Simplicity is Complexity

by OpposingForce

Three years of absense can create a lot of gaps in friendships. Despite that, however, on his return he realizes someone still loves him deeply, and yet he can't seem to find the heart to love her. NaruHina.

16. Questionable Methods

Simplicity is Complexity

Chapter 16: Questionable Methods.

Disclaimer: Writing for 2 years now… and I have been saying the same thing… Don't own Naruto, that's all there is to it. I don't own Guilty Gear (GG) either or any moves created by them! Nice and simple, and I don't need to get sued.

AN: I don't have much to say this time. As the chapters come by, it's getting closer and closer to the end. Secrets are indirectly being told; Naruto is less humble towards things; Rika's love for Naruto is still burning as warm as ever; Hinata grows more anxious for her prince to give his reply; and things are finally moving along nicely –hopefully.

SIC has been a pleasure to write for a several reasons. One, it was a different style compared to the rest of the stories I wrote –in a way. Two, I read insightful things as I wrote this story. Three, it's plainly corrupted to the fullest. It suits my personally perfectly. And please, my friends, do read on. I don't think I would want to disturb you now when you all should be reading. Besides, I am too tired to keep talking.

I hate Naruto, the anime and manga, with all my heart. It is so shit that I wonder why something as good as "Fate Stay Night", or "Ginban Kaleidoscope" can't compete against its popularity and fame.

(Hyuuga Mansion, time did not change)

A lighter without my drugs… what loneliness we got here… This should not have been a reality… how I wished it wasn't so. But without my drugs my lighter had no purpose. No use mourning about it now, any substitute would do –provided if there was anything to select from. Blast it all. Even in a stereotypical noble family the chances of having drugs was low, since they regarded as a deadly sin that must not go unpunished. In real life, this stereotypical belief must be more or less a fact. Seriously now, I couldn't imagine Hyuuga Neji coming up to me with a pack of smokes as if it was okay. Having him to offer me one was more than weird, and even more so if he was to hand me one under this roof. It was against everything he stood for as a ninja, as a member of the Hyuuga family, and most importantly as Hyuuga Neji, the most respected young aged genius Konoha had witnessed. Everyone took this as a miracle without objections or disagreement. This was a generation to be praised.

Quite a shame it was that I had no contribution in it. No, wait a minute; I did contribute. When the Hyuuga Branch family made history of giving birth to a genius, a year after Anthris' invasion was marked down as one of the world's greatest disasters. That decade had its ups and downs, but the downs were so significant that the goodness of those years could not possibly compensate for the negatives. No one was optimistic enough to see it as such. My existence, as I heard, was a sin, a grace that could not possibly be blessed to an unworthy, as if I was a disease that relentlessly brought ill fortune. If this country was democratic instead of Hokage-ruled absolutism, my body was guaranteed to be six feet under over ten years ago. Each breath of air I took would be demanded back, too, since it could have been used on other healthy, worthy kids. Perhaps a several more gallons of fresh oxygen in their brains might have given them a chance to grow a small addition of brain cells.

Or so I thought. I was not a proud man, but I was confident that only their ignorance and negligence would continue to bloom instead of intelligence for many generations to come.

Up to this point, the degree of passion of hate directed to me was still unknown. Still, I had a good idea of the general estimation. To be more specific and detailed, although I failed to see why such deep analysis was required, the citizens, or damage-doers, wanted to squeeze out every penny out of me, as though I owed them even if I did absolutely nothing that could possibly be considered as harm. They didn't want the CO2 I exhaled, they wanted that O2 before I brought it into my body! And in spite the fact it was virtually impossible for a dead man (this applies to the living, too) to do all those things, well, they made sure that I repaid them first before I was permitted to start enjoying the satisfactory, natural process of death! But by then, wasn't it far from natural? After strangling through every possible thing out of me, finally I was allowed to see hell and rot until I was no longer recognized as anything.

Dying in peace was not an option? Then what was I allowed to do? Talk about a horrific, fearful intent of endless greed…

"Ano… um…" I mumbled, eyes shifting around from left to right, up and down and avoiding the subject deliberately. "Yeah… what was it that you asked?"

Hinata's eyes cringed with some fury. She knew I heard what she said. I have never missed a thing before with my ears, and her intuitions told her I was stalling time for a reason she did not seem to discover yet. I agreed that cunningness was a characteristic I loved about myself, for it never revealed anything unnecessary that could be used against me in the future. I was proud, yes, because I left no flaw. On the other hand, I couldn't pretend that Hinata wasn't getting better at digging out the facts. Indeed, after hanging around me for as long as she had, there had bound to be something that her awareness caught. However, she had not found out exactly what it was despite her improvements. Still, Hinata accused Rika to have something to do with it. This jealous girl was something to fear indeed. "I said were you singing?"

"Singing, you say?" I questioned back, feigning excitement and enthusiasm right before a fake laugh that would have fooled most lame ducks. Not Hinata though, she just knew better than that. "I am light years from mastering that art, my dear Hinata. Just because I am good with my hands at drawing does not mean I have that much control over my vocal cords. There is no way that could have been me. Oh, oh, your face was so priceless, like that time I said 'I like people like you'."

How goddamn long could I put up with this wretched charade? I was hating myself more every passing minute. Feeling defiled was not even close to the rage that was continuously building. If I wanted to be Stewie Griffin then some complex idioms are greatly preferred than my un-witty modernized Japanese vocabulary. Why didn't I pass high school? Right, those things never existed, and yet there were intellectuals roaming among us. What a great blessing it was to be intelligent and witty, but such greatness it had to given to the undeserving ones like Jiraiya and then the talents showed in that… filth! So, if I was a pervert, then was there a slim chance for me to become as such? Hell, I was already one, and that didn't any wonders.

"I heard what the lyrics were," Hinata replied flatly, as though she expected a lie. "Kill that guy next door? I never liked him anyway?"

God be damned... she had ears of a rabbit… Hinata was cuddly, too. Her strengths were nothing but a nuisance…

"Rika, help me…" I nudged over to my violet haired and violet eyed friend hurriedly behind me.

"You are on your own," she whispered cheekily in return. My eyes widened with disbelief. What kind of friend abandoned another buddy under desperate crisis? Under the unwritten laws of friendship, it was forbidden to not give aid when a subject was obviously crying for help because subject just so happened to lack the ability to fend for his/herself. And therefore, when you see a friend in need, well, don't just stand there; get them the hell out of there! Having that said, where was my saviour's hand? Oh, I didn't know, perhaps still crossed under her breasts and touching it a several times for the sake of teasing while mouthing the words, 'You want them, don't you. They are waiting… I think I wore too small of a bra today… and it's translucent… Oh, I wish you can set them free for me… it's so tight, and my chest is getting ever so sore…' She just HAD to do that… she clearly remembered that I had reactions to that sort of seduction from her and her only!

I didn't believe that I caught every word although I didn't even hear it. Perhaps I could master sign language for the sake of private communication…

I was a friend… Rika was a friend… We started at the same place, then so why did Rika (and Anthris) happen to be that kind of friend who abandoned the needy?

"You are not serious…" I hissed dangerously, clearly trying to get my point across with the least amount of tension rising.

"Very serious, I'm afraid,"

"You are really asking for complete isolation tonight, aren't you? Do you really wish for your panties to remain dry?"

Rika giggled despite my rage nearly consumed me. "Oh, I can get them wet myself. I'll save you the trouble."

"I can always tie you up,"

"Didn't we talk about this earlier?"

Crap, she did. "Damn you…" I could not resort to anything more than a curse.

"It's what I do best."

Hinata grew interested. Not exactly interested in terms of being fascinated, but rather she wondered why Rika and I were talking amongst ourselves when I should have been giving my attention to Hinata. At the same time, our subject matter was not necessarily socially acceptable in a noble household. "Wet? Get what wet?"

I froze. Rika giggled some more than to suffer the same experiences I was facing. Fortunately, yes, most fortunately, Hinata did not fully catch what we were discussing about. If she did, my life was over. Gone, kaboom, banzai, abra-kadabra-alakazam, sayonara! I agreed that I had a reason to be afraid, but Hinata cannot see this cowardice because she would observe it and take every bit of advantage over it when the time is right. And thus, for the sake of my future, I hurriedly collected every fraction of strength and spoke.

"Rika-chan here was clumsy before we left. She turned the tap on too high and, well, the sink could not take in any more water and so it overflowed before running down the counter and created quite a large pool on my floor. I had such a hassle trying to clean it up. I thought I was never going to get rid all the wetness before it permanently stained the wood. You know wooden structures shouldn't get wet or they, you know, get fragile and stuff."

When I asked for power and confidence… I didn't mean to use it to that extent. Care to notice how dirty I sounded? Just swap a several specific words in that sentence and you will get something like a paragraph describing a lovemaking scene. Am I going crazy? Fuck this fuck me fuck Hinata fuck my choice of words fuck everything!

Okay… time to play cool, Naruto… play it cool. Pretend that I never let that out of my mouth… I didn't do anything… It is all just a misunderstanding… A coincidence was a friend that I could not do anything about, and so everything that happened was beyond my power to adjust and change…

That positive thinking didn't go anywhere. A pessimist suited me better considerably.

"Oh… is that right?"

