Threads of Fate
Chapter 5 - Don't Ever Change for Me
"Naruto here, Alpha one in position." Squawked the headset radio.
"Shino here, Alpha two in position." Was the answer.
"Ino here, Alpha three in position." A feminine voice registered over the headset. The trio had taken up residence around a clearing in the woods. Naruto was hidden in a tree near the entrance to the clearing. Ino was hidden behind a large group of bushes and Shino had taken residence behind the rocks in the middle of the clearing. They had gone over this plan for the past hour, now they were waiting for the target to make an appearance. Finally, Naruto saw it.
"Alpha one here, they are coming. Get Ready." He looked out through his binoculars towards the other end of the path and saw what his team was waiting on. "Delta Team headed this way, repeat, Delta Team is headed this way."
"Alpha Two is ready."
"Alpha Three is ready."
"Roger that, guys. We hit them when they get in the middle of the clearing." Naruto watched intently as his team's target came closer to the entrance. 'This should be easy.'
The young genin thought as he spied his prey closely.
"The first target is in position." Naruto whispered into his headset. His eyes were gleaming with anticipation. Another person walked under Naruto's hiding spot and into the clearing. This brought a wicked smile to his face. "Second target is in position. Alpha Three, get ready."
"Do we go now?" Shino asked over the headset.
"Negative. We wait for all of them." Ino answered.
"Third target is in position. Alpha Team Go!" Naruto whispered excitedly over the radio link. From her vantage point, Ino began her jutsu and aimed at the second target in the clearing. The blonde girl silently mouthed the words to accompany her movements and her body immediately went limp; the tale-tale sign of her body-switching technique. Her target blinked for a moment and staggered, and from Naruto's hiding place, could see Ino's jutsu already taking effect.
"Oi! Shikamaru, are you alright?" The third target said, but 'Shikamaru' only smiled before reaching out to the first target. The possessed Chuunin delivered a swift blow to the back of person's head in front of him. The person never saw it coming and was rendered unconscious by the blow. The unassuming victim turned out to be Choji.
"Alpha Two, it's your turn!" Naruto almost shouted into his headset. He saw his teammate leap out from behind the rocks towards the third target, Sakura. However, the pink-haired genin didn't stay frozen in her place. Shino sent a kick her way, but instead of connecting with Sakura's shoulder, he ended up missing her completely. A puff of smoke appeared in her place and a surprised Shino ended up hitting a large log. Shino found himself flying into a bush because of the sudden disappearance of his target. By some miracle, the young bug master managed to land on his feet instead of in the foliage.
It was about this time that Naruto noticed that his old teammate Sakura had yet to make her reappearance. 'Damnit, she's still on the loose. We didn't expect her to be the last one to come in.' Naruto's team had actually expected her to be either first of third in line. The goal was to have Ino possess Shikamaru and take Sakura out or vice versa. They thought for sure Shikamaru would want to take lead just because he was the appointed leader in most situations. They wanted to make sure he couldn't use his Shadow-bind technique and keep Sakura from using her accurate attacks. Now things were getting out of hand.
"Shino! Ino! Watch out for . . ." Naruto didn't bother using his headset when he shouted his warning. Yet it seemed to be too late for Shino. Naruto watched his teammate fall to the ground face first, screaming in pain on the ground as he reached for his ankle. 'Damnit! She did a temp cut on his ankle!' Naruto silently cursed. He noticed something coming out of the ground near where Shino was laying. It was an arm sticking out of the dirt and it was pulling its owner out of the earth. A moment later, Sakura emerged from a large hole in the ground, covered in dirt but ready to fight.
It had become a common tactic lately for Sakura to temporality cut off the use of her opponent's limbs during training and sparing. Her eye for detail made her a natural for this tactic, and it allowed her a means of disabling her opponents without causing permanent damage. Combining this with her uncanny talent for basic Ninjutsu techniques made her even more dangerous during practice sessions. Kurenai-sensei had affectionately nicknamed her the "Surgical Assassin." At the moment, she was living up to her newfound name.
Naruto choose this moment to make his appearance, using his speed to close in on Sakura. She on the other hand, was expecting him to come after her and had already used another replacement technique. Naruto's attack was off target, but he didn't expect a counter attack so fast. Sakura nailed him with a swift kick to the head knocking him completely out.
