin walk. Even the Sannin walk," the blonde began, "You'd think that by now, as a Hokage, I should be high enough in the ranks to not have to walk!"

"How else are we going to get there, Naruto?" Sakura asked. Naruto grumbled and crossed his arms.

"I don't know, Gaara can make some sort of cool sand thing and we can ride it to the summit," he suggested.

"Absolutely not," Gaara replied in a rather cold tone, "The summit is not that far. We all have two legs, we walk."

The Hokage grumbled and followed the Kazekage down the road and away from Konoha.


They made it to the town where the summit was to be held around six in the evening. Once they arrived, they were promptly shown to their rooms. Hinata and Lee had to share a room. Naruto was sure to ask for one with two separate beds for them, and Hinata was rather thankful for that. She trusted Lee while he was awake, but she didn't trust anyone while in the consciousness of sleep. The last thing Hinata needed was for Lee to dream about Sakura and end up holding her in his arms instead. While Naruto, Sakura and Gaara would get large, spacious multi-roomed suites, Anko, Kakashi, Lee and Hinata weren't privy to such treatment. Lee had unpacked rather quickly and left for some fresh air. Hinata was busy trying to settle in her room long after he had left, there were so many more things for her to unpack.

There were several things tugging on her mind. First and foremost was; why did the Raikage want to see her? Second wasn't really so much a question as it was something that was bothering her. She had spent the day watching Sakura and Naruto be a cute and loving married couple. Hinata knew she could never move on if she didn't try to ignore the feelings of jealousy in her heart. She couldn't help it, her heart still longed for Naruto. Third on her mind was Lee. She wondered if he was feeling the same about seeing them together. He was always better about self control than she was, if he was upset, he probably wouldn't let it show.

Hinata braided her hair for the night and decided to see if she could meet up with Lee, he said he'd be outside in the garden. The gardens at the summit buildings were large and elaborate, she wandered for fifteen minutes straight without any sign of Lee. Just when she was about to retire to her room, she heard voices. She instantly concealed herself in the branches of a tree.

Naruto and Sakura came down the path, giggling and smiling at each other. Hinata didn't really hear the conversation, but they stopped under the tree where she was hiding. They stopped, looked into each other's eyes. Their lips met, briefly at first, and then, slowly, the kiss became hungry and consuming. Their bodies became flush against each other, and Hinata didn't have to stay in order to know what was to come next. She didn't want to think about it.

If things went well, in nine months, Sakura would live out yet another one of Hinata's dreams and bear Naruto his first child. In nine months all of Hinata's dreams would be smashed even worse than they already were. She ran back to the room and slammed the door behind her. Lee had beaten her back to the room and jumped when he heard the force of the slam. She flopped on her bed and pulled the covers over her head.

"Hinata, is everything all right?" he asked. Hinata didn't answer. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks, but she wasn't going to tell him that, or that finally, for once, she had her image of Naruto being hers totally decimated, or that now her heart was painfully empty in his wake. Lee had seen her cry enough times and Hinata was tired of looking weak in front of him. Friends were supposed to support each other. Here she was leaning on him for support and comfort and he never needed her for such things. Nobody needed her! The taijutsu specialist pulled the covers away from her head.

"Why won't you tell me what's wrong?" he asked. Hinata forced herself to sit up and she dried her tears as best she could. She wouldn't tell him about what she saw, Hinata couldn't break his heart like that. She would tell him how she felt about their friendship at this moment.

"Lee, I'm very sorry, I've been a horrible friend to you," she said, "I've been coming to you and crying on your shoulder and you haven't needed me like that at all. I feel like I'm taking too much from you and not giving back enough."

Lee sighed and stroked her hair, "Hinata, you're one of the best friends I've ever had. Only you seem to truly understand what I've been going through, and who knows about what hard work really is. You are the only friend I have that knows what it means to work so hard and still fail when it comes to what you want most. Your heart and your soul are gentle. A friendship with you is payment enough for anything."

Hinata grasped his hand tightly and fell silent for a while.

"Thank you," she said finally, "Good night, Lee."

