Hey everyone! Like I promised, I have Ch 5 ready for you all by the end of the day! It took me quite a while to get this one posted because I was having trouble with the editing and adding new content. I hope you all like it! Please review, I thank you all in advance for your contributions and helpful advice! Anyone who's already posted a review, thanks as well!

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"

A/N: This is my first ever fanfic, please go easy on me. I'll accept any friendly advice you're willing to give to help make this story better. Thanks in advance!

WARNING: THIS FANFIC IS RATED M FOR A REASON! THERE WILL BE BLOOD, GUTS, SEXUAL CONTENT, ETC. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Ch 5: Awakening

Naruto stared up at the ceiling of his newly rebuilt apartment thinking about the events of the past month with Hinata. The two of young shinobi had been spending as much time as possible with each other, always being within a few blocks of each other while helping to rebuild the village. Everyone had been their part to help rebuild the village, but Naruto made sure to set aside time with Hinata every day to talk and get to know each other better.

Their friendship slowly began to develop more with each passing day. And with each day, his feelings would become clearer to him and her feelings for him were just reinforced. The two would often be seen together at Ichiraku's eating or sitting together on a bench taking a break from reconstruction. He remembered one day when Tazuna and Inari from Nami no Kuni (Land of Waves) arrived in Konoha to help with repairs.

-FLASHBACK-

Naruto and Hinata were taking their lunch break from their daily tasks of assisting with the repairs of Konoha. The two young shinobi were sitting under a tree near the edge of the village eating their respective lunches, talking, and most importantly enjoying each other's company while learning as much as possible about each other.

They asked each other simple questions to start, like what their favorite color was or what their favorite food was. But eventually, the questions became more personal.

"So Hinata-chan… if you don't mind me asking, what's it like being the heiress to the most powerful clan in Konoha?" Naruto asked kind of nervously, he knew that in the past the Hyūga clan had many struggles between the main family and the branch family, as well as struggle within the main family about the topic of the branch family. He was afraid of opening up old wounds.

"Well," Hinata began trying to gather her thoughts, "for a while, it wasn't very pleasant to be completely honest. Otou-san was pretty hard on me when I was young. I was so timid and had no self-confidence, which caused my training to suffer. I could tell Otou-san was disappointed in my training, but I didn't think there was a whole lot I could do about it because I believed I was weak…

"But after the Chunin exams, he realized he had been too hard on me by comparing me to Neji nii-san and my younger sister who's personality was vastly different from my own. He apologized to me for treating me so badly, and told me I was proud of my performance against Neji nii-san, despite the fact that I lost. It made me so happy to know he didn't think of me as a weakling anymore." Hinata smiled in remembrance. "Now, I hope to change the ways of the Hyūga clan and eliminate the Caged Bird Seal and unite the main and branch families and strengthen the ties of our clan."

Naruto took a moment to let everything Hinata just said soak in before responding. "I never knew you had it so rough when we were little. You were always really shy, but you never seemed depressed or anything. I'm sorry that you had to go through all that. But, I'm glad that your relationship with your family has improved so much though." Naruto smiled at the young kunoichi with a new sense of appreciation and respect.

Hinata returned Naruto's smile and with in a hopeful tone she said, "Yeah, me too. Hopefully it only gets better from here."

"Yeah!" Naruto said confidently.

"So what about you Naruto-kun? If you don't mind me asking, what's it like living by yourself?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Why do you wanna know something like that?" Naruto asked confused.

"Well… when I was little, I thought about running away a couple of times. I thought that being on my own would be much easier for me to handle than constantly being put down by my family." Hinata explained.

"Oh, ok. Well, it's all right I guess. I don't really have anything to compare it to though. My parents were killed before I ever had a home so…" Naruto thought with a sad look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun… I shouldn't have asked…" Hinata felt bad for opening old wounds.

"No, it's ok. Don't worry about it. It wasn't that bad." Naruto placed his hand on hers and gave it a small, reassuring squeeze.

