Hinata P.O.V.
Ever since he left, my entire world became grey. Although I had only known him for a few weeks, those weeks were some of the happiest memories in my entire life. Now I had lost a good and important friend, a friend who might one day be waiting for me at the bazaar.
It was day 12, 12 days since he left. I was on my way to the apple stall, making sure to check if he was anywhere within view. Tenten had intensive training all day so she wouldn't be able to accompany me today although I believe she simply grew tired of the boring habit. At first she sympathized and was also concerned with finding Naruto but after day 5 she wanted to give up.
I couldn't do that. Something within me told me to keep waiting and therefore I never lost hope. Though the feeling was small and fragile, it was still there. Naruto might have been hurt or in pain if I wasn't there to meet him. He could be smiling and laughing with the apple man as if nothing had happened or he could have moved back to the Ruts. He could have die-. No, I wouldn't let myself think those kind of thoughts. He was alive. I was sure of it.
I hoped he would be there. I begged to the gods in the sky he would be there. Maybe today or maybe tomorrow. But as long as he was okay I would be happy.
Tenten wanted my life to revolve around me not the happiness of a man I just met but she didn't understand. I wasn't in love with Naruto the way she thought I was. This wasn't some naive obsession. He made me happy and free like he was. When I was with Naruto, I felt alive and not like the quiet pitiful girl I was at home. I grew to really care about his wellbeing and genuinely worried when he was upset. He was someone I loved the same way I loved her. Besides, Tenten was a hypocrite. Her life revolved around the happiness of Neji Hyuuga and nothing would ever change that. No matter how many times she preached about being a completely independent woman, we all knew where her heart was. I thought she would understand but I guess she just grew impatient with seeing me in pain.
I walked along those streets once more. I never once stopped to look around at stores or merchandise. I ambled to the apple stall and waited. The apple man pulled up a chair for me to sit on. He too was worried about Naruto-kun. But that did not stop him. His business was still good and he was still happy and laughing with his other regulars. I scanned the bazaar as the hours grew longer and longer.
It was almost 6 o'clock. The apple man closed up and I was soon going to have to leave. As I turned around I saw blond hair walk casually past the shops in another direction. There was only one person I knew who had bright yellow hair.
"Naruto-kun!" I called out. He turned to look in my direction, met my eyes, and ran off but I wasn't quick to let him go again.
Naruto P.O.V.
Each day was as boring as the one before. All I did was sleep, eat, train, then sleep some more. Jiraiya said it wasn't healthy but who gave a crap about my health? The only person who actually gave a shit about me was the person I was supposed to forget about. But how could I forget about her? Instead of the usual green eyes and pink hair I used to daydream about, lavender pupils and dark blue hair haunted my thoughts. As I sat around the house, I thought about our time at the bazaar and purposely made myself miserable with the memories of our friendship. Unless I brought Sasuke back my life was a waste. It was pitiful that my only goal in life was to bring back the village traitor. I rolled around under the covers. Jiraiya's harsh voice broke my thoughts.
"Naruto this is sad. Get up and live life. There are other people you can make friends with. The Middle has some great girls." He winked as he pulled the blankets off of the bed, throwing me on the floor in the process.
"Oh sorry. But honestly there are other people out there. I expect you to go out and do something." He left soon after. I silently agreed with him but I didn't want to put any effort into making any new friends. I liked the ones I had. What a waste of time. I got up and brushed my teeth. Combed my hair. Washed my face. Changed my shirt. Ate breakfast. Maybe I'd go eat something other than ramen. Even that had lost it's flavor. This wasn't good.
"Snap out of it Naruto." I yelled into the mirror. The man in it wasn't going to respond so I knew I had too. "Even though she was a fantastic girl," I winced at the word 'was', "there's little you can do about it. Calm down, relax, and go out into the world." I assured myself.
I took my jacket off of the chair it was resting on and left the apartment in a sullen mood. Where was I supposed to go?
After hours of looking through all the other bazaars I had concluded that Nefera was the best one. It was almost 6 o'clock and Hinata couldn't possibly be there. Like hell she was. No one would possibly wait that long for me. Not even Sakura, my closest friend, could manage to do that. Maybe I can catch up with the Apple Guy and get me something to eat?
I walked down the paths silently looking only at the ground. The stalls reminded me of her. Each kiosk was a memory. I could hear people call out my name or shout hi but I ignored them. Every person I knew was someone I had met when I was with Hinata. There was the scarf stall. I smiled as I remembered the events from almost a month ago.
