A/N: If you've noticed that my forum is gone, don't be alarmed... I'm not going to stop replying, but I've decided that it's more convenient to me to reply one-by-one as the reviews come rather than spend twenty minutes on it all at once. Look for review replies in your in-boxes.

Chapter Nineteen: Fire and Tears

The sun climbed above the horizon, turning the eastern sky fiery orange. In recent days, with the pall of the black storm clouds hanging like the raised guillotine over their heads, the villagers had come to hold this time sacred. In these early hours, before the blazing orb of daylight rose beyond the veil of the thunderheads, they flocked into the streets to do their shopping and their chores bathed in warmth and light.

Today was no different from the previous days in terms of the sun's early glory, but a stranger who had only just arrived the day before would have been able to perceive the infection that marred the livelihood of the village. Rumors flitted about, spreading like wildfire from mouth to ear, soul to soul. The scuttlebutt itself was as wild and outrageous as the rate at which it spread, and it seemed to come in an infinite number of varieties. However, it all revolved around one occurrence: the odd, prolonged rumblings that had rocked the village in the night.

Nobody could offer more than a guess, for nobody had been given the true story. A fair number shrugged it off, dismissing the tremors as an earthquake—"We've been overdue for a quake, haven't had one in a hundred years," offered Ichiraku Teuchi. Others capitulated to subdued panic, whispering fearfully in their neighbors' ears that the Akatsuki lurked below ground, come to put Konoha to the flame as they had Suna. Perhaps the group that came closest to being right was the maintenance crew of the public bathhouse, who claimed that the tremors were the result of a chain of water mains rupturing and that this was why a gigantic fissure had appeared in the women's bath (actually, the fissure was the product of a large human having been smashed into the stone, but the staff decided it was much more practical to file suit against the water company that the women who had done the smashing or to spend time and resources searching for the pervert, who had wisely vanished soon after being smashed).

There was only one organization that knew what had happened in its entirety, and they were all but prancing around their conference room in gleeful triumph.

"Order!" cried First Elder Takashi. "This is our hour of victory, but I will have it celebrated in a civilized fashion. Cease your buffoonery before I have you all evicted!"

The lesser members of the Advisory Council were too happy to take the reprimand sharply. They returned to their seats, but they remained exalted. The elderly Takashi could not help but smile back at them; his legacy was to be assured.

"Now then, Shinosuke-kun," he said, turning back to the young Chuunin who knelt at his side, "Rise, and bring forth this evidence that Hiroto has obtained."

"Hai, Takashi-sama," said Shinosuke. He laid the stack of photographs—the ones that were not severely water-damaged—upon the conference table, and the younger councilors all leaned forward to get a good look at them.

"So, Hiroto snapped these himself, did he?" asked one of them. "It makes sense. If anyone can out-sneak that bitch Haruka, it would be him..."

"Actually, my lord, it was not my master who took these pictures," interjected Shinosuke. "They were recovered from the aftermath of last night's activities by an ANBU member whom Hiroto-sama paid well to find them. The most likely explanation is that Haruka-san dropped them during her escape."

The young advisor and a few of his colleagues stared incredulously at him. The ANBU were supposed to work only for the Hokage's office and accept no commission, payment, or bribe from anyone else...

"Ah, it doesn't matter, anyway," he shrugged finally. "With this, we'll be able to cast that little slip of a girl into the Branch House, and choose a new leader. A strong leader..."

"It seems ironic to me," mused Takashi, "That Haruka-san, the one person who impeded our path, ended up providing us with the very photographic evidence that she has so adamantly prevented us from having."

This got a laugh out of the whole room—minus Shinosuke.

"I wonder," said an old, corpulent Hyuuga to the First's left, "Why Hiroto did not deliver this message and his wonderful gift of evidence in person. Surely he would not pass away the opportunity to flaunt his success in our faces, rub our noses in our own impotency..."

