Harbinger

by tigerowl

Naruto's friendship with his teammates Gaara and Haku is put to the test as they prepare to deal with the threat of the Akatsuki. The secrets Jiraiya has kept come to a head, and Naruto must shoulder the responsibility of protecting much more than the Leaf Village. Continuation of Forlorn. AU NaruHina, GaaSaku, NejiTen, ObiRin, OCs *Taoism, Self-Indulgent World Building, longfic

60. Naruto, At Your Service!

Chapter 60- Naruto, At Your Service!

Chapter Soundtrack: "Fading Marks" by Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers

The first pit-stop occurred just over the border of the Wind Country, catalyzed by Jiraiya's non-stop complaining. He demanded a bed at an inn, a bath, a big dinner, the works. Naruto decided he would humor the man's request out of respect, and well, after a long desert crossing he wished for the same amenities.

So they stopped at the quaint inn they had rested at before going to visit Gaara, many weeks ago. It was time well-wasted.

The following day, however, Naruto's patience fumbled when Jiraiya requested a brief detour to shop for a heavier jacket, what with winter nipping at them already. Fine. Naruto was not wholly convinced such a purchase couldn't wait until they were in Hidden Leaf, but— respect. Give him respect.

Alas. Then another delay in the evening, thanks to Jiraiya's editor sending complaints by messenger hawk. Had he finished the beta edits for the next book, and reviewed all suggested edits? The publisher was bellyaching about the deadline. So Jiraiya told Naruto to hold his horses and allow him to ream out his editor in a strongly-worded letter.

They slept again, and Naruto tried to temper his restlessness to get home. Tried to be reasonable the next morning as he and his master set out. By noon, Jiraiya was carping about stopping for another meal at a tavern.

Naruto finally objected, "We had plenty to eat for breakfast, Ero-sensei. You can go a few more hours before we stop to eat."

"But one of my favorite restaurants is near here…"

"Don't you—? Don't you see you're stalling?" Naruto snapped at him, "What're you doing? Seriously! I want to get home! We are barely two days away and you keep finding distractions."

"Sorry, kid. You're right." Jiraiya acknowledged his dithering, "This happens a lot on the way home. Always happens to me, on the way back to Leaf. I find a hundred other things to do before going back…"

"Why?"

"Well, once you leave and come back three dozen times…you develop these weird little rituals to prepare yourself for the change. Contrary to what you might think, it isn't easy going home." Jiraiya informed him, "For me, it's always overwhelming. The sights. The memories. The heartache and the excitement— it all comes crashing back at once. And I need to take a little time to balance myself. To really know that I feel at home again, and not remain a stranger in a place I used to call home."

Blinking, Naruto let this idea settle, steep in him a bit further. He hadn't considered exactly how he was going to feel after being away for so long.

"Do yourself a favor, Naruto, and don't rush too much when we get back. I bet you'll be disoriented too." Jiraiya smiled at him, "Sorry again for postponing things. We've had enough of that, I know."

"It's okay. I get it." He bought into the justification, mostly because he understood how this warning might be of value to him soon. It was then and only then, after that brief discussion along the deep forested tracks of the Fire Country, did a prickle of nervousness overcome him.

Naruto did know some of what he could expect. All of his peers were Chunin now, Hinata included. Many had taken on new responsibilities, had serious relationships, new skills, and so on. He'd been briefed ahead of time by his girlfriend and Gaara, and Naruto was very much looking forward to seeing all of his contemporaries and congratulating the shit out of them. Because their success made him happy. Their moving ahead in life made him feel even more a part of their community, after he'd been able to "keep up" and gain rank in Suna's Exam. They were still a tight-knit group, in his mind. Even if he'd been away for three years…

He wrinkled his nose and thought about it. Yeah. No one was going to feel differently. They wouldn't ignore him on the street! Wouldn't fail to recognize him. Naruto gulped.

That evening, after getting so much closer to home, he laid down to sleep and felt a few beads of sweat on his brow. It wasn't the heat, no, no, it was quite cold outside on his bedroll. A shade of doubt had seeded in his heart where it had never been before.

Hinata had said that Neji and Sato were both Jounin now, and she was right on their heels in terms of advancing. Would they look down on him? Those two, who he had schooled in the past…were they not exactly equals anymore? Not friends?

Then what about Sakura, Kiba, Shikamaru, and all of them? Would there be a new level of awkwardness in interacting with them, since he'd lived as a wandering hermit to train so unconventionally?

Naruto kept his eyes shut while reflecting, hoping sleep would stop him from spiraling in uncertainty.

'Do you ever wonder…if they've forgotten you?'

There was a long silence.

Oh. You're talking to me? Kurama was surprised.

'Yeah you, Fuzzball. All the other Tailed-Beasts are your siblings, right? Are you still connected to each other?'

We haven't been physically connected in a long time. Kurama acknowledged, But I don't doubt, just as a principle. I don't believe any of us do.

'How can you not worry?'

What would WE worry about? We Tailed-Beasts are the mightiest beings on this earth! The fox boasted, I know that when I find them, all will be as it was, every single time. It always is.

Naruto's silence wasn't a good enough reply for Kurama, so the fox added, I have lived for a long time. And in that time, we have come together and parted often in the worst of circumstances. I hate many things, but I will never be able to hate them. I am a part of them, and they me. Humans think of families as a cluster of individuals that merge their blood, their feelings. But families are also a web of energy, just as we Tailed-Beasts are.

'Whoa!' Naruto was intrigued, 'That is some profound stuff you're talking about!'

Good. I hope it serves you well, you uneducated lump. Kurama shut the conversation down, Now quit your nonsense and go to sleep.

And somehow, for the first time in a long time, Naruto felt reassured by the Tailed-Beast inside of him. He slept the night.

---

He and Jiraiya were waved through the gates of Konoha with no fanfare, or maybe mild recognition from the posted guards.

The day was crisp, bright, cloudless, and most of the trees were bare as winter got a grip on the land. The last leg of their journey had been eventless and without interruption. Jiraiya continued to narrate their walk even as they entered the village.

"Looks like there's been plenty of development here too. Tsunade must've loved that revenue stream from the Chunin Exam. They've rebuilt and then some, even out here on the fringes!" Jiraiya was delighted to see new buildings, infrastructure, and businesses.

"Look at all these cafes…" Naruto mumbled, trying to pick out the one he wanted to try first.

"They'll be great for writing, these quiet, out-of-the-way places…" Jiraiya was also making his marks.

Fortunately, the nearest destination approaching the center of the village was Naruto's flat, the building displaying modest exterior improvements, and much better landscaping all around the property. Jiraiya sighed and shooed him along, "I…am going to have to debrief for probably the rest of this day. So you take a load off and unpack at home, do what you have to do, but make sure you report to Tsunade promptly. She needs to see you." The man's mouth tipped up in a smile.

"No problem!" A bit of bubbly excitement rebounded in Naruto at the thought, thinking of those he wanted to find first, "When you see her, you can tell Baa-chan I missed her too."

"I'll pass it along, but fawn over her yourself." Jiraiya snorted, continuing on his way.

The bubbly feeling lasted him up the two flights of steps to his floor of the building, and even the long walk down to the end of the terrace, but it tapered off as he fished a new key out of his pocket. One that Gaara had given to him before leaving Suna, telling him, Some updates were made at home. You won't dislike it.

Even home wasn't going to look like home. He unlocked and poked his head in, finding mostly shadows and bright light from windows. Naruto skittered in, shut the door, and then dumbly stared at the wide living space and its elegant appointments. It was as if classy adults were meant to live here. He would not contest the beauty of the changes, and the sight didn't hurt him the way he feared it would. Because many things were familiar. His potted plants. Haku's knick-knacks and pottery, and some of Gaara's keepsakes too. Picture frames. Remembrance was appropriately distributed throughout, and this feature helped him segue into the residence.

Their feelings and energy were still here, even if the rooms were magazine-worthy now. Naruto pulled his shoes off in the genkan, slipped his Sage cloak off. He tip-toed around reverently, smiling, gasping at little details. It was pleasant! It was warm. How could he have thought he'd miss the dingy walls and confinement of how this place used to be arranged? When it had been a state-appointed, utilitarian space?

"Ms. Explorer." Naruto whispered to his now much larger golden pothos in a regal, hanging planter, "You really grew up! I bet Hinata-chan fed you regularly."

Ah, his heart was settling in, especially with all of his plants greeting him so fondly. And vice versa.

Close by, a newer laundry area had been added, and Naruto slid aside a tiny balcony door to shake the dirt and sand off of his cloak before hanging it to air out. He dumped dirty laundry in front of the machine to be washed later. 'If my cloak was that filthy…I should clean up too…' He ventured toward the hallway where the bathroom and bedrooms were accessible. Naruto peeked in at the bathroom and then ducked his head back out.

"Now that's way too nice." He shook his head as if it was unacceptable to see something so pristine, turning toward his bedroom two doors down.

Basic, but with a decent aesthetic. It could use more color, Naruto thought. He'd work on it. Gaara always avoided the crazy colors that Naruto liked to add to things, but this gave Naruto a chance to make his own decisions. Haku's room was comparatively simple, but with numerous wall scrolls and picture frames on display. Gaara's room was the most cluttered and lived-in, since he'd spent more time in Konoha. He even had a huge painting of a cherry blossom tree above his bed!

"You sucker! You sap!" Naruto guffawed at the romantic clownery of it before shutting the door, laughing his head off.

He unpacked many of his belongings in his bedroom and then returned to the bathroom to wash up. Naruto quickly forgave the shining surfaces, pretty tiles, and new taps. He was refreshed, and he would learn to love these changes in his home. They were a delight.

'Okay. Gaara did a lot of things right.' He had to admit it.

After his bath, he was surprised to find a few unfamiliar pieces in his wardrobe. Gaara again. They were a bit all over the place in terms of utility: lightweight shirts and pants (much like what he'd worn in the desert), undershirts, medium fabric to heavier tops, pullovers, durable pants, knee-high boots. Much of it looked more reasonable for the cold weather, so Naruto considered the options. Of course there was no orange, no bright anything! But, what Gaara had provided definitely fit close enough, even if a bit snug around the circumference of his triceps. Marled grey and black, with white trim throughout. Sedate and mature. Far more sophisticated than what Naruto would have chosen for himself, but maybe he'd gravitate towards similar things in the future while shopping. The boots were too big, 'Jeez, Gaara! Did you think I'd turn into a monster with huge feet?'

His cleverness guided him to Haku's room, to raid that closet. It stood to reason that Gaara wasn't comfortable providing for one friend and not the other— and bingo. Naruto found a duplicate pair of boots, a size down. He stole them. 'Sorry, Haku, but you'll have to get your own! Guess Gaara thinks you're still slender and delicate, but you looked pretty buff to me!'

Next were holsters, weapon pouches, minor accessories. Naruto tucked important correspondence he needed on hand in a pouch, then ventured back into the main living area. There was nothing in the refrigerator, 'Right. That's something I'll have to take care of later. I could eat noodles every day of my life, but honestly that won't cover it anymore. I should be able to cook other stuff in case someone comes over…' Because someone inevitably would. His friends would want to see him. Right?

Naruto gave his head a shake. It was fine. All will be as it was, the fox had said.

He retrieved his Sage cloak to pull on over his jacket, pocketed necessary odds-and-ends, and then made his way out to lock up. Naruto took a deep breath. Jiraiya had been right: he was disoriented. The newness of things, or the nostalgia of familiar sights— he was getting emotional whiplash as he absorbed it all.

Even if it was a little arduous to cope with the landslide of feelings, he couldn't delay in locating his girlfriend. Naruto set out and thought the butterflies in his stomach were actually kind of nice.

---

"I do not know how exactly to extract a promise from you…" Neji groused at Tenten in the courtyard of the Hyuga Estate, "To never confront clan elders on your own again."

She gave him an I know I fucked up smile, "I promise?"

"No. That wasn't good enough. Let's try it again."

"Calm down already. It's been days. No one has blown up or tried to kill me." She scoffed at his concerns, "I think Elder Haburo kind of likes me more, now that I showed him I have a spine."

"He'll break it." Neji insisted.

"Well if he does that, then he can't expect me to keep working at the Peony Pavilion part-time." Tenten scowled, "A project he put me up to…and I've had enough of already."

Seated on the veranda, Neji tried to relax and take things at face-value the way Tenten often did. No further backlash had occurred after Tenten had accepted punishment for lying, and Hiashi and the clan elders treated her no differently than they had before. Her work at a Senior Care Facility was becoming an annoyance though, cutting into almost all of her training time with her team. Apparently, Haburo didn't want to hear a word from her until he had an independent report from the Peony Pavilion stating she was the model of filial piety, as he believed she had a vendetta against old people and their intelligence.

This morning, she had a bit of time to practice for a change. Just a bit. She'd have to switch into scrubs and go to work looking after old timers in less than an hour. So Neji zoned out, hoping Tenten would never do anything ever again to inflict heart-rending terror in him, such as challenging Hyuga clan elders. She turned a new spear in her hands round and round, a beautiful sight. It was a simple-looking weapon. The iron tip looked ancient, almost like stone. The handle was black lacquer with brass fastenings.

"Where is that from?" He wondered absently.

"Tsunade-sama gave it to me." Tenten threw a devilish smile over her shoulder at him, "It's Chōten. The third sacred Tao Weapon of the Sasagainu clan."

Neji goggled at the news, "…I thought no one knew where to find it?"

"Tsunade-sama knew!"

He was still dubious, "How can you be sure it's real? Does it work like the others?"

"I don't really know yet…but I feel something. Subtle. Like we're acquainted already." Tenten confirmed, "It hasn't done a damn thing except feel great to handle, so I'll work it out eventually."

"That's good." Neji decided, settling again. He stopped thinking and just existed in the moment to watch her fluid motions, stepping and sliding over the grass. The spear whirling and thrusting.

"Want to try it?" Tenten offered.

"I've never used a spear."

"I know. That's why I offered."

He snuffled at her teasing, "What do I stand to gain by understanding any of your weapons?"

"Well…" Tenten extended a hand to pull him to his feet, in a very sunny mood, "These weapons can be used by anyone in the Sasagainu clan. Which isn't my clan anymore, because they're all gone. So the way I see it, I can pass these things into the Hyuga clan now if I want to. I'd like you to try."

He was stupefied, so very touched by the sentiment, even if Neji doubted she'd be able to transfer special properties in the weapons to new wielders. But! Sometimes, in moments like this, when she did these sorts of things, he'd find he couldn't talk. He would clam up and become totally compliant, positioning himself as she directed, letting her puppet his arms and hands into a proper form. A few years ago, if he'd seen himself engaging in this docile puppy-headed behavior, he'd have been sick with himself. But now, slightly older and wiser, he knew how amazing it felt to be guided by someone who cared for him so deeply.

And, he pulled off several proper spins and jabs with limited direction from Tenten. She stood by and observed with her hands on her hips.

"You know, you can add more momentum if you rotate the pole around an axis— like your neck or upper arm. It can add more force to a slash or thrust." She stepped forward to demonstrate, pantomiming the lesson in slow motion.

Love makes people a little dumb, so he forgot to watch the direction of the weapon and instead was looking at her hands, her face. After a few seconds of Tenten not understanding why he didn't just go ahead and complete the motion on his own, she met eyes with Neji.

"I'd say well-done, but I did most of that." She had to tease him a little more.

"I'll be a better listener tomorrow."

She kissed him because that's what he wanted, slow and indulgent, with no one around to bark at them. Then, Tenten took her spear back and said, "You do copy forms better when you're in a bad mood, so maybe next time you'll get it. Let's see about tomorrow."

"I won't be in a bad mood." He protested, though he didn't actually deny the effect of grumpiness amplifying his ability to reproduce movements, "I'm used to training with Lee and Gai without you."

"What about Wong Leung?"

His face wavered and she lifted a hand, "See? That'll do it."

"Regardless, I'll improve. Repetition is key." Neji held out a hand to take Chōten back, but instead Tenten tap, tapped the spear's bottom on the ground and it disappeared in smoke, unsummoned.

"Tomorrow." She was amused, "I can't leave you unsupervised with it— Hokage's orders. And I've got to change clothes for work now."

He sighed, sitting down on the veranda again when she stepped onto the porch, telling him before entering the house, "You can always find a staff and practice on your own! If you wanted. I'll be back out in a few minutes."

The door slid shut behind her, and he sulked a tiny bit. He really hated the truncated time he got with her even at home now. Of course he had Great Elder Haburo to thank for it. He should be relieved her punishment wasn't worse, and that no Branch members had come to harm during her initial standoff with Haburo. Though he had advised Tenten not to do anything until after Hideyasu and Fujita returned from their mission, both were two days overdue from Waterfall. Oh well. They'd hear about the fiasco soon enough.

