Chapter 3: A Secret Place

"You can hold a secret, hold it so far in that it drives nearly every thought and every move you make- your very heartbeat, almost."

― Deb Caletti, The Six Rules of Maybe


Naruto & Hinata

Winter trudges on slowly through Konoha, wraps the trees, rivers, and grasslands in patches of ice and snow deep and thick enough that most missions for shinobi are put temporarily on hold until the weather improves.

The beginnings of the New Year though just promise more snowfall and freezing rains, sky a patchwork of grays and pale blues each time anyone ventures out.

It's been exactly 3 days now since Hinata's seen her red thread, felt the pulse and warm thrum of it wrap around her finger. Night still comes on quickly enough and nobody feels like being out in the snow unless necessary thankfully to see her late night rendezvous. Snow and frost have been her covers and moonlight her guide back to Naruto's apartment twice now.

"Do you need to go?" Naruto's voice cuts in through the quiet, Hinata shifting up out of their cocoon of blankets.

She glances back to his alarm clock: 4:06 am.

'I can't keep asking Hanabi to cover for me.' Hinata knows.

Eventually, one of them will be caught in a lie, a guard or attendant finding them at the wrong place and time.

"Yes, I guess so." She murmurs back in return, hating the way Naruto's expression falls before he tacks on one of his usual easygoing grins.

He straightens out an uneven violet lock, the mess of curls pressed against her cheek and brightens feeling her cheeks warm against his fingers. There's still much he doesn't know about Hinata, even being in his apartment she blends herself into the background of his mess, curls herself to be as out of sight as possible.

'Must be from growing up in that mansion around all those snobs.'

"Next time...we should meet somewhere in the daylight?" Naruto tentatively suggests.

He can ask Pervy-Sage to be a makeshift bodyguard maybe with enough convincing (or bribery/blackmail), he can be serious when he wants to be.

Hinata's eyes widen, stiffening. There's nowhere in Konoha that a Hyuga's eyes can't find she's sure. Her Father has connections with all the other old clans after all, knows which advisors and dignitaries to ask to find out whatever mission she's on or whoever she's supposed to be with.

"You can say it's for training! The chunin exams are coming up after all! It makes sense you'll be out for longer hours training with your team or flying solo." Naruto pushes at Hinata's nervous bite of her lips.

"Ah, that's a good point. I don't believe Father has high hopes I'll get very far in the tournament though or if I should even compete. I'm no longer on his radar knowing I don't have the right fortitude to run the clan or even have a red thread match he'll want." Hinata murmurs.

That doesn't mean though he won't have Ko keeping an eye on her when not on a mission, the byakugan is too precious to be lost even if her strength is not up to par to the clan's standards.

Naruto crosses his arms and even in the dark Hinata can see his brows knit together in annoyance.

"What?! Don't take this the wrong way Hinata, but your Father sounds just as much like an ass as Neji, you know! Ugh, we'll just have to prove everyone wrong; okay?!" He determines.

Hinata giggles, nodding as she leans back to him.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." She murmurs into his side. At Naruto's apartment she's free to discuss her other dreams such as aiding patients at the hospital or pharmacy, train and take walks with her sister, and listen to Naruto's long winded stories of what Konoha will be like once he's Hokage such as a Free Ramen Day.

Nobody has thought much of her she's sure since her 'un-reveal' to have no match the night of her birthday.

"You can't see anything; at all?" Hiashi repeats.

A flurry of whispers escape around them, giggles of "I told you so." and "Lord Hiashi expected too much from her of all people."

Hiashi holds up a hand, room going silent.

"Answer me Hinata." He orders, pearl orbs narrowing.

Hinata can feel her heart thudding, ignoring the heat of her red thread etching around her. A single look to her hand will give this all way, have him instantly know that she's trying to hide the truth from him.

"No. It's...It's not showing up Father." She lies.

Hanami had quickly ushered her back to her room shortly afterwards with Father having nothing left to say to her, opalescent eyes softening on her with a mix of pity and worry that Hinata wished she hadn't seen.

Hanabi will take her place as heiress now, there's nothing left she can do to convince Father...

"Everything will be fine Lady Hinata." Hanami whispers as she untangles her out of her kimono, placating smile cracking when Hinata catches her gaze in her mirror.