This last comment sobered the councilors. He did have a point... was Hiroto up to something, perhaps planning to betray them at the last second?

"My master anticipated that sentiment," Shinosuke replied, "And instructed me to respond that he is unwell and cannot attend this meeting. He promises to come and revel in his glory—the glory that you will likely take credit for—before you at a later time."

One junior advisor, remembering the hole that had nearly been put through his heart at the Captain's last appearance, shuddered and grimaced.

"Pardon me, First Elder," said the middle-aged woman from her seat, "But what of the young Uzumaki Naruto? Has he been relieved of his duty? The Kyuubi may manifest itself as it did against Hiroto if we try to take Hinata-sama while she is under his charge."

Takashi nodded in acknowledgment. "Hokage-sama has received the reports of last night's incident and has decided to lift the emergency protective measures."

"All of them?" she asked, incredulously. "Tsunade-sama would not be fool enough to lift the measures so quickly, without conducting a final investigation of the facility and surrounding areas..."

"The ANBU are conducting that investigation as we speak," offered Shinosuke. "What is more, Hiroto-sama arranged to have some Sound 'evacuees' flee the facility and be captured by the village patrol—they were interrogated overnight and have confessed to being affiliated with the main detachment of Orochimaru's forces. It has by no means totally convinced Tsunade-sama, but it has helped to ease her mind."

Takashi inclined his head in agreement. "Hokage-sama did not lift all of the emergency measures, Hinako. In fact, the search parties have doubled in number. However, the measure that counts has been done away with; the personal bodyguards have all been relieved of their duties, including Uzumaki Naruto."

Hinako nodded, conceding the point, but she pressed on. "That is well, First Elder. However, I would like to ask you to consider going ahead with the original plans to dispose of the boy..."

"Now, that probably isn't necessary, Hinako," interrupted the corpulent man. "It is enough that Hinata-sama can no longer succeed the clan. So long as we do not threaten Hinata-sama's life, I believe that he will remain docile..."

Hinako glared at him. "You are old enough to remember, Hikaro, that the first Uzumaki the council sought to deny was undaunted when you believed you had won. He pressed onward, would have undone our entire way of life, had the unfortunate death of Hiashi-sama's late sister prevented him at the last. Your council could have done nothing had that not happened, for you had let slip your hold when you should have held fast!"

Hikaro, was balked, managed only to say weakly, "But, Hinako... this is a child we are dealing with, not a grown man like the first..."

"A child who carries a demon within him!" she spat. "A child who could easily succumb to that destructive impulse that comes with it! A child guided by one of our own turned traitor and a lunatic masquerading as our ancestor! Do you honestly believe that any price is not worth eliminating any chance whatsoever for that monstrosity to gain a foothold in our clan?"

The room was silent. First Elder Takashi was the first to regain his composure, took over the floor.

"What you say has merit, Hinako. We will put it to a vote. All in favor of carrying out the original plans for Uzumaki Naruto, rise."

There were very few people in the room sympathetic to the blond boy; almost unanimously, the Hyuuga Advisory Council came to its collective feet.

"Very well," said the First, "Draft the letter, and be sure to forge the signature correctly. Uzumaki Naruto will depart on his final mission tonight."

A scribe hurried off to begin the task. Takashi turned to face Shinosuke.

"I am sorry for keeping you, Shinosuke-kun. You may go. Please send your master my thanks, and wish him a speedy recovery for me."

Bowing, Shinosuke left. He stuffed a hand in his left pocket and shuffled out the door, saluting the door guards in traditional fashion as he passed. Now the Advisory Council was alone, and the feeling of exultation returned.

"Let us go and present our evidence before our Revered Lord," said the First. "To hell with whose daughter it is... A future ruler must learn to associate with the right crowd. Demons are not welcome in the house of Hyuuga."

A cheer went up in the chamber.

"We have been patient. We have gathered the necessary proof, and we will be put off no longer!"

A second cheer, louder this time.

