Shout Outs!
KnightOfZaku: Thank you for the praise, it means a lot.
twilight dragon god: I hope this chapter added a little of what you were looking for. I love the battle scenes in Naruto also and I wish to make a large one soon.
ZyaireHellsing: I really hoped I captured who Tsunade is with my writing. I really had fun with her.
Narudevilfan: Thank you, I hope you follow for more.
*Note* As you finish reading this chapter it seems like it is the end of the story. This is not the case, I have a long way to go and the next chapter is already swimming in my head. So please continue to follow and your reviews have been great. Thank you for all the support.
Without further ado, I do not own Naruto, but this story is so mine. Call me Shonen Jump, we'll do lunch, lol.
It had only been a week since they had left the rubble that was once their home, and only five days since they decided to travel together. Just as Naruto had expected Tsunade sent search teams to look for them. He wasn't sure whether they were sent just to search and identify, or to capture. He was sure capture wasn't possible if it was him they were after. He was surprised to learn that the ones in pursuit were his friends. It was a smart move considering his friends would have a good idea how he would react and how he would avoid detection. This was going to be a challenge and there was nothing more than a challenge. Earlier while the two were standing on a large hill that overlooked the forest, Hinata used her byuakugan to see if anyone was trailing them. Sure enough, there were three teams of three moving in their direction at a considerable pace. Immediately Naruto created dozens of shadow clones, and with a smirk on his face sent them off in the direction of the pursuers.
Seeing the look on Naruto's face Hinata could not help but ask, "Naruto, what are they going to do?" For the few days that they had been together her stutter had almost vanished with the exception of when Naruto would embarrass her or they sat quietly at night getting ready to sleep.
As if on cue from the forest bellow guttural growls and howls erupted from what looked like a majestic scene. This was quickly followed by the screams from the people that were after them. Naruto looked down at Hinata, who had an appalled look on her face of what was happening to those people. "Have you ever been to a haunted house?" He looked at her with a wide grin. The thought had just entered her mind that the famous prankster of her childhood struck again. His clones had changed into a wide variety of monsters and ghouls to slow down the trackers.
At that moment Naruto's face went blank as he felt the knowledge of some recently dispatched clones flooding his mind. He grabbed Hinata by the hand and turned to put distance between them and their pursuers. Hinata was blushing at the sudden contact as Naruto led her away. There was a sense of urgency in him now and he soon explained who was coming after them. She was left in shock, now knowing who they had sent. They had been careful to always remain in heavily wooded areas, travel through streams to cover their tracks and make it harder to detect their course or previous location. They had even been without a campfire for the last few nights, in case someone was to stumble upon it and could easily come after them. They soon came to an open field and Naruto came to a sudden stop, Hinata almost running right into him.
Hinata jumped back as Naruto whipped around to her with an out stretched hand. "Hinata, give me your clothes", in a demanding voice. It was at that point she almost lost it. Blood rushed to her head and a slight dizziness started to take hold. She had often wondered what it would have been like to be with Naruto romantically, but here in an open field, while their friends were right on their tail. Seeing the shock on Hinata's face he quickly explained. "I need a piece of your clothing from your pack. Something you have recently worn with your smell still fresh on it". Quickly she caught on; reaching in her bag she pulled out a blouse she had just worn yesterday. They had been on the run, never stepping foot onto a path or road. Their initial destination hadn't even been a village or town, so they were not able to wash their clothes as of yet. Naruto did the same, getting a pair of pants that he had worn when he first started the trek. He cut both garments into strips; standing straight and making the cross sign with his fingers he summoned more clones. When the smoke had cleared, there stood twelve copies of Naruto. Much to Hinata's surprise, standing next to the Naruto clones were twelve copies of herself. She had never been very good at creating clones of herself and wondered if this is what she really looked like. To her amazement they were beautiful. She blushed at the thought of Naruto creating clones of her looking so much more appealing than she was. At an instant, her blush turned inward, thinking that she didn't compare to the image that Naruto had of her.