"Naruto-kun!" It couldn't be. I looked with shocked eyes as Hinata stood there waving at me.
"Crap." I muttered as I sprinted off. Jiraiya would kill me! I wasn't supposed to see her ever again. I looked back only to see her running after me. Damn that girl was fast. She kicked her shoes off which made me pause. What the hell was she doing? This girl was royal! She shouldn't have been running around bare foot like a god damn commoner. But I picked up my pace though she matched it with ease. How was she doing that? Damn it, I didn't even know if she trained at an academy. I knew nothing about her.
I ran through alleys and narrow streets, twisting through uneven bends hoping to throw her off. As her pace slowed, so did mine but maybe it was a reflex to let her keep up with me. She was scared but of course I would be too if my friend was suddenly running away from me.
Sasuke.
The thought triggered me. I was doing exactly what Sasuke was doing, leaving everyone without an explanation or reason. Tearing up a friendship and leaving someone I cared about in order to obtain power. I couldn't do that. I can't stoop to his level.
I abruptly stopped. So did Hinata. She was at least three feet away from me. I ran back to her and laid my head on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry Hinata." I mumbled. We were in a dark alley. The sun had already set and I hadn't realized we had been running for so long. She stiffened then put a hand on my back.
"I couldn't see you. My mentor. He told me that if I spent time with a royal I would be jeopardizing my mission to bring back Sasuke. How come you never told me you were the Hyuuga heiress?" I stepped back to look at her with hurt eyes
Hinata P.O.V.
Sasuke. Did he just say Sasuke as in Sasuke Uchiha? Hyuuga Heiress? I couldn't understand the chain of words.
"Hinata. You are the Hyuuga heiress aren't you?" I nodded. It had never come up. I didn't think it mattered. I wanted to reach out to him but he looked like he was in pain. His face showed he was struggling to think of something to say so I patiently waited.
"I-I'm well I'm not supposed to tell you but Hinata you wouldn't judge me. You wouldn't hate me for something I have no control over." Naruto-kun asked almost begged. I knew all too well what it was like to be judged over something I could no control over.
"Of c-course n-not. N-Never." I agreed. His hands were shaking as he whispered to me.
"I'm the Kyuubi host. The Nine Tailed Fox kid." His face was pale and I saw genuine fear and anxiety behind the sapphire eyes. Perhaps I should have reassured him immediately but I needed to process the words. The legendary Nine Tailed Fox demon? My Naruto, the sweet and kind boy in front of me, was the demon boy I had heard of as a child.
"D-Don't. D-Don't judge me. I'm really a good person Hinata. You know that!" He grabbed my hand. He flinched, possibly thinking I would pull back. But I did not and would not. Instead I clasped my other hand over it.
"I don't care whether you are the boy who has the demon fox sealed in him. To me you are just silly little Naruto-kun." I tried to smile the best I could and remain confident and calm. I knew this was a true moment of necessary sincerity. Naruto-kun looked at me in shock. It took him a minute to comprehend what I had said.
"You didn't stuttered." He was amazed. I was amazed.
"W-Well I d-didn't-"
"Aw don't start now." He teased. "What were you doing at the stall anyways?"
I blushed furiously. I didn't want to tell him that every day since he had disappeared I had spent the hours looking for him. Each day I sat patiently with the man at the apple stall hoping that he would finally show up. That from the hours of 10-6, I risked punishment for breaking curfew for just a glimpse of his existence.
"L-Looking f-for you." I saw Naruto beam at me.
We sat there for hours as he explained to me that he was on a mission to find Sasuke Uchiha, the lone survivor of the Uchiha massacre. He told me his past, present, and hopefully future. I told him mine. I told him how I was supposed to be a born a strong Hyuuga boy and how my father cannot bare to look into my eyes. I didn't want to go into anymore detail but he understood. He stayed there listening to everything. He shared tales about life in the Ruts while I repeated my own sad truths. I was able to hear his hardships and woes. This was what true friendship was like.
DING! DING! DING! DING!
It was almost 8 o'clock. The Hyuuga's would be worried and I had to go.
"Hinata! Where can we meet? I have to see you again without my mentor knowing. What Jiraiya doesn't know won't hurt him." He smirked.
"The Hyuuga compound." He raised an eyebrow. "Listen closely Naruto-kun." I gave him specific instructions on how to get in through an old forgotten entrance.