Neji was free to do whatever he wanted until he was required at a meeting at the Jounin Standby Station that afternoon. He had also agreed to help Hanabi perfect some advanced drills and her Rotation that evening. Since Tenten wasn't going to be around to sweeten this rare pocket of leisure time for him, he would probably venture out and socialize. Most likely he'd find Lee, convince him to drop training and eat lunch with him so he could gripe about Tenten's headstrong actions. Foremost, nearly getting herself kicked out of the Hyuga clan. Lee was used to hearing Neji verbally unpack all of his stress these days, as opposed to it being expressed through violence.

He scanned the grounds with his Byakugan lazily to see who was home: Hiashi, Kayato, all of the elders, his aunt and second cousins in the Branch house. Hanabi, Hinata, Hideyasu and Fujita were out for academics or missions. He glimpsed Tenten changing, which was standard practice. But on the outer edge of his field of vision, he sighted an individual that did not match up with any clan identifiers. A visitor, he gathered. When Neji went beyond the superficial assessment of how the man was dressed, certain features did become clearer. Like the unshorn blonde hair in bad need of trimming, the blue eyes and gregarious gait—

Oh, it registered after a moment that he had already stood up and departed from the side of the house. Neji wondered if he was mistaken, if his imagination had invited Naruto into the compound and approximated a new appearance for him. That was not the case! Naruto, though taller and tanned from a stint in the desert, had definitely invited himself in past the front gate to make a bee-line toward the Main House. In search of Hinata, in all likelihood.

"Naruto." He didn't shout, Neji just slightly elevated his voice. And that was enough to get his wayward friend to turn around and stop where he was, letting Neji catch up to him.

"Heh heh…I wasn't sure if anyone would recognize me when I got back." Naruto scratched his cheek, "Of course you'd spot me, Neji."

"You are unmistakable." Neji knew that he hadn't displayed his warmest side to Naruto in the past, but he did think his smile was appropriate, and a good indicator of who he was these days. Though resting his hand on his friend's shoulder good-naturedly did raise Naruto's brows a bit, Naruto quickly grinned and patted Neji's shoulder in return.

"Whoa, hey! I guess you're glad I'm back! You're awfully cheerful."

"I have reason to be. You've been expected for the last two months, you know. But I heard the Kazekage was holding you up."

"Gaara's pushy like that."

The comment actually earned a soft chuckle from Neji, which astounded Naruto and also signaled that Neji now responded to humor. Naruto didn't want to overdo it, but he would be taking advantage of this newfound behavior.

"Your journey?" Neji had nothing better to do than get the details directly from the source.

"Eh, you want to hear that now? Like, the three years I've been gone, or just my trip back here? Either way, it'll require a sit-down."

"I have the time. Besides, you're here looking for Hinata." Neji acknowledged, "And she is currently out on a mission."

"Aw nuts." He picked the toe of his shoe into the grass, wrestling with impatience.

Neji led the way back to the veranda of the house, close to where he'd been seated earlier. It didn't escape him that Naruto was taking in the sights, assessing everything the way someone would after they'd been absent for a long while. Naruto sat when Neji did, but his head was turning left and right a little distractedly. These days Neji was more practiced in hospitality, and he offered to get something for Naruto to drink or eat.

He simpered over the generosity, "No need! Thanks though. I'll probably eat something with Ero-sensei after he's done talking to Baa-chan."

"Should you refer to the Hokage so informally?" Neji adopted an educative tone, "Now that you're here, you might want to show more deference to Tsunade-sama."

"—! I've always called her that!"

"Exactly. You're older now." Neji was blunt about his expectations, "And more highly trained."

"Pfft. Sure, I guess I can try it. But you're not just telling me this because you're one of her Jounin now!" Naruto nudged him in the side.

This was very pleasant. The small smile on Neji's face didn't waver.

"That's not actually the reason." Neji admitted, "Compared to you…I was far more disrespectful of Tsunade-sama about a year ago."

Alarmed, "Seriously? What'd you do?"

"Defied her. Questioned her intelligence to her face. She might've killed me if she had less restraint." He recalled the time when his team had lost Tenten, and how he'd been completely unreasonable about everything thereafter, "I had to grow to earn her trust back. I'm not proud of how I acted."

"Wow, Neji." Naruto was goggling, delighted by the tale, "If you're telling me not to make the same mistakes as you, I hear you loud and clear."

"Just a helpful hint." Neji termed it.

"Hee hee!" Naruto was merry much in the way Neji remembered, but there was a new groundedness to him, a subtle wisdom in how he carried and comported himself.

"So Gama-sennin is here with you. When did you get back?" Neji easily picked up the cues.

"This morning, actually. I had a hell of a time stopping him from side-tracking to do other things after we left Suna." Weariness crept into Naruto's recollection, "Sometimes, he makes me feel like the adult. It's fine if he wants to relax and have fun…but then he ends up depending on me way too much or screwing things up."

"Huh. Sounds like payback." Neji murmured.

"Hey! I wasn't so bad when I started out—" Mid-way through his defense, Naruto amended, "Okay. I got my shit together pretty quickly after the Maple Village. Really focused on my training with no time for diversion, and I've got to say, it wasn't so bad."

"What happened to you in the Maple Village?" Neji wondered, "That is very far from here."

"Er…" He couldn't tell Neji he'd lost control of the Nine-Tail's' chakra and injured Jiraiya!

"I did something…that hurt Ero-sensei badly during training." He allowed a fraction of the truth through, "It was careless of me. I'm grateful I didn't lose him then…and I owe a lot to the Sages of Mount Myoboku who looked after us. I trained there almost half the time, with their supervision."

"I'll admit…I was never able to work out if Mount Myoboku was a myth or not." Neji was intrigued, "Hardly anyone has ever been able to find it. No one, as far as I know. Apart from Gama-sennin."

"Heh! Don't go looking for it. It's the worst hike of your life!"

Neji tugged on the sleeve of Naruto's cloak, "Is that where this is from?"

"It is. They gave it to me as gift to commemorate the completion of my Sage training." Naruto looked up at the sky, thinking of Shima and Fukasaku, "I miss Ma and Pa already. They were great."

Neji's expression jammed up, as if working through what Naruto had told him. Naruto wasn't sure if he'd said something strange.

"Completed." Neji repeated.

"Yeah." Naruto confirmed.

"Training that Sages undergo, oftentimes for decades or all of their life." Neji clarified.

"Uh…yeah. Usually it does take a long time." He conceded.

"You've only been gone for a few years." Neji was a bit flintier, unsure about the information he'd been presented with, "And you're a trained Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku."

"Look, it's not like I thought I could do it! Most of the time I was doubting myself, struggling, almost petrifying into a toad statue!" Naruto had to give a more realistic spin to the explanation, "It was dangerous. Deep philosophical study that was hard for my brain to wrap around, out every day in sick jungle heat in the dense pressure of Nature Chakra on the mountain. It ain't glamorous. I ate bugs. Every day."

"Ah." Neji brightened, as if this was more believable, "Is that diet required?"

"…I kind of think it is. But you're so desperate to eat every day after intense training that it doesn't matter what they put in front of you…"

Neji nodded, more impressed. Then he asked, "If it was so dangerous…what was your hurry to complete the training?"

"There were a lot of reasons. I wanted to make up for what I did to Ero-sensei, to be able to protect him and everyone else. To not lose control. And honestly…I wanted to come home so bad to see Hinata-chan…I just never stopped working. I didn't want to spend too much time away from her, and I didn't want to leave the mountain without completing Sage Training either. So the compromise was to finish!" Naruto recalled, "And I might've been comparing myself to Ero-sensei and Dad. It took them around ten years or so to work it all out."

"Your father."

Shit, of course Neji would latch onto mysterious, relevant details. Naruto bit his lip.

"He also trained with Toad Sages?" Neji was innocently curious about it, "I don't think I've ever heard you mention him."

"Well he's dead." Naruto tried to pan it.

"My father's dead too." Neji reasoned, "I still talk about him."

"It's an uncomfortable subject." Naruto made a warding gesture with his hands, "And I…don't like to compare myself to him too much. I'll never be like him."

"Why do you say that?"

Naruto pouted, thinking on it.

"I think I'm afraid to be like him. It makes my heart hurt too much." He lowered his voice, "I didn't know much about him when I was little, but as I got older and learned more…it makes me so sad. Like I can't breathe or think. To miss someone so much. And he…in doing his duty for this village, he had to lose everything. Everything he cared about, even his own life. He was pretty young! Heh! That's why I'm scared. If I end up like him…well…I don't want to."

"Naruto." Neji was stirred by the words.

He gave his head a shake, "Forget I said that! See why I don't talk about it?"

"I think I understand more of that than you realize." Neji offered, "Even if my experience is different."

"Phew! Stop making me talk about heavy stuff!" He clapped Neji on the back, "What about you? Your life is very different these days, isn't it? You sure do dress better!"

"Likewise."

Ugh. Naruto couldn't get enough of those tiny, sarcastic quips. He was stifling snickers every 30 seconds.

"After you left to train outside of the village, I gradually took on more leadership roles for low-level missions. That opened the gateway for me to try to connect more with others." Neji shared, "My temperament was still too gruff to build friendships, but I think our peers could understand I meant no harm— that I was trying to see them for who they were. I also improved my relationships with family members more."

Naruto had his arms folded, nodding, "Good, good." As if he had left behind some kind of psychosocial homework for Neji while he'd been gone.

"But, it was hard for me to confront the fact that I created most obstructions that stopped me from advancing. Whether with techniques or with people. The habit of blaming others was hard to break." He confessed the mindset with a pinch of amusement, "Even until recently, I had trouble looking inward. To discard selfishness when it hindered me."

"You were doing a little bit of your own Sage training." Naruto mused.

"I'm no sage." Neji asserted, "And as I mentioned before, I was at my worst after Tsunade-sama divided up my team."

Naruto recalled the tale Hinata had passed along to him, about her cousin's dark days, "Bet you were all sulky."

"Yes."

"Yelled a lot. At Lee, probably."

"If I bothered to talk."

"Then you fought him. Beat the crap out of him." Naruto deduced.

Wincing, Neji admitted, "He forgave me."

"Well! I bet Bushy Brows understood how terrible it felt, and don't tell me he didn't know you had a crush on her!" Naruto was referring to Tenten of course.

The tiniest rouge flush across Neji's nose, "It wasn't a crush—"

"Oh PLEASE, Neji." Naruto snarked.

"I didn't understand—"

"CLEARLY."

"As if you are fit to patronize me on this subject." Neji gave his head a toss, flinging his hair into place along his back, "How long did Hinata-sama—?"

"Okay, stop! Stop!" Naruto clucked, "But you know what? At least I wasn't a rude ass to Hinata. Even when I didn't get it." He defended, "Your girlfriend went through hell and back, trying to make you stop being such a shit to other people. Trying to make you righteous for real, when you'd only deluded yourself that you acted nobly. And you were the shittiest to her." Then Naruto laughed, "Oh my god, it must've hit you so hard…when you realized…"

Neji was red-faced and not saying much, staring moodily away from his friend.

"Don't get all grumpy about it. Gaara was the same way." Naruto shrugged.

"I'm not proud of how I acted. All of that…" Neji sighed, "It makes me ill to remember it. I try to make up for it all the time."

"You're very nice now." Naruto confirmed, based on his shallow experience.

"Even that's not enough. For Tenten, and everyone else…I always check myself before I speak or act. Because I want so badly for them to know that I'm not the same. That I'm afraid to be." Neji echoed some of Naruto's sentiments, "The old way of thinking…has poisoned my clan, and many of the minds in charge of it. I don't want to become like them, or to fold to their whims and abandon my principles."

Naruto predicted, "You'll have help."

"I know." Neji relaxed beside him, "Hinata-sama will always help me. My uncle, and Hideyasu…the younger members of the Main House really do believe in changing things, even though it will be difficult. Though, we need to assert ourselves with caution. Recently, Tenten stood up to clan elders—"

Waving his hands, Naruto called attention to his confusion, "Why the heck is your girlfriend mouthing off to old fogies in your clan? Isn't that nuts?"

"She is a member of the Hyuga clan." Had he forgotten to mention that to Naruto?

"—the heck? She is? How even!"

"My uncle's cousin adopted her. Don't make me explain." It was a long tale Neji did not want to recount, even though Naruto was gaping, "To summarize: She didn't allow anyone to help her after admitting to an error she made, taking it up with the most senior Elder of our clan. When he tried to bring Branch members into it to intimidate her, to control her…she still resisted and avoided violence. I've…only just realized Tenten doesn't have a filter when it comes to justice."

"Yeesh. How could that possibly be a problem?" Naruto rolled his eyes, "She sees someone doing something despicable and immediately scolds them. I get that. But how didn't you know she was like that since you were, like, twelve?! And she was already calling people out then? It's obvious!"

"I didn't think she'd lack the political acumen to do that to Hyuga clan elders." Neji grumbled.

"Wow. Good luck." Naruto folded his hands in a prayer gesture.

"We'll need it." Neji supposed, "Apart from those things, I have no reason to complain. I've mastered high-level clan techniques, my Wind Affinity, and Lee's grandfather has been willing to teach me Wushu skills…"

"Wind Affinity?" Naruto scrunched his nose, "Like the elemental Ninjutsu kind?"

"Yes, but that which is inherent in our chakra naturally. Each person has an elemental type they are aligned with." Neji explained, "Hiashi-sama, Hinata-sama, and Hanabi-sama are all Water Affinities. Tenten is a Fire Affinity. Fujita is Lightning." He regarded Naruto interestedly, "You should have your Chakra Nature tested. It could prove valuable to you."

"Huh. You know what? That sounds like a great idea."

"I have those—"

The shoji door behind them slid aside, "Oh!"

Tenten shut the door and leapt down to the grass, facing Neji and Naruto, "What are you doing here? Wow! Stand up, both of you!"

Boggled, Naruto stood up mostly because Neji did (couples conditioning), and then Tenten flattened her hand above their heads, comparing their heights, "Ah, Neji's still got a few centimeters on you. Welcome back, Naruto! That took way too long."

"Thank you very much. And I know." He agreed, all smiles.

Tenten was beaming, very friendly, maybe even friendlier than Naruto remembered. She was also dressed in pastel lavender scrubs, duller than a uniform that would be worn by real medical professionals. If memory served correctly, she'd never wear something so boring.

"This sucks. I have to go to work taking care of old people now." Her shoulders slumped, "We could've gone out to lunch and caught up!"

"Some other time." Naruto was unruffled, "Not everyone's schedule is open on the same day, which is what I expected. I'll make the rounds!"

"Perfect! And you'll have Neji, until then. I hate to cut things short, I really do." She was apologetic, "Neji's very good company. Stick with him. I might be able to scrape together some free time tomorrow." Tenten stepped forward, planted a kiss on her boyfriend's lips, then darted across the lawn as she was on the cusp of running late for a shift.

"She's fast." Naruto noted, "Did you even feel that? I'm not sure if she reached your face."

"She did." Neji confirmed. He seemed pleased.

"Good for you, man. You've really come around!" Naruto had to give his back another thump, "She seems happy! Though she was dressed really weird."

"Tenten is required to wear that in the care home. As punishment for her defiance, Elder Haburo is making her work there indefinitely. She's had no time to train, and barely any time for missions."

"Indefinitely? Taking care of old people!" Naruto was both appalled and fascinated at the same time, "I mean, yeah, that'll teach ya. I guess. There are actually places that old people live in?"

"A few. The Peony Pavilion is the most prestigious of all."

"How come I never heard of it?"

"Most people in this village don't have the money to afford a facility like that." Neji informed him, "And so, elders are often cared for by family members, or left completely to their own devices."

"Eh…I don't know what sounds worse. Institution care or crippling loneliness? Guess it's good that ninja can just die on a mission if they want to avoid the choice."

"I used to think that, but Tenten has told me many residents are shinobi. Many veterans who've fought in wars." Neji tipped his head to think about it, "It can't be so bad to be looked after, if they tolerate it. I think it would be worse to age alone."

"Why is everyone making me think about stuff I've refused to think about?" Naruto groused, "Neji. Stop it. I'm never going to be old."

A soft laugh, "I suspect you will be. Don't you remember reading about Hidden Whirlpool at the Academy, and the Uzumaki clan? Their longevity is well-known."

"Bah!"

Neji pitched an idea that if Naruto attained advanced age, he may have the option of settling on Mount Myoboku as an actual, old-timer sage. The idea quieted Naruto down a bit, enough to finally hear voices on the east side of the property. He turned his head to pinpoint a group making friendly banter.

A thin sheen of sweat sprung up along the back of Naruto's neck, and in his palms. The three gathered by the east end of the house were Shino, Sato, and Hinata, all of whom had definitely not seen Naruto lounging on the porch with Neji. They were carrying kotatsu units, table frameworks and blankets, having just arrived at the Main House to unload the cold-weather necessities.