"If Hiashi-sama refuses us once more, then there shall be rioting! Violence between the factions! The civilian clansmen, all bearing the curse of the Caged Bird, will throw off their shackles and call for justice, even against their own Branch House kinsmen serving in our shinobi corps! Hiashi-sama, being the soft-hearted man that he has become, will not use force against his own people. We will break him, and we will oust him, and we will have the strong and wise leader that the Hyuuga deserve!"

The third and final cheer nearly blasted the door off of its hinges.

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Naruto was discontent. The morning light, the smells of food in the streets, and the memory of last night's complete victory did not help. Everyone within a stone's throw of him could tell that he was not happy, and those who remembered the Naruto of three years past knew that trouble was liable to follow in the wake of a discontent Uzumaki.

He paid these people no heed. He paid no one any heed at all, so great was his disappointment. For the first time in three years, Naruto walked right by Ichiraku's ramen restaurant and was not compelled to enter and have a bowl. He distantly returned the friendly waves of his comrades—Ino, Kiba, Chouji, Lee, and others frowned when he went by, knowing that something was very wrong with their blond friend but unsure how to help. Naruto acknowledged them silently in the back of his mind, and felt glad to have such good friends, but talking to them would do little good. He needed someone who knew his distress intimately, who would be able to turn this bad situation into something that he could use.

The dreary march went on all through the village until the sun finally passed out of the clear sky and became lost in the shroud of the black thunderheads. Then it went on some more.

Every time I get close, he thought, I find out I'm further away than I ever was.

He looked up into the darkened sky, as if the answer he sought might somehow be hidden up there, a cryptic message in the clouds.

Where the hell are you, you bastard?

Thunder boomed over his head, mocking his thoughts. Frustrated, he grabbed a rock from the side of the street and flung it as hard as he could straight up, seeking to maim the brewing squall for its audacity.

"Damn it!" Naruto yelled. "If you would just come home, or at least show your ugly mug so that Sakura and I could drag you home, then I could move on to more important things! More fun things. Agh! Ite... less painful things..."

He picked up the rock, which had fallen back down onto his head, and crushed it in his hand. The fragments fell back to earth from between his fingers. His hand bled slightly where a few of the shards had broken the skin. The pain of these wounds, coupled with the pain in his head, momentarily distracted him from the pain in his soul, and he grew calmer.

Naruto sighed, letting go of his frustration. He tried to fill the void it left with happier thoughts: thoughts of the golden days before Sasuke had left, memories of the journeying he'd done with Keisuke and Haruka and Ero-Sennin, thoughts of what he would do when all of this had blown over...

The blond saw himself atop the Hokage tower, proudly bearing the mantle of the Rokudaime. Behind him stood Tsunade, beaming at her successor, Haruka and Keisuke standing side-by-side with Ero-Sennin behind them, raising drinks in his honor. Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke stood on his left, each one proud to be up there with him. In a semicircle at their backs were Naruto's comrades and friends: Neji, Tenten, Lee, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, and Shino, each one resplendent in his or her ANBU uniform.

In his left hand, he held the head of Kyuubi by its ears. The villagers, crowding in the streets below, looked upon it and chanted his name in tribute.

And standing at his right hand, in a place that had once been occupied by Sakura and been empty for years after she'd left it, stood...

"Hinata," said Naruto. He was no longer surprised to see her in that place in his grand vision; she'd been there for several days. He sighed again.

"Why now?" he asked the gods for the umpteenth time. "I liked her since the first Chuunin exam, all that time ago. Before that, I had never taken a second look at her. Afterward, I saw her for what she was—a kind, strong person who tried her hardest to improve herself. A lot like me, really. She changed a lot, and by the time I left I felt like we were kinda kindred spirits, but nothing more."

Resting his hands behind his head and looking once more to the sky, he wondered, "As far as I can tell, she was still the same person when I came back... so what changed?"

He walked on through the dimly lit midday, seeking answers in solitude.