"I'll see you tomorrow then!" He waved at me as he left and finally that night I found peace of mind.
Naruto P.O.V.
I woke up the next day feeling a little over the top happy. Of course when I popped out of the bed, Jiraiya knew something was up.
"Naruto. Did something happen yesterday?" Shit. He was examining my behavior and watched as I casually threw my covers over the bed. I usually had trouble lying to Jiraiya. It was near impossible to do since I was already such a bad liar and he was a pro. But today a confident calm washed over me and allowed me to keep my demeanor straight. I must have been extremely determined to see Hinata because I didn't flinch or stutter. Looking up, I stared straight into his eyes.
"A new ramen shop opened up near by and I'm pretty pumped for it! We should check it out sometime. Actually, want to go right now?" I knew the answer before it left my lips. He was Jiraiya. Why spend a whole day at some ramen shop when he could be at a strip club? Leaving me with only a small nod, he rushed out the door. Jiraiya knew if he stayed any longer he would have to sit through a long winded plea for ramen.
I tried to comb my spiky hair into a neat hairstyle. Usually it would be a mess but something about this Hyuuga compound had me on a fritz. I put on my cleanest shirt (which, between you and me wasn't that clean) and left the apartment. It was a beautiful summer day. The air was warm and the sky seemed to be a true blue. After passing by all the bazaars, shops, and clubs, I found myself on a normal dirt road. The road shrank into a vein hardly noticeable weaving in between giant banyans cloaking me from the sun. My hands reached to push through the dreadlock like roots blocking me.
I stumbled upon a wall lengthy and damaged. It blended into the scenery like temple ruins ancient and forgotten or simply worn from hundreds of years of use. I groped for a small crack about five feet up.
"W-What you h-h-have to do is st-stick your h-hand into an opening f-f-five feet above the entrance and p-pull hard on the l-lever. Then p-press your hand against the th-third brick over. A d-door sh-should open."
The wall slid over and I waited until I was sure there wasn't anything harmful behind the black entrance. I swiftly entered as the wall closed behind me. Using my hands to keep my bearing, I walked cautiously through the poorly lit passageway until finally I saw light. I stumbled into a white hallway. Juxtaposing with the mud and nature behind it the entire edifice was pure white. There was a courtyard dead center of the square structure with doors etched into the walls. The precision and unity of the compound frightened me and reminded me of a monastery. Or prison.
"Fourth door down"
I checked one last time for the noise of footsteps or human breath. Once I was sure that it was safe I ran to the fourth door and knocked twice. It hardly took a second for the door to open and pale hands to grab me. I was pulled into a bright room the size of a dining hall. My eyes would have been the size of plates if not for the fact that my mouth let out large sighs of relief. The hard part was over.
"N-Naruto-kun are you o-okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine. I'm just so glad to be here." I tackled her in my excitement. I brought her down to the floor and let her lay there next to me as I laughed. I heard her join in and we both laid there giggling and hollering feeling giddy and joyous. In a moment of impulse, I grabbed her hand. Another shock ran through me and I shivered. Her hands were soft like I imagined them to be. Her fingers thin, frail like doves. I had to hold with such care as to not hurt them. I was nervous, sweating, trying too hard to be the man in the situation and keep my cool. But it was as though lightning had struck right there in the Hyuuga compound.
"You're room is huge! You'll have to give me a tour." She turned red but didn't make any motion to let go of my hand. She guided me towards the center of her room. A large imperial looking window dawned at the end of the hall creating an ethereal glow that lit up the room. The walls were a white and the bed a pale lavender. Everything looked as though it had come from an unearthly fairytale, as if I had stepped into dwelling of a mythical creature. It was either the grandeur of the room or the excitement I felt but I panicked.
"That thing. The seeing through objects thing. Someone will know I'm here." I worried looking straight at her. Hinata had to realize the repercussions of entering a noble's house. Jiraiya would slaughter me. Her family might kill me then and there. But she just giggled letting go of my hand to fix any imperfections on the ruffled bed. She moved around the bed and closed the translucent curtains.
"The w-walls are inp-penetrable w-with both sight and s-s-sound. N-No one can s-s-see through th-them or hear anything. I am a g-grown w-w-woman you know. I n-need my privacy." She smiled at her joke and I couldn't help but smile back knocking on the wall.