"These are the only reason why winter can be somewhat enjoyable." Sato posited, and his friends agreed with nodding heads, lowering down a large, family-style table onto the veranda, "So how many per house?"

"The Branch will need four more this season, and the Main House will need two." Hinata directed, "Let's leave two here to be taken in later, and carry the rest to the Cadet House."

"We can do that, but it may need to wait." Shino set down a stack of fluffy coverlets.

Sato tipped his head curiously at his friend while dividing up the supplies, "Why?"

Shino pointed to the western side of the Main House, at the very edge of the engawa where Neji was seated beside Naruto. He'd noticed. Before a heating fan could slip from Hinata's hands, Sato wisely plucked it away and set it down with the Branch House's provisions.

Neji did have to make a great effort to keep his smile subtle, respectable, and not let it widen and reveal that he was thrilled he had the chance to see Naruto reunite with his cousin. As close family, he and Hinata kept few secrets from each other, including their thoughts and wishes about their respective sweethearts. At Sato's wedding reception not long ago, Neji and Hinata had (with the assistance of alcohol) spoken frankly about their hopes for the future and how they could help each other. Such a short time later, Neji was pleased that another positive change was coming to pass.

Meanwhile, Naruto had the reflexes of a startled prey animal, up on his feet but frozen in place. Staring. He had to sort out what was the proper thing to do. After all, he was at the Hyuga Estate. His welcome here was minimal on a good day, and he had a better grasp of social proprieties expected among noble ninja clans. And the sight of her, to finally drink in her beauty with his own eyes, to see how Hinata had changed— her delicate face, dark lashes framing her moon eyes, long silky hair down her back, wearing a refined lilac tunic beneath her Chunin vest. She was a dream on the other side of that lawn. A promise the universe had kept for him, after only getting glimpses of her and being limited to correspondence.

In those strange fifteen seconds of negotiating the mental hurdles, of finally accepting that the person was here, after so much time accepting absence…Hinata was also frozen, gawking, and stutter-stepped forward. Then she stopped. She'd advanced about a meter before fearing maybe she had it wrong— that this handsome man who looked like Naruto wasn't actually him, that it was someone else, or perhaps a mirage trying to taunt her?

Confirmation burned fresh in her heart when he ran, which was the most recognizable action, remembering the many times he'd come and gone from the compound in the past. Young and charging around. Naruto ran toward her, said her name out loud in excitement, and it sort of melted in her ears and hardly registered. The sound of her own steps over the grass, fast, a reckless hope moving her. Rushing like this, they were bound to crash headlong into each other, but instead trust and dexterity reconfigured the near-collision into a running jump and catch— Hinata sprang the last meter, unthinkingly throwing herself at him. Naruto caught her, and she could finally hear him, she could believe.

He whirled a few times and let himself laugh, because it was wonderful to see her so eager. Her arms were tight behind his neck, across his shoulders, holding on as centrifugal force kept her feet off the ground as they spun.

"Hinata…" Naruto slowed, stopped safely and set her feet down on the ground in front of him with a soft paff. He was a mess of electrical impulses, his heart racing. Even after their time growing and changing while apart, she was still a few centimeters shorter than him. Hinata looked up at him, tears dewing at the corners of her eyes.

He would kiss her. No, idiot! His brain was somewhat functional, running in the background as emotions took over. Before he leaned down, Naruto did consider that there were far too many observers at the moment. Oh but he had to, he had to! So, he leaned in with clear intentions that she most certainly could recognize…and Hinata ducked her head slightly. Her mouth was out of reach. Ah, okay. The signal was obvious. If kissing were to happen, it wouldn't be a single, chaste peck. And it wouldn't be something she would want others spectating at her family's home. Naruto accepted the unspoken request, and instead rested his forehead against hers briefly, grinning.

"Does your heart feel like…it's pounding crazily, just a total overload?" He asked so only she could hear, "Because now I don't know, now that I'm here with you…if that's ever going to stop."

"Yes." Her hands had slid down into his, "The most spectacular feeling, but it could make me faint."

"Oh no, we can't have that." Naruto gave his head a small shake, "Let's just pretend a little, eh? That this is boring business, nothing unusual! It might help normalize it."

"I don't think that will work." She was smiling like a sun-ray, "Even routine feels special with you, Naruto-kun."

Ah, he could've died where he was standing. Complete.

Hinata squeezed his hands, seemingly not in immediate danger of fainting, standing back an arm's length to get another proper look at him. He was hopeful that how he had preened and dressed before coming here was satisfactory for her. She was looking a lot, which was probably not a bad sign.

"Well I'll be—!" Sato stopped behind them, his smile toothy, "It's a good thing we took off at dawn to get back to the village. Naruto! Are you going to spin me around next?"

"Not on your life!" Naruto responded in the same cheerful tone, extending out his hand to meet Sato's fist-bump of greetings.

"Overdue." Shino assessed, "But for a reason, most likely. We were told that you were able to attain Chunin Rank, so accept our belated congratulations."

"Oh hey, thanks Shino!" Naruto knew the Aburame was not much of a talker, but the warm wishes felt sincere, "You too! I know all about what you guys went through at the Exam. It'll be good to hear your takes on what Chunin missions are like."

"Mostly the same." Shino wagered, "The Hokage never did like to go easy on us."

Neji ventured over to the group by way of the porch, standing above the gaggle, glancing from Hinata to the pile of stuff her team had transported, "What's all of this?"

"The other day when I was visiting the Branch, they told me that they were in need of more heaters. Shino-kun said his clan had a few extra in storage, so after our mission we agreed to bring them here." She explained. Her posture tightened up a little. Her fingers were flexing at her sides. Though no one else seemed to notice, Naruto couldn't help but scrutinize every single detail as he watched her.

"I'll help you bring these in." Neji offered, "That way you'll be free to go with Naruto sooner."

"Eh!" Her blush spread like a wildfire on her face.

"Sounds good to me!" Naruto really had to thank Neji for his much improved bro-behavior, "We can meet up soon. I'm supposed to see the Hokage to debrief, actually. So I shouldn't wait. After that, come find me?"

"Yes, yes, of course!" She was squeaking.

"Oh boy." Sato muttered, realizing it had been a while since he'd seen Hinata be anything less than lion-hearted, "Guess we can help get these tables set up too. I'll also have to give a report to Tsunade-sama later." There was a glint in Sato's eye, "And if you find you're not so busy now that you're back, Naruto, I think we should spar sometime."

"Sure, but you'll have to mark your words." Naruto couldn't resist sassing Sato, even if it was evident the Hatake had grown up a lot. He bid his friends farewell, his gaze lingering on Hinata for an infatuated, endless moment before turning to depart from the grounds. He set out for the Administrative Building.

It took a minute before Naruto realized he was racing over rooftops, as if he was attempting to fast-forward through the day to get to the good parts. He stopped on a chimney stack and clapped his cheeks in his hands. 'Get a grip! You'll see her soon, and it would be rude to rush things with Baa-chan.' He thought, 'I feel…so relieved that everyone is happy to see me! I was worried over nothing before!'

Much of the village felt…re-arranged. Some stores had even changed locations, swapping storefronts on opposite sides of the street, or different thoroughfares altogether. Larger facades. Development. Time had morphed many of the spaces that had existed in a still-life inside Naruto's heart. And yet, the Hokage's Tower was still a red-roofed, patchwork building with much coming and going. That beacon, at least, looked the same. From the outside.

Within, the space was clearly renovated, with newer flooring and offices. There were many administrative workers toiling over desks, or stepping out for lunch breaks. Naruto began his climb up the stairwell. 'I don't know if I really paid attention to how everything looked and moved, before I left home. It feels weird.' His thoughts trickled up the steps with him, 'Maybe over the last year, when I thought of my place— my home base as a shinobi…I was really thinking about the Toad Valley. That became home. I wasn't mentally putting myself here. Didn't really try to remember Konoha much at all.'

Ah, so it was little wonder now why Jiraiya could be so chicken-headed about the transition back. He must have felt the same.

Those who passed Naruto by in corridors did not seem to recognize him at all. And it was sort of a relief. To not have to engage or be identifiable the whole way through provided him with the opportunity to collect himself. Find his center again. He straightened up and knocked on the half-open door of the Hokage's office to announce his presence.

Jiraiya was leaning against a credenza near Tsunade's desk, his arms folded and legs stretched, crossed at the ankles. He halted midway through a sentence to look up. When Tsunade spotted Naruto her face gave nothing away, her expression steeled as if Jiraiya had been telling her things she hadn't liked much.

"Hi." Naruto smiled uncertainly at the village leader, "I hope he's not stressing you out, Baa-chan. I should've been back a while ago, so I'm sorry for the inconvenience." He approached the middle of the room and waited for some kind of direction.

Jiraiya kept quiet when Tsunade stood and circled around her desk, stopping in front of Naruto, eyeing him, taking his chin in hand to turn his face left and right. It was invasive! He may have protested if he wasn't feeling nervous.

"Apology accepted." Tsunade sniffed, "I had some concerns. Still do. Feels like you shave regularly now, good! I don't want you looking scruffy when you come to see me."

"Uh…"

"What's all this I hear about Sealing specialization and Sage Training? What's your angle?" She sounded accusatory, "And if that wasn't bad enough, this hair!" She tugged on his shaggy ends, "I'm going to start calling you Minato because I won't be able to tell the difference anymore. Get a haircut, then we'll talk."

"I guess I could." Naruto yielded. This personal attack also felt somewhat flattering.

"Alright." She finally smiled, squeezing him into a hug against her ample bosom, "I won't give you grief. You've been missed, Naruto. I'd rather have Haku here too so I can give another critique, but Jiraiya tells me he's preoccupied." Her head snapped back towards her former teammate, "And I will need a more detailed explanation about that."

"When you're ready." Jiraiya implied that right now she wasn't.

"I missed you too." Naruto returned the squeeze before stepping back, "Everything is so different around here, I guess I'm a little skittish."

"I assure you I am exactly the same!" Tsunade tittered, "So you can relax. You'll adjust. I'll send you to my favorite eateries until you feel better."

"I could use recommendations."

"Have you encountered your contemporaries?" Tsunade wondered.

"A few! And Hinata! So far the welcome has been warm." Naruto shared.

"As expected. Sakura will do backflips when she sees you."

He laughed at that. Then, the Hokage invited him to recount a bit of his traveling experience and what he had learned, which soaked up about 15 minutes of her time. Tsunade took her seat again in a rolling chair, and Naruto sat in an armchair by the desk. Jiraiya listened.

"And for now I kind of have a shaky, decent relationship with the Nine-Tailed Fox," Naruto reported some findings from his time in Suna, "Gaara was able to help me out. Oh, and I'm kind of friends with the Sealing Commissioner in Sand. Well, she's friends with Gaara's family. She showed me some stuff." He remembered a finer detail and withdrew a certificate from a back pouch, "Ah! I'm supposed to give this to you. Since I passed the Chunin Exam."

"Oh?" Tsunade took the licensing document and said, "I'll toss this in your file. I confer upon you Chunin rank. There, it's done." She nodded, reaching into a filing cabinet to withdraw a folder, "It's been a while since I've been through this." She tucked the certificate in, "It needs so many updates…"

He hadn't been expecting any fanfare or celebration with a promotion, not since his anticlimactic experience in Hidden Sand. But then Tsunade waved her hand at Jiraiya, "Go into that armoire over there for me."

"Why me?"

"Because Shizune isn't around, and also I told you to." Tsunade gruffed.

Grudgingly, Jiraiya opened the chifferobe and quickly discovered what was of importance. He retrieved a flak vest, turning it over in his hands to gauge its size, "Hmm. This should fit him."

The fluttery feeling returned to Naruto's stomach.

"Be a dear and wear that for me, will you?" Tsunade requested, "About half of my new Chunin don't bother putting vests on because they're too concerned with fashion. Like Sakura, for example. It gets on my nerves."

"My fashion sense is pretty bad, so no problem." Naruto agreed. He tugged off his Sage cloak and allowed Jiraiya to drop the vest over his arms, sliding through to shrug it on. He fastened it and tried to look down at himself. He earned a pat on the back from his master.

"Good work, kid." Jiraiya commended him.

"Thanks. Thanks for everything." Naruto allowed himself a small smile.

"For now, I've heard plenty. And I have no immediate tasks for you." Tsunade informed her newest Chunin, "However, I reserve my right to call you back in here for details based on whatever Jiraiya tells me." When Jiraiya groaned at the continued inquiry to come, she shushed him, "Stop it. I'll buy you lunch. Report back in the morning, Naruto. I'll put you to work."

"Great! Oh. I have this." Naruto also held out an application for Leaf's Sealing Corps, "It's to apply to the Sealing Corps. With the endorsements you and Gaara gave me. When should I submit it?"

"You can do it now. It will take you about a minute." Tsunade estimated, "The Sealing Corps building is just up the block. Green sign. Aluminum siding. You'll see it." She instructed, "Bring those to the front desk for processing, and I suppose within a few days they'll have you complete an intake test. Then good luck!" She smiled, "It's tough. You'll be studying until you can recite things in your sleep."

"Heh. There goes another decade of your life." Jiraiya snorted, "You'll be a clerk for half of it. Unless you really scratch their backs. Just so you know, Naruto, all of the upright, likable people in the Sealing Corps have left it or have passed away. Sarutobi Netsuke doesn't work there anymore. Plus, Sarutobi Hosoka and Shimura Mochinaga both died in the Tide Village."

"Everyone else is prickly." Tsunade agreed, "But you can handle it."

Naruto nodded, "I'll cope."

"You will. Enjoy yourself." Tsunade rested her chin on the back of her hand, smiling like a cat, "Fill us in tomorrow."

After parting with them and shutting the door behind him, Naruto smoothed his folded cloak over his arm. 'Yup. This is surreal. That went pretty well.' Down the stairs, he could smell coffee and baked treats: lunch for the desk workers. On the first floor, Ton-Ton the pig stopped to sniff his ankles before oinking in approval, then she scampered up the stairs to find Tsunade.

He darted out of the tower, moving northbound to the Sealing Corps building, intent on not wasting any time before meeting with Hinata. Unlike the Administrative Building, this place felt less lively, and an imperceptible, transparent barrier of chakra had to be passed through upon entering the front door. Naruto supposed it was scanning him for some feature the Corps wanted to defend against, but it felt utterly non-threatening. The front lobby was empty, adorned with plaques, bookshelves and potted plants. A single loveseat was up against the far left wall, so as to discourage people from lingering. The visitor's desk was high off of the floor like a hotel concierge, with one person manning it.

Naruto cleared his throat softly before speaking, "Hello! I want to apply to join the Sealing Corps."

The desk secretary blinked rapidly, surprised that someone had come into the building, "You do?!"

"Yeah!"

"You're applying?!" The young man was astonished.

"Yeah, really!" Amused, Naruto dropped his application and endorsement letters in front of the secretary, "Is there anything else needed besides these?"

"Let me see, let me see…" The worker couldn't have been more than three years older than Naruto, smiling, genuinely affable, "Wow. We really don't get applicants these days, so I've kind of forgotten our checklist. Is this…a letter from the Kazekage?"

Naruto was starting to feel smug, "It is."

"And…a letter from the Hokage." The secretary's eyes were wide.

He didn't even answer. Naruto just watched the worker shuffle documents around, patting around for a pen.

And then, an oak door on the right clicked open as a man passed through it. He moved immediately to the desk and snatched the application from the secretary's hand, "What's this?"

"It's—"

The Corps Administrator frowned at Naruto, "You seek to join this elite regiment of Leaf's forces?"

"That's right." Naruto was abruptly on the defensive.

"I felt you come in." The administrator's lips twisted, "This says here you are a Chunin. We want seasoned shinobi."

The secretary piped up, "I'm a Chunin—"

"I didn't ask you to speak, Banri." The administrator growled, "More importantly, Uzumaki Naruto, is that your classification of A-alert means you are not an ideal candidate."

"What does that even mean?" Naruto was perplexed.

"It means that you have an elevated risk level associated with you, a permanent threat, posing a danger to other Corps members." The administrator bit back, "That's not what we're looking for."

"I have letters—"

"Do those letters change your alert status?" The man raised his eyebrows for effect.

"No…"

"Then I won't hear of it!"

"Sir, Hachisuka-san, he's qualified." Banri insisted weakly, "And we haven't had any interest for months since the attack on the Tide Village."

"Unless he can change who he is," Hachisuka sneered, "He won't be admitted."

"We still need to process the application for review." Banri quoted policy.

"The board will review it." The man lowered his voice.

"You just don't want me around because I'm a jinchuriki." Naruto boldly flung the truth at Hachisuka, "Wouldn't be the first time someone's done that to me, but I deserve a fair shot too!"