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Hinata sat alone on a bench by a fountain in the plaza. For the first time in days she was out in the village without her new bodyguard. She missed his constant presence at her side and the humorous antics that he put on every day to her amusement. It felt odd, almost as though she were missing her right arm.

She had taken the news of his assignment's end in stride, of course, though it made her sad. She was resolved to get used to not seeing him for long periods of time. She'd gone three years without seeing hide nor hair of him, so she could wait a while longer. Plus, she knew that Keisuke was right; things would begin to change, and hopefully soon.

She was about to end her short respite, pick up her bags and head home, but once again, fate intervened. As she got to her feet, she found the Number One Most Surprising Ninja standing before her. Fear stole over her, and she had to fight the urge to look over her shoulder to see if any Hyuuga were watching nearby. Since Naruto's mission was over, they had no reason to be seen together, and any violation of her father's ultimatum could cost her the right of succession.

She tried to keep her face cool and composed, attempted to look past him rather than at him. Moving forward through the throng of people, she tried to push past him.

"Good afternoon, Naruto-kun," she said, not quite succeeding at keeping her voice calm. "Please excuse me, I was just leaving..."

Naruto put his heavy hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. She fought panic, tried to think of the best way to extricate herself without offending him, but her mind had begun to go foggy.

The blond shinobi spoke, and his voice was layered thickly with dark and sad undertones. "Hinata," he said, "Do you think we could talk for a minute? Someplace quiet?"

Her pearly white eyes locked onto his blue ones instantaneously. Hinata knew from the heaviness of his voice and the darkness in his normally sparkling irises that he was not himself. Somewhere inside of him, a wound had opened. Fear of discovery was wiped out; no matter what the circumstances were, the Hyuuga heiress could not, would not stand to see the Jinchuuriki suffer so. Besides, if they moved quickly, they could go someplace secluded before her clansmen had a chance to find them.

"Lead the way, Naruto-kun."

Staring into wide, concerned, liquid pools of white, Naruto found the answer to one of his questions.

It's because she looks into my eyes now, he thought.

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"Every time I think I've found a lead, every time I take a step forward, the path disappears under my feet," he said. Naruto sat with his back to an ancient oak tree with his legs splayed out in front of him, pouring out his worries. Hinata knelt at his side, drinking it in, listening with quiet composure.

"Three years ago, I couldn't stop Sasuke from going to Orochimaru. Even though I borrowed power from the damned fox, I still couldn't stop him..."

"You were younger then, Naruto-kun," offered Hinata gently. "You believed—falsely—that the Kyuubi could give you the strength you needed, while greater strength slept within you, untapped. Your most powerful ability wasn't in the fight, so you lost, but even so you gave it your greatest effort. You should commend yourself for that, not damn yourself."

"My best effort didn't keep Sasuke in Konoha. And the mistakes just piled on after that: Mizuki, the Bikouchuu mission..."

"Mizuki wasn't your fault," Hinata pointed out. "He didn't know anything to begin with. How could you have known?"

"All right, I give you that, but it was still a waste of time," he said. His voice was rising, desperate to get his fears and worries off of his chest.

"And then that time right after I found Keisuke again, when that pansy Kabuto attacked... we could have stopped him from escaping, made him talk, and gone to the Snake bastard's hidey-hole right then."

Hinata had not heard anything of this one, so she kept silent.

"And now, after all of the time and effort I've put into becoming stronger, I can't fight my way through a mob of cronies fast enough to catch Sasuke. If he was even there, that is... if he wasn't, then I was just wasting my time again...

"I'm worried, Hinata. Really worried. What if we don't find him in time, and Orochimaru takes over his body? How will I get him back then? And then, every second that passes without us finding him makes Sasuke stronger—what if, when I find him, I've wasted so much time that he's impossible to take down? Worse yet... what if I can't just knock him out and drag him home? What if... what if I have to kill him?"