"Most certainly,"

Rika almost could not control herself any longer. For a second there, she actually laughed out loud but my hand quickly closed her mouth and accused it as sneezing instead. When Hinata believed my lie I was deeply relieved. She nearly blew my cover! Did she know she was treading on thin ice here, where I had all the power to make the ice thinner and easier to crack? The moral was: Don't mess with the authoritative.

"And why were you singing then? I know it was you." Hinata asked me again; this time not as composed and sweet. I knew that demanding look well.

"Umm… why was I singing? What a good question…" I saw that one coming. I deliberately procrastinated, hopelessly trying to buy some time to think of a proper response. From this situation, I learned that Hinata wanted me to sing to her. No, if I was going to sing to another woman, well, I better have sung to Hinata before anyone else. Not hearing my voice in singing mode was equivalent to missing that slice of life that made it whole. Why did girls make those small things so dramatic? It was just my horrible, yet sexy, singing. No big deal, really. Furthermore, I was sure no one wanted to be deafened anyway.

I had a hard time elaborating that to the Hyuuga princess though. She just saw her sister having the most delighted face in years! As much as she hated to admit it, my results in comparison to hers had a distinct gap that promoted discouragement to the fullest degree. Whenever I decided to speak fibs, well, I only want the deceived and the deceiver (me) to be present. Any third party members were never a good sign. It meant that I didn't do a good job in getting that one specific person out of the picture early and I grew desperate because the situation was no longer in my favour (in which I should have turned to my advantage at an early stage) and because I didn't that made me an utter failure. "Naruto," Hinata said sternly with 'that' look.

She called me without the suffix 'kun'. Wonderful… this couldn't be more perfect…

Suddenly, the door opened from a several feet behind me. A servant of the Hyuuga's humbly entered promptly, however she didn't move without a touch of clumsiness when she stumbled, but not yet actually falling yet sadly to my discomfort. Some pain was always good; at least that was my personal philosophy. Besides, I needed the drama even if it was out of someone else's misfortune.

"I am sorry for not knocking, Hinata-sama," said the servant, taking a short bow before the heiress.

"It's fine," Hinata dismissed it with a kind smile. "Please be careful the next time. You know Father doesn't take accidents like these compared to Neji-ni-san, Hanabi-chan and I."

So, Neji actually had a more noticeable humane side? Someone at his caliber should be used to ordering people around, and sensing immense satisfaction while doing so. Then again, he was a genius, and given time he could accomplish anything he wanted if he put his mind to it –unlike some people who gained absolutely nothing even when they tried their best. No, I wasn't referring to Lee, I was talking about myself. This servant had the same eyes Hinata did. Like Neji, this young girl had a blue band around her forehead, in which was partially covered by her long black hair, as if she was purposely trying to conceal something from the public. My only guess was that she belonged from the Branch family. However, she definitely lacked the amount of freedom Neji had. Neji had a choice to become a shinobi, and she was nothing more but a lousy worker for those who were born from a better family.

Then again, I could be wrong. With a very slight chance Mizuki might not have thought of it in the same negative way my wicked brain worked.

"Yes, thank you,"

"What brings you here, Mizuki-chan?"

"Hiashi-sama wishes for Uzumaki Naruto's presence immediately."

"Who is Hiashi?" I asked.

"My father," said Hinata. She was surprised at this news just as much as I was. Rika just blinked, but grinned a conniving smirk a second after without either of us knowing. "That is… is… um…"

"Startling?" I finished for her.

"Why yes. Mizuki-chan, why does Father want to see Naruto so unexpectedly?"

"Even I don't know, Hinata-sama," said Mizuki, "I was just told to give the message."

"Should I go then?" I asked, wondering if that is the best. "This is your father we are talking about, Hinata. I guess this could be urgent…"

Deep down, I was cheering for joy. I escaped another near death experience. It was so hard to stay popular these days without putting your life on the scale. I believed that I have been doing a good enough job for staying alive up to this day for as long as I have. Breaking a record didn't sound so bad when I had such good spirits.

"Yes, you should go. And Naruto-kun,"

"Yes?"

"May we continue our conversation after you are done? I'll be waiting, if you don't mind…" And she wisely left that hanging. If I declined, I would look like a complete insensitive jerk in front of Mizuki. Normal circumstance usually left me not caring for anyone else, but I was sharp. The instant I noticed that Hinata referred Mizuki with a 'chan' I knew this was no ordinary servant. She was special in some ways in which I did not know, but that was good enough for me. In order to keep a good image, the smart way to advance was to play the way Hinata wanted me to move. In short, I accepted her offer.

"Sure, why not," I said, removing my hand out of Rika's before I approached Hinata and kissed her on the cheek. Then, I moved on to Rika and did the same. They both smiled, yes, but Hinata had an envious look when Rika received a kiss, too, when it could have been sweeter than hers. As I turned around again, that frown disappeared as if it never existed to begin with. Hinata had some skills I had to admit. "I should get going."

"I'll see you later?" Rika said, just right before Hinata was about to say something. I imagined her fuming at that loss. "Don't take too long, okay?"

"I'll see what I can do,"

Rika kissed me once more on the cheek before she pushed me out the door feeling pleased with her gains and achievements.

I rushed out of the dangerous bedroom (mainly due to Rika's prior actions with Hinata present) and followed Mizuki's lead to wherever Hiashi might be. Just by watching these hallways made me grunt, and not without a good reason. From my perspective, every spot looked exactly the same. The hallways did not seem to have an end in sight; every single part of the hall used a specific length and type of wood; the slide doors' decorations were completely identical to the ones beside it… This was no different from a maze! The interior landscape changes made me recoil, too. One section of the mansion was heavily influenced under Western (whatever that was. I didn't know if North America, or Europe even existed in my time era) style construction, and then there were other parts influenced by traditional Japanese culture. The shift was noticeable, too. After one hallway interchange, which was at least twenty meters away from the room I left from, the entire structure changed drastically without any warning whatsoever.

Imagine a desolace (a term used in an area in WoW, which is taken from the word desolate. Yeah, you can imagine how friendly that place must be) right outside a blooming forest; did that make sense? And I thought walking out of an oasis and meeting deserts again was weird enough, but the shock from this mansion had a much more of an unwanted, yet significant effect. Firstly, it showed either extreme dedication to Japanese culture, or they could have cared less. Secondly, this could be a drastic division, a physical boundary between Branch and Main Family. And lastly… well… how could this place hold two separate styles of interior design like that? One required concrete, and the other used mainly wood…

And of the best quality, too… This wasn't a righteous home for nothing, indeed.

I was no physicist, no, but I couldn't help but to be a little concerned over the people who lived under this roof. Certainly, the people who lived in the cement structured rooms had a higher chance of survival if a hurricane came by, and the rest, who slept in the extreme frail bedrooms constructed and secured with only wood, would be taking a one horse open sleigh straight to hell. Where would I fit under that chaos? Knowing me, I probably took my leave and fled ages before Mother Nature managed to disperse her wrath upon humanity. If I had a special someone perhaps that would seem fairly selfish, yes, but fortunately for me I did not have a single soul to worry about besides myself –and Anthris.

As a good citizen of Konoha, morally speaking, I should be reporting anything hazardous or issues worth worrying to the Hokage to ensure safety amongst the inhabitants. Besides, it could bring unity, in theory, and we could befriend. That was only theoretically speaking, of course, since no one could depend and rely everything on theories alone. If we justified outcomes by theory alone, then I dared to say that communism works. Anyhow, if I were to give my concerns to Tsunade regarding the Hyuugas, perhaps the Hokage would be much happier with my honesty and sympathy. No matter how often I thought about it, the Hyuuga family was noble, this word was getting a bit too loosely used, and each one of their survival played a role considerably greater than any commoner –I, sadly to say, was put in a class even lower than a peon. In addition, due to the fact that I corrupted a small, but considerate, number of children three weeks ago, Konoha could not afford to have more of their future shinobis to be ruthlessly sacrificed.

Oh, Tsunade worried too much. I was sure that their sacrifices were not in vain despite that they are still alive and breathing. The rewards would bear fruit –with more sacrifice.

"Aren't you going to go with Naruto-kun, Rika-san?" asked Hinata, not exactly too delighted with Rika's presence in this room. Hinata obviously made no obvious note of it, and therefore she put up a fake smile that could have convinced anyone.

"Your father didn't ask for me to show up," replied my gorgeous friend with a kind smile. "I don't think that I should go. May I stay here and wait for Naruto to come back?"

"I am sure that Father wouldn't mind if you went also."

"In normal circumstances," Rika continued in a neutral voice that signaled no hostility or jealousy –yet. "I would have followed, yes. But this is a noble house, isn't it? And if I remember correctly, your father is the head leader. I can't just do whatever I want in here compared to the outside."

"You really follow the rules well," Hinata commented with objectivity that caused Rika to be confused because there was no hint that Hinata was insulting or complimenting her.

"It's my first time in a household like this," Rika said back, probably guessing that Hinata just tried to insult her earlier. "I don't want to give off the wrong impression to the others in here."

"This is your first time?" Hinata stood and opened the drawer adjacent to the bed and took out a sitting cushion before passing it to Rika. She was surprised that Rika, Hanabi, and I were sitting on the floor when Hanabi clearly knew that they had other pillows in this room. At least Hinata didn't do a bad job at being a good host –not even Neji had the slightest idea how to be serving others when Tenten came over for a visit. Surprisingly, having a genius placed in different roles could make them look like idiots. "Don't you have any clans at wherever you live?"

