AN: Hey everyone! Another Chapter! Yay!

Thanks for waiting. Sundays are going to be when new chapters are posted from now on.

Just so everyone knows, I read every review and they mean a lot to me. I haven't totally figured out if I am responding correctly (as this is my first fic) so apologies if I don't. You can always send me a PM and I will definitely respond to that.

On that note, please follow/favorite/review. I say it every time, but it makes getting motivated a whole lot easier, and really makes a difference in my writing. We are getting kinda close to the end of this "arc" and I would love to know what you guys want the story to become after that.

Enjoy!

Chapter 10

"Where...where are we?"

The team of Leaf Shinobi gazed around them, taking in their new surroundings. As the group walked further away from the exit of the cave, they were able to get a better look at where they had ended up.

They had already noticed the lake when they left the cave, but now that they were standing on the shore they could see just how massive it was. It looked more like an ocean and extended out in front of them as far as the eye could see. The water was crystal clear, and one could tell that the lake got very deep very fast. Despite this, the water remained incredibly still, and it was easy to see the lush vegetation that grew under the surface. A ways out there was a vibrant coral reef, and hundreds of fish could be seen gathering around it. All in all, the view was breathtaking.

While the lake extended out for a long way, it's width was comparatively narrow. On both the left and right sides it was sandwiched by a vast forest. This wasn't the forest that surrounded Konoha, far from it. The trees were massive, and the foliage was in full bloom despite the season. There was no way one could see the sky underneath the canopy of green. To top off the strangeness, the temperature was warm and comfortable. A stark contrast to the world they left on the other side of the cave.

Sakura took a step forward and formed a cup with her hands before dipping them in the water below. When she took a sip, her eyes widened in confusion. This was freshwater. The nearest freshwater source this big that was close to Konoha was the border between the Land of Fire and the Hidden Rain Village. They hadn't traveled nearly that far, and she expressed her confusion out loud.

Everyone's attention focused on Shikamaru, who was clearly deep in thought. Naruto was a little annoyed his team was turning to the Nara for answers instead of him but that quickly past when he realized that he too had no idea what was happening. Finally, Shikamaru spoke up.

"Like Sakura said, it's not possible we traveled far enough to reach wherever this is. My best guess is that the cave and orb served as some sort of portal to another world. Or another dimension. Or another realm. I'm honestly not really sure….Man, this is a drag." His hand found its way to his shoulder and he began to massage it as if there was a kink in his neck.

"Another dimension?" Hinata asked, worry evident in her voice. Toneri hadn't mentioned anything about other dimensions to her. Not that she trusted the man to begin with but it would have been a nice thing to throw in when proposing to someone.

"That makes sense." The Uchiha piped in. He took a few steps forward and adjusted the katana on his waist. "This feels similar to when we fought Kaguya across different dimensions." He sent a glance towards Naruto and Sakura. The two hadn't noticed it earlier but now that their teammate mentioned it, it definitely felt familiar somehow.

"Shikamaru, what are our options?" The blonde asked. She knew it shouldn't surprise her but Naruto was turning out to be a level headed leader. He acknowledged Shikamaru was smarter than he was, and was taking that into account before making decisions. Not to mention the authority in his voice sent a major chill down her spine.

"Well, It's no use turning back when we've come this far. We can either explore on foot or use Sasuke's hawks and travel by air. Your call."

The blonde turned to his rival and smirked. "Think you can summon a few for us Sasuke? Only if it's not too much trouble." he batted his eyelashes dramatically, earning a laugh from Sakura, and a grimace from Sasuke. Shikamaru just rubbed his head.

"Two. You get two. Take it or leave it." Naruto was caught off guard and was going to object when his friend continued "I only have two big enough to carry people. We can fit, assuming you don't mind sharing, Lord Uzumaki." Despite his deadpan expression, he got an even bigger laugh from Sakura and even a chuckle from Hinata. Naruto's eyes nearly bugged out of his head while Shikamaru just smirked.

Sasuke bit his thumb and made a few quick hand seals before pounding his palm onto the ground. Two large hawks appeared and the next thing they knew the team was flying over the lake below.

—

"I see a village in the distance!" Hinata said over her radio.