The strain of speaking these words caused him to fall silent. He sat leaning heavily against the tree, fists clenched and shaking.

The words wrenched Hinata's heart. The poor boy was killing himself with guilt. Aching to succor him, she reached her small hands out, clasped his trembling right fist between them. Naruto looked up at her, blue eyes wide. This was the second time that she had done this since he had come home. It had an eerie calming effect, caused his fist to relax and stop shaking.

Hinata clasped the fist tightly, hugged it to her chest. Her eyes stared down at it, not meeting his face, concentrating on easing his pain from the extremity inward. When the hand stopped shaking, she opened her mouth.

"That won't happen," she said. "That definitely won't happen."

"Hinata..."

"I said it to you once, a long time ago, and I stand by it. For every mistake you make, for every setback you encounter, you take a step forward. I have told you that you are a truly strong person, because you are knocked down and have the strength to get up, and because the accomplishment of getting back up makes you stronger still.

"Even in your failure last night, you made progress. If nothing else, you know one more place not to look for your lost teammate... and you've proven that you are far stronger than any ordinary Sound shinobi."

Her head shot up to meet his gaze. Naruto looked into her eyes, and saw that they were wet with unshed tears, yet at the same time there was a blazing fire within them that no tears could quench.

So this is what I've been missing, all that time when she blushed and turned away. To think I saw her as a shy, dark weirdo then... I've never seen anything like her now!

"You are stronger than any person in this village!" she said. Her voice rang out in the forest, drowned out the birdsong, drove away darkness as an intense heat banishes still water. "You have been ridiculed, neglected, shunned almost all of your life, and yet you come out of it as one of the kindest, most caring and innocent people that the world has ever known. You are the unwilling host of a beast that killed thousands, yet you are nothing like that creature; you save the village every day by keeping him locked away!"

The tears started to fall now, but the fire in her irises burned hotter than ever. Naruto was the fire's willing captive, unable to move, slow to think or speak. He felt the small, pale hands that clutched at his right arm squeeze tighter, nearly cutting off the circulation to his hand.

"You're the strongest," she said, her voice cracking. Her head began to fall back down to his hand. "You should be the hero and the role model of this village, but you're not. Only to me..."

Only to her. Thinking back on it, Naruto could remember the first time he had really noticed Hinata. Sakura had hit the nail on the head back then... "She was always watching you..."

No one else had watched him. No one else had really cared until recently. More and more people were beginning to respect him these days, but she had done so since before he had even invented the Sexy no Jutsu...

He was feeling better now. He reached his left hand around and put it lightly on her shoulder. It felt awkward to him, and the constriction of his captive right hand was beginning to pain him, but he took little notice.

Hinata's head snapped back up to look at him. It was her turn to show the wide, surprised eyes.

"Hinata," he said. "Thank you. Just like in the old days, you managed to bring me back to myself. I owe you twice over for that now."

"Ah..." The fog rushed in to fill the space where Hinata's brain used to be. She smelled the faint scent of ramen, the light fragrance of summertime mixed in with a powerful, strong, masculine smell. She was suddenly very conscious of the hand that she held close to her breast, and the blue eyes that she had only moments ago held captive were now her captors.

"Na... Naruto-kun..."

Haruka found her way into her mind. One little push... he'll fall right into your arms! He was damned near there already...

Keisuke intruded next: Just wait a little while. Circumstances will improve. Could they be any better right now?

Her cousin Neji: You are so much stronger now, Hinata-sama. Damned straight. Man, Naruto-kun's arm is toned...

Sakura: If he doesn't fall for you now, he's a complete idiot! Girl, you will wish you'd never turned him down...

Her father: I cannot permit it. I will not. Shut up, you stupid old man...

This was the moment. It had to be. They had just spilled their guts out to each other; how could they not move forward after this? Steeling her nerves, fighting through the fog in her head, Hinata prepared to speak the words that would change her life forever.

