Epilogue: Book One
A Journey of a Single Step
Hinata watched wide eyed, as the boy with a messy mop of blonde hair slowly tore off the bandages that were wrapping around his face. Her heart was racing fast and strong as the boy before her slowly revealed his face marred by the wrapped white cloth as the wind gently swayed her slowly growing shoulder length hair as did the tips of the boy's bandages gently flapping to the wind. When he finally ripped it open, his face revealed and his bright blue eyes turned cheery and joyous, he gave his ever trademark grin that Hinata had missed the most.
He was her sun, shining brightly in a mid-summer afternoon, burning with passion and cutting her darkness in half, illuminating her colourless world.
His hair had grown longer, the bangs at the side of his face now were longer and reached just below the sides of his jaws, he lost a little weight and his cheeks deflated a little. But those whisker marks were still there, that same grin, those same deep passionate blue eyes.
Then, his voice had brought her back to the world as he said to her, "I'm sorry, I made you worry."
Hinata couldn't help but slowly approach the boy in front of her, right hand on her mouth as she desperately tried but failed to withhold her tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
When she was finally at arm's reach, she held out both her hands to his cheeks as she stuttered between her sobs, still disbelieving and hoping against all odds, that she wasn't dreaming or that this wasn't just a cruel joke.
"T-This isn't a dream…"
Naruto, who merely gave a sincere and true smile at her as he held her hands, replied, "No, it isn't. I'm real, right in front of you."
Then, as her will failed her, she let her pent up emotions fall from her face, all her grief, anger and hate, just disappeared as she embraced him with all of her being, all of her sensations and all of her emotions.
"Y-You're really here, with me…"
Her tears were a mix of joy and relief. Her cries to him only made him more aware of her feelings for him. His large smile shrank to one of understanding as he looked to his shoulder with her head resting on it and let her tears come forth. Thus, he reciprocated her embrace. He wrapped his arms around her small waist. He could feel her trembling and he had realized that he never wanted this girl in his arms to make her sad ever again.
"I'm finally home, Hinata."
And her cries would only grow louder…
After Hinata calmed down in his arms, Naruto couldn't help but feel completely overwhelmed after what had happened with the last two months. He was more overwhelmed by the fact the girl currently in his arms didn't seem to let go in the slightest and that the rest of his peers were all watching the two of them with eyes that he could tell from the girls were the same as that when girls see couples walking around the park and they were practically smiling at him as he finally let Hinata go while she reluctantly did so as well.
Of course, being a boy who had pretty much little to no understanding of social graces, he grew somewhat embarrassed and blushed when everything had finally settled down.
Hinata had finally been aware of her surroundings as well, blushing heavily and all the while clinging to his right arm as she held it close to her.
Naruto couldn't exactly place where his emotions currently lie, but he did feel a little funny and confused when he could feel his arms being close to the girl's bosom, baggy clothes or the fabric of their attire themselves be damned.
'Wow, those are soft.'
Naruto hadn't noticed it, but his cheeks were now growing a rosy blush that was somewhat noticeable.
Then an ANBU with a tiger mask dropped down to his front just as Ino, Sakura and Tenten decided to tease him and Hinata and said with a flat voice, "Uzumaki-san, the Hokage requests that you come to the office immediately concerning your status and action these past few days."
Naruto gave a nod as the Tiger Masked ANBU put up a single hand seal but not before saying, "It is good to have you back, Uzumaki-san."
Naruto gave a sigh as he turned to Hinata and asked the girl, "Hey, Hinata, I have to talk to the Hokage, can we meet up later?"
Hinata shook her head at this, "No, please, let me be by your side a little longer. My experience for the last two months was me believing that you had died, now that it wasn't true, I don't want to leave you for long. I-I… I would lose my mind if I were to lose you again."
Naruto sported a new blush as he was caught off guard by Hinata's answer. Two months was a long enough time to have changed a lot of things.
Naruto finally gave up on dissuading Hinata to let her stay when she gave her a pleading and sad look that he couldn't say no to. The boy merely walked towards the Hokage tower with Hinata holding on to him like he would disappear again.
'I can't blame her… I was supposedly dead.'
When he walked around the streets of his village, those of the elderly would look at him as if they had seen a ghost and trembled in either fear or disbelief. Naruto looked at them weirdly and they would simply turn around and decide to give an excuse to go do something else.
The blonde scratched the back of his head as he made his way towards the tower. When Shizune saw him, the woman had her stacks of paper fall from her hands and scattered to the floor as Naruto greeted her with a smile.
When he finally made way towards the entrance of the office, Naruto turned towards Hinata and said, "Can you stay here, Hinata? I don't think it would be a good idea for you to be inside, Tsunade-baa-chan can sometimes have a temper that could kill anyone."
The girl looked reluctant for a second but finally decided to let go and looked down, Naruto smiled at her and reassured her, "Don't worry, I'll only be there for a few minutes."
When Hinata had finally let go, Naruto felt like he would have wanted it to last longer, but seeing as he had something to do, he gave a deep breath and opened the doors to the Hokage's office.
There, he saw Tsunade reading some papers as she looked up and saw Naruto looking at her with a sheepish grin. Tsunade then stared blankly at the blonde and then gave a flat tone in her voice, "You…"
Naruto was nervously scratching the back of his head at this, "You've got brass balls to have disobeyed your commanding officers, brat. You're lucky you're technically filed under the MIA category and you weren't on the active duty list. If it were anything else, I would have bashed your head in for such a stupid mistake and would have stripped you of your rank."
"But since you have a loophole technicality, I will let this slide but only just this once." Tsunade replied with a glare that sent Naruto's spine shivering.
He wouldn't want to be another victim from Tsunade's monstrous fist. But he gave a sigh of relief anyway when Tsunade had decided to let it go out of a technicality.
"That doesn't mean you're off the hook, mister."
Naruto sweated bullets yet again. Tsunade smirked seeing her subordinate blonde squirm in her hands.
"May I remind you that Kakashi just sent a full report about what you said that you were willing to face the consequences?" Tsunade asked with a grin and Naruto stuttered at that as he tried avoiding eye contact with the Hokage who was giving an amused smirk.
"I-I did say that, didn't I? S-so what would you have me do?"
Tsunade couldn't help it anymore and she gave a very un-ladylike snort and laughed out as she looked up with her right hand covering her eyes.
"Hahahaha! You look like you're a constipated jackass right now, brat!" She said as she tried to control her laughter, barely succeeding.
"But in all seriousness, you're going to have to clean the academy toilets for two weeks because of your insubordination, though technically, you shouldn't, I just felt doing this because you should know that you can't do anything that you want. That'd be your lesson in not following your superiors ever again, brat."
Naruto groaned as he looked down, it was like he had two weeks' worth of detention all over again.
Naruto could only curse, "Fuck me, this sucks!"
Tsunade then finally looked serious and said to the blonde, "I want to ask you about what happened during that two months you were gone brat, you were imprisoned and held against your will. Do you know who did it?"
Naruto shook his head, "No, I don't know who did it. All I know is that guy is an asshole and kept insulting me over his crappy sound system. I didn't even see that bastard's face. His mooks are the same though, they wore masks but not like the ANBU. They were faceless and uniform in style, there's nothing to see in them other than a couple of eye holes."
Tsunade hummed at the blonde's words and thought about the boy's experience. She had hoped that at least Danzo would have slipped and would have a confirmation coming from Naruto. Apparently, Danzo thought that his plan had a chance for failure so he went ahead and made sure to cover all holes in his plans.
That also unfortunately, involved the blonde obliterating the base to kingdom come. Now there was no way to piece Naruto's abduction to Danzo's machinations.
'He plays too good. I need something else.'
Tsunade was in deep thought when Naruto called out her name.
"Baa-chan, can I go now? Hinata's waiting outside and I feel like I should assure her that everything's okay now."
Tsunade shook her head with a knowing smile plastered on her face, "Brat, someone like her? You should let her do as she pleases for a few days. Right now what she needs isn't your reassurance, but your presence. You were claimed dead, brat. She saw you with her own two eyes. Do you think someone like her would just be assured with an okay coming from you?"
Naruto remained silent as Tsunade stood up and went around the boy before gently putting a hand on the boy's head.
"Someone like you still has much to learn concerning women, but let me remind you this."
Tsunade kneeled down in front of him with a smile on her face as her chin rested on her right hand, "Be there for her. Until she realizes herself that she doesn't have to be near you all the time. And I'm glad that you're still with us."
Naruto looked down and gave a silent nod as Tsunade then placed both of her hands on his shoulders, "Now go, I understand that there are things you still want to talk about but you don't know how. I just want you to know that we're all here to support you, even though there were secrets that were kept from you. But you should know how Jiraiya and Sarutobi-sensei cared for you."
Naruto turned his back and replied, "I already know that and I understand why they had to keep secrets or why Ero-sennin would choose duty above me, he wanted me to have a safe home even though it wasn't much but if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be chuunin, and I wouldn't be able to beat Gaara. I would be illiterate if it wasn't for the old man who taught me how to read and write. There were things that were done for me even though they weren't much, but they meant something."