"Good night, Hinata," he replied. As Hinata drifted off to sleep Lee went over to his bed and tried to study his scroll. Yet, his mind was not on anything written on it. The past several weeks having stayed with Hinata had made him reevaluate the two women he held dearest in his heart. He loved Sakura dearly, but he was willing to let her go. There was a three month window while she was engaged when he could have forced his way into her heart and had her with him always. Yet he didn't take it. Why was that? Had he been secretly ready to let her move on for so long? What about his promise to protect her until he died? She no longer needed his protection. Naruto had already made the same promise and she had willingly accepted the blonde's offer over his.

Then Lee questioned, just how much he valued Hinata. Why did he accept Neji's request to protect her? Was he dealing with all of this out of duty? Why didn't he get upset whenever Hanabi tried to get them together? He was doing all of this for Hinata. Why? She was his best friend, that was true, but why follow her all the way here? He didn't have to, she even said he wasn't obligated.

Lee reasoned that he came here because he didn't want to see her hurt. No one deserves to be hurt, but what was he really afraid of? He was afraid she would die. Why didn't he want her to die? If she died, then the only woman who understood him perfectly would die. That would hurt him far too much, more so than when Sakura accepted Naruto's vow of eternal protection.

This made him wonder. Would just being friends with Hinata truly be enough for him?


Hinata awoke with a start. She had heard strange sounds coming from down the hall. Lee also heard them and awoke not long after. Naruto and Sakura were not far from their room, perhaps they were in trouble. The two friends gave each other a quick glance and got up out of their beds and crept noiselessly down the hall to door of the Hokage's room. The older Jounin nodded to Hinata and she activated her byakugan. As she began her search, everything seemed all right…

Suddenly, her face turned bright red, and a loud moan came from inside the room. Hinata didn't even bother to tell Lee what she had seen, she simply grabbed his wrist and dragged him back to the room. The older boy didn't have to ask in order to know what she saw. The two of them simply tried to shake the mental images that had formed in their minds and tried to fall asleep.


Hinata woke up a little later than she usually did. She was a bit behind schedule, but she knew she couldn't skip a day of training. The dark haired girl hadn't forgone a day's training in years, she couldn't afford to be lazy now. She rose to go the wide balcony and tried to get some fresh air. She leaned on the edge and stared down at the courtyard below. Somehow it hadn't surprised her when she saw Lee there already training. He truly was an amazing person.

The wind played with her long braid. She grabbed at it and started to undo the coils. She then pulled it up in a bun, tied it in place with her ribbon and jumped down beside her friend. She put her hand on her hip and held out a thumbs up and smiled brightly.

"Morning, Lee!" she said. He turned to her and returned her flashy smile.

"Morning, Hinata!" Lee replied. They both laughed at this.

"You really have to show Neji your 'nice girl' pose one day. I'm sure he'll get a kick out of it," the taijutsu specialist told his friend. She shook her head.

"His brain might break first," she replied, "I came down here to train. You want to spar?"

Lee gazed at her for a while. Something about her seemed more fragile than usual, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to fight her for fear he might hurt her. However, he shook off these feelings and shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

Hinata crouched into her fighting stance. As their spar began, Naruto woke up from his long and busy night and gazed lazily down into the courtyard. He smirked as he saw them together. Ever since he found out about their friendship, he thought of it as rather odd for some reason. Seeing Lee and Hinata fight made it clear how well they knew each other. They were both very familiar with each other's fighting style and subtle moves. It was a very engaging spar, although neither seemed bent on over powering the other. Naruto knew they were holding back, there may have been spies watching their moves for weaknesses, but it was still fun to watch them.

"What are you doing out there?" Sakura asked as she came to her husband's side. Naruto turned to her and smiled.

"I'm watching Lee and Hinata duke it out," he told his wife. Sakura leaned on the balcony next to Naruto and watched the fight unfold. Something in her heart made her smile at the scene.

"They're such good friends," she said, "I hope they finally end up happy."

"Happy together, you mean?" Naruto added. Sakura looked at her husband a bit questioningly.

"I don't always have a sixth sense for this kind of thing, but I think they could work," he said, "I really do. I don't want Hinata to work herself to death like she's been doing. Lee will take good care of her."

"And she will do just as good a job of taking care of him," Sakura added. The two of them smiled and walked back into their room. Perhaps there was a little time before breakfast to have a little more fun.