"Really Naruto," Sakura said after she landed. "You should have known a front end attack like that wouldn't work." She smiled triumphantly. It wasn't everyday she got the best of Naruto. But instead of seeing her friend pout, she saw him disappear in a cloud of smoke. Sakura's eyes widened as she realized she had made a huge mistake.
"Damnit, he used a-" the girl never got a chance to finish her statement, as she felt a hard blow to he back of her neck. Instantly everything went black and her body went limp and fell towards the ground. Luckily Naruto was there to catch her.
"Really Sakura-chan, you should have known I wouldn't have gone at you from the front. I know you've seen me do that way too many times for it to work against you." He said as he laid his friend on the ground. He grinned at the sight of the sleeping Sakura before turning around to look at his teammates. Shino was trying to stand up, the feelings in his ankle were finally coming back and Shikamaru was lying on the ground, obviously knocked out from Ino's mind-body switch. "You can come out now, Ino! We won!"
"Actually, you all lost." A voice spoke.
It all happened in a split second, but for Naruto, it felt like a few years. He heard a sound behind him and almost immediately he felt a searing pain shoot down his spine into his legs. The blonde genin doubled over as the intense pain spread over his body. So powerful was the pain that the Naruto had to fightt back his gag reflex. And almost as quickly as he hit him, the pain left him until he felt nothing. He tried to move his legs but they seemed to go limp. Naruto's body crumbled to the ground as the numbness began to spread over him. 'Shit! I can't move!' he thought as his mind raced for answers. 'That means. . .'
Hinata Hyuga glanced down at Naruto, blushing and with a saddened expression on her face. Beside her was a happy and smug-looking Kiba. Naruto felt himself burn with anger but wasn't able to express it due to him not being able to control his face. He wanted to scream, to shout, to jump up and down hollering bloody murder, but he was stuck facing the winner of their training excise.
"S-Sorry, Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered as she twiddled her fingers absently. "But I had to cut off your Chaka flow for a moment." The dark-haired girl kneeled down beside him. "It'll fix it back shortly."
Naruto couldn't believe it. All that careful planning down the tubes due to a slight underestimation. He and teammates figured that the handicapped team of Kiba and Hinata was less of a threat to them than the team of Choji, Sakura and Shikamaru. Their main plan was to take the team of three out before going after the underpowered duo. Everyone forgot to take into account Hinata's recent training with the Hokage. While she wasn't nearly as aggressive as Sakura, Hinata's abilities to target weak points on a person's body actually surpassed those of her fellow training partner. Her bloodline ability enhanced the training Tsunade gave her. With the combined might of her medical training with her family's Gentle Fist technique, the Hyuga heiress was no longer a pushover in a fight. In some ways, she was actually MORE of a threat than Sakura. The pink-haired ninja preferred to pick apart her opponents, almost as if playing with them. Hinata on the other hand, did not have the same total control over her chakra as Sakura, and when she went for a weak point or a nerve cut, she tended to do more damage in one blow. It was this reason why Naruto and Shino were both out on the ground as helpless as the day they were brought into the world.
"Looks like we are the survivors, Hinata." Kiba said triumphantly. He glanced over to Naruto, his smile growing wider. "You shouldn't have forgotten us, Naruto. You got overconfident and got beaten. Looks like you lose again." Kiba couldn't resist the urge to gloat over Naruto. When they all graduated from the academy, he and Naruto were around the same level. However, after Naruto beat Kiba during the Chuunin exam, Naruto began to excel as a ninja. While Kiba had grown stronger, Naruto had widened the gap between their skills considerably. He very rarely got a chance to beat the blonde ninja at anything, so he was going to milk it for all it was worth.
Suddenly, three puffs of smoke appeared behind Hinata and Kiba. The smoke cleared and there stood Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma. They surveyed the mass of students around the clearing before turning their attention to Kiba and Hinata.
"Looks like you got Naruto and Shino." Kakashi said offhandedly. "And I see where you tied up Ino before she returned to her body. And seeing as how Naruto's team took out Shikamaru's team, it looks like you guys are the winners."
"Yes! We won! We won!" Kiba celebrated by jumping up and down and shouting. Hinata did not bother to celebrate; she was too busy restoring Naruto's nerve endings and chakra flow. Within moments, Naruto was back to on his feet, his body sore and ego bruised. Kiba continued to march around as everyone started to recover from the training excise.
"Oi, Kiba. We get it already, you won." Naruto grumbled. "You don't have to go around making a big deal out of it."
"Like you wouldn't have done the same thing." Kiba said.
