January 8th
"I figured you'd be up here." Naruto manages over the sound of the wind howling around them.
Sasuke turns, giving a slight nod, before facing the village again. Naruto had found him atop one of the tallest buildings in the village.
"Are you planning on leaving again?" Naruto asks, gripping the railing tight in front of him.
"I don't see how that's any of your business." Sasuke's voice is cold.
"I know what you're doing Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei told me about your missions." Naruto turns to look at him.
"Then I guess you have your answer then."
"You just up and leave everyone who's ever cared about you with no knowing when you'll be back." Naruto pauses reading Sasuke's face, his annoyance turning to a slight concern for a moment. "You're a fucking dick Sasuke and I don't see what Sakura sees in you but honestly some people could probably say the same to Hinata about me. But I didn't leave her, I didn't wake up and leave everyone with shit got hard."
"You don't know what you're talking about Naruto." Anger flashes in his one visible eye.
"I do though, ya know. Sakura is like family and she at least deserves an explanation to what you're doing."
Sasuke's face hardens as he turns his body away from Naruto focusing on the buildings in the distance.
"If one ounce you cared about her, if you want whatever happened in your room the other night to happen again." Naruto pauses to give Sasuke a knowing look. "Give Sakura whatever explanation you need for why you're gone, but she just needs something. I get what you're doing, helping prevent another war and all, ya know."
"I'll consider it." Sasuke briefly turns back to face Naruto before his site settles back, traffic spilling out of the hospital, bright pink hair bobbing through the crowd.
"Iruka-sensei asked me to stop by the academy today to talk about some stuff. I'll see you tomorrow at the Hokage's office before you leave." Naruto pauses looking at his sullen friend over his shoulder as he makes his way towards the door.
Sasuke scans the crowd once more looking for Sakura, she had stopped, chatting with another girl whose back was to him, her long blue hair reaching her waist.
I hate when he's right. Sasuke thinks to himself as Naruto comes into sight causally draping his arm over Hinata's shoulder as the group make their way towards the academy.
"What exactly did you volunteer me for?" Sakura questions Naruto as the academy comes into sight
"Iruka-sensei just wants us to talk to the class that's about to graduate, ya know. Make it not so scary for them, you remember how much graduation exams sucked."
"Maybe for you." Sakura jokingly jabs Naruto in the ribs. "What are you going to talk to them about?" She asks.
"Oh good, I was worried you two wouldn't make it on time." Iruka interrupts before Naruto has a chance to answer "Come, this way the class is waiting at the training grounds. Hinata you're more than welcome to join us." Iruka smiles at her as they walk towards the grounds.
"Yeah, stay and hear me talk!" Naruto stops, turning to look at Hinata.
He didn't shave this morning. Hinata takes in the roughness of his cheek that paired with his fading black eye.
"You look like you haven't been home in a week." Hinata reaches to touch his cheek, stopping herself.
"I kinda haven't, ya know." Naruto, not caring about the pair of onlookers, takes her hand in his.
"You were home last night, you should have shaved."
"I didn't get to bed until late, so I didn't wake up early." Naruto takes a step closer, lowering his voice.
"Oh…" A blush forms on Hinata's cheeks at the memory of their night.
Naruto's eyes meet hers, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips. A loud cough coming from down the hall interrupts their gaze.
"Come on you two!" Sakura yells, while Iruka looks at the floor rubbing the back of his neck.
"Do you want me to go first Sakura-chan?" Naruto questions stepping onto the grass.
"Why not." Sakura makes herself comfortable on the bench next to Hinata.
"They're here for him, you know." Sakura states, pointing at the crowd of mostly females standing on the outskirts of the training grounds.
"Hhhmmpp." Hinata makes a displeased noise looking at the women as they point at Naruto.
"So, one of a ninjas' most essential skills is nature transformation." Naruto starts, looking at the students sitting on the grass in front of him. "Now this takes a pretty advanced amount of chakra control so for some of you it might be a little too early, but don't worry I bet all of you will get there some day."
"Naruto-senpai?" A girl raises her hand.
"Yes?" Naruto pauses.
"What exactly can you transform?" She asks.
"Great question!" Naruto replies.
"He's actually kinda good at this." Sasuke whispers quietly
"He practices." Hinata whispers. "He. told me that if he can make class fun for the students that hate it at least for one day it would be worth it."
Their attention turns back to Naruto as he finishes explaining the different nature to the students.
"So I have wind." Naruto smiles down at the girl. "So can someone tell me what they think I may be weak or strong against?"
"Well fire of course." A boy answers from the back row. "Wind feeds fire, but I'm not sure what wind could take out."
"Lightning." Naruto states. "Wind acts as a natural suppressor to lightning. But enough of that. I brought some special paper with me today, it's called litmus paper." Naruto holds the paper up for the class to see.
"And what you do is run a small amount of chakra through it like and it'll have a different reaction depending on what element you have in your chakra." Naruto holds a piece between his fingers, showing the class as it rips in two. "Now if it does this that's wind. Fire will turn it to ash, lightning will wrinkle it, earth will turn it to dirt, and water will make it damp." Naruto passes the paper to the students.
"Now don't get discouraged if it doesn't happen for you right away, just focus on channeling your chakra through the paper." Naruto smiles at the class. "Any questions?"
"Senpai?" A woman who had been standing with the crowd watching Naruto steps forward. "Would you like to get lunch with me? I mean after class of course."
"Uuumm, well…" He turns to look at Hinata. She's standing a sour expression on her face, her arms folded tightly across her chest.
"You had lunch with her just the other day." The woman states, motioning to Hinata.
That's right, she's one of the girls from the dinner that wanted me to eat with them the other day. Naruto thinks to herself.
Now don't tell me these are the sort of situations I'll have to deal with, with you now that the war is over and we're moving into an era of peace. I may just die of boredom. Kurama's voice sounds inside Naruto's head, he can almost feel the giant fox rolling his eyes.
I thought you had no interest in my love life Kurama? Naruto questions, answered only by a soft chuckle.
"Just go up there, assert yourself as his girlfriend. Girls like her are relentless Hinata, they won't stop." Sakura whispers in a rushed voice giving the girl next to her a slight shove.
"Naruto!" Hinata calls, walking up taking his hand in her own. "Let's go get some ramen, I didn't eat breakfast this morning." She smiles up at him, giving his hand a light squeeze.
The woman looks at Naruto, then at their linked hands.
"Oh, um, well sorry." She manages to make her way back to the group as Sakura begins to speak to them about the importance of medicine.
"This could be awhile, ya know. When Sakura starts talking about medicine she really gets going. Why don't we go grab that food."
"Why don't we just go back to your place, I'm actually not that hungry." Hinata meets Naruto's ocean blue eyes, a soft spark glowing in hers.
"Was last night not enough for you?" Naruto questions, in a hushed voice. "Not that I'm complaining." He covers quickly.
"Well if I recall you did a majority of the work." Hinata replies in the same hushed tone.
"Huh?" Naruto asks.
"Well you didn't uuummm…" Hinata looks up at Naruto as they walk towards his house, biting her lip hoping he would get her point.
This is not something I really want to discuss in public. She thinks to herself, the memory of Naruto between her thighs, pulling away time and time again right as she was about to finish .
"Oh!" Naruto exclaims loud enough for the others walking by them to turn their heads. "Hinata you don't have to." He starts.
"But I want to." Hinata replies, making her way up his front porch steps. "Isn't that how relationships kinda work? You make me um happy." She shoots him a coy smile as the door opens. "And I make you happy."