"My hometown isn't that prestigious enough to have families like that. If there were, naturally they would choose to live here since Konoha is the Fire Country's capital. All the federal legislations and such are being held here; I suppose that is why this is a good strategic spot for ninja clans to develop here. Naruto told me that all of the Fire Country's shinobis are produced here, isn't that right?"

Hinata brought her knees to her chin as she tilted her head towards Rika's direction. "I think it's more of a disadvantage…"

"It is?" Rika's lack of knowledge of the shinobi world was evident at this point. Hinata couldn't blame her though, because Rika was only a chef in a town that not even she had heard of. The Hyuugas were a very knowledgeable, reliable, informative type of people. Their intention was not to brag; instead it was to protect themselves against the outside. Lacking in intelligence brought great jeopardy. Truth be told, having the Uchiha clan was a mistake out of negligence and ignorance from a special someone in the history books. Sex, pleasure, the temptation of lust from a Hyuuga ancestor led to the result of the Sharingan, and perhaps that was why most Hyuuga members view the Uchihas with passionate despise like how most villagers saw me with hate. "What makes you say that?"

"Like you said, this is the only place to produce Konoha's shinobis. And that means all of our power and abilities rests in this town alone. Konoha draws attention, as if it is telling every other country to come and attack us because everyone is gathered in one place. You heard the saying 'kill two birds in one stone', right? In this case, it's killing everyone with one stone. Instead of having the trouble to hunt each strong clan or specific individual, they could just invade Konoha and deal with everyone at once. I personally don't think that is smart, Rika-san,"

Rika had her own philosophies though. "But if everyone is here, then Konoha has all the different strengths to defend itself, right?"

From a 21st century person's point of view, it was more than idiotic to assemble the critical people in one location for the predators to ambush. If technology came into play, destroying Konoha was child's play. I wasn't referring to rifles or shotguns (our ninja capabilities clearly surpassed a weapon like that) but an Area of Effect (AoE) bomb. In short, I was concerned over nuclear explosives. Shoot one of those above our skies, and once it reached ground zero… not even someone as strong as Tsunade, or a shield as defensive as Kaiten could defend against the shockwave. There was no possible way for anyone to survive. One bomb equaled to one threat gone. Easy, wasn't it? No shinobi skills required… practically anyone could do it!

"We lack the numbers," Hinata answered sadly. "Even though we do have a lot of shinobis, what good is it if our population continues to grow and new towns are built? Not that I have a problem with population growth, but new towns meant more shinobis are needed to be sent there for protection to keep things in order. If we continue to send off men like that, Konoha would not have anyone left. The town needs more than it produces. We are actually in a really tight situation, believe it or not."

Oblivious to Hinata, Rika happened to be a very positive soul –most of the time anyway. Seeing Hinata's pain, my violet haired girlfriend (friend that happened to be a girl, thank you) tried to cheer the heiress up. "Well, Naruto did tell me that Konoha is filled with an endless amount of young, promising, full spirited shinobis," That was a lie and she knew it. "He said that he saw plenty of talented ones during his days as an academy student. There shouldn't be a need to worry."

Hinata grinned for no apparent reason. For starters, she knew Rika was looking on the brighter side of things. However, as respectful as that might be, Hinata was more shocked that I actually gave praise or words of optimistic remark. Complimenting the typical Konoha villagers did not seem right if those words came from me. Hinata, surprisingly, didn't even realize how quickly she expected my negativity when she had been arguing that I was still a kind soul before she met Rika. "In theory, that is true. But that would only work if someone didn't mess up the kids' minds and turned them into dangerous, rampaging zealots who obey no one but the authority."

At this point, Rika was plainly outraged. "What? Who? Who would do such a thing? That is terrible!"

"Who?" Hinata questioned back with malice, in which nearly got Rika to recoil in fear. "Care to guess, Rika-chan?"

My friend knew that 'chan' was drenched with sarcasm. Still, Rika dismissed it absentmindedly. "No, I don't know, Hinata-san."

The Hyuuga hime laughed, but not a good-hearted laugh at all. "That moron would be Uzumaki Naruto."

Instead of an explosive respond, which Hinata estimated, Rika's anger disappeared in an instant and a small grin was formed. "Oh," Hinata failed to catch any disappointment in that tone. Wasn't Rika at least a little crossed? Couldn't she show some anger? Why did she sound… happy?

"Ano… Rika-san…"

Consider how I was able to transform the tranquil Sawada Rika, who had a soul whiter than snow, into the modest free, lustful woman who had no shame whatsoever to show her needs, manipulating kids was definitely child's play. From a girl who loved affection from hugs and kisses, she was now, as she said, a woman with very womanly feelings. She made it sound so legitimately correct, too. Why couldn't she just say, "I want orgasms, and lots of it"? I meant, that WAS honesty! Despite how immodest she was, I suppose Rika still had some skills in hiding herself.

"What?"

"Why aren't you angry?"

"What for, Hinata-san? Oh, you mean creating those zealots? Of course not, silly girl." Rika waved it off casually and free-spiritedly. "I am actually impressed."

Hinata's eyebrow then twitched. "Impressed?" She had to repeat the word at least once to hear it correctly. When the two girls were sitting no further than six feet from another, there shouldn't be any difficulty at hearing each other.

"He's still so good at it. No wonder he is the best."

Those words did not make any sense to Hinata's ears. Her head refused to register what she just heard. Actually, she couldn't fit the pieces together. Here she was ballistic about how I objected her opinions during the time I trained the kids to earn their spot at the academy and how my actions caused one of the most serious dilemmas ever written in history, and then there was Sawada Rika laughing and congratulating me for this tragedy that had befallen on Konoha. What the hell did Rika mean I was still so good at it, Hinata thought, what was this 'it' Rika was referring to?

"What do you mean?" Hinata could only ask and do nothing else. For once, she was lost completely.

"At changing people, Naruto is excellent at changing people,"

"Yes," Hinata agreed with delightful passion. Her lavender eyes sparkled with admiration as she spoke, "Naruto-kun is very good at helping people, too. His words are endless encouragement, he makes people realize how good life really is if we reach for it, and although he doesn't look like it… he has concern over everyone. He is very selfless…"

To Hinata's disbelief, Rika literally rolled on the floor laughing. The Hyuuga girl felt insulted. She clearly noticed that Rika was not laughing out of good nature; she was laughing at her words as if they were as ridiculous as when George Bush said, "I think we can all agree that the past is over" Hinata was not just humiliated, she was outraged. How could she be shamed at her own home? "Encouragement? Concern for everyone? Life is good? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You should really do standup comedies, Hinata-san. You are a natural! Life is good… HAHAHAHAHA, I haven't laughed like that in ages!"

Hinata clenched her fists, desperately attempting to release any anger she still had from within. She thought tightening it might do some good, but it wasn't showing progress when her rage continued to build up while she could almost felt her hand bleeding from her nails digging in further and further as her strength continued to increase. She didn't know why she was this angry. She couldn't comprehend the situation at all –even if she was sound. Everything agitated her, as if this world was crumbling down beyond her control. "Rika-san…" Hinata gasped, trying to be calm and stable, "I think it would be wise if you watch what you say…" She took another deep breath for reassurance, "You might upset some people… especially those who don't share the same opinions as you…"

"Gomen-ne, gomen-ne," apologized Rika, still had a great smile on her face from her laughter. The Hyuuga princess, of course, did not find it persuasive by the slightest. "You have to admit though. Whatever you just said just now was funny."

That drew the line. Hinata found no reason to be timid, considerate, and most importantly, polite. In her perspective, Rika was her love rival who she must defeat in order to have me all to herself. Sakura and Ino's rivalry for Sasuke was a joke compared to what Hinata was about to do. "I don't seem to get what part was amusing. I don't understand why you would think such hopeful things that Naruto-kun would say is blasphemy or something you would find entertainment out of. Why do you make fun of something like that? Is it funny? Do you seek enjoyment in other people's sufferings?"

"Do you see me as a sadist?"

"I am afraid you have given me no choice,"

"Well, I am not,"

"It's hard for me to believe,"

"I am sorry then,"

"I agreed with you by saying that Naruto-kun is the best at changing people… so why did you laugh like you did?"

Rika grinned for the millionth time today. This time, she did it knowingly. "I was laughing at the reasons you gave. Naruto changes people, yes, of course he does, but please don't be ignorant. He brings the darkest sides of everyone out after one counseling session –provided if you have the mentality to accept the facts."

"No way… Y-y-y-you're lying!"

"You insult me, Hinata-san," Rika said, faking her emotional pain in the same manner I would have preferred. "Do you think I will speak false information on our very first conversation? Besides, this is Naruto we are talking about –I wouldn't say anything that is a lie. You look so strong though, Hinata-san, I thought you would be reasonable enough to accept the facts. You disappoint me."

"I don't see what there is to accept," Hinata immediately objected. "Not when everything that you said was a lie."

"I don't lie,"

"I don't believe you."

"Let me ask you then," Rika switched the topic slightly to a more stable ground. If they continued on wherever they were on before, there might be some deaths in the end. "How much do you know Naruto? How confident are you?"