Naruto sat up from his lying position he had taken up on the back of his hawk. They had been flying for almost an hour and had seen nothing noteworthy, other than that wherever they were it seemed to stretch out forever. He and Hinata were on one hawk, while the other carried Sakura Shikamaru and Sasuke. He was bummed that Sakura wasn't riding with him, but thought it might actually be a good thing. He still wasn't totally sure what had happened in that Genjustu, or how much of it was as real as Kurama was convinced. Despite what he had seen, he had a hard time believing that Sakura's heart had actually changed. Whenever he got his hopes up before it always ended in disappointment. This felt different though, and he was finding it hard to lock away the glint of hope in his heart. His emotions were getting the better of him and a little bit of space was good for his thoughts, even if he wasn't happy about it.

As Hinata had said, an ancient-looking village soon came into view over the horizon. Not that it could really be described as a village. It looked more like ruin or relic. Houses and walkways were built into the side of a cliff that overlooked the lake. It stretched out someway but was significantly smaller than Konoha. Even from far away, it was clear that the place was abandoned, as the visible structures were in various states of decay.

Sakura hopped off her hawk as it landed in front of what appeared to be the main entrance to the village. She cracked her neck and stretched her legs. The trip had been a little more cramped than she would have liked and she was glad to be able to move again. Soon after the second hawk descended, and Naruto jumped off it. He walked over to her.

"How's your stomach?" He asked and grinned at her.

Sakura's furrowed her eyebrows and glared daggers threw the blonde's stupid smirk. "Fine, thank you very much! It was one time and you know it." He was referring to when she had gotten extremely sick after flying on one of Sai's hawks for the first time. He had to hold her hair back for a half an hour while she vomited out everything she had eaten in the last day. It was not something she cared to think about, yet he brought it up whenever he could just to get a rise out of her.

The rest of the group joined the two and together they entered through the old village gate.

"Wanna split up? We can cover more ground." Sakura suggested. She didn't know why but this place was already creeping her out and she would much rather set up camp somewhere in the forest if it was an option.

"Sound's good. Sakura-Chan and I will cover the bottom area, Sasuke and Hi.."

"Actually...um...Naruto-Kun? It is okay if I go with you this time?" Hinata interrupted. Sakura's eyes widened and she felt a pang in her chest much stronger than she cared to admit. The Hyuga continued on. "I...I still have something I need to talk to you about..." She exclaimed a little louder than she meant too. Her entire face was covered in red, and she refused to look anywhere but the floor. Sasuke and Shikamaru exchanged a knowing glance at the scene before them.

Naruto inwardly cursed, earning a laugh from the fox inside him. Now that he had seen her again and was a little calmer, he wanted to use some alone time with Sakura to gauge her reactions to him, and maybe even find some sort of clue to the validity of what he had seen. Still, he couldn't just ignore Hinata forever. If she wanted to talk about what he thought she did, then he would not stop her. He owed her that much.

"Oh...um...yea okay...sure Hinata. I wouldn't want to be paired with Sasuke either." He looked toward Sakura and caught her staring at him with what he could have sworn was a bit of sadness. As soon as their eyes met his heart pumped a little harder and he gave her an apologetic shrug, which seemed to snap her out of her trace. She meekly smiled back before breaking their eye contact. "So, Hinata and I will take the bottom area. Sasuke and Sakura can take the middle. Shikamaru will scout the top. You're on your own so I won't make you walk too far." Shikamaru laughed before nodding his head in appreciation.

Sakura meanwhile was shocked. She was mad that Hinata was choosing now of all times to do this. She hated being mad at the girl and new that her feelings for Naruto had been around longer than her own (though how much longer was a subject of debate if she was being honest) but she couldn't help the small desire to latch on to his arm and not let go. Not that she had that right, she wasn't his girlfriend and whatever the hell had happened in the cave didn't change that. 'At least not yet' the small hopeful part of her mind interjected before she quickly smothered it and locked the feeling away.

The team agreed to meet back in two hours, and radio in if they found anything. With that, they departed in their separate directions in hopes of finding anything useful.

—

A loud groan came out of his throat as Naruto exited another one of the clay buildings. He ran his hands through his hair and slumped back against the outer wall of the structure, letting gravity take him and slowly sliding down to the ground. The events of the day were catching up with him and he began to feel incredibly tired.