"Let's have breakfast before you go!" Naruto chirps breaking her out of her thoughts, taking her by the hand leading her to his kitchen.

Her face burns down to her neck at the simple gesture, Naruto arching a brow.

"Are you okay? You're turning a beet red!" He frowns.

"F-Fine!" Hinata sputters, looking down, fingers tingling.

If only she had more of Sakura or Ino's confidence, they interact with all the boys of their class without a second thought to it.

Naruto blinks, nodding slowly. Hinata is still a bit of an odd one to him.

But she hasn't let go of his hand or thought anything he's said so far as annoying or impossible for him to do.

He winches when he turns on the light causing a family of roaches to scatter, stagnant water in the sink a murky brownish gray. It's been forever since he's had another guest over besides Pervy-Sage who pays little mind to how unkempt he is.

Naruto flusters, heading straight for the fridge. "Sorry, Sorry! I should've been better prepared with ingredients. Um...we can just have cup ramen if you'd like?"

Hinata hums thoughtfully as she trails after him, looking at what he has available. Eggs, bread, various spices, a half-opened box of tea, a stalk of celery, and some herbs.

'I can work with this.' She decides with a nod.

She turns back to Naruto with a smile.

"I may not be as good as Teuchi, but we can make egg ramen with some of your spices and vegetables."

Naruto immediately beams, whooping in agreement.

"Alright, our first meal together!"


Sasuke

'You know you desire power Sasuke; I can give you what you want.' All you have to do is seek me out once nightfall comes.'

Sasuke sits up, sheets tumbling away, shadows surrounding him receding back into the night upon opening his eyes. He glances towards outside at a pinkish gray dawn, cold breeze slipping into his room. A coating of snow lies upon the windowsill, scatterings of dirt and grass mixed in.

Another dream.

Orochimaru calls to him at nearly every hour of the day now, perhaps he was even here watching him sleep last night, sending him persuasive whispers.

His hand pulses before he can even sit up fully, Sakura must be up early too.

Strange.

He's hardly seen her since winter burrowed further into Konoha, doing as he wished in keeping her distance. He ignores the side of himself that wonders why this out of everything since being on a team with her and getting to know her is the one thing Sakura seemed to so easily relent to.

'I'd figured she would've fought harder for us.'

Maybe her feelings weren't as deep as she thought they were...

It shouldn't hurt, shouldn't even bother him, but a sliver of annoyance pricks at him like a needle, draws out a frustration he thought he kept reserved only for Itachi.

His fingers ache too, throb like Sakura's been punching rocks or purposely cracking them. A punishment for him catching her off guard on the way home that one evening?

'No, she's been training with Lord Fifth.' He recalls.

Even Naruto, as annoying as he is has found a Sannin to train under via that pervert.

So he's the only one left now without one, but Orochimaru has been more than willing; waiting for him to finally make up his mind and come to him on his own.

He straightens out his hands, pretty soon he won't have to worry about this annoying connection, these lingering ties keeping him in Konoha.

With a grunt he sets out for the kitchen, taking the long route outdoors avoiding his parents old bedroom. A snow flurry greets him, specks of white frost dancing down from a milky blue sky.

He keeps his eyes forward, pushing away the ghosts of laughter in these halls, old memories of feet pattering against the mahogany flooring. In winter, late morning to early afternoon sunlight hits their old family photos in angles that still make his stomach churn.

Especially the main one of his parents and brother.

Soft yellow light always falls on his mother's gentle smile, calmly coaxing him to look at the camera while his Father's stone face gazes impatiently waiting to get this over with...

And then there's Itachi to his right, grin stilted and fake maybe knowing in his mind the horrific crime he was about to do in the coming month.

Red threads hadn't kept the Uchiha clan intact, none of the love or trust they had for each other was enough to prevent their slaughter.

'Still, I suppose I at least learned some survival skills.' He notes as he pours his steamed rice into a bowl and turns off the stove to move the grilled fish to a plate already lined with tomatoes and eggs.

He's midway through his breakfast when he sees a flash of silver by the window, too dark to be snow.

Kakashi-sensei.

He gives something of a half-wave, eye crinkling indicating a smile beneath that impossible to see behind mask of his.