Naruto passed out the strips to the clones, knowing that the clones didn't have a particular smell. When he was done with that the clones took off in all direction to help confuse the trackers. After they had left Naruto summoned another batch of clones. Hinata had gasped as she saw six Naruto's and six Hinata's, not as they looked now, but as though they were from varying stages of their lives. A tear came to her eyes as she saw a small version of herself from the day she had first met Naruto, still in her small little kimono. Seeing the small Hinata she wanted to pick her up to hold her. She looked at Naruto in bewilderment and he quickly glanced at her with a grin that reminded her of how mischievous he could be. "We may be grown and mature now Hinata, but it still doesn't mean we can't have a little fun, especially with our friends". With a nod to the clones they shot off in groups of two's back the way they had come. She smiled up at him wishing she could see the looks on her friend's faces when they encountered the younger versions of themselves.
Once again Naruto grabbed his accomplice's hand, not noticing her blush, and ran off through the clearing and back into the woods. As they ran Naruto began to explain his plan. "The clones with our clothing will slow them down. Once they reach the clearing they will have to stop and try to track which ones are the real ones. Although Kiba and Akamaru are great at tracking by smell they will have to hunt down all the clones in different directions. Because no one knows the Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, they will have to go themselves to look. Even the Byakugan will not tell the real from the fakes, so Neji will be useless as a tracker as long as there are clones of us out there. Shino's bugs could do the trick but as long as we have a great amount of distance between us and them that should not be a problem either. The distance will be our greatest obstacle. If I was alone, I could out run them by stamina alone; I'm just worried at how you will hold up after travelling for such a long time".
"Sorry Naruto –kun," Hinata said softly. Although she was happy to hear that Naruto was concerned about her.
He slapped himself mentally as he heard the hurt in Hinata's voice from her apology. How could he be such a fool as to let her think that she was a burden to him? "Don't be Hinata-chan, we are in this together." With that word 'together', Hinata's spirits lifted again. Again he spoke, "We need to travel for at least two days straight without stopping to maintain a good distance between us and them. If you need to rest you must let me know. I think I have a plan for that also."
Moments Earlier
The assembled eleven ninja had finally caught up with him after days of searching. It was Kiba that had sniffed out a small campsite that had the combined scents of Hinata and Naruto. Now they were hot on their trail. Kakashi was darting between the teams relaying information to the team trackers. They were weary as fatigue was taking a toll on their bodies. They could not rest much as they needed to catch up to the deserters. They had been a few days behind but now they were within sight. Neji had seen the chakra of two people climbing over a small mountain in the distance. It was Kiba's group that had the first encounter. Ghouls and monstrous creatures came at them in full force. Roughly eighteen of them, some had to be the walking dead, or creatures that would resemble the nightmares that children would have or parents would tell to get the children to behave. This took Ino by surprise as she let out a loud shriek. The group came to a halt just before the monsters reached them. Lee had braced himself, nearly giving into the urge of charging straight in. Quickly Kiba looked for an opening; the last thing that he wanted to tangle with was dead bodies. Their group was circled in. There was no escaping unless they went straight through.
Kakashi heard the screams from the direction where Kiba's group was located. Quickly he raced to the location. Kiba and Akamaru took notice of a large beast which they felt was the most threatening. It was three times the size of a bear, with claws that curved under like those of a cat. Upon closer inspection of the razor sharp claws they appeared to be dripping a thick liquid as if it has just finished tearing apart a deer and the blood was still soaking the paws. Ino was busy trying to keep what looked like half-eaten people from getting ahold of her. Lee was busy taunting what appeared to be a large disfigured rhino, muttering something about how his youth could triumph over all obstacles.