"YOU THINK THEY CAN HEAR ME?" We both choked out laughs. It seemed to be our drug. Laughing and letting our eyes meet suspended in the time we spent. I walked around the room examining the trinkets placed neatly across her desk or bureau. Eventually my eyes landed on a carefully painted sequence of lines and names on the wall opposite her bed. In gold, Hinata's name was written, beside her in silver another name, Hanabi. Some centimeters away on a separate sequence held a name of equal level but color blue, Neji.
"Family tree?" I asked looking towards her. She slowly brought her hand away from the curtain and moved towards the lineage ingrained in the walls. Her fingers followed the passage of the branches and roots connecting her to her ancestors. Her head nodded with sad eyes that scanned the tree. I gave her a questioning look.
"We are a family of nobles. A bloodline limit that has been passed down for generations is the legacy we bare." Her fingers landed on the name Hizashi Hyuuga that had a small date written next to it.
"So tell me, from the top. I want to know how you guys got your eyes." She took a few minutes to think. It seemed like she didn't want to talk about the past but before I could tell her to forget about it she began.
"There's this legend, a story that passed down through the roots. The leader of our clan, his full name unknown, was supposedly one of the few men in the world to meet with God himself. God called handfuls of men from each country to grant them blessings. When it was time for Konoha, God called upon a Hyuuga, Uchiha, Nara, and Yamanaka. There were of course various others but only those four names are still remember because the other clans allowed their bloodlines to be tainted, married outside of the royal families and destroyed the gifts that God had endowed upon their families." She looked disgusted as the words left her mouth.
"God asked each man to point to one area of his body which he wanted to enrich. The Yamanaka, wanting to be witty, pointed to God's body and said he wished to control the body of other men. God gave him this ability but told the Yamanaka that if he controlled another's body his own would be compromised. God turned to the Nara and queried what he asked for. The Nara also wanted the ability to manipulate another's body but he was smarter than the Yamanaka. He pointed to his own shadow claiming that a shadow is an entity of a person's being like an arm or an ear. He wished the ability to control the shadow that obediently followed behind man. God was pleased with Nara's answer and humility and bestowed upon him the ability to control a man's shadow and in turn the ability to manipulate the man himself."
She sighed and chuckled a little unable to help herself.
"God then asked the Hyuuga what he wished. Hyuuga wanted to see another man's weakness. He asked God to advance his eyes, to grant him the ability to see through a man's strength. He wanted to observe the very core of life itself. God did not appreciate having the secret of man's internal being known to a mere mortal. But he complied and gave the Hyuuga this power. But to make sure the world was aware of this capability he took away the Hyuuga's pupils as a sign that this man could see through you like his own transparent eyes. And that is how the Hyuuga obtained the Byakugan." She pushed both hands towards the ceiling stretching out her fingers. She ended the story but forgot a vital part that I wanted to hear.
"What about the Uchiha?" She paused at my question. Hinata turned to me with sad eyes but continued the story.
"The Uchiha was greedy. He wanted more than what the Hyuuga, Nara, or Yamanaka had. He wanted not to know a man's weakness or mere control over the body. He wanted to manipulate and mutilate their mind. He pointed to his eyes and told God that he wanted eyes that could hypnotize and enter the minds of all who look upon them. The Uchiha was asking for something to destroy all men. To destroy a man's mind is to destroy his being. But God had already promised to give the Uchiha what he had asked for. So God gave Uchiha the eyes of Death himself and the Uchiha was pleased beyond his wildest dreams. He flaunted his eyes to the others who in turn flinched from its effects. God warned the Uchiha. These were Death's very own eyes. Death is insatiable and so are his eyes. They will never be peaceful but rather restless forever craving power. Uchiha paid no mind to this warning. His clan became the most respectable and feared family in all of Konoha." She stopped to look at my face. I could feel the tension in my eyebrows and knew that my face mimicked the horror I felt. The story fit so aptly to the current Uchiha situation and the unyielding thirst for power that plagued the brothers.
"It is said when Yamanaka died, his soul had already left even though the body was still alive and well. It is said when Nara died, he left only a shell taking his long time companion, his very own shadow, with him. It is said when Hyuuga died, his pupils were restored for he could no longer look into the weakness of men. But it is said when Uchiha died, Death himself had come back for his eyes leaving a body with dark sunken sockets where eyes should have been." She shuddered and moved from the wall.
"It's only a myth, a legend that the elders tell Hyuuga, Nara, Yamanaka, and Uchiha children to preach entitlement and false humility. Each one twisted to make the other clans seem foolish." She sighed unhappily sitting on her bed. She looked out the window then at me.