"Naruto-kun... I..."

"Are going to come with us, back to the house to explain yourself, Hinata-sama."

Hinata's eyes snapped into focus. There was Naruto in front of her. His left hand rested on her shoulder, his right hand in her grasp. His mouth was smiling appreciatively and his eyes were... closed? Shocked, Hinata could not react to push the comatose Naruto away, and his weight bore her to the ground with him on top of her. A tiny dart protruded from the back of his neck.

"Very cute, Hinata-sama," said the owner of the dart gun, "But I'm afraid I'll need to toss out the trash on top of you. You need to be reasonably clean for your appointment with the Advisory Council." Hinata recognized him as Hiroto's man, one of the two who had tried to collect her while Naruto had fought Hiroto.

"What does the council want with me?" she asked. Gently, she disentangled herself from Naruto before the man could "toss him out." If anyone is trash here, it is you, she thought vehemently. If I have anything to say about it, you are not going to touch him.

A low chuckle answered her from the shadows, announcing the presence of Hiroto's other flunky. "As if you couldn't guess," he said. "They're going to present evidence before our Revered Lord, Hiashi-sama, which will prove that you have broken the ultimatum leveled against you. Hopefully, I will have more evidence to provide by the time the trial begins..."

He waved a camera at her, wagging it as a mother would wag her finger at her child to express disappointment.

"Tsk tsk, Hinata-sama. How naughty we've been." He and his accomplice laughed together.

"They will find you guilty, and then they will give you the treatment, Hinata-sama," continued the first one. "They'll take you into a little room, where nobody can see or hear you, and they'll make you one of us." He pointed at his forehead, where the plated headband concealed the mark of the Caged Bird.

Hinata regarded them with defiance in her eyes. It was the best that she could do to fight down the dread creeping up in her.

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"What the hell is in that woman's head?"

Keisuke stamped about his house in confusion and fury. Since they had emerged from the bowels of the ancient dungeon, the blind man had been unable to get a single word out of Haruka, not even a taunt or a jest. Though he had tried numerous times to speak to her since then, the woman had executed an about face and walked briskly away each time.

"First she talks to me like a spitting cobra in that hell hole, and now she's deliberately avoiding me. What the hell did I do?"

He sank into one of the only pieces of furniture in the house—a large cushioned chair. Sitting there and brooding over the matter, he recalled Haruka's last words to him...

"What's gotten into you, besides your new partner?"

"New partner... who does she think that is? I've only had one partner in the last two years..."

In answer, a set of hands came into view in his mind, accompanied by traditional Hyuuga-style robes.

"Neji?" he thought aloud. "She can't be serious. We may have been working together on this mission, and I do happen to like the guy, but so what? Haruka and I have been working together almost since we met. Why would she be jealous of Neji for working with me for a few days? It's ridiculous, that's what it is."

She might not see it that way, came a voice from the back of his head.

"Bah!" Keisuke replied. "We've never seen eye-to-eye, the Sadist and me..."

This time it is different. This time, the integrity of your partnership is questioned.

"The integrity of... By the gods! I'll never understand you women..."

Men aren't supposed to understand. It isn't in their nature to understand.

Keisuke sighed. "Then help me, Yuka," he whispered to no one. "If I'm not meant to understand, then what am I supposed to do?"

No answer came. Instead, Keisuke heard footsteps in his hallway. Perking his head up and extending his feelers, he found the familiar Hyuuga aura. Its owner stood before him in her usual tough pants and a sleeveless silk shirt. The studded leather armbraces were in order, as was the braid in her long black hair.

But her whole appearance seemed frayed. There were numerous loose strands in her braid, and the pants and shirt seemed to be wrinkled in places. The aura was slow-churning and sluggish, tainted with a gnawing darkness.

The blind man gestured to a chair at the other end of the room. "Come in. Have a seat," he offered.

Haruka did not move. Her aura did not change.

"You came here to talk, am I right? I rather think we need to. Can I offer you a drink?"