"Oh good, you're already awake. Up for some training?"

His gaze trails to the shuriken and kunai already at his side, the glint of readiness in his dark eyes.

"...I see. Silly question to ask. Ah, but you won't need those tools for what we plan to do today."

He leads them up into the mountain side, a landscape of oak and pine trees all shades of greens coated in snow and ice surround them for miles in all directions.

This high up his breathing gets tighter, nausea rippling through him like a billowing storm.

Neither speak, but Sasuke can gauge what's on his sensei's mind.

It isn't like he hasn't heard the mutterings as well in regards to the fear of his defection, the guards who have begun tailing him around the stores and the training grounds...

Though perhaps everyone is waiting until the chunin exams are over to actually say anything to his face, betting first to see his outcome in the tournament on how much ryo they can make off of him.

"The move I plan to teach you is very draining of chakra, so much so that I can only do this technique up to a max of 4 times a day. However, it's quite powerful, especially for someone with a lightning affinity and the sharingan." Kakashi regards, glancing over his shoulder back to him.

Sasuke shrugs, any move worthwhile has a drawback.

And the sharingan, his eyes narrow thoughtfully. He's never asked him before, but Kakashi-sensei has a sharingan in his left eye when he isn't affiliated with his clan. There's a story behind it, though he doubts he'll get an answer for it today or even ever with how private he is.

He watches then as Kakashi gathers electricity in his hands, crackling of whites and blues making his eyes widen.

'The chidori.'

His gaze falls to his own hand to ready himself when he feels a sudden sting, hand burning as if set afire.

Teeth clenched he chances a glance towards his red thread nearly doing a double take.

'It's...tearing?'

"Something wrong?" Kakashi asks, brows furrowing at his lack of movement to get started.

He pushes aside the pain, shaking his head.

"It's nothing."


Naruto & Jiraiya

"So...do you like her?" Jiraiya grins roguishly.

"Who?" Naruto questions between slurps of his noodles. Teuchi's tonkotsu ramen is clearly too important for him to stop eating, bits of broth, pork, and nori spilling out onto his lap and sleeves.

'I need to teach him some manners.' Jiraiya sighs.

There's no way, red thread match or not that anyone would approve of such gross behavior!

He rolls his eyes, gesturing for him to finish eating first. Kid was yammering about his red thread all these past few weeks leading into the New Year and now doesn't know what he's talking about.

"Your red thread match; who else?!" Jiraiya finally gripes at Naruto's continued blank look as he polishes off his bowl before it clicks.

A slow grin rises to his face, nodding.

"Hinata can be a bit weird and quiet; especially when her face gets all red like she has a fever or is about to faint if I lean in too close to her, but yeah I like her! She showed me how to make oyakudon and steam rice correctly so it doesn't come out all clumpy and brittle!" He cheers.

Jiraiya hums in interest, it's possible Hinata has liked Naruto long before she even knew their red threads were tied together.

'That's good, having the nine-tailed Fox in him has given him so few people who truly care about him.'

"Weird and quiet aren't exactly polite words to describe your red thread match. I hope she wasn't in earshot of you saying that!" He bemuses, unable to hide a crooked smile.

It sounds very much like what Kushina first said about Minato.

His gaze falls back to his own untouched bowl of shoyu ramen, steam fanning his face as he takes a bite of his egg.

"You better keep that Kid in check Jiraiya. You're supposed to be his Godfather after all and you're just now returning back into his life." Tsunade huffs.

Jiraiya snickers, cheeks flushed from sake. Lotus Ginza is one of the highest end bars they've chosen to stop in, hardwood walls polished to shine an amber-gold hue. Pink and white lotus flowers decorate each table, petals fresh with dew from the rivers.

"Sounds like someone is just cranky that Naruto managed to find his red thread match and learn the rasengan in time before the bet was up!"

Tsunade's gaze hardens, hazel orbs icy. "I mean it Jiraiya. Once someone finds their red thread match it can either lead them to inexplicable joy or a pain that is never-ending should anything go wrong."

Jiraiya waves her off, Junmai sake burning sliding down his throat. He shouldn't have invited her out if she was going to be such a buzzkill, open up old wounds and memories of his love for her that he prefers to stay buried...

