Hey guys and gals, I got a special treat for you all. I got this chapter finished early this morning so I decided that I would post it early. I have the first eight or so chapters done, but I'm going through and re-editing them to make sure that they have no mistakes and the content is good. So here's Chapter 3! I hope everyone like this chapter, please read and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in the manga or anime! They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto! If I owned them, I wouldn't be writing a fanfic!

Key:

"Speech"

"Kyūbi and other large beings"

Thought

"Normal Speech Emphasis on a word Normal Speech"

CH 3: Confrontation

"Come in!" As the door opened Naruto saw that it wasn't Shizune standing in the doorway, but the very person who had just been thinking of before he tried to sleep. "H-Hinata…-chan…"

"H-hello, N-Naruto-kun. A-ano…how are you feeling?" Hinata asked Naruto nervously.

"H-hey, I'm feeling pretty good. How are you feeling? I never got to talk after I came back from talking with the real Pein. Are you ok?" Naruto replied nervously.

"O-oh, I'm g-great. T-thank you for asking." Hinata blushed.

"N-no problem." Naruto returned her blush.

There was a short awkward silence before Hinata spoke again.

"Ah! H-here! I b-brought you some flowers. I-I hope you l-like them…" Hinata's blush now covered her whole face and she was visibly shaking. I'm alone in the same room with Naruto-kun! I'm so nervous. I can't stop shaking!

"T-thank you, Hinata-chan. They're really pretty. Did you get these from Ino's place?" Naruto asked nervously, not fully grasping the reasons why he was nervous.

"Y-yeah. I went there to pick up some flowers for my family's estate and I heard that you were in the hospital so I thought that I'd bring you some to cheer you up." Hinata replied nervously.

"Oh, I see. That's really nice of you. I really appreciate it. Was your estate damaged very badly?" Naruto asked with a hint of guilt in his voice.

"N-Not compared to the rest of the village." Hinata started to speak less nervously, she was getting used to the situation.

"Oh, well that's good." Naruto said. Hinata moved closer to Naruto and placed the flowers on the table next to him. She went to the sink and got some water to put in the vase. While she was getting water, Naruto began to speak.

"Hey…Hinata-chan? About what happened before…" Naruto began nervously, unsure how to bring it up.

Hinata froze; she expected that she would be the one that would have to bring it up. "Y-yes…?"

"Well…there are actually two things…" Naruto continued. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from Pein. I wasn't strong enough to protect you…"

"No!" Hinata said loudly. "You did protect me. I'm alive, am I not? You were in trouble; it was my choice to try to save you. If I hadn't…" Hinata began to shake and cry at the memories of Pein's assault and the thought of losing Naruto.

"Hey, hey…" Naruto stood and walked over to her. "Please don't cry. I'm sorry. I'm alive too, right? Look." When she didn't look up at him, he did the only thing he thought would calm her down, pullint Hinata into a hug. "See? I'm right here. I'm alive and well."

Hinata wrapped her arms around Naruto's waist and pulled him in closer. She cried on his shoulder for several minutes. Soon, the crying turned to sobs before finally disappearing all together. After she regained her composure she slowly began to realize where exactly she was and became very embarrassed, blushing from head to toe, but didn't pull away. She wanted to stay in his arms as long as she could because she was unsure if she'd ever get the opportunity again.

"You feeling better now?" Naruto asked after the young heiress stopped sobbing.

"Y-yeah…" was all she could manage to say.

"Good." Naruto smiled lightly. They stood in silence for a few more seconds before Hinata started to pull away slightly.

"Thank you Naruto-kun. I f-feel better now. I'm s-sorry for breaking down like that." Hinata said her head bowed so as to not reveal her red face.

"It's ok. I understand. I lost it big time when I thought Pein killed you…" Naruto paused in remembrance.

He started shaking as he imagined Pein toying with Hinata as she tried to protect him. He remembered Pein stabbing Hinata in front of his eyes. He felt the Kyūbi's chakra beginning to rise and take over his body, but could do nothing to stop the rage from consuming him as he remembered his most painful memory to date.