Hinata looked up at Naruto with a small blush, to which Naruto responded with his trademark gin, causing her to blush a little more, but she did manage to return his smile with one of her own. She flipped her hand and laced their fingers, earning a soft smile and a slight blush from the young blonde.

Hinata leaned back against the tree and shifted closer to Naruto so that she could lean against him and place her head on his shoulder, causing him to blush deeper at the contact. The two had held hands and hugged many times since the day at the hospital, but this small gesture was much more intimate to Naruto. Despite his initial uncomfortable feeling, he soon got used to the contact and thoroughly enjoyed it. The two sat for several minutes undisturbed, simply enjoying the moment, before they were interrupted by a voice familiar to Naruto.

"Naruto!"

The young shinobi looked up to see Inari and Tazuna walking towards him waving. "Inari! Tazuna jii-san! What are you guys doing here?" Naruto helped Hinata up off the ground and walked over to greet the two people he helped to protect on his very first mission.

"What do you think? We're here to help rebuild Konoha! After what you guys did for us, there's no way we're gonna sit back and do nothing to help you guys out." Tazuna said with a smirk.

"Really? That's great!" Naruto smiled at them.

"So Naruto, who's the babe? What happened to Sakura? Get tired of her constantly turning you down already?" Inari asked, teasing Naruto.

Hinata blushed at being called a 'babe' but recovered enough to introduce herself. "H-hello. I'm H-Hinata Hyūga. It's a p-pleasure to m-meet the two of you."

"Hello, little lady. I'm Tazuna, this here is my grandson, Inari. Your boyfriend here saved our asses a few years ago when he escorted me back to Nami no Kuni to complete the bridge that now connects our two countries." Tazuna smiled at the now blushing Hyūga.

"B-b-b-boyfriend?" Hinata's face now resembled a tomato in color.

Tazuna laughed at the kunoichi, "Easy there little lady. It was just a joke. Now, we better get going, we have a lot of work to do."

"Alright, we'll be seeing you around!" Naruto said with a smile.

"If you see Sakura and Sasuke, let them know we're here so they can come visit!" Inari said as they began to walk away.

Hinata looked up at Naruto and noticed his face change dramatically. He looked visibly upset at the mention of Sasuke's name. Hinata didn't know what to do, so she squeezed his hand to get his attention. When he finally looked down and saw Hinata's concerned look, he snapped out of his daze.

"Sorry Hinata-chan. I'm ok now." Naruto smiled.

"Are you sure?" Hinata remained concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just…" He looked towards the main gate. Sasuke… where are you?

Hinata once again saw the distant look on Naruto's face. She knew there wasn't much she could do to help Naruto, but she would try her best to make him feel better. She released Naruto's hand and wrapped her arms around Naruto's slim waist and pulled him into a comforting hug, hoping that it would calm him down.

Naruto responded by wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him. The two shinobi stood looking towards the main gate, holding each other close for several minutes before Naruto spoke again.

"Thanks Hinata-chan, I needed that." Naruto finally turned his head towards hers and smiled.

"You're welcome," was all Hinata said as she returned his thankful smile with her own smile.

Naruto felt as though he was being pulled towards the heiress as he stood in her arms. He looked at her beautiful, smiling face and felt the sudden urge to kiss Hinata's moist lips. It wasn't the first time he felt this urge, but it was the strongest it's ever been.

"Hinata-chan…?" Naruto said softly as he inched closed to the smiling kunoichi.

Hinata opened her eyes to see Naruto's face moving slowly towards her own. She blushed and became very nervous, but was ready for this.

"Naruto-kun…?" She said as she closed her eyes and inched towards the love of her life. The two were less than an inch from their first romantic kiss when…

"OI! Lunch break is over! Let's get back to work everyone!" a young Jonin called out to no one in particular, scaring Naruto and Hinata apart. The two ninja said their goodbyes to one another before both sulked back to their work places.

Damn… so close… Hinata and Naruto both thought as the grudgingly began working on repairs.

