Hey everyone! Sorry for the later than expected update. I was more busy than I expected to be last week. But here's chapter 8 for you guys! It's the longest chapter to date just to let everyone know. Hope you all like it! 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"

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 (including eventual lemons), ETC. So don't get mad at me if you don't like that stuff because YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

For the next few hours, Naruto relayed everything he knew about Sasuke, the Akatsuki, and Madara Uchiha to the Kumo nin. Naruto spoke of the ninjutsu and taijutsu that Sasuke used during their fight at the Shūmatsu no Tani (Valley of the End), but reminded them how long ago their battle was and that he definitely learned new jutsu since he joined with Orochimaru and, more recently, the true leader of the Akatsuki, Madara Uchiha. He told him what little he knew about the Sharingan, but mentioned that he didn't know much and that Kakashi would be a better person to ask about the specifics or ways to avoid falling under its' control. Upon hearing this, Samui asked if it was possible to speak with Kakashi to ask him more about the topic, to which Tsunade responded that she would send word for him to come to her office.

Upon arriving, Kakashi was slightly surprised to see the Kumo nin inside, but soon shrugged it off and cooperated with their request of telling them as much as he could about the Sharingan. He backed up everything Naruto had said about the Sharingan's ability's as well as adding a few things Naruto forgot. He also mentioned the likelihood that Sasuke had already unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan, either sometime before or since the defeat of his brother, and to beware of its' abilities.

"Would you mind telling us what kind of abilities the Mangekyō Sharingan has that the normal version does not?" Samui asked of Kakashi.

"I can't." Kakashi responded lazily.

"What?" Karui stood quickly, slamming her hands on the table. "Why the hell not?"

"I would be more than happy to tell you if I knew which abilities Sasuke inherited." Kakashi explained.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Karui asked in confusion.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan has several abilities that Sasuke could have. Each user of the Mangekyō has a different set of abilities that they, for lack of a better phrase, 'start off with'. The others can be learned through training, of course. Given his connection to Itachi, however, I can make a guess that he knows either the Tsukuyomi or the Amaterasu, or possibly both. Of course, it could be neither as well. We have listed all traits of the known abilities of the Mangekyō in the files we have provided to you." Kakashi explained.

"So what you're saying is, there's no way to know for sure." Samui stated.

Kakashi nodded, "That's exactly what I'm saying. It's impossible to know for sure, especially since he's now with Madara."

"That's bullshit! What help are you?" Karui asked angrily. "Other than the jutsu that he knew three years ago, we know nothing about this prick. We could have gotten this information from the Chunin exams of that year!"

"That's true," Kakashi simply said.

"And what's with your attitude? That prick was your student, you bastard! Along with that blonde haired prick over there and the other squad member, you're responsible for letting him get away!" Karui yelled furiously.

A burst of chakra and killing intent caused Karui to lose her balance slightly, causing her to end up on her knees on the floor. She turned her attention to where she felt the surge of power, and found herself looking at a very pissed off Tsunade.

"I'll remind you once more where you are, girl. This is Konoha, not Kumo. You are in MY village, not YOURS. You will show my ninja better respect than you do your own comrades. Make no mistake, this is the last time I will warn you to hold your tongue when you're in my presence. Do I make myself clear?" Tsunade said, allowing her chakra to flare slightly at the end for added effect.

"Y-yes ma'am. I'm s-sorry." Karui bowed in apology, fearing the Hokage's wrath.

"Good," Tsunade lowered her chakra before continuing. "Now, let us continue. Is there anything else you can add about Sasuke or the Akatsuki, Kakashi?"

"No," Kakashi said with a sigh, knowing all too well his role in raising Sasuke and his subsequent failure to prevent Sasuke from traveling the path of revenge. Had he done a better job, Sasuke may have never left. Or had he paid more attention to Naruto and his training, maybe he would have beaten Sasuke and brought him back. Either way, he knew he was at least partially responsible for Sasuke's defection and betrayal from Konoha as well as all the crimes he committed with Orochimaru and Madara.