Finally, Hinata was starting to back down. The prior confidence and strength she rarely managed to summon was running an all time low. With just one question the seed of doubt did more damage than Hinata first anticipated. She cursed and scolded in her head, yelling and screaming about how she needed to zap Rika back with powerful remarks, but nothing came out. This was not the time to be speechless! Despite that she might not have the wisest words to counter Rika, that didn't mean Hinata should just sit still as if she suffered from a Chidori to her heart. Luckily, even though she realized that she no longer stood on the upper hand nor on the line of stalemate, she was thankful that Rika did not trample in any further. However, that caused another question to surface; why didn't Rika continue her aggression? Nevertheless, this was not the appropriate moment to ponder about it. Taking a breath, Hinata gathered all the confidence she had left to respond. "Well… I have to say that Naruto-kun changed a lot… Some of his old attributes are still here… but coated with a major influence from his… new self. I don't know what I am saying… but the Naruto I know now worries me. He's reckless and careless, but the outcome does not reflect his actions. He's very direct and unfeeling, and yet he makes Hanabi-chan and I feel like the luckiest girls in Konoha. He is a man of… I don't know… contradictions?"

Rika smiled satisfyingly. This was the answer she had been searching for. "You are right," she said, which caused Hinata to look up quickly with wide eyes, "That is who Naruto is. He is a person who cannot live without lies and hypocrisy. Finally, we are getting somewhere."

"What do you mean?" Hinata interrogated dumbly and confusedly.

"I only guessed that you wouldn't understand," sighed Rika, readjusting her rear on the cushion to find a better spot. This was a good opportunity for the Hyuuga girl to have a short, but critical, examination. Since it was short, as mentioned, Hinata could not make out a lot with only a two second time limit, but she was definitely wondering if that beautiful violet haired, bright skinned (for an Asian) girl before her ever had the chance of having me in bed. The answer to that inquiry, although she did not say it out loud, was clearly a yes, or I couldn't possibly know what quickly turned Rika on. If my memory was in tact, then panties soaked in love juice was an effective method, for it was a pleasantly distinct urge for her to go over the edge. I loved Rika's reasons for desiring an orgasm. Sometimes it was out of need, others were motivated by lust, there were times she wanted to tease, and lastly because she loved me wholeheartedly. Rika found panties to be contradicting, and therefore she had a passion to 'defy' their purpose, so to speak. What a wicked passion… and she was so dirty doing it, too. "If panties were made to 'protect'," she said to me one day when the two of us were enjoying a delightful scenery on the plateau, "Then why are they so easy to penetrate? Why are they so stained so effortlessly? When it reeks of arousal, it gives people more of a reason to attack it like it's a noticeable moving target. They break, too, when we want it to keep it in tact with good intentions. These things are useless! It does the opposite of what is intended! I will not stand by and let this slide!"

I was a good listener and watcher, and so I observed her for a brief moment to see what she was going to do about this outrageous outrage she came up with. I personally found it to be a waste of my time. Panties, well, at least the panties that she wore, were undoubtedly made by perverts. Of course they would break easily; because the enlightenment of their fragility aroused typical men. The sole reason why those things stained so quickly was because perverts like Jiraiya and Kakashi loved to see wetness of any kind; it was a feast for the eyes. In fact, I believed that the fabric was designed in a way that the wetness covered more areas than it seemed, thus, to further the arousal of those who laid their eyes upon it. With this in mind, I was wondering what Rika could possibly be furious about.

Seconds later, I discovered that she only wanted me to touch her. Rika pouted through the whole conversation because I was, as she accused, too stupid to understand the subtlety of a girl. And once I gave my apologies and 'warmed her up', her lips formed that natural, loving, charming smile I cherished ever so much. The instant my fingers made contact with her panty crotch I was faced with incredible wetness, as if I just washed my hand over a lake. Her formerly white panties no longer could go back to what they were, since anything stained terribly on white. As a bonus, I could faintly see her maturing womanhood before me thanks to her honey's work. I was amazed. How she got this aroused and drenched was way beyond me. She didn't even climax yet but my eyes were convinced that she must have came more than once by now. If she reached this amount of wetness at the teasing stage… what would the results be when she went over the edge? An explosion, or perhaps a rushing fountain, or it might even be a torrential wave… I had to find out; I couldn't continue living if I missed this chance!

And then I kissed her deeply, and showed not an ounce of fervor.

That night was magical, indeed. If I was to die right there and then, I would not have minded, since I finally had a promising share of unreal riches –of severe dampness. The details, unfortunately, could not be shared unless someone bribed me.

"Don't say that… I do care about Naruto-kun," continued Hinata, who was still eager to have this conversation.

"If you really do care, then I guess it wouldn't hurt for me to give some tidbits," suggested my partner suddenly and sincerely, "Hey, consider it as something from my two cents. I'm kind enough to share what I know. But you have to believe everything that is about to come out of my mouth. No matter how ridiculous or outrageous it sounds, I promise you that my words are speaking nothing but the truth."

Hinata did trust Rika, not based on her beauty but her sincerity and solemnity on this subject. However, she still had her doubts that needed to be cleared. "But… why doesn't Naruto-kun tell me himself? Why does he need you to tell me?"

"Naruto didn't ask me to do anything. I am doing this voluntarily. Besides, it's not like that guy has the guts to tell you anyway. I know him. He will just procrastinate and procrastinate until he forgets about it, or worse he makes his lies into reality and escape from it forever. I think it is best for you to know what I have to say. I'll warn you, it's not the most prettiest thing. Are you ready, Hinata-san?"

"I suppose that I am ready for anything…"

"Good. If you have any snacks that you like, you better get them now –and also go to the bathroom beforehand because I don't want to stop midway."

Something told me this would be a long conversation. Good time to bond, yes, but at whose expense?

(Meanwhile)

It felt like months of walking before we reached the designated door that gave access to the designated room, in which looked like every other door I passed by. In reality, it had been six minutes, but these six minutes were enough to drive anyone crazy. And if Hiashi was not behind this door we stopped at, well… I couldn't guarantee Mizuki-chan's safety. I had quite an urge to kill someone, as if my calcium, or protein, or whatever was getting a tad too low for my liking.

"Here we go, Uzumaki-sama," said Mizuki cheerfully as we stood outside in the hallway.

"Naruto is fine," I corrected kindly with my infernal rage well hidden from her. "I am not too used to being referred to with such formality and respect,"

"Sure, Naruto-san," I chuckled at her way of addressing me. It must have been hard to break old habits. "Hiashi-sama is just behind this room. And if you don't mind-" She did not finish her sentence and had her hands patting my hips and soon moving upward. Of course I found this very unusual, but I showed no anger when I noticed no sexual advances behind it.

"What are you doing?"

"I am sorry, but it's a rule that any guests who meet with Hiashi-sama must be weapon-free. I am sorry for not telling you ahead of time." I nodded in understanding as she checked my legs, and lastly my arms and neck. All she managed to confiscate were my three weapon pouches and kunai holster equipped on my leg in the end. "Well, you are free to go in."

Despite the permission, I just smiled at her. "Are you sure?"

"What do you mean? I did the inspection and I found nothing on you. You may go in now."

My eyes looked right into her black orbs with smite. The kind expression I made earlier changed into a conniving one, in which made Mizuki panic but she didn't dare to make a sound. "If I was really an assassin, Hiashi-sama would have been killed," I told her as I reached my hand into my jacket. "You have failed to find my dual daggers." I swiped a pair of short weapons out and dropped it to the ground before they made a clashing sound.

My daggers weren't the last of my arsenal. Following the daggers, I brought out my TH (Two-Handed) sword, my five-foot long glaive, unlicensed (meaning illegally dangerous) explosive tags, dual-wielding axes, dual-wielding swords, a full set of half-dozen-all-purpose knives, an one-handed assault rifle with thorium-made piercing bullets, an extreme reinforced bow which could be doubled as a shield with its thorium pointed arrows, smoke bombs, flash scrolls, high explosive scrolls, poison gas scrolls, frost-traps, explosive traps, and finally some lengthy chains for random ensnaring purposes. Mizuki stared at me with lusty eyes, marveling at the fact how I was able to hide them all upon myself. That rifle especially. The only thing I was not able to give her was my army knife, which required my chakra in order to activate on my right wrist.

"I think this is all of it," I said, searching my body if I missed out anything. "Oh, and if it's too much for you to carry, you might want to call another person to help you. And, yes, watch out for the sharp points so you won't accidentally pierce yourself."

"Th-thank you for your concern…" whispered Mizuki as she bowed respectfully. "You may go in now, Naruto-san."

"You are welcome. And thank you,"

And at last I opened the door to await my destiny. As expected, there was only one person beside myself in that room. I assumed that man sitting in the middle at the far end was Hyuuga Hiashi. He reminded me of Hinata… well, of course, this man was her father!

Years of being a successful heir of a noble household gave Hiashi a quiet air of authority. Being someone of his class also gave an impression of respect out of fear. I cared nothing of that sort –surprisingly enough. There was a quality of sincerity about this man that demanded respect; not the professional kind of sincerity of a professional good heir; it was the integrity of a man who has every aspect of life which was important to him under his perfect control. This intimidated me to a degree, and I thought twice to be little diffident in my reply –if he ever asked me anything.