"Ready Akamaru", the large white dog-nin looked at its master with understanding and barked once. In a puff of smoke the canine turned into an exact copy of Kiba. With a shout, "Fang Passing Fang," they launched forward at the beast. With as much power as the could they braced for impact, knowing that even with such a technique they would suffer some minor damage themselves due to the sheer size of the beast. There was a loud pop as they collided and passed right through the enormous monstrosity. Kiba and Akamaru came to a rest at the base of the tree quickly trying to process what had happened. Shadow clones, he thought. He quickly shouted to his teammates of the discovery. Without much effort the three dispatched the remainder of the clone monsters with a fury of kunai.
Just as they had finished off the last two Kakashi appeared poised for battle with an enemy that was obviously not there. Ino filled him in on what had happened and they all concluded that they must be getting close to the runaways if they were seeing shadow clones. Know this they concluded these were made to be a distraction, only seeking to put some distance from who they were after. Kakashi leapt off to inform the other two teams of what was happening; no doubt they were being slowed down by similar shadow monsters.
Shino's group was on its way again. They had dispatched the shadow imagination of their once prankster teammate. Now they were in hot pursuit once again. It was Sakura that had seem them first, but there was something wrong. She came to a sudden stop, taking her teams a moment to realize she stayed back for some unknown reason. Standing out on a limb of a tree Sakura tried to process what she saw. It looked like two small children ran through the woods together. There was something very familiar about that though. There was undoubtedly a small boy with messy blond hair but he was pulling a small girl behind him that had short dark blue hair wearing a kimono. It was like a dream from her past that lingered in her head, she swore she was in a genjutsu, that was until Shino and Tenten landed next to her on the branch.
"Follow me", Sakura said coming out of her daze. Jumping to the ground they ran about a hundred yards in the direction Sakura had seen the children go. They reached a small clearing in the woods and as it opened up they were greeted by the cries of a little girl. Looking in the direction of the cries they were astounded to find the cries coming from a small Hyuga girl in the middle of the clearing. Tears started to overwhelm Sakura's eyes as she took it all in. It was Hinata when she was around the age of five. At her feet was the body of Naruto when he was around the same age. His white shirt was torn as he lay unconscious, dirty from a recent beating with blood coming from his nose and a split lip. It was a scene from their past when Naruto had been referred to as the village demon. All three stood in shock of the flashback to a time of their lives they would prefer to leave forgotten. They were lost in the scene of the two children. Feeling ashamed of their part in Naruto's pained childhood, for standing by while watching others take their revenge on him for what had happened years earlier. It shook Sakura to her core as she knew the man that Naruto had become. She had treated him so poorly during their time growing up, thinking of him as no more than a nuisance.
Walking up behind her Kakashi placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "It's not real", he said to the three, more to the pink haired girl than the others. Kakashi took note of the effect that these shadow clones had on everyone that had seen them. Naruto was not gifted in the art of genjutsu, but he had a great affinity for messing with people's minds and especially those that he knew. He recalled a moment while trying to relay instructions between groups he passed a pair of clones that looked like the walking dead. What troubled him about them was that it looked like two young shinobi from his past. The shadow clones had taken the form of his fellow teammates from when he was young, Rin and Obito. Both were saturated in blood with gapping wounds. It even stopped Kakashi in his tracks.
Sakura looked down at the ground not wanting to see the cruel joke that played out in front of them. Her anger was building inside and was noticed by the clenching of her fists. How she hated to relive those memories, a time when she couldn't see him for who he was. "I know. That is why I am going to pummel him when I get my hands on him". With that statement they ran off trying to ignore more of the little Hinatas and Narutos as they crossed paths.
Finally the three teams, along with Kakashi, reached the top of a small hill that had a cliff face at their backs. From what Kiba could understand both Hinata and Naruto had been standing at this very spot. Now something was wrong. The smell of the two runaway shinobi was spread out everywhere. It was coming from many different directions. Akamaru came bounding up out of a wooded entrance in front of them and sat barking at Kiba, Kiba was nodding in understanding. While the tracker-nin were trying to discover the direction the two had run off to, the rest of the group was standing back recounting the events of their time in the forest below.