Banri gasped, looking between Naruto and the administrator. The only person who was excluded from Third's gag-order law about the Nine-Tails, to their knowledge, was Naruto. And the young man didn't mince words about it.

"This is at my discretion, as Administrator." Hachisuka retorted, "And you will add no value to the Corps. Before long, you'll be abducted like the rest."

"Sir!" Banri exclaimed, affronted by the reference to the Akatsuki.

Naruto stood for a second, swallowing thickly. He could throw his fists or scream, but this creep wasn't worth it. The pain of remembering how his life hung in the balance because of a criminal organization, and that maybe some hateful people were counting on his demise was an unbelievable dagger in Naruto's gut.

"Get out this instant, and don't bother coming back." Hachisuka ordered, and then he promptly retreated to the back office that he had come from.

Naruto reeled in silence, and Banri tapped his documents into a neat stack, shaking his head.

"Please, please, don't take that to heart Uzumaki-san!" He was deeply apologetic, "Administrators aren't the final word here, and you have endorsements from two Kage. I've never seen such testimony to natural talent before!" He leaned over the desk, earnest and fraught, "I'm Sarutobi Banri, I'll help you. Promise me you'll come back tomorrow? I'll escalate this up the chain as fast as I can."

"I…I'll come back." Naruto found his voice where it was floating in the dark, somewhere inside of him.

Banri wore a relieved look, "Thank you. That was horrible, I really am sorry he said that to you."

"I kind of…forgot what it felt like. To hear people say that stuff to me." He took a breath and tried to shake it off, "Thanks. Banri, was it? You've been a great help."

The secretary nodded, "So have you. We need people like you."

He didn't feel comfortable staying to learn more about the unexpectedly noble Sarutobi corpsman, so Naruto trudged out of the building and schooled his lungs to take in long sucks of air.

Did other people think that? Hope he'd end up dead? Out of the way?

For quite a long time, he had felt valuable. Accomplished. Those feelings had replaced all of the old, ugly memories of callous remarks and rejection. His friends had sort of sheltered him from a pervasive, vile attitude that endured in Konoha. It wasn't everyone, but those who were hateful still stung something fierce.

Ugh. The way this village was digging up feelings in him that had not surfaced in so long…

During childhood, Naruto had at least had the luxury of not fully understanding why people disliked or ostracized him. But that had often led to misguided thinking, underestimating his self-worth, and frequent misbehavior. Back then, it hadn't felt like he had as much to lose, since he had nary a speck of affection anyway. Over time, so many people had come into his life, and he had changed, improved himself, developed himself as a shinobi and man. When that occasional jinchuriki-centered hatred assailed him these days, at least he had a clear picture of his own worth. He had context of what people were afraid of, unlike the confusion he'd experienced as a child.

However, it hurt in an acutely different way, after overcoming so much and gaining so much, when people could still cut him down for a flimsy, uninformed reason. To discriminate against him without knowing him at all. It was a different flavor of loneliness.

He had gotten a little lost, meandering toward the north central cemetery. Naruto had never visited before, and since few other people were around, he walked onto the grounds to investigate it. He'd walk off his heartache and get sorted. Then he would be more prepared for lunch with his girlfriend.

'It would be helpful if people could try to put themselves in my shoes, once in a while.' Naruto imagined the thoughtful gesture, 'Like that Banri guy. He didn't seem threatened at all, even after I said that stuff…'

He passed through rows of flat stone placards and small memorials. The grass was losing its green, dried out as the year's end hastened.

'Members of the Sealing Corps ought to understand the kind of burden I have. Well. I'd like to think that.' He mused, 'And I wonder if Dad ever did work for the Sealing Corps? He was really skilled, but now I'm not so sure how he educated himself on the subject. Did he do all of the work independently? Maybe…' Naruto rolled his neck, trying to relax, 'If they don't let me join, maybe I could study independently too. I have so far.'

One row away, he saw a familiar name. Naruto hopped over to examine his father's nicely appointed grave marker. A flicker of comfort radiated in his chest when he discovered his mother's headstone right beside his father's. A shame, to be sure. But at least he had found them.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to find you guys until now." Naruto crouched down to dust dried leaves from the stones, "These look pretty good. Has someone been cleaning your markers? I'll do it for you from now on. I'll come back with some offerings! I don't really know what you guys liked, but I can ask Ero-sensei. Kinji said you guys sometimes got drunk and did karaoke with the toads!" He giggled at the visual.

Redstarts quibbled along the grounds of the graveyard, foraging for seeds and insects.

Naruto's one-sided conversation merged with his earlier thoughts on the Sealing Corps, "I know most people are afraid, feel contempt for me and the fox because they think about the people they lost. Their homes and livelihoods. It was a scary night for everyone. And they…probably can't see beyond all the pain. On the other side, where we were. When you guys…" He sighed heavily and sat down cross-legged on the ground, "When you guys had to act to protect everyone, and you needed my help too. Protected me too…"

He nearly turned inward to prod at the Nine-Tails, but decided against seeking the fox's opinion on the attack.

"Everyone in the village can live with what little they know about it. But me? I see it from all sides. It's my burden. I lost you. And I know they lost people too." Naruto reflected on the events, "Sometimes I wish villagers could feel about it…the same way I do. So then, maybe they'd understand that I'd do anything to stop something like that from happening again. They'd know, maybe, that I still want to protect them. The way you did. Not because I'm a jinchuriki…but because I'm keeping you with me. You, and the things you stood for."

His lip quivered and he coughed, fighting the urge to weep. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, "Ah. Er-hem! Sorry Mom and Dad. Now that I'm home again, I feel so emotional. It's ridiculous! I need to adjust. Oh! And Baa-chan promoted me to Chunin today…I tried to apply to the Sealing Corps…"

Naruto could only bear to stay for a few more minutes to speak to his parents. He eventually stood up again and left the cemetery, no longer laden by the coarse words of the Sealing Corps administrator. It was as if Naruto had heard his father say: There's no need to panic at this point. Take it day by day. Heard his mother say: SCREW that guy!

His feet took a path less traveled, avoiding dense accumulations of townsfolk. Back in the heart of the village where most casual dining was found, Naruto opted not to wait on a sidewalk until Hinata could find him. He leapt up to the roof of a brick building, a textile distributor, took a seat on some ductwork and relaxed. He closed his eyes and let himself grow still. 'Maybe I could try…'

Motionless, sponging up the surrounding natural energy, Naruto slipped into a state of meditation. Every environment had different frequencies, different roots, leaves, and heartbeats. The reservoir of energy stretched around the world was made distinct by its various pockets and inhabitants, and Konoha was quite a bit different from Suna and Mount Myoboku.

So many trees. Sources of water. Lush with life, but not packed with the density found in the Toad Valley. So many people. Red markings appeared around his eyes, still closed, and Naruto felt around, delighted to find recognizable bright spots. Some people who he hadn't yet run into and conversed with yet! Kakashi and other the Jounin sensei of his age group were going to the Jounin Standby station, Sato and Neji also in tow.

'I'll have to say hello to Iruka-sensei later! Seems like he's taking a lunch break and trying to discipline students.' His awareness grazed over all of the different chakra signatures, 'Ero-sensei and Baa-chan went out to eat too. That's good. Those people in the tower. Huh. That place down the road must be a daycare, because there's a bunch of little kids running around…'

Sakura could be found in the hospital. Shikamaru's team was currently divided amongst different Corps buildings, but they were venturing out as if to find each other. Kiba was surrounded by a pack of dogs. How fitting.

But families are also a web of energy, just as we Tailed-Beasts are.

'Oh yeah. The Fox said that. It really is true. No one really thinks about…this web we make when we're together. It was always there, but how many people ever notice?' Naruto wondered.

Then, a brilliance crossed into his field of awareness, approaching. Moving on the roads northwest of his position, scaling alleyway walls up to rooftops to make travel faster and freer. Naruto had seen her, in his way, but she could see him too. The loveliness of that visibility and connection was not something he could forget.

Tap, tap, he could hear her feet making contact with the brick surround, finding him. Naruto did not open his eyes immediately, but he couldn't stop the smile tipping up the corners of his mouth.

"What are you doing, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

He opened one eye, "Feeling around."

"Oh?"

"With Senjutsu. It's like casting a net to feel everyone's chakra. It's a bit of a trip." He stood and brushed his pants off.

"Even my chakra." She could infer that he had known she was on her way, "Does it…make marks around your eyes?"

"Just for a little while. It'll wear off in a few minutes." Naruto sidled up to her, his expression bright, "So! If you haven't eaten yet, let's go out somewhere!"

"Yes!"

"Wherever you want!"

"Yes!" Another chirp.

"Uh…well you've got to decide." He prompted goofily.

"Ramen would be—"

Naruto waved his hands, "Don't feel obligated if you're not in the mood for it. Didn't we discuss a place? When you visited me in Suna?"

"Oh! The restaurant that Onee-san likes. She takes Neji-niisan there." Hinata remembered, "Nabezo. It isn't far." She toed over the roof's edge before flitting down, and he followed.

They redirected southbound down a main street, side-by-side. Naruto had a three second debate in his head, 'Is this okay? I'm not sure what signals we can send out in public…' His hand extended slightly and brushed against her palm; Hinata startled and flapped her hand. Naruto blinked at the reaction, though she quickly settled down.

"I-I'm sorry." She wove her fingers with his, "It's been so long since someone held my hand."

He grinned, "I get it. It might take some getting used to."

"It's sort of like my visits to you with Samanvaya. When you showed me around Sunagakure, remember?" She tipped her head, her smile delicate and pink.

"Sure do. And wow, even in the fall it's hot out in the desert. I remember you let me taste a bit of your lunch, then there was that rude guy at the supermarket…"

They reminisced down the road, arriving at Nabezo before long. Hinata requested a corner table in the dining room, beside a window with flower boxes. Late-year mums were on display.

"I'll just start out by saying I have expanded my palate, so I don't eat noodles for every meal. Usually." Naruto prefaced as they sat and were provided with menus, "What's good here?"

"Hmm. The dumplings. The spicy chicken too, Chouji-kun said. I don't like shellfish, but I also heard the shrimp in sauce is popular."

"I'll try all of that."

"That's a good way to confirm reports."

"Or disprove them. I'll investigate, and you can order your favorite." Naruto reasoned.

She nodded, fiddling with strands of hair that had fallen over her shoulder.

"I want to tell you more about my time with Gaara, but why don't you fill me in on what's been going on here first?" Naruto prompted.

There was a brief interruption by a server who took their food and beverage orders, and then Hinata segued into relevant information Naruto ought to have.

"Yesterday, my team investigated a report about a small gathering of rogue ninja in the south of the Fire Country. Tsunade-sama wanted to rule out the group's possible affiliation with major criminal organizations. They were not very dangerous at all when we discovered them. They were guilty of petty thefts and threats of violence to locals, but those were not acted upon." Hinata recounted, "Actually, they were from the Hidden Mist village."

"Really?" Naruto raised his brows.

"Mm-hmm. They told us. It sounded as if they had escaped. As if Kirigakure is too difficult a place to live now."

"Well from what Haku said, it definitely isn't safe." Naruto glanced left and right, then lowered his voice, "The people who live there are hostages, stuck under the thumb of a shadow regime."

"You know that for sure?!" A squeaky whisper.

"Mostly. The sources are reliable. Those who escape are often tracked down and executed, so no information can get leaked to other villages. But knowledge still finds its way." Naruto told her, "Baa-chan is probably aware of the regime-thing since Haku and Ero-sensei have been getting the intel on it, and now we can see just how far refugees have to run to avoid getting killed."

"That's terrible. I don't approve of them stealing from or scaring townspeople…but they were desperate."

"A lot of them end up in the Tide Village looking for work, but I guess that's not what everyone wants to do. Some just resort to wandering and minor crimes to get by."

"It seems so. After our mission, Sato-kun woke us up at dawn so we could travel home more quickly. I think it was mostly because he was anxious to see Tama-chan."

"Oh, those two are still going out?"

She found it somewhat funny to share, "They got married."

"They WHAT?"

"About a week ago." Hinata clarified, "I shouldn't speak so freely about it, but they had been broken up for a while."

"How do— what the— did I miss all of that?"

"I didn't want to tell you about their personal business. It's been so hectic."

"I mean, I expect a reasonable amount of chaos where Sato's concerned." Naruto granted, "Though I'm not sure if I need the whole saga relayed to me?"

"He will tell you. If he wants to." Hinata supposed, "He had a very hard time, Naruto-kun. Not just because he couldn't be with Tama-chan, but also because many rumors about him began to circulate around the village."

He reckoned, "Bad rumors?"

"Very bad. About as bad as the ones that made his grandfather…" She frowned, hugging her arms across her chest as she thought about it, "Many people in the village don't associate with Sato-kun anymore. Or treat him very poorly."

Shock made Naruto sit ramrod straight in the booth, horrified at the prospect of someone else being subjected to the maelstrom of hatred and unfairness that swirled in Konoha.

"Rumors start from the seeds of truth, but many people got carried away." Hinata summarized, "It's not my place to talk about it, but I'm sure you'll find out before long."

"If things were going so wrong, how did he end up married after all of that?" Naruto was stumped.

"We've wondered the same thing." Hinata chuckled cluelessly.

"Good grief…"

Their drinks arrived.

"Kurenai-sensei will be getting married soon." Hinata mentioned.

A spray of almond boba tea shot from Naruto's lips, thankfully aimed at the window and not his girlfriend. They simultaneously reached for napkins to wipe up the mess.

"I didn't mean to surprise you again! I just thought it was worth mentioning since we're on the subject!" She explained, contrite, "She was telling me at the reception that she hopes it snows on her wedding day. That if she really had to have a traditional ceremony, that white scenery would be different."

"Oh! Heh, so winter is good for that." Naruto acknowledged, coughing quietly. A tapioca ball dislodged from his throat.

"It should be soon. She said she and Asuma-sensei have an area cleared for a party on Sarutobi lands, near the house they bought."

"You know, I'd say this all seemed to be out of left field except that I haven't spent much time with either of them. And they've probably been together for forever."

"Just about." Hinata estimated with a nod.

"Wouldn't it be weird if your student got married before you?" Naruto wondered about Sato.

"Sato-kun and Kurenai-sensei are both very strange." Hinata yielded her opinion, "So it's weird either way."

"Wow, Hinata! Speaking like you know them so well." He teased.

And for a while, Hinata steered conversation and reflected on changes at home and professionally, in varying levels of detail. She painted a fairly broad picture for Naruto, strokes colored by responsibility and close friendships. Long hours of work. Less time for leisure. When her worries were addressed, she danced around them with chatter or said she wasn't sure. The elders of her clan were about as troublesome as Neji had suggested. The subject of the Akatsuki made her visibly uncomfortable, not that Naruto blamed her. She had faced them directly in Rain's territories in the past, and he could understand the trauma associated with it.

When their dishes were served, Naruto took over most of the discourse. He shared how Gaara had showed him what the daily work of a Kage was like, and how different segments of the standard and special forces functioned. Though not all departments in Sand would be exactly as they were Leaf, they would be close enough. Thanks to his friend, Naruto had returned with a solid civic education in the hierarchy and functions of a ninja village. It was not enough to know who was at the top; all of the peripherals mattered too.

"My brain feels stuffed trying to be aware of how everything works. And that's not counting the rogue organizations threatening everyone right now, or grudges among the Great Villages." Naruto concluded, "Now I know that as most shinobi gain rank and improve their specializations, they can end up in all kind of segments and councils. Like Gaara's sister is on a Foreign Policy board, figuring out how to keep relationships with other villages healthy."

"Fujita might be able to join an ambassador council like that, after his mission to Hidden Waterfall." Hinata thought of her younger cousin, "And I have been permitted to sit in on village council meetings with my father, when the heads of each clan meet."

"That's got to be stressful!" Naruto imagined.

Hinata said nothing further, rolling a fishcake around in her soup bowl.

"Lots of prominent clans, right? And that also includes the top dogs from different regiments and Corps, I think. Gaara showed me." Naruto tried to carry the subject, "Did you just get to observe, or were you allowed to interact?"

"I…" Her shoulders scrunched, "I…observed."

"Oh."

"I didn't like it." She confessed.

"Why not?"

"Many clan leaders…mean well. But most attitudes in the chamber are caustic and mercenary. Based on numbers and…settling old scores." Hinata explained, "If younger members were more plentiful, I think the views on the village council would be diverse and more informed. Refreshed. However, I think councilmen purposefully exclude younger, more highly educated ninja."

This tweaked the sting Naruto still felt from his visit to the Sealing Corps, "It's on purpose, eh?"

Hinata nodded, "I think so."

"They don't want to hear what others have to say, so it becomes an echo-chamber. The same idea over and over." He understood, "That's how they control things."