"You must be Uzumaki Naruto," said the Hyuuga heir. I immediately scanned his bloodline-inherited eyes and found it fairly surprising that it held no hostility whatsoever. It almost looked like that he was welcoming me. Perhaps he was one of those kind people that I rarely found in Konoha. Then again, most of my treasured ones did come from this family. "Please, take a seat anywhere you want."

"I take it that you are Hyuuga Hiashi," I replied with moderate friendliness before I picked a cushion that was fairly close, but not near enough to have him picture me as a suck. What sort of impression would I set if I sat far away, or vise-versa?

"Indeed I am. Naruto-kun, do you know why I have called you here so suddenly? I do apologize for my selfishness. Perchance you were having a friendly discussion with my elder daughter at that time? I do ask for your forgiveness if my invitation became an intrusion."

"Oh, no, in fact, you saved me."

"Saved you?" Hiashi had no idea what I was saying, and with a good cause. What other place was safer than a noble home?

"I mean, you didn't do anything wrong, don't beat yourself up," I corrected with haste; hopefully I didn't sound too alarmed. "And no, I actually do not know why I am summoned here. It would be wonderful if you elaborate your motives for a simple man like me."

"I'll get to the point then. I want to thank you personally for what you have done."

I blinked after I recoiled. "Pardon me? What did I do?"

"For taking care of my daughter,"

"Which one are you referring to?"

"Hanabi," he said, taking a cup of tea and raised it to his lips. "It has been a very troublesome week, and our bond was breaking everyday when I refused to buy her that puppy every time she asked for. Hanabi is very persistent at her passion, I know, and that was why she tried and tried, hoping to convince the opposition into giving in. And just now she came in and told me that she no longer wished for that pet. Once I asked who managed to convince her, she told me it was ni-chan, which is you, I presumed. I really had to thank you personally for restoring our family bond. Let me ask you this, are you close with Hanabi?"

"It's not in my position to say this…" I said, watching Hiashi with some doubt. Clearly, the respect I first had for him vanished once I caught plenty of problems in one speech alone. Before I answered his questions, there were some things I wanted to know. "But I wanted to know why you didn't buy her a puppy when she obviously wanted that more than anything else at the moment? I mean, it's only understandable that Hanabi would get jealous over her sister who has a pet of her own and she isn't allowed to have one. It's unfair, so to speak."

Hiashi had a good, mature, masculine laugh. "You are a very direct person, Naruto-kun. Keep this to yourself, but I am not really a dog person. The Hyuuga household has been free from dogs for generation after generation, and I don't intend to break such a tradition. It does get loud with a dog, after all, and in a home like this you have to admit that it does not look very suitable."

Another dog hater –I could relate to this man easier than I thought.

"I guess," I agreed slowly, "But allow me to ask you another question. Why didn't you settle your own parental problem? Why didn't you take the initiative? You are the father, and not I. As a father, whether you are strict or gentle, it's your responsibility to know your family. I apologize if I sound preachy, but I do believe that as a father it is your job to maintain the strong trusting bond between your children. I mean, doesn't marriage follow the same principle? Commitment, trust, bond, faithfulness, it's the same with your daughters."

"From my viewpoint, it does appear that you are very familiar with my daughters. Your words hold some confidence, yes, as though you are saying that you know them more than I do."

Realizing what he just said, I bowed my head in shame. "Gomen, Hyuuga-sama… I didn't mean it that way. Please forgive my selfish remarks; I had no intention to wound your pride or plant seeds of doubt towards your relationship with your beloved daughters. If you found it offensive, then I will remain silent until I am told."

Hiashi laughed, showing his perfectly white teeth. I expected that from someone like him. "Don't get me wrong, Naruto-kun, I found no offense in what you said. In truth, I have been spending a great deal of my time on family laws with other elders that I believe my relationship with my daughters has grown scarce. Ever since Hanabi earned a place in the academy, I haven't been training her as frequently as I used to. Nowadays, Hinata does her best to aid her sister in mastering our arts, where as Hinata takes apprenticeship under Neji's wing. I do feel guilty for not being of help."

"I suppose that can't be helped…" I really said it for the sake of making Hiashi feel better. Usually, I gave no impact to this sort of conversation even if the person seriously could have used my support.

"You are very understanding, Naruto-kun,"

"You're giving me too much credit. I am afraid that I can't stay long, and so I will accept your gratefulness with kindness. You are very welcome for inviting me to have this talk. It was a pleasure." I stood up to take my leave, but the Hyuuga heir gave a look as a command for me to sit down. My throat went dry. At this very moment, I understood how it felt like to be under a superiority of a noble heir, and it surely was not the most pleasant thing to encounter. I wisely did as told, but what more could be said between us. He was a responsible heir, not the greatest father, but still a respectful guy nonetheless. Did he want more of my compliments? No, was he coming on to me? Oh, why was it always me? "What seems to be the matter?" I continued, eyeing him carefully.

"I would like to ask a favour," he finally said after an awkward five-second silence. I was about to speak up if no progress was made. If all he wanted was a favour, he didn't need to give such a commanding gesture.

"Ask ahead," I stated, not even thinking of the outcomes. I wanted to slap myself, yet I gained enough self-control to prevent my hand from attacking my face.

"Would it be too much trouble if you come over more often for Hanabi's sake?" That was certainly one demand I was never expecting to hear. I thought Hiashi was jealous of my attachments to Hinata and Hanabi and wanted no rivals to compete with their love. I did not mean romantic love, no, but fatherly love. I had no family, so what would I know? Thoughts popped into my head at Mach5 speed. I had dozens of responses that contained varieties of different emotions such as anger, disbelief, delight, queerness, but I failed to be decisive. Due to my unfamiliarity with Hiashi, I started to become too careful in my answers and sooner or later I was engaged in another war.

To reach a compromise, I merely said, "What?" and I stared.

"Is it a problem if you come to see Hanabi more often?"

"Why me?" I could kill myself! That one was solely retarded. I just shattered any good impressions I created earlier out of stupidity… talk about discouragement.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, what is the need? Is Hanabi suffering from any troubles?"

"For ten years now, actually. Don't tell Hanabi that I told you this, but if you have noticed… she doesn't have many friends. Kids her age are afraid of her. Her social status and a Hyuuga, her attitude, her thinking… The children were afraid of it and backed off in an act of self-defense –emotionally, of course. People just expect something out of her, not academic success or anything, but a distinct type of reaction if a certain situation presents itself to her. Hanabi rarely 'hangs out', so to speak, with the children her age because, well, I think no one ever invited her. She comes home early most of the time. I remember Hinata didn't come back that early, and so I found it strange how Hanabi could be back home only fifteen minutes after class."

During my darkest hours, at least I had 'friends', so to speak. The adults might have despised my existence, but Shikamaru and the others were luckily ignorant of that fact, not now of course, and thus I was at least a human in their eyes. That had its satisfactions; it had minimal effects for temporary healing. I was taught that having something, regardless of amount, was always better than nothing, and the last thing I should do is complain over that wealth when there were people out there who had no kindness to rely on. I accepted that fact bitterly. What could they possibly understand anyway? They weren't hated like me. No one could ever understand my pain. Sympathy was for the weak, and pity was inexcusable. For someone who had poor family background, hated, cursed with an evil curse, it was a miracle to have friends. Hanabi, however, despite her unbelievable status that I could wish in my dreams and nowhere else, faced a fate that should have only been given to me. I pictured myself as a strong male who could endure anything, but broke down during isolation, and there wasn't a single obstacle in this world that I could not deal with when I survived through trials of deep, long-lasting hatred. For the promising Hanabi, isolation might be too difficult of a task to accept.

It was easy to understand, actually. When Hinata was undergoing jealousy for her sister, Hanabi must have been deadly envious over Hinata's successes as well. Both of them had very good poker faces, I didn't even manage to realize this fact until Hiashi involuntarily gave a small hint. And I thought I had it tough… what a marvelous display of ignorance that was… Nevertheless, this gave me a motivation to be more dedicated to Hanabi and Hinata.

"Yes, I suppose that does sound kind of… unnatural…"

"I believe Hanabi's self-confidence is being tempered with when she is face to face with her peers,"

"That's obvious. She has no knowledge of approaching them because she never learned how to. Well, that's at least what my interpretation of the whole ordeal is. Not trying to sound mean or anything in particular… And how does your proposal earlier supposed to help Hanabi? If you are suggesting me to teach, well, Hinata kind of destroyed my hopes by saying that I suck at it –a lot." I believed I was being too direct, too familiar with this man although I only met him for ten minutes. I was making too many noticeable mistakes; this was very unusual of me to do. Before I stepped on the fine lines of meeting misery, I better smarten up.

"Oh, Hinata is a very kind soul," said the Hyuuga heir, "I am sure she had no mean intentions. She wouldn't even hurt a fly."

He really had no idea the dangers his elder daughter could produce, didn't he? From what I could gather Hiashi strongly believed that Hinata was a shy, heavenly angel of pure innocence, which could not be defiled with corruption of any kind due to her pure, wonderful nature. Hinata told me once that she knew all about sex at a young age… Did Hiashi seriously believe that Hinata kept that mentality in mind to the degree where she dedicated herself to not fall into the temptations of obtaining further knowledge? Just because lust was a sin (at least from some people's stand point) did that stop Hinata from wanting to know more? That dangerous seed itself caused curiosity. Not even I was able to escape its entangling binds after I took one step. And thus, I safely assumed Hinata shared a path that was not so contrary to mine. As much as I hated to admit it, Hinata was a woman with very womanly feelings, and also someone who was willing to give up her virginity to the man she loved if her lover was eager to take her. I felt depressed just thinking about it. Hiashi was too optimistic, too naïve, towards the whole ordeal. Instead of manifesting something hopeful… he created a monster with a divine exterior.