"Kakashi-sensei, they are trying to lead us into different directions." Kiba spoke out. "There are thirteen trails throughout the woods all with their scent and I can't pinpoint the real ones."
Neji spoke next, "The woods are thick so it would be difficult to see them even with my Byakugan. Even if I could he is more than likely using shadow clones and I cannot differentiate between those as well".
Kakashi then looked to Shino, "At this distance my insects won't be able to be able to reach him. If they keep up this pace I won't be able to get a lock either". Kakashi looked up at the sky, this is going to take a while, he thought to himself. He then proceeded to give the orders for searching out the clones and tracking the real ones.
Night had already come and the forest was dark. The thick canopy kept most of the moonlight out so the figures that bound through the trees looked like shadows running through shadows. They had been making good time but as Naruto noticed he had to slow his pace a little to allow Hinata to stay by his side. She must be getting tired, he thought to himself. They came to a stop at the base of a tree and Naruto crouched down. Hinata was at his side trying to understand what he was doing. He looked up at her and with a slight smile said, "Get on".
Hinata backed up a step and at the thought that he was asking her to let him carry her. "I-I'm fine. I-I can keep going," she proclaimed.
Standing back up he looked at her, deep into her light lavender eyes, "We need to keep moving and I know you are getting tired. You need some rest. Even if you don't sleep it will help your body recover, if you can relax a little. It will be just for a short distance and then you can start again". He got back down on one knee with his back to her.
Giving in she wrapped her arms around his neck, something she had always wanted to do before but was too timid to attempt. "Ok. But only for a little while," she said as he wrapped his arms around each leg and hoisted her onto his back. After a quick adjustment so she would be comfortable he was off running again.
Naruto tried his best to be as graceful as possible so he wouldn't make any sharp or sudden movements. She needed some sleep and he was more than happy to carry her so she would be rested by morning to continue on. His increased stamina and chakra reserves are one of the benefits of having the Kyuubi sealed within him and he was grateful for it now. He thought to himself as he ran across the forest, looking for a plan on how to keep them from being caught. Knowing that the determined pursuers were not going to let up as long as they thought the two were in the area, he would have to come up with something that would totally throw them off their trail.
Hinata clung to her lifelong love's back as they bounded through trees and ran across the forest floor. Her sore muscles started to ache as they relaxed while being carried. She was holding her Naruto-kun and he was holding her, in a way, and if they weren't being chased after she would be the happiest girl in the world. Fully feeling her exhaustion she laid her head on Naruto's right shoulder and enjoyed the way the air that rushed by blew through her long hair. She took in his musky sent as her head nuzzled closer, her nose pressing into his neck, she soon fell fast asleep.
The next day had proven promising as Naruto felt they had put a great deal of distance between the ones who were searching for them and where they currently were. In the back of his mind though he knew they were closing in. Hinata had woken while Naruto carried her near noon, much to his dismay. When she came to she was not sure of where she was or who was carrying her as she hadn't become fully awake. At once when the night memories came flooding back her body stiffened at being so close to him. In mid leap it threw off Naruto's balance and they tumbled down from the trees. As they recovered from the hard landing all Naruto could say was "Good morning Hinata-chan," as he rubbed the back of his head while smiling at her.
They continued at a hurried pace for the remainder of the day to settle outside of a small clearing for the night. When Hinata asked Naruto if they were safe yet he responded, "We should be out of reach for at least one nights rest. Besides, I may have a lot of stamina but that does not mean that I do not need rest also." Hinata blushed as she remembered being carried on his back while she slept. All he could think about when he saw her blush like that was how utterly adorable she was. He set up a small camp with two mats and blankets, no campfire, so they could get some sleep. As Hinata lay down, Naruto stayed awake and aware assuring her he would be asleep soon also. When he knew she was asleep he promptly made a half dozen shadow clones to watch over her while he went out to survey the area.
