Naruto's POV
About a month has passed. Missions have begun again, now that our village was mostly restored. Granny Tsunade has me staying close to home right now, helping out with the rebuild and giving me time to rest.
Hinata, I'm pretty sure, was avoiding me. I couldn't understand why. I figure she's not allowed to see me. Her dad probably won't let her out of his sight now. I wonder if he'll ever forgive me for putting her in harm's way.
There's so much to do, I don't have time to worry about it *too* much.
Sakura's POV
Naruto seems to be doing a lot better. It's good that Lady Tsunade is keeping him busy. I wonder about Hinata, though. I could see Neji walking down the street toward the Hokage's office. "Hey, Neji! Long time no talk! How are you?" Neji was looking pretty rundown, personally.
"I'm pretty good, Sakura. Hiashi and Hinata have been working me hard training, so Hinata and I can keep up with the rest of our teammates. I think Hinata's close call scared Hiashi, so now he's leaving nothing to chance."
Neji and I stood there silently for a few moments. "Neji...how's Hinata doing?"
"Well, she doesn't really leave her room much but to train. Hanabi tells me that sometimes she hears her cry when she's walking past her room. I can't imagine almost dying was easy to process, even though it was her choice."
I smiled sadly. "If I know Hinata, she's drowning in guilt right now, for what she put Naruto through. I wonder if her father would allow me to visit."
I talked with Neji for a bit longer, and decided to continue on to Hinata's home.
I knocked on the door, and Hinata's father answered the door. "Lord Hiashi, may I speak with Hinata?"
He nodded. "I will ask her to come to the door, Sakura."
A few minutes passed and Hinata came to the door. She looked drained, and like she'd faced a lot of sleepless nights. "Hinata...how are you?"
Hinata forced a smile. "I've been better, but every day I improve, thank you."
"Hinata, let's go out for a tea and talk, okay? My treat."