"Very well, you may leave if you wish Kakashi." Tsunade told the silver haired Jonin, knowing what was on his mind.

"If it's all the same, Hokage-sama, I'd like to stay." Kakashi said, repressing his feelings of failure for the time being. Now was not the time to sulk, but a time to correct those mistakes.

"Very well. Naruto, is there anything you'd like to add?" Tsunade asked the young blonde.

"Not really, I've said everything that I know. However, I'd like to ask one thing." Naruto said, focusing his attention on Samui.

"I'll answer as best I can." Samui responded.

"Does the Bee guy, um…Killer Bee right?" He waited for Samui's nod. "Does he have his Bijū under control completely?"

"More or less," Samui confirmed.

"If we found him, would he be able and willing to teach me to control the Kyūbi better?" Naruto asked, surprising everyone in the room. Tsunade herself had wanted to ask the very same question, but Naruto had beat her too it, much to her own surprise.

"He could teach you, but I don't know that he would," at Naruto's confused look, she continued. "You'd probably have to prove yourself to him in some way. But he's a little…eccentric, so there's no telling how that might be accomplished."

"Eccentric how? In case you haven't noticed, Naruto here is very eccentric." Tsunade teased the young Genin lightly.

"Killer Bee-sama cannot be described with simple words alone." Karui said in a praising tone, placing her hands on her hips in a cocky stance.

"He raps." Omoi said simply, causing Karui's stance to falter.

"Don't say it so simply, dumbass!" Karui said as she whacked Omoi over the head.

"He raps?" Tsunade asked, confused.

"Pretty much every time he speaks." Samui said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"…" Everyone was silent as they tried to understand why he raps when he speaks.

"Well whatever," Naruto finally spoke. "This guy is the only person left who can teach me to control Kyūbi-teme completely, and in order for that to happen he needs to be found. Baa-chan, I request a to be on the team that helps locate the Bee guy."

"Killer Bee-sama!" Karui said once again in annoyance, but held her tongue otherwise.

"Whatever!" Naruto said, not caring.

After a moment of thought, Tsunade gave her decision. "Alright, you can be on the team, brat. Kakashi," she turned to the silver haired Jonin, "You will be the team leader for this mission. Take your team to find the Raikage's brother and accompany him back to Kumo when you do. Samui-san," she turned to the blonde haired Kumo kunoichi, "I trust you and your team will be willing to offer your assistance to locating your leader's brother?"

"You don't even need to ask." Karui said with a smirk, which Samui nodded her approval.

"Good, I'll inform the Raikage of this joint mission. I'm sure he will approve." Tsunade responded with a smirk of her own. "I will send word for Team Gai to meet you there as well."

"Eleven shinobi, Tsunade-sama?" Kakashi asked, slightly surprised.

"Not quite," Tsunade began. "Pakkun will be assisting in this mission as the fourth member of Samui's team. You will need his nose for tracking any scents of Killer Bee-sama that you can find. Neji's eyes will also be of great use."

"I understand." Kakashi nodded.

"You have until the tomorrow morning to prepare for the mission. Do what you wish until then. Meet at the main gate at 0500 hours with gear for a long mission. Any questions?" Tsunade asked. Receiving no answer, "I will provide your team a place to stay for the night as well as any additional supplies that you and your team may need for the mission, Samui. Please wait here while I have Shizune bring you a key for the apartment you will be staying in. Everyone else, dismissed!"

"Thank you Hokage-sama." Samui bowed.

Naruto, Hinata, and Kakashi left the Hokage's office, sparing a nod for the Kumo nin as they left. Kakashi sighed as they exited the tower, unintentionally gaining the attention of the two shinobi next to him.

"You're not letting what that Kumo chick said get to you, are you Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked knowingly.

"Maybe a little…" Kakashi admitted, slightly depressed. "But don't worry, I'm fine.