Morning had come and they had packed camp after eating. Naruto didn't say much, and it looked as if he hadn't slept well either. Hinata was growing a little concerned for his wellbeing. Naruto had noticed this and he had tried to put on the best face he could to keep her hopes up. They continued along to their unknown destination at a brisk but more leisurely pace. They reached an opening in the woods and stepped out into a clearing. There was a rushing sound around them and upon further inspection it was coming from a water fall. There was a river no more than a hundred yards from them and then the clearing stopped there. The river spilled over the side into a valley below that was dotted with rolling hills and patches of forest that could stretch until the end of the horizon. Hinata walked over to the river to look at the waterfall below and was nearly dizzy at the sight that the spray made, more than three hundred feet below them.
They took in the magnificent site in front of them for a few moments before attempting to leave. There was a sound coming from the woods and all at once there were ten shinobi facing the couple in the open field. It was their friends and companions who stood before them, not in a threatening manner but a force that would intimidate others that did not know them. With their backs against the cliff and the rocky end of the waterfall below Naruto stepped in front of Hinata to protect her. With Hinata just behind his left shoulder he looked across at his friends, how he hated doing this. It is because I care so much for them that this has to be done, he thought.
"Naruto, what do you think you are doing?" Sakura spoke first.
Summoning his resolve to do what must be done he stood his ground. "We are leaving because we want to be left alone. I am done with everything. I have risked everything to protect those that I care about, and I have asked for nothing in return."
From his right he could see a brown haired Hyuga with his blood trait activated just as he spoke, "Hinata come here this instant. What has gotten into you?" Naruto shot him a look that stopped him dead in his tracks as Hinata tensed up behind him. "Your father has been worried about you. You have a duty to your clan".
That stirred an already bitter rage in Hinata as she remembered what her father had attempted to do. "Really Neji-chan? I suppose that is why he tried to have me married off. Against my will and wishes he wanted me to marry someone I had no love for, or had not even known," tears welled up in her eyes at the thought. "Just to help solidify and unify the clan he was going to sell off his daughter for political reasons. He even went as far as mentioning how many clan members we had lost, as if I was to be breeding stock to boost numbers."
Naruto saw it, spread across all their faces, a realization that they more than likely did this because they love each other and were bound to be separated if they had stayed. This is what Naruto had hoped for. The memories of Hinata's story strengthened his resolve into hardened steel now at the thought of how despicable the Hyuga clan was. How did such a sweet girl like Hinata come from a family like that? He had to keep his wits about him and continuously watch everyone closely. Shikamaru especially had to be watched if they wanted to be able to escape this.
"Naruto, Hinata, let's be reasonable about this." Kakashi spoke next. "Even if you make it out of here and evade use you will be hunted-nin. People will be pursuing you no matter where you go. Come back home and we will talk with Tsunade. Maybe we can think of a way to end this happily to where you two can be together." Kakashi started to move forward.
Naruto reacted in lockstep, bringing up his right hand he created a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. The act put fear into everyone on the spot. Kakashi stopped in mid-step knowing that if that thing went off there would be casualties. "Now everyone, stop", Naruto demanded. "I know that is a lie Kakashi-sensei so don't try to smooth it over. The Hokage has little influence in the internal affairs of the clans. In fact it is almost no word at all. They will never allow us to be together. I saved the people of the village, defeated the greatest threat we have ever seen, yet I still am not worthy of being with someone whom I care dearly for." He needed to shake their emotions, to get them to second guess themselves so they would hesitate to attack. Lowering his left arm he wrapped it around Hinata and dipped his mouth close to her ear so as to whisper. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up to him with an endearing smile, wondering what he was planning to do.
Kakashi pulled up his forehead protector that was covering his left eye, revealing the trademark Sharingan. "Naruto, I don't want to have to do this. Please come back with us."