Kakashi and Anko were waiting for everyone at the breakfast table. All the ninjas of Konoha had arranged to have their morning meals together. Kakashi was so determined to ignore Anko that he had restarted the entire Make Out series simply to keep himself occupied. This whole business of being a boyfriend was rather tiresome.

Anko on the other hand had tried every trick in the book to get his attention short of just decking him right on the spot. There were the subtle things, like allowing one of her jacket flaps to fly away from her chest for a little exposure, the obvious things like walking out of the shower in nothing but a towel…the works. How could he resist the burning sexiness that was Mitarashi Anko? She couldn't understand it!

As everyone else arrived for breakfast, Kakashi glared angrily at Naruto and Sakura. Naruto greeted everyone brightly despite the silver haired Jounin's looks of pure death.

"Naruto, next time you and your wife want to have sex, please be sure to do so quietly. Some of us need to sleep," his former teacher said rather bluntly. Naruto and Sakura both turned bright red and they laughed uncomfortably. Hinata tried to push the image of what she had seen last night out of her mind. It was just so…unclean…she wanted to actually eat all of her breakfast this morning. Anko smirked coyly at the two friends as they started breakfast.

"I'm sure it was you two that everybody was talking about," the older female Jounin said. They both looked at her with confused expressions.

Her smirk only grew more mischievous upon seeing their faces, "Yeah, a lot of the waitresses were talking about this guy they had seen in the courtyard. They said, his fashion sense could use some work but, and I quote, 'Oh my, gawd, did you see his body? I'd hit that in a heartbeat!'"

Hinata tried to stifle her giggles as Lee blushed slightly.

"Such…kind remarks…" he said sheepishly. Anko turned her attention to the Hyuga clan leader.

"And, all the things the waiters were saying about you, Hinata," the energetic Jounin continued, "What'd they say exactly, Kakashi? I don't want to misquote them."

Kakashi was once again absorbed in his naughty novel, but he stopped to tell that part of the story.

"They said that they had seen a girl with pearly white eyes 'descend from the heavens like a goddess of the moon,'" he said. Anko, Naruto and Sakura laughed heartily. Hinata found herself rather amused by the whole situation despite her embarrassment. As they all chuckled, a somber looking messenger came up to the table and the laughing died down.

"I have word that the Raikage would like an audience with Hyuga-sama," he said. He placed a message in front of her. Hinata sighed as the man left and opened the envelope.

"What does it say?" Naruto asked. She handed it to him.

"Nothing too special, just officially informing me of his request in writing," Hinata said. She rose from the table.

"Excuse me, I have to be going," the clan leader said and left. Lee told the others he would see them later, and accompanied Hinata to their room.

Lee was dressed in his hakama in a flash. It was Hinata that was taking the most time in getting ready. Although she had packed an obi with less fabric and was easier to tie, she still found that she needed some help. Lee had been waiting outside the room for her, and she poked her head out and looked up at him sheepishly.

"Um…I need some help with my obi…would you mind helping me?" she asked. Lee smiled.

"Of course I'll help!" he said with a flashy smile. She walked over to the full length mirror and gazed it with scrutiny. As she worked her hands through the intricate patterns, she handed her friend parts of the fabric she wanted him to hold, folds she wanted him to keep in place. Soon, she was finished. She tied the obi-jime over her obi and sighed.

"Done," the Hyuga clan leader said. Lee looked into the mirror at the younger girl and found himself captivated by her appearance once again. Something about seeing Hinata in her kimono made him just stop and look. Hinata started blushing again as she noticed his attentions to her and she started out the door.

"Lee…you know I don't like it when you stare at me…" she said softly. He snapped out of his train of thought and followed her. As they left their room, Sakura and Naruto were coming up the hall. Sakura gasped when she saw Hinata in her Hyuga robes.

"You look so lovely, Hinata!" the pink haired girl said, "That kimono is so elaborate!"

"It's customary for the head of the family to wear such clothing for special occasions," the Hyuga girl explained.

"Good luck, Hinata," Naruto told her, "I'll expect a full report."