"Don't take it to heart. I doubt your friend's eyes are in any danger."
My face must have looked worried or confused but in reality I felt surprised.
"You're not stuttering anymore."
"So it seems." She blushed looking at her fingers. "I guess I'm just comfortable with you now."
"Yeah I guess so." I replied shuffling a little closer to her. My face was becoming heated and my heart was beating strangely. I was having trouble understanding why I was feeling so weak at her words. She laid back on the bed allowing her ankles to show. They were so pale and slender. My eyes darted uncontrollably towards the folds of her vermilion skirt where it touched her white skin. I wanted so bad to reach out and be the folds of her skirt, to let my hand slide down to her ankle. She noticed my gaze and sat up, moving her skirt to cover herself. I hid my embarrassment and sat in a chair nearby trying to keep my composure. I was acting like a total creep.
Hinata initiated conversation, taking my mind away from her lean ankles. We discussed for hours about the prices of food to medicine to progressive politics. The bright room slowly turned to a violent orange and I knew it was time for me to leave.
I exited through hidden walls and secret forests back to Jiraiya, all the while thinking about Uchiha's fate. There is always some truth to myth.
A group of people gathered in a dimly lit room. They dressed in deep blue, red, and black holding hands and mourning. My hands pushed the people aside moving towards the direction they were facing. Their faces were dark, incomprehensible blurs. Unimportant figures blocked my path almost like swimming through a large and never ending ocean. Finally, the blurs slowly pushed me towards the center as I heard sobs. Dull pink hair was spread upon a body placed on a stone tablet.
"Sakura?" I remembered her pink hair and sunny complexion. The hair was pale and long, sliding to the floor, wrapping around her legs and feet. She kept sobbing gripping the white cloth clinging to the body's torso. White feet poked out from under the sheet. The air formed vapor clouds as I breathed. I slowly moved towards her.
"Sakura, why are you crying? What's going on?" I grabbed her shoulder but she kept sobbing. I brought a candle over to get a better look at her and see the state she was in. As I brought the candle towards her she looked up.
Clang
I dropped the light in reaction to the horror I saw. Her eyes were missing. From her sockets tears of blood flowed down her cheeks, caressing her neck. She sensed the light and moved towards it. I backed away. Frightened, I landed on the body and recognized the face. Eyes closed, covered by raven hair. I knew who it was.
"S-Sasuke?" Hearing his name, his eyes opened suddenly. I walked backwards moving away from him. He gradually sat up and then I noticed them.
His eyes were green. Green like fields of wild grass. Green like picnics and years of longing to be a family. They were Sakura's eyes.
I panicked and kept walking backwards at a faster rate. I couldn't stop staring at the unnaturalness. Hands grabbed me from behind. The blurred faces kept me in place as Sasuke trudged towards me.
"These eyes. I don't like these eyes. I need new eyes. Your eyes. Give them too me." His fingers slowly dug into my left eye socket and I screamed feeling it tear out from my skull. I could hear Sakura still sobbing. The last image I saw was of Sasuke's eyes. One green, one blue and together they looked frightening.
"Naruto! What the hell!?" Jiraiya pulled me out of bed. I was gasping, sweat covering me entirely. It was still dark out but I was wide awake. I stared at Jiraiya, his eyes a comforting and familiar black. I held my head in my hands rubbing my eyes, checking to see if they were still there.
"You were screaming like a mother. What's gotten into you?" He sounded worried. I pushed his hand off my shoulder.
"Just a bad dream. Sasuke." He understood and got up to leave me alone to collect my thoughts. Now that Jiraiya was gone I shuddered uncontrollably. The monster I just saw was not Sasuke. It was a ghost, an apparition but definitely not Sasuke. I kept reassuring myself that Sasuke wouldn't go that far for power or revenge. I rubbed my shoulders and pulled off my shirt. I just laid there waiting for sleep to fall upon me.
"Here." Jiraiya pushed a bowl of ramen towards me. He sat at the end of my bed, laying his head against the wall looking out the window. "What happened?"
I clenched the bowl, unable to eat, as I repeated my dream. He listened then patted my leg and left. I waited for him to come back but he crawled into his own bed and fell asleep. I slurped up the noodles and threw the bowl to the ground. The blanket covered my head but my eyes were still wide open. I could still see the green and blue eyes staring back at me when I closed them.
Hinata P.O.V.