"N-Naruto-kun? Is everything ok?" She looked up at Naruto's face when she felt his chakra rise. She watched as tears rolled down Naruto's face and the red chakra enveloped the man she loved.

"Naruto-kun!" She wiped the tears away from his face with her hands before wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her to comfort him. "I'm ok! Pein didn't kill me! I'm right here. Please stop! The Kyūbi is taking over your body again! You have to calm down! Please, Naruto-kun!"

This time it was Naruto who pulled Hinata deeper into the hug, his arms wrapping tightly around her slender waist as he pulled her close.

After a few tense moments, the red chakra slowly began to dissipate and he stopped shaking, but continued to hold Hinata as the young blonde continued to cry. Hinata had never seen Naruto so vulnerable before. She found herself wondering whom (if anyone) had ever seen Naruto in this state before. He was always so strong, so brave, that he never allowed any negative emotions be displayed for everyone to see, other than anger.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata said as she felt the love of her life's chakra calm. They held each other close for several minutes. The emotional stress both had been through in the past few days had finally snapped and began its' release.

"I'm better now Hinata. Sorry about that." Naruto said in barely a whisper.

"It's ok, I understand." Hinata reassured Naruto that she didn't think any less of him because of his unexpected outburst of tears. "Naruto-kun…?"

"Hmm?" Naruto asked simpily.

"Why did you freak out like that when I was hurt so bad by Pein?" It had been bugging her since she found out about Naruto transforming into the Kyūbi after she was injured.

"Because I can't stand the thought of losing one of my friends." He responded quietly.

"Oh…I see…" Hinata responded simply, the disappointment evident in her voice as the tears slowly began to fall down her cheeks once again. She wasn't sure if she could take Naruto rejecting her. She contemplated running out of the room and hiding in her home until Naruto forgot she ever confessed. But Naruto wasn't letting that happen.

"I know what you're thinking, that's the other thing we need to talk about." Naruto didn't let go of Hinata, but he did pull his head away to look at her in the face to see she was crying again.

"It's *sob* ok. I understand." Hinata said and began to pull away from Naruto.

"Hey, I said I wanted to talk about it. You're assuming that I don't like you when I haven't even said anything. So stop, ok?" Naruto lifted her face to wipe her tears.

"Ok…" Hinata said. She wanted to know how Naruto felt, but she was so nervous and lacked any form of confidence.

Naruto gathered his thoughts before speaking. "When you told me you…loved me, I was so shocked to hear you say that. No one's ever said that to me before. Let alone a girl. But then…" Naruto paused in rememberence, "I didn't even have time to think about it because you attacked Pein. And then he…hurt you so badly. I was so angry! All I could think to do was kill him! When I finally gained control over the Kyūbi again, it felt like I had a hole in my heart. I thought you were dead. Not just you, I thought I might have killed everyone when I went Kyūbi. Then I felt everyone's chakra, I was so glad you were alive, that everyone was alive.

"After I was finished with Pein, I thought about what you said. And I determined that…well…I don't know how to love someone. I don't even know what love is. I never experienced it growing up so I don't know anything about it. But I do know that my heart broke when I saw you get hurt. I've thought about it a long time and I've determined that in order to figure out my feelings, I need to learn more about you. So if it's ok with you, I'd like to spend more time getting to know you better before I officially respond. Is that ok?" There was a short silence that made Naruto very nervous. Did I say something to upset her? Did I say something wrong?

Hinata had listened to Naruto the whole time. She finally understood the look he gave her when she was defending him. He was shocked to hear the truth, not who it was coming from necessarily, just the words themselves. She understood everything he said. It wasn't that he didn't love her at all. She took a deep breath in and wiped away a stray tear from her face before speaking.

"Yes, I'd like that Naruto-kun." Hinata gave him a soft smile. "I'd like that very much."

This time it was Naruto's turn to smile. It wasn't his usual smile though; Hinata noticed it appeared warmer, even more genuine, than his usual smile.

"Thank you." Naruto said softly.

"No, thank you." Hinata replied. She boldly pulled Naruto close again. She never wanted to let go of him. They held each other close for a moment before they parted wearing matching blushes.