She nodded and she and Lee headed toward the place where the Raikage was staying. Hinata's face belied no fear, but at some point during the walk, she had gently wrapped her arm around Lee's. He looked down at her and started to worry a little. Her entire body seemed china like all of a sudden and she looked so pale. Lee feared that she might not make to the Raikage's meeting room.

Hinata entered the room where the Raikage was waiting for her and sat demurely in the seat he provided. Lee was content to stand behind just her, both for support and safety reasons. The man on the other side of the table folded his hands in front of him and smiled a toothy grin. His smile didn't ease Hinata's mind like Lee's did. This was a calculating, cruel smile.

"So, you're the little girl who almost caused a war," he said. Hinata smiled a bit uneasily at this statement.

"I really don't recall those events very well, I was far too young," she told the older man. He chuckled at her response.

"To think, it was all over your eyes. Just two the small orbs in your head that we wanted," the Raikage continued, "Your eyes are remarkable. Tell me, Hyuga-sama, what can you see with those eyes?"

Hinata's polite smile didn't fade, "I can see many things, Raikage-sama."

"Can you see things that are 'hidden' or so to say?" he asked.

"The term 'hidden' is all but interpretation to the hearer," she answered, "I'm sure everything we see can be seen one way or another."

Lee was surprised at Hinata's ability to give ambiguous answers. It was a talent he wasn't expecting from her.

"So, is there anything you can't see?" the Raikage prodded.

"We can't see the future, or what is on the hearts of our fellow man," the Hyuga answered. Hinata could tell the older man was getting frustrated.

"Hyuga-sama, I didn't call you here to play word games all day," he said in a dangerous tone.

"And I didn't come here to reveal family secrets or tell you things you already know," Hinata replied almost coldly, "I'm simply here because you asked me to."

"You won't make this easy, will you?" the Raikage replied, "You're just like your father, stubborn and tricky."

"I beg your pardon, Raikage-sama, but almost all shinobi are stubborn and tricky," she told him. The older man glared at her, but Hinata's polite expression hadn't changed.

"It's all right, I'll get what I want one way or the other," he said, "You are dismissed."

Hinata rose, her back completely straight, her head high and walked out the door. As they left, she wrapped her arm around Lee's once again. She sighed deeply and kept her face a mask of tranquility like she usually did when she was upset. The taijutsu specialist knew something was definitely wrong with his friend. During their morning spar, they didn't even use half the strength they usually do, and yet Hinata was quite winded once they were through. She had barely eaten her breakfast and she currently looked very drawn. Hinata was definitely getting sick.

"Do you want to rest when we go back to the room?" Lee asked her. She nodded.

"I'd like to rest very much…" Hinata answered almost too eagerly. Before they even reached their room, a woman ran up to them.

"You must be Hyuga Hinata," she said, "I'm the Raikage's wife and I just wanted to invite you to the party we're having right now."

Lee was about to decline, but Hinata accepted the offer before he could open his mouth. She dragged the two of them to a nearby building. Anko and Kakashi were there being their usual selves; Kakashi reading Make Out Violence, and Anko still trying to get his attention. The older Jounin greeted the two as they entered. Anko huffed and crossed her arms as they all sat at a table together.

Hinata sat at the table glumly, too tired to talk or smile. Lee brushed her bangs back and felt her forehead. Hinata pushed his hand away, but it was too late. Lee had discovered that she had a fever, a very bad one at that. He gazed at his friend with concern.

"I'm fine, Lee, don't look at me like that…" she said softly. Lee shook his head. No, she wasn't fine. She was dreadfully ill she probably had been sick for weeks and was ignoring it. Now her illness was getting a lot worse, and she was still pushing herself far too hard. Before he could inquire after her further, the Raikage's wife grabbed Hinata.

"I want to see if it's true what they say about your eyes, Hinata-sama!" she said. Hinata followed her, smiling slightly despite her fatigue. Lee kept an eye on her as the women blindfolded her and asked her questions about things in the room. Anko had no interest in Hinata's eyes. Partially because she already knew what they did, and also because she still was vying for Kakashi's attention.

"What does that stupid book have that I don't have?" she asked no one in particular. Then it hit her. The answer to her problems was just so obvious she hadn't even thought of it! Anko pushed the book known and held her face just inches away from Kakashi's.