This was an art in my eyes. It was disgusting, yes, but I couldn't help myself to turn away.

If I had a father, would we have a stranger to stranger relationship similar to Hinata? If that was what it felt to have a family, it made solitude a reflection of ideal paradise. "Oh, she said what she said. She was very serious about it, too. I should not 'teach', so to speak, again."

"I cannot ask of you to be a mentor, Naruto-kun, just a friend. A good friend, a buddy that she could rely on. Now that I think about it, maybe that is the reason she wanted a pet in the first place. Perchance she wanted a pet to share her sorrows with, but she realized that what she really wants is… you know… a friend. She wants you to be that friend."

I was touched but made no obvious note of it. It felt wonderful to be a significance in someone else's life. No one deserved to have a life as fucked up as mine, and for a splendid girl like Hanabi it definitely should not be happening. Not knowing what sort of enthusiasm I had when I had agreed to his terms, I felt myself stepping into a quicksand of commitment and devotion. To be honest, accepting the proposal was fine, but my behaviour reflected the future performance I am expected to give. With that said, poor effort was not acceptable at any cost.

There was no meaning for me to stay, and so I stood and bid my farewell. I opened the slide door, which was my key ticket out of this room with a full aura of solemnity, and stepped out at long last. As I looked on the left, I was shocked that the weapons I gave to Mizuki earlier were on the ground, but they weren't unattended. Hanabi was present, fascinated at the various forms of armaments that she had never witnessed before with her gorgeous bloodline eyes. I found her adorable crouching with curiosity, and her tiny frame only complimented her cuteness in more ways than one.

"Oi," I called, faking my annoyance with my palm on my forehead, "What are you doing, Hanabi?"

"Ah, Naruto-ni-chan!" she exclaimed out of surprise before she timidly stepped away from my weapons, "Gomen-ne, gomen-ne, I wasn't touching them… I hope you're not mad…"

I approached the little girl and picked her up from under her arms. Her face immediately coated with pink, and her embarrassed expression from earlier transformed instantly into the happy one I loved. Without warning, she quickly embraced me with her head on my chest. She seemed to like it there, and I just couldn't summon up the strength to object her intrusion. "Hey, aren't you being affectionate today,"

"Are you mad?"

"Oh, no, of course not. What, does Hanabi-chan like things like that?"

"I think they are beautifully made. Such elegance, beauty, artistic talent… I can't believe those are yours. What did you do to make them so shiny and sparkly? Oh, and how come they are all black? Is it a special dye?"

If she was having interest of how I forged such weapons, then perhaps I could share my little secret. To be honest, other than the scrolls, were all made myself –with Anthris' help, of course. Thorium… in the 21st century, it was a rare metallic element used as a fuel in specific nuclear reactors, but in my case the thorium I created was under the books of demon chemistry. Needless to say, the creation itself was from another chain of elements. Demonic thorium clearly contained demonic energies, and what way was best to obtain such power? Our blood was the answer. Demonic blood was only a reagent, and the metal that was required was actually a rich supply of vanadium, which was used to make vanadium steel, a durable, dense, and powerfully resilient alloy. Resilience was fairly useless, unfortunately, but that proved useful if the weapon was under serious damage. In order to form demonic thorium I dropped a several drops of my blood during the steel's smelting stage, and in a matter of minutes the white-silver alloy vanquished itself from its previous holy colour and replaced with a very unholy, yet spectacular, coat of darkness.

Having this additional touch was crucial. Demonic blood fused with any metal, I remembered, offered resistance against certain types of jutsus. The resistance, sadly enough, was completely influenced by my demon master, in which was based on her primary attribute. In spite her appearance with dark green hair, Anthris' strength was in fire magic and shadow magic. In short, I was somewhat immune to jutsus of that type. Yeah, Sasuke would have to think twice before he unleashed his "Dragon Fire No Jutsu" or "Big Bang no Jutsu" at my face. I liked that advantage. I seriously wanted to have a dance when I see his priceless face. But if he aimed at my genitals… I would wish that he killed me with that blast because I could not bare myself to see him dancing over me. As I was saying, not only did the demonic thorium give high resistance, it was light, yet it the changed the weight but it increased the density and toughness. Furthermore, this corruptive alloy reflected chakra with exceptional results. In short, I could use genjutsu or ninjutsu with the weapons, or perhaps the weapon contained a new orginal jutsu if I ever found enough additional unique materials to make one. Dense, strong, and light… it was the perfect alloy for forging weapons and made ideally for an assassin.

Other demons, like Gaara, could enhance elements with various different resistance, and even signature attacks once it was made into something useful. I wondered if he figured that out yet. If my blades had counters against nature type techniques, it could be an advantage that was too good to ignore.

"You like them don't you, Hanabi-chan?" I teased as I poked her cheek. She giggled loudly like a child would.

"Do you like the colour black, ni-chan?"

"I like it very much,"

"If you don't mind… I really love your knives… their handling is so much better than regular kunais,"

"You really think so?"

"They are really light, as if I am holding a feather,"

"I'll ignore your exaggeration," I said with a smile and then kissed her forehead. Once more, she blushed up nicely. "What, does Hanabi want a pair?"

"Can you give me a set?" she excitedly hoped. I nodded in agreement. I knew I was going to be rewarded with something sweet, like a kiss on the cheek, for instance. Instead, my lips were attacked by Hanabi's lovingly. No tongues intervened, no, but I never would have expected a bold move to be made at that level. She was only a little girl, since when did she learn to be so brave and affectionate? Was this Hinata's doing? Did Hanabi want to imitate Hinata? Wait, did Hanabi manage to peek on Hinata and I before, and I was referring to those times where Hinata secretly gave me kisses and I showed not even an ounce of retribution or resistance.

"Hanabi…" I murmured, totally bewildered and speechless.

"I am sorry…" she admitted apologetically, "I got too happy…" My intuitions told me that she had no intention of sexual advance. I trusted Hanabi, and not like I did not trust Hinata, but something always told me her words had double meanings. There wasn't a moment where I didn't think twice… or trice even. "Did you not want a kiss but a hug? I just thought I should have showed my gratitude… if it's okay with you, ni-chan…"

"I don't mind," I said, "I'll give you a hug." And I embraced her carefully, but the reaction she gave shocked me. Was she holding me a little too closely? I dismissed it as nothing; since I presumed her extreme affectionate behaviour was empowered from her glee. People went over the usual boundaries sometimes when our emotions were high, and for a little girl who did not know better I couldn't start accusing her to be stepping over the lines that recklessly.

"I love Naruto-ni-chan," I heard her whimpered pleasingly. Again, I pretended that I didn't hear that and rubbed her back, hoping to sooth her.

"Yes, yes, I know. Hanabi, do you know any place that sells… rocks?"

"Rocks? You can pick them up from the ground in the forests outside of town. You can even find them on some of the roads in this village. Why do you need to buy them when you don't even need to spend a cent?"

It was no stun to see her failing to understand what I was trying to get at. "I am not looking for ordinary rocks. Minerals, Hanabi, elements, they are special rocks that weapon makers need to use in order to make the weapon. They are the ingredients, so to speak. So, do you know which place sells them? I need them to make your pair of dual-wielding daggers."

"You're making them for me? Oh, thank you so much!" This little girl didn't know her own strength. No, that wasn't something to blame; it was my fault that my body was this frail and delicate. Nevertheless, I couldn't breathe, and that was all there was to it. Goddamn… my neck nearly snapped. Was my three year limit up already? I must request an extermination mission the next time I met with Tsunade; there was a mandatory urgency to restore my blood for this undead body. Sure, wild animals worked, too, and also simple blood injections, but where was the fun in that when I knew those mindless beasts have no chance whatsoever against any of my techniques? I wanted my victims to suffer and their screams always cured the boredom that was occurring more often than I sought. "Have you tried the trade district of town? They have almost everything there. With any luck, the flea market might have a stand with what you are looking for."

That was helpful enough from a 10-year-old girl. The chances of her even knowing such information, to my standards, was nearly nil but she was a reliable one. Most girls I have met were exceptional in one aspect or the other. In the future, perhaps Hanabi would be one of the best resources I could rely on whenever I was running low on ideas. "That helps a lot. I promise that I will make it for you ASAP. Uzumaki Naruto is a man of his word. I swear it." And I finished it off with a smooth looking smile just to be on the safe side. That charmed Hanabi well, as expected. Maybe I could have start considering my actions, for I didn't want to overdo things to a degree where I could not compensate for my irresponsibility. Hinata was bad news as it was; I didn't want things to grow too complicated with the younger one either. Besides, in my eyes Hanabi was a dear sister I never managed to have. In addition, because she wasn't my biological sister I was wondering if I was doing a fine job at spoiling her rotten. Morally speaking, spoiling a noble heir's daughter was not something a commoner such as myself should be doing. The fact that I was allowed to step into this sanctuary was a blessing itself, the least I could do was to know my place and accept it with no disapproval of any kind.