Hinata saw Naruto lower his hand and the chakra infused Rasenshuriken dissipated. She had taken this as a sign that whatever Naruto had planned was going to be happening any moment. "Nii-chan, tell father and Hanabi, I love them both so much. Be strong for them Nii-chan".
Naruto brought his other arm down and had wrapped it around Hinata's waist, pulling her tight against him. Blood rushed through Hinata, evidently defying gravity and pooling in her face. She was confused by the exceptionally possessive and endearing words he had said when talking about them. Her mind was almost lost as he spoke. "I don't want to have to hurt any of you either." He looked across the group with deep sincerity. Tears filled Sakura's eyes, it almost seemed as if she knew what he was about to do. Ino had tears also but they took in a more romantic look as if she was watching a play with a happy ending. Most of the guys had a look as if they could never believe they could ever love someone as much as Naruto seemed to love Hinata. "I will protect those that are most precious to me." He said in a somber voice. He looked at Shikamaru to make sure he hadn't tried to manipulate the shadows, but also to give him a small smile.
It almost seemed as if time stopped at that very moment. Naruto turned his head toward Hinata and brought his mouth to her ear again. In less than a whisper, more like a breath he spoke so only she could hear, "I love you." Her body stiffened in their tight embrace briefly before going limp. Once he knew that she had fainted and her weight was in his arms he rocked back, taking them both over the cliff head first. The last they heard was Naruto saying "Find peace through love."
As fast as they could move they were still too slow. The capture team had now become a recovery team. The ones that could move did so and reached the cliff edge just in time to see blood erupt from the bottom of the falls and start its journey down the river. Shredded clothing and what was more than likely body parts started to move down the river as well.
Two Weeks Later
In Konoha
It was a mournful day in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Even the orange and pink sunset failed to cover up the depth of despair that everyone in the village was going through. They had buried what remains they could find at the bottom of the falls along with some of the clothing they had gathered. The village cemetery had been one of the first things that had been reconstructed mainly for most of the people that had not been able to be brought back to life after the battle with Pain. With the news of Naruto and Hinata's death there was a rush job put on it so it would have all the majestic beauty it had before the village was destroyed. Although normally Hinata would have been buried in the Hyuga family plot on the compound, Tsunade has demanded she be buried next to Naruto. Hiashi would have rejected the idea at any other time, but for the love of his daughter and the guilt he had for driving her away by denying her the one she loved, he agreed. For all of Naruto's sacrifices he was granted the honor of being buried next to the Hokage plots as a testament that he had everything in him to become a great Hokage himself. He and is love lay there in their plots for the rest of time.
Of course no one will ever know what truly happened to cause their deaths as the truth has been locked away as an "S" class secret. The official story as it has been spread throughout the world is that both shinobi were on an "S" class mission when they were attacked by overwhelming odds. Many villagers romanticized this into fantasies that the two were in fact lovers and that during a mission Hinata had been injured. In the defense of his soon to be wife Naruto gave his own life to protect her. As his dead body laid there she slumped over his chest and died there on top of him from a broken heart.
The services were over and the people in attendance had already left trying their best to get past the horrible events of the day. There were two exceptions though as evident by the pink haired girl that was still slumped in front of the side by side plots. Sakura sat there on the grass with her head hung staring into her black mourning dress; one that she thought matched how she felt inside. She sat there and sobbed even though there were no tears present on her face. Her body could no longer produce them and her eyes burned for it, but the pain in her heart was too great for her to notice.
On a not too distant wall sat a spiky white haired shinobi looking over the crying girl. He would glance back and forth at the graves in a slow disbelief. Not because his pupil had died, or the cover story that was used to hide the truth from the world. His disbelief wasn't even in how much Sakura was showing her feelings for the deceased teammate when she never really showed it before. His disbelief was that not only did he live long enough to see his own sensei become Hokage and then bury him, but now he buried the man's son, "Naruto".