"Well, I admit, getting Hinata to strike us when we weren't' looking was pretty good. However, you didn't do much, did you?"
Kiba's face twisted in anger.
"At least I don't leave my team when they need me."
Hinata and Shikamaru looked up at the two arguing genin and held their breath. Naruto's expression told everyone how pissed he was.
"What did you say?" Naruto said evenly. He took a step towards Kiba, but the boy did not back down from the blonde.
"You heard me, or did your short memory forget the last mission we took together?" Kiba said as he leaned towards Naruto. Naruto's fists were clenched at his sides.
"I didn't leave anyone. . ."
"That's bullshit and you know it! The only reason no one knew about it is because Shikamaru didn't want to get you in trouble-" Kiba's never saw Naruto coming. His head got rocked by a punch that nearly took his head off.
"Bastard! I helped out and pulled my weight! I never leave my friends behind!" Naruto shouted at him. Kiba held his nose, still stunned by the quick attack from Naruto.
"You left Sasuke behind! You had a chance to bring him back and you didn't, so don't give me you're self-righteous speech you spill any chance you get."
No one was prepared for what happened next. No one saw it coming and even if they had, no one save for Kakashi would have been able to stop it. Naruto went for Kiba with such speed that no one actually saw him move. The only thing people could see was Kiba's body being flung up against a tree. The impact caused a thunderous crack that echoed throughout the forest and the tree bent over slightly. Naruto had not simply thrown Kiba against the tree; he had driven his teammate INTO it. The blonde genin was still holding Kiba up against it, his fist driving into Kiba's chest. Naruto began to shake violently, unable to verbalize his rage. The color in Kiba's face drained instantly, turning the boy a ghastly white. His eyes bulged out just before he coughed out a large amount of blood. The rest of the team was frozen at the sight before them, both in fear and awe of Naruto's display of power. Finally, Kakashi acted by yanking Naruto back and releasing Kiba. Naruto landed on his feet and went right after Kiba again. This time, Kakashi held him back.
"Naruto! That's enough!" Kakashi shouted harshly. Naruto continued to struggle against his teacher's grip. His eyes were wide and still alive with anger. Hinata noticed something odd about them, however. 'His eyes,' she thought. 'They just flashed red for a moment.'
"Let me go! I'll tear him apart!" Naruto growled viciously, never taking his eyes off Kiba. His arms were flinging wildly trying to free himself. Kurenai and Asuma were assisting Kiba. Then everyone heard a slap and looked over to Naruto and Kakashi. Naruto was suddenly clam, standing still and holding the side of his face. His cheek reddened where Kakashi had hit him. He tilted his head towards his teacher, a vacant look in his eyes.
"I'll discuss this with you later, Naruto." Kakashi told him in a very serious tone. It was rare to see Kakashi upset or show any real emotion, and the deadly edge in the copy ninja's voice seemed to send chills down everyone's spine. "This training session is over. Everyone go home and cool off. Naruto, you come with me." Kakashi walked off without a word, Naruto following behind like a child who had just angered his parents and was expecting to be disciplined. The group stood around for a few moments, most of them still taking in what had just transpired. Slowly, they all started to go off in different directions and Kurenai going off to help Kiba home. Hinata was the last to leave, still not sure where to go or what to do. Finally, she wandered off towards the direction that Kakashi and Naruto left in.
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It was half an hour later when Hinata found Naruto and Kakashi-sensei. She discovered them in a clearing deeper in the forest. It looked like they were discussing something, so Hinata hid herself behind a nearby tree and listened.
"Naruto, I hope you realize the seriousness of your actions." Kakashi said firmly. Naruto was not looking his teacher in the eye as he spoke, only casting his eyes downward with a sullen expression on his face. "I instructed you to hold back during team practice sessions and today you see why. Kiba was seriously injured."
"I understand sensei." Naruto replied softly.
"Naruto, you almost lost it in front of your teammates back there. You weren't even using your fox chakra . . . if you had, you might have killed him." Naruto began to tear up at these words. Hinata could hear him sniffing softly to himself in regret.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei . . . its just Sasuke, and I-I don't know what came over me."
"I understand his words hurt, but you cannot allow yourself to be controlled by your emotions. On top of all of this, I find out you abandoned your team during a mission?"
"I didn't abandon them! I only left to scout around!"
"Well, something isn't right, Naruto. I can't allow this to go unpunished. You're training with me will be three times as rigorous as it usually is for the next two weeks. During that time, I'm pulling you from active duty for missions."