Naruto grabbed the knob of the office door as Tsunade let the boy finish, "It means that we all have to endure. Ero-sennin endured the weight of his conscience and chose the safety of his home above just my own. He knew that he still had comrades here, comrades and ideals that he's willing to die for. The same with the old man, he had to bear the weight of ruling the village above his own feelings. He had to do what's right for all or most of the people. There were things that he had to do out of his love for the village something that I'm now fully aware of."
Naruto then closed his eyes as he tried to quell his own emotions.
"But it still hurts to be treated like this. I can take on the hatred of the villagers, to be treated like dirt and be looked down. What I can't take easily is betrayal of my trust. I can understand why they had to do it and it frustrates me that I can't be angry at them even though this happened. For the life of me, I just can't do it! But if there was one thing I could take away from my stay in that shithole, it's that I finally know who my parents were. I'm happy just knowing that they existed and that they didn't abandon me."
Tsunade wordlessly turned to her desk as Naruto turned the knob and pulled the door as he was about to walk out.
"Brat, you really have grown. Your parents would be proud."
Naruto merely nodded as he got out, Hinata stood outside the door anxiously waiting for him.
Naruto remained silent as Hinata looked on in worry. He was about to smile at her when Hinata asked, "Is there something wrong, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto merely closed his eyes for a moment before he shook his head with a smile, "Nothing, Hinata. Just that I have some punishments I need to do."
Hinata tilted her head slightly at this and asked, "Why?"
Naruto merely gave a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his neck, a tell-tale sign of his embarrassment, "Well I went against Kakashi-sensei's orders that I be sent back to Konoha immediately while the whole fiasco with Sasuke and Oto was going on. Tsunade-baa-chan didn't like that one bit and now I have to serve some form of community service for two weeks."
Hinata didn't look convinced by that one bit but never insisted on what she thought. In due time, Naruto would tell but right now, she would believe him.
She went for his hand with hers and grabbed them gently.
"I stand by my words that I too would endure what you are enduring, Naruto-kun. So whatever happened during your time back then, I wish to share your pain and your sorrow. If I were to be your pillar of strength then I will be that person. Whatever it is that pains you so, know that I trust you, completely, fully and always so should you do the same with me. I will try my best to soothe you from your pain."
Three times, Naruto blushed that day and it wouldn't be the last. He grinned at her and said, "Thank you, Hinata. I-I don't think you know how much your words mean to me right now. Thanks for being here."
Hinata gave him a smile that would melt his heart even further.
"Let's get you reacquainted then. I'm sure Iruka-sensei would be happy to see you back."
Naruto gave her a smile and liked that particular idea. It had been a while since he saw his teacher, news of his apparent death would have not sit well with Iruka for that matter, he needed to check out his former sensei and see how he was holding up.
When they began to walk, Naruto had noticed that people were staring at him again like they had seen a ghost. Others would fall speechless when he was within sight, especially the elder population. Naruto would have chocked it up to his current likeness with the Yondaime.
After learning the fact that he indeed was the son of the Yondaime Hokage, Naruto had gained a somewhat different perspective on his own village. It had been lingering on his mind since the time he had been imprisoned.
'There's something missing here…' Naruto thought, the fact that the night of the Kyuubi's rampage still present on his mind made him frown a little.
What caused the Kyuubi to go wild and what got it to escape from his mother?
His thoughts were cut off when he had seen Iruka seeing off the children from the academy.
Naruto grinned and called out to his sensei, "Iruka-sensei!"
Iruka stopped for a moment and looked at the source of the voice. In front of him stood Naruto, wide grin and all and he waved at him with Hinata just behind the blonde.
Iruka did a double-take and cleared his eyes for a second before he uttered the words he had never thought would escape him ever again, "Naruto?"
Naruto gave a grin and replied as normal and laidback as possible, "Yep. I went through hell just to get back here."
Iruka went closer to the boy and silence reigned between them before Iruka conked Naruto at the forehead as a sliver of a tear escaped from his left eye.
Naruto winced.
"You idiot! I never realized how much of an idiot I was for having grown so attached to you!"
Iruka kneeled down and hugged the boy as he said, "We all thought we lost you!"
Naruto somewhat maintained his grin as Iruka held on for a few seconds and looked back to Hinata and asked her, "Since when?"
Hinata answered, "A-A little earlier in the day, Iruka-sensei. Naruto-kun came back with the rest after their mission against Oto."
Iruka grinned having his vigor return after three months of depression and regrets, "I see, so he managed to link up with the backup team sent by Hokage-sama?"
Hinata nodded.
Iruka seemed impressed.
"Alright, since you're here, why don't we celebrate? I'm sure Teuchi and Ayame would love to see you!"
To this, Iruka turned to Hinata and asked her, "Would you like to come with us, Hinata? I'm sure the others would be delighted to meet you as well."
Hinata affirmed with a single nod and a small smile.
When they finally arrived in Ichiraku, Naruto was met with disbelief and Teuchi throwing hysterics out believing they were being visited by the ghost of Naruto asking for one last bowl of ramen before passing on. When all of that clout was cleared though, the Ramen Chef and his daughter turned back into prodding and teasing mode as they embarrassed the hell out of Naruto in front of Hinata and told a lot of jokes that made Naruto and Hinata blush.
Seeing the shop liven up like that, Iruka couldn't help think that Naruto's presence made everyone happier.
"I'm telling you, this has got be some kind of miraculous sign. Nobody can just up and tell you straight to your face that someone had a brush with death and lived to tell the tale about it." Teuchi mused, making Ayame hitting his shoulder slightly with a scowl.
"It's rude to talk about stuff like that especially when we have a special guest here."
Ayame pointed to Hinata who looked like she was about to melt in her chair out of embarrassment.
Teuchi seemed to laugh it off, "Ah, my bad. Wouldn't want to upset Naruto's special guest here. Still, it's amazing that you made it back in one piece! Chalk it up with lady luck or the gods smiling at you!"
Naruto scratched the back of his head with a nervous laugh, 'I got out mostly in one piece but not exactly what I would have imagined.'
"Naruto-nii-chan!" Naruto turned around at the call of his name, and then and there stood a panting Konohamaru, followed by Moegi and Udon who were panting themselves out in fatigue.
"It is true, you ARE alive!" Konohamaru said a grin forming in his face as a small tear escaped from him.
Iruka turned to look at the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage and raised an eyebrow, "Konohamaru? Where have you been? You haven't gone to school for more than a week!"
"I…" Konohamaru interrupted the teacher before he answered with his fists shaking as his facial expression hardened into a frown, "I was training! I was doing everything I can to try and catch up with Naruto-nii-chan! I wanted to get stronger immediately! I wanted to find grandpa's killer and avenge him and then go after Naruto-nii-chan's killer! The moment I realized that I couldn't do anything was the moment that made me think that before I could become Hokage, I needed to do more!"
It was then that Naruto understood. Naruto saw something in Konohamaru that he had seen almost every single day when he was younger. He stood from his seat and stood in front of the younger boy as Udon and Moegi uttered their leader's name.
Naruto saw within Konohamaru, a desperate boy. A boy who was slowly losing his innocence against the harsh cruelties of the world, he saw those hardened and embattled eyes of despair. He did not only see himself in the boy, he also saw Sasuke, he saw Neji, he saw Haku, and he saw Gaara.
He saw many more people, all falling into that pit of despair and helplessness. The moment one feels that they couldn't do anything, the moment that they fall within their own weakness and washed away by a concept that they understood as fate.
What he saw within Konohamaru was pain. The pain of loss and the pain of despair.
In a shinobi village, the concept of death was introduced at a young age. It was a form of realism that many children needed to understand with many falling within the ranks of the shinobi system early on. But it could never prepare them for the real thing. Nothing could, unless you were part of the history of the Bloody Mist.
"Konohamaru, don't do anything reckless."
Naruto then rested his right hand over the honourable grandson's head.
"No matter how tempting it gets, don't ever fall for traps when chasing after your goal, Konohamaru. There will be times where you would feel to just let go, but don't."
Naruto recalled his time within the confines of that hellish prison and his choice to get out.
"When I was away, I realized that being strong is the power to embrace your ideals no matter how tempting it is to let go. The power to accept truths without stumbling, the power to never bend to people that will harm you. And the power to give everything you have for the people that you care about."
Konohamaru looked up at his brother figure as Naruto gave him a smile, "In the end, if you can endure the pain, if you can overcome it and become something better, then becoming Hokage wouldn't be just a dream it would be a reality."
Konohamaru's grin slowly returned as the people inside the small restaurant smiled along.
Naruto may have returned differently, but his connection to others will never change as well as his understanding of suffering and his own way to support people. Iruka smiled as he saw his favourite student grin after Konohamaru and returned to his seat besides Hinata.
'Naruto, your growth as a shinobi is different from other people. The stronger you get, the more you become attached and familiar to people, familiar to their pain. This is your greatest strength, the ability to sway people to your side because of that pain, to your own simplistic but strong views.'
Iruka then turned to Hinata who was now smiling, 'To turn pain into virtue and use it to drive your way upwards, to make people see and overcome their own weaknesses, those are strengths that separate leaders from mere men.'
Iruka smiled as he began their conversation once more, scolding Konohamaru and laughing along with the people inside this small restaurant.