"Naruto-kun, would you mind if I asked how you stopped the Kyūbi's control over you?" Hinata asked curiously.

Slightly shocked at first, he blinked at the question in slight confusion but soon answered. "Not at all." Naruto responded. "I didn't." Hinata looked confused at his answer. "I was ready to remove the seal and release the Kyūbi completely in order to get revenge for your death. But then, someone stopped me."

"Who?" Hinata asked curiously.

"The Yondaime." Naruto responded simply.

Hinata gasped. "But how?"

"In my mind, Kyūbi-teme is trapped behind a sealed gate. When I need his power I don't remove the seal, the seal acts as a filter so that I can access his chakra. But when I get emotional or try to take too much chakra at one time, his control over me becomes greater and the seal weakens. His influence increases with every tail of chakra I get. Right now I can remain in control with three of the nine tails. I basically went full Kyūbi, so Kyūbi-teme was in full control of my body and mind. I almost removed the seal when the Yondaime physically appeared in my mind. Apparently when he sealed the fox in me, he sealed some of himself in me as well. He did that to do exactly what he did: stop me from removing the seal. And it worked. He stopped me and fixed the seal. That let me snap out of it." Naruto explained the processes behind his Jinchuriki seal.

"I see." Hinata responded. "Did you talk to Yondaime-sama at all about why he did it? Why you? And why not just kill the Kyūbi? It doesn't make sense to me. If he had the power to seal the Kyūbi, he probably could have killed it."

"Yeah, we talked briefly. Mortals can't kill demons, only other demons, angels, or Gods can kill them. But humans can seal them away permanently into a human, or temporarily into a sacred item." Naruto looked around the room and became very serious. "Can you keep a secret? This is classified above top secret. Promise me you won't tell anyone until after I've spoken with Tsunade baa-chan about it."

"Of course. I promise I won't say a word to anyone about it without your permission, Naruto-kun." Hinata nodded.

"This isn't the classified part yet. The Yondaime sealed the Kyūbi in me because I was the only one capable of it. I was a freshly newborn child, and only a newborn can have the seal placed on them, otherwise the will of the Kyūbi's power would kill them. Also, my vast chakra reserves that are apparently common in members of the Uzumaki clan help me to keep it under control easier." Naruto began explaining.

"Ok, that makes sense. " Hinata thought out loud.

"But that's not all. He thought that someday, I could learn to control the Kyūbi and use it's power to protect everyone in Konoha." Naruto continued. "He said it was because I am my father's son that he could trust me to wield the power responsibly."

"Your father? Who is…was he?" Hinata was immensely curious and excited. She was learning something about Naruto that, as far as she knew, no one else knew about.

"This is the classified part" Naruto took a deep breath. "My father was none other than Minato Namikaze…the Yondaime himself."

Hinata gasped very loudly at this revelation. "Are…are you sure you're father is Yondaime-sama? Konoha's Yellow Flash?"

"Yep, he told me so himself." Naruto said with a small smile on his face.

"Wow…that's incredible. Amazing." Hinata spoke in awe.

"Yeah…pretty cool right?" Naruto said with a small laugh.

"Definitely!" Hinata giggled. It was getting easier for her to be around Naruto. Hinata was almost mesmerized to be in the presence of the son of the Yondaime. If she were more honest with herself, she'd have admitted to being totally turned on by this revelation.

Naruto looked at Hinata as she giggled. Before he even knew what he was saying, he spoke. "You know, you're really pretty. I guess I never noticed before because you were always so shy and wouldn't look at me in the eyes. But now here you are laughing and holding onto me—"

Naruto stopped and looked down at Hinata and realized that they were still holding each other, her sizable breasts pressed against his chest. He began to blush more than he ever blushed before. "Gah!"

At first, Hinata wondered why Naruto began to blush and 'gah-ed', but it didn't take long to figure it out. She gasped and let go of Naruto and backed away quickly.

"EEP! I'm sorry! I didn't notice! Please forgive me!" She stammered her response and blushed, just like she always did.

"No it's ok. I was the one who hugged you first. I should be saying sorry, it was inappropriate of me to do so." Naruto apologized.