"But sensei!"
"Enough Naruto! I can't have you out on missions acting like this. I want you to learn from this experience. And you must apologize to Kiba. You might have damaged something more than his body; you might have damaged his trust in you. That will be harder to rebuild than anything else." Kakashi kneeled down so he was eye-to-eye with his student. "You've become very strong recently, much more so than I expected. Your determination amazes me and you've made me proud of you. But you have to let go of this anger. I know you are still upset about Sasuke." Naruto said nothing; he just glanced off to the side for a moment. "Learn to control you're anger because if you don't, it will be your undoing." Naruto's expression turned serious now.
"Yes sensei, I won't let you down."
"I know you won't, Naruto. I believe in you. Now get ready. I want three times as much work from you today." Naruto nodded and took off his orange jacket. Hinata noticed that Naruto was not wearing a shirt underneath his jacket like normal. The blonde boy's body was a lot more defined than she expected. His shouldered looked boarder and arms thicker than any of her teammates. However, it wasn't his muscles that she was paying attention to; it was the scars. They decorated his chest, arms and back, all of various sizes and lengths. 'Why does he have so many scars?' she wondered as she watched him walk over to a nearby tree. Naruto began punching the tree, causing it to shake violently. "I want 600 punches by the hour, Naruto. Then 600 push ups and sit ups. We will spar after you are done."
'That's a lot," Hinata thought to herself. 'Naruto-kun works harder than any of us; he's doing all of this on top of regular training.' She watched him train for the next two hours with Kakashi, the last half hour of it consisting of them sparing in the clearing. During that time, Hinata realized where the scars were coming from; Kakashi's attacks. He was hitting Naruto HARD, but many of the blows did not seem to affect the young genin like she expected them to. Naruto was giving just as much as he was receiving, but he still hit his sensei fewer times than he was getting hit. They both finally stopped when they appeared ready to collapse from exhaustion. Both of them were on one knee, breathing heavily and looking bruised and beaten.
"That's enough for today," Kakashi managed to say between breaths. "You've done well today. I expect just as much effort the next two weeks. Dismissed." Naruto nodded to his instructor and stood up. He did not say anything more; he only grabbed his jacket and headed back towards the village. Hinata silently followed him through the forest until he came out near the academy training grounds. The young girl watched Naruto as he stood in place and looked around.
"Hey, Naruto! You're late!" Someone shouted at him. The blonde genin turned to his left to see Lee waving at him. His teammates, Neji and Ten-Ten were standing nearby. Naruto grinned and made his way over to them.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I got caught up with something." Naruto told them. Lee simply waved it off.
"Don't take so long next time; we were about to start without you." Neji told him sounding grumpy. "You cut in on our training time when you're late."
"Alright, alright. Let's just get started." Naruto waved off Hinata's cousin as he walked away from them. 'What's Naruto-kun up to now?' the young girl thought as she watched from her hiding place. Naruto faced the three ninjas and grinned. "Don't hold back, I want everything today."
"We know, we know." Lee said as he took a fighting stance towards him. His other teammates followed suit and glanced towards Naruto. They all stood there for a moment facing off until someone made a move. Neji was the first to attack, but his teammates were right behind him. They all charged Naruto quickly, but the blonde boy made no motion to stop them. 'They are going to hurt Naruto-kun!' Hinata worriedly thought as she watched. Hinata, however, forgot that nothing is as it seems with Naruto.
The blonde placed his fingers together in the familiar jutsu motion before shouting out his technique.
"Taiju Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Large clouds of smoke filled the area and before they cleared, clones of Naruto sprung out from the smoke and scattered around the area.
"He's cloned himself! Start attacking them until you find the real one!" Neji shouted at his teammates. Ten-Ten pulled out four kunai and flung them at the nearest clones. All of them were on target and instantly they all disappeared as quickly as they appeared. Lee landed nearby and attacked a group of clones using his speed. He made short work of them in no time. Neji activated his bloodline ability and began to scan the various clones to find the real Naruto. "There, by the stump!" Neji's teammates immediately went after the Naruto standing by a tree stump near where Hinata was hiding place. The clones all surrounded Naruto and blocked the groups attack, but the ninja team quickly disposed of them. At last, they surrounded Naruto by himself. All of them went after their prey with a gleam in their eyes. Hinata covered her eyes as they closed the between them and Naruto. Naruto himself did not back down. Everything went silent for a moment, and when Hinata heard nothing she opened one eye and looked. Naruto had actually blocked all their attacks, holding off Neji and Ten-Ten with his arms and Lee with his left foot. Finally, Naruto took in one huge breath and shrugged each of his attackers off when he exhaled.