The aura remained dim and unresponsive. It was as though Haruka did not recognize him.

"Are you there?" he questioned. He crossed the room to wave an arm in her face. "Hello? It's me, remember? Blind idiot?"

The aura brightened a moment, as if hope had flickered in her. Keisuke thought he'd reached her, and walked back across the room to his chair.

"Please, sit down, Haruka."

The aura dimmed again, as though the owner had not found what it had been hoping to find.

"I don't know you," she said. Turning, she shuffled out of the door.

Keisuke fury returned to him. "Damn it, Haruka!" he yelled. "Damn you for being so territorial! I am not your property!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he bit his tongue. He had no idea what had caused him to say them.

The sounds of the retreating footfalls paused a moment. Then, when Keisuke did not speak again, they resumed, growing ever quieter until, at last, they passed beyond range of his hearing.

"I will never understand women," he said.

You know this, and yet you continue to try. Why do you think she is so territorial, so jealous of Neji?

He paused a moment, considered.

"You know what, Yuka? I rather believe I'm scared to find out."

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"Naruto! Naruto, wake up!"

Inexplicably groggy, Naruto had to work hard to make his eyelids work. He struggled with them for several long moments before he finally pried them open. He found himself in his own bedroom. And sitting beside the bed was...

"Sakura?"

"Thank goodness," breathed the pink-haired medic. "We didn't know what it was that you were hit with, at first, but it turned out not to be lethal. Still, it's good to see you awake."

"What am I doing here? Where's Hinata?"

"She is with her clan," said another woman's voice. "She is attending a meeting of the Hyuuga Advisory Council, answering for misdemeanor..."

"Tsunade obaa-chan!" Naruto gasped. He had not expected her here. Then her words registered. "What do you mean, misdemeanor? She was pretty well-behaved as far as I could tell. I know I'm not the best with etiquette and all that, but..."

"No," said Tsunade, "Though undoubtedly some of the more craven members of the council would snipe at her for such a trivial thing, her etiquette has been perfect. The misdemeanor she conducted was the breaking of a certain condition laid down by the council for her eligibility as Hiashi's heiress. The punishment will likely be the stripping of her right of succession."

"They can't do that!" Naruto responded. He sat up suddenly, startling Sakura, who had been checking his blood pressure.

"Like it or not, Naruto, they can," said the young medic. "It's their clan, not yours. Now lay back down and hold still for a moment, please..."

Naruto obliged her grudgingly, but did not relinquish his argument.

"What the hell," he said. "Hinata's a great person, a strong person... I can't see any reason why they wouldn't want to fall to their knees and serve her the rest of her life..."

"They have the Byakugan. They can see into people's hearts, but they have problems judging them fairly and correctly. For things like that, we have gullible, innocent, guileless people like you, Naruto," Tsunade said. Hokage and rebel shared a quick smile at the playful insult.

"Even so, there is nothing we can do for her lawfully," continued Tsunade. "I'll make sure to question Hiashi about that unprovoked knockout dart, though. Anyway, if you are well, I have another assignment for you..."

"Damn, a mission now? I'm still dizzy from that drug..."

"You'll be fine in an hour or so," said Sakura. "That Kyuubi is good for one thing, if nothing else; I've never seen such quick regeneration in a human before."

"Hehe... I guess you're right," said Naruto.

"Your mission," continued Tsunade, "Will be in Nano Country. I have a letter here from the Daimyo, Haruna—I believe you may remember her..."

Naruto nodded. "Yep. Right around the time I was getting ready to leave. Not very nice at first, but she turned out to be a good person."

Tsunade smiled. "That's good. The letter says that Haruna will be traveling by ground to a neighboring country to settle a trade dispute with the Daimyo there. She has heard that you returned to Konoha, and she requested that you be sent as special escort."

