Peace

by Marshall Highwind

The war's finished. Naruto fulfilled his promise, and now because of him, Sakura's happiness was secured. But what about him? Follow the blond Uzumaki, on his quest to finally bring absolute peace to the world while he struggles to find peace inside himself. Fortunately, he's not as alone as he thinks he is.

8. Red With A Dose Of Black

VIII. Red With A Dose Of Black.

---

"This... This is absolutely different from what I remember..." He kept thinking nervously, while seeing his younger version walking so confidently inside the mansion's courtyard. Naturally, he - the older version- followed behind, levitating as the spirit of a relative who watched over the little kid.

The mansion was empty, or at least that was as far as the entrance and the courtyard were concerned. No one came out from the living room to greet the child, and similarly, no one came out to stop him from going any further... Which made it seem like he was neither important nor dangerous for the household. The closer he got to the living room's sliding door, the more his older self felt like even though those memories he was watching were foreign, they did belong to him. Deep inside his heart, somewhere far away from what his brain dared to consider reality, he was afraid of the fact that, memories from his past were always blurry. Faint. Incomplete. There was always something missing. And whenever his mind came to find that something close, he either woke up from the dream (or the nightmare), or simply was forced to give himself up to ignorance.

However... That mansion... That village... The expression set on his child self's face, the way he was clearly hurt... It was neither familiar, nor new to him, the older self. His mind said it was something that belonged to another person. But his heart and his body felt familiar. Too familiar.

"...But why? Why am I seeing this now, and why not before?"

From the other side of the door, a blurry, shadowy silhouette that resembled the slender figure of a woman, rose up gracefully from the floor and opened the door aggressively. And something happened that made both the kid and the teenager to feel a incredible burst of hatred inside their hearts. The set of green eyes that each of them had began literally sparkling and leering with such incredible rage that the older version of him thought for a second that he had lost himself to killer instincts.

"Ah... So, you're back, Kamui."

Those words came from the source of little Kamui and old Kamui's feelings. The woman who had just opened the door, who also appeared to be the head of that house (and probably the Clan), had one of the most despicable looks on her face. Her hair was brownish red, her eyes black, and her skin was incredibly white.

Older Kamui didn't realize that he had just unlocked one of many memories that were sealed on the deepest side of his mind. Just by looking at her. Just by remembering her name. And just by remembering what kind of relationship she had with him. She was Tachibana Satsuki. And she was his mother. But that title could only be given to her in a biological sense. There was no way for neither little Kamui nor old Kamui to even begin to think of her as a mother.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you by not falling into your trap and dying." Little Kamui said, his green eyes furiously fixed upon Satsuki, who wore a beautiful kimono and acted as innocent and graceful as those women who tried hard to resemble the mythical Yamato Nadeshico. The greatest example of an ideal woman. However, that woman in front of both Kamui's couldn't be further away from that ideal.

"My, my... You say it as though I had planned for you to have any hardships on your mission... But I am your mother. Why would I even think of that?" She replied with a smug voice, smirking like a particularly amused snake once she noticed little Kamui's bruises and minor injuries. It wasn't until then that older Kamui noticed them as well. His younger self was bleeding from his left arm and from his right cheek. But he didn't seem too interested on that. Rather, he merely walked inside the living room (which was as luxurious as any living room on a mansion can get), and headed towards his room.

"Did you manage to get what I asked you for?"

"I wouldn't have been chased after so badly if I hadn't." Kamui looked for something on his pocket, and draw a small scroll from it. He showed it to Satsuki, who nodded mockingly, and then threw it at her. She caught it on mid air, and glared at Kamui afterwards.

"Who do you think you're dealing with? Not only am I your mother but also the Head of this-..."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, old hag!" Little Kamui replied, loudly. He glared back at her, even harder. "I don't remember my father handing the Uzumaki Clan's leadership over to the likes of you. Go ahead, enjoy yourself while being the only "master of this house" for the time being. I'll just wait patiently in my room until my father comes back, and then we'll see who am I dealing with. You piece of shit of a mother."

There was a long, incredibly tense silence between them both. Some of the house servants had run to the living room, fearing trouble. Satsuki had firstly trembled in anger, feeling offended by Kamui's statements. But once she noticed the presence of maids and butlers, she took a small breath and smirked in the same mocking way.

"You're right Kamui. I am going to enjoy being the master of this house for now. But I won't do it by myself... I enjoy sharing with my family, you see. Here. Let's make some more memories togethere, shall we?" Satsuki made half a seal with her right hand, and all of a sudden, little Kamui fell to the floor, shivering. There were black, kanji-like marks all over his body, like living tattoos.

"A restraint seal against her own son... As expected of good ol' sadist Satsuki". Older Kamui thought bitterly, while his younger self began panting and feeling dizzy. Satsuki commanded her butlers to take him into arms, and then made them follow her to another room. The expression shining on her face displayed more danger than having supper with vipers. Little Kamui, helplessly trying to move and failing, knew that the memories they were going to make, were something he would wish to forget for the rest of his life.

---

Even though there were no tears, older Kamui didn't miss the fact that his younger version was craving in the inside for letting them out. Hours had passed since Kamui's mother had "made memories" with him... And she made sure they were remembered all right. Older Kamui couldn't help but feel like bursting in rage. Even the fact that he was finally able to remember his old room, and his old house was not enough for him to lose sight of the terrible outcome younger Kamui's defiant words had brought him.

The kid was laying face-down on his bed. The clothes he used for his torso were gone, and instead he had been forced to wear the nastiest, most terrible looking scars, bruises and slashes that anybody would bear to see in a little kid. Blood was still coming out from those injuries. But little Kamui wasn't moving. He merely trembled. Whether it was due to pain, sadness, anger... Older Kamui knew (and remembered) that not even he himself could tell.

"Yeah... Now I remember...During this time... Dad was gone. Even though he and mom had divorced each other when I was four, because of the fact that Dad was a representative of a Clan that was not supposed to exist, he had to travel a lot... Making strong connections... Trying to find the remaining Uzumaki Members alive... Trying to bring the Clan together in secret, protect it and re-build it. But many people didn't want to go back to a Clan... For them, belonging to a Clan meant belonging to the Shinobi System, and that also meant risking one's life. Many people had grown used to peaceful lives..."

Older Kamui, who had stopped levitating since a couple hours ago, took a sit on the floor and gazed at his child version silently, feeling the hidden memories come back from wherever they were. His eyes threatened to go wet as his heart clenched and remembered the pain of what he had gone through during that childhood.

"But why? Why am I remembering this now? Why couldn't I see this before...? Why had my name have to be reminded by such a disgusting person as that woman?"

Kamui. If what he could remember now was true, that name had been proposed by his father when he was born. For many people, Kamui meant holy. Sacred. Divine. Godly. But for his father, it had another meaning. Right then, his words and his voice could still be heard as clearly as in the day when those words were first spoken...

"Kamui is a name given to those who have the will and the strength to either follow and protect God... Or to defy Him and defeat Him."

"But Dad... How in the world could I even defeat something I don't even believe in?"

At that moment, he had simply chuckled and patted Kamui's head gently.

"Let's put it this way... Perhaps since the moment you decided not to believe in God, you also defied and defeated Him. So perhaps, as Kamui, you have already chosen your path... Even if you don't really understand what that means. Don't worry. You will. In due time."

Right then, sitting beside the memory of himself, in a room made of what seemed to be a powerful jutsu to unseal one's secrets from within one's mind, Kamui wished he could understand what his father had meant with that. In a way, his father was just as annoying as his nightmares. Always leaving the most important bit of information out. Deliberately. And Kamui had always tried to insist, to force that information out from him. But in the end, he was still a child... And by the time he thought he had enough wisdom to ask his father once more, he was gone. One of his missions. And Kamui's mother had come to their house, out of the blue, claiming to have been asked by his father to take care of their only child.

But that was a horrible mistake. The result of trusting his ex-wife, and the one person who, granted, was supposed to love and care for Kamui more than anybody else... Was a seven-year old kid completely covered in painful, bloody bruises, dealing with his mother's dangerous requests... Requests that were merely an excuse for her to send her son out there and risk his life unnecessarily, so he could just simply die. Apparently her idea was to gain Kamui's father's favor... Pity... Perhaps she wanted to be able to live as a noble, through making Kamui her golden sacrifice. And she was such a good actress. Her looks and her well trained relationship skills had won the hearts of many of the house's maids and servants. Only a few seemed to remain loyal to Kamui and his father, and they had to quit the job as a result. Satsuki never hesitated when it came to kill and remove what she deemed as an obstacle.

Older Kamui could feel it again. The same suffering that was suffocating his kid self's soul. The same question. When is my father going to come back...?.

Just as that question sent hurricanes of despair to both Kamui's, the door to the younger one's room suddenly opened with haste. Little Kamui didn't react, or show any signs of noticing the arrival of someone else to his room. But older Kamui did the noticing for him. Standing in the threshold, with a look that put many emotions into one sole message, was a tall man about thirty years old, with crimson red hair that was incredibly curly (just like Kamui's), and a set of black eyes that were currently showing horror. Putting older Kamui and him beside each other, one would easily think that they are both the same person in different periods of time (just like little Kamui and older Kamui were)... But it was his eyes the thing that gave that man away as a different person.