He cut his red thread knowing it would be unrequited, because Tsunade will always be tied to her bond to Dan and Dan alone despite all his best efforts to help her move on and find love again.

There's no use in him continuing to compete with a dead man.

"Have a little more faith in Naruto, eh! He proved you wrong; didn't he?" Jiraiya muses.

Tsunade blows out a slow breath, nodding.

"Still...I don't want to see him get hurt. We're shinobi after all, losing your red thread match becomes a higher and higher probability the longer you stay in the line of duty."

"Are you planning to take her to the Rinne Festival? It should've been earlier in winter, but the weather has delayed it from happening." Jiraiya asks, noting an advertisement at the side of Ichiraku's promoting this year's theme will revolve around 'Flames of Light.'

Jiraiya snorts, whatever that means.

He could've come up with a much better theme if the committee asked him despite his reputation and history of throwing out perverse ideas.

Whoever worked on the committee for activities in Konoha seemed to just want to lazily tie in the 'Will of Fire' to every festival and holiday they had.

Naruto twists in his seat getting his attention once more, looking at Gamachan ruefully. He hadn't even considered that the Rinne Festival was coming up, he's had no reason to go in years after all with most of the vendors attempting to sell him broken down goods or pretended he wasn't there until he left.

On top of that, it would be easy for any Hyuga clan member to spot them and put two and two together.

But still, Hinata could actually come with him this year, they could use masks to obscure their faces...

'No, it's too soon to ask her out; isn't it?! Ugh, Sakura used to say nobody wants to feel rushed!'

He's barely been talking to her for a month, can't even name her favorite foods, hobbies, or colors.

"Getting cold feet already?! I can give you some pointers if you want! The best way to ask a girl out is to look at her clothes, starting from the top." Jiraiya teases with a nudge making Naruto jolt.

"Ehh, like I would take advice from you Pervy-Sage! The same guy who gets caught peeping on a daily basis for those boring books of yours-" Jiraiya covers his mouth quickly, muffling anything else he can say as other customers glance their way.

"Hey, don't give away vital spoilers about Make Out Paradise! Now, do you want my pearls of wisdom or not?" Jiraiya humphs.

"No!"


Sakura

"Dear, are you sure you want to do this?" The Heartbreaker repeats gently.

Her face and body are shrouded in purple and black cloths save for her eyes, a pristine cobalt blue that reminds her of the summer sky.

It's the same question all women are asked when they approach someone with her abilities.

Though nobody goes to a Heartbreaker Woman if they aren't serious.

And nobody knows she's come here, not Ino, not her parents, not even Lady Tsunade who probably would deck her for thinking that this is even a good idea.

But she can't think of anyone else to turn to regarding this.

So many like her have come to these women under the guise of nightfall or early mornings, stepping in shadows outside of the streetlights to avoid any nosy neighbor or gossiper seeing what they're about to do.

She chose the latter, dawn not even fully yet on the horizon, her morning shift at the hospital isn't for 4 more hours.

The medical ninjutsu and skill these Heartbreaker women have in tearing to sometimes even repairing red threads is a rarity only few are taught amid the nations.

Their names aren't ever even usually known.

At Sakura's silence she gestures for her to sit, staring into blue eyes that twist into haunting mist of fog rolling in or a cold rain.

It's like she's peering straight into her soul.

Sakura can't find the words to speak, giving a frail nod instead.

The Heartbreaker hums, clearly not believing her and she doesn't believe herself either when her tongue feels like sandpaper and her hands won't stop fidgeting, tears pricking her eyes.

"It's just...you're so young Dearie. Most red threads I break are those of woman scorned and the ones I repair are few and far between on finding a lost love. You know the ones I typically break I'm sure: cheaters, liars, abusers, drunks, that sort thing. And you're saying from your note your red thread match...what, just doesn't like you?" She questions, reading from her quick scrawl of writing before glancing up to her again.

Sakura nods again, firmer this time.

"Yes, that's right."

"And he's only 13, right? Same as you?" She pursues.

Again, Sakura nods.

The Heartbreaker chuckles with mirth then, blue eyes clearing like a passing storm.

"That's still plenty of time for the hormones to kick in sweetie! Why, I remember when I was around your age, stealing boys hearts for the thrill of it and a good lay! Of course, none of these men had any red threads they were bound too..." She giggles in memory.