For two weeks Naruto kept coming over daily to just sit, locked in my room, and talk to me like there was nothing else he wanted to do. Sometimes Tenten would join us and we would have fun laughing at each other lightheartedly. Today we all sat on my bed, Tenten's head on my lap, Naruto at the opposite end of the bed leaning on the head rest.
"Why is the entire Kingdom so busy today?" Naruto asked tossing around an apple. I was slightly surprised he didn't know why. Tenten looked at him incredulously.
"You've got to be kidding me. Are you seriously this stupid?" She rolled her eyes sitting upright. "It's the Akatsuki festival."
"Oh right. You light candles and get candy or something? Only you nobles celebrate it. It's like the one time in a year that a representative from the Kingdom comes and acknowledges our existence. So what?" Naruto was clearly not impressed with the holiday.
"Oh shut up about your hard life in the country, no one cares. This festival is so much more, you wouldn't even know." Tenten crossed her arms and glared at Naruto who in turn clenched his fists and glared back. They did this often, taking turns jabbing at each other. But what Naruto didn't realize is that Tenten valued this holiday more than any other.
"So what is it then? Some lame excuse to flaunt your wealth? 'Oh pish posh, let's get our servants to carry us around while we throw money about and eat yummy things'" I giggled as he threw his arms in what was meant to be a fanciful way.
"May I remind you that I'm not actually a noble hence the lack of wealth to flaunt. It's about this woman who waits for this guy and they're like soul mates and she lit a candle. I can't explain it properly. Hinata tells it better." Tenten loved hearing the story behind the festival. I smiled at her and began to spin the tale.
"There was once a beautiful kunoichi-"
"Cause the heroine can never be ugly." Tenten cut in, irritating Naruto.
"If you're going to interrupt her everytime she talks I'd rather not listen." He told her, motioning for her to shut up. She took the hint and laid back. I began where I left off.
"While on a mission she met a handsome ninja from the neighboring village. They fell in love immediately and decided to court. But a large river separated their villages rendering them unable to communicate. So every morning at dawn, when it was still dark and new, they sent over small boats made of wood. Attached to the boat was a note and a small candle to prove that they were still faithful. For years the two sent boats and met secretly during missions. Years later a war erupted between the nations and the ninja went off to fight. The kunoichi remained behind faithfully aiding her nation as a medic. The war was over and the kunoichi released her small wooden boat across the river at dawn. But nothing came her way. Every morning at dawn she sailed her small boats across the river awaiting a reply. Eventually the villagers realized what she was doing. They told her that her ninja was probably dead and she ought to give up. But she could not. She claimed her heart wouldn't let her for she knew that he was still alive. Their hearts beat as one and hers would only stop once his had. So she kept sending her boats and watched as they floated away.
She was beginning to lose hope until one morning she let her boat float away and looked to her right. Down the river, small flickering lights moved towards her. She realized that they were small candles upon small boats. As the boats floated her way she grabbed one and upon it was written those three words that everyone yearns to hear. She looked once more down the river and there she saw her very own ninja rowing towards her, behind him were the inhabitants of her village who went out searching for the ninja. Soon after the ninja and the kunoichi were married. It is a tradition now. All the men are on one side of the river and the women on the other. We write the name of the person we love and let the boat sail to the other side. Usually there is a big scramble to find out who wrote who's name. It's very fun I hear."
"You don't know if it is?" Naruto questioned me. I felt embarrassed.
"I would not know. The Hyuugas don't allow me to join in festivities of the public." I always wanted to see it and take in the image of small candles floating across the river. To look upon the faces of surprised and happy lovers. I wanted to witness the fate I would never have.
"That's so lame. This year you're going. I don't care I'm going to kidnap you and we'll go!" Before I could protest Naruto changed the subject. "So what else is there?"
"I love it. It's like a carnival. The entire Nefera Bazaar turns into little booths with games and candy. This year Neji promised to take me." She smiled her eyes drifting towards the ceiling. For the longest time ever, she had asked Neji to accompany her to the festivities and each time he denied her because he had other obligations like attending the formal gathering held by the larger clans. This year only the oldest members of royalty were invited so he finally conceded since he wasn't required to attend the event and was free, only once, to go with her.
"Is his name going to appear on your boat?" Naruto wiggled his eyebrows. Tenten threw a pillow at him. The battle had begun and I was excited for the day to come.
Author's Note:
Sorry for a particularly long chapter.
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