"Good." Naruto spared a smile for his sensei.

"Now then," Kakashi said as he turned to leave. "I'm sure you and Hinata would like some time alone. Don't stay out too late; we have to get up early tomorrow morning if we want to get to the gate by 0500. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't be late."

"You're the last person I want to hear that from Kakashi-sensei." Naruto teased, earning a giggle from the Hyūga heiress next to him.

"Oi, oi…" Kakashi said, knowing fully about his tendency to be late for everything. But he knew that tomorrow he couldn't afford to be late. He spared a wave for the two ninja before heading off to his apartment to prepare for the mission to find Naruto's possible turned to Hinata to ask her what she wanted to do for the rest of the night, but stopped when he saw her with a slightly sad and worried look on her face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Naruto asked in a concerned voice.

"I…I don't want you to go!" she threw her arms around Naruto's neck, pulling him close. "I don't want you to leave me here! I want to go with you!"

"I know you do, but this mission is going to be dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt. You'll be safer here." Naruto explained.

"B-but…what about you?" Hinata asked. She was afraid of losing Naruto now that they were closer to each other than she ever thought possible.

"Me? I'll be fine. I'll have Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, and everyone else with me. Even though I don't really like that Karui chick, I can tell she's a strong kunoichi and will do anything to find the Bee guy." Naruto tried to reassure Hinata.

"Still…" Hinata wasn't convinced.

"Hinata-chan, I understand where you're coming from, trust me. But you have to believe me when I say I will be fine. You trust in my ninja abilities don't you?" Naruto lifted Hinata's chin so he could look into her saw pure confidence in himself and his abilities as she gazed into Naruto's cobalt blue eyes. She trusted his abilities and in his will to live more than anything else. But she would still feel better if she were with him.

"I trust you, more than anything Naruto-kun. But I would still feel better if I was going with you. Do you think Tsunade-sama would let me—?" Hinata was interrupted before she could finish.

"I'm sorry Hinata, but I can't allow you to go with Naruto." Tsunade said as she approached Naruto and Hinata.

"But why not Tsunade-sama?" Hinata asked, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Because, you have a different mission to do." Tsunade explained.

"A different mission?" Hinata asked, confused.

"Yes, you and your team mates will be accompanying me to the Kage Summit." Tsunade elaborated.

"What?" Hinata asked, surprised at the mission she was being assigned to. "But why us?"

"Because your team's sensory and tracking skills will come in handy for detecting any threats to the meeting. The Kazekage and his team should be arriving within a couple of days to accompany us to the Summit. With your two teams and those of the other Kage, any threat should be easily dealt with." Tsunade explained her reasoning.

"But…" Hinata wasn't convinced she could handle the pressure of such an important mission.

"Hinata-chan," Naruto began. Once Hinata turned to look at him, he continued, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You have to do this. This is a mission that needs your eyes and your abilities. You have to help protect baa-chan and Gaara for me."

Hinata was still unconvinced at letting Naruto go without her to find his potential master. But she knew after one look into Naruto's eyes that the love of her life was placing his trust in her to protect Tsunade in his place, and she wasn't about to let him down.

"Ok, I'll do it." Hinata said as she wiped away the tears before looking up at Naruto with a confident look. "I'll protect Tsunade-sama in your place and make you and everyone else in Konoha proud!"

"I'm counting on it." Naruto smiled at the lavender-eyed beauty in front of him.

"Now that we're all on the same page, I'll leave you two alone. But before I go, I have to take care of one thing…" she rolled up her sleeve and whacked Naruto on the top of the head. "STOP CALLING ME BAA-CHAN!" Tsunade proceeded to roll her sleeve back down before smiling at Hinata and turning to leave.

After nursing the bump on Naruto's head, the two shinobi made their way to Ichiraku's for dinner. Naruto didn't know when he would be back from his mission to find the 'Bee guy', so he decided to eat as much ramen as he could before he left.