It turned out the team had vastly underestimated the size of the village. While it wasn't much larger than they anticipated, it was intricately designed and many more homes were crammed into the space than they had thought. They had been searching their area for a little more than an hour and by his estimate had only crossed the halfway mark. Not only that, but many of the houses were somewhat furnished and took longer than a few minutes to thoroughly search. He didn't expect to find anything in most of them, but that hadn't stopped him from trying.

"Anything Hinata?" He called out as the girl exited a small home opposite him.

"Nothing yet Naruto Kun...I'm sorry." Her gaze was on the ground and her hands were in her pockets.

Naruto just sighed. They had been at this for a while and the only time she talked to him was when he checked in on her progress. It was causing him to be slightly on edge. His mind was already a tornado of thoughts regarding Sakura, and this was only adding to his turmoil.

Naruto may be dense, and hardheaded, and maybe even a little slow sometimes, but he wasn't an idiot. Especially when it came to emotions. He admitted that sometimes his world view was a little more black-and-white than others, but all in all, he was more astute than most people gave him credit for. Growing up alone had given him a lot of time to focus on his own emotions, and when he finally made friends he had made it a point to understand theirs as well. He wasn't known to be able to sway anybody's heart for nothing, it was something he had to work at and was proud of it.

He had known about Hinata's feelings for a long time. Granted, he didn't remember her first confession as he had been taken over by the Nine-Tails right after it happened but he had been told about it shortly after he recovered. At first, he didn't believe it. He and Hinata weren't very close, and he didn't think he had given her any reason to be infatuated with him. Then the war happened, and his mindset changed. Her behavior towards him during the final fight was proof enough that she indeed harbored romantic feelings.

When the war ended, and things normalized he had really tried to convince himself he could be with her, that she could make him happy. He thought Hinata was an amazing woman. He had seen her grow and come out of her shell and become one of the strongest kunoichis around. Not to mention that her body had also grown into that of true beauty. She was incredibly attractive. Ironically, the shyest girl in his class had grown up to be the one with the most sex appeal, although he doubted she was aware of this fact. He on the other hand had to be blind not to notice it. At one point, he had almost asked her out for a date figuring he could at least give it a go. But, before he was able to his mind had snapped back to...her.

To Sakura.

Naruto wished it was different, but it wasn't. Even then his heart was so dead-set on her that he couldn't change it even by force. Starting a relationship with Hinata would be wrong. He would be lying to himself and if it ever progressed further he would have to live that lie. That was something he just would not do. Hinata was great, but she wasn't Sakura. The thought had truly scared him because for the first time he realized that if he couldn't have her, he didn't want anybody else, and he was okay with that.

His face scrunched in frustration. This mission was turning out to be far more emotional than he anticipated and he needed to focus up. He rose from his seat and smiled at the girl before him.

"Okay, let's keep going. No use stopping now." He put his hands in his pockets and began to walk towards the next group of buildings until he realized that Hinata wasn't following him.

"Um...Naruto-Kun..." He froze in place, not turning around to face her. He inwardly grimaced and stood up straight. It was time. The next part wasn't going to be pretty and he braced himself.

"What's up Hinata?" He turned around and faced her, but couldn't bring himself to flash his signature grin. Instead, he gave a meek smile and looked her in her eyes.

"I...I know this is sudden. I wanted to ask the other d...day but then there was the attack, and I...I know this isn't the best time but..." Her cheeks were as red as they could be when Naruto cut in.

"Hinata, it's okay. What do you want to talk about?" He decided that letting her take the lead was best, and feinted ignorance.

Hinata looked a little shocked, but took a deep breath and finally looked at him head-on.

"Naruto-Kun...What do you feel for me?"

His breath caught in his throat. Knowing it was coming didn't make the moment easier and for a brief second, he considered teleporting away with his father's technique. "What do ya mean?" He knew it was weak, but he needed to hear it from her.

"What I mean is...Naruto-Kun, do you care about me?"

"Of course I care about you Hinata! You're one of my closest friends and..." he saw her eyes change at his words and he couldn't bring himself to keep talking. His mouth shut.