"Kamui...?" The man said with low, weak voice. At that moment, older Kamui had noticed how he had apparently just returned from his journey. He remembered clearly that he was nothing but a ghost of the future, spying on his past life's experiences to remember what he couldn't remember before, but that didn't keep him from feeling glad to see that man's face again... After all that he had been through. Little Kamui also recognized the man's voice and tried to stand up, but the man quickly sat beside him on his bed.

"Don't move. Easy. Let me take care of this..." He sent another horrified look towards little Kamui's back and the wounds on it. He grit his teeth in frustration.

"D-Dad...? W-when did you...?"

"Don't talk. Just lay down and stay quiet... Only tell me who did this to you."

"You mean you still don't get it...?" Little Kamui replied, clenching his fists around his pillow, his face completely hidden. "...It's what happens to those who remain loyal to you."

"Be clear about it. Tell me who."

Kamui rose his head a little bit, so his green eyes could meet his father's. Black and green clashed in an emotional, heated minute. Older Kamui smirked in the midst of his own held tears. Their father seemed to understand, as he let out a sigh full of pain and frustration, yet with a dose of resignation.

"I know, I know. You did tell me she was completely out of it... But whatever the case, I never would have dreamed that she would do this... Kamui... I'm sorry. Although I know saying "sorry" is not going to make you feel better so easily."

The man made some incredibly fast seals, and hovered his hand above his little kid's back. Said back seemed to move by itself, as if it felt something cold getting closer to it. Older Kamui recognized that reaction. Because of the fact that his mother could be that sadistic with her punishments, the thought of anybody getting close enough to touch him sent an automatic reaction in his body to avoid said contact. It was a reaction that had developed out of fear to pain, and fear to blood. Shinobi or not... Kamui, or at least the Kamui laying in that bed, was still a kid.

Their father's reaction to what he just had seen was completely embarrassing. Though Kamui loved his father, it was really awkward for him to see him in a weak state, or to see him about to cry. And at that moment, he was definitely losing his usually strong composure.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you. I'm just going to stop the bleeding and speed the scarring a bit. Relax..."

Hiding his face in his pillow again, little Kamui merely let out a faint "Mm-hmm", and let his father go on with his medical Ninjutsu.

---

"I'm sorry for intruding..."

"No, it's okay. Would you like to have some tea? It's still early in the morning..."

"No, thank you. I already had some, at my parents' house."

Silence.

It was truly the most awkward silence Hinata had ever experienced before. Sakura was in her room, which is also something that had never happened before, and what made Hinata even more uncomfortable was the fact that, obviously, their conversation was going to end up being about a certain blond person.

Sakura sat on Hinata's bed (as requested by Hinata herself), and the Hyuuga sat beside her. Both young women spent several seconds gazing at the floor, consumed by their own nervousness and anxiety. But then, right when Hinata was about to go make some tea anyway, Sakura started talking.

"I know it's not really my right to say anything about the matter but... I just wanted to know if it was true that you and... Naruto..." She seemed to blush slightly, and apparently she realized it, so she gazed elsewhere.

"W-when you say it like that..." Hinata felt a tiny drop of nervous sweat drip down her forehead. "...It sounds as if you thought that we had already been together..."

"Ha-have you?" Sakura asked as a reply. She did it with an incredibly high pitched voice, and she stared at Hinata very closely, while blushing. This time, for real. Hinata felt Sakura's blushing was so strong that it kind of was contagious, so ultimately, she blushed as well... As much as she usually did whenever Naruto and her exchanged words, in the past.

"W-well..."

"Oh my God... You have...!" Sakura said in a shocked whisper, after which she hid her face behind the parallel pink bangs falling at each side of it, and grabbed her head with her hands, nervously. Although Hinata sort of tried to say something to make her feel better, she first of all had to deal with the great amount of indignation Sakura's comment had produced inside her.

"I'm not the sort of person to be rude to others, Sakura-san... And you know this very well..." Hinata rose from her bed and quietly walked towards the window pane, through which she contemplated the sight of the Hyuuga Mansion's courtyard. While she ignored it, Sakura got a grip and looked at her carefully.

"...But ever since Naruto and I spent the night together, and ever since I felt the warmth I wanted to feel for so long... I received something from him. Or rather, he awakened something within me that's been asleep for too long for me to remember. And now, even if it means denying the Hyuuga Hinata that everybody else sees and remembers, I won't go back to be the same shy, fragile girl..."

"What are you trying to say...?" Sakura asked, her expression dead serious.

"More than trying to say anything, I'm trying to ask you... What are your intentions coming here, asking me about Naruto?"

Hinata's voice, when those words were said, was stern and merciless. Those words pierced Sakura completely, even making her hands shake for a bit, and her back feel a slight chill.

"I... Well, you know how things are between us, lately. We hardly ever talk, and almost every time we do, he never really cares about what I'm saying... He's... Cold and... Distant. And I couldn't stand it. Yesterday's mission was like... A nightmare. I guess I've been with Naruto for so long that once there is this much of a gap between us, I can't help but try to do something about it."

"Where is that coming from...?" Hinata clenched her fists, and though she didn't exactly look at Sakura, the pinkette was completely sure her black haired ex-classmate had one hell of a scary stare in her face. The Haruno immediately gulped dryly. She had come to that place knowing full well that a fight was very likely to ensue between them. She had already sensed Hinata's change of character... And she also sensed how now, there were two dangerously bad tempered women in the same room.

"What do you mean?"

"I just don't know what's the point of you telling this to me." Hinata relaxed her tense demeanor, and her fists were no longer shaking. "Don't you have Sasuke-kun? Why don't you ask him this sort of questions? Or more importantly, if this is about you and Naruto, why don't you talk to him directly?"

"Well, if I hadn't tried doing that before coming to you, I assure you I wouldn't have come in the first place. But there is only so much Sasuke can do... I can't really put him on a position where he has to choose between Naruto and me. I don't want to. He owes Naruto a lot... As for Naruto himself, well... He doesn't even talk to me. It's always me talking and him pretending to care, when he clearly doesn't..."

"And why do you think that is, Sakura-san...?"

Again, silence.

This time, it was even more tense. It could literally be cut with a knife. Hinata finally turned on her feet, the curtains behind her dancing slightly at the same compass as her long hair. Her expression denoted anything but anger. Even though Sakura had been trained to understand and get the grasp of human behavior and facial expression logic, the Hyuuga Clan was the house of people who were ten times or even twenty times as adept at that aspect as she and every other medical ninja was. After all, the Byakuugan also acted as a kind of emotional window, through which the Hyuuga could easily read people's feelings. Even those feelings hidden behind poker faces. This time, though Sakura had never had a patient or a target whom she was unable to read, she felt her natural nemesis had just suddenly appeared out of the blue.

It was clear Hinata didn't like her. Or was it?... There was a very ominous aura about Hinata when it came to Sakura, that much was obvious... But then, when Sakura felt like confronting the silver-eyed heiress, that ominous aura just vanished into nothing and was replaced by the same, traditionally noble kindness. And what was more troubling was that it didn't even seem fake. Hinata really seemed to be honestly nice with her from the bottom of her heart. Which was it...? Did she hate Sakura? Did she like Sakura? Did she care about her, or simply wasn't interested?

"Why do I think that is?"

"Yeah. Haven't you given it a thought? You did say that you have tried talking to Sasuke-kun and to Naruto... Don't tell me that you actually went and asked them things without asking yourself first...? That would be so unlike you..."

"Yeah, no mistake about it..." Sakura's eyebrows narrowed slightly at Hinata's voice tone, and face. "...She is definitely not the same person she was before... Or could it be...?"

"Don't look at me like that..." Hinata smiled in a way that conveyed both gentleness and sarcasm. Such an ambiguous expression that Sakura for a moment thought talking to her was like walking through a maze. "...I told you, didn't I? After Naruto and I slept together, the me that I was purposely hiding came out. This is the real me. I would say nice to meet you or something like that... But first things come first."

She looked at Sakura again, her eyes quite penetrating, yet still gentle.

"Why do you think Naruto has been like this towards you?"

"The obvious answer would be the fact that I married Sasuke, of course..."

"Are there such things as obvious answers?" Hinata's hair was caressed by the morning breeze. So was Sakura's. Both women faced each other as their uniquely colored hair danced with the air. "Naruto felt happy for you and Sasuke-kun... That much hasn't changed just yet. I thought you could see that too..."

"I do sense sincere happiness from him... But then what other reason could be behind his not wanting to even look at me?"

"I kind of understand why is that question so important to you right now, but I think the actual question which should matter the most to you, is being ignored woefully."

"And what is that question...?"

"It's simple. Why does it even matter to you whether Naruto is there or not? You're married now. With the man that, if I'm not mistaken, was the prince charming from your dreams... So, again, what importance does it have, whether Naruto speaks to you or not... Whether he smiles or glares at you... Doesn't he pale in comparison to the man you've always dreamed of? Or maybe..." Hinata, as if Sakura hadn't got enough of unexpected expressions from her face, sent yet another freezing expression as a piercing bolt towards the Haruno, who felt her back once again have a chilling sensation. It was a smile, yet not quite a smile. It was an expression that transmitted a heavy killing intent, meld with mockery and kindness.