Naruto lifted the canvas out of the way for Hinata before taking his usual seat at Ichiraku's, with Hinata sitting to his left. Hinata ordered a bowl of miso ramen and Naruto ordered miso ramen with pork and told Teuchi to keep the ramen coming until he said to stop. Ten bowls later, Naruto finished eating and sat with a fully satisfied stomach and an astonished Hyūga heiress who was left pondering where he fit that much food in his slim frame. Naruto pulled out his wallet and paid for the ramen that he and Hinata ate, prompting Teuchi and Ayame to ask the question on both of their minds.

"So, Naruto. We've been seeing you and Hinata hanging around with each other a lot more often then I remember you two hanging out when you were younger. So I've been wondering…are you two a couple?" Ayame spoke for both her and her father.

Hinata tensed and blushed brightly at the question asked by the young chef. She had been wondering the same thing ever since their latest encounter on top of the Hokage monument, though she didn't have the courage, or the time, to bring it up herself. She sat quietly, waiting for the blonde to answer the question on everyone's mind.

Naruto noticed Hinata's tenseness at the question Ayame asked him and decided to mess around with the Hyūga heiress a little. "You'd have to ask Hinata-chan about that one."

Hinata once again tensed. "W-well…w-we've been spending a lot more t-time together lately. And we just recently…k-kissed…I-I don't know if that constitutes—." Hinata tried in vain to stutter a response but was interrupted by a high-pitched squeal from the young chef.

"You kissed! That's so cute!" Ayame said excited. "Was it good?"

Hinata just blushed and nodded at the question, completely embarrassed that she revealed that she and Naruto had shared a kiss.

Ayame saw how embarrassed was at her questions and decided to get one more jab in before she backed off. "Was there any tongue?"

Hinata turned bright red at the question and fought to maintain consciousness, "T-t-tongue?"

"Yeah you know, did you French kiss him?" Ayame asked with a mischievous smirk.

Hinata shook her head vigorously, partly to deny the question and partly to get the blood to flow out of her head.

Naruto chuckled at Hinata's embarrassment over their kiss, but decided to end her suffering. "I think that's enough teasing Ayame. I have to leave for a mission tomorrow and I don't know how long it will take until I can come back. I want as much time as possible with Hinata-chan before I leave. But if she passes out because of embarrassment it won't be as long."

"Alright, I'll stop teasing. But seriously, are you two a couple?" Ayame asked.

Naruto gazed at Hinata with a look that pretty much said it all. "Not officially."

"Does that mean—?" Ayame began to ask.

"But I think I can change that." He continued, gaining Hinata's attention once again.

"Naruto-kun…?" Hinata asked eagerly.

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto began. "I've been thinking about everything that's happened and I think I finally understand how I feel for you. Spending time with you and getting to know you in these past few months since you told me how you felt about me has been so much fun…more fun than I could have ever imagined. I enjoyed every second of our time together, and I want to thank you for spending so much time with me despite your busy training schedule with your dad, your sister, and Neji. You once told me that you feel the way you do about me because I inspire you to improve, to keep going no matter what. You told me that you want to be by my side always, no matter what. You told me that you weren't afraid to die if it meant protecting me…because you loved me."

Ayame and Teuchi watched Naruto's heart-felt confession from behind the counter, with a bag of popcorn (that appeared out of pretty much nowhere) in hand, silently rooting for the young Hyūga.

Hinata's heart was beating so fast that she was worried she would have a heart attack. She could hardly contain herself as she silently and nervously awaited the rest of Naruto's words.

"Now it's time for me to say the same to you." Naruto continued. "I'm sorry it took so long to say it back, but I hope you understood that I needed this time to finally understand why I exploded like I did when Pein almost killed you after you confessed. Now I can finally and honestly say…" Naruto smiled with the most caring look on his face, "…I love you too, Hinata-chan."