'This kind of joy, I hope you can continue sharing this, Naruto.'
Hokage's Office:
Nara Shikaku stood before Tsunade, flanking him from behind were the heads of the interrogation and intelligence divisions, Morino Ibiki and Yamanaka Inoichi. Tsunade had her elbows resting on her desk as her hands were linked together and obscuring the lower part of her face.
Shikaku didn't like this one bit. He had seen grim faces plastered on the faces of a kage before, it usually involved something dangerous or more likely a move that could potentially prove fatal to a kage's own ruling.
"You've called for us, Godaime-sama?" Morino Ibiki asked as Tsunade nodded.
"I've called you three because I wanted your personal opinion on a thorn on my side for quite a while."
Shikaku inwardly sighed, this would be something meant for the black ops if the seriousness of Tsunade's tone were an indication.
"You three are part of the most brilliant minds within the village and you three are the neural network that makes the village spick and span. What would you think about a proposal in taking down ROOT?"
All three men visibly flinched. Especially Inoichi, he had known one of the members of his clan was part of the said group.
"Has Danzo done something that would jeopardize the safety of everyone in the village?" Shikaku asked, he looked Inoichi who was looking back at him, somewhat nervous and in a cold sweat.
"Not necessarily so, but I'm suspecting his involvement of trying to cause a stir in opposition against me. I also suspect he has been doing the same during Sarutobi-sensei's rule, particularly after the Kyuubi incident thirteen years ago."
Morino Ibiki replied, "Hokage-sama, Sandaime-sama has been keeping Danzo on a tight leash ever since he came out of retirement and even before that. Although the existence of ROOT remains relatively uncommon to many within the village, Danzo-sama has remained active in his covert operations. He has very brutal methods but I would not deny that what he is doing is an effective method in maintaining village security. To stage a coup out of nowhere would go against his very intentions of keeping us safe."
Inoichi then spoke up, "What is the incident that made you consider this, Hokage-sama?"
Tsunade then handed them three folders. Inside, there contained Kakashi and Jiraiya's mission reports during the past three months as well as an autopsy report. It involved a lot of searching, turning stones and scouring the entire country all in the search for an apparently-not-so-dead-after-all jinchuuriki.
"Three months ago, I received word of Uzumaki Naruto's apparent death. The body that was turned up at the morgue was nothing more than a fake, probably a deceased operative modified with Naruto's likeness by a jutsu. The autopsy report and the DNA records proved that it wasn't Naruto. This mission that I had given Kakashi and Jiraiya was off the records. No one was supposed to know them apart from the three of us. I had suspected that this would be part of Danzo's handiwork or at least his subordinates. But ROOT members have no registered records within the village so I had to resort to look for shinobi records that were marked as MIA. I'm sure you all know by now that Naruto turned up at the gates a few hours ago and his statement during his capture was typical of Danzo's handiwork. Sarutobi-sensei's journal statements concerning the man were that he had been after Naruto for years and it was political will that kept him away from Danzo's grasp."
Inoichi frowned at that, so Danzo was trying to indoctrinate the jinchuuriki to his side? What could a man like Danzo hope to gain from gaining such a wild card? He had no methods as to how he could control a force of nature like the Kyuubi.
"Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't give me any more specifics or at least a confirmed image of the man, he kept talking to the boy through speakers and he would be forced to overcome tasks while having his chakra sealed."
'That indeed would be a typical textbook work by Danzo.' Shikaku noted as he raised an eyebrow while looking at the reports. Ibiki voiced his opinion on the matter as the question that gnawed at the mind of these three men.
"It is rather confusing as to why would Danzo try and recruit the jinchuuriki to his side. He has no particular method to control a bijuu of that we know of. Unless he has learned that Naruto is somehow able to fully control the Kyuubi at this point in time."
The three men had a cold bead of sweat falling from their brow at thinking of such a possibility falling within Danzo's hands.
"There are signs here and there and according to the reports given by Jiraiya and Kakashi, I would say that Naruto has been learning to control the Kyuubi to a degree. He managed to level an entire facility to the ground and destroyed any evidence that could authorize a full dismantling of ROOT, politically and physically."
"So you are proposing for a strike team to take down ROOT, Hokage-sama?" Inoichi asked and Tsunade gave a serious nod as she stood up from her chair and turned to look outside.
"That would be saying it lightly. Danzo has been pulling strings far enough. He is aware that I am on to him and the same that he is to me. We don't know what type of damage he has done within and outside our borders and the less I know the more it is making me feel uncomfortable of the fact."
Shikaku raised his hand at this, "I would advise to refrain from doing such a tactic for now, Hokage-sama."
Tsunade turned around to Shikaku as the man said, "If for purely political reasons, this would be suicide on your part. You will be putting the rest of the village in an uneasy state. Although we are a military run village, there are still politics involving this matter. Danzo is still part of the village system and his sizable force is nothing to sneeze at either." Shikaku then stood up and explained his reasoning to the Hokage who raised an eyebrow.
"Let's give a hypothetical example. Even though the Uchiha were held in suspicion with the Kyuubi's rampage thirteen years ago, they were vital to the village. Imagine the fallout within the village if the people discovered that the leaders authorized the genocide of that clan. The common rank and file shinobi would be heavily demoralized with the thought of disagreeing with you would result in death because people will spin it to their own tales even if the Uchiha clan was in suspicion. The civil war in Kiri happened that way. The Mizukage ordered the deaths of clans that had kekkei genkai for reasons unknown, but if it involved civil disobedience, and the Mizukage wanted stability then we are merely accelerating our own downfall, it is best to move when we have the right information that we can very well disseminate to everyone within our forces. They say that fighting with a greater moral ground would bring about a better result and I don't necessarily disagree to such a notion. It is a better alternative than to put our forces on a constant watch and distrust within our own system. It would do us nothing good."
Ibiki leaned back to his chair and closed the folder within his hands in order to read it later at his department.
"I agree with Shikaku on this matter, Hokage-sama. The threat wouldn't be within Danzo's ranks but the fallout of such a move."
Inoichi looked down and closed his eyes at this as he thought deeply, "I understand your problem Hokage-sama. I imagine Shibi-san would probably feel the same about this situation given that some of us have members who went to ROOT for inexplicable reasons. But let us withhold hasty decisions for now, until then, we'll do our best for obtaining information on ROOT. As much as I see the efficacy of Danzo's methods, I would rather not have a polarizing ideology split our forces apart. Shikaku's proposal is our best option."
Tsunade turned to them and nodded, "Very well, we'll reconvene with this problem on some other unspecified time. I don't want that sneaky little bastard getting the wrong idea and starting his own regime within the village."
One Week later:
Mere days since the return of the backup team with Naruto in tow, the said blonde was back in training with his wind element and fighting within close quarters with Hinata after Naruto's gruelling chore of cleaning the academy toilets all day. The blonde could swear that he remembered the toilets during his stay in school were much cleaner than they now were.
The menial labor and the lack of missions really drove him to the wall and would vent his anger with his elemental training. By now, he had learned to stabilize his wind blades with his knives. They no longer look like shimmering waves on the beach but much more defined with clear edges.
When it came to training with Hinata though, Naruto found out that Hinata had gotten better with Taijutsu, her footwork was much more solid and she can strike with much more decisive action and pinpoint accuracy. Hinata had told him of just how she had focused on training and how her anger within her seemed to fuel her and drive her to a very focused point.
Though it was different this time, in that Hinata's application of her family's style were much less vicious and more controlled. Naruto noted that Hinata had mellowed down when he returned which she confessed was part of the reason.
He had also found out that Tsunade had assigned Hinata to be Naruto's 'guard' in order to make sure he did his punishment well enough. Naruto didn't know if he should insult the Hokage or thank her for that.
He visited the hospital quite often especially Chouji, Neji and Tenten, who looked at him shocked on his first visit. But they recovered enough to welcome him back.
It was also in these days that Naruto finally revealed to Hinata much of what he had learned during his captivity. Naruto picked up Kakashi's hobby of spending time with the memorial, looking at the engraved names of his father and his mother. He had not known where his parents were buried in the large cemetery. The people that knew them were not within the village or that he didn't know who were close to his parents enough to point him to their graves. Kakashi still wasn't back on his mission and Jiraiya wasn't due to come back for another few days.
When Hinata had found out Naruto's lineage, she insisted that she comes with him in order to pay her respects. The blonde noted that even though Hinata seemed shy and withdrawn, she still had that nobility within her to pay tribute to great people who died with honor.
He had slowly realized that he was growing closer and closer to the girl beside him and she had grown used to his presence. The first few days were very emotional for her but in time, the normalcy went back. Naruto assured her and boosted her confidence and she kept being a pillar of support for him when no one else could.
Before he had realized it, he had taken Hinata out on a simple date, a conversation in one of the training grounds and a bag of treats to eat. It was simple and it was an experience that he could remember well, what with a recovered Neji keeping watch at a fair distance was any indication.
He had then met Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister. Naruto's assessment of the younger Hyuuga was that she was much more outgoing than her older sister. He liked that Hanabi idolized and was protective of her older sister. She was so caring of her that Naruto found it cute as well as endearing to Hinata more on how much she truly cared for her sister.