"Not like that." She took two steps closer to him and steeled her resolve for the last time. "Naruto-Kun... I love you! I have for as long as I can remember. I can't hold it in any longer and I just need to know...do you...do you have any feelings...like that...for me?"

Surprisingly, the usual blush and timidness that surrounded her was nowhere to be found. She looked strong and confident, and that made him hurt even more. That resolve was instantly shattered at his next words.

"Hinata...I'm sorry. You mean a lot to me, but I just don't feel that way towards you..." Naruto forced himself to not look away from her. She was pouring her heart out and he would give her his full attention.

Tears instantly began to flow from her eyes, and small hiccups mixed in with her breath. She wiped them with her sleeve before speaking.

"N...nothing? Not even a little?" She was having a hard time forming words but tried her best. "W..w...why? I've done nothing but love you for so long. I...risked my life for you so...many times. W...what could I have done differently?" She sobbed out.

The blonde could feel his heart cracking. Nothing he had said had been a lie, he did care about her and he hated hurting anyone he cared about.

"Nothing. You couldn't have done anything differently Hinata I promise. It's not like I haven't thought about it, but I won't lie to myself and I won't lie to you. You deserve someone who will love you unconditionally and will never think of anybody else and I just can't be that. I am so sorry." Naruto's fists were clenched as his sides and he finally looked away from her towards the ground.

"It's Sakura, isn't it." His head almost comically shot back to her when she said the name and his eyes widened, answering Hinata's question.

"Why? What does she have? All she has ever done it push you away! She constantly attacks and hurts you. She doesn't deserve you and she doesn't love you!" Hinata didn't mean for it to come out as such an attack but she couldn't stop herself. As soon as the words were out she wanted to take them back but knew she couldn't. She expected Naruto to snap back at her and was surprised when a small chuckle left his lips.

"You might be right. We've been through a lot together, and she's done some stuff she isn't proud of. So have I. And maybe she doesn't love me and maybe she never will." His mind shot back to the memories he had just witnessed and so desperately hoped were true. "But, I love her. And I can't change that. And I don't think I would want too. She's the best woman I know."

Hinata stood there, stunned. The last sentence cut like a knife. She knew he was being completely honest, but it hurt so badly hearing it. Her chest felt like it was caving in and she could barely see through the tears in her eyes. Before she knew it, she was running away from him. She didn't know where, but she couldn't be around him at that moment.

"Hinata wait!" She heard him call out, but didn't stop.

Naruto was about to go after her when his Sensei's words echoed in his head. "Think about her feelings...for once." 'Did Kakashi know this was going to happen? The sly old man...' he thought to himself. Regardless, he stopped in his tracks. She deserved space. He formed the usual hand sign and a single clone of himself appeared in front of him.

"Follow her, but don't approach. Just make sure she is okay and safe. If anything happens report back." His clone gave him a salute before jumping to the rooftops overhead. He turned around and took a deep breath before walking towards the next set of houses to search. That was even harder than he imagined. He knew it was wrong, but all that he could think about was Sakura. Talking about the way he loved her had made his feelings all the more clear to him, and he hoped whatever she was doing it was easier than this.

—

"Ah...ah CHOO!"

Sakura sneezed, knocking some dust off of the furniture in front of her. She was currently searching what appeared to be a small family home. Like all the rest, it was completely abandoned and in various states of disarray.

'Odd, dust doesn't usually get to me like this' she thought. It was the third time she had sneezed in the last few minutes, but she chalked it up to dust and continued her search. She continued through the home and made her way up the small stone steps to the second floor. Entering the first room she looked around and a small smile crept on her lips.

This room was clearly meant as a nursery. Whoever had lived here had set up a small crib in the corner, and a few primitive drawers to keep things in. There were even a few things that looked like toys scattered on the floor near the window. Remains of green paint scattered the walls. Even abandoned she could tell somebody has put a lot of work into this room once upon a time.