"... Maybe it's just that Sasuke-kun is not really enough, anymore? Maybe, as you said, you've been with Naruto for so long that suddenly, he doesn't feel like a wrong choice...? Even if you already committed yourself to that man you love?"

"You're speaking as if I'm here at your house because I'm jealous of you and Naruto, or something..."

"How else would you feel, if you were in my shoes?" Hinata's expression became even more troubling, once Sakura avoided the question (regrettably). "How would you feel if I was the one going to your house asking whether or not you and Sasuke-kun have already been together...? Wouldn't you feel like saying, and what business is that of yours?

"In that case, I'd use that same remark bluntly. You and Sasuke have never had any kind of contact. It'd only be right from me to say that, if that had ever happened."

"I can't say I disagree. But it seems you're putting it in such a way that now I'm the one who doesn't have the right to ask what business is it of yours, whether Naruto and I slept together... You may think you have all the right to ask due to you two being teammates, and so on. But make no mistake. You made your choice when you married Sasuke-kun. No, your choice was made way before that. The wedding was just a way to kill Naruto's slightest possible hint of hope that he might have your eyes for him and for him only. Once that hope was destroyed, and once Naruto realized that love wasn't something born out of hard work alone, but also from the sincere desire to love in the first place... Once he realized my feelings, he accepted me."

"Why does everyone, everyone, including you, blame me for not choosing him? Why? Why do people concern themselves with the love life of another person? Why can't I just keep loving Sasuke without getting this much hatred?"

"What?" Hinata shook her head, showing eyes with a hint of pity. "Sakura-san, why do you even think people care about your love life so much in the first place? It's never been about you. You already have your position in the village, and no matter what you do, that position won't change... Nobody hates you. Everybody loves the Sannin's disciple. It's always been about Naruto... Ever since he became the village's hero. And even if I feel bad for people suddenly loving him after treating him like an outcast for so long... I can't say that their feelings towards him are fake. They sincerely want his happiness. It's not about you choosing Sasuke per se... More like it's about you simply ignoring Naruto. Maybe they feel like Naruto was the logical choice, considering Sasuke's background, and the things both you and Naruto have been through... Naturally, once the invitations for your wedding with Sasuke were delivered, they felt disappointed. They know how Naruto loved you. Everybody did. The fact that you knew as well, only makes it worse."

"But you say the same words they say... You put Naruto's suffering in my shoulders..." Sakura snapped her tongue, clenching her fists. "I never wanted Naruto to love me. I never wanted him to get hurt. I never..."

"Then why lying to him?"

"What?"

"Don't look so surprised. We shared our bodies. And far more than just that. That night was full of both sleep and secrets being revealed. Secrets about ourselves. Things we didn't know. And what do I find...? What do my ears listen to? That you, all full of yourself... Yet, perhaps with a sincere, good intent, went to the Land of Iron and confessed to Naruto. But such confession was so miserably bad performed that Naruto could tell right away between truth and lies. Don't you see...?" Hinata finally let out her frustration in an incredibly fast glare.

"It's not just because of you choosing Sasuke. Naruto already knew your feelings. And he was slowly, painfully, but steadily dealing with that... And he was about to be free. Why, then... Why would you ruin that person's hard work and wishes to get over those feelings with such a horrible lie? That's what Naruto felt hurt the most about!"

Sakura wanted to look elsewhere, to escape Hinata's deadly, yet silent glare. Her frustration and her anger were being transmitted to Sakura like invisible fireballs, setting her whole body and soul in fire. A fire called guilt. It was her own selfish whim, after all, to try and confess to her friend just so he would forget about that promise he made to her.

"I..."

"Actually... It was nice of you to come to my house, after all." Hinata folded her arms. "Because here, in my room, alone with you... I don't need to deal with a captain-subordinate relationship. Here, I don't need to keep up any appearances... Not that I'm willing to do that from now on, but anyway...You have no idea how long have I waited for the chance to get these words out of myself. You always had him close to you, while I could only watch from afar... Yeah, due to my own shyness. But I also knew his feelings. I was trying to do for him the same thing he tried to do for you. To be able to support you and grant you happiness... I wanted to do that for him. It was good enough. It was good enough already, just to let him heal those scars away, and forget about you... But no, you had to come and lie to him with those words...!"

"Stop that. Stop putting it as if I planned to hurt him beforehand! Hinata, there was a war about to break between Konoha and Kumo because of Sasuke! I was trying to protect Naruto, I was trying to save him, as much as I wanted to save Sasuke!" Sakura said loudly, standing up and facing Hinata fiercely.

"What good is there in trying to save someone through lies?!" Hinata replied, just as loudly. "You just don't get it, do you? You don't understand how important were those words for him! If I hadn't risked my life so stupidly back then when Pain attacked... If I hadn't said to him how much I loved him and how important it was for me to die if it was so that he could live... If that hadn't happened, then you would have been the FIRST person to ever tell him he was loved... The FIRST, and also, the one who lies!"

"So, I wasn't the first one to say it! It was you! So why are you bringing this up now?"

"It's not just a matter of who is first and who is second! It's also a matter of how much does that mean to him! Why is it that you're his teammate and yet you're so blind to these things?!"

"Blind to what?"

"He grew up alone! Everybody hated him! No matter who he went to, everybody else looked at him with the eyes of someone who held a clear grudge... Do you understand how important it is for him to hear that he's loved?" Hinata then let thin, silver tears flow down from her eyes. Sakura felt shocked.

"Why would you use those words?! Why?! He had dreamed of a world in which you said those words to him, with sincere eyes... With an honest heart. He had dreamed of the day in which you FELT that way towards him... He could sometimes find himself trying to imitate your voice saying those words... And then, when you finally say them... You're lying! You broke his heart to such an extent that a scar has been left there... A wound... And it's still bleeding!"

Sakura's balance was lost as she reflected on the words she had just heard. Her hips landed on Hinata's bed mutedly, as her jade eyes trembled with the pain of realization. Certain words from the time she had made the infamous confession were still fresh in her memory: "I hate people who lie to themselves..."

You could have mentioned anybody else. You could have said you loved someone else. You could have said the truth, in fact! But instead of all that, you chose the one thing that would hurt him the most... So tell me, now that he has finally realized how much do I love him for real, and after he and I were able to be each other's "first"... Tell me how in the world do I not have the right to ask what business is it of yours, whether or not I slept with him?" Hinata wiped out her tears strongly, her voice still unshaken, while Sakura's face was hidden behind her bangs once more.

"I answered your question because there is nothing for me to be ashamed for. I love him. There is nobody else I would have accepted to give my body to. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way, and I'm happy things went the way they went. His childishness... His hyperactivity... His silly, yet understanding self... I want and love everything about him. And the fact that I got to have all what he is for myself, is something I'd gladly boast about... And to be honest, I feel great rubbing it in your face." She gazed elsewhere, while Sakura looked at her.

"It may sound harsh, immature... Whatever. I don't care. As long as I can give the world a glimpse of how wonderful he is, I will boast about him nonstop. Unlike you, I want to worry about his happiness before he worries about mine. And I don't want his heart to be hurt ever again... I won't let anybody near him. I will protect him, even if I have to become a murderer, even if I have to betray the most sacred teachings from my family, I will be by his side and I will never abandon him. Those wounds that you so carelessly left inside him... I will be the one who cures them and heals them, until they disappear. Even if you think your good intentions can forgive the wrong actions... Even if you try to feel better about yourself by saying that what's important is the outcome, and not the methods... The likes of you, I will never allow to even see his heart. Ever again. That's what's inside my heart. This is the real me."

"Hinata..." Sakura rose from the Hyuuga's bed, and once again faced her. The pinkette smiled with the warmest expression possible, which clearly made Hinata's coldly steady demeanor soften a lot. "... You are right. I needed to hear those words. And... I realize now that all what you've said is the truth. I have hurt him in ways far more complicated than just marrying Sasuke... But don't force me to abandon him."

"What...?" Hinata asked, her eyes ready to glare.

"Perhaps I can't give him as much love as you can. But there is no need now, since he has you... And, it's not like I ever could... Since I love Sasuke. But please believe me when I say that he's important to me, even though I've hurt him so much... Even though it might appear like I don't care, like I used him... The truth is, I really, really love him. He's like... The brother I could never have... And he is important to me. I need to at least save our friendship... I need to be able to smile with him again... So please... Help me. I'm desperate, you see. Team Seven was never just Sasuke and me... Without Naruto, it's never going to be Team Seven... I already lost one member to hatred, and after recovering him I don't want to lose anybody ever again. Not this time. Not when I know that I can do something about it."

Silence. Hinata and Sakura looked at each other closely, not even blinking, for several seconds. The tension became softer, though it could still be cut in two. However, before Hinata could even say anything, the door to her room knocked three times.

"Hinata-sama?"

"Yes, what is it?" Hinata asked, almost giving her annoyance away with the tone of her voice.

"Um... Sorry to interrupt you, but these two gentlemen have been here for a long time, right outside your room... They didn't want to interrupt your conversation, so they waited here."

"Two gentlemen...? Oh no, don't tell me...?!"

One exchange of looks was enough for Hinata to understand how Sakura had the same thoughts. Both of them blushed right away, as the door was opened, and through it, a certain blond, fox-looking young man appeared, followed by certain other young man with the hair structure of a black hawk and black eyes. There was an incredibly smug, yet soft expression in their faces, which made both girls blush even more.

Hinata could only wonder how much had Naruto and Sasuke listened to, while waiting...?

---

It was in a matter of seconds, perhaps even sooner than that. In one moment, older Kamui was getting a glimpse of his own father curing the wounds in his younger self's back with medical ninjutsu, and after the blink of an eye, the scenery had changed abruptly.

Now, older Kamui had been sent to the same village where the mansion was, behind a teenager who was walking peacefully down the main street, which was particularly crowded that moning. Kamui knew right then and there that time had ran forward, and that the memory of his childhood was no longer necessary. Well, it was to be expected. Looking at the wounds in his child version's back was enough for him to recall everything he had experienced as Satsuki's son during those years. Whether it was because of the Jutsu's logic, or because of his own feelings, or both... The fact is, the one Kamui was watching over as an invisible spirit was no longer the chubby, short-haired kid that he had been seeing up until seconds before.

The one he was now watching was considerably taller, kept his hair as red and curly as ever, but this time it was remarkably long. It waved and flapped around like a living flag, every single step he took. Kamui recognized that teenager as himself when he was fourteen. Not too different from what he was now, except for his body being somewhat thinner, and his skin whiter.

It had been seconds to Kamui, but for his other version, it had been seven years. And thanks to the previous memory of his time as a kid, he could remember pretty much everything that happened in those seven years. Right after his father made his wounds stop bleeding, he rushed to the mansion's living room, whence he would find Satsuki... And a furious duel would ensue. He had been present in those moments when his father literally lost it, but in that moment, anything he knew of his father was deemed worthless. That moment was the first for little Kamui to see his father completely enraged and craving for revenge. So much that he had to be stopped by some of his most loyal subordinates from killing Satsuki in the most awful manner possible.

She was banished from the mansion and from any other Uzumaki premises permanently, and that was the last time Kamui saw her... The years after that, were filled of happy memories of him and the rest of his family. Paternal grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. His father married a second woman, with whom he had already have two children. Kamui's siblings. Kamui began his personal training with his father, who promised to spend more time with him in exchange for his elder son to take over the seat of the Uzumaki Clan's representative, while he went back to his travels in search for more relatives.

Sure enough, Kamui's skills as a shinobi and as an Uzumaki heir flew up as high as a rocket in a matter of months, after which his entire education would focus on politics, diplomacy, strategy and social relationships. He learned that the mansion could afford to boldly put flags and symbols of their Clan here and there thanks to a powerful genjutsu that made any outsider and/or intruder temporally think he's lost, or that he's forgotten something, right before he trespasses the threshold. The cover they had as a family while living on that small village, called Heiwa, was that they were simply an independent organization of Shinobi, descendants of a rich and powerful Daimyo.

Nobody really complained or denied their existence, rather, all the people in that village seemed to love them... Especially Kamui's Father, as a huge percentage of the village's first endeavors were possible thanks to his financial cooperation. By the time Kamui was thirteen, rumors of a criminal Organization called Akatsuki had reached his father's ears, and both him and Kamui's stepmother decided to go and get intel. Kamui became the de facto representative of the Clan, a position much like the Head.

The moment that memory was letting older Kamui see this time, began a year after getting that position. Though there was a lot of noise coming from the crowds buying and eating from the different food stands spread along the main street, Kamui's younger version seemed to feel little to no interest in any of that. He wore a traditional white yukata, with a large display of the Uzumaki symbol on his back, often concealed by his dancing red hair. His green eyes looked forward, a gaze warm enough to denote friendliness, yet cold enough to request not to waste his time. Villagers and tourists alike kept the whispering going as soon as he walked past them, heading towards the mansion. Some wealthy house owners waved at him excitedly, and he waved back at them, with a smile on his face that was very well feigned.

"Of course... My father had always been the charismatic, charming politician... But there was no use for me to be like that, at least not back then. Being a young leader, what you must always be clear with is your seriousness... And I took that advice a bit way too seriously." The Older Kamui thought, as he tried to catch anything worth remembering on that scenery. The village itself hadn't changed that much at all, only it was a bit greener than before, what with many trees adorning it. Some of them were sakura trees. There certainly were many more mansions besides the Uzumaki Clan's, which was all the better for them. It made it easier to blend within the others.

"Oh, it really is him...!" An outsider's voice said loudly, after which both Kamui's (who seemed to be both deeply in thought) quickly looked to their left and found themselves a few feet away from a particularly fancy food stand. It was so big that it literally outshone other stands by far, something that the owners of said stands didn't seem to enjoy one bit, as because of that they were losing custom. Behind the stand was an old man of friendly appearance, fluffy white beard and thin eyes, and who was also cooking and decorating the food. There were several octopus meatballs, ridiculously cute bento's, and above all, multiple sweets. The smell of the freshly cooked food sent an obvious reaction from within younger Kamui's stomach.

"Ah, Tetsuya-san... Good morning." Young Kamui said, getting nearer to the stand and waving politely. The man named Tetsuya, who had identified Kamui before, smiled as a reply.

"Good morning, Kamui-dono. How is business treating you today...?"

"Haha, today's Sunday, Tetsuya-san. No matter how hungry I might be for money, I'm afraid Sundays are strictly reserved for resting." Kamui answered, and his older, ghostly self could easily sense how he had already put on the infamous mask. He was now using that cheerful, polite personality that he was so popular for, yet it didn't really belong to him. With villagers, he was a kind, caring business "man". With potential business partners, or people who were nobles, the personality switch quickly changed to the still-cheerful-yet-too-scary-to-be-joked-with. No one seemed to know of his real self. Not besides his family, anyway, and even then... Some of them could never understand him.

"Oho... Is that so? Well, in that case, let us not speak of such things as business and money, then! Why don't you try out one of these bento's? Do not worry, it is on the house!"

"Oh, my. Is that really acceptable? Wouldn't that be unfair to other customers, Tetsuya-san?" Kamui said, smiling nervously as he felt the deadly glare of several tourists making a row beside him, waiting for Tetsuya's assistants to deliver their orders. "I'm sure they would also love a free bento, just as much as I would... Just let me pay for it."

Kamui used the fast movements of a shuriken user to retrieve money from his inner pants' pocket, and grab one of the take-away-bento's. Tetsuya received the money with a childish expression on his face, which made Kamui feel quite awkward.

"I swear, Kamui-dono... One of these days, you will feel the need of being treated especially, and my family shall be the one to be there for you!" The man said, bowing unnecessarily low in front of Kamui, whose cheeks turned red slightly as he waved his hand, trying to reduce the formality of the conversation, if only a little bit.

"N-no, it's all right, I'm sure Otou-sama would agree with me that no especial treatment is needed for us. Please just let us be part of the community, and think of us as any other normal family." Kamui bowed as much as Tetsuya did, which made the old man embarrassed in return. The crowd around them had already went back to their normal. noisy behavior, so their awkward relationship was soon left forgotten.

"Oh, that reminds me, Kamui-dono... I will be eternally ashamed of myself for doing this, but would you mind doing me a favor?" The man joined his hands as if he was praying.

"What is it...?"

---

[About thirty minutes later...]

---

" *Sigh*... How did it end up like this?" Younger Kamui said, as he walked with haste towards the outskirts of the village, down to the south. They were in the middle of summer, so he was looking forward to be back at the mansion and finally be able to get rid of his incredibly annoying hot yukata, after which he would wear his normal, fresh outfit. But no, he had to go and be kind enough to accept Tetsuya's request. And now, not only was he really not standing the heat, but also he was about to enter the woods... Which were probably even hotter, and of course, humid. He really hated hot weather. It took his breath away and it made him unwilling to do anything at all. Funnily enough, though, his body decided for itself that it was good to do that favor to Tetsuya...

... The old man's voice still resonated in his ears: "You see, my daughter's left our mansion since early in the morning, and she was supposed to help us out with the stand, at least until the festival is over... I don't really mind if she does not come, she's a girl after all... But she is way too stubborn and she won't come back for lunch. Can you please deliver this bento to her? I'd be eternally obliged, Kamui-dono!"

Of course, Kamui's social standing was such a demanding position, that even when he wanted to say "hell, no", he was forced to say "why didn't you ask sooner?". This time though, if he had been smart enough to not accept the request until Tetsuya had given him the details, he might have been able to politely decline. But because of him being an idiot (he himself admits it) , he accepted from the start, and then he was told to go out to the woods.

"Well, can't help it... Besides, it can't be too much of a big deal. It's only a little girl, right?"

He tied his long hair in a pony tail as he reached the heart of the woods, and the sound of running water. It would have been incredibly easier for him to simply move as a shinobi, though he had to be very careful. If he gave away his nature as a Ninja, he would draw too much suspicion towards his Clan. That, and of course, the bento's would pretty much get messed up (he hadn't touched his until then). That being clear, he kept walking naturally, using ninja senses to at least be more aware of his surroundings than a normal person would, anyway. He knew full well that those woods were highly dangerous. Not only some tree trunks were overcast by mold, which happened to be poisonous, but also booty hunters, mercenaries, rogue nins and all sorts of shady looking people were usually lurking around. Well, after all, it was no secret that the prettier and bigger a village is, the uglier and bigger its dark side was. The Uzumaki were fully aware, as a Ninja Clan themselves, that criminal groups with high ranking levels of strength often roamed about over Heiwa no Sato. To hide their headquarters or their equipment, they used the woods at the south exit of the village.

"Thinking of which..." Kamui's expression became a bit more serious. The sweat in his body had already dried thanks to him adapting to the environment, and if there was one or two drops, it was because of him trying to not lose focus due to fear. No matter what anybody says, being a shinobi will always be scary. Even if you don't fear death. "...What kind of girl would be reckless enough to come to these woods in particular, knowing how dangerous it is...?"

Even though it was Sunday, and though usually, even those dangerous people chose to have a little rest... It was always better not to trust one's judgment. If anyone knew that, it was Kamui. A certain woman used to send him through that forest many times, and he was close to die too many times as well, especially for a little kid. If he, despite having some knowledge and agility, was still hurt and sometimes badly injured by those people as a kid, then what in the world could happen to her...?

He sped up his steps and tried his best not to make any noise. The small river was getting close, and now the sound of water was increasing in strength. Enough to muffle Kamui's steps on the grass and the occasional twigs. As soon as the view wasn't blocked by trees and huge branches, he finally arrived to a wide glade. As he was expecting of it, there was a fairly medium-sized cascade falling down a plateau, and its water continued to flow as a thin, snake-like river for as long as the eye could see. Kamui didn't reveal himself too soon though, and opted for reading the situation. Tetsuya had mentioned his daughter was supposed to be there, looking at the waterfall and the small pool of water that formed before the river took shape. But as far as Kamui could see, there was no one there.

Kamui's relief for not having to deal with the likes of a female when he wanted to sleep more than anything lasted for exactly three seconds. Once the third second died and passed away, what sounded like the crying voice of a girl came to his ears. He turned on his feet and gently placed the bag with the two bento's on the ground, determined to listen a bit more before giving away his position.

"...think you're doing, you bastard?! Let go of me now!" The female voice said with rage bursting out of its owner's throat.

"See, you should behave a bit more, onee-chan. Whether or not we're gentle with you depends on that much..." Another voice said, this time male and filled with a sickening mockery that sent a chill down Kamui's spine. The man appeared to be accompanied by his partners, about three or four, as their grins were loud enough for Kamui to hear.

"Who gives a shit about what you want to do...? It's not like I'm gonna let you touch me more than what you already have! You go any further and I'll freaking cut your balls off!"

The owners of such voices showed up from behind some of the rocks surrounding the pool. Once the visual contact was possible, Kamui felt like his heart was torn between jumping into action and running away right then. It wasn't a girl, it was a woman. About twenty or so years old. The first thing Kamui was surprised about (other than the fact that she was obviously older, and probably more mature than him) was her incredibly long, straight and shiny black hair. It fell over her slender, feminine shape like an ebony cascade, much like the crystal clear one beside them. It was easy to identify her quick, blazing temper from the ferocious glare with which she was looking at her attackers: mercenary ninja with hoods, intimidating masks, and even more intimidating tools.

"Tch...! And here I thought this was about a defenseless kid... Turns out it's about a nut-head woman. I don't know if I should say serves you right, or don't worry, I'll help you..." Kamui frowned while sighing in frustration. "...The worst part is when I'm not even allowed to use my tools... I would be giving away my position as a Ninja... Guess I'll have to talk this out."

"Oi, oi... Don't be saying such scary things from that cute mouth, onee-chan. Let us take care of you, will ya? We would really hate having to use these babies on your gorgeous body. Why don't we just have some fun?" Said the masked guy to her right, while another one restrained her hands from behind. The other two kept grinning.

"I'd never have any sort of "fun" with the likes of you sick nut-heads... I rather die!"

"...Come on... Make it easier for me, will you?" Kamui thought, slightly annoyed that his chance to talk things out with the mercenaries was slipping through his fingers thanks to her putting more wood to the fire. As he sensed the killing intent from the thugs, his expression finally reached its tolerance limit, hence he prepared for interrupting.

"Well then, since you asked so nicely, we'll just send your daddy a reward for bringing such a lady to this world..." The man on the center said. "A pity that she has no manners with men..."

"All righty, that's about enough." Kamui said loudly, as he used some of his agility to jump straight to the rock behind them. While looking down on both the woman and the thugs, his green eyes gave a strong, emerald light, and his red hair was set loose (the rubber band not being strong enough to tie it).

"Huh?" The woman and the thugs looked at him completely astonished.

"What do you mean about enough? Have you been watching the whole time while doing nothing?!" The woman said loudly, her fierce glare piercing all the mercenaries easily and aiming to do so with Kamui, who remained nonchalant about it. He jumped down and walked towards them.

"I was hoping to reach a pacific solution, but turns out your mouth is a little bit too rough to keep anybody cool." Kamui said, as his white yukata flapped behind him. The woman's glare constantly tried to pierce through him, as if there were killer bees trying to sting him yet some especial barrier stood against them.

"Temeee...!" The woman struggled from the restraint of her hands, her eyes sparkling with fury. "...You're with them, aren't you? You're trying to play hero and and gain something from me, huh? Pathetic! Not to mention you did the job poorly!"

"You're a bit conceited, huh?" Kamui looked at her with total indifference. "You think I'd spend the whole Sunday trying to be your personal hero? How old are you, again?"

"Well guys, it looks like someone has just gone and joined the group of heavy bounties for us today!" The apparent leader of the thugs said, as Kamui and the woman stared/glared at each other (respectively) while completely ignoring them. They all chuckled together, spinning their giant Shurikens and playing around with rusty, bloody-looking katanas. The leader, however, gave off a different kind of feeling. He had no weapons in hand, and unlike his companions, he seemed calm and collected.

"Koitsu..." Kamui stared at him closely. "...Just what is he trying to pull off...? It's obvious his men are Chuunin rank at minimum... If he really was trying to rape her or something, he could have easily done it since the start. He could have blocked her movements through hitting her muscles, or used Genjutsu... That much, a Chuunin must be capable of... Furthermore, isn't a Chuunin captain often in the same level as a Jounin...?"

"Hey, genius guy! Why don't you just get out of here? It was bad enough without you showing up! Now I have to deal with these guys because of you..." The woman said, still struggling with the man binding her.

"Why don't you just shut up and let me do what you can't do?" Kamui said coolly, still studying the leader with his eyes.

"Huh? Excuse me? What is a rich, spoiled, mamma-boy brat like you acting all high and mighty for? Give me a break!" She yelled as she hit her captor's chin with her head. She was released from his grip, but that only lasted a second or two. The man regained his composure and this time, tied her hands with chains before she had the chance to counter attack.

"See...? Like I said, you better just keep quiet and stop hindering me. I'm trying to help here." Kamui said, his back turned at her, though his yukata's Uzumaki symbol (which changed to a plain, normal circle once other people looked at it, as part of a variant of a Henge no Jutsu to avoid drawing attention) was visible as the wind made his red hair wave for a bit.

"... Also, if you ever dare to call me a mamma's boy again..." The young Clan representative suddenly glared at her, his emerald orbs displaying a heavy, killing intent. The woman's expression showed a shade of fear "...I will kill you."

He returned his gaze to the thug leader (turning his head at him with unnecessary force and making his hair wave again). Unbeknownst to him, that was enough for his symbol to be visible for the woman. She stared at it closely, lost in her own thoughts.

"Say, the perverted onii-san there..." Kamui moved his head, pointing at the one in charge of the other thugs. He moved from his position (laying his back against the rock from which Kamui had jumped off) and walked a few steps closer. He chuckled.

"Huh? Now that's quite the judgmental remark you have there, gaki... Aren't you underestimating the position you are in? Why don't you take a look again...?"

"It's because I've been looking at it, that I wanted to talk to you." Kamui folded his arms and closed his eyes while sighing. "You guys... You weren't really aiming for raping this noisy woman, were you?"

"Who are you calling a noisy woman...?"

"Shut up and listen."

Both the red head and the masked mercenary exchanged some quiet, thoughtful looks with each other, his henchemen growing hungrier for blood and lust towards the woman.

"And who are you?"

"That's what I'd like to ask..." Kamui said, smirking. "...Sure, Heiwa no Sato has got plenty of people like these guys..." He pointed at the chuunin with his thumb. "...But an easy going fellow who actually can speak instead of trying to shove his dick inside girl's throats from the start is a first around these parts. But never mind that now..." His smirk became more sarcastic. "...The way I see it, you convinced these guys to help you track this woman down, perhaps by promising they could have her as a reward... But you have some other plans for her, don't you? It was kind of careless from you to mention her father..."

"Just as careless as it is from you to reveal your deducting skills to a mysterious masked man, especially without even fighting him first." He said. "You... Heh, obviously, there's quite the long record of Shinobi education spent on you, isn't there...?"

"Heh!" Kamui let out a tiny chuckle, though inside, his stomach felt a horrible feeling of emptiness. "So I was right. You're a Jounin... A rogue one. I wonder which village is having its reputation stepped on by you..."

"Just as I wonder who would have enough money to raise such a young, Chuunin-level kid away from any of the Five Great Villages... Unless of course, there's something else you're hiding behind those skills of yours."

"Unfortunately for you..." Kamui unfolded his arms and clenched his feet. "...There is nothing else hiding nowhere. The woman you're trying to abduct has been put under my care by her father, a task for which I was trained to have these skills. And even more unfortunately, I dislike having useless conversations while the person I have to protect is still in danger..."

"Pfffffft hahahahahahaha!" The woman burst into laughter, interrupting the gloomy conversation. "You? Protect me? Asked by my father? What have you been drinking?! What are you going to do to protect me, try to stab these people with money? Not even Dad is that stupid! I bet you don't even know his name..."

"Bakayaro!" Kamui thought, his angry vein itching right in the middle of his forehead. "Don't you see I'm trying to save us BOTH? I told you to stay quiet...!" He slowly glared, yet smiled at her, his killing intent quite apparent. She stopped laughing. "With a salary like the one Tetsuya-sama is providing, it's impossible to forget his name, you know!"

Kamui, using all the possible capabilities for a human being to convey a message without using any signs or words, stared at the woman for a bit. She did seem surprised to know he did have her father's name, and somehow, she seemed to understand the message.

"Huh? Well, not bad for the new guy!"

Kamui looked at the rogue Jounin again, trying to not letting his intentions slip. He had to convince him for sure that there was no way a Clan could be on that village. Neither a Clan, nor anything that could produce shinobi like him. But the act of him being the woman's bodyguard seemed to be losing credibility thanks to her previous statement. And it seemed the Jounin was noticing way more than necessary.

"I see. So the origin of your skills lies in your objective to be this woman's bodyguard..." The Jounin snorted."...Quite the interesting reason to learn Ninja Arts, you don't seem to get along that well. I wonder if it's not her father's name, but hers, the one you don't even know..."

"It's Kurohime." Kamui replied instantly, no expression in his voice. The wind blew particularly strongly then, making his eyes be concealed by his hair. The woman behind him had suddenly lost her will to talk, as she seemed completely surprised. "Inoue Kurohime."

"Oh, so you know it..." The Jounin chuckled. "...Very well then. I suppose there's only one way to get out of this situation..."

"No, there's actually two ways." Kamui replied, showing his index and heart fingers to him. His expression still as empty as a white canvas.

"Two?...May I ask what are they?" The jounin unfolded his arms, his interest evidently caught.

"Of course. The natural way for things to end right now is for us to fight, and see who wins. I don't know about you, but I'm not too excited to battle today...Why don't we go for the quiet, peaceful way?"

"And how would that possibly work?"

"How much were you intending to ask as ransom from the Inoue Family?" Kamui asked bluntly, over the sound of the Jounin's henchmen complaints (their bloodlust was getting over the edge).

"Five hundred grand."

Kamui put a hand on his pocket and searched for a particular bundle inside it. He retrieved what looked like a small, black bag full of something. He throwed it to the jounin, who caught it in mid-air.

"There's a couple grand more than that there. Take it. And leave. Do not attack or target the Inoue family ever again. You agree to those conditions, and I let you go with that money, which of course, you can count if you like."

Ignoring the last line, the jounin had already counted the money faster than any other person would be able to. He pocked it without any other reaction, and then looked back at Kamui.

"What about the third choice?"

"What's that...?" Kamui asked, his heart already preparing for it. The Jounin made some quick seals and began fading away in a white smokescreen.

"We take the money and your lives. Guys, off with their heads. I'll go on ahead and report this to our boss!"

With that, he finally disappeared. With a loud and hungry "roger!", the chuunin let out roars of battle and blood-thirst. Kurohime, who was still in shock, was left on the ground as the three chunnin hovered and jumped around them like black blurs. Kamui snapped his tongue in frustration, while helping her stand up.

"Daejobuka...?"

"Well, I am now, but it seems your bluff about having ninja skills didn't work... What now?" She said lowly, as the trio of thugs kept jumping from rock to rock, laughing like starving hyenas. Spine-chilling remarks such as "which arm do we take first" or "don't cut the throat too soon or they'll die before we can even start the fun" could oftenly be heard from the swirl of jumping ninja.

"There was almost nothing deceptive in what I said." Kamui replied, as he leered with an annoyed expression at them. Kurohime's eyes on him. "Just stay behind me and don't leave my side. As long as we;re clear on that, we're good."

"Okay." She did as ordered, and pressed her back against his.

"Close your eyes. You might think you're tough, but you're still a woman..."

"Tch!... For a brat to be this cocky..." She said with a low voice, yet she did as she was told again. Kamui snorted mockingly and tied his hair again.

"Okay! Which one of you brainless idiots wants to go to hell first?"

The loud shouts of laughter coming from the surrounding ninja was deafening.

"Oh, so he's still putting up the ninja act?!"

"He did say senchou was the only one who could actually talk back then... That was kinda insulting, wasn't it?"

"Well, why don't we show him how much of a beast we really are?!"

The three of them finally dashed at Kamui with amazing speed, weilding kunais longer than usual. Kamui, who skillfully read their movements, clapped his hands together after a quick series of seals.

"Kuchiyose! Shouryuusen no Tsurugi!" He said quietly, as a white smoke bomb was released from his hands. Out of it, the red head produced a thin, long katana with a black and green handle adorned by emerald shards. He dashed at the three opponents, and attacked with a single, agile slash.

In a blink of an eye, Kamui was several feet away, right behind them. They had stopped their movements as if they had hit an invisible wall. Their weapons shattered into pieces, their uniforms were torn apart, and blood came out of countless bruises caused by Kamui's slashing attack. After a horrible scream of pain, the three of them fell to the ground, lifeless. Kamui's long katana, which was still clean despite the fact that it had just cut through flesh, disappeared in another white smoke-bomb, as Kamui patted Kurohime on her shoulder twice.

"You can open them now. It's over. Come on."

---

"Did you eat what I told you for breakfast?"

"Yup."

"Is the orange juice finished or do you still have some...?"

"Well, Sasuke came to visit, so I shared some with him... I think it's about to finish."

"What about the fruits...?"

"Still have some. I need vegetables, though... I have none."

"What? You should have told me! Come on, let's go buy some..."

"We can worry about that later, Hinata. Don't you think we kind of have an unsolved matter in our hands here...?"

Naruto moved his head in such a way that he could point at Sasuke and Sakura, who were watching and hearing their conversation. They were outside, in the courtyard (Hinata's room didn't look like the perfect place to hold a meeting, especially when said meeting has many odds of turning into a fight. Occasional Hyuuga Clan members walked around the long, square shaped corridor of the Hyuuga mansion glancing at Hinata and the three main members of Team Seven with a rather surprised look on their eyes. Many of them did wave at Naruto with friendly expressions, as he was quite popular due to his past battle with Neji and the fact that Hinata had an obvious crush on him since a long time ago. The young shinobi always said hello back at them almost like ignoring the fact that there was a very thick cloud of awkwardness between the only female pair. However, a chill went down Hinata and the rest's spine as the fourth or so Hyuuga that had decided to take a stroll over the mansion was no other than Hiashi himself.

"Oh? It seems we had visitors..." He said with a calm, deep voice. Naruto had a particularly strong feeling of uneasiness. When he exchanged a look with Sasuke, the latter's expression assured the Uzumaki that his friend totally understood what he was feeling all worried about. Hinata gave Naruto's hand a small and stealthy squeeze, as her expression (which was previously a mixture of absent minded and annoyed) became suddenly solemn and oddly happy.

"H-hai, Otou-san. Good morning." She said, and with a head sign, she non-verbally commanded the rest to do as she did. Sakura and Sasuke immediately stood up, and with Naruto and his black-haired implied girlfriend, all four of them bowed with grace.

"Good morning, Hiashi-sama. Excuse us for the intrusion."

"Not at all, not at all..." Hiashi said, as he reached them, walking with shocking ease, for someone wearing such a long and tedious yukata. He smiled kindheartedly and bowed in return. "... I understand you took good care of Hinata in your last mission, especially you, Naruto..."

The mentioned young man felt the hair in his neck freeze up. Whether he was being too paranoid for his usual self, or his hunch about Hiashi carefully hiding his parental killing intent being true, the fact is that he felt more scared than ever before. Somehow, he felt like being eaten by Son Goku back in the war was like a walk in the park.

"A-actually, sir, please let me admit that it was the other way around many times. You see, Hinata-sama proved to be a huge asset to us on our mission. Thanks to her abilities, we were able to succeed." Sakura and Sasuke looked at him without losing focus, but risking a fairly surprised gaze. Naruto could understand what it was for. Even he would have looked at himself in the same way, if he had seen himself talking and acting like that, when his popularity came from calling people Hiashi's age "Ossan" or "Pops", and similar other traits.

"Come on, guys, give me a break... I know I sound weird, but I can't help it... I took his little girl's innocence, I could at least be polite with him... Even if he still doesn't know about it." He tried to say, though he ended up only thinking it, wishing Sasuke or Sakura could read his mind at times like those. Hinata seemed equally nervous, as her blush was becoming redder than usual.

"Well, I thank you for praising my daughter so. Hinata, make sure you keep up the good work. Ever since the war ended, I've received nothing but positive comments from the Hyuuga Clan's performance... Especially Neji and yourself. Be careful not to let those expectations down."

"H-hai. Thank you, Otou-san. Are you leaving the mansion today as well...?"

"I'm afraid so. You see, being one of the Head Councilors of Konoha, I need to be present on all the meetings regarding the birth of a new Shinobi Alliance. We Hyuuga must participate. Hanabi will be there with me, so you don't need to worry about me." He smiled again. Hinata seemed very moved by her father's surprisingly friendly behavior. "Have fun with your friends today. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura..." He bowed again. They did the same, and he kept on his way out, gracefully and silently walking like a physical ghost.

"Oh, by the way, Naruto..." Hiashi turned his head a bit. Naruto stood in his position so sternly that he seemed paralyzed for a moment.

"Yes, sir?"

"Since you have chosen my daughter as your fiancée, I would like you to introduce yourself properly into the Clan soon. We'll hold a especial dinner celebration for that. And you are free to soften your defenses, I am not going to harm my Son-in-law... As long as he does his job properly, of course." With that being said, he let out a small, curiously chilling grin and disappeared beyond the corridor's door.

"Wh-what...? What did he just say?" Naruto looked at Hinata, who looked like the typical guilty thief when he whistled and gazed elsewhere. She wasn't whistling, but it was obvious she couldn't face him properly.

"W-well... How to explain...?"

"She's trying to say that she already told her father that you and his daughter have been playing Swords and Caves." Sasuke said bluntly, earning the burning red faces of the three shinobi beside him.

"Sasuke! Manners!" Sakura said, her fists trembling (though Sasuke and Naruto knew very well it was more due to being nervous than being angry). Sasuke merely shrugged and smirked at Sakura. He whispered something to her left ear that clearly embarrassed her much more than she already was, and that made her chase him angrily around the courtyard. Sasuke looked like he was having fun, though.

"Did you, Hinata...?!" Naruto asked with the voice of someone who senses his day of final judgment nearby. Hinata looked down for a second, and then at Naruto. She was still red on her cheeks, but she was determined.

"Was I not supposed to? I'm serious about you. And I wasn't feeling like hiding what happened between us as if it had been something wrong."

"It's not like I'm saying you shouldn't have done it..." Naruto sighed and felt his cheeks keep some of the reddish shades in them as he nervously looked away. "...You see, before Sasuke and I accidentally heard you guys talking, we were talking about it and... Well... I was planning to ask you out as my girlfriend today... Officially... And, you see... I had figured if your father was here, it was even better, because I could leave my intentions clear..."

"What?" Hinata was taken by surprise. Naruto was definitely not the romantic or sweet type. He tried, but he had no idea how to succeed... After all, the only male role he's had happened to be a perverted womanizer hermit. However, Hinata being a complete beginner in terms of couple matters, had no better knowledge herself beside the small and rare hints her sensei had given her. But she felt in her heart that the Naruto in front of her, nervously staring off and blushing, was incredibly cute in her eyes, and that the fact that he had plans to face her father this early was him being romantic... In his way. She grinned loudly (enough for the other couple, who were playing cat and mouse, to hear her), and rushed to hug the blond jiinchuuriki. He was surprised for a second, but then hugged her back, smiling.

"I love you, Naruto."

"I love you." He said. "Would you please be my girlfriend?"

"Of course!" Hinata said, both laughing and crying. Her voice shook a bit. "I'd be glad to. Please take care of me."

"Same here. I'm afraid I've no idea how to be a boyfriend, you see..."

"It's okay. We'll learn at our own pace. I'm sure we'll also have our friends to help us." Hinata said, smiling. Naruto smiled back at her.

"Our friends, huh?" He looked at Sasuke, who was still running away from Sakura, and happened to run near him. Another "best-friends-telepathic-message" was delivered to the Uchiha's only heir using Naruto's blue eyes, which was responded with an affirmative nod from the black-haired shinobi. He stopped dead and nimbly deflected Sakura's punishment punch, making her look at him first. She noticed Sasuke's serious expression, and then looked at Naruto, whose expression when looking at her was both serious and cold. Silence fell between both parties, only the wind was occasionally blowing and carrying small leaves with it.

"About my talk with Hinata... Sasuke, how much did you guys hear...?"

"I'd say about enough. We get the whole picture." He answered. Eye contact between Naruto and Sakura was not only tense, but heavy. It seemed like chakra was about to burst out of their bodies, which made Sasuke and Hinata even more serious.

"By the way, how come you came along with Naruto?"

"We saw you coming here while we were headed this way. My husband-sixth-sense activated then..."

"Nanda sore wa...?" Sakura whispered to herself, identifying Sasuke's comment. It was his sarcastic don't-change-the-subject order.

"Naruto, it seems she's serious about making things up with you again. If you did hear what we talked about, then you know what my position is in this situation..." Hinata said, putting herself in front of her boyfriend. Though he was taller, Naruto was evidently being blocked by her.

"Hmph..." Naruto closed his eyes for a bit. He gently requested Hinata to move aside by putting his hands on her waist, after which he folded his arms. "...I think the message I tried to convey at the wedding didn't go through your head, did it, Sakura-san...?"

"Drop the "-san" thing. I don't need any respectful relationship between us. I need to go back to normal." Sakura said calmly.

"You mean when I pretend like you didn't do anything to hurt me and get punched by you whenever you think I'm being childish?" He opened his eyes and glared at her. "You've already got what you wanted, don't you...? Sasuke's here with you, and he's not about to leave your side anymore. How much longer do you want to make use of me...? What other promises of a lifetime do you want me to make for you?"

"And why does our friendship have to disappear just as my dream comes true? Why do I have to pay for my relationship with Sasuke with the one I have with you?" She glared back.

"Oi, oi, what kind of relationship had we in the first place? You can say we were "friends", but I don't think friends lie to each other..."

"Enough of that shit! I was trying to protect you both, stop blaming me for-...!"

"I know that!" Naruto exclaimed, clenching his folded arms and glaring harder. "Why do you think I could barely stop Sasuke doing something he'd regret forever afterwards? It's because I know what you were trying to do that you're even alive, idiot!"

"How could you know?!"

"Sai told us! Kakashi-sensei went after you once Sai's ink clone came back to fill us in. But I got worried, and I absolutely needed to see Sasuke anyway!"

"If that's the case, then what's your aim, clinging to that mistake I made so hardly? What do you want me to do about it? I would change it if I could, but it's not like I can travel through time and change it, is it?!"

"What do you mean "what do you want me to do?"...? I never said I wanted you to do anything. You assumed I would still be your friend after everything was over, and perhaps it was easier for me to let you think that, since we were at war and all... But there's no way I can stand seeing your face after what you did. Hinata explained it to you, didn't she? How important those words were, and are to me?" Naruto unfolded his arms. "If you had ever stopped to think how harsh a life without love from anybody is, if you had never tried to understand how important those three words are for a person like me, or like Sasuke, who grew up in such an environment... Why do you expect me to understand you and your reasons to do what you did?!"

"So what then?!" Sakura exclaimed back. "What was the point of bringing Sasuke back for the sake of Team Seven, if another of our members simply chooses to hate us instead?! Why did you put so much effort for me...?!"

"For you?!" Naruto let out a cold laugh. "Get a grip! I promised you to bring Sasuke back, but that doesn't mean I'd do it only for you! He's my best friend, and he's like a brother! Every time I saw him, and every time I fought with him, I was trying to save the bond I have with him. Not yours alone! Don't get too cocky just because I took several of your burdens with me! I told you when you used that fake confession to persuade me out of saving Sasuke. He's as important to me as he is to you."

"Then why can't you just move forward?! Isn't that how you've always been?!" Sakura's voice shook, and her eyes trembled. "Why are you so reluctant to forgive me? Why could you forgive Pain so easily and not me?! Why could you even forgive Uchiha Obito and not me?!"

"Don't misunderstand, Sakura." Sasuke said this time, before Naruto opened his mouth. Sakura looked at him, close to tears. "There's a great difference between forgiving and simply enduring one's hatred. He might have forgiven that Pain guy, but Obito is not the kind of guy anyone can forgive."

"That's right." Naruto's eyes looked down for a short time. "Even when it came to Pain - by the way, his name is Nagato- , I felt like I was only enduring the hatred at first... It's not like forgiving is all that easy. Time was the only thing that allowed me to realize Nagato's true colors, and what let me let go of that hatred... I guess the wound Nagato had caused me by killing that Ero-sennin simply scarred and stopped bleeding. But..."

He looked at Sakura. His eyes sharp.

"...When it comes to the wound you left in here..." He pointed at his heart with his thumb. "...Don't just assume it has scarred already. You can't force it to close, you can't speed things up, and you can't use Medical Ninjutsu with this one. You made it bleed, you'll have to wait until that stops. And right now, the only one who can cure this wound is Hinata." He used his left arm to embrace Hinata's waist and pull her close to him. She stared at him while blushing, and then gave the same determined look he had to Sakura.

"I can't just leave it like that." Sakura said, shaking her head. "Naruto, even when it couldn't be more obvious than Sasuke cared not about you or me, you still stood up for him. Eventually, you made him come back, which in turn made him my husband. I can't say I understand the feelings you had for me... Perhaps you don't think I do... But I feel like I do." She wiped our her tears with her wrist. "Perhaps you loved me as much as I love Sasuke... Perhaps you loved me even more than that, as you were happy as long as I was happy. I can't imagine what you went through... And I'm sorry. But tell me, what's wrong with wanting you to be in my life, even if I can't love you the way you wanted me to...?"

"It's not like you could have him back if you could love him that way, Sakura-san." Hinata said bluntly. "As you can see, it's kind of late."

"You still think I'm mad because you don't love me back..." Naruto shook his head. "...If that was the case, I'd hate Sasuke. But I don't. I'll make it clear once again... I'm mad because you lied to me, and that hurt me. I didn't really care about the aggressiveness, or the bossy attitude, or the constantly relying on me... Yeah, it was tough, but I felt like, as long as you remained being you, honest to yourself, then I could handle it. But when you lied, you were pretending to be someone you are not... You were trying to say I did all that work for someone who doesn't even exist...By using words that you should have never used in the first place. Do you understand? That's why, back then, I said to you:..."

"..."I hate people who lie to themselves". I know. I remember." Sakura looked down again. "But I refuse to accept your rejection. I consider you as important to me as my family, and as Tsunade-shishou... I can't just ignore a person like you. And I can't just bear with you ignoring me. I've dreamed of a world in which my family includes Sasuke and you. I want my children to fool around with your children and yourself... I want them to call you "Uncle" or something... I want to have pictures of all of us together... I want to die having memories of the six of us together... Sai, Yamato-taichou... Kakashi-sensei... And, of course, if you do marry Hinata, then that would include her as the seventh."

"Sakura...Please don't make it any harder..." Naruto thought silently, as he watched her talk with a weak, sad, yet hopeful voice. Meanwhile, Sasuke and him exchanged another best-friends-telepathy moment, where their eyes met and Sasuke's expression said everything Naruto needed to hear. The Uchiha had smiled at Sakura, evidently saying "you really are a helpless little girl" with his smile and patting her head gently.

"Naruto..."Sasuke said lowly. Naruto's ears itched a bit. "...I think you know full well that Sakura will never change, and she'll always be the same noisy tsundere. But I think you also know that these kind of people, when they reveal their feelings, they are being quite honest. It's not rare for her to open up like this when she's with me, but with you, it might be embarrassing. Maybe that's why she always acted bossy and elder-sister-like. Why don't you let her off the hook this time?"

"What do you mean...?" Naruto asked emptily.

"You and I have lost our families and endured the pain of being alone for long enough. She says she wants you to be part of our family, and I was planning to do so myself. Don't you think letting go of what she did might be better than just losing another family for a second time? I know you will make your own family with Hinata, but if you feel in any way like me, you'll think the same I am thinking... The more the merrier, right?"

"Sasuke..." Sakura whispered weakly, as a couple tears came out of her eyes. She wiped them and non-verbally thanked her husband by holding his hand and kissing his cheek.

"Hurrrmph..." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, grunting childishly. "... Hinata, you'll soon be the mother of my children. What do you make of this?"

The Hyuuga heiress smiled at Naruto and held his hand as well.

"Aren't we still too young to hate each other like this?" She said warmly, an incredibly motherly voice escaping her lips. "I think Sasuke-kun might be right... I might no longer be the shy Hinata that I was before, but I also can't bring myself to hate nobody. Even if I try. Also, it might be a good thing for our children to be friends... The relationship between our families could be a huge stronghold of Konoha's in the future. Since the Senju Clan is no longer here, the Uzumaki, the Hyuuga and the Uchiha will have to take responsibility for the village. If we get along, everything will go smoothly, don't you think?"

Team Seven's three rookies looked at her. While she couldn't notice it, Hinata was glowing with a white, maid-ish aura, in the other's eyes.

"She's just like a mother." Naruto said, amazed.

"Yup." Sasuke nodded.

"Yeah, my mom talks just like that." Sakura nodded as well. "I think I found myself a sensei."

"You bet. Perhaps Hinata can help you improve your cooking, Sakura..." Sasuke said with a low, smug voice.

"Oh, feeling like being smarty-pants today, aren't we, Sasuke-kun...?" The pinkette cracked her fists threateningly. Hinata laughed out loud, while Naruto rubbed the back of his neck again and grunted. He and Sakura exchanged looks once more, jade-green and deep-sea blue clashed in an intense light. In the end, Naruto snapped his tongue with the expression of an annoyed fox cub, and gazed away, red on his cheeks.

"Okay, FINE. Whatever. I forgive you. We can be friends again, but you'll have to treat me and Hinata to Ramen tomorrow."

Sakura smiled with a radiant aura, and rushed to hug the Jiinchuuriki from behind. He was astonished to find himself half-way skyward, as Sakura's superhuman strength elevated him from the ground slightly.

"Okay! You can eat as much as you want!"

"Errm... Sakura...?" Naruto asked nervously.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you feel like there's a strong killing intent behind us...?"

Once Sakura put Naruto down, and looked at him, she definitely felt a chilly, freezing wind of cruelty behind them, and her mind showed her abstract pictures of certain duet of black-haired guy and girl baring their devilish fangs at them. Both the pinkette and the blond gulped.

"Okay, let's turn around... Slowwwwly... Easy does it..." Naruto said, as he tried to keep his brave composure.

"Don't worry, Naruto... You're Konoha's hero, remember...?"

Fortunately for them, Sasuke and Hinata were simply staring at them as normal. Okay, not really normal. Hinata did look as if her hair had just mysteriously been floating, and the expression in her face definitely showed some traces of killing intent. Sasuke was back to normal, though.

"S-sorry Hinata... Promise I won't touch him like that again..."

"That's good. I figured you wouldn't want to die young and beautiful, Sakura-san." The heiress stated, smiling in the same motherly way, but for some reason, her face displaying a black, bloodthirsty aura that lasted for about a second.

"It looks like I'll have to be careful... Never expected Hinata to be so scary..." Naruto thought nervously.

"Now that you mention the Uzumaki..." Another male voice said from afar, which made the four jounin to turn around. Their eyes met with a familiar, gray-haired, scarecrow-looking man on his thirties. He wore his usual outfit, and saluted with his usual palm in the air. It looked like he had been waiting for their conversation to be over for a long time, and just like Hinata and Sakura before them, Sasuke and Naruto felt like blushing, wondering how much their sensei had heard. "... I figured it's about time we had a chat."

"Kakashi-sensei? What's happened?" Sakura said, as Team Seven's leader reached them on the courtyard, his Hyuuga escort fading away in a white smokescreen. The alluded produced a photograph from his left pocket and gave it to Sakura, who in return held it so that the others could see as well. A man of around the same age as Hiashi was there. It was quite the serious picture. He had short and curly red hair, and his eyes were deep, dark black. He had familiar features, but still wasn't ringing a bell for none of them.

"Who's this...?" Sasuke asked, though out of all the rookies, his face showed the least confusion.

"Yesterday's target's father. Uzumaki Kurogane." Everybody's astonished eyes jumped from the photograph to Kakashi, especially Naruto's.

"Wait... Does that mean...?"

"Yeah. He's related to you Naruto. As is our target. And quite strongly, if I may add. The Yamanaka Clan has been taking care of extracting and unsealing every little ounce of information they can from our target's deep consciousness... And Sakura's guess was right. His memories had been sealed away with a strong Fuuin Jutsu. So far we have managed to extract enough to say this:..."

He pocketed the picture again, and stared seriously at Naruto.

"Our target's name is Uzumaki Kamui, and his father Kurogane is your mother's older brother, Naruto."

"Older... Brother...?" Naruto's eyes trembled, and his balance was almost lost.

"Yeah. He's your uncle. And Kamui's your cousin... Orochimaru might know the whereabouts of what remains of your family, Naruto."

---

To be Continued.

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Muahahahahahahaha, finally, we're close to the moment where I display my ultimate PLOT NO JUSTU *eyes shining with a killing aura*... Kukukukuku... My perfect plan will come real.

Anyhow, I hope Kamui's flashbacks don't end up being too boring for you guys. As I said, this is the character I want to be related to the most, and the one that represents me. Don't worry, as soon as this Arc is over, Naruto will have twice as much spotlight. For those of you wanting more Sasuke moments or perhaps some funny SasuNaru... Kukukukuku... Fear not! I've been reading so many Shoujo Mangas that my eyes hurt and all my brain can see right now is either Bishonen or Bishoujo characters... If I don't read more Shonen Jump my masculinity might be lost between the pheromones of Girly looking guys who always have a dark past and are always the childhood friend who happens to beat the girl in everything she does.

Anyhow! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you look forward to the next! This story has already gone over 10.000 views, and 70 followers. Many won't think that's too much, but for me, this is a first... And I feel absolutely amazing because of it! Thank you for reading and reveiwing! Thank you for staying loyal to this story!

News Flash! I have an upcoming story up my sleeve! Its name is From the Inside Out, and as I said in previous chapters, it's got some School life in it. Be prepared for an Alternate Naruto Universe the likes of which you have never been ready for in your life! The reason I'm letting you know about this, is because I want you guys to tell me if NaruHina is still the most accepted pairing, or if you would like to read something different? I have to admit, my initial approach with the story is to have it be NaruIno, since I find this couple absolutely sexy. BUT! BUT! NaruHina still rules and the Black and Blond combo is simply too attractive for me! So I want to know what you guys think. Those of you who take the effort to review, please tell me what are your thoughts about this matter!

That's all! Read you next chapter!