"Going to meetings like that…taught me that it's council bodies that have the most control and influence. It isn't the Hokage." Hinata explained, "It felt scary, sometimes. One idea could be propelled to success, or buried under numerous 'no' votes. My father wanted to make sure I understood."

This pleased him, "Your Dad cares enough to make sure you see the real thing, and not just some fantasy we're fed by schools and officials."

"Father does care, and I have noticed how he has Neji-niisan and I attending meetings. Clan meetings, village council meetings, policy boards. Not very frequently…but I began to see things differently when I did. That was his reason." Hinata agreed, "Sometimes…I worry how hurtful these decision-making bodies can be to the most vulnerable in the village. That they prioritize certain outcomes ahead of others."

"Hm. Now you've really got me thinking." Naruto rested his chin in his hand, "I wish I could go to some of those and see."

"If you ask Tsunade-sama, maybe she could arrange it?"

Naruto shook his head, "I doubt I'd be welcome there."

"But you're skilled too! You're a Toad Sage." Hinata felt that was qualifying.

"Heh! Who wants a sage in their decision-making body, much less a young one? That's exactly who they don't want around, disrupting their narrow talking points."

She deflated slightly. Naruto addressed more personal subjects as they finished lunch, such as Gaara's thoughts on retirement, and Haku dating Gaara's sister. They split the bill even after Naruto offered to cover it.

Then, back out in daylight, Naruto asked, "What would you like to do next?"

"I…promised Sakura-chan I would help her with something this afternoon." Hinata bowed her head remorsefully, "I wish I'd remembered earlier, I was…distracted when you came home, Naruto-kun."

"That's understandable." He was not upset by it in the least, "So you have to go find her now?"

"Yes. But I can find you again later…to spend a little more time."

"I'd like that." Naruto stepped forward to close the distance, only intending to give her a peck of farewell. But she took off down the street like a shot. Un-kissed.

Her body language had tightened up since he had first seen her at the Hyuga estate. Hinata had been flighty, maybe a bit morose, sort of…too quiet. Naruto rubbed the back of his head and watched her go, 'Did I do something to make her uncomfortable?' By his assessment, every interaction had been A+.

Naruto considered as he proceeded along the main street that Hinata always had been shy. He had to give her leeway on his first day back. Even if she had, for the most part, grown out of it. Even if she had, during overlay visits, flirted with him or been suggestive. It helped to recall that as he felt disoriented back at home, so too would she have to adjust to him physically being around. It still hurt a little that she shrunk back from him, or averted her eyes. But it would get better.

Outside of the supermarket Green Mart, he stopped and nodded to himself, 'Might as well stock up since there's nothing at home!' Naruto marched in, impressed with the arrangement and offerings of the store. He might fill a shopping basket or two.

'Man, it sure was nice letting other people feed me all this time. I can't be a guest all of my life.' He was eclectic in his choice of produce, sort of copying what the Sand siblings usually ate, and then got experimental with his vegetable choices, 'Squash looks interesting.' Snacks, dietary supplements, soup bases, miso, noodles, spicy sauces…Naruto tired not to impulse-buy too much. From what he'd seen at home, tea, rice, and paper goods were plentiful.

He perused the meat aisle, trying to plan in advance what dishes he could make. What would accompany noodles best…

"Naruto!?"

His head snapped up from a package of short ribs.

Sakura was laughing in disbelief. She darted up to him, shook his arm to make sure he was real, "You're here!"

"Yeah!"

"I knew it wouldn't take much longer, Gaara was writing to me! Look at you! Grown and promoted. All that desert sun darkened you up, huh. Gaara didn't share his sunscreen?"

"He never offered." Naruto realized.

Sakura plucked a package of chicken from the case, "I can't go home without getting the ingredients my Mom asked me to find. I just ended a shift. It's so good to see you! Have you seen Shishou?! Hinata?!"

"Uh…" He was stumped, "Sakura-chan, it's good to see you too. I saw Baa-chan, saw a few people today actually, since I came back. And Hinata…I was just with her…"

"EEK! She must have been incandescent!"

"She left after lunch…saying she was going to help you with something." Naruto recalled, sheepish, "Did you…do the something yet?"

Sakura was bamboozled, "No. I didn't ask anyone for any kind of help today."

"Huh." Naruto felt his shoulders droop, "That's weird."

"Are you sure that she—?"

"She didn't need to…lie." He was stinging again, deeply surprised by his girlfriend, "I noticed Hinata…was being kind of shy. Or not so talkative. Just a few times! It was fine. If she needed to take a breather…"

Mirroring Naruto's slumping posture against the display of meats, they turned to face the same direction toward center aisles. Both pondered the oddity of Hinata's behavior.

"I'd have thought…she'd hang on you all day." Sakura admitted, "But she did just come back from a mission. Maybe she needs a bath? To freshen up or primp? Girls do that."

"She smelled fine."

"It's not always about that."

"She sort of…wouldn't look me in the eye."

Sakura was crestfallen by the statement, "Well, Naruto, she is shy."

"She doesn't do that anymore." He knew how Hinata behaved these days as well as anyone else did, "I've been in touch with her a lot, so I know. And she can tell me the truth! I won't be mad if she wants to go."

"It's strange. I won't deny that, but you don't need to worry." She attempted to reassure her friend, "Come on. Let's finish shopping and check out. Until she comes back, you can give me the scoop. My parents can deal with me being late for a good reason."

His head was foggy, filled with vapors of confusion and disappointment. Naruto nearly miscounted money notes while paying for groceries, but Sakura plucked a Ryo back to stuff into his wallet before he made the cashier make crazy change. Not that he noticed, but Sakura was watching him space out, guiding him discreetly from the market and out onto the road.

"I wish I could tell you exactly what was going on. I usually have good input." Sakura sighed as they walked, "But I haven't seen Hinata-chan in about three days, since her mission. I know she's been a bit stressed. She has a lot of responsibility. And that an Elder in her clan won't let her take a Jounin Trial she was recommended for."

"Yeah, I know about that too…"

"I just…don't know what she's thinking about you." Sakura was perplexed, "She's been dying to see you. That I know. She never takes off the necklace you gave her. You're the first name out of her mouth when something is exciting. My best educated guess…" She followed Naruto westward, toward his flat, "Is maybe it's similar to how I had been feeling, shortly before Gaara was sworn-in as Kazekage."

Naruto arched a brow, "How were you feeling, back then?"

"Miserable. Like the world was ending." Sakura motioned with her head, as if to mock herself, "I'd thought: How can he love me if he's handling such a burden? How can he still think of me? I'm a speck compared to him now! So much anxiety. It was an embarrassment." She raised a finger to cheerfully announce, "I'm convinced I'd make a better Kage than Gaara, now that I've seen him in action and learned so much."

"You're ruthless." Naruto muttered.

"I'm joking. Sort of. But what I mean is, maybe Hinata has some anxieties about you that she wasn't ready to share." Sakura offered some insight, "I was eaten up for a while before I adjusted to Gaara being far away. Now that you aren't far away, I'm sure there's still some turbulence for her to overcome."

"I hope you're right. That it wasn't just something I said, or that I repulsed her somehow. But then…" He rested his plastic bag over his shoulder like a traveler's knapsack, "Why would she lie?"

"So she wouldn't have to confront the feeling, right then and there. To have to explain it to you. Because it's hard." Sakura imagined, "No one wants their significant other to witness them lose their shit, or act in a less-than-welcoming way. We expect more of ourselves. Sometimes it's easier to retreat and come back a bit more prepared."

"It's just bothering me a lot."

"I know. I don't think she meant any harm by it. And she's a bad liar, you can tell she never does it." Sakura blew a humorous raspberry at the thought, "She should've been more observant, if she was going to weave me into a fib! Made sure you and I wouldn't run into each other in town. Hinata probably didn't even think about it; just blabbed and ran out of there."

"That's what happened!" Naruto confirmed.

"Oh well." Sakura shrugged and put a key into the lock of the flat, "Let's put your stuff away."

"…what are you doing?"

The door clicked open and Sakura remembered herself, "Whoops."

"That's awkward! I live here!" Naruto barked, "You can't come over anymore!"

"I'm here now, you dope!" She contested over her shoulder, setting her shopping bag down.

She didn't even take her shoes off which annoyed Naruto even more, "Sakura-chan, I know Gaara said it was okay for you to stop by when you wanted, but I'm going to demand that key back."

"He'll have your head if you confiscate my key. Sorry if I freaked you out, I was on auto-pilot." She lifted one of Naruto's bags onto the kitchen counter to sort through it, "Stop being such a fussbudget."

"A what now—?"

"Put this stuff away, Naruto. Relax. I'm not going to barge in at random when I know you're back in Leaf!" Sakura chided him, "I'm still trying to help you feel better about your girlfriend hotfooting away from a date. Show some gratitude. Anyway, Hinata has a key to your place too, you know."

"Oh yeah." He pulled a huge stack of noodle packages from a bag, acknowledging that Sakura was right.

"Bet you won't confiscate that key…"

"You knock it off! You're as bad as Gaara."

She simpered at the comparison, "I can be."

Naruto exhaled a sigh so deep he noticed his Chunin vest felt less snug. As if he'd been puffed up in agitation since the end of lunch.

"Are you going to try to find her after this?" Sakura asked him.

"I want to. I don't how soon is too soon for Hinata right now, though."

"Right. Would you like me to go with you?"

"You don't have to. Besides, aren't your parents complain-y if you avoid them for too long?"

Sakura organized vegetables and other perishables in the refrigerator, "Yeah. But it's really my Mom who does all the bitching. I don't let her faze me now that I'm a physician. Like a real medical doctor! I can teach seminars to other professionals and medic-nin, lead surgeries and trials, and she quibbles about me being late."

"Huh! I didn't know you were that highly qualified!" Naruto was pleasantly surprised.

"I worked my proverbial tail off!" Sakura shook a bag of carrots before stuffing them in a crisper box.

They laughed like two idiots mishandling foodstuffs. Sakura went through the trouble of reviewing which cabinets and storage closets had certain items in them, in case Naruto was looking. She pointed out a calendar of sorted recycling and garbage collection dates.

"Keep this place nice." She demanded, "Or Gaara will hear of it."

"Psh. I'm not a dirty wild-man who's going to single-handedly destroy the home he's known most of his life, even if I did live in the wild for a while." Out of habit, Naruto set aside the noodle bowl and flavorings he'd decided on for his evening meal later, "What's Gaara going to do? Kick me out? I'll bum off of him in Suna again."

"Oh, tell me about what it was like over there." Sakura snapped the lights off before exiting the flat with Naruto.

For a decent while, Naruto recounted his experiences in the desert to his friend, wandering streets in the vague direction of Sakura's home. There were some glaring omissions, such as battling his best friend with Tailed-Beast chakra, and seeing Haku for the first time in who knew how long before he resumed risky work.

"Let me get this straight. After all of that, Haku was allowed to go to some shady auction by himself?" Sakura heard the bit about funding a coup in Hidden Mist and had deep doubts about it, "The same Keiseki House I saw in a newspaper headline that burned down partially? Was that him?"

"It was…kind of him?" Naruto couldn't dispute the intel he had on Haku's close encounter with Huo.

"What the hell!" Sakura was not amused, "Haku could've died! And Gama-sennin is really okay with him spying on Kirigakure? If Shishou heard this she'd rip her pigtails out."

"That's why we're kind of leaving it up to Ero-sensei to explain all of it. So he can take the brunt of Baa-chan's reaction. We know it won't be good."

"Then what?" Sakura wondered as they stopped outside of her house, "You said Haku is in a relationship with Temari, right? Why would he come back to Leaf if that's true?"

"Probably because Baa-chan won't let him stay in Suna, when all of this is over. I know she expects to put him back to work." Naruto assumed.

"At least Temari can fly." Sakura looked skyward, wistful, "I haven't seen her in a while. I should write to her. And Matsuri too…"

"You guys get along well, don't ya?" Naruto wondered about the kunoichi gang.

"Pretty well." Sakura smiled, "Don't worry so much, Naruto. Okay? My team will meet at Field 5 tomorrow at noon, if you want to visit us. Kakashi-sensei's always late, but he'll turn up eventually." She stepped up to her door, "Hinata's happy to see you. Spend some time with her."

"I will. See you tomorrow, then." He gave Sakura a small wave before turning back.

Maybe now still wasn't the right time. He'd squandered more than an hour and a half since he had seen Hinata last. It helped to assume that Sakura was correct: that Hinata just needed time to get her bearings. Over lunch, it hadn't felt as though she was disappointed in him. She'd been rather complimentary. Not gushy or romantic. It may have helped if he had remembered to ask Sakura how she felt after seeing Gaara again, and how she usually behaved.

'She'd probably be more mischievous when he's around. Since they both work so hard, they ignore their shoulder devils until it's time to kick back.' He imagined. Being that this was his first time back to the village, he really couldn't use such a precedent to evaluate what had happened with Hinata.

Naruto window-shopped along the street. He noted the location of a particular apparel store he could go bananas in, after a few paychecks. He was tempted to buy another indoor plant in a shop up the street, but he knew better. Lollygagging in a bookstore was a surprising time-suck, browsing recent fiction award-winners and avoiding all of Jiraiya's Icha Icha series.

While debating whether to fritter more time away exploring, or perhaps get some light exercise, Naruto sighted Tsunade far up the street. It appeared as if she had come out of the Administrative Building in a rush, and she was met with a swarm of people— some familiar. Naruto hurried over.

Tsunade first laid her hands on Fujita, whose new Chunin vest looked as though it had gone through a meat grinder. His Hyuga tunic was torn, bloody, crusted-over with mud. Clearly, he had sustained injuries but seemed to be substantially recovered.

"Hokage-sama—" He tried to explain when she smooshed his face in her hands.

"Hush. Let me check you first. Then you can talk." Tsunade surveyed him for any lingering issues, "You have some burns, hm? The backs of your legs."

"They're not so bad. Most everything else was healed for me." Fujita reported sunnily.

"Then I'll finish your treatment after we debrief, if you're not suffering."

Hideyasu piped up from behind his child, "My feet are a mess—"

"If you're still walking you don't need me." Tsunade dismissed the veteran's gripes, "I can guess why your delegation was late…"

Naruto got close enough to hear them tell Tsunade of the Akatsuki's attack on Hidden Waterfall. His heart and stomach felt as though they were jumbled in a cocktail shaker. Without really thinking, he stopped beside Fujita and rested a hand on his shoulder. The boy's explanation ebbed, though Hideyasu had taken over retelling the most crucial details. Naruto then noticed he had accidentally, simultaneously, reached for Fujita at the same time Hinata did. She was on Fujita's opposite side. She and Naruto goggled at each other for a second.

"Naruto! Hinata-sama! You're both here!" Fujita was delighted, "We made it back. It was supposed to be a simple mission to Waterfall, but it devolved into an emergency as soon as we arrived."

"The Akatsuki went after Fū?" Naruto could hardly believe it had happened so soon, "Is she—?"

"She's alive. She was comatose for a few days after they extracted some of Chōmei's chakra, but she'll recover." Fujita relayed the good news, "Fū woke up just before I left."

"I'm glad you could save your friend." Hinata gave her cousin a scrunching hug, "We were starting to worry after you didn't come back on schedule."

"I'm hoping that was the most difficult mission of my life," Fujita declared, "Anything worse…would be unimaginable." He looked at Kitano who was seated on a street side bench, his chin tucked to his chest, dozing. He had two sheathed swords leaned in his folded arms. Fujita went on, "We lost many comrades. Kitano's father was killed. He's been weary the whole way back…I don't know what to do for him."

"Magan-sama died?" A film of tears welled in Hinata's eyes, "In front of…"

Fujita nodded.

Naruto's hand slipped from his young friend's shoulder, and he stared into the middle distance as his hand closed in a tight fist. It had happened before, but here it was happening again, so close to home. The Akatsuki killing without restraint in order to achieve their goals. He hardly even noticed several other members of the Hyuga clan had showed up to chaperone their wayward clansmen. Neji, Hiashi, and Kayato had surrounded Hideyasu to learn about the unholy mess his team had wandered into in Takigakure.

Tsunade eventually paused the dirge, "Alright. I have the gist. I know one of my ANBU patrols came back earlier and is probably finished with their report at HQ. So I'll corroborate that with your story." She motioned at Hideyasu, "Come back to my office to give me your statement. The council is going to raise hell, but this was actually the desired outcome of an alliance, wasn't it?"

"I wouldn't say exactly the desired outcome. But something to be thankful for." Hideyasu supposed. Before he stepped away to follow after the Hokage, he huddled momentarily with his wife, "I know what you were probably thinking these past few days, and I'm sorry."