Sakura reddens, squirming.

She can't even picture Sasuke having such desires, looking at her with the same passion she and Ino giddily eat up over silly romance movies and books.

Her fingers run over the palm of her hands once more, wrinkled and gray hands worn from time and the breaking of many red threads.

And perhaps hers will be her next one.

It's been on her mind for over a week now, how to handle the inevitability of her red thread snapping via Sasuke's hand.

"Once a red thread is torn, it's usually never able to be replaced or fully repaired." She regards her seriously, Sakura confirming she understands.

"What...What other options do I have? I know if I don't do it; he will. His mind is only on handling his revenge and getting stronger." She explains.

The Heartbreaker considers this, pulls at each of her fingers testing a thought.

"You don't have to necessarily make a clean tear. I wouldn't even do it for a girl your age not even fully a woman yet." She concludes.

Sakura nearly slides down in her chair that this was all a waste of time, Heartbreaker continuing on.

"But we can give him a sense of what he'll feel should he try to tear the thread in his own." She hums.

"How?" Sakura whispers, leaning forward again and the Heartbreaker smiles as she reaches for her hand again.

"You may want to bite your lip or hold onto something Dear; this will hurt."

She concentrates on her pinky finger, bending it backwards and forwards and Sakura gasps, white hot sting of pain abruptly shooting through her like a shock.

'It's fine, Lady Tsunade's punches are stronger than this!' Sakura clenches her teeth, gripping onto the end of her chair.

But it feels like she's pulling at her very heart, chest burning.

The Heartbreaker pats her hand a minute later, nodding.

"I'm done now Dear; I promise."

Sakura opens her eyes slowly, concentrating to her red thread.

"What did you do?" She asks gently.

The Heartbreaker gestures again to her thread and it's then she sees it.

A tiny, but unmistakable tear.

She arches a brow in amusement as Sakura tests its hold; still firm and tight.

She pictures Sasuke somewhere miles away, most likely in the midst of training only to stop for a brief moment and clutch at his heart or hand too...

'Sorry Sasuke, I don't think I can go through such pain again. At least not on purpose." Sakura decides.

She's keeping her red thread.

And knowing this, she can finally put it to the back of her mind, focus on the upcoming exams and bettering her medical skills.

The Heartbreaker nods, seeing the conclusion reached in her eyes.

"If that was your reaction to just making a tiny tear, can you imagine cutting it completely?"

Sakura shakes her head.

No, she truly cant.


Hinata

"You've been training quite late into the evening/night all this week Lady Hinata." Ko mentions.

Hinata barely conceals the twitch of her fingers, holding her chopsticks tighter.

'Relax. Make eye contact.'

"Yes for the chunin exams coming up. Kurenai-sensei wants us to do drills and practice matches against a variety of opponents to counter our weaknesses in time for the main tournament." She responds.

Ko arches a brow, chewing slower.

"Odd since I haven't heard anything from the other jonin sensei doing the same for their teams. Most are telling them to practice solo to avoid any secret techniques slipping out. Are you sure you're not doing anything else I should know about?" He mentions.

Oh. This is bad.

"Big Sister is working twice as hard because she wants to prove herself Ko! After what happened last month and all with her red thread." Hanabi jumps in, Hinata sending her a grateful look when Ko glances away from her awkwardly at the memory of her birthday fiasco.

It's a surefire way for now to end any conversation involving her.

Footsteps approach and her stomach tightens all over again.

Hiashi steps into the kitchen, nodding to everyone, though his eyes pass over her straight to Hanabi.

Her gaze falls to her plate, appetite falling away, bile burning at the back of her throat.

'Should I just go?'

"It's quite noisy in here; what are you up to Hanabi?" Hiashi questions as he moves around to her side.

Hanabi scowls at his clear ignoring of his eldest, retort bubbling up only stopped by a single look from Hinata.

"Don't, please." She mouths.

Hanabi blows out a breath, tacking on a silly grin.

"Nothing Father! I was just telling Ko how much Big Sister has been practicing for her chunin exams!" She beams proudly, practically daring him to question her.

Hinata stiffens, if only she could sink away from this situation.

