WARNING: PLEASE don't go past the author notes of the rewritten chapters, it can confuse you. Now, about this chapter, there aren't any major changes except a few I made in the way it is written. Slightly more well written with a few aditions in the fighting scene.
Soulmate: By Your Side
Chapter4: Truth in Dreams
Dreaming…
The shadows of the forest surrounded him. He stood in the middle of the clearing, two figures accompanying his form. He couldn't quite make out who they were in the thick darkness of the night. He tried to walk closer to see, but to no avail, he felt his feet rooted to the ground. He kept staring at the figures, hoping his vision could adjust and he could see. In the end, the figures remained in shadow.
After what seemed an eternity, many other figures started coming from the forest, really fast for civilian standards… 'Ninjas…' he thought as said shinobi approached the two mysterious figures. They too were nothing but shadows to him.
He then noticed that the two figures in the middle were a male and a female, the first taller than the later. The man was behind the female probably begging for his life, if his kneeling position and clapped hands where any indication.
The female seemed to stand startled. He couldn't see her eyes but somehow, he knew that they were full of fear. This female seemed to be a ninja as well. He couldn't make out any forehead protector indicating her village, but he just knew it. Before the girl could slip into a fighting stance though, the man behind her pushed her towards the other ninjas and started running, probably for his life. Before he could flee for more than a few meters, one