"Another guard detail," Naruto said. "It's boring, that's for sure, but I'll enjoy seeing Haruna and Yurinojou again. Say, I thought you weren't sending me out of town anymore because of Akatsuki danger?"

"It's true that the Konoha council doesn't want me to send you out too far on your own," she said, "And I agree with them. But Nano Country is fairly close to Konoha and you'll be working alongside at least one other skilled ninja, so you should be relatively safe. Besides, I always did like the Nano Country... Just go there, do your job, and get back as fast as you can. Now, you ought to get ready... You'll need to leave by tonight if you want to make it on time."

Tsunade gave him a last quick smile, then left him with Sakura.

The medic finished her work, regarded her blond teammate with a knowing look. "You don't want to go."

"As much as I'm looking forward to seeing more old friends, you're right... I don't," he said.

"You're worried about her, aren't you."

"Kinda. I don't trust Hiroto or his guys... putting me in a coma like that just so they can 'ask' Hinata to go with them... damned cowards, who knows what they'll do."

Sakura gave a small sigh. "I know what they'll do," she said. "I heard them talking about it when they dumped you in front of the hospital. They said..."

The pink-haired medic-nin gulped, thinking of the terrible thing that was about to happen to her friend, "They said that Hinata was going to join the Branch House. They're going to force the Caged Bird seal on her."

Sakura closed her eyes, waiting for Naruto to blow up in rage. She was surprised when the explosion didn't come.

The blond teenage ninja got up from the bed, began pulling on his orange and black jacket and his hitai-ate headband. His face was perfectly composed, his movements smooth, not the jerky motions of a man possessed by fury.

"Naruto?"

"That won't happen," he said, his voice low and determined. "That definitely will not happen."

"You can't be thinking of marching in there and stopping them!"

"Can't I, Sakura? Tsunade obaa-chan said there was nothing we could do for her lawfully."

Sakura was horrified. "So you, Uzumaki Naruto, plan to take on the whole of the Hyuuga clan by yourself?"

"If that's what it takes." Naruto shrugged.

"My god... you're serious, aren't you?" said Sakura. "You know you could easily get killed, right? Most of the Hyuuga never bothered to give you a chance; you're still the 'demon child' to them."

Naruto grimaced at that thought. "I'll think of something."

"Geez. Why, all of a sudden, are you going to such extremes for Hinata?" Sakura had a reason in mind, but there was no way to be sure, with Naruto.

Naruto pointed to his headband. "Since Iruka-sensei gave me this, a long time ago, I swore: I will always protect my precious people. It doesn't matter what I lose in doing it."

Sakura smiled. It seemed that Hinata's greatest wish was finally being granted, if a little late.

"And also," Naruto said, catching her attention once more, "In chuunin exams three years ago, I promised Neji that I would change the Hyuuga. I was going to wait until I became Hokage to do it, but it looks like I might have to give them their first lesson a little sooner than I planned."

The young medic was astonished. Who stole the Naruto with the one-track mind, the one who thought responsibility was the Eighth Deadly Sin? Still, this meant that Keisuke-san would be pleased, as well, so she couldn't complain. That didn't stop her from worrying about her teammate, though.

"Well, I guess I can't stop you," she said. "But please, Naruto... be careful. Team seven can't afford to lose any more members."

Looking back from the doorway, Naruto flashed his trademark fox-grin. "Don't worry about that. I can't die, not until I've saved Sasuke and become Hokage. As long as I have a promise to keep, I'm invincible."

With that said, he walked out of his apartment towards his fate.

Sakura sat in his room, wondering when he'd found time to rearrange his furniture and wishing she could believe in his so-called invincibility. However, when she looked to his mangled bedsheets, at the photograph that had fallen out of his clothing, she began to feel a little more confident in him.

"Nice angle, Haruka-san," she remarked with a smile. It was the first photograph from the incident at Ichiraku's.

Outside, the crash of thunder could be heard. Raindrops began to patter on Naruto's window.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO End Chapter Nineteen OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO