Chaotic dynamics: The Human Effect
Six months have passed since Naruto's whole world turned upside down thanks to Kurama's intervention. With growing unrest in the Hyuuga clan, the new couple opted to keep their new relationship a secret even among their peers and friends. It was difficult for the both of them since they'd like nothing more than to shout it from the roof tops, and even more so for the blonde ninja who didn't have a lot of restraint; in more ways than one; although it does take two…
It was early fall and the leaves were starting to fade into brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows. Naruto sat on top of the Hokage tower, staring off at the swaying trees and dreaming of his perfect future. His dream was, of course, of being Hokage, but unlike previous dreams, there was a wonderful girl at his side, and not an imaginary one. He thought of all the possibilities of life; getting married, maybe even having a child… a girl he decided off hand. He knew having a girl would be trouble, them being so full of drama, but it would certainly not be boring.
"Naruto!" Shouted a common appearance in the tower; one Haruno Sakura. He let his dreams fade away and returned to the land of the living.
"What? Finally ready for that date?" She just scoffed at his usual inquiry. The pink haired girl didn't exactly know when it happened, but she knew that now, unlike many years before, he didn't really want a date and would just use it as a way to irritate her. He didn't have that sparkle in his eye as he waited anxiously for an answer; she saw something hidden in his steely blue gaze; a look of satisfaction. If she didn't know any better she would have sworn that he had a real flesh and blood girlfriend. She shook the thoughts from her head and settled back on the task that was requested of her.
"Tsunade-sama woke up and was pissed when you weren't there." She told him, still wondering what had changed to make in seemingly calmer than previously. Naruto stretched out and yawned in a Shikamaru like laziness from his spot on the roof.
"The paperwork was done though, right?"
"That's why your head is still attached."
"Fine, fine… I'm going." He stood up and made his way down to the Hokage's office. He walked through the door and saw the angered woman sitting behind her desk.
"Yo." He greeted her sour looking face.
"Enough, what is the meaning of this?"
"Of what?" He asked. She started flipping through the a stack of papers and held out a rather large handful of old looking documents.
"Oh…" he muttered when he realized his mistake
"Yeah, 'oh', what are you doing with the Hyuuga clan charter?"
"Yeah, well…" He fell back to his old habits and started scratching the back of his neck nervously.
"I was looking into it to see what could be modified, cause well… uh… I told Neji I'd change the clan, I just needed to know what I'm up against." She sighed and started rubbing her temples.
"You need to tread carefully with them, the elders are stuck in the old way and you could hurt the clan before fixing it."
"I know baa-chan, but this is something I have to do."
"Why is it so important now? Just take your time and you can change anything." He sighed loudly and ruffled his hair.
"I really can't say right now, once I know I can, and how to, change it, you'll know." Tsunade groaned and slumped in her chair. She felt that she was definitely getting too old for this.
"Fine, just leave it alone until you get appointed as Hokage." She offered in utter defeat. She knew that once that guy made up his mind, there was no going back.
"Well, then I just need to become Hokage sooner." He countered with a sly grin and an obvious hint.
"It's not that easy, you are still too young. Your father became the youngest Hokage in history and he was in his mid-twenties."
"Well, if you count my clone training I should be like 50 or 60, right?" Tsunade started laughing.
"You… only you." She chuckled thinking that in all actuality his experience was probably greater than hers at that point, something an average person could never attain at such a young age.
"Hey, you know I was born for this job. Who else can use clones for paperwork?" He offered up as a valid reasoning device.
"You really are something else… You continue training under me and we'll make it impossible for the daimyo to pass you up when I retire." There was an urgent knock at the door that stopped their current conversation and drew attention to the door.
"Yes, enter." The moment the door opened, Naruto started getting nervous and Tsunade stashed the stack of documents in a desk drawer.
"Hiashi-dono." She greeted kindly. "What can we do for you?"
"I am hiring the village to find my daughter, Hinata, she wasn't in her room this morning." Naruto's surprise was evident in his eyes; this was an event he never imagined to take place and closer to his heart than any in the room could ever know.
"What do you mean? I was with… um… I saw her in the village last night." Luckily Hiashi was too worried to notice the slip up, despite his cold attitude towards her, he she was still his precious first born.
"When she was summoned for breakfast, it was revealed that she had packed all her belongings and left. We need to act now if we are expected to catch up to her."
"I'll go." Naruto volunteered quickly. He couldn't imagine exactly what would make her leave especially since things were going so good for them… really good.
"This does not require your expertise, Uzumaki-san." Hiashi was quick to inform. "You must learn to delegate, the Hokage can't jump for every mission. Besides, finding someone with the byakugan is impossible for non-scout types."
Naruto was frustrated, he wanted to just chase after her throwing all common sense to the wind, but after all these years he was starting to see the logic Hiashi was offering. Also he couldn't overlook the fact that even Hiashi was hinting at him becoming Hokage, meaning that even the stuffiest of all the clans in the village started to hold him in high regard. The 'Hokage in training' sighed and felt himself thinking of the best group for the mission, he knew Hinata's old team would be best, but had to come up with substitutes for the missing members.
"Fine… I'd like to send Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Ko, and as captain… Inuzuka Hana." Naruto looked over to Tsunade and was greeted with a calculating look as she tapped all her fingers together while she thought about his suggestion.
"Interesting choice, care to share the reasoning?" She asked. Not for the reason that it wasn't a good team, but more to show the Hyuuga head that Naruto was actually quite calculating when he needed to be, something that was sure to spread around the village.
"Obviously Kiba and Shino know her the best as her teammates, Ko can help with the byakugan and was like a body guard for her in the early years, and Hana is good at keeping Kiba focuses and can add to the search with her ninja dogs."
"Your thoughts Hiashi?"
"Exceptional reasoning… I agree." Much to Tsunade's satisfaction, Hiashi's surprise was quite evident at his quick and calculated assesment.
"Very well, Naruto, prepare the mission statements for Kotetsu and Izumo to notify the team that the search for Hinata starts immediately." The Hokage ordered in her commanding voice.
"Thank you Tsunade-sama; Uzumaki-san." Hiashi bowed slightly before taking his leave. Naruto quickly wrote out the orders for the mission and passed them to the Hokage for the official seal to be imprinted and handed them to the pair standing outside of the door when she was done. When they left, Tsunade turned to her blonde apprentice with a smile.
"Maybe there is something about those clones of yours. You'll never be Shikamaru, but a great analysis nonetheless."
"Thanks, but I still want to look for her myself." He muttered, while using all his strength to not leap out the window and take off in search of her.
"I know you would do anything for your friends, but you also need to think clearly, even when it is someone special on the line. I'm sure you know that she can take care of herself and since there was no sign of struggle, it was a conscious decision, so you don't have anything to worry about. Just give it time and we'll find her."
"I know that, I just can't sit still…"
Well…" She eyed a large stack of newly dropped off papers on her desk. "We always have more paperwork."
8 years later…
"Hokage-sama; we have returned from our mission." Blue eyes looked up from a few papers littering the large wooden desk while a few birds pecked at the window behind him. He rubbed his sore eyes, burning from concentrating on all the small print, so they could focus properly on the returning team.
"Team Konohamaru… Anything new?" He questioned, hoping for just a shred of evidence on the cold case which he couldn't let go.
"Unfortunately, no. This mission has brought no news about the missing kunoichi. We thoroughly searched Tanigakure and the surrounding area of River Country. Not even a single hit."
The Hokage let out a large sigh and ran his fingers through his spiky blonde hair. It had been seven years since he was appointed as Hokage and not a day went by without ordering at least one team to take on what the teams now called, 'the impossible mission.' The mission paid out over 5 million ryo to the team that could complete it, but as of yet, no one had gotten anywhere close to it. The reward alone was the only thing keeping the teams from outright refusing the mission.
"Another bust…" He mumbled while filing yet another mission report in the failed file. He had been hoping that at some point, there would be news about her somewhere.
"Why do we always have to waste our time going on these stupid 'C' ranked search missions!? I want some real action!" Shouted a small kid with red patches on his face. He had a small grey puppy hidden in his coat who was currently growling at the village leader.
"Well, little Inuzuka, these missions aren't stupid. They are very important tasks for the village. Remember the last talk we had about doing your part for the village?" The little boy nodded, but still wasn't happy about it, even with the Hokage's insistance.
"Good, I was lectured on that exact type of comment years ago. I do understand what you're saying though, but don't be so quick to get into danger that you can't handle. I'll tell you what, if…" He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a metallic toad figurine and held it in the palm of his right hand, then brought up his empty left in the and held it in the same manner .
"If you can tell me where the toad is, you and your team will get the next 'B' mission we get."
"Really?" He asked with eyes lit up. His teammates both sighed. Naruto had to smile, seeing a team similar to his standing before him.
"OK, here we go." He started shuffling his hands from side to side, swapping the toad in each hand randomly. Soon the other two genin were watching as intently as the Inuzuka, seemingly mesmerized by what was going to happen.
"And go." He finished and held out both of his hands in a fist. "Where is it?" The youngsters ran through the images of his shuffling in their mind and soon all three pointed to his left hand. The blonde smiled slyly as he slowly opened his hand, finger by finger, showing… nothing. Seeing their surprised looks, he open his right in the same manner, resulting in… nothing.
"Hey, no fair!" The little boy objected. He used all his skill and could even smell the metal coming from the hand he pointed to.
"Nope, it's fair. Once you know where it will be, you'll get your mission… now check your pocket." The Inuzuka kid rummaged through his pocket and felt a heavy figure, pulling it out he was surprised to see the toad was there.
"Hey, how'd you…" Naruto was chuckling now and watched as Konohamaru took the toad from the boy and set in on the desk.
"Come on now…" the young jonin pleaded with his team as he ushered them towards the door. "The Hokage has work to do." Once the door slammed shut, Naruto leaned back in his chair and let out another large sigh.
"At least I know why baa-chan always drank." He murmured and he reached for something in his 'special' drawer… cup ramen.
"Inoichi-san! We have an intruder heading to the western gate!" The dirty blonde haired jonin looked up from his latest report he was filling out in his office deep in the interrogation/intelligence building. He stood up quickly and read the report.
"Send out the advance team and inform the Hokage." He ordered.
"Yes sir!"
The sun was shining brightly in the mid-summer day heat. Small sandaled feet were shuffling slowly through the coarse gravel strewn about the road into Konoha. The small feet were attached to an equally small girl wearing tight black shorts and a bright orange sleeveless top. She had dark shoulder length hair that was reminiscent of the midnight sky, not quite black and glimmered with distinct hue in the sun. The look was topped off with a Konoha headband wrapped around her eyes in a blindfold, silver plate glistening in the sun. A sparkling silver ring hung down from her neck as a pendant, strung through the chain of a necklace.
A group of five ninja jumped onto the road, blocking her way to Konoha. They stared intently at the familiar headband but had no record of any kunoichi, past or present, matching her appearance. Even more baffling to them was her very young age; not many genin were even that young.
"State your business." Ordered the masked anbu at the front of the group; obviously the leader. The small girl stopped and looked up at them.
"My mom said I wasn't supposed to talk with strange guys, even if you wore the same symbol as me." She spoke with a clear little voice which would cause anyone to melt for the sweet girl.
"Then who would you like to talk to sweetie?" The Anbu asked as he knelt in front of her. She thought for a moment, with her head cocked to the side, while tapping her chin.
"I don't know, but I came for help. My mom told me to find the man who knows someone named Kurama and show him my necklace." She finally offered, sensing that the men in front of her weren't dangerous and did want to help her.
"We'll have to check out your story. Would you be a good little girl and go with us to the Hokage?"
"He's the leader, right? I remember from what mom taught me." She thought for a moment longer and nodded. "Ok, I'll go."
The five ninja surrounded the little girl and escorted her into town. They were intrigued by how the girl managed to keep her distance when they moved and turned corners since she was still blindfolded with the hitai-ate.
"Can she see?" One ninja whispered to the lead Anbu, not being able to resist.
"I would say, no, but she is following us." He replied while motioning for his subordinate to return to his position.
The group soon arrived at the Hokage tower with the little girl in tow. Upon entering the Hokage's office the little girl was greeted by an office with ninja of every shape and color. A tough looking blonde was behind the desk with two kunoichi; a skimpy dressed blonde on one side and a pink haired woman on the other. Behind them looking out the window was the bored jonin strategist, Shikamaru.
"Go on…" The Anbu urged, pushing the girl forward while they backed away. With all the ninja in the room the small girl showed no sign of fear which they all found fascinating.
"Hi, what's your name?" Sakura asked kindly while kneeling in front of her, so she was below her eye level.
"Aiko."
"Ok Aiko-chan, what is your family name?"
"It's just Aiko." She repeated. The girl either didn't have a family name or didn't want to give it, either way she wasn't going to make it easy to know how to help.
"Alright, what can we do for you?" Sakura asked with the sweetest smile she could manage.
"My mom got sick and she told me to go to Konoha to get help when she was taken away by some guys."
"Who's your mom?" Naruto asked while stepping in front of the others, drawing the little girl's attention to him. There was something about her hair that just couldn't be ignored by him and he had a feeling that he should be questioning her. The girl gasped and started stepping backwards with a scared look on her face.
"What wrong Aiko-chan?" He asked, seeing the fear on her face. She hadn't been afraid of anyone, but something frightened her when she looked at him. Her frightful gaze was locked on his torso, which was even stranger.
"He's scary." She whimpered while backing up till she was pressed against the wall of the office.
"Who? Me?" Naruto was puzzled. Idiotic, stupid, moronic, you name it he's been called it but he's never been called scary; well aside from the times the villagers thought he was the kyuubi.
"Not you… The monster inside you." This comment startled everyone in the room, but finally made sense to Naruto. He could remember the time Sasuke saw the fox years ago so it wasn't impossible for someone with a doujutsu.
"Can you see Kurama?" She nodded and grabbed at her necklace after hearing the familiar name. Noticing the movement, Naruto was curious as to why the mentioning of the fox's name got a reaction from the girl; there wasn't many people who knew his name.
"What do you have there?" He asked while stepping closer for a better look.
Aiko pulled the necklace off over her head and held it tightly in her hand. Slowly she held it out to him, still clenching it in her little hand. She was still fearful of what she saw but knew that this man was the one she was looking for and had to trust in her mother's words.
"Mom said to give it to the guy with Kurama and he'd help no matter what I ask." She slowly opened her hand and dropped the necklace into the large calloused mitt held open to receive it. The blonde Hokage's hands started to shake as he looked at the small ring at the end of the chain. A tear started rolling down his cheek when he looked at the little girl until it hit him; he knew where he saw that hair before.
"Aiko-chan… How old are you?" He managed to ask with a shaky voice, making those around him wonder what he just realized and why it caused such an emotional reaction.
"I just turned seven." More tears ran down his whiskered cheeks and he wrapped his arms around the surprised girl and hugged her tightly. It was awkward for the skilled ninja in the room to see their Hokage openly weeping on the little girl's shoulder while holding onto her like she was his only lifeline.
"Naruto, what's going on?" Sakura asked while watching the scene play out before her. He let the girl out of the hug and draped the necklace back around her neck.
"Sakura, get your medic kit. We leave now!" He ordered and then frantically ran around his office, gathering various supplies and tools and throwing them into a small pile on his desk.
"You're the Hokage; you can't just run off to help some little girl. We don't even know her." Ino offered while eyeing the little blindfolded girl who was watching the blonde man darting around the room in wonder. He stopped at his desk and pulled out a wakizashi and strapped it vertically across his back.
"As the Hokage this order is not debatable. Shikamaru, delegate the running of the village while we're gone." He ordered while heading for the coat rack after tucking away all the tools into his weapons pouch and strapped it to his thigh.
"Tch… Troublesome…" Shikamaru scoffed while Sakura blocked the Hokage's path, demanding a good reason why the village's leader needed to up and leave his post on a whim.
"Give me one reason why the Hokage needs to go." Sakura demanded while continually moving to block his way when he attempted to step around her.
"I think… no I'm sure Aiko-chan is my daughter; now grab your gear… We're going to get Hinata." He pushed past the astonished kunoichi and threw his father's jacket over his shoulders.
"Huh, what?" She muttered in confusion while Shikamaru perked up at the news. The Hokage kneeled in front on the little girl and started untying the blindfold. She started squirming and resisting his actions. Her hands gripped his wrists in objection showing that it was something quite important that stayed hidden.
"You don't have to hide them here." He gently told her. Her grip loosened and her hands fell to her side. Pulling off the headband, he retied it around the girl's neck. He grinned when he saw those beautiful pale eyes open, confirming her Hyuuga lineage. Looking closer, he noticed something was off when he looked at the sides of her face at the lack of the bulged veins.
"Is your byakugan always active?" He asked after the inspection, knowing that she could only see through the hitai-ate with it.
"Yep, mom says my eyes aren't like hers because I have close to five times the chakra she has inside me."
"Interesting… and you can see Kurama too…" He stood up and turned back to Sakura.
"Half an hour, be at the gate." He ordered before turning back to his cute new interest.
"You hungry?" She smiled and nodded rapidly. "Alright, what do you want?"
"Could we… Get ramen?"
"Ha, ha… that settles it. Orange shirt and ramen; you're definitely my girl." He grabbed her hand and headed out of his office, both wearing a wide grin. There were astonished looks and mumbling between the ninja left in the office as they tried to piece things together while watching their Hokage walk out of his office. They were soon out in the village headed towards Ichiraku's when Akio looked up at the man next to her.
"Are you really my dad?" She asked with the most emotionally filled eyes he had ever seen. She had apparently caught what he said in the office and wanted to be sure she heard it correctly.
"It's a very safe bet. Did your mom tell you that your dad gave her that ring when he asked her to marry him?" She held the ring which was around her neck and nodded.
"Well, than I'm your dad." She smiled wide and happily started to swing her arms on their way down the road. She had asked her mother many times about her father, but she would just tear up and tell her that one day she would get to meet him and wouldn't say any more. She suddenly paused and decided that she could get some answers now.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Why are you and mom not together? Do you not like each other?" She asked, earning a saddened smile from the man at her side.
"Did you ask your mom about that?"
"I did, but she just started crying whenever I asked, so I stopped asking."
He nodded and let out a sigh as he stared off into the sky, remembering the short time he had together with the lovely young woman. He turned back to the mirror image of Hinata's younger form and held her hand a little tighter.
"She cried because we still love each other. It was probably really hard on her to leave me here."
"Then why did she?"
"To protect you. She left here without anyone even knowing she was pregnant. Her family had an old law that would hurt you if they knew about it." He revealed, finally voicing the whole reason he wanted to change the Hyuuga clan charter.
"Why? That's stupid." Naruto chuckled at her interpretation of the law, she was definitely correct with her analysis.
"Yes it is. Things take time to change and it took me quite some time to change them, all so I could be with your mom."
"So are you going to live with us?" She asked, hooping that she would be able to get to know her father without leaving her mother behind.
"Actually, you guys would come live with me here; would that be ok?"
"Yep." She chirped energetically before her mouth started to water at the scent of Ichiraku's famous ramen. Naruto chuckled once again after seeing the little girl, well, his little girl, salivating over his longtime favorite food. Finally the wait for the both of them was over as they stepped into the ramen stand with famished smiles.
"Hey Ayame!" He greeted the woman behind the counter. Before she could respond Aiko was on a stool calling out her order like he would do back when he was still in academy.
"Who's the cutie?" Ayame asked in interest. She had seen quite a lot in the restaurant, but the Hokage in full dress with a never before seen Hyuuga girl was definitely something to remember.
"This is my daughter Aiko-chan." He introduced with a smile only a proud father could give. The shock twisted the usually calm and collected woman's face into something truly unique.
"Your what!? How?"
"How?" He asked with a sly smirk… how log had he waited for a perfect setup like this.
"Well, you see, when two people really love each other…" the brown haired chef got flustered and slapped the counter, sharply breaking up his attempt at making a joke.
"That's… you know what I'm saying." She frustratingly grabbed their orders and stormed to the back of the shop, leaving the laughing blonde and a hungry little girl sitting at the counter. A few minutes later their orders arrived and Aiko was devouring her meal at a rate that would rival even Choji.
"Now, are you going to tell me about this little Hyuuga girl?" Ayame asked, seeing that the girl was temporarily satiated.
"Not much to say, it was a surprise when she showed up just a few minutes ago. We'll be leaving in a few minutes to go get her mother, Hinata."
"You mean the girl that ran away?"
"The same."
"Thif ramen is awefome." Piped in the girl with broth dripping down her chin and mouth crammed full, puffing out her cheeks as she still tried to jam more in her mouth.
"The best around sweetie." He was going to make sure she hurried so they could get going to find her mother, but after looking at her bowl, it wasn't going to be a problem in the least. Within another minute, they were walking out of the ramen stand, both with satisfied stomachs. Realizing the time passed, Naruto knew they were running behind.
"Aiko-chan we need to hurry." He bent down on one knee and leaned forward, motioning for her to ride on him "Get on my shoulders."
"It's ok dad, I can run fast." She replied, still unsure and kind of embarrassed at his gesture.
"Not this fast, come on." He urged. She didn't argue any further and climbed aboard. "Now hang on tight." He felt her little arms constrict around him and he grinned wide as he leaned forward in a runner's stance.
Sakura had just arrived at the gate with Naruto nowhere to be found. She was about to start fuming about bossy people and not being able to keep his own impossible time table, until a bright beacon of orange light flashed next to her followed by the sudden appearance of the blonde Hokage and a giggling girl on his shoulders.
"NARUTO!" Sakura shouted as she was trying to calm her heart from the sudden scare.
"We're here!" He announced, sheepishly laughing before getting serious and interrupted his little girl's uncontrolled giggling.
"So, Aiko-chan, where is your mom?" He asked, hoping for somewhere close.
"We live in Whirlpool Village."
"Whirlpool Country? Isn't that where your mother is from Naruto?" Sakura asked, according to their intelligence reports, there wasn't anyone left on the island, but then again, their reports on that place was quite old and she recalled hearing that a fishing village popped up in that area about 10 or 12 years ago.
"Yeah, I've never been there though… Let's get a move on, we only have five hours before dark and I want to be to the port city by daybreak for the ferry. We'll rest on the boat ride to whirlpool."
"God, you are worse when you're not an idiot." Sakura muttered, grumbling about the slave driver of a Hokage as they took off towards the south eastern border of Fire Country. They ran full out for hours, making phenomenal time across the country side, even the overly anxious green duo would be impressed.
The sun started to set and Aiko had already fallen asleep and was nestled comfortably in Naruto's arms. He would glance down at her calm, sleeping face while they ran through the trees at breakneck speeds. The longer they continued running, the more Sakura started slowing down once she hit her limit, costing them precious time. About an hour past night fall, Sakura slowed considerably and knew she was beyond capacity for any further running. It had taken everything she had to keep up with the Hokage at that pace and making it that long was a testament to her training, but even she was still human.
"I'm sorry, I just can't." She panted. She usually wasn't one to complain first, but keeping the pace with her old teammate was next to impossible for anyone.
"You done?" He asked, stopping next to her, knowing that he was asking the impossible.
"Yeah… I should have stopped before nightfall." She puffed, trying to catch her breath
"Well, we're not stopping; we're already a few hours behind…" He handed the sleeping girl off to the pink haired kunoichi so he had his hands free to create a clone. The clone appeared leaning forward with his arms stretched backwards towards the medic.
"You're joking right?" She asked after seeing that he wanted to carry her with his clone. He held out his arms and took his daughter back. The little girl wiggled around a little bit to get comfortable and was back into a deep sleep.
"Not joking, we're going to be traveling even faster now to make up for lost time." Sakura shook her head before reluctantly climbing on the clones back.
For the second time that day, Sakura screeched out of surprise when she was enveloped in orange flame-like chakra emanating from both the clone and the original. In a brilliant streak, the two tore through the trees and trails. For the first 15 minutes, Sakura was nearly strangling the clone as she held on for dear life. Finally she grew accustomed to the speed, and the fatigue took hold and she drifted off to sleep on his back.
The sun was breaking across the horizon right as the wide ocean started coming into view. The light blues and oranges reflected off the sparkling surface in a wonderful display of the beauty of nature. The shadows of the buildings lining the shipyard were starting to be illuminated by the rising sun when the Naruto pair landed at the ferry station startling the gateman at their overly flashy entrance.
"When's the first boat to whirlpool?" He asked as the flames faded from his body, revealing his usual kage clothing.
"H…Hokage-sama." Muttered the man in surprise. "If we move fast, we can get you on the one that sets out in 5 minutes."
"Good, which one?"
"Dock 5." The moment the man gave that information, Naruto nodded and was gone. Within a fraction of a minute they landed on the deck of the ship. The jostling of movement started waking Sakura when the clone set her down and quickly disappeared. She looked up and saw the wide expanse of the ocean set before the rising sun and was in awe that they arrived in such a short time. Naruto sat next to her and smiled before stretching out and closing his eyes.
"Sakura, wake me up when we get there." Sakura smiled while watching the small girl peacefully sleeping on his chest.
If you had ever told her ten years ago that he'd be a loving father and Hokage, she would have declared you legally insane. Nonetheless there it was before her; that little girl took to him so quickly that it didn't even seem real, but he took to her just as quick. Looking back out at the wonderful scenery she was finally able to reflect on what had caused the changes in her teammate and friend over the years. What amount of love did it take to never lose sight of his affection over the last 8 years of being apart?
The large boat docked at the island of whirlpool country just after mid-morning. Naruto was still sleeping while Sakura and Aiko were busy enjoying the scenery of the ocean and talking about the little things in life. The few passengers finally started to embark, so it was time to wake the sleeping man.
"Hey Aiko-chan; can you go wake up Naruto?" Sakura asked, knowing just how kids would choose to wake up someone.
"OK!" She shouted and took off, running towards the sleeping man. She didn't even slow down as she dove into the air and landed squarely on his stomach.
"Oof…" He exhaled while snapping wide awake. He looked down at the weight on his stomach and just had to return the grin the little girl was wearing.
"Not so hard sweetie." He coughed out while catching his breath. He patted the girl on the head and stood up with a yawn.
"Where do we go now Naruto?" Sakura asked as they started leaving the ship.
"Onward to whirlpool village, it should be close to the only village on this island aside from the port." HE declared as they saw the many shops set up for fresh produce.
"We should probably grab some fruit on our way through port." Sakura suggested when she saw some delectable items while walking through the port market.
"Ok, lets grab and go, I just can't slow myself down when Hinata is still out there." They continued heading down the skinny rocky path while eating, much slower than before since Aiko was walking on her own. He had wanted to hurry, but he couldn't show up in the village with his whole group fatigued from the journey; that was just something you didn't ever do, especially when something was this important.
By the time the sun was 3 hours past high noon, a small village started rising on the horizon. There wasn't nearly as many trees in Whirlpool country as near Konoha and the path they were traveling on was starting to be lined with thick bamboo. When they entered the village, the small party gained many looks since they weren't traveling very incognito; not like Naruto really could anyways.
"Dad, this way." Aiko squealed and grabbed his hand. She dragged him through the village and down small alleys until the got to a small little house at the edge of town. She flung open the door and pulled him inside. Naruto started feeling bad that they had to live in such a small house while he was in the lap of luxury at the Hokage's residence. It was a tiny one room house where Hinata and Aiko had to share the only bed and had just a rundown couch in the small living room. While the girl was showing off her house, there was a note ominously held to the counter with a large knife; this was exactly what he was looking for.
You have one week to have the back medication costs paid in full or the woman won't get her medication and will die – Bring the money to the hill side shrine before nightfall of the final day.
Naruto folded the paper and slipped the note into his pocket before heading for the door.
"Aiko-chan, Sakura; let's go get Hinata." He pushed the front door open with anger induced force and led the group back into the heart of the village where he stopped.
"Um, Aiko-chan… Where's the shrine at?" he asked while grinning stupidly. Sakura sighed; he was still Naruto at heart after all; all action and no planning.
With Aiko now in the lead, they came upon the shrine. A large cube shaped building, which was overrun by vines and almost hidden in the thicket of bamboo surrounding it. Naruto looked it over, looking for any traps before deciding to move forward. He eyed strategic points around the building where one would lie in wait for an ambush. When it appeared to be free from immediate danger, he moved towards the building slowly.
"Aiko-chan, stay right behind me. Do not stray from my side." He whispered to the girl.
The large heavy wooden door to the shrine creaked as it slid open. The interior was sparse and the 7 men inside jumped to attention at the sudden intrusion. It was hard to see anyone in the darkened room. The one at the lead wore a ninja headband wrapped around his bald head. The three squiggly lines with a gash through it denoted his status as a missing nin from Yugakure. Dressed in a tight, all black jumpsuit, the enemy ninja pulled out a large blade which was hanging on his back and held it in front of him.
"What do you want?" He demanded in a gruff voice, moving the sword as a means to emphasize his seriousness.
The contrast between the dark interior and the light blasting through the door washed out the men's vision of the man standing in front of them, adding to their nervousness since they had no clue to the identity or strength of the intruder; a mistake only an amateur, or overly confident ninja, would make. Serious blue eyes surveyed the room further when his eyes finally focused on the small woman at the back. She was lying on a makeshift futon mattress and her face was flushed and had difficulty breathing, evident from the erratic rising and falling of her chest.
"I'm here for the woman…" He told the man in a stern and forceful tone; one demanding action which was forged from his job as Hokage. Before waiting for any reaction he signaled his teammate.
"Sakura." He called out. Within an instant the pink haired medic ninja was at Hinata's side with her hands glowing with chakra as she checked on her status. The men inside could barely follow her movements.
"Konoha?" The Yu ninja muttered after seeing the headband resting on Sakura's head.
"She's been poisoned!" The medic shouted back once she had an analysis. "It's a rare addictive poison. Without the poison she gets sicker and the more poison she takes the sicker she gets." She revealed, really pissing off the blonde, and he didn't need any more provoking.
"Is there an antidote?" He asked while the Yu ninja smirked.
"There are only two people who can get an antidote." The man revealed, angering the blonde further yet at his smug behavior.
"I know this poison." Sakura confirmed. "I have all the ingredients with me." The bald man had surprise spread across his face which was soon replaced by determination to save face.
His change in demeanor caused Naruto to reach back and discretely grasp the hilt of his short blade. Within a fraction of a second the bald man jumped at him while the others lunged at Sakura. Naruto didn't even move one inch as he felt his little girl holding tightly to his body. Right as that large blade was slicing downward; his wakizashi was drawn and made a loud screeching sound as it sparked and skidded across the metallic blade while clashing together. The bald ninja got his first look at the whiskered cheeks, deep blue eyes, and unwavering confidence of his foe. His attention was then drawn to the thunderous quake behind him. Glancing back he saw Sakura pulling back her fist and a pile of broken bodies lying in a small crater. The bald man looked back with a flicker of panic and caught a glimpse of a large white hat tied to the blonde's side.
"W-who are you?" Naruto grinned while his blade started to glow with chakra and a notch fell off from the massive blade of his enemy.
"Uzumaki Naruto… Hokage." He reached his left hand up to the hilt, grasping it with two hands and flung the blade effortlessly through the large blade, tossing the majority of the sliced blade flailing through the air and sticking into the ground five feet away. The Yu ninja was unbelievably fast as he started running hand seals in a ghostly panic, hoping to find an opening for escape.
"Raiton: ack…" He didn't fully get his jutsu completed when his jaw got dislocated when the pommel of Naruto's wakizashi struck him right under the chin. Smoothly he sheathed his blade when he confirmed all opponents were down.
"You're really strong dad." Chirped the smiling girl who was still at his side looking at him in awe.
"So is your mom." He responded while starting off towards where Hinata and Sakura were.
"How is she?" He asked while getting near.
"Carry her back to the house; I'll need to mix the antidote. After that she'll just need rest and she'll be good as new." He nodded in understanding of the good news and gingerly picked up the small woman and smiled when he looked at her beautiful face.
She didn't even age one bit over the last 8 years and was just as beautiful as the day he first kissed her. Even her body was still soft and toned and it just felt wonderful to him to hold her in his arms again. At that moment, it didn't even feel like that many years had passed. He carried her into the house and set her down on the bed, pulling the sheets up to her shoulders. He kissed her warm forehead and went out into the kitchen where Sakura was mixing the antidote. Sakura handed him a small glass of nasty looking yellow colored liquid.
"Get her to drink this; all of it." He took the glass and headed back into the bedroom where Aiko was now lying next to her mother.
"Is mom going to really be ok? She's been sick for so long." She asked with a small sniffle.
"Don't worry; Sakura is the best medic I know." He patted her head with a smile before focusing on Hinata. He propped up her head and poured the contents of the glass down her throat, causing her a few involuntary coughs in the process. Once the coughing settled down, he placed her head back onto the bed to let her rest.
"Come on Aiko-chan, let her sleep for a while." She silently got off the bed and went with her dad out into the living room, closing the door quietly behind them.
The sun of the next day was violently pouring through the window of the small bedroom. Eyelids covering pearly eyes slowly fluttered open, squinting in the bright light. She looked around the room, taking in the familiar sight where she was and rolled over and saw the empty place where her daughter would usually sleep. She looked at the clock and realized just how late in the day it was and pulled her body to her feet. She tightened the belt of her robe and started to open the bedroom door.
"Aiko-chan?" She called out as the door swung open. She heard quieted voices and started getting scared without knowing her daughter's whereabouts.
"I'm out here coloring with dad." She announced without looking up from her picture. The dark haired woman froze in the doorway while looking into the living room. Sitting at the small table was a man wearing a white jacket with 'Hokage' written down its back. Her eyes started to water when the spiky blonde hair topped head turned, revealing blue eyes and a smile that could stop her heart in its tracks. Her lips started to quiver as she made a step forward; tears dripping off her face. When she was close, she just leapt forward landing in Naruto's arms while she sobbed uncontrollably.
"Mom, dad; why are you both crying?" Aiko asked while looking at her reunited parents.
"People cry when they are really happy Aiko-chan." Sakura assured her, while being kind of interested in the interaction herself. Neither one of them gave any indication that they were in that kind of relationship and the display of the love they had was almost overwhelming.
"Naruto-kun…" she sniffled while her face was buried in his chest.
"I've come to bring you home, Hinata." He whispered while not loosening his grip on her body, almost being afraid to let go in a fear that it was just a dream.
"But…"
"Everything is ok now, you can come back with Aiko-chan." The small girl jumped between them at the mention of her.
"Can we go mom? They have the best ramen ever." Both Hinata and Sakura started laughing at the mention of ramen.
"Hey, ramen is no laughing matter." Naruto reminded with Aiko nodding her head in agreement. "Besides, you'll always remember Ichiraku's, right?" He asked before pulling her head off of him kissing her in front of everyone.
"Dad!" Aiko hollered making everyone start laughing.
"I see you two hit it off, I'm so happy." Hinata said with eyes still full of tears.
"Well, you could have told me." He replied with words that could have been taken as a joking pout or even as a serious berating.
"I know, but then you would have come with me and you wouldn't be Hokage. I couldn't let you give up your dream like that."
"Ok, third wheel here with a question…" Sakura chimed, braking up the conversation. "One: why did you have to leave in the first place and two: WHY DIDN'T I KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS!? COME ON!"
"Sorry Sakura-san, the clan doesn't allow of unapproved um… relations… they deal punishment swiftly and harshly. The moment I saw a second chakra source I knew I had to leave since if I could see it, so could everyone else. It wasn't planned, it just… happened."
"Ok, I believe that with the amount of effort he put into changing that clan charter, who would have thought this was the reason, but how did you evade our search parties, this idiot of a Hokage sent any free team out to look for you?"
"People tend to ignore those with disabilities; everyone was looking for a Hyuuga, not a blind woman with a blind child. It is amazing how much people don't want to talk to or about the disabled."
"Clever." Sakura commented.
"Yep, that's my Hinata." He praised happily, causing her cheeks to redden slightly.
"Alright, if you're healthy enough for this 'lovey dovey' stuff, then I say you're cured. You may feel some after effects of the addictive part of the poison, but it shouldn't be too bad." Sakura informed and flopped back onto the couch.
"Thanks Sakura." Spoke the blonde. He helped his girls up to their feet, since the circulation was being cut off at his legs with all of them on top of him. After they were standing, the reunited couple stared at each other, looking into each other's eyes lovingly. Naruto smiled and wiped the wetness off her porcelain like cheeks and then wrapped his arms around the small woman, holding her tight.
"I love you." He whispered in her ear.
"Love you too" She replied with great happiness.
"Me three!" Yelled Aiko as she threw her little arms around both of them, earning chuckles all around.
"Yes, Aiko-chan… We love you too." He assured while patting her head.
"Ahem…" Sakura coughed as an interruption. "So… when are we heading back; you've got Hokage duties to attend to? And in no way am I going to get back to Konoha in less than a day either, so don't even suggest it."
"That is entirely up to my girls." He answered easily.
"Well, if we pack now, we can make the last boat off the island. I'm excited to get home." Hinata revealed with a grin. Although it was nice to live in her current village, it just wasn't home. She hurridly ran off to her room and packed up everything she couldn't live without and got dressed for the trip. She came out with a large traveling pack and the same clothing she used to wear during her career in Konoha.
"Ready Aiko-chan?" She asked. The little girl grinned and nodded. Naruto grabbed the pack from Hinata and threw it over his shoulder and headed for the door. Once outside the house, Hinata left a message on the door for the landlord and then the group set off for the port.
Sakura watched the family of three from a few steps behind them. Aiko was happily swinging her arms, with each of her parents' hands in hers, skipping along carelessly through the village. They just seemed like they had been together forever and not apart for such a great amount of time. Suddenly a smirk spread across Sakura's face as an idea graced her mind. She ran up next to Hinata and put her arm around her.
"You know… we haven't really talked much before; how about we change that?" The medic grinned even more as she pulled the Hyuuga away from her family for a little 'girl talk' about who knows what.
NEXT!