In one instance, he had suddenly blurted out to Hinata, "Your sister is really adorable, you know. I like the way of how much she throws so much care for you. It must mean you're a pretty good sister to her too."
Hinata smiled well enough at that time and she replied that she indeed loved and adored Hanabi just as much making Naruto grin.
Of course, that was not without its problems though, when Hanabi and Konohamaru met for the first time, it was the exact opposite of Naruto and Hinata's interactions.
They would squabble a lot like, well, children and they would argue on who had a better role model. Both of them were still in the 'boys are icky' and 'girls have cooties' stage after all.
Naruto and Hinata would simply just break up their little feud and decide to meet after catering to the needs of the children that idolized them. But they would have fun shortly after.
As Naruto and Hinata's relationship blossomed, his connection to his team was changing too, but not necessarily in a positive way. Or at least, it's what Naruto was thinking. Whenever the three of them would meet up for simple training, Sakura would tend to ignore Sasuke and go directly to Naruto for any inquiries.
As if pigs weren't already flying, Naruto was absolutely confused as to why it was Sakura who was now giving Sasuke the cold shoulder.
That made no sense to him.
When pried about her attitude, Sakura merely changed the subject all the while looking upset. Sasuke kept looking with as much as confusion as him and instead chocked it up to Sakura being a girl and she was in the midst of her 'girl thing'.
It's not like Sasuke was upset or anything but he was terribly confused as to why he was the one being treated like some nuisance within the team.
It got so bad that when Sasuke tried to talk to Sakura, she gave him the glare.
Sakura was giving Sasuke problems.
'Well, stranger stuff has happened…' Naruto thought and scratched the back of his head, now that he was facing the monument of fallen heroes once more. He had decided to pay another visit. He felt like twelve years of not knowing his parents were twelve years of finally getting closure about them.
Doubt was now out of his head, his parents died fighting the Kyuubi, they didn't abandon him out of some maligned form of hatred towards the Kyuubi. And for that, a small piece of reassurance was placed on his shoulders. If for some reason that he found that his doubts were true, he wasn't sure how far gone he would have been.
His contemplation was broken when he looked to his side, there stood Sasuke, now wearing the black sleeveless turtle neck shirt given to ANBU members, to his right bicep was tattooed the mark of the organization. His sword firmly strapped to his back. His mask was off, he was about to be inducted to the next level of training from what he had told them.
"It's not like you to spend your time here mourning for the dead, Sasuke."
Sasuke shrugged, "I always mourn for the dead, dobe. I always pay my respects to my fallen clan members. Those that died in either during a mission or the massacre, I always mourn for them. It's just that this isn't normally the place that I would be doing it. Kakashi just made me go here every time after I train to offer some silent prayers."
Naruto then looked back to the stone memorial and looked at the names that were etched in there that Naruto knew were very significant to him.
Uzumaki Kushina
Namikaze Minato
"You're the one who doesn't seem to take solemnity in mourning for the dead, though." Sasuke threw the argument back at him but Naruto didn't even retaliate.
"Normally, I would be trying my hardest to live my life and not think about the people that died until this very day. I didn't want any of those depressing thoughts. But ever since I got back, I realized that sometimes, that there are answers that we can't live without."
Sasuke was now beside him also looking at the names that were etched. He looked at the names of fallen members of the Uchiha clan and nodded his head.
"When I was locked up, I got to know who my parents were…" Naruto trailed off as he crouched down and he touched the name of his mother and then his father.
"In a way, I felt relieved but at the same time, questions just keep popping up in my head over, and over, and over again." Naruto held his face with his left hand as he continued.
"Like what would have happened if one of my doubts came true, like my father or mother left me because of the Kyuubi? Why did they have to die? Why did it have to happen? Why was it me that was chosen?"
Naruto then stood up and then put his hands in his pockets, "I could never imagine what would happen if I had been the one to have found out that I was abandoned. I wouldn't know what to do. Maybe it'd be me that would have gone to the deep end."
Naruto then looked at Sasuke straight with resolve in them, "Promise me, Sasuke, if I ever sink and can't come back, I want you to promise me that you would put me down."
Sasuke decided to change the subject, the conversation between them brought forth memories of Itachi and his final word to him before he had mentally tortured him.
"Who were you parents?"
Naruto smiled as he closed his eyes and looked back at the memorial stone.
"Let's just keep it a secret for now. I don't want you to change your perception of me just because of my parents. I'd like to keep that knowledge to myself for now."
Naruto turned back and then looked at Sasuke, "Promise me that you'll do it."
Sasuke scowled, "I can't promise you anything."
Sasuke then kneeled right in front of the memorial and ran his hands to every familiar name that was etched on the stone's surface.
"Falling into darkness isn't something meant for you, idiot. You're going to be more than that."
Sasuke then looked up, the view of the full moon made him stare at it for a few seconds before adding, "Besides, a Hokage wishing for his death by his subordinate if he ever loses his mind is a Hokage with no confidence in himself. I wouldn't be following such a weak person."
Naruto grinned, "Well it was worth a shot. I want to ask though, what's with Sakura?"
Sasuke shrugged, "Hell if I know, I don't understand women all too well."
Naruto sighed, "You can be an insensitive prick sometimes, Sasuke, well, most of the time, really. But maybe you shouldn't stop trying to talk to her about it."
"That's ironic, coming from the idiot that couldn't recognize Hinata's affections for the majority of our stay in the academy."
Naruto scowled at that, "Whatever, bastard, I'm doing my best to try and get to know her now. I never claimed I know more a lot about women than you do. Although I might as well do it now, because I could be getting a girlfriend before a limp-wristed dick like you can."
Sasuke turned to scoff it off and left with a puff of smoke, a grin plastered on his face as he vanished.
"Dickhead…"
The blonde remarked as he turned away and was stopped in his tracks when Jiraiya had appeared before him.
"I take it that you've been coming here for your parents?"
Naruto gave a simple nod.
"If it's any consolation, I apologize for not being there for you throughout most of your life."
Naruto merely shrugged, "I don't live in the past, Ero-sennin, and I'd be a psychopath if I was. But some questions needed answering, and I think you're the one that can provide me with them."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at this and replied, "Alright, go on then, shoot."
"What were my parents like?"
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head and gave Naruto his much awaited answer. Naruto learned much from his master. He learned that Minato was like him in learning style, Minato learned by doing much like he was although his father took it better than he did. His father was much more inquisitive. He explored many avenues of the shinobi arts before settling with Fuinjutsu when Kushina came into play. Minato excelled in many of them, but it was in Fuinjutsu that his genius shined. Paired with a sharp mind was his skill and finesse all around. He was also a very cheerful person, approachable and friendly when off duty. But his sense of duty and professionalism was something else during missions. He was decisive and moved sharply. It was why the Hiraishin no Jutsu was something that easily complimented him. It was said that Minato was so good at the jutsu that he surpassed the Nidaime Hokage in usage and took it further. The village loved but his enemies cowered before him.
Kushina, though, in contrast to his father, was more untamed. She had full knowledge of Uzumaki style Fuinjutsu and used it effectively throughout the battlefield. She was self-taught. Something that Naruto thought was cool. Though she was skilled in Fuinjutsu practice and theory, she also had a temper to go along with her skill making her one of the most dangerous people that enemy shinobi would come across in the battlefield. Her most powerful trait though, was her ability to restrain bijuu chakra with her own. It was a rare trait within the Uzumaki clan, a clan that existed once outside the borders of Hi no Kuni that was now left in ruins. The Shodaime Hokage's wife also displayed this unique ability and Naruto was somewhat disappointed that he didn't develop anything like it.
But one thing that stuck with Naruto's mind though, was Jiraiya's words to him at the end of his story, "Your parents, they loved you the moment they found out Kushina was pregnant. Your dad would dote on your mom and your mom would buy almost everything that she could reach of the highest quality just for you and wouldn't accept anything less. She wanted to spoil you so badly when you were out. Your father was preparing for many things too, in the event of his absences being Hokage. He was preparing a small training area and a place where you could play inside the tower whenever your mother was out. He was excited. They both were. I guess that's what parenthood does to you. They were over the moon for you, kid."
Naruto simply lowered his head and smiled as he closed his eyes.
"Goddamnit, I was prepared to hate them if ever things were different. That way, it'd be much easier for me to accept all the shit I've been through."
"But hearing that they really were doing absolutely everything for me even before I was born, I…"
Tears began to fall. Naruto was shaking as he kneeled down and grasped the green grass beneath his feet.
"I'm absolutely fucking happy!"
Jiraiya closed his eyes at this as he stared at the full moon that night.
"Believe me kid, although there will be strange fuck ups in this world, parents would more than likely love their children rather than hate them. It's a natural part of our lives. Even the most hardened of criminals; some of them would do anything for their children."
It would be a several minutes more when Naruto would finally recover as he asked the old toad, "Why did you want to meet up with me, Ero-sennin?"
"I've received word that Akatsuki would be flying under the radar for the next three years. I don't know why, but it gives us ample time to prepare everyone for the coming storm. Unfortunately, I would have to adjust my spy network now that they know that I've got a mole to give me information. I've spoken to Tsunade about this and she agreed; we'd have to let you fly under the radar too."
"So what does that mean?" Naruto asked and Jiraiya leaned down to Naruto's level.
"You're going to have to spend the next three years training with me to a place that I know."
Naruto's eyes widened, "I'm going away from Konoha?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"You have no other choice."
"But what about missions?"
"Kid, Tsunade authorized this as a mission. She wants ME to train you to have a chance in fighting S-rank criminals. Three years of uninterrupted training, I'll whip you into shape real good. I've already planned out what you'll be learning. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be contending with the best of them. If Itachi was any indication, this trip is what you exactly need."
Naruto scowled when he heard Itachi's name, "What will I be learning?"
Jiraiya merely replied with a grin, "Mostly shinobi arts that are outside the main three. The sages of Myobokuzan are interested in meeting you and I'm willing to devote my time in teaching you an art that you were supposed to learn under your parents."
"You mean…"
"Fuinjutsu? Yes. You'll be learning how to make seals, how to apply them and what does what. It's a fairly complicated art, one that would actually take years of study, but with your training method, we can shorten the time of you entering a novice to proficiency. You've been keeping up with your elemental manipulation?"
Naruto nodded and Jiraya nodded as well, "Good. Because now would be a good time for you to learn that the Rasengan was an incomplete jutsu."
Naruto's mind paused at that.
"What?"
Jiraiya grinned, "That's right, the Rasengan was meant to be a technique that would take shape manipulation to its extreme and well as its form manipulation. Unfortunately, Minato's abrupt death has stopped it from realizing its true potential. So now, I'm willing that you make good on your old man's work and in turn, create a new jutsu with your own hands."
Naruto's eyes sparkled in amazement. The feeling of excitement was surging through his bones like electricity.
The chance to get stronger for him to stand a chance to survive against Akatsuki, a chance to be ever closer to his dream, and a chance to become even more powerful, this was an opportunity too good to pass up.
An image of Hinata appeared in his mind for a moment and he paused. His thoughts on training for three whole years were derailed as he looked at the elder ninja.
"When are we leaving?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya began approaching the stone monument.
"I'm awaiting the report on my network concerning Oto in a few days and I have a study session with Tsunade during that time concerning the cursed seal we're doing everything we can right now for something big. So that's about five days in total, kid. That would be enough for you to say your goodbyes."
Naruto hardened his gaze at the man before he gave a silent nod as he turned back home, the promise of strength filling his veins like liquid fire.
This time, he would not lose.
Two days later:
More than a week passed since Naruto's sudden return and those that were injured during Sasuke's mission were discharged from the hospital with a clean bill of health, though they still had to wear some bandages on their bodies.
Naruto took this opportunity to treat all of his peers once again at Yakiniku Q as form of reunion after a gruelling crisis. He was surprised that Sasuke had willingly come on his own and Sakura less hostile towards Sasuke and more amicable as of late. Ino and Shikamaru were helping Chouji sit down on chair in one of the tables and given his current shape, it was quite a shock to Naruto that Chouji lost a lot of weight during his battle with Jirobo, he hadn't learned about Chouji's technique and what he had to do to make him look like he was now but he was showing signs of recovery at least.
Kiba, Shino and Hinata followed suit. Hinata greeted him with a smile on her face as Kiba nudged Naruto with a slight elbow and a sly grin making the blonde boy blush ever so slightly before being dragged away by Shino to a seat. He noticed that Kiba wasn't with Akamaru for a moment and Shino answered for him that Akamaru was resting at their home in Hana's care.
Apparently, Akamaru didn't come out unscathed as well.
Neji, Tenten and Lee followed suit, all of them were in bandages even Lee had some across his torso that reached all the way to his neck. He had been training for a few days after his release from the hospital earlier than Neji and Chouji's and he had been working hard non-stop. Lee explained that he was working with Gai about discovering new Taijutsu styles that would supplement the Goken and make him a much more formidable opponent.
Naruto noted that this team received the brunt of injuries the most.
As an additional surprise, Gaara, Temari and Kankuro were in attendance as well, Gaara quietly sat just beside the table of Team Gai as Temari waved at Tenten amicably and then to Shikamaru while Kankuro wondered how loaded Naruto was to have an entire restaurant closed all for them.
When Kankuro found out that Naruto had basically the luck blessed by the Goddess of Fortune, the puppet user felt green with envy.
The whole thing started off well, jokes and insults were thrown around and laughter was present. Sasuke had directly asked Naruto of what he was thinking.
"What's the occasion, dobe?"
Naruto merely grinned and scratched the back of his head, "I'm sorry, I was hoping to put this off until the very end of the whole party but I guess I can't exactly hide everything from you guys, huh?"
"Naruto, what are you rambling on about?" Sakura asked with a raised eyebrow.
Naruto's face then turned serious, "Ero-sennin came back two days ago and he received word that Akatsuki would remain under the radar for the next three years, giving us preparation time in order to come up with a counter-strategy to fight against them."
At the moment most of his peers had heard the word Akatsuki, all eyes were already on him. The Sand Siblings were also looking at him but rather more curiously as compared to the serious looks everyone else was giving.
"You may have heard this already, but that organization is after the tailed beasts. Old lady Tsunade assigned me on a mission to be taught under Ero-sennin for three years abroad. I'll be leaving in three days."
Temari and Kankuro looked concerned for their brother who was looking intently at the blonde. Everyone else looked somewhat nervous and others looked angry.
"So you're saying this because…" Chouji trailed off and Neji answered for Naruto, "He wants us to prepare ourselves too for the inevitability that we will have to face Akatsuki."
Naruto gave a nod, "I was lucky I managed to get out alive mostly in one piece but whatever happened to me, I don't want to happen to anyone else, to anyone of you. That's why I want to see you guys after three years, strong enough that you can beat them. I believe in every single one of you and you'll do well when this is all over, I want to see everyone alive after we deal with them. I want you all at my inauguration when the time comes!"
He said that last sentence with a grin forcing the others to do the same.
"To hell with that, I'm the one who's going to be Hokage!" Kiba remarked loudly.
As the get together slowly trickled down and people began leaving one by one, with Sand siblings going first and Gaara's reaffirmation that he will aim to be Kazekage, followed by team Ten, then Team Gai all saying their goodbyes. Kiba and Shino left first before Sasuke and Sakura left, leaving behind just Naruto and Hinata.
Naruto had a smile on his face as he looked outside the window. The company of friends had soothed his anxiety at least.
Hinata wanted to say something, but no words escaped her lips that moment. Naruto turned to her and he smiled.
"Hinata, I want you to come with me to a place where a good friend of mine once showed me."
Hinata readily complied.
To Hinata, her meetings and bonding with Naruto was living on borrowed time now. After that, he will be gone for three years. Three long and painful years without him and Hinata was putting up a brave front. She wanted to remain resolute and strong, a core of steel within her gentle features.
When they arrived, Naruto pointed over the horizon and saw the lights littering below the mountain, the sight of a thousand or so tiny little speckles of light with some moving to and fro at the busy streets of the village made for a spectacle. She had realized, Naruto had taken her to the top of the Hokage Monument.
The boy sat at the edge of the cliff looking over the lights below and looking up towards a star ridden sky. Naruto motioned for Hinata to sit beside him.
Hinata complied as Naruto apologized, "I'm sorry you had to know that I was leaving. But I had no choice. I don't want those blasted Akatsuki members laying a hand on this village or on anyone from here."
"I-I understand, really, I do… But seeing you leave is the last thing that I want even though you're back for only two weeks or so."
Naruto smiled at her as she blushed, "You know, the more that you say that you don't want me to leave, makes it more difficult for me to leave."
Hinata stuttered at that, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"
Naruto merely grinned at her and said, "It's not a bad thing Hinata, I like the fact there's someone here in the village who wants me around."
Naruto then looked up the stars.
"I've never had someone like that before, you know. Someone who wanted me to stay with them, it feels nice, being needed like this."
Hinata then steeling herself, made a bold move and grabbed Naruto's left hand with her right as she leaned her head on his left shoulder, looking down on the streets below, seeing the movement of the small lights beneath her feet.
Silence sat between the two and Hinata finally mustered enough courage to Naruto.
"I don't want you to go."
Naruto looked at Hinata beside him, she was now clinging on his shirt tightly. He held her hand tighter.
"I know."
"Why can't you stay?"
"It's because I want to keep everyone safe."
"Even if it means that I can't be near you?"
"Hinata, you know…"
"Please don't answer me with that."
Naruto, meanwhile, just smiled and changed the way he was going to deliver his message instead.
"You'll do well even without me, you know."
Hinata looked at Naruto surprised and a question escaped from her lips, "W-What?"
"You're strong Hinata, I don't need to remind you every time and I often ask myself why you would bother with someone like me? You're more than that."
A blush had appeared on Hinata's face.
Caught up in his emotions, Naruto said the words he didn't mean to say to the girl who was with him now.
"You don't realize that I'm the one who needs you more than you need me."
Hinata suddenly closed the gap in between them the sudden rise of emotions was slowly taking over her. What she was feeling was overwhelming, to say the least.