"You start acting like more like my boyfriend, and I'll fulfill your fantasies far better than any of those books can," she told the silver haired Jounin. Kakashi stared at her for a few moments before he dropped the book on the floor and pulled her into his lap.

"What ever you want, Anko," he said almost mechanically. Anko smirked evilly.

"Anko, what?" she prodded. He grumbled.

"Anko…-chan…" he said in a defeated tone, "If I do this whole boyfriend thing, you'll have to fulfill all my fantasies."

"You won't be disappointed," Anko whispered seductively in his ear. Kakashi blinked a few times before smirking under his mask and pulling her closer. Perhaps this boyfriend situation might work out for the best.

Lee had completely missed the exchange happening right next to him, for his concentration was on the other side of the room. Hinata's ability to see through solid objects was being used like a cheap parlor trick. He could tell she was tired and he wanted desperately to get her out of there. The taijutsu specialist headed toward his friend. He was her bodyguard, he could say something gruff and rude and get Hinata back to her room to rest.

She was swaying back and forth slightly due to her exhaustion and the women only crowded around her as she saw through the walls of yet another closed box full of trinkets and clothes. Hinata stood up, still blindfolded and excused herself hastily. She was heading in Lee's direction and he quickened his pace. Hinata started to collapse and he caught her just before she hit the floor.

The women the room cried out in fear and worry. Lee told them not to be overly concerned and he took Hinata's small body in his arms and carried her to their room.


Hinata opened her eyes slowly. It was night, she could tell by looking out the doors to the balcony. The Hyuga girl sat up and looked around the room. She glanced over at Lee's bed to see if he was there. The covers were disheveled; he had been sleeping there not too long ago. Where was he now?

As if to answer her question, Lee entered the room with a glass of water. He looked surprised to see her awake. The dark haired boy sat on the edge of her bed and turned on the light.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Hinata.

"I'm fine, I told you that before," she answered. He laughed and reached for a bottle on her bed stand.

"Yeah, right before you passed out," he added. Lee poured some of the contents of the bottle on a spoon and held it just inches away from her lips. She stared at him for a moment before taking the medicine in her mouth. Hinata brushed back her hair a little and blushed slightly. Her friend then gave her another spoonful of medicine and then handed her his glass of water.

"Sakura said that you had an extremely high fever and that you should take it easy for a few days," Lee informed her, "She personally went out to get you the medicine you needed. Naruto and Gaara thought it would be best if she got it instead of someone else from the summit committee."

Hinata sighed and sipped the water in silence. Lee placed his palm on her forehead to check her temperature.

"Your fever's gone down a bit, but don't push yourself," he told her. Her blush deepened. If anyone in her family besides maybe Hanabi was this attentive to her when she was sick, she probably would have died from shock.

"Do you want me to sit up with you until you fall asleep?" Lee inquired of Hinata. The younger girl tapped the glass she was holding apprehensively.

"If it's not too much trouble…" she replied softly. He smiled brightly and sat Indian style on her bed.

"You know…I was thinking about when we first met," he told her, "Do you remember that day?"

Hinata smiled, "It was raining and you were worried that I would get sick if you didn't walk me home under your umbrella."

"Yeah," he said, "Who would have known it would have lead to all this. I never thought I'd ever get to know you as well as I do now."

Hinata took his hand in hers and looked into his dark eyes.

"I'm really glad I asked to be your friend," she told him. She looked down at his hand in hers. His hands were almost always covered in bandages. There were rare occasions when he wouldn't wear them, but usually, his forearms and hands were always wrapped up.

"Lee…why do you always have your hands in bandages?" Hinata asked. Lee grinned.

"You never know when you'll be in a fight!" he replied. Hinata supposed that was true. It was then that she saw something. Coming in from the balcony was a man clad in black.

Instinctively, she screamed in surprise more than fear. Lee with one swift motion, rendered the man unconscious.

"See why you always have to be prepared, Hinata?" he told her. Hinata activated her byakugan to search for more intruders.

"There are more shinobi on the way. They're from the Cloud Village, I can tell by their headbands. Raikage-sama must be ready to start another war. Don't kill anyone," she informed him, "Last time that happened, all of Konoha almost ended up paying for it."