"I stayed optimistic because you two were together." Kayato squeezed his hand, "Now you're here. Don't dally with that report. Come home for dinner." She gave him an inquisitive sniff, "And a bath…"

"Phew. Yes, that'd be nice." He pecked Kayato's lips, then signaled to Hiashi that Kitano needed someone to speak to. When Hideyasu's steps faded, Hiashi moved to the boy on the bench to offer condolences.

"Would you like to rest at the estate?" Hiashi offered.

"Hiashi-sama…I would appreciate that." Kitano stood to offer a proper bow, "Sorry for troubling you. I wanted to make sure Fujita and Hideyasu-sama made it to Leaf safely, before I return home."

"It's no trouble at all. I only wish Magan could be here as well." Hiashi ushered the Taketori clan heir along, and the Main Family fell in step with them, returning to the homestead as a unit. Hinata, however, stayed behind.

---

Oh how her heart wished it could tell up from down.

Kō, while out on an errand, had spotted Hideyasu's small retinue in the village and he'd hurried home to tell everyone. She and her family had raced from the house to meet them. A mission that could have been a proud milestone of diplomacy for their clan had returned two Hyuga, one Taketori ninja, and not a single Waterfall delegate. Just a signed alliance ratification.

Here she was, retreating into an emotional shell for a few hours after seeing Naruto, and a fresh heartache had walked through the village gates for her. A close call that had nearly claimed the life of the Seven-Tails' jinchuriki, in spite of Fujita's efforts, and Kitano— who had no choice but to assume the role of Taketori clan leader, now left empty by his father. Hideyasu and Fujita had survived, and they had successfully repelled Akatsuki kidnappers: for that she was grateful.

Yet her heart was twisting to see Naruto standing there, after Fujita had given him kind words before leaving. She listened.

"Naruto, you really helped me. Things you said during the Chunin Exam," Fujita smiled tearily, "They kept me alive. They helped me save Fū. I'm so glad you're here. I have to thank you for getting me through this."

"I didn't do anything to help." Naruto protested dolefully.

Fujita insisted, "You really did. I need some rest, but I'll find you tomorrow! I need to tell you everything."

Naruto watched Fujita go with a steely look on his face. As if this development had snuffed out the last bits of joy he could experience on his first day home in years. 'Because I…I haven't done enough to…' Hinata mentally wrestled with her timidity, 'I've been a wet mop! A chicken! I thought I could enjoy the day with Naruto, but at lunch…'

She squeezed her eyes shut. Reviewing her behavior and reactions, the polar opposite of how she'd expected she would act around her boyfriend, was humiliating. She'd sat in the restaurant sweating profusely. He must've seen it. Her palms and arms, weird streaks of perspiration springing up all over her body. She'd been dirty from a mission, found a twig in her hair earlier, 'No, no…' Her heart rate was fit for a marathon. Her coordination was shot, as if the world tilted and she couldn't walk a straight line on pavement. And that twitch! Pressing her fingertips together under the table like a child.

'I don't! I've grown! I'm not like this. All of this is fine.' She had tried to will herself the correct physiological responses over her bowl of soup. The best Hinata had mustered was holding a decent conversation. But she was still in physical turmoil, 'Because he…he…'

Naruto had taken the interim mental image she had constructed of him and obliterated it. The sensory input was too much. His height. The warm, fresh smell of him. The way he dressed! He'd shame any peer who claimed to look sharper. And his face and voice…in person, he was way sexier. Her friends might sum it up as such. It had become an unexpected problem. She vacillated between irrational urges to fidget, bungle her every action…and seize him by his vest to kiss him breathless. To relearn his textures, let her hands finally stake their claim— it couldn't be anything less.

Which then resulted in her being weird and then fleeing their lunch date with a bogus excuse.

'And I had called Sato-kun and Kurenai-sensei weird, which is so unfair. Because I'm the weirdest.' Hinata thought dourly, then thought again, 'Or maybe Shino-kun. Oh no. Our whole team is strange!' As if she had just realized they were a collection of black sheep weirdoes, or that it possibly mattered. Which it really didn't.

Putting her personal issues aside, she had to do something to help Naruto out of his funk. The attack on Waterfall bothered him because his friends from the Exam in Suna had nearly become victims of the Akatsuki…and she had also begun to suspect more firmly that Naruto was at risk because of the criminal organization. Hinata wiped her clammy palm on her pants, and then gently took Naruto's hand. He turned to her, still out-of-sorts where he stood.

"Let me take you around the village, Naruto-kun. Some things are different, but many things are still the same." With a soft tug she got him moving, watched his countenance soften with trust.

"Sorry, I zoned out a bit. I wasn't expecting any of that." He gave her hand a soft squeeze, "I did see some new places earlier."

And— the sweatiness was back. She would just have to endure it. Whoa, his hand was warm. Like a bonfire was lit beneath his skin.

"Where have you been so far?" Hinata didn't want to make the tour redundant for him.

"The shops at the center of town, and the outer fringes where all of those new cafes and bohemian places are." He recalled.

"I'll show you some spots you haven't seen, then." And that she did. Since many of the Special Regiment buildings of the standard forces were close by, Hinata guided him past them and gave off-handed details, "Ino-chan spends a lot of time in this building with the Intel Corps." And, "Council chambers are in this one."

"Why is this building nicer than the Hokage's tower?" Naruto groused.

"It's never had to be rebuilt after an attack, or…it was always better funded for reconstruction."

"That's some bull."

They circled wide around the west side of the village, oohing and ahhing at the fanciest houses in the affluent neighborhoods. Traveling further away, homes were spaced out and humbler. The land that belonged to the Sarutobi clan was enchanting even with winter's bareness, and Hinata pointed out the orchards around Kurenai and Asuma's house. Naruto fantasized outloud, "Wouldn't it be nice to have space? It's convenient to live in the heart of the village, but I like how quiet it is out here."

Hinata agreed, "It is nice. There's quiet in the village too, if you know where to look."

Rolling fields bordered forests, and conversation came a bit easier. She focused less on her nervous reactions. Some old habits she had forgotten about reasserted themselves. As Naruto's mood improved, he chuckled more, crinkling his eyes, showing teeth. Ah, how she'd needed to see that laugh. He dwelled on funny stories from the Toad Valley, and some from Hidden Sand. Near residences in the southern quarter of the village, Hinata walked along a thin stone retaining wall below houses. A meter down on the street, Naruto spun his tales alongside her, "It gets really cold in the desert at night, so I would wake up to all kinds of bugs and snakes curled up on me for warmth."

"The few times I've traveled to the Wind Country I never experienced any of nature's stowaways." Her hands hovered at her sides for balance, "Did you ever—?"

"They didn't bother me. I'd shake them off. Ero-sensei is a Sage too but he tends to get squeamish around creepy-crawlies. Not like he's scared or ready to smash them! But he's definitely grossed out. Or maybe the snakes give him bad vibes." Naruto didn't want to speculate on what kind of subliminal messaging Jiraiya received from wild snakes.

Hinata hopped down from the wall, "No one really wants a surprise while they're sleeping."

"No they do not, Hinata. Definitely out there, they don't!"

As the sun descended on its evening plunge, the pair stopped at a convenience store for snacks. Hinata then led the way to a dock on the village's largest natural lake, and took a seat at the edge to hang her legs free. Naruto copied the motion while unwrapping a rice ball, "This is a nice place. I haven't been here since I was small. I'd cast a fishing line along the banks somewhere over there…"

"My mother would take me for walks here, sometimes." Hinata dredged up memories that had grown distant and misty, "When I was very young, I remember standing on that hill to get a view of the lake. Every so often I would watch young ninja practice their Fireball Jutsu over the water, to avoid damaging any property."

"It's a great spot for that." He recalled, "When I learned the Fireball Jutsu, I didn't think to practice near water. I totally lit a tree on fire."

She chewed her own rice ball, thoughtful, "I haven't tried to master any other elemental Ninjutsu yet."

"Your chakra control is so good, you'd probably get the basic stuff in a snap." Naruto wagered, "Neji told me that you and your family are Water Natures."

"We are." She tipped her head cheerfully.

"He said I should get my affinity tested too."

"It would be so interesting to find out what you're aligned with! It can be a lot of fun, because then you can perfect your techniques with friends who compliment or oppose your element." Hinata was thinking of her practice with Tenten and Neji.

She felt him touch her hand where it was pressed flat between them, and they both tittered at the accidental contact. Naruto snatched up a package, "Heh! I wanted to try the cheese tart. Want some?"

"N-No thank you." Hinata hoped three deep lung-fulls of air would quell some of the blood rushing to her cheeks. She also stuffed more snacks in her mouth.

"I'd thought I would go home to make myself dinner, but it's better to be out with you." Naruto determined.

"Mmm. I think so too." She didn't usually speak with a full mouth, but she felt free to do so here, "Even if it's all junk food."

"We could've done worse! I was tempted to dump an aisle of chips and cookies into my shopping basket at the store earlier. There's a surprising amount of discipline in controlling your diet and cooking. I've relied on others too much to do that for me."

"I guess I do too…"

"You could help me get better at cooking! Gaara's brother Kankuro showed me a lot already." His brain diverted to domestic subjects, "Oh! And thanks again for watering my plants. They've never looked better."

"I was happy to help."

Naruto expressed his regret over not first measuring his plants prior to leaving a few years ago. It would've been satisfying to track their growth. Many things felt that way to him, he told her. He did not have any concrete evidence of how things had changed, but when he looked at everyone around him, so different from how he'd seen them last…he did wonder how each person got there. He hadn't been around to grow alongside them. It was nice to collect his friends' stories, though.

His introspection— this incessant talking that Naruto could flow with, and make his thoughts the natural fabric of conversation: Hinata did not know how he did it. He'd always had the skill. Somehow, both the inane and the poignant were balanced in his observations. Listening to him made her fidgety, made her press her lips together and wonder if she'd ever said a single important thing before. What was the use in envying his ability to communicate? She'd always wanted to be more like him, since she was young. Work harder, be more courageous, sociable, and righteous. It was now occurring to her, so fresh and obvious, that she had forgotten how far apart they were on the spectrum of proficiency. In terms of speaking their minds, they definitely were.

'Should I feel bad that…I spoke more freely when he wasn't here?' The thought made her feel as heavy as a stone, 'Why did I do that? Why did I change in certain ways, but now, I feel like I've slid backwards?'

She continued to listen, hardly noticed that she had stood, using a minimal pulse of chakra from her feet to stand on the lake's surface. Naruto did not pay much mind to her change of position, standing and facing him while he sat. He'd turned to the topic of how surprised he now was that he'd befriended so many Hyuga clan members. They weren't easy people to impress. Before he could wheedle Hinata for her thoughts, Naruto glanced up at her, "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm still listening." She assured him, turning in a pretty spin on the balls of her feet, "I just like the water."

"I can see that. You make it look effortless. Way back, I killed myself to learn how to control my chakra, and finally get water-walking." He bent a leg and rested his chin on his knee, contented, "You're just proving why they call it an affinity."

"I-I'm no better than anyone else!"

"You sure? I don't usually see people move and drops of water float up and around them— like you're the new center of the universe." He grinned at her.

Hinata rigidly dropped her arms to her sides, and the few tendrils of water that had risen with her spin dropped lifelessly down.

He laughed at her bashfulness, "Is it so wrong to be great at something?"

Her face was burning, cheeks running so hot she could fry eggs on them. Everything he said shot arrows through her heart and stoked the fire. And the way he said it, his voice deeper and richer… She faced away from him, towards the opposite side of the lake so she could steal several fortifying breaths.

'I…have to tell him.' The gravity of the situation was becoming unsustainable, she knew, 'I'm going to seem rude. I don't want Naruto to misunderstand. I'm so flustered. I love him even more now. I just feel like…I've lost my words. I'm acting ridiculous.'

"Now you're really floating away!" His next laugh sounded more distant.

She had subconsciously been tip-toeing further from the dock while she flailed mentally. Hinata could kick herself for the blunder.

It did not seem to affect him much, as Naruto had already gathered up their wrappings and stuffed them in a pocket for whenever they came across a trash bin. He followed her out on the lake's surface.

The sweat streaks again. Running down between her shoulder blades, coating her neck and making her hair stick. Why did she react this way? Her heart didn't even race this much during battle. It felt like a pure flight instinct, with no rational basis whatsoever.

"Something over there?" Naruto asked, trying to follow her sightline.

She contained an eep, and faced him, "Nothing interesting!"

"Did you want to go somewhere else? That was a nice break."

"I'm…" She spun again, since it helped her think a little, "Not sure."

She didn't know it, but her odd behavior had him intrigued. Naruto had always thought her fidgets broadcasted subtle information she did not always put to words, and for many years he had been trying to learn how to interpret it. Often, it was cute. He thought so, anyway.

"Well, you think about it and if you're still not sure we can just pick a road. See where it takes us." Naruto suggested, and then cart-wheeled over the water as if he too was a water acrobat, "Hah! How was that?"

She duplicated the motion for eight wheels and he gaped, a bit affronted she could upstage him so. She rolled over water on her hands and feet with effortless grace. At least Hinata was giggling at him. He tried to keep up, wanted to display some noteworthy chakra control. A futile exercise. For good measure, she gave him a splash in the face…and then a gleeful roar erupted from Naruto. Hinata had the good sense to run for it, dashing over the water and back to shore.

Heavens he was fast— exertion and sporadic laughter had her inhaling in shudders, turning and bending low to duck cleverly under a property fence before Naruto's snatching hands could grab her from behind. Across a yard. Then she was up and over a cabin, speeding pell-mell through the Han Ethnic Quarter like a rollicking child. From what she could tell, barely keeping ahead of her boyfriend, Naruto seemed to be enjoying the chase. Residents, less so. A few complained at the pair darting through row-houses and disturbing chickens not yet returned to roost in their pens.

The tea shops and grocery blurred by, the signs etched with foreign characters, the bronze light bathing crude roofs she catapulted herself over— just finger lengths ahead of the one pursuing. Naruto's childish enjoyment of the pointless chase was audible. It kept Hinata moving in no specific patterns, relishing the electricity in her stomach, coursing out to her limbs. 'He'll get me eventually!' But the fun was in the reminder that she didn't have to offer herself up. She didn't have to let things be simple and accessible, and Naruto was more than obliged to work a little, sweat a little, to remain in her orbit.

During the years he'd been gone, she had wondered if he would ever take another step towards her at all. When he'd seen more of the world and the people in it, could there still be novelty in the things you already had? Desire. If he'd been the one running, she would trail after him with the same determination she'd had in her youth. Or maybe with something much stronger spurring her— the attraction driving her wild, clouding her sense, making her perspire.

Through a byway back into the village's heart and down embankment steps, Hinata finally decelerated in familiar territory. She was promptly backed up against a solitary tree at the edge of a courtyard, staring as Naruto's face and eyes drew near. He rubbed his nose against hers, "Where do you think you're going?"

"I don't really know. But I went so fast."

"You did." Naruto eyes slid away to a feature adjacent to them, to a tree swing suspended from a branch. He went quiet.

Hinata only needed a brief glimpse of the swing a few meters away to snap back to awareness, to spatially place herself far across the dirt courtyard of the village's Ninja Academy. This particular spot which, she was sure he believed so too, enshrined loneliness and adversity that had plagued them in their youth. So late in the year, the academy's trees were now bare, the landscaping austere, magnifying the solitude of the little swing that had no breeze to rock it in the absence of schoolchildren.

He stood there with her to take in the sights, and god, she could only imagine what Naruto was thinking. She hoped this place could invoke a sort of childhood nostalgia when it was a happy meeting place for friends, before they had moved up and moved on, but most often it hadn't been. It had been a dwelling that accommodated one, a vantage point for one to look upon many. She knew it.

One corner of his mouth tugged up, not quite a smile, "I sort of…forgot about this spot."

"I didn't mean to, Naruto-kun. You were—"

"Nah, it's fine. It's not the worst finish line." The thorny look persisted on Naruto's face, "It was a starting line, once."

Ah, Hinata was fairly certain she understood what he was getting at. His head was tipped back as he treaded over crunching gravel, his hands in his jacket pockets, breaths puffing into the evening air. Her own steps were aimless, her eyes unfocused on the present, watching a past where she found trees and corners to hide behind. Small sanctuaries to avoid interacting with others, or where she would long to be socially adequate from afar. She had found Naruto here several times when they had been small. The impression from long ago still lived here— still suffused in the air and soil and bark. In the cord and planks of the swing. That forlorn feeling that had once tempted him to run and never turn back. So too had she requested that he might reconsider.

"Come on." Naruto's voice called her back from contemplation, setting out from the school yard. It was a cheerless place at night, and it wasn't much to celebrate during the daytime either.