I spoiled the poor Hyuuga girl… it was an accident… I accidentally did it on purpose…

"Naruto," I heard a voice calling from behind me. This was Rika, I was sure of it. I turned around with Hanabi still in my arms while trying to make a good smile when I saw my friend with Hinata as her escort. "Oh, are we interrupting something."

"No, not at all," I said, somewhat relieved. "What makes you say that?"

"We heard Hanabi's delight from a good distance," said Hinata, smiling an unusually happy smile, "We were wondering if you were having a good time."

"Why, we were,"

I intelligently watched Hinata from three different angles; the intuition, the conscience, and the freeloader, meaning Anthris. My demon master immediately smacked me on the skull, but then she kissed it to make the pain go away. And once three different minds reached a common consensus, I knew something was wrong. I felt that in my bones, and my body's reactions never seemed to play tricks on me. I gave it my best trying to predict what it might be, but my mind was unable to produce the intelligence I desperately required. I was in no mood for it, and forcing my way through just wasn't the key. At a minimum, I noticed Rika and Hinata appeared to be quite friendly to another. Sure, it was not a bad thing to be civil and to be treating others with respect, but I couldn't picture Hinata standing next to Rika calmly as if she was just another normal girl without hesitance or reluctance.

For Hinata, it might not be an impossible task to do. She was a brilliant actor, an thus it was not a complex assignment for her to complete if all she needed to do was make her victim believe that she was their friend –although Hinata wanted to play jump-rope eagerly with their intestines. I, on the other hand, could not simply act all friendly and then bid a farewell without doing anything about it. If I hated someone enough that caused me to itch for their death, well then their first meeting with me shall be their last with no exceptions. Murder was easy –especially when alcohol came to play. Get drunk, laugh merrily with another, hug the person when I suffer from fake-intoxication, activate my assassin's blade on my wrist and let it dig deep into their bodies, they fall down bleeding to death, and I finally walk away safe and sound. That was the friendliest method of annihilation, quiet and quick. If that was too morbid, perhaps I shouldn't share stories where hacking heads off was mandatory. As long as Rika and Hinata weren't killing each other… That was good, right?

I scanned Hinata mainly, and I found myself unease no matter what methods I used trying to relieve my mind. At first, her eyes were filled with passion, but before I knew it the emotion quickly vanished and replaced with a stoic exterior as a cover up. It was almost like she was trying to hold herself from attacking me with her love, in which was fortunate on my part, but what could possibly have ailed her to do such a thing as to stop? I knew Hinata more than she thought I did, and that façade of hers might be able to fool everyone except for me. Truth be told, awareness was mandatory with Hinata around. However, it became extraordinarily serious if Rika was added into the perspective.

Hanabi, seeing her older sister, jumped out of my arms before she ran and leaped into Hinata's. I suddenly missed that warmth that belonged to me alone, but made no sign of complaint.

"Ne, ne, onee-chan," Hanabi called out, hoping to catch her sister's attention.

"What is it, Hanabi-chan?" Hinata asked sweetly as she kissed her playful sister on the cheek.

"Ni-chan said that he would make me a pair of daggers specialized for me! I am so excited!"

"Oh," the Hyuuga princess replied weakly, as though she expected that I would do something that wonderful for people except for her and only her alone. I couldn't bare myself not to detect that saddened expression, but before I could mention it out loud Hinata already swapped another mask on as if her previous one was never created at all. She definitely started to worry me. Was this all part of another major scheme? "That's nice of him to do that. Did you thank him properly? If you didn't, I can't let Naruto-kun trouble himself for you like that."

"It's not problem. Did you want a set, too, Hinata?" I offered as I took Rika's hand.

"Will it be too hard for you to make something like that for me?"

"What type of weapon do you prefer to use?"

"Do you know how to make… swords?"

"Naruto is a really talented at forging weapons," chimed Rika cheekily, "The knives he gave me for my last birthday are so much better than the ones my restaurants offer. I can't cook anything good with poor equipment."

"Rika… you were using a 6 inch knife as a butcher knife. It's no wonder why it snapped into two when you hacked it right on a pair of ribs." I said a little exasperatedly. "I almost lost my life because of you. The broken piece flew straight into my arm if you recall."

Hinata and Hanabi gasped audibly and sincerely horrified. Shinobis got hurt frequently, that was a fact, but Hinata and Hanabi could not be at ease how a good friend could do something as terrible as wound another friend with a kitchen utensil. Rika only made a pouting face, then a very embarrassed and guilty one when she saw the reaction the Hyuuga sisters gave, in which was clearly disappointment and disbelief above anything else. "Now you made me look bad! It was only the back of the blade, you crybaby!" blamed Rika, sticking out her tongue in a taunt, "I thought assailants like you should get used to pain and such. Besides, you are a man."

"Naruto-kun," Hinata called out worriedly, "Are you sure it was the back of the blade?"

"Well, yes it was," I said, "Don't worry about it, Hinata," I dismissed her concern for me casually, "The most important thing is that it didn't affect my ligaments and internal developments, right?" I finished it off with a good smile, in which was something all girls could not resist. Despite that smile never left any impressions with anyone, it served my purpose in more than enough ways. Instead of charming my prey, my goal was to set up an illusion of confidence, make me the oracle of wisdom that everyone could trust and fall upon. Hinata nodded silently in return, and her worry finally vanished once and for all. As an orphan, I was not used to having people concerned over my safety, and perhaps that was why I was such a reckless teammate for Sakura and Sasuke. Still, even if I hated Sasuke, this was something I had to apologize for.

Knowing my weaknesses and faults made me understand Sasuke a little bit more. He told me that he could not grow if he stayed with Konoha folks, and that Orochimaru was the answer he had been praying for all these years. I still strongly disagreed with his logic about that snake, but there was something I could not ignore. Maybe Sasuke was right, maybe it was not possible for him to blossom if he stayed with Konoha, and especially not if I was around. I never wanted to picture myself as the hindrance; I had too much pride and dignity to admit that I was the useless one although I tried so much to improve. But Sasuke was right, how could he possibly grow if my recklessness always got him into trouble? He must have realized that ages before I started to look at this world at a pessimistic angle. Who knew what could have happened if Sasuke was still on my team today, but I guaranteed that his career wouldn't be a happy one when one day my immaturity brought for great misfortune for him. I could not say that his choice to leave Konoha and find a bright future was dishonourable. In fact, I found it as something courageous, worth praising even. However, if he thought Orochimaru was his salvation, then he was the biggest fool I have met.

Perchance if fate had it that we would meet again… I didn't know what to do. My heart told me to forgive him, but my irrational side demanded to kill him. I knew that I would do anything in power to end his wretch life, because my dark side always declared triumph in the end. That was how pathetic Uzumaki Naruto really was… I couldn't defeat my immorality in a fair fight…

"Oh yeah, Naruto," Rika suddenly had a spark of memory.

"Yes?"

"What did you use to make those knives anyway? I always forget to ask you."

"Based on the amount of recklessness and inability to know your own strength, I had to use titanium alloy," The three girls had no clue what I was referring to, and I wasn't even trying to sound mean or be exaggerated. The word titanium never looked more foreign in their eyes. If I was going to explain the chemistry of demonic thorium, I might as well be damned. Instead of wasting my time, I moved on, but not without knowing that the next bit of our conversation would go in one ear and out the other not leaving any impact by the slightest bit. "And for your handle I was thinking about what sort of ingredients or reagents you might use before you hold the handle. In case of corrosion, I used platinum to prevent it."

This word, however, had a different reaction. When titanium was foreign, platinum was something a girl must have knowledge of in the unofficial book of Konoha's accustomed laws for the typical women. Hinata was amazed, genuinely, and she seemed to show much admiration for objects carved, or in my case forged, using it. Rika's reaction was downright obvious where Hinata tried to conceal her feelings. "Platinum!" shrieked Rika with sheer delight, not ever expecting such a rare element was used on her prized weapons. I called it a weapon, but the appropriate term was 'tool'. "No wonder it was so beautiful! They looked like silver, but the shine, the wonderful shine outmatched those of silver! I thought you simply added some trick to make it look pretty, but I can't believe it was platinum! Oh, thank you so much, Naruto!"

Under the state of supreme happiness, women really did not know their own strength. Once they attach to me in a form of embrace, I often dealt with situations where I thought I was going to meet Satan at the lowest cellar of hell at long last.

"Onee-chan," said Hanabi, who was still being carried, "What is platinum? Why is Rika-nee-san so happy?"

Hinata smiled a good sisterly smile, in which made Hanabi cocked her head sideways. "Platinum is a rare metal that is used to make beautiful jewelry," elaborated the Hyuuga heiress sweetly as she took this opportunity to poke Hanabi's round cheeks. "It looks like silver, yes, but the result after is made is clearly more beautiful than the outcomes of those of silver. The necklace I have in my room is made of platinum, too, Hanabi-chan. I think it is really gorgeous. But I am impressed, Naruto-kun,"

"What?" I asked, forcefully freeing myself out of Rika's embrace.

"I thought the only thing hobby you picked up was art. Your talents shock me every time. Would it be too much trouble for you if you made me a pair of swords, Naruto-kun?"