At one point Sakura would have imagined living in a home like this with Sasuke. It was so strange to think about now, but for most of her young life she wanted nothing more than to be the stoic Uchiha's housewife. She would have gladly given up her career and ambitions just to be by his side. She shook her head and chucked at the thought. Sasuke was a close friend, and god knows she fought for him to return to the village, but it just wasn't the right match. Whoever Sasuke ended up with was going to have to be very patient and very accommodating. Not only did she doubt he would stay in the village for too long, but getting past the mental barriers he had put up was not going to be an easy feat. That guy was the most damaged person she knew, and it would be a long time before he could have any semblance of romantic connection with someone.

'That is if he ever ends up with anyone..." she thought to herself, before remembering his other lifelong dream of rebuilding his clan. She doubted he would remain single forever, even for that sole purpose. Still, the more she thought about it the more she realized how awful of a couple they would have been. They didn't have much in common, and she couldn't see him handing her temper very well.

Now the only person that popped into her mind as she examined the room was her sunny blonde companion. She knew it was bad but she let herself indulge in fantasy for a moment. She imagined a small home with a blonde boy with green eyes running around while his father chased him. Any offspring of his was going to be energetic, to say the least. She imagined herself in the kitchen after a long day at the hospital with a little pink-haired girl helping her prepare dinner. A chill ran down her spine when that girl looked at her with ocean blue eyes, just like her fathers.

She then found her thoughts shifting to what they would have to do to make that fantasy a reality. It might have been the memories or it might have been her emotions running wild from Hinata taking him away from her, but she let her control slip even more as she pictured the blonde man.

She thought about his broad chest against her bare shoulders, his breathing pushing them closer together. His arms wrapping around her waist and his large hands grabbing into her hips as he pushed her back onto...him. God, him. Every part of him. The thoughts were almost too much to bear and she could feel her cheeks getting red but couldn't stop the thoughts from coming. She wanted to know the parts of Naruto that nobody did. What his tongue felt like on her neck, what his back felt like against her nails. The sounds he made when he was in pleasure. What all of him felt like to all of her. She never considered herself much of a sexual being, but the thought of being that way with Naruto was far more powerful than she expected.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the man enter the room, and let out a small scream when he spoke.

"There you are. I've been calling you." Sasuke looked at her, noticing the small blush on her face.

"Oh, sorry Naruto I was just..." the girl's eyes widened when she realized the name she had said. She didn't think it was possible, but her cheeks got even redder and she wanted to crawl in a hole.

Sasuke meanwhile just stared back at her. She couldn't gauge his reaction at first, mostly because he wasn't having one, but after a second he let out a small chuckle. That chuckle continued to grow and get louder until Sasuke Uchiha was full-on cackling in front of Sakura. Now any blood that wasn't being used to keep her alive and breathing was most certainly in her cheeks, and she pouted and looked away from him.

"It's not funny!" She whined out, a little higher pitched than she would have liked. She watched as the Uchiha stopped laughing, blinked at her a few times, then burst back into an uproar. Eventually, his laughter stopped and he wiped a tear away from his eye.

"It's hilarious." He said completely deadpan. "You two are absolute idiots." He turned towards the exit and began to leave. "C'mon. We're almost done."

Sakura stood there, embarrassed and rattled, before her teammate's words registered with her. "What the hell is that supposed to mean Uchiha!" She called out before chasing to catch up with him. She heard him laugh a little more, but even as she hounded him throughout the next few houses they searched he refused to say anything on the subject. He just smirked and ignored her. The best she could do was get him to promise not to tell Naruto what had happened, which he did after realizing she would absolutely destroy him otherwise. Sasuke Uchiha wasn't scared of many things, but an angry Sakura Haruno was on that shortlist.

Despite the situation, Sakura actually found herself enjoying the time with Sasuke. Not at all in a romantic way, it was just really good to see her friend loosen up a little bit. It gave her hope that one day some of those barriers she had thought of earlier would crumble.

After a few more houses, her mind began to wander back to Naruto. This not knowing what he saw thing was getting too much to handle. If it continued, she was afraid the next time she embarrassed herself would be in front of him, and she really wanted to avoid that. A large sigh escaped her lips. She had to talk to him. She didn't know when or what she would say, but she made up her mind that it was the only solution.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of her radio buzzing. Shikamaru's voice echoed on the other end.

"Come to my location, I think I found something."

Sasuke looked in her direction and nodded, and the two began to make their way back to the top of the village.