"No don't apologize. I…kinda…liked…it…" Hinata said nervously.

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Oh right, I forgot, you love me…" Naruto finally remembered and laughed.

"Yeah…" Hinata decided to be bold once more. "I…love you, more than anything Naruto-kun." She blushed but smiled as she said it. It felt good to say it to his face under less stressful circumstances.

Naruto blushed at her sudden second confession. This obviously wasn't the first time, but it effected him just as much as before. He stood starring at her in shock for several seconds before snapping out of it. He smiled at her softly. He walked towards her and pulled her close again.

"Thank you, Hinata-chan." Naruto said with a smile.

"F-for what Naruto-kun?" She asked in confusion, blushing even more.

"For loving me, and for telling me. No girl has ever given me the time of day in this way, but you've always been there for me. Thank you." Naruto responded. He put his chin on top of her head. "Please, don't ever stop caring."

"You're welcome Naruto-kun. And I never will." Hinata smiled. She breathed in his scent. She could smell the fresh smell of his shampoo, body wash, and deodorant, and couldn't get enough of the scent. She could feel his muscles through his jacket; he was lean, but cut. But being a ninja that was to be expected. She held onto him like he would disappear if she didn't.

Naruto was also enjoying Hinata's closeness, her soft breasts and tight body pressed so close to his that he felt as though literally connected to one another. She smelled like some kind of flower he couldn't identify off the top of his head. He found himself wondering what kind of shampoo she used. He began to stroke her back lightly. He chuckled lightly when he felt Hinata jump at this contact. She looked up at him blushing.

"Is that ok?" He asked not wanting to make her too nervous.

"Y-yeah, it's comforting." Hinata smiled. She thought that maybe she should make the next move. But she was afraid of rejection or that she would push him away by moving too fast.

Naruto noticed that something was on her mind. "Everything ok?"

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah. Everything's f-fine." She decided to go for it. "Naruto-kun?" I can't believe I'm doing this!

"Yeah?" he began to tilt his head down to look at her.

Hinata stood on her toes and planted a kiss on Naruto's cheek. She wanted to kiss his lips, but decided that was too bold and too embarrassing to do right now.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto touched the warm spot on his cheek where she kissed him and looked at Hinata shocked. "What was that for? Not that I mind!"

"For protecting me and for caring about me." Hinata smiled at Naruto with confidence for the first time.

As Naruto looked at Hinata's more confident eyes, he felt something new brewing inside of him. He never wanted to let go of Hinata. He wanted to stand by her side and protect her forever. She was special to him, and he knew it.

"Oh, then, you're welcome." He returned her smile. The two young ninja stood in a comfortable silence, just holding each other for what seemed like days before Naruto reluctantly release her.

"You better get going, it's getting late. I'm sure your dad would like to spend some time with his daughter after everything that's happened." He didn't want to get her in trouble with her dad. And he never wanted Hiashi to have any reason to distrust him.

"Yeah…" Hinata looked even more disappointed than she sounded, if that was possible.

This time, Naruto leaned over and planted a kiss on Hinata's cheek. "Come visit me tomorrow after my tests with Shizune nee-san? I'd like to talk some more."

"Yes! Of course!" Hinata said with renewed confidence.

"Ok, see you tomorrow then." Naruto walked her to the door and gave one last hug to Hinata.

"Yes, see you tomorrow. Be sure to get rest. I hope you like your flowers. Goodbye!" She said and turned to leave. She was sad to leave, but so happy at the events that had just transpired. She ran down the hallway with renewed energy and confidence. She couldn't wait to tell Sakura and Ino what had just happened.

Naruto made his way to his bed and collapsed. He was exhausted. Way too much excitement for one day, I need some sleep. He closed his eyes and began to drift when another knock came at the door.

Ugh. "Come in!" He turned to see Ino and Sakura in the doorway smiling at him.

"What are you guys—?" Naruto began before he was interrupted.

"Hinata looked pretty happy when she ran out of your room. What happened in here? She was in here for quite a while." Ino said with a smile on her face. "You weren't doing anything perverted with her, were you? And don't lie, I can figure out if you're lying using my powers so you might as well come clean."