Ayame squealed loudly at Naruto's heartfelt confession to the young Hyūga heiress, causing both of the young ninja to become extremely embarrassed, but they ignored it as best as they could.

Hinata couldn't believe that this wasn't a dream. Naruto had just said what she had been waiting for him to say for so many years. Not too long ago, Hinata was unsure that she would ever hear those words from Naruto. Only two months ago, she fully expected to die at the hands of Pein while protecting Naruto. But here she was, staring into the piercing blue eyes of the man she loved as he responded positively to her declaration of love that she had fully expected to go unanswered. The tears that she had been holding back since he began speaking finally began to fall from her pale lavender eyes onto her now rosy cheeks.

"Oh, Naruto-kun…" she said as she tried to regain her composure. "Do you mean it, all of it?"

Naruto placed his hand on her cheek and stroked it lovingly, wiping away her tears. "Of course I do. I meant every word of it, from the bottom of my heart. I had to tell you before I left just in case I don't come back…"

"Oh, Naruto-kun!" Hinata wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him close to her. "Don't say such things, you will be back! You just have to come back!"

"You're right, I will be back." Naruto accepted her hug and pulled them closer together before whispering, "Hinata-chan, will you be my girlfriend?"

Hinata stared wide-eyed at Naruto before she responded by kissing Naruto passionately on the lips, surprising the young shinobi. After a moment she responded, "YES! Of course I will!" before returning to his lips once again.

The new couple was so distracted by their passionate kiss that they failed to notice Ayame and Teuchi were now busy snapping as many pictures as they could of this romantic moment between their favorite blonde haired customer and the raven-haired heiress.

After a few moments, Naruto finally noticed the clicks and flashes of the cameras going off around him and instantly became embarrassed. He soon decided that he didn't care about the pictures; he was more focused on the lovely Hyūga in his arms. He was happier than he had been in a long time, and he never wanted the moment to end. But the thought of leaving in the morning soon came to him, and he decided that it was time to go back to his favorite spot for a little more reluctantly broke the kiss, much to Hinata's displeasure, and turned to the ramen chefs, who quickly hid their cameras, before speaking.

"Well, it's been a fun night guys but I think it's time for me and Hinata-chan to get out of here. Make sure to have lots of ramen ready for me when I come back! Later!"

Naruto took off for the Hokage monument with Hinata in his arms. When they reached the monument a few minutes later, Naruto once again bounded to the top in two jumps and set his new girlfriend down on her feet. Before Naruto could say anything, Hinata tackled her new boyfriend to the ground in a passionate embrace. Naruto was pleasantly surprised to find himself on the ground with Hinata kissing him fiercely while she lay on top of him. He soon grabbed Hinata's waist and rolled her over so that he was on top of her, causing her to yelp and giggle happily as he kissed her back. The two playfully fought for a few moments for dominance before settling into a rhythm of loving kisses.

As the new couple's kisses became more and more passionate, Hinata thought back to Ayame's question about French kissing and found herself wondering how it would feel having her tongue in Naruto's mouth and his in hers. She blushed and mentally shook her head at how embarrassing that thought was. Of course it was something that Hinata dreamed of doing with Naruto, she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Naruto after all. She knew it would happen eventually, but she was unsure if she could do something so bold only a few hours after her very first intimate kiss of her entire life. She decided she was content with the kiss the two were sharing at the moment, more out of fear of moving too quickly than anything else, but hoped that the two of them would share a deeper kiss sometime soon.

She quickly remembered how little time she had with Naruto before she wouldn't see him again for who knows how long. The thought of that made her sad, but also determined to give Naruto a goodbye present that he wouldn't soon forget. She decided to take command and she once again rolled herself on top of Naruto and pulled away slightly from the love of her life, much to his disappointment. She looked down into his eyes and smiled brightly at her boyfriend.