She fell in step beside him, following mundane side streets into town. The liveliness of the Leaf village had given way to sparse foot traffic, and most had clustered around the warmth and light of taverns or homes. The nearly full moon was rising above the violet horizon, stretching shadows long beneath their feet. Naruto's far-off, contemplative expression slackened when he turned to her again, "I'm fine. I'm trying not to get too emotional about seeing everything again." When he motioned to hold her hand, she cupped her palm against his as they walked, "Hinata, what's the longest you've been away from home?"

"Oh…I think about two weeks. For a mission." Hinata estimated, "It wouldn't be the same for me. To come back after a long time. The only way I've felt even close to how you do…is when I think of my mother. Those memories feel so distant now, and they eat away inside of me. A little."

"Somehow I think that might feel worse. You don't get the chance to return to the past to relearn how everything was while you were around her, what it is to be with her." Naruto reasoned, "At least I can adjust for a while and feel at home, because it's still here."

She rubbed her thumb over his knuckles, "No, I can't do that, you're right. But my heart had more time to struggle without her and get stronger. My father and sister had to do the same. It still must be hard to come home and everything is…abruptly different."

"Not everything." His sidelong smile at her was cast in moonlight.

Butterfly wings in her stomach again. Of course, while holding hands with him once more, her palm had become a swamp. How juvenile of her. She had been thriving in the gray areas of interaction, where affection and platonic companionship did not keen her ship too far sideways to sink her. In between those gray pockets, she dared not stray into the kaleidoscope of colors where nothing made sense and she could hardly control herself. All of Naruto was prismatic technicolor, vibrant in ways now that he hadn't been before. Hinata suspected that if she inhabited his color spectrum for too much longer, she would soon do things she had never done.

"I didn't mean to take up most of your day." He seemed contrite as he rubbed his head with a free hand.

"I…think you did." Her smile was tiny, "And it's alright, Naruto-kun."

"If you say so!" His voice carried over the buzz in her ears, "I kind of…want to take up more of your time. It's night, I know. It's just so good to be with you, and, you know— not have to share a body with an extra consciousness stuck in it." He referred to her technique, "Not that I didn't appreciate that, it was great. But this day spoiled me."

She wanted to be bold enough to say something snappy like: You were in need of spoiling. The words nearly left her lips, though his next suggestion beat her to the punch.

"Why don't you come back with me, to my place?"

He didn't mean anything by it. He didn't mean anything by it. There was no implication there. There was every implication there. How was she supposed to read such a cue? Hinata withdrew her sopping hand from his, trying to dry it off on her tunic. He stopped beside her as she collected herself.

She couldn't interpret any cues from her boyfriend without setting off like an ill-timed fireworks display, today. Her breathing was hobbled.

Naruto gave her an inquiring look, "Are you-? Did I say—"

"I w-want to." Her voice sounded like clattering stones in a can, "I-I…would like to. Though I…" A gulp, "N-need to go home." Really, she was not foolish enough to believe staying out after her father had plainly seen Naruto outside of the Hokage's tower would not lead to inevitable questioning later.

"That's fine. I'll walk you there."

There, in an alley lined by fences and brick facades, where only their footsteps echoed, the urgent thought returned to her, 'Every day that he's been gone has been so difficult. I want to be near him. I want him. I have to tell him!' What she wouldn't give to inhale properly, to not round and fold her shoulders defensively, 'How did I used to act normally around him? This is overwhelming. When I saw him this morning…it's like I fell in love with the same person all over again.'

"Hinata?"

'He deserves to know, I want to make him happy. Why am I tripping over my words again like a helpless child? I've gotten past it.'

"You're drifting off." Naruto observed, pointing out how she had traipsed toward the fencing on the opposite side of the lane.

She spun about with a boggled expression on her face, "I was—"

"Why are you avoiding me?"

Her heart was a frog in her chest when she heard those words. A solitary croak.

"I'm not avoiding—"

"Don't lie again." Naruto's reply was clipped, rusted at the edges, "You lied earlier today about going to find Sakura-chan."

Oh, the frog, the frog. A swamp's song in her chest and guts where her courage went to die, an infinite internal marsh where she could curse her stupidity.

"I don't know why you did that…you didn't have to. You can say anything to me. I don't get it! You can barely look me in the eye, even right now." Shades of grief twitched in his handsome face, "Did I do something?"

"That's not it at all!" When Hinata protested, she could swear the frog in her chest cried out too.

"We were so happy this morning. What made you so uneasy?" Naruto's heartache was plain as he reached out a hand, to brush his finger pads along her cheek.

She flinched.

'No. No. I don't want him to think—! I shouldn't be afraid to touch him. But it feels like I'll burst into flame if we do.' And dying where she stood would be more merciful than watching despondency flash through him— the stunned look on Naruto's face as he witnessed his most precious person avoid a simple, doting touch. Outwardly, it must have seemed so callous. In her heart, it was self-sabotaging cowardice that bowed her against the mountain of new feelings she contended with.

Her jelly legs were shaking. No. She hadn't grown at all. It had only taken until this moment for Hinata to realize she was still the frightened girl that would run off with her tail between her legs.

"I— I'm sorry!" She sprang like a deer. Rushing up the alleyway, defeated by the weight of emotions she carried, after she hadn't ceded an inch to foes in the Akatsuki, or Huo during the Exam. This was how she surrendered.

Two lampposts away, Hinata stopped herself. 'No, I can't leave. I wasn't a weakling or coward before, and I don't want to become one. I hurt Naruto-kun's feelings. He fears rejection so much…I have to apologize and make him understand.' She looked back over her shoulder; only empty space on the pathway. Had he…left?

Turning back, he was on her opposite side just beyond the streetlight, as if he'd moved to cut off her escape. Not that it mattered while Hinata stood listlessly, staring as he approached, shaking. Closer and closer, until he committed a full violation of her personal space with two arms outstretched, pressing his hands flat to the fence behind her. Her back pressed against it, her eyes as wide as the moon above.

"I don't know what I did to make you feel differently…why you want to go away. I can handle anyone in this village hating me, this whole village can ostracize me. But not you." There was a blurred line between the sorrow and indignation sparking off of Naruto, "I won't let you reject me. I don't care what it takes or what I have to do. You didn't waste your time— we didn't— get this far just so you'd see me the way they all do." A film of hot tears in his eyes, "Or I…don't know what I'm saying. I won't hurt you, please don't be scared. I'll go—"

"It's alright now." She took a breath and laid her hands on his face, "I love you. I was having trouble…I've been anxious all day because you grew up so much, Naruto. It was hard for me to reconcile strong feelings that just won't stop. It's all so much…to be with you. I'm excited and nervous."

Pressure rolled off of him, released. His shoulders and arms dropped, and his hands resettled at the small of her back to wrap her in a hug.

Hinata folded her arms around Naruto, "I'm sorry that I worried you. I'm not scared, I don't dislike you." Soothing caresses ran north to south between his shoulders, "I…love you even more now. I look at you and…I shake. I'm sweating. Making a fool of myself. I don't want to be shy around you…I want to touch you."

"…hah…" His heavy breath chuffed over the curve of her neck, holding her and trying to compose himself, "You do?"

"Mm!" She nodded, letting her hands travel over his back.

"You said you were nervous."

"I…still am." She admitted, "Though I don't think it's unusual for someone to feel nervous around the person they love. The stakes feel so high. It's unlike anything else in the world."

"Hmm." That smile of his, tentative, stretching and not showing teeth— belied new ideas now that he wasn't contending with heartbreak. "Hinata, you're right about that. I feel nervous too, so I get that we shouldn't overdo it."

"I'm sorry my hands have been so sweaty…" She referred to the damp hand-holding.

"Huh. I thought that was me." Bless him. He hadn't been able to tell after all.

What a sight they made: alone in alley with her back to a fence, embracing in a way that would make any passerby sputter and avert their eyes. Yet it was mostly conversation and errant touches. Re-familiarizing their senses to one another.

"Just some small things." Naruto suggested in a gravel-soft voice, turning his head a bit to press his lips against the shell of her ear. Her fingers dug into his flak vest, her whole body humming with the contact.

As if small touches wouldn't ruin her; how silly of him to assume. Perhaps minor attentions were worse! Because all the rest of her, her traitorous skin and nerve endings were singing and searching for him. How clueless is this man? Hinata wanted to rail at him for thinking his hand's slide up her neck to the back of her head, his chest and stomach pressing into her— that this was considered small? Survivable? The precipice was dizzying.

Against the round of her face, then her chin; he rained sweet little pecks. He was a romantic. Oh, when she thought she knew Naruto so well— back in their younger days, Post-Retrieval mission when they were consorting cutely, ignorant of how far they could go— it now seemed a most paltry precedent for her now adult brain. Memory could be a fallible thing. She didn't remember anything like this, hollowed out with want in a way that made her echo, vibrate at a shattering frequency. The way their thighs interlocked, standing so close. No space was left to part them.

Naruto carried on his small attentions, his lips loitering at the corner of her mouth, making no demands. He had meant it to be brief, a tease and a sincere pledge all at once, but before he could relocate— Hinata turned into it. She had caught his mouth and made the decision for him, the easy slide of their lips set to a cautious tempo. She'd been right of course. About burning alive from this. His mouth was so soft, yielding to her, then quickly subduing her in turn. Her lower lip was mapped first, alternating to the top, learning the rhythm and the way to breathe. It was messy, unschooled— her hands anchored the back of his head and she dared to press a bit of tongue, then earned a punched out sound from him. She would seek those whimpers for all of her days, find ways to bring it out of Naruto.

It may have been unintentional, the way he pressed himself into her bodily, as if to stake a claim or shield her from the gaze of the moon. It was revelatory for Hinata, discovering how she ached from crown to toes, sensitive at the neck and chest, trying not to press into his hips. Her lips were sore from kissing for so long, but stopping was out of the question. The force, the wave of want breaking over her felt bottomless, bid her not to stop. Each piece of him was an offering that she greedily took for herself. His mouth would end up just as bruised; Hinata was up on the balls of her feet, melting into a tangle with him. Something this good that they had missed out on for 36 months demanded they catch up.

Who knew how long it took before they parted with a slick sound, panting, arms woven around each other, faces still nudging at the cheeks, eyes glimpsing. She set down on flat feet again, then tipped her head up for another kiss to savor, even though her mouth was kiss-bitten and tender.

"See?" Naruto reflected breathlessly, "Small things."

Her laugh was a soft snort out of her nose.

"I think I'm more nervous now." Naruto checked in with himself, "You started it."

"Sometimes I do start things." She acknowledged, "I might avoid certain things for a time, then I confront what seems intimidating..." Hinata recalled past hardships, nuzzling against his neck that smelled woody, windy, "Then I learn and improve." Her arms squeezing around his middle felt somewhat possessive, but it was heady and delightful for him.

"So that's your secret formula for success!" Grinning hurt his mouth, but he couldn't seem to stop smiling anyway, "I guess I always sort of knew that, about you. Hah…I love you. It's crazy— I like you so much. What business do you have looking this beautiful?" Naruto slid his fingers through her silky strands of hair, "You're all that I'll be able to see, all I'll think about, while I'm here."

Gentler, lazier kisses ensued and before long the moon was high and bright, advising them to pick a destination. The walk back to the Hyuga estate continued, if it had even actually started before. With the night colder and stark, Hinata's sweaty hands did not plague her nearly as much while lacing her fingers with her boyfriend's. It was a tranquil, silent walk in which they could admire the world, feel uninterrupted gratitude and security.

Hinata had once thought that if they had ever reached this level of intimacy, it would be more— awkward, more painful, more verbally negotiated than it had been. It hadn't. It was the easiest slip forward, to kiss him in earnest and discard doubt. Reinforce what they had. There was no need for additional assurances or explanations, no requirement to prove themselves all over again for fear that time and distance had since disqualified them.

They ran out of road, then crossed the lawn of the compound to the Main House. Lights glowed behind rice paper doors and the windows of the house, and they stopped at the engawa to bask for a moment.

"I have to check on a Corps application tomorrow, and see what Baa-chan wants me to do. I was also thinking about visiting Sakura-chan's team tomorrow to say hi." Naruto passed along his nebulous plans for the next day, "Other than that, I'm completely at your disposal."

"And I'll be at yours." She enjoyed how he raised her hand up to lay a kiss above her knuckles, "Tomorrow is a training day…I think. I can't remember anymore." She smiled helplessly. Her brain was wonderfully fried.

"Get some sleep if you can. I don't know about myself, I bet I'll be hopped up all night." He gave her a parting wink, turning back to leave the grounds, "See ya tomorrow!"

She tracked Naruto through shadows and moonbeams, then to the estate's exterior wall, then a bit more before he turned onto a back street. She was a bubbling brook. Quiet, but so alive. Hinata pulled her shoes off, hurried indoors and upstairs to her room, then rummaged around for pajamas. She would bathe and then go to bed, and most likely conclude her adventure by screaming into a pillow. For all of the days she hadn't been sure she'd make it: Ha ha! Here she was, a victor. Very flushed and very kissed.

Floral pajamas once neatly folded were squashed in her hands. Hinata fetched a towel and special toiletries, relishing the feeling of her kiss-sore lips. She would probably take things further the next time she saw him, 'I don't know! I feel like I need to rush and go slow all at once!' Back down the steps to the first floor, she navigated to the clan's large, communal bathing area, 'If I want to be alone with him…' Her cheeks flared crimson again, 'No. I wouldn't do too much. Not that.' It was as if she was trying to fool herself, 'Naruto-kun's so honorable, I don't know if he would.'

This time of evening, it was an hour later than the last block of time most clansmen used to bathe. Children were washed and already put to bed. Most were retired to their quarters or tea rooms. All knew to speak in soft voices and tread respectfully. To Hinata's surprise, there was a single occupant in the washroom, seated on a stool by the taps. Tenten: slumped over, her hair piled up and sudsy as she scrubbed. She looked like she would collapse forward and sleep.

"Onee-san." Hinata greeted her elder sister figure respectfully, peeling off her attire to set aside in a cubby.

"Hey, hey…" Tenten's mouth stretched into a yawn. She nearly ate soap.

Hinata scurried over, took the tap beside Tenten to turn the knobs for her preferred heat, "I didn't see you at home this morning, Onee-san."

"I had to work. Sorry. It's good that you're back." Her smile was tired, "I bet you spent most of the day with Naruto, right?"

"I did!" A chirp of confirmation. Hinata snapped open soap bottles and lathered, not fully returned from cloud nine.

"Good. That's exciting for you. Ah, it's so thrilling at the start, like you have to spend every waking moment with your boyfriend." Tenten recalled a similar feeling, "And then you get to a point where it's still very nice, but the urgency doesn't suffocate you. I suppose I'm suffocating for now, since I only see Neji for an hour at a time, most days." She sprayed herself in the face with a shower head, an act of repentance, "I'll never mouth off to elders again…"

Hinata sobered up, connecting to the plight of her role models, "Will you always have to work at the Peony Pavilion?"

"I hope not. Maybe I do, if it means I don't have to use the Caged Bird Seal on anyone." Tenten scoffed in disgust, "I'll wipe old butts all day long, if it means I don't have to do worse here."

A bit mortified by Tenten's line of work, Hinata asked, "What else are you responsible for?"

"So far it's mostly moving patients, keeping schedules, delivering medication, and routine assistance. Like helping residents get dressed, take their meals, get around, use the restroom. Nothing that requires a high level of skill." Tenten sighed with a defeated smile, "But I was surprised…some retirees used to be shinobi. Or, they still sort of are, but they don't have family around to care for them, can't remember things, or…I don't know exactly what their arrangements are. And when they feel I've encroached upon their space or frustrated them, somehow…" She turned her face so Hinata could see a large bruise below her left eye, "They still hit hard! Even though they're old. I didn't see it coming the first time…"

"Onee-san!" Hinata sidled over on her knees, and pressed a healing hand to the ugly bruise.

"Oh, stop, it's not a big deal—"

"Neji-niisan would throw a fit!" Hinata was certain of it, "He's already upset you need to spend so much extra time away…"

"Well, he's just going to have to accept that this is worth it. To make sure Elder Haburo doesn't force me to do awful stuff. Besides, Neji and Lee hit harder." Tenten shrugged, finally healed and unmarked, "Thank you, though. You're too kind."

After rinsing off, the two women relocated to the warm waters of a large bathing pool surrounded by wooden planks. They set their baskets and towels aside, sinking neck-high, their sighs reedy.

"Other employees must get beat up too." Hinata imagined sadly.

"Everyone's pretty used to it." Tenten noted.

"Is it ever…dangerous?"

"I don't think so. There are staff who can defend themselves and diffuse tense situations. The long-term managers are much better at it than me." She explained, "And how can you blame old folks who are struggling to move or remember? Completely bedridden. Some disabled. Or they forget why they're there, why their daughter's face doesn't register. At first, I really…" Tenten shook her head, "Kind of hated them. They were so pathetic. So needy! I mean, I care about people fine, but they just needed so much all of the time. Not like younger people. But…after a few days…I realized it's pointless to resent them. Some of them…you can see how badly they want their dignity. It hurts their pride to let me into their space and do things for them, when many would rather do it themselves. If they have to compromise…I guess I'll have to as well."