Sakura stepped in and hit Ino over the head. "Honestly Ino, do you really think Hinata is that kind of girl? And for that matter, Naruto isn't that kind of guy! I'd know; I'm his teammate and best friend, not to mention the girl he fawned over when we were younger." Now that I think about it, I kinda miss that…

"Yeah yeah. I know, but I like teasing him." Ino laughed. "Seriously though Naruto, what happened in here? Hinata was in the best mood I've ever seen."

"Woah, hold on a second. You helped Hinata-chan with the flowers, huh? You knew she was here the whole time?" Naruto finally figured it out.

"Duh!" both girls said in unison.

"Anyway, tell us what happened!" Ino kept pressing the issue and poking him in the shoulder as she and Sakura sat on the side of the bed.

"Ok! Jeez." Naruto began to retell what happened while Hinata was in his room. Ino squealed whenever she thought something was cute and Sakura remained silent. Both were going to have a good talk with Hinata later.

"So for now, we're gonna hang out and stuff and just see where it goes." Naruto finished the story.

"Eek! How exciting! Aw!" Ino squealed in delight.

"Just don't rush anything Naruto. You don't want to hurt her by making her think she has a chance if you don't really like her. Her dad would probably kill you if you did." Sakura cautioned Naruto.

Naruto shivered at the memory of her father's glare. "Yeah, he already said he would. I'll be careful. Don't worry. She's coming back tomorrow to see me and talk some more. Hopefully all of Shizune's tests determine it's ok for me to leave. I'm bored of this place already."

"You should take her somewhere nice if you do. Don't just take her to that ramen place you always go to, even if she likes it too. It's just not the right place for a date." Ino said in her usual snobby tone.

"I disagree actually. Hinata's not the type of girl that needs to go somewhere nice or expensive to have a good time." Sakura informed Naruto.

"Yeah, you're probably right actually." Ino agreed after a moment of thought.

"Well I have to get through the tests first." Naruto said with a smile.

"That's true." Ino nodded. "Anyway, that's all we came back for. Seriously Naruto, you'd be crazy to pass up someone as good as Hinata. She's got looks, personality, brains, and money."

"Yeah… I know." Naruto said with a soft smile. "I guess only time will tell right?"

Both girls nodded at Naruto's answer. Sakura put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave him a concerned look. "Just be careful, ok? I don't want you getting hurt either. You have had too much pain in your life already."

"Sakura…" Ino whispered quietly. Something deeper was going on, but Sakura herself didn't know it yet. But Ino was going to find out.

"Right, thanks Sakura." Naruto smiled at her.

"Anytime." She returned the smile. "We better go; you need your rest. Sleep well. We'll be here tomorrow. Right Ino?"

"Right, I'll bring Chōji and Shikamaru too." Ino responded.

"And I'll bring Sai and Yamato-taicho." Sakura smiled.

"Sure. Sounds good. Thanks you guys." Naruto smiled back.

"Of course. We'll see you tomorrow. Night." Sakura hugged Naruto.

"See you tomorrow. Goodnight!" Ino hugged Naruto too.

"Night!" Naruto waved as they left.

Naruto closed his eyes and began slowly drifting to sleep. He thought of Hinata and of the endless possibilities of their new relationship.

Did you feel like this when you met Mom, Dad? Now that I think about it you never told me who Mom was. I'll ask Kakashi-sensei tomorrow. He probably knows. He better not pull any of that confidential bull shit either or I'll kick his ass!

His mind calmed as he drifted into sleep. The few wounds he had began to heal faster, his chakra began to restore itself, and he felt better and was able to relax.

The Kyūbi was doing his job.

End CH 3

Well, There you go! There's Chapter 3! Some of you were probably expecting a little more from their first encounter since the Invasion of Pein, but they're gonna take it slow. But not too slow. I don't wanna leave you guys hanging after all haha.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Please review!

PS: I'll be trying to get the chapters I have finished and posted as soon as possible. So check in often for the next couple of days. After that, it'll probably be a week between chapters. I'll be sure to be as consistent as possible.

Until next time,

CBM-1701