-END FLASHBACK-

Naruto was frustrated for a long time after that. The two were never alone together long enough to get back to where they left off. Someone always interrupted. Another time, the two had finally gotten the chance to be alone when Yamato showed up to inform Naruto that Shizune was looking for him. Naruto told him to go away. Yamato responded by using his signature glare and a neutral, yet very threatening, tone that scared both Naruto and Hinata enough to run away, seeking Shizune immediately.

Yamato-taicho… you're one scary bastard… Naruto thought with a shiver.

He was brought out of his memories by a loud knock at the door. He got up to find Shizune at the door looking rather tired and excited.

"Shizune nee-san, what's up?" Naruto asked concerned.

"It's Tsunade-sama! She might awaken any time now! We have to hurry! Everyone else is at the hospital or on their way, let's go!" Shizune said panting.

Without another word, the two shinobi took off towards the hospital. They leapt from rooftop to rooftop at top speed to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

When they entered, they saw Tsunade laying on a bed unconscious with all his friends standing around the room.

"She looks much better than before. Her youth has even started to return." Sakura noted with a small smile.

"Yeah, that's a good sign." Kakashi said slightly relieved that he would no longer be forced to be the acting Hokage. He had been up for nomination for the position along with Danzo (who was the original choice for Tsunade's temporary or permanent replacement) but was given the position by the Land of Fire's Daimyō when he expressed concern about the old war hawk's ambitions. Kakashi honestly hated the job and hoped that Tsunade would awaken soon.

Naruto walked over to the side of the bed. Hinata followed and grabbed his hand to offer her support. Naruto smiled at Hinata and pulled her into a warm hug. After the hug, Naruto looked down at Tsunade and began to speak.

"Hi Tsunade baa-chan. It's me, Naruto. I'm not sure if you can hear me, but everyone is fine here. The village is being rebuilt, the Kyūbi is sealed within me still, and I even have myself a date later tonight." Naruto smiled at Hinata and squeezed her hand lightly, causing Hinata to blush lightly. "You need to wake up soon so you can get back to work already, the village needs its' leader. Get better soon, I love ya."

Naruto placed a hand on the Hokage's for a moment before he started to back away from the bed. He looked at Hinata who gave him a soft smile of approval. Then, they heard something they didn't expect to.

"Na…Naru…to…" Tsunade spoke softly as she began to stir.

"Tsunade baa-chan! Please don't talk! You've been in a coma. Shizune nee-san! She's waking up!" Naruto yelled in excitement.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune ran to her side and checked her vitals; she was indeed waking up. "I have to go get some medicine to help stabilize her condition! I'll be right back! Please, try to keep her awake!" Shizune yelled as she ran off.

"Right. Um, Tsunade baa-chan, can you open your eyes for me? Look it's me, Naruto!" Naruto said trying to keep Tsunade conscious by using whatever ridiculous tactics you could imagine: funny faces, ridiculous poses, etc., but nothing he tried was working. Tsunade would open her eyes slightly and try to stay awake but to no avail. She was very weak, it took all her energy just to try to keep her eyes open for a few seconds before they shut again.

"I've gotta think of something to shock her awake!" Naruto thought for a moment before yelling, "I've got it!" He grabbed Hinata's hand once more and pulled her towards the bed.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked in confusion. "W-What are you doing?"

"Sorry Hinata-chan, I hope you can forgive me for this. Tsunade baa-chan, watch this." He waited for Tsunade to open an eye again, turned to Hinata and pulled her close and kissed her on the lips passionately, much to the embarrassment Hinata and surprise of everyone else in the room.

"Oi! This is a hospital for Kami-sama's sake! No Frenching allowed!" Kiba yelled at Naruto. "Get a room or something for Kami-sama's sake! Freakin' perverted bastard! I expected better from you Naruto!"

"Idiot, he's trying to increase Tsunade's blood flow and stimulate her metabolism in order to keep her awake." Neji explained. "Though I do wish he had done it another way."

Naruto ended the kiss, much to his dismay and turned to see Tsunade's eye's wide open and a look of shock on her face.

"Oh good, you're awake now!" Naruto said with a laugh and a small blush.
"What is the meaning of this?" Tsunade asked as she sat up slightly.

"Sorry Tsunade baa-chan, had to shock you to keep you awake so you didn't go back into the coma. Although, what happened wasn't entirely untrue…" He just in time turned to see Hinata's bright red face before she began falling backwards into Ino and Sakura's arms. "Hinata-chan! Are you ok? I'm so sorry!"

"Naruto you idiot! Look what you did!" Sakura yelled.

"He just surprised Hinata, that's all. It's not like she didn't like it." Ino tried to stand up for Naruto, patting him on the back to congratulate him. "Way to go Naruto!"

"Hinata-chan! Hinata-chan!" Naruto tried to snap Hinata out of her shock.

"N-Naruto-kun?" She finally awoke; she blushed again remembering the kiss. "D-did you…d-did we j-just…?"

"Yup, our first kiss." Naruto interrupted her. "Sorry it was like that but it worked! Look, she's awake!"

Hinata stood up and looked at the bed. "Hokage-sama! You're awake! Ano… N-Naruto-kun and I are kind of d-dating…but we aren't a couple! T-though I do hope that you can approve of me if we do become a couple." Hinata realized she was rambling so she paused and took a breath and bowed to the now awake Hokage. "We're all so glad you're awake!" She smiled warmly at the Hokage.

"Y-yeah, sure." Tsunade blinked at the young Hyūga. "Where the hell is Shizune? SHIZUNE! Get in here and clear me from this place so I can get back to work. I can't rebuild a village if I can't move, can I?"

"Right here Tsunade-sama! I had to go get some medicine for you to help give you more strength, here." She handed Tsunade the medicine, which Tsunade completely drank immediately, shuddering at its' terrible flavor.

"What's been going on? How long have I been out?" Tsunade asked, looking at Naruto holding Hinata's hand.

"Almost two months. The village is being rebuilt as we speak. Most of it was destroyed. Naruto defeated Pein, but not before going full Kyūbi when Pein severely wounded Hinata. The Yondaime's seal remains intact, thanks to the efforts of his father." Shikamaru explained.

"Minato? How did he do that? Wait, how do you guys know about—?" Tsunade began but was interrupted by Naruto.

"He told me himself that he was my dad. He sealed part of himself with the Kyūbi in order to protect me from doing what I almost did." Naruto informed Tsunade.

"I see." Tsunade said looking at Naruto again. He looks tired and…more mature than before. Was it almost losing control of the Kyūbi that did this? Or is it Hinata's doing?

"Wha'cha lookin' at?" Naruto asked with a confused look on his face.

"Huh? Nothing. You look happy, Hinata's doing I assume?" Tsunade teased her surrogate son.

Naruto blinked then smiled with a small blush. "Yeah, that's right. And you waking up too."

Tsunade smiled at that. "Right. Anything else?"

"Not really. Right now all ninja are either recovering from his or her injuries or helping to rebuild the village." Yamato answered the Hokage.

"The Akamichi clan is rebuilding our sector of the village including land that isn't ours." Chōji reported. "Our estate was completely destroyed, but we're doing fine with the temporary shelters until we can focus on rebuilding it."

"The Nara clan is doing the same, even though the work is completely troublesome." Shikamaru also reported.

"The Hyūga clan's estate was damaged, but not as severely as others. Repairs have already been completed and we are assisting with the repairs of the downtown area," Neji said calmly and Hinata nodded to confirm.

"The Yamanaka clan is helping the Hyūga's with rebuilding the downtown area." Ino reported with a nod at Hinata and Neji.

"The Aburame clan is patrolling the around Konoha preventing anyone suspicious or unusual from entering the area as well as escorting the architects, construction workers, and engineers to areas with good timber to help Yamato-taicho with supplying wood." Shino informed the Hokage.

"The Inuzuka's are rebuilding our estate. It was completely destroyed. It'll take a while before we can assist anyone else." Kiba growled in annoyance.