Hinata was dumbstruck. Naruto's power was unbelievable. He was still going strong despite all his training; first with the group, then with Kakashi sensei and finally with Lee, Neji and Ten-Ten. Hinata was beginning to see why Naruto always wore bandages around his arms all the time now; she noticed right away as Naruto continued to fight with the ninja team that he was only blocking, not attacking. He must be taking a lot of punishment countering all those moves. Suddenly, things were beginning to make sense to her; his newfound speed and strength, how he was able to save all of them during their last mission, how he was able to hurt Kiba so badly with so little effort. Naruto was pushing himself beyond the limits of his body. No one could take on the training regiment that he submitted himself to on a daily basis, yet here he was, doing the impossible. But that was Naruto's way; always taking on the impossible and improbable and never complaining about it. Hinata never thought her respect for Naruto could be anymore than it was, but her opinion of the young boy grew greatly in her eyes. However, there was one aspect of this situation that she did not like.
His eyes.
Throughout all the training she had watched Naruto partake in, he never looked like himself. His expression was too hardened or too hollow, as if he wasn't there while it was happening. She could see it in the way he moved while he fought and sometimes it was present while he was on a mission. She also saw it that night he saved her. Naruto was changing; and not for the better. 'He's losing a part of himself for all of this,' she pondered as he continued to fight. 'It's the part of him that makes him a good person.' Hinata's thoughts drifted back to earlier that day when she thought she saw Naruto's eyes flicker from their usual azure blue to a primal red. She thought she had imagined it, but after seeing Naruto like this, she wasn't so sure.
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Naruto walked along the street towards his house. It had been a long and trying day for him. No matter how much he tried to push it back, the image of himself holding Kiba up against the tree would not leave his thoughts. He couldn't believe he had lost control like that. Even if Kiba's words were hurtful, he shouldn't have attacked him. He was ashamed of himself and knew he had to apologize and set things right. Kiba was more than simply his teammate, he was a good guy and a great ally to have around. Naruto hated to hurt people he liked, especially over nothing.
He knew part of the reason he got so angry was because of the issue with Sasuke. He still missed his friend and hated how things were left. He also still felt a lot of guilt for not bringing him back. Everyone had told him not to worry about it and that he had nothing to be ashamed of, but Kiba's words struck a soft spot for Naruto he didn't know he had. To make things worse, his outburst had disappointed Kakashi-sensei. He knew he would be punished and he would take it, but it wasn't nearly as bad as seeing his teacher look at him with such disappointment. Still, he felt a little better when Kakashi told him he was proud of him. His respect meant a lot to Naruto and he would work his hardest to make sure he would never lose it.
Overall it wasn't a total loss. He had trained well and everything was going alright. He would go see Kiba in the morning and at least try to talk to him. But for now, he needed ramen and rest. He turned the corner towards his apartment building when he saw something that confused him. Hinata Hyuuga was sitting on the steps in front of his apartment holding her arms to herself.
"Hinata, is everything alright? What are you doing here?" he asked the girl. As he walked up to her, he noticed her cheeks were red, something that seemed to be normal at least whenever he spoke to her. 'Strange girl' He thought offhandedly. Still, he was concerned about her. She was becoming a good friend and an even better ally as a teammate. The dark-haired girl looked up at Naruto with her pale eyes and a very solemn expression.
"N-Naruto, I followed you today. Please don't be mad at me" she said softly. Naruto's eyes widened as he realized she had seen him practice all day with Kakashi and the others.
"Look uh, Hinata."
"You don't have to explain. I thought you were wonderful today." She told him as she stood up. "But you are pushing yourself too hard. I saw you're scars and I know why you bandage your arms and legs."
"That's nothing, Hinata. Just scratches from workouts, nothing to worry about."
"Naruto, you can't fool me, I've got enough training to see what type of damage you are doing to your body." She reached into her pouch and pulled out a small jar of ointment. She held it out to him shyly. "Here, this should help heal some of the scars and relive some of the pain. But you still need some serious rest in order to heal correctly."
Naruto blinked for a moment as he looked at the young girl standing before him. She was more perceptive than he realized. She also must care a lot to follow him around and make sure he was alright. He took the jar from her with a smile.