Hanabi has always been in her corner, will be no matter what happens moving forward.

But she can't let her get punished on her behalf, ignoring the churn of her stomach to stand as Father's eyes darken.

Hiashi instead pats gently at her shoulder, nodding.

"There's no need to worry about or be distracted by what your sister is doing. Focus on your studies and own training properly Hanabi as you are now heiress." He instructs.

Hanabi says nothing to that. Hinata sees in her the same icy expression Father exudes towards her, gritting her teeth not to argue.

"Yes Father." She mutters after a moment.

Hinata waits until Father is far enough away before excusing herself, not bothering to wait for Ko's command to give him her schedule for next week.

Why does it matter where she goes when she's already invisible to Father now?

Her fingers tense and her gaze drops to her hand, grin etching up.

Naruto's been training all day again.

In the morning she heads for the forests to the east, wind biting at her cheeks as she weaves around fallen branches and thickets of moss laced in dew and ice.

There's a grotto here Naruto found years ago, one she's sure no Hyuga knows about.

"We can meet there, I've never seen anyone around that cave except animals here and there. Plus, it's wintertime now so even less likely to see any people about, you know!" Naruto exclaims.

She smiles at the memory, though the grotto can't be their only spot for meeting.

Once spring comes the ice and snow will melt and people will head back deeper into the woods for training or missions.

As much as she loves being at his apartment, his neighbors have seen her at least once, seen her unmistakable Hyuga eyes and stared at her questioningly when they look back over and see she's with Naruto.

Someone will connect the dots that he's her red thread, the gossip will get to Father's ears and then he'll...

No, there's no reason to worry things will get that far.

Still, she needs to be cautious.

"Ah, looks like you had the same line of thinking as me you know!" Naruto greets her happily as she approaches up.

He gestures with a pat next to the rocks, Hinata taking in the scrolls and tools spread about.

"You've been training since dawn." She laughs.

Naruto nods, scratching a hand behind his cheek.

"Yeah it wasn't easy to get Pervy-Sage to agree to it, but I've gotten the rasengan down pretty well that I can use it as a come from behind move if necessary!"

Hinata picks up one of the scrolls, reading the title.

Sealing techniques of the Uzumaki.

"He said to take a break and read up wind related jutsu and sealing techniques without explaining anything you know! All because a group of women walked by needing directions to the market district." He grunts.

"Ah, he probably wants you to learn more about your clan's techniques. Though I think you're more of a kinesthetic learner than visual learner."

Naruto cocks his head, puzzled. "Kines-what?"

Hinata shakes her head, giggling. "It just means you learn by doing the skill versus just reading about it."

"Oh! Well in that case, yeah that's how I am! Hey are you a kines person too?! You can practice your gentle fist with me! Especially if one of us ends up matched to take on that ass of a cousin of yours!" He suggests.

She beams in agreement to practice blending her gentle fist more with her nature affinities, pausing at seeing the myriad of scratches and bruises along his tan skin.

"Naruto, I have an ointment that can help with some of those wounds." Hinata mentions, taking in a purple bruise near his elbow.

She grabs his arm gently without a second thought, guiding it into her lap.

Naruto blinks, observing as Hinata takes out of her pack a cream container.

"It may sting some, but this will help it heal faster." She remarks.

Naruto feels his face warm as he gives a slow nod, his body heals injuries fast probably thanks to this unwanted beast within him...

But this is still the first time he's been so doted on and cared for, taking in Hinata's smile as she rubs the paste onto his wound.

Now would be a good time to ask her out to the festival he thinks, but his mouth feels too dry to be so daring taking in this grin that seems reserved only for him, heartbeat drumming in his ears.

"Thank you Hinata."


-x-

Wanted to do a lighthearted chapter as I get back into the swing of things writing again (granted this story will get a bit darker as everyone gets older). A Single Effect should be updated in the next 1-2 weeks hopefully!

I based Sakura's section very loosely on a book I read a bit called The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner which is about women who seek to poison men who've wronged them in some way. It won't be the last of seeing Heartbreaker Women and their services appearing lol.

I'm truly enjoying writing Naruto and Hinata in these cute situations lol. Hopefully the world of red threads sounds realistic enough compared to canon so far.

Let me know your thoughts as always!

Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!