"The ANBU are patrolling the outskirts as well as keeping an eye out on the inside. The Godaime Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara, sent reinforcements two weeks ago to help rebuild Konoha as well as improve defenses around and in Konoha. Gaara said he'd be coming to Konoha personally, with his siblings Kankuro and Temari, at the end of the week. He and the other Kage have called a meeting that will be held at the end of the month in Tetsu no Kuni (Land of Iron). He wishes to accompany you and your escorts there." Kakashi explained.

"A Kage Summit? What for?" Tsunade was confused.

Kakashi thought for a moment if he should say what happened in front of everyone, but decided it was better now than later.

"Apparently, Sasuke and three others attacked the Raikage's brother, Killer Bee, Jinchuriki of the Hachibi no Kyogyuu. They attempted to capture Killer Bee, who escaped but has not returned to Kumogakure for whatever reason. The Raikage is calling for immediate action against Sasuke and the Akatsuki." Kakashi explained.

"What?" Tsunade asked in anger.

"Sasuke!" Naruto growled in anger. "What are you thinking you bastard?"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata looked at Naruto with a sad face. She held his hand closer to her.

Naruto looked down at her and smiled sadly. "Sorry Hinata-chan, I'll calm down. I'm just mad that Sasuke would do something that stupid. I swear I'll kick his ass! That bastard! I'll fucking kick his ass!"

Sakura began to cry. Ino walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Sakura looked up at her and gave her a hug.

"It's extremely troublesome, but if my guess is right, and it usually is, Sasuke will be declared an international villain and a Missing Nin. And once captured, charged for his crimes and ultimately—" Shikamaru was cut off.

"Executed for them." Kakashi finished.

Everyone was silent for a few moments before Naruto spoke. "Well then, I guess that means that we have to get to Sasuke first."

"What? You still plan on trying to save him after everything he's done?" Shikamaru asked in surprise.

"No, I plan on kicking his ass! After that, if he won't listen, then I'll do whatever the Kage's decide to do to him myself. If they want him imprisoned, I'll be his prison guard. If they want him dead, I'll be his executioner. Either way, it's my responsibility as the one who let him get away." Naruto spoke very seriously.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata said very quietly, concerned for her love.

"No Naruto! It's not your fault! I'm just as much to blame as you are! I couldn't convince him to stay! I wasn't even able to stop him with words or through force!" Sakura yelled as she cried. "I'm the one who let him get away! You don't have to carry this burden alone! You've done enough and gone through far too much for this, for me. I can't let you do it alone."

Naruto turned to Sakura with a sad and understanding, yet determined look on his face. "I'm sorry Sakura-chan, but it looks like I'm not gonna be able to keep my promise this time. I'll still bring him back to Konoha, but he'll most likely no longer be amongst the living because—."

"NO! Don't say it." Sakura begged as tears streamed down her face.

"If he won't listen, I might have no other choice but to kill him myself." Naruto continued, finishing rather coldly and deathly serious. He didn't want to hurt Sakura, but he couldn't afford to be soft with her either. He couldn't sugar coat anything because he wanted her to be strong.

Sakura fell to her knees unable to stand any longer, tears falling like a waterfall from her eyes onto the white hospital floor.

Naruto walked to Sakura and placed a hand on her shoulder, showing that his understanding.

"I'm sorry, I'll try to convince him first. But if he's attacked a fellow Jinchuriki, he probably won't listen to me. I just want you to be prepared for the worst." He turned and walked away to leave her with Ino, who nodded at him acknowledging what he did as appropriate.

"Shizune-sama, we have urgent—! OH HOKAGE-SAMA! YOU'RE AWAKE!" An ANBU came into the room and immediately bowed.

"Yes, I am. Now what's so urgent?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes ma'am! Itachi Uchiha has been killed. We have several sources stating that Sasuke Uchiha defeated him in a fight shortly before attacking Killer Bee of Kumogakure. We are currently examining Itachi's corpse for any information." The ANBU reported.

"What? Itachi? Sasuke killed him?" Kakashi asked shocked.