I smiled at her compliment, believing that she had no other meaning than that. "Don't worry about it, Hinata," I said, still smiling sincerely, "It wouldn't be a hassle at all. You can consider it as something to remember me by, or look at it as a really late birthday present. Besides, I could use this time to freshen up my skills. Hope you two wouldn't mind my lack of talent. I am fairly new at it."

"I do not dare to doubt your abilities, Naruto-kun, I know you are an expert,"

"Please, I am no such thing," It did feel good to be praised sometimes. I was surprised that I was taking so much pleasure in it.

She smiled cruelly. "I bet you are an artisan at many other things, too,"

And I just froze. Time itself froze on me, and the only two people who were moving were Hinata and I. I slowly, almost painfully, cocked my head to face her. Although it seemed to Hinata that she had made no impression upon me, she had in fact worried me considerably. That smile told me everything, as though she clearly knew ahead of time what sort of words would have different effects, and damn she was choosing the right ones, too. Simple though this speech appears, it contained many of those quality, fashionable hidden meanings and implications which made Hinata a remarkable, if unrecognized, knowledgeable manipulator.

I had to figure out something –and fast. If I didn't, my action could look too suspicious. However, to my anger and disbelief, I wasn't reacting well. In front of superiors in any fashion, I did not dare to do anything outside my boundaries. Simply put, I humbly gave my respects. To those below my status, I never gave much recognition to their successes or failures because I never seriously gave a damn. Luckily, my actions never went to the extreme where I kicked dirt at their faces. That was low, even for me. To put in short, I feared the people in between, which were my level; not good enough to be considered better, and not yet dumb enough for me to manipulate. It was a constant turmoil, so to speak, since there wasn't a moment that we didn't try to climb over another. In this scenario, Hinata was my rival when it came to intelligence and control, and from what I could gather she was starting to realize her potentials in which caused her development and confidence to increase at an incredible pace that could overpower mine at any second.

I started to lose my grip, and Hinata did not mean to lose any area she claimed. Finally, I spoke. "You flatter me so, Hinata," I laughed, forcefully as I tried to sound convincing. I never felt more powerless. "I am a human, too… there has bound to be things that I am not good at. Please, don't make me sound better than I really am."

"But I am very sure that you have plenty more strong traits than meets the eye," complimented Hinata once again, full of false enthusiasm and delight. Hanabi, however, did not catch such a thing and nodded energetically as if her sister was praising me. Not breaking the actual tension that was happening, I nodded back but not lacking some dread.

What the hell was Hinata trying to get at? Every word was a direct attack despite its simplicity. I have had it… I couldn't think of any other possible routes to fall back on; I had to get out of here; a mandatory temporary retreat. To start the plan's execution, I began with looking at my watch. So far so good, it seemed. "What time is it now?" I deliberately asked as I played my role efficiently and intelligently. "My, oh my, it's already 6:30PM… why Rika still haven't eaten yet. How rude of me to be so forgetful. I think your family will be having your meal shortly, too, and thus, I don't think unexpected guests should cause any more trouble than they already have by merely visiting."

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun," said Hinata.

"Yeah," chimed in Hanabi, "Our cooks usually fix more during dinner so Neji-ni-san and other shinobis in this household could have lunch the next day. It really wouldn't be a problem if you and Rika-nee-san stayed."

Their offer was very much appreciated, but love was not a luxury I could afford. As far as I was concerned, something was wrong –not on Hanabi's part, of course. "I promised to show Rika how much my cooking skills have improved," I lied, "And you know Uzumaki Naruto never broke promises, just like how I will promise you two that I will make a set of daggers and swords with the best of my ability."

Hinata's guilt in the weapon matter revived itself. She tried to talk me out of it earlier but our topic kept switching around until she momentarily forgot what it was initially. "Ano, Naruto-kun… you really don't have to do that… This is just asking too much…"

"I already said consider it as your late birthday present," I shook it off, practically telling Hinata that her concerns were not unnecessary. Well, they weren't. I saw that she was about to say something, most likely tried to thank me, but I didn't want to hear anything that could sway my decision. Bottom line was that I didn't mind giving Hinata or Hanabi something that they could use on the battlefield. After all, the weapon only grew stronger with each enemy (whether beast, human, or more extreme cases a demon) it slays. "Anyway, Rika and I better be on our way. Farewell."

"Ano, Naruto-kun, promise me this then… C-Can… the two of us spar against another sometime? I would really appreciate it if you promise me…" Her prayers were answered once I gave my recognition with a small nod. Hinata's expression brightened, and yet I wished my eyes did not manage to catch that.

Rika was not going to just stand there and be idle about it. However, before she could even object, the scene (the Hyuuga household) vanished right before her eyes and a brand new, but familiar place, replaced within her vision. She was, indeed, back to my noble apartment.

"Why did you do that?" Rika demanded as she removed her arms from my waist. I didn't realize how cold my body actually felt without her warmth. Suddenly, something else struck me hard. If Rika was holding onto me the whole time while the four of us were talking, why didn't Hinata say anything about it? It was not possible for her not to catch what we did. Besides, we didn't stand in her blind spot; and even if we did she could have easily took a step forward or backward to prevent this problem. In addition, Rika and I weren't that retarded enough to mimic Hinata's movements so we would never be within her vision. With that said, it was ridiculous to believe Hinata failed to notice it.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Use your technique to warp us out, that's what! That looked so improper."

"You mean the move Tsuyoshi-Shiki Teni?" I inquired, smirking knowingly. "Or better known as 'Flash Warp' in the English language,"

"Why did you do that though?"

I moved away from Rika for a second to put my dark blue, which was almost indigo, jacket back into my closet as Rika took off hers as well before handing it to me. "Conversations with Hinata always take longer than intended," I started to elaborate, deliberately not giving my attention to her arcane sexiness. "If I continued to talk, well, time does happen to fly and we might as well stay there for dinner, in which I don't want."

"But-"

I quickly interrupted her stoically. "I did promise you dinner, right? That is something I intend to keep."

That caused her to blush delightfully. I guessed different words had different effects on each woman. Rika seemed to be the type that adored men with dedication. "Naruto…"

I moved towards her and expertly got my arm around her narrow waist and pull her in. She gasped at the suddenness of the whole ordeal but silenced herself when I kissed her lips passionately and sweetly. Rika did not retaliate. Instead, she attacked back as she joined the beautiful dancing serenade.

"Naruto…" I heard her whimper pleasantly under moans when I retracted slowly.

"I did promise you many other things, too, right?"

"But-"

"No buts, Rika,"

"But… we just got back…"

"I don't want to keep you waiting. I missed you, Rika,"

"I missed you, too. I have been thinking about you everyday,"

"You never left my heart for a moment,"

"I love you…"

By then I already slipped my hand down at her crotch, and purposely allowed my fingers to move a little before actually making a delicate poke, in which was a fantastic way to warm things up. It remained there for a brief moment; a smile never leaving my face when I noticed how Rika was actually giving a shot at fighting the pleasure that was overriding her. In a matter of seconds my fingers engaged wetness despite her pants were still on her body. I poked a little deeper to find an understanding of this incredible source of dampness, and the further I went the more I was rewarded –with more of her lovely honey seeping through her panties and pants and arriving at my fingertips like a fountain of restoration and wealth. At last, she moaned out loud and gradually turned into a delightful scream once my hands moved around some more for the purpose to tease.

I really loved this woman; not for her body, but her personality and genuine kindness. Of course, her beauty only complimented to her nature, in which was definitely a fantastic bonus. I did not love her where I wanted to marry her. Still, Rika had qualities and characteristics in which plenty of other girls did not have. Women these days, especially the superficial types like the old Sakura, did not share the same individuality, the traits that normal women should have. In fact, most women could not be regarded as women. They thoroughly disgusted me. If half the female population were like Rika and Hinata, this world perhaps, just perhaps, might be a better place to live.

To have two layers of clothing damp with just casual touches; Rika certainly had a body that any man would want. Did I touch her until she came, or perhaps I stopped midway to keep her arousal high? That would be kept a secret. Our virginities, of course, were kept to ourselves. I couldn't think either of us can do something to that extent. Despite my motives, I had to admit my evening was served with a promise of infinite riches.

AN: Yeah, that is the end of my little chapter. I guess this is anything but short, ne…? Looks like my first predictions about this chapter was a mistake, I think I was in a very good writing mood this week, and maybe that is why I was able to finish this up so fast. I mentioned Hinata wanting to spar with Naruto. Spar is such a friendly word, don't you think? The correct term is obviously 'Duel' or 'Fight' or 'Combat' or anything related to fierce fighting. I am going to add some unnecessary action, just because I happen to love Naruto's current fighting style, which is speed over strength.

The moves will be a complete copy of Chipp Zanuff's, from Guilty Gear, techniques, in which, obviously, consists of great speed, cunningness, thrust, subtlety, and marvel. So, with this in mind, I beg you not to sue. If there is anything I hate more than onions and garlic that had to be lawyers! If you come with a lawyer, I will hate you. If you ARE a lawyer, well, you better keep that fact nice and hidden. If you want to sue me, if I wanted to steal techniques, I wouldn't be here admitting that I didn't take it in the first place.

I am sure all of you are wise enough to realize what Rika told Hinata. I'll let your imaginations go wild. Have fun, and see you all again soon.