Lee nodded in response, "I'm sure I can take most of these guys, so don't fight if you don't have to."

Hinata only looked up at him silently as she recalled his promise. He'd protect her until he died. Would he die tonight? Her heart suddenly filled with dread.

More Cloud shinobi arrived, and Lee had almost no problem defeating them. However, more enemy shinobi were coming their way, and the room was starting to get crowded with defeated ninja. The door to their room opened and Kakashi and Anko were there.

"Hinata, Lee, you guys go outside, we'll take care of any ninja that come in here," Anko told them. The taijutsu specialist nodded and took Hinata in his arms. He barreled through the crowd of ninja that entered the balcony doors and leapt easily into the courtyard. Hinata gazed up at him as he placed her on the ground beside him.

"I could have gotten out myself," she said. Lee gave her a flashy smile in response and she giggled. A few Cloud shinobi jumped off the balcony and the taijutsu specialist got ready to take them on. Before he could launch his attack, an onslaught of sand crushed his opposition. Gaara, Kankuro and Temari were running in their direction. Kankuro and Temari jumped into action, while Gaara lapsed behind with the two friends.

"Hinata-sama, while I have no doubt that Lee-san could fight shinobi all night, I'd rather not let your bodyguard have all the fun," he said. Lee smirked at the Kazekage.

"I hear you are ill, Hinata-sama. Please take it easy and let us take care of everything," Gaara added. Two figures jumped from the balcony located next to Lee and Hinata's room. Naruto and Sakura wre ready to join the fray.

"Did I miss anything?" Naruto asked.

"Not much," Hinata answered. Sakura smiled and made a fist.

"Good, I need to bash a few heads in," the pink haired girl said. Naruto and Gaara stood back to back.

"Let's show them what an alliance between The Sand and The Leaf can do!" Naruto declared. Hinata kept her byuakugan activated and monitored everything that was happening as everyone launched into action. She wished they wouldn't treat her like she was useless just because she had a little fever. Okay, maybe it wasn't so little, but she could still fight!

After about an hour, the fighting died down. Lee was heading in her direction. Hinata crouched into her fighting stance. The older boy held up his hands defensively.

"Hey, easy Hinata, it's only me!" he said. Hinata gazed at him with her byakugan and relaxed a little.

"I see," she replied. He smiled and walked over to her. Without a warning, she charged for him, palm first. Her attack connected with his chest just above his heart. The Hyuga girl gazed angrily up at him as he coughed up blood.

"Only Lee can perfectly block that move, Raikage-sama," she said. The older man transformed back into his normal state.

"So there's more to you than meets the eye," he said in a dangerously low tone. The other ninja from Konoha joined her. Naruto and Gaara stood in front of Hinata and faced the Raikage.

"What is it you have against Hinata?" the Hokage asked.

"It doesn't concern you. You have two choices, Hokage-sama. Hand over a Hyuga, a live one that hasn't been touched by a curse seal, or wage war with me," the Raikage told him. Naruto looked taken aback, but Gaara gave the Raikage a calculating glance.

"We'll settle this at the continuation of the summit meeting tomorrow," the Kazekage said. With that everyone headed back inside. Once they were out of hearing range for the Raikage, Naruto voiced the unspoken sentiments of all the ninja present.

"Hinata, you and Lee should go back to Konoha tonight," he told her. Hinata nodded.

"If this means war, then we'll go to war," Gaara said, "Although if tonight is any sort of precursor for what war is going to be like, we'll crush them easily."

Hinata sighed. As if she didn't have enough problems, she had to deal with this too. Lee slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it reassuringly. Hinata gazed up at him with a shy smile and squeezed back.


someone: There's always room for improvement, but thank you!

Grimmylocks: I'm glad you like it, even though you have a preference for another pairing (one that I happen to adore beyond all measure! LeeSaku makes me smile).

Anime-Dudette: I love you girl. I really do. I had a long debate over Hanabi's characterization and how I should do it, but I told myself in the end that she's nineteen in this story and has probably had much experience in how to be obnoxious and push her sister's buttons. She is the cuteness.

Um...concrit is still wanted. Review, please...