"Yes, it seems that way Kakashi-senpai. It is certainly Itachi and there were traces of Sasuke's chakra at the site of the battle." The ANBU replied.

"First Orochimaru, now Itachi. How strong has Sasuke become?" Tsunade bit her lip in annoyance causing it to bleed slightly.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore; he had to get out of there before any more bad news came. "I'll see you guys later, I gotta go think." He turned and tried to leave but Hinata stopped him.

"I'm not letting you go alone." She told Naruto.

Naruto looked down at Hinata and smiled slightly. "Ok. But please, I need a little space."

"I understand. I just don't want to leave you alone." Hinata said gripping Naruto's hand tightly to show her support and concern.

"Naruto…" Tsunade began to say before Naruto interrupted.

"Don't worry, I'll be ok. I just need some time to think. I'll talk to you all after I've figured everything out. Later." He said to everyone with a small wave.

Naruto turned and walked out of the room before anyone could say anything with Hinata at his side.

"Is he going to be ok?" Chōji asked.

"Yeah, he's strong. He'll be ready to go in a few hours. You'll see." Shikamaru said with confidence. "But still, this is really troublesome for this to happen right now of all times. What a drag."

"You can say that again. I've never seen him so happy since I've known him. And I was there that time he won the ramen eating contest before he left with Jiraya." Tsunade said with a smile, causing everyone to chuckle.

"What are your orders, Tsunade-sama?" Sai asked of the Hokage, who looked at Sai confused.

"You're the Hokage, remember?" Kakashi said jokingly.

"Right. Shikamaru, I'll put you in charge of this for now. Think up several strategies and teams capable of tracking down and stopping Sasuke. But leave Naruto and Hinata out of it for now. Sakura too, she's emotionally compromised." Tsunade ordered.

"Mind if I ask why Naruto and Hinata, Lady Tsunade?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm going to see about finding him Killer Bee of Kumogakure to teach him to control that damned fox. And I need and escort to the Kage Summit. When the Kazekage and his siblings arrive, inform me immediately. I'll be in my office." She ordered the ANBU.

"Yes Ma'am!" he disappeared with a puff of smoke.

"Now then, get me the hell out of here so I can get back to work leading this village. A lot has happened and my village needs me." Tsunade stood up and everyone immediately blushed or fell to the floor with blood dripping from their nose.
"What's that all about?" Tsunade asked no one in particular.

"Um…Tsunade-sama…you're um…you're kinda naked." Shizune said as she tried not to laugh.

Tsunade looked down to find her hospital robe completely open and her body exposed for the world to see. Her ample and surprisingly perky breasts with small, pink nipples standing erect because of the cold hospital air were the center of attention along with the small tuff of blonde hair just above her female parts.

She blushed and covered up immediately and then glared at every man in the room with a look that could have killed if she didn't hold back any. "You will forget this EVER happened. Dismissed."

"YES MA'AM!" They all said in unison and ran for it, fearing her wrath.

"Yeah right, like we could forget that hot body. What do you think Shikamaru? EE-cup maybe? Or bigger?" Kakashi asked smiling a perverted smile.

"Shut up! I don't wanna die!" Shikamaru said running faster now.

Kakashi couldn't help but laugh his ass off. "Kid, you're gonna be in big trouble when you finally get together with that Suna chick, Temari right?" He teased.

"Shut up! It's not like that!" Shikamaru tried to deny, but the blush he was sporting said otherwise.

As the day went on, everyone was busy preparing for the possible confrontation with Sasuke in his or her own way. But from the shadows, Danzo watched and formulated his own plan to gain control of Konoha and, ultimately, the world.

"Even if Tsunade-hime has awakened, I will not miss my chance to act." He walked towards his hideout to formulate his own plan to capture the renegade Uchiha and the newest hero of Konoha.

End Ch 5

Well, that was my longest chapter so far. It really took a lot to get this chapter up to an acceptable length. Hope everyone liked it! Please review! Expect chapters 6, 7, and possibly 8 tomorrow!

Until next time,

CBM-1701