Naruto suddenly felt like kicking himself when he said those words, he hadn't meant to spill the beans. But his mouth spoke before he could even come up with something to make light of the situation.
"Naruto-kun, the moment that you were on the ground, bleeding and slowly losing your consciousness, that time, I realized something."
Naruto asked her as she turned to face him and held his hands together with her own.
"What?"
"If I were to lose you, I would lose myself. I would be in despair. The thought of you disappearing brings me grief of great magnitude that I thought I myself would die."
"Hinata…"
"I was only brought out of my sadness when father took us to mother's grave and there he said that when she died, part of him died along with her but he had to endure that pain. And so, I promised myself that I would grow strong and fight those who took you away from me."
Hinata then wrapped her arms around Naruto to his waist, surprising the boy for a moment.
"It was an empty existence for me. I could not find that one thing that would bring forth color back into my eyes until you returned home, back to me."
Hinata inched closer and closer, her emotions were peaking as she said every heartfelt emotion she had for the boy.
"So don't say that you need me more than I need you, Naruto-kun. Because it is the same for me, I don't want to lose you. I may be young but I fully understand that what I feel for you, if I were to lose such, I would be nothing more. I-I-I-I'm in love with you, Naruto-kun!"
And with those words, she sealed her statement with a chaste kiss on his lips.
The touch of her lips was brief but so strong. Naruto was seemingly overwhelmed as emotions of Hinata's affection poured over him like a gush of a waterfall. She saw his face, blushing deep crimson and surprised by such intimate contact. He didn't exactly know what to do!
It was sudden and he was taken by surprise as Hinata stood up and bowed deeply at Naruto before she went and ran straight home, a blush on her face as well.
Naruto tried to reach out but Hinata was already gone by the time he recovered.
The blonde looked out and gave a sigh, 'Love, huh?'
The boy felt his lips with his right hand and he could still feel the lingering touch of Hinata's lips on his. They were warm and sweet. It was only for a moment and he could already tell that something sparked inside of him, like he had just been filled with a million suns. Butterflies were now filling his stomach and for another time, Naruto blushed at the contact that he had made.
'Hinata…'
The next day, he had wanted to go to the Hyuuga compound and talk to Hinata but found it impossible. Everytime he would try, he would get cold feet and he would pace and would be distraught of what he needed to say. He had approached Iruka since morning but the teacher was too busy with school.
Naruto internally cursed and decided to think about it more as he went to the training grounds to clear his mind.
When he arrived, Naruto saw Sakura reading up on several scrolls given to her by Tsunade and calmly approached her.
"Ah, Naruto, are you about to train here, now? Just let me clear my stuff for a few minutes and you should be…"
"Sakura, I want to ask you something." Naruto interrupted her pausing Sakura for a second.
Sakura looked at him with a curious gaze and Naruto looked to his side, "I have a problem."
"Hinata confessed to you and did something that took you by surprise?" She asked, Naruto looked at her suspiciously and asked his teammate.
"How did you know about that? DID YOU SPY ON US LAST NIGHT?"
Sakura merely gave a soft laugh and waved off Naruto's accusation and gestured for him to sit down which Naruto complied.
"Of course not, silly. I just know it because it's a woman's intuition, that and the fact that I was bluffing. So what happened last night?" Sakura asked that last part with a giddy face and looking like she was watching a romance film.
Naruto leaned back as Sakura had stars in her eyes, intent on prying the information from her teammate, asked him, "She kissed you, didn't she?"
"Oh no, I'm not answering that, it's an obvious bait for me to say 'yes!'!" Naruto remarked, then a few seconds later, had covered his mouth with a blush on his face and a feeling of dread as Sakura gave him a sly grin.
"So you two did kiss! OH MY GOD THAT IS JUST SO CUTE I COULD JUST~" Sakura was now going full on squealing as she asked Naruto again, "So, what's the problem? You and Hinata are officially an item now so…"
"We're not, Sakura."
Sakura blinked, her joy turning into something akin to pure outrage.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU'RE NOT? THE HELL DID YOU DO, YOU IDIOT?"
Naruto was suddenly shuddering from Sakura's outburst.
"YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF! HOW DARE YOU TAKE AWAY A GIRL'S FIRST KISS AND THEN WALK AWAY SO CASUALLY, IT WAS ENOUGH FOR YOU TO TAKE AWAY SASUKE-KUN'S…"
"Hold it right there! Don't remind me about that last one! Blegh, I've repressed that memory a long time ago! Let's not dwell on the past and focus now!"
As soon as Sakura began shaking Naruto, the blonde sang like a canary to Sakura and told her everything that happened past the send-off party last night.
"Honestly, I'm more surprised that someone like you wouldn't know what to say to her even if she's been so dead set on being with you since the academy. You could literally say the most unromantic stuff to her and she'd be putty in your hands." Sakura hummed a little and looked up, thinking of ideas to help her teammate for this big problem.
"Yeah, the bad thing is, I have to pack all of my stuff because I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning. I don't have enough time to talk to her and I feel like whatever strong face I would put up in front of her, I'd fail at it and make myself look like an idiot!"
Sakura gave him a deadpan look, "An idiot like you trying to save face from looking like an idiot is kind of redundant, Naruto."
Naruto clicked his tongue at that, his pride was wounded by Sakura's comment and he could only give a short reply, "Whatever."
Then an idea entered Sakura's head, like a light bulb being turned on with a switch.
"Naruto, where exactly are you going to meet Jiraiya-sama tomorrow? You can pack today and make sure you secure your stuff and prepare yourself for tomorrow, both with Hinata and your journey. You can leave the details here, I'll do something about Hinata, just make sure you get your head in the game tomorrow morning, alright?"
Naruto paused for a bit as Sakura gave him a blank scroll to write all the details that she wanted.
Once he was done, he gave the scroll back to Sakura and shooed him away as she grabbed another empty scroll and began writing.
Sakura smiled, Naruto had realized his feelings already, he just didn't have the means on how to express them. She had seen just how much Naruto lacked in identifying social cues and noticed how desperate he was for the kind of affection that would result in accepting his whole being mistakes and all. Sakura knew that if there was someone who could fill that empty void in Naruto's heart, it wouldn't be her, she was too forceful and she would force Naruto to change who he was and he would be miserable for it. Sakura also only saw Naruto as a friend and never beyond it, maybe a brother to her, but most certainly not something more platonic.
But Hinata, though. Hinata was different. Sakura could see the admiration Hinata had for Naruto even if he was obnoxious. Whenever Naruto would speak, she would notice Hinata would pay close attention and when she practiced, she would try to mimic Naruto's mannerisms and would persevere. She saw Naruto for who he was and had come to form a connection with him on a level that she and Sasuke could not reach or mimic. She saw it in their interactions, how Naruto would mellow down, smile more sincerely and not be loud, patiently waiting for Hinata to speak. She watched as Naruto slowly opened up to Hinata and saw how Hinata kept trying to ease his doubts away little by little.
Hinata had crawled into Naruto's heart and he never noticed nor minded at all. Instead, Naruto took it and kept it close within him even though he didn't know how to express it.
As she wrote the letter, she looked at herself at her best imitation of Naruto's handwriting and nodded to herself. She would later hand it over to the Hyuuga compound's guards and gave specific instructions to give it to Hinata as soon as they see her.
That night, Hinata had just arrived from her training with Team Eight who was back in action after several days of rest with Kurenai being stricter than usual in her training methods. One of the guards had handed her a scroll with her name written meaning it was addressed to her, looking at it curiously and noticing Naruto's handwriting, she decided to open it once she had reached her room.
When she reached her room, she placed the scroll on her desk and after a quick shower to freshen up. When she went for the scroll, she grew hesitant for a brief moment and went back to her bed looking at the scroll intently. For several hours, Hinata kept thinking to herself just how hesitant she was in reading Naruto's letter. Dinner had passed and soon, it was late in the night and Hinata kept thinking about the contents of the letter and asked herself why Naruto didn't approach her directly like he used to.
With a sigh, she looked at the clock, it was already midnight.
Her fatigue and fretting over Naruto's letter exhausted her and she slumped down on her bed and finally let sleep take over her.
That night, Hinata slept dreamless, drifting off into nothing.
Morning came by and the sun's rays soon reached over to Hinata's room, waking her up.
Suddenly, she looked at the letter and finally had enough courage to open the scroll and read its contents.
She was wide eyed and looked at the time, it was already seven in the morning.
'He's leaving very shortly!'
Hinata got up, put on some clothes and jumped out the window as she jumped from roof to roof with the intent of meeting up with Naruto shortly.
"Onee-sama, its morning! It's time for breakfast!"
Hanabi opened up the door and noticed no one there. She looked at the scroll that was unceremoniously dropped on the floor and read it out loud.
'Hinata, I can't express how well I've gotten close to you since after the Chuunin Exams. You are something, alright. I know that what happened the last time we were together, I didn't know what to say. Mostly because I'm an idiot and I don't have the words to say something to you that night, but I've been thinking about it. I REALLY thought about it. And I can't say it in the letter because then I wouldn't be able to say it to you properly. I want to see you Hinata, before I go. I have to see you, in order to tell you everything. I'll be by the eastern gate waiting for you until seven if you want to hear it. If not, then it's okay. I would understand. I'll try but this will be our last chance in meeting before I come back in three years.'