"Naruto-kun, I love you so much," she said before she closed the gap once again, placing a small kiss on his lips, licking his bottom lip lightly as she retreated slightly. She waited for Naruto to open his mouth to reply before making contact once again, but this time plunged her tongue into his mouth and began exploring the inside of Naruto's mouth for the first time.

Naruto was shocked, to say the least, when he felt Hinata's tongue against his own inside of his mouth. The shock soon wore off as he got used to the new sensation. Soon he moved his own tongue into her mouth and began to once again battle her for dominance, flipping himself on top of her once again. He increased the depth of the kiss as he explored every corner of her mouth, taking care to remember the spots that caused the heiress to moan lightly as he went. He soon broke the kiss to look into the eyes of the woman he loved and smiled softly and lovingly down at her, which she returned with equal affection.

"I love you too, Hinata-chan," he managed to get out before Hinata pulled him back down to her lips for more.

The two continued to switch places for several minutes before collapsing from exhaustion and lack of oxygen. They lay in a comfortable silence, holding each other close with Hinata's head resting on top of Naruto's chest and their legs tangled together, both sporting small, happy smiles on their faces as they rested. Though the two would have been more than happy to continue their passionate kissing, they were just as happy holding each other close and looking out onto the village. Naruto and Hinata both knew it would be the last time Naruto would see the village from atop the monument in a long time. So for the rest of their time together, they simply looked out at the lights of the village and at the stars in the sky.

Far too quickly it was time for Naruto to head home so that he could get enough sleep to wake up and get to the main gate on time. He scooped up Hinata in his arms and raced towards the Hyūga estate. When they reached the estate, Naruto placed Hinata on her feet and stared into her pale lavender eye that he would not see again for who knows how long. He soon wrapped his arms around her neck, and she wrapped her arms around his waist. The two held each other in a loving embrace for several minutes, both shedding tears of sadness at the time that was to be spent apart from one another. The couple shared one last deep kiss filled with passion before Naruto reluctantly pulled away.

"I'll miss you Naruto-kun." Hinata said with tears in her eyes. "Please be safe and come back to me safe and sound. I love you so much."

"I'll miss you too, Hinata-chan." Naruto said, also with tears in his eyes. "I'll come back to you no matter what, I promise. Be safe on your mission as well; protect baa-chan and Gaara for me. I love you too, more than anything."

Hinata nodded, "I promise I will."

Naruto gave Hinata one last hug and kiss before departing in a burst of speed. He was worried if he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to leave her. So he raced for his home, leaving his worried girlfriend standing outside her home with a sad look on her face.

Hinata believed in Naruto and knew that he would keep his promise to her no matter what, he always did. But she couldn't help but worry for the love of her life. She only hoped that the next time she would see him he would be alive and stronger than ever so that he could end this conflict once and for all.

Please come back to me safely, my Naruto-kun. She thought as she turned to enter her estate.

The next morning at 0500, Naruto stood at the gate with Team Gai, the Kumo nin with Pakkun, and the rest of Team Kakashi. He looked back towards the village one last time as if he had heard Hinata's final thoughts before she entered her estate. As the group turned to leave, Naruto smiled sadly and responded to the faint call to return home to his love.

"I will be back, Hinata-chan. I promise." He said in a whisper, before turning back to the gate and leaving Konoha for his mission to find the man who had the ability to teach Naruto to control powerful chakra of the Kyūbi completely so he could confront those who threatened the safety of the world and those he loved and cherished more than life itself. He had a new reason to get stronger and he would do anything within his power to keep her safe from harm.

Well, there's chapter 8! I hope everyone liked it. I'd just like to remind really fast that this is a fanfic, so it's not going to be the same as the anime and manga. So no getting mad at me if something isn't exactly the same as the manga and anime. I will be trying my best to keep the characters correct thought. Killer Bee's rapping is going to cause me some problems I'm sure. I'm very bad at rhyming. But oh well! Be sure to review this chapter and let me know what you think! It's the only way I know if it was good or not after all!

Until next time,

CBM-1701