"Thanks Hinata, that's very thoughtful of you." The girl blushed at his words, and he bowed to her before taking a step up the stairs.
"N-Naruto-kun," she said hesitantly. "I'm worried about you."
"You shouldn't worry yourself, Hinata. I told you that once before." He said carefully.
"No, Naruto. I'm really worried about you. I you are a g-good person and I really admire that." Hinata's face began to turn redder with each word that escaped her lips. 'I can't believe I'm actually saying this.' She thought. "You saved me the last time we were on a mission and you always help out everyone else when they need it. But I've seen something c-change in you Naruto." Tears began to form in her eyes and Naruto's face grew very serious.
"What kind of change?"
"You aren't the same happy person you always are. What made you strong and great is dying, I can see it. It's never been right how everyone treats you, but I think it's starting to take its toll on you. Naruto-kun, I'm scared. I'm scared you are going to lose yourself one day." Hinata dipped her head down trying to hide her eyes that were slowly welling up with tears.
Naruto let Hinata's words sink in. He thought back to how had been acting recently. The young ninja's actions might have been a little out of character, but he never realized anyone had taken notice to him, especially Hinata. She was a great person and the more he thought about it, the more he realized how much she had looked after him. She was always asking him if he was alright or if he needed anything, especially during missions. 'Perhaps I should consider her feelings a bit more if she's taken such an interest in me. I don't want to worry anyone.' The blonde thought to himself.
"I didn't realize you were so worried about me, Hinata." Naruto scratched his head nervously. "I'm sorry if I've been a bother."
"It's alright Naruto; I tend to worry about a lot of things." She told him. "Just promise me you won't change. I like you-we all like you just the way we are." Hinata tried to cover her words quickly.
"Well then Hinata, I promise I won't change . . . just for you."
"J-just for me?" she said a little stunned.
"Of course, you've been very kind to me and I would hate to upset you. If you like me like the way I am, then why should I change?"
"Naruto-kun . . . thank you." Hinata felt like she could die happily at that moment. It was a small acknowledgement, but for her, it was monumental.
"There is one thing I would like to ask of you, Hinata." Naruto said to her.
"Hmm?"
"Would you help me out with this ointment? You're the medial expert, after all." Hinata's face turned a deep crimson at the suggestion.
"S-sure, Naruto-kun." He gently took her hand and led him up to his apartment. Hinata tried not to shake while as he opened the door to his place. 'I'm going into Naruto-kun's home!' She thought excitedly.
"It's not much, but its home." He told her as he turned on a light. Naruto took off his jacket and began unwrapping his bandages. Hinata was very nervous now because she was seeing him up close without his jacket on. He seemed to be more defined up close than when she saw him earlier. She could also make out the fresh bruises and scars on his body. She also noticed how swollen his arms were once he took off the bandages. She gasped at the sight of his forearms and immediately had him sit down.
"This is what I mean by not taking care of yourself, Naruto-kun." She said in a very motherly tone. "You have to let things like this heal." She began applying the ointment to the purple, swollen bruises up and down his arms. "I bet you don't even soak them do you?"
"Well, uh, not really." He answered sheepishly.
"I'll prepare some water for you once I'm finished with this ointment."
"Wow Hinata, I could use you around everyday after training." The dark-haired girl got quiet and averted her eyes from his.
"I-I could take a look at your bruises everyday if y-you'd like." She said very softly.
"Would you? Wow! My very own nurse! I'll be better than ever with you helping me out!" he told her. The girl could only giggle at his excitement. He continued to rub the ointment into his skin, occasionally blushing when she began rubbing it over his chest muscles. She unconsciously slowed down as she looked at his well-defined physique. 'I didn't realize Naruto-kun was so handsome.' She thought pleasantly to herself. Most people mistook Hinata's shyness for innocence. The dark haired girl had the same thoughts and feelings as everyone else, she just wasn't nearly so vocal about them.
"Is something wrong, Hinata?" Naruto's question broke her out of her trance. She realized her hands were sitting on top of Naruto's chest, softly gripping them. Her embarrassment was evident on her face.
"Oh no! Nothing, nothing at all." She said quickly. "I'll get you some water now."
"Thanks a lot, Hinata. I'll have to do something to repay you. No one looks out for me like you do."
'I'll always look out for you, Naruto-kun.' She said to herself silently. 'No matter what, I'll be there for you, because I love you.'