"I guess Nee-sama would be having breakfast later. I'm sure father wouldn't mind." Hanabi said offhandedly and closed the scroll in her hands before setting it on Hinata's table with a smile on her lips.
Hinata had arrived just by the eastern gate, her Byakugan active as she looked around for a tussle of spiky blonde hair.
Immediately, she noticed a boy with blonde hair, trailing behind a tall white haired man that she could identify as Jiraiya of the Sannin.
She once again filled herself with courage and went after Naruto.
As she came within hearing distance, she shouted at the blonde.
"Naruto-kun!"
Naruto turned around, his face of solemnity replaced by joy as he finally saw Hinata. He looked back at his sensei who merely grinned and gestured that he would wait by the gate's walls as Naruto looked back at Hinata who ran to him and stopped just a meter away from him and gathered her breath from the exhaustive run that she did from her house to the gate at full speed.
"Hinata. I have to tell you something."
Hinata looked up as Naruto smiled at him with his most sincere smile and continued, "I've been thinking about you since yesterday, I couldn't get you out of my head. I know I wanted to tell you something, but I had no idea what it was until I could gather my thoughts since yesterday."
Hinata listened intently as he looked away, a blush on his face as he looked at the left hand that Hinata had held since they saw each other last.
"Y-You don't have to force yourself, Naruto-kun…"
Naruto cut her off with a shake of his head with a smile as he closed his eyes and said, "No, I'm not. It was wrong of me to not give you a response since that night. I don't want you to be left hanging for three years without as much as a reply. You don't deserve something like that."
Naruto then looked at her directly as he said, "I always thought to myself that if I change the way I am, maybe someone will come along and give me the kind of warmth that I wanted to have for so long."
Naruto shook his head, "But that would be impossible. That person wouldn't love me for being me, no. She would love that version of me, simply because if she would start to see me falling apart, it would result in her leaving me and being left alone again."
"But you're different, Hinata. Even if you had known about my secret, you didn't care. You still wanted to be with an idiot like me. In some ways, I'm glad, so happy that I met you and you would stick with me, made me feel being needed. You made me feel something that is different from everyone else."
Naruto looked to his left as he saw people bustling in and out of the gate. He smiled.
"I don't know exactly what these feelings are. But the thought of not seeing you hurts me inside. The thought of you forgetting about me would hurt me more than anything ever could."
At this, Naruto bowed in front of Hinata.
"But what it is telling me is that I want you to stay with me, Hinata. For as long as it takes, I want to know this more because every time I'm with you, I feel this. I feel this overwhelming sense of joy and comfort when I'm with you! I care for you so much that if I saw you get hurt because of me, I can never forgive myself! I'm an idiot and I carry with me my terrible past and an uncertain future! I don't want to lose you! I don't want that damned Akatsuki to use you to get to me! It's going to be really hard for me and you deserve someone who's not an idiot like me!"
"Y-You idiot…"
Naruto looked up as Hinata was now half a meter away before she lightly slapped him on the cheek and then embracing him with all of her might with her face leaning on Naruto's shoulder.
"Someone like you deserves all the love that you need." Hinata said as Naruto stood there, flabbergasted.
"You have genuine care for others and you keep trying even if you fail multiple times."
Hinata then looked straight at Naruto's eyes and said, "Even if the road is filled with perils, I would rather travel it with you than to not have you with me."
"Hinata…"
"Please, let me be by your side."
"I…"
Naruto's head was soon over run with memories of him with Hinata and the emotions he had inside as he reciprocated her hug once more.
"I promise."
Naruto finally gave in.
"Hey, Naruto! Say your goodbyes to your girlfriend already! We need to go now!" Jiraiya shouted from afar, earning a look from the two as he turned back with a smirk.
Naruto then turned back as Hinata once more gathered her courage and proceeded to close the gap between the two of them. Hinata then once more gave Naruto a chaste kiss on the lips.
Naruto was surprised for a moment, but mentally prepared himself and proceeded to return Hinata's chaste kiss.
They looked at each other tenderly before finally stopping, letting their sensibilities take over.
Naruto then let go of the hug and promised one day he would return to Hinata. He looked up and saw the face of the Fourth Hokage in the monument and he promised for his father and mother, that he would grow stronger in order to protect his friends, his family, and his entire village.
'Watch me. I'll come back home stronger.'
With that, the boy turned his back on the girl heading out to the gates, head held high as he was greeted by his master who was grinning from ear to ear, with a small notebook and pen in his hands.
And Naruto kicked the old man behind his left leg causing the old man to stumble a little and pounding the blonde with his fist.
On the rooftops, all of his peers watched as Naruto exited out of the village gate before being obscured by the large arc. His lingering shadow gave them all a wave, a fist to the sky and a wordless promise. Many of them gave a nod and some gave a smile, while others looked serious. It was wordlessly established between them that if it was anyone who had the right to lead them, then it was their friend departing for somewhere else, to be hidden for three years. He may be simple minded at times, but they knew better. Naruto will be the one who will lead them all and they have come to acknowledge him as a comrade, as a superior, but most of all, a true friend.
Sasuke looked at Sakura who was looking down at the streets of Konoha with a cheerful smile before he looked back towards the Hokage monument, Naruto's advice still lingering inside his head. A small smile etched on his face as he dons his new mask and vanishing in a swirl of leaves, preparing for another gruelling trial. There was no rest for the weary.
Unknown place:
Nine figures phased into existence as static began to distort the outlines of their shadows inside a small cave filled with overgrowing rock formations. Only the colour of their eyes can be seen as well as the red patterned clouds emblazoned on their long coats.
"It seems you were not as thorough as you had hoped, Itachi." One of the voices mentioned. It came from the man whose eyes were concentric and the noble color of purple painting them. The one whose eyes were red and glowing in the dark replied stoically.
"The bleeding that the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi suffered through was guaranteed fatal. I have seen enough of Kisame's performance to tell if he aims to kill or not. But I have never realized just how much tenacity a boy of his age has. It has become apparent that he will become one of our prime targets."
The one with the giant sword merely gave a small chuckle and spoke, "I thought the boy was suicidal when he decided to damage himself further by pulling out all of Samehada's skin stuck in his flesh. Apparently his healing ability should not be taken lightly."
The one who looked like he had a deformity on his back then spoke swishing his tail dangerously as he did so, "Then this predicament confirms that he is of Uzumaki descent. Aside from the Senju, there are no lineages within the elemental nations that spoke of greater vitality than the Uzumaki."
One of the men spoke his teal green eyes turned to the man with the humpback "So the remnants of that clan still lingers, it is a crying shame that most of their members have died out due to the great wars. Their hearts would have made for a fine collection to my arsenal."
"It is of no importance, yeah? I mean now, this means that capturing the bijuu shouldn't be difficult with it still being inside an unskilled brat, yeah?" The one looking down from the ceiling spoke.
Then, the one with the ornamental design on her head spoke, "An uncontrolled bijuu is much more manageable than a jinchuuriki running amok. At least when it is a bijuu, all it has are its own abilities. A jinchuuriki would have that arsenal and then some. Underestimating them can become a fatal mistake, especially with enough skills like the Jinchuuriki of the Eight Tails."
Then, the one with the scythe asked the group with a rather rude comment, "What's with flying under everyone's radar, anyway? Why are we taking three years of break just to capture the fucking jinchuuriki?"
The one with the rippling eyes turned to the one with the scythe and answered him, "We are gathering resources. Pretty soon we will be going independent from the grasp of the elemental nations in favour on finally focusing on our goals. Three years is a very short time to reorganize our mode of operations, focusing all our manpower in spying the jinchuuriki and finally having the five great nations under our thumb. Remember that the path of righteousness is met with both the sword and an olive branch. Control yourself, new member."
The one with the scythe clicked his tongue.
"At all costs, we must avert all suspicions placed on us. Two of the five nations already know who our targets are going to be, it is safe to assume that Taki has also been warned of our motives. Suna, Konoha and Taki will be the least of our priorities. For now, Iwa, Kumo and Kiri must come first."
The one with the Sharingan squinted his eyes for a moment before his visage dissolved as the rest of the members followed suit. The one with the purple rippling eyes then looks upward before vanishing himself but left behind a message within the small cave.
"The age of the shinobi countries is now coming to an end. And Akatsuki will be there, setting the new dawn for the world."
END
Book One: Divergence Ends
Book Two: Awakening Start
Book Three: Legends Under development
To make things simpler, I'm placing the second book here as well so that you wouldn't have to ask me something like "Is this, the continuation of x fic?"
As a bonus for your patience, I am going to give you a preview of the coming chapters ahead:
First arc: Metamorphosis
The greatest of warriors are those who inspire others with their tales of heroism and human struggle. This group of young children, crossing into the unknown territories of adulthood, discover the struggle in their paths as they try to catch up to their ideals.