"Ahh." Hinata felt enriched by the perspective.

"I still hate doing the work. It still sucks, and a lot of residents are belligerent, grumpy, or unresponsive. But they don't know me so well. No one cozies up to the newbie who's been around for a week." She rested her head at the edge of the tub, inhaling and exhaling deeply, "Phoo…when this is over with…I'll never complain again."

"You work so hard, Onee-san." Hinata couldn't help but commend her, "You should tell Uncle Hideyasu. He and Fujita returned from their mission today."

"They did? Why were they so late?"

Hinata steeled herself to relay the news, "When they arrived in Takigakure, it was already being attacked by the Akatsuki."

"Are you serious?!" A plunking splash sounded as Tenten drew her hands underwater, wide-eyed.

"Unfortunately, yes. From what I heard, it was an unidentified pair of Akatsuki members that did not match any previous reports. I think Fujita-chan was able to collect information about them."

"Is he okay?"

"He is now." Hinata nodded, "They were able to save his friend as well! The Akatsuki were forced to retreat."

"Thank god. As if it wasn't bad enough you had to fight those criminals once!" Tenten was rising up, adjusting her towel, "Is he still awake? Can I talk to him?"

"Hmm…" She took a look with her Byakugan, "Fujita is in his room…but he will probably go to sleep soon."

"Then I'll hurry. I need to hear it from him before anyone else." Tenten stepped up from the pool, "I'm sorry, Hinata. All I do now is run from person to person trying to catch up on what I missed."

Hinata smiled, "It won't be forever. I'll see you in the morning, Onee-san."

"Yes! Neji and I can join you for breakfast." Hurriedly, Tenten dried off and pulled on pajamas. Then she set off to the east side of the house to grill the details out of her adoptive brother.

Hinata sighed, relaxing her shoulders as she soaked for a while in hot water. She could hear uneven steps on the other side of the partition, where men of the Hyuga clan would wash up. It was odd for someone to turn up so late at night to bathe. After a time, she too dried off and changed, then retreated to her bedroom for the night.

Unknown to most souls in the house, Hideyasu was bumbling over a wash tap, exhausted, his limbs waggling like loose elastic bands. He had not stopped since early morning; escorted his son back to Leaf, spoken to more than a dozen officials of the village about what had transpired in and outside of Takigakure. Hideyasu scrubbed himself with his eyes shut, lazy in his motions. Surely the Hokage couldn't begrudge him a few days off, and Hiashi probably wouldn't give him any tasks until he was bright-eyed and wise-cracking again. 'But someone is likely going to request my presence at follow up meetings…' He wetted down his long, dusty, gross hair, 'They're just going to have to forgive me if a fall asleep in front of a committee…'

This level of stress and activity on missions— it had been nearly a decade since he had experienced it. His mission activity level as a Jounin wasn't light per se, it was just that he had many duties to perform for the Hyuga clan and civically. The Hokage wasn't going to slot him first for mission assignments while knowing that. As a result, he didn't see as much action. However, fighting the Akatsuki had been more than enough action for him, had been plenty to keep him sated for the rest of his life.

He washed his face with rough hands, 'What we left behind in Waterfall…maybe over 600 ninja from most the Great Villages…that's going to be a political hotpot soon. Boiling over. Waterfall will be grateful for the protection, but soon they'll be expected to pay up. The Raikage and Tsuchikage will demand something in return for their services…and they won't be happy if Shibuki leans on a closer relationship with Leaf after this, because of what we went through together. I feel sorry that Tsunade-sama will have to navigate that mess.' Hideyasu floated through his thoughts and rinsed himself, 'The young Kazekage will probably be able to help her bridge gaps with the other Kage…although he's in a fair amount of danger himself. Also…that Eight-Tails jinchuriki was something! So musically talented. And he rebuilt much of the outer wall ramparts for Waterfall. I'll try to stay hopeful.'

Though his aching body could have used a soak in hot water, Hideyasu forewent a bath and dressed in a robe. He toddled through dim hallways back to the quarters he shared with his wife. He'd barely seen her at all since he got back.

He slid the door aside and heard Kayato say, "You missed dinner."

"Sorry! I didn't mean to." He shut the door behind him, taking a few paces to the large futon set up on the floor. Hideyasu crumpled to his knees and then pomfed onto the cushy bedding on his face.

Kayato arched an eyebrow at him. She was sitting on her side of the futon, working on a sewing project while she waited for him, "You had better have eaten something while you were out."

"I got hung up regurgitating the same story for three different meetings. Someone did give me a cup noodle at one point. If that counts?" He wormed closer, pressing his face into her outer thigh where she sat cross-legged, "Dear, I really am sorry. Take pity on your beat-up husband."

"I do pity you." Kayato confirmed with an impish smile, "You had to work hard, for a change."

"Bah! Don't patronize me."

She shifted to sit comfortably and bear the weight of his head on her lap, precisely pulling a needle through a hand-embroidered obi, "You always work hard, Hide-chan."

He sighed heavily, shutting his eyes. He was in his safe space.

"Fujita told me about what happened. I won't say I wasn't worried sick after you two didn't come back on the third day like you were supposed to." Kayato told him, "Even when I knew in my gut you were under attack, before anyone could confirm it…I knew he'd be alright because you were there."

Hideyasu smiled goofily, "Your confidence is deserved."

"I'm serious. It felt the same as when Hikune didn't turn up for a week. I knew it was something awful." She recalled, "But this time I knew you'd be okay if you were together."

His lips quivered, dropping the smile, "Well…I'm glad you knew it. I really didn't."

"You're his—"

"It's not enough to just be an attentive parent, not even enough to be a skilled ninja on a mission with your kid. I was helpless most of the time. Trying to keep Fujita safe." Hideyasu confessed, "I even had to leave him just to try to find some help. Kayato, I swear it'd be easier if I was shot with a hundred arrows. It'd feel better than walking away from him like that…"

"He's a Chunin and he can handle it." Kayato reasoned stiffly. She set aside her project to rake her nails soothingly through her husband's damp hair.

"I'm a Jounin and I could barely handle it." He croaked, "It was the scariest thing. Just…enemies that wouldn't die. Wouldn't stop. Jutsu so powerful it could render a jinchuriki helpless and steal their chakra…out in the middle of nowhere. Magan died while I was gone, and I don't know how his family can ever forgive me for not being there to help him…"

"You were trying to help. They'll never blame you. Everyone takes a risk when they accept a mission."

"Kitano isn't ready to be a clan leader." Hideyasu mumbled, "Is he still here?"

"He went home with an escort this afternoon. I think Hiashi will go to the Taketori estate to check on things, conduct services and all that. He was just as shocked." Kayato recounted, "I got Kitano to eat a little, before he left. He seemed…pensive. That's what we'd expect, I suppose, after everything. No more smiles or socializing. He's only ever going to think about protecting the Taketori clan now." She concluded, "And he's going to need help. He's only sixteen."

"I won't hang him out to dry. I owe him."

"He and Fujita protected each other." Kayato shared a detail about the dire straits the boys had been in.

"Such is the fellowship of our clans. We've protected each other since the beginning." Hideyasu reminisced, "And even to the end."

"Just…don't try to do too much now. Since you're so concerned about looking out for everyone." Kayato advised, "Care a bit for yourself too, my darling."

"The best I could do was soak my feet in tubs of ice back in Hidden Waterfall. That's the most looked-after I was. Here, see?" Hideyasu raised his feet, displaying the godawful bruises, blisters, the skin scraped away on the backs of heels from running— bloody, open wounds.

"Eek! Get those off our blanket! You're going to bleed everywhere!" Kayato shoved him.

"Where am I supposed to put them? I want to sleep!" The man protested in a whine.

Kayato hopped up, darting to a cabinet at the edge of the room to rummage through a bin of supplies. She retrieved a medical kit and muttered to herself as she returned to her husband's side, "Gross. Careless. Going to get infected…"

"I would've handled it…" Hideyasu yawned, laying prone to allow her to seize one foot at a time to disinfect his mangled heels.

"In the morning. After you stained my linens. My luxury, sought-after linens." She groused, "I help Branch members do the clan's laundry. You know that. Because I hate that it's delegated to them like they're servants. We can take care of our belongings too, here in the Main House."

"I know, I know. It's one of many unfair— OW!" He raised his head up, "Be gentler!"

"I'm so gentle with my husband. I can't say the same about this antiseptic." Kayato blotted his injuries, "It'll take me just a second. Hold still, I have a bandage." She moved on to his other foot.

After about a minute of receiving rudimentary medical attention, laying spread-eagle on his back, Hideyasu remarked, "I feel so old now. I used to bounce back from missions easily."

"Heaven knows I've seen first-hand how fragile you are, these days." She was smiling again, chucking the bandage box aside, "Look at me, with all this gray in my hair." Kayato flipped a lock on the left side of her face.

He reached up and slid the strands of hair between his fingers, "It's sexy, actually."

"You like a vintage look?"

"You're always so stylish. Every time your appearance changed a little, it'd just make me excited!" Hideyasu thought back to times when they were younger, "The real treat is the you underneath, not the crazy hats you were obsessed with for a while, or the weird stuff you did with your eyebrows."

"That was only for a few months—"

"You wore colors just to piss off clan elders. And everyone here started copying how you did manicures…"

"I'm a rebel and a trendsetter. You're a comedian who missed his calling." Kayato settled down, slotting against his side to get comfortable, "Here we are stuck in the Hyuga clan."

"No, no, dear. They're stuck with us." Hideyasu's eyes twinkled.

"Ha! That attitude. See, I've always known you've tried to inflict a sense of humor on everyone here, but I don't think it's worked. Hide-chan, your whole life's work has been wasted." She poked his stomach, "Until I hear Hiashi-sama tell a joke, I'd say it's all been for naught."

"How can you have so little faith in me?" He inhaled as he spoke, affronted, "Hiashi is funny. It just helps when he's had a few drinks."

"Oh please—"

"It's not a: If a tree falls in the woods scenario. I think even Tenten knows. He just needs to let his defenses down a little."

"You can't give your cousin alcohol every time something goes wrong."

"That's what I do for my sisters."

"So that makes the Main House a bunch of repressed drunks." Kayato surmised, "And I dread the day when our young ones join your ranks without proper coping skills, with elders constantly judging them—"

"Don't lump Fujita and Hinata-sama in with us lushes." Hideyasu scolded her with mock-seriousness.

"Oh? What then of Hanabi?"

"She sort of fits the bill already, but let's see after she becomes an adult."

"Oh stop!"

"And Neji is a saint." Hideyasu declared.

She shared a long stare with him before her face cracked, eyes crinkling, and Hideyasu dissolved into stupid laughter. He knew it wasn't right to try to prognosticate the futures of young Main House members, but he sort of couldn't help himself. His laughter provoked Kayato's guilty chuckles until she glimpsed something. She stopped and grabbed Hideyasu's face in her hand, holding him mid-chortle.

"Uh…" He was confused by her handiness.

"Open your mouth." She demanded.

"My-?"

"I saw something when you laughed." Kayato told him, "Do it."

Fretful, Hideyasu did as she asked and opened up. Black lines on his tongue; three solid lines above two broken lines that formed a sort of hexagram. She was no shinobi, but Kayato had spent enough time around their ilk to recognize a seal on a human body. She sat upright and pulled Hideyasu up with her, and he shut his mouth, going uncharacteristically quiet. As if her discovery was shameful.

"Hide-chan, you didn't have that when you left. What is it?" She was too observant for her own good.

"I didn't. I don't like to keep things from you…but I don't think I'll be able to explain." Hideyasu admitted.

"Why explain when maybe I can guess?" Kayato was sharp, "I don't think an enemy would do that. Hm? If the Akatsuki wanted to harm you, why not just kill you?"

"A valid point." He nodded as if it were a debate.

"What does it do?"

"It…er…hmf." He shut his mouth and wiggled his nose, "…phew. How do…I…?" His eyes glanced around, trying to think.

Something weird was going on. It was obvious to Kayato, spelled out in her endlessly perceptive, grimacing face. It felt like there was a roadblock between her and her husband, or rather, an impediment in how easily they communicated with each other.

Speech seemed to be something he was trying to avoid. Hideyasu motioned with his hands to her, drawing her attention. He pointed to the center of his forehead. Kayato watched, running through the possibilities.

"Forehead." She repeated the idea to him.

Hideyasu gave her a permitting look, and then folded his hands into a hand seal.

"A seal." She pulled it together, "Like the Caged Bird Seal?"

He nodded.

"You can't talk about it?"

He shook his head.

"That is outrageous. WHO DID IT?" She hissed, grabbing his shoulders, "Is it hurting you?"

He shook his head again.

"But it's keeping you from communicating properly. Or…about it being there? Or who put it there?" Kayato deciphered.

Sadly, as if moping, he slowly nodded. He didn't want to drag her into it.

"Hide-chan!" She kept her voice low, "I could kill someone for doing this to you! You've never done anything wrong!" Her palms moved to his cheeks, holding his head, "And if the enemy you faced wouldn't bother with something so contrived…someone in our village did it."

He squeezed his eyes shut, "Please. Enough. Don't talk about it anymore. Don't think about it—"

"Why not? Why the devil not?"

"I don't want something to happen to you." Hideyasu took her hands in his, "I made…a sort of deal. In exchange for safety. I can't begin to explain to you the deepest workings of our village, dear, and I know you're not stupid. But…it's more dangerous than I'd ever thought."

"I won't let someone do this to you. I'm not a ninja, but I am a rebel." Her nostrils flared, "I don't care who it is. I'm going to figure it out. Mothers become geniuses who can hunt any secret."

"True, but PLEASE don't. Don't get involved." Hideyasu shook his head again.

"Give me a name." Kayato demanded, "Who did it?"

His lips pressed shut in a thin line. He was struggling.

"Tell me. Just tell me. I won't confront who it is. I'll tell Hiashi. He'd do anything for you." Kayato reasoned, "Please let me help."

"I…it…it was-" Hideyasu was shuddering, trying to overcome something, "Sh—" Abruptly, he went rigid, slamming down onto his back flat as a board. His eyes were wide, trained on the ceiling, but whatever had gotten a hold of him wouldn't let him blink. Never mind move his lips.

"Hide-chan…" She bent over him, her fingers bunching the front of his robe, "Are you hurt? I'm sorry. It won't let you do it, will it? Tell me? You can't."

He gradually loosened up, taking shaky breathes, "I'm okay. I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do."

"Someone else. Tell me about someone else who was there." Kayato requested, "I need to start somewhere."

"You're not starting anywhere! I already told you—!"

"Give me a name, you fool." She ground her teeth at him, "My Hikune's dead forever. I won't lose you too. Give me a name so I can find a way to help you."

A tear rolled down his cheek, "Kayato…"

"Hideyasu, tell me something!" She demanded any crumb at all. Any lead.

He wrestled with the options, struggling with whether it was better to protect the woman he loved most in the world, or see if it was possible to skirt around what kept him from issuing a crucial warning, "…Captain…Yamato."

"Captain Yamato?" Kayato repeated.

"Yes."

"He led the reinforcements to find you. Fujita said. So I'll find him."

"I'd prefer if you didn't." Hideyasu said tiredly, his head slumping on a pillow.

"We know who the most sensible one is, of the two of us." Kayato pressed a series of kisses to his chin and cheeks, "I know you're frightened because you are sure I'll figure it out."

"You're terrifying like that."

"When I do know…" Kayato looked ahead, "Tell me…who needs to know first?"

"Hiashi and Neji."

Kayato nodded, "Good. Then after them?"

"The Hokage, of course. She'll know what to do next."

"Will someone be able to get that off of you?" She wondered about the Curse Seal.

"Sure. But let that be our last priority. You're my voice now." Hideyasu watched her rise to snap off the light in the room, "I am scared for you. I trust you…I don't want you to do this…but I need you."

She slipped back to the space beside him, cozying up, "You've always got me." Kayato pulled up the blanket, "Let it never be said that non-ninja can't solve crimes and save their village. You're going to watch me do it."

---

Note: This installment was a lo-ooong time in the making, I know, and I hope it gave you many complex feelings. It can be jarring to come home after a long time, or for a long-distance couple to reunite and reestablish balance. I really wanted to create a more authentic feel for what those challenges would be like for Naruto. Character development and cuteness are peppered throughout, for good measure. And of course the plot thickens. Buckle up kids for political cat-and-mouse intrigue. I hope this mutli-chapter update was proper sustenance for you, reader.

More to come soon. : )

Chapter 61- Impure World