"Goken is indeed a very forceful and powerful taijutsu to have. It emphasizes quick speed and very powerful strikes in a matter of seconds or less. It is the epitome of using the body to its limit, becoming a weapon yourself and destroying your enemies with fists alone. However, Goken is still one taijutsu art and that taijutsu art is not excused to linearity when it comes to fighting opponents. If you wish to continue the path of Taijutsu, Lee, then you must learn beyond the understandings and philosophy of Goken. You must discover your own strength, the strength of perseverance, one where you will be in a domain much different than I."
"I used to believe that mastering Goken alone would make me a stronger ninja. But I was a fool to think so, I would be so linear and predictably, my opponents will learn to adapt to my skills. Gai-sensei has taught me that and it took me a year to finally establish the basics right. This is my new Taijutsu, prepare yourself for this name echoes through my soul, burning with fury and passion, for it is here I have finally gained my enlightenment and it is in this place that you will hear the cry of the savage green beast! For I will forever etch it into your mind as I drive my fists into your face!"
"I find it strange for someone of your calibre in Taijutsu to be adding elements to age old traditions. And in an element you are not even aligned with, no less. Why do you insist that you use Raiton as your primary use?"
"Because I want to defy destiny, to become lightning and strike down a fate that was meant for me, I will never succumb to such a thing. To be lightning is to be free, to be untamed, unshackled by the decrees of others. To become lightning, means to be the bolt that will strike down any and all who will oppose me. That is my will and I will follow that will even to the brink of death."
"This is a lot of weapons, Tenten-san, I doubt we could all get them to be mass produced in a span of three years. The data we gathered from creating all of these weapons says that we just wasted our time in gathering the necessary materials. These are an artisan's level of work and attention! I know that our fuinjutsu is very advanced inside, but the main weapons themselves have become the perfect bed for our seals to work on and every weapon is unique in its own way. What have we created, exactly?"
"Weapons, we created them. They are the tool to take away lives yet save them as well it is a beautiful paradox, one that I carry with me until this very day. Do you know why I am obsessed with weapons? That is because steel is in my blood and fire breathes into me. These are the tools that I will use to strike down my enemies. Be they man, beast or god, these weapons will be the ones who will carve the blood out of them."
Second Arc: Legacy
It is those who find worth in the past can their future open up. Those that seek answers will have them by the end of their journey, but some can only gain something if they look not beyond the horizons but to the rich history of the world and understanding them. To acknowledge that you are the product of ages long past is to accept that you yourself are no different from them and that it is in this acceptance shall you find the change that you wish to see.
"Everything is a struggle. It is the choices that surround them that differs the experiences of everyone. It is always your choice to suffer alone and by your choice also, you can drag everyone you love to the brink of madness. If you choose to give up now, you will walk away from this place, unscathed and safe. But should you choose to continue, then you will suffer further seeking power that will ultimately drive you to ruin. Chakra is a weapon, a tool of destruction. Those who have neither the will nor the courage to face this reality will succumb to its power. It is the most dangerous tool that man has ever used."
"Then fine! I'll struggle as much as I can! I want to see what lies beyond the destruction, beyond the carnage! The path I will choose is the path that will give me the strength to match even the strongest shinobi! I'm not going to quit just because it will give me safety! I'll never grow if I can't constantly try and apply myself!"
"Oh descendant of the elder brother, can you sense it? The tinder for the flames of war sways ever so close to our lands. Blood shall be spilled, souls will be torn apart and despair shall plague all the nations of this world. To show yourself upon this sacred ground, once guarded by your ancestors, is not by chance. You are guided by the gods and destiny calls forth the one who will have the power to fight the darkness looming over the horizon. If you wish not to succumb to the will of this darkness, then you must accept our trial."
"I cannot move forward when all I can do is to be supported by others. This time, this time I shall be the pillar of strength for them, let my will be my strength, my hands as my sword and my bonds as my shield. With them as my tools, I fear nothing."
"Darkness is not evil. Those that abuse it are the ones to be blamed. It is easy to succumb to power and those who are weak of mind will never truly understand the purpose of that power. To seek power means to seek, to rule above all, to stand among the heavens and look down to your inferiors who will understand your strength. To step on the corpses of your enemies and shed not a single tear for the blood that you have spilled. For power, real power, is the conviction to continue to see the summit."
"Real power is to withstand fear and to step forward with that fear. Real power means to embrace the truth and accept it to its totality. To have the will to overcome fear, to have the will to accept our darkness, that is true power."
Third Arc: Inheritors
Family is the basis of all human communities. It is the basic structure to raise children, to teach them, nurture them, and protect them. Therefore, there is no greater bond and greater lesson to be taught to children, than to cherish their families. For their families will be their greatest pillar of support as they walk through the twisting roads of life.
"Can I ask you pops why I'm at your workplace? I haven't been here since I was four or something."
"You're here to learn about the place. You'll be taking over this office once I decide to retire. Well, you'll be here to learn about the ropes for some time. That and to read and create journal logs for the archives of our clan. There are strange theories here concerning our jutsu and how we could manipulate them, you could say that many inside our archives are more or less a bunch of thesis needed for appraisal and practical testing."
"You plan on making me one of the central figures of my generation?"
"No son, it is my intention for you to be the next brain of operations for our village. Things may be quiet now, but I can feel the tides of war looming on the horizon. I want you to be ready, just in case I'm the one who bites it."
"Come on, son. We have a long journey to go. Grab a staff while you're at it."
"A journey to where?"
"East of the village, sitting between the border, the daimyo's palace and the village is a temple monastery where a certain monk lives. Asuma knows this person as a friend. I'm taking you there to learn more about discipline and controlling your anger. Maybe you can learn something from there that the Akamichi clan can use in the future."
"You have that much faith in me to help the clan that much, dad?"
"Son, my job as a parent is to guide you and teach you everything I know so that you can outlast me. When the time comes, you'll realize just how important a child is to their parents."
"My princess, are you sure about this? Aren't you stretching yourself a bit thin on all these plans and schedules for training and studying?"
"Daddy, I want to have the chance to survive. I know I can do this, I know myself enough to see what I'm good in and how it is going to help me live through an encounter without Chouji and Shikamaru. This is my way of doing things."
"And this is in no way a chance to beat your friend Sakura who is under the apprenticeship of Godaime-sama?"
"No, this is far more serious than that."
Fourth Arc: Succession
Great men and women of history have come and gone and they left a mark in the world, shaping it to what it is today. Men and women who are revered as heroes, as legends, as myths, and even as gods, from where do they come from? What did destiny grant them? What did fate whisper to them? Be it born from a noble, from a common citizen to a pauper, there will be people who rise up from their miseries and superficialities, and they will take victory by their own hands.
"Shisho, I mean to ask you, what if there was a way to skip all these polarization-repolarization phases by directly sending electrical currents from the central to the peripheral nervous system? Wouldn't that be a faster conduit instead of relying on accumulating our neurotransmitters for a quick response?"
"You mean like how the Raikage can conduct electricity and basically increase every physical parameter he has? Yes, there is. Lightning is a very useful and exploitable element. Especially considering how our bodies tend to run on them with the necessary requirements. Have you considered in adding something like it to your abilities? I thought that being almost impervious to damage is a pretty sweet deal, kid. Well, the Raikage is technically impossible to hurt with that cheap lightning armor of his. But your abilities can overwhelm a speedster like him. Well, not now in the least but I bet I can have an answer to that mad gorilla's abilities."
"I think we should explore any and all possibilities of what we can do to our own bodies, shisho. That way, I can react fast enough that it would match even a sharingan wielder like Sasuke-kun."
"Well, if you want to advance that badly, I don't see why you and Shizune shouldn't hit the books at the medical research sector. A word of advice though, if you want to use Raiton on your own body, you must have complete control over that element or else it will end badly for you."
"So, you have finally discovered the power lying within you. You had it for a while, yet you are not using it at its full strength. At best you are only using your power because it unlocked your ability to mix two mere elements together, mere parlor tricks. That is not going to help you once you fight your brother."
"I am preparing myself in my battle against him. And you are being a bother to me. I don't exactly care what you think of me. But I know the consequences of using that kind of power. I'd best reserve it when the time comes I get to face him, need it in a dire moment or find a way to do the techniques of the Mangekyo Sharingan without destroying my eyesight. Either way, Indra, you've given me good practical wisdom as well as wasted my time cajoling me into advancing my eyes. There is no need nor is there even a modicum of an advanced pair of sharingan eyes within this village. You're wasting your breath."
"Chakra can create anything yet is nothing. It is formless energy, bound into a being yet untamed. It is flowing, formless, shapeless. It is this energy that can take life and can once again create. With chakra, nothing is impossible."
"Wait, wait, wait, what's with all this philosophy stuff? I thought you were going to teach me about your senjutsu ability after mastering my training in it on Myobokuzan! What's with all the gibberish?"
"Naruto, this is the true secret behind senjutsu. It is not that it gives you the ability to be one with nature that makes senjutsu a fearsome power, no, it is the unlocked knowledge of using chakra itself as your guide bending to whatever element or form you wish, what you are getting, is the universal comprehension of all chakra itself and it is the final aspect of senjutsu that you must know after you have awakened as a sage."
"… WHAT!?"
I hope this can keep you all excited until I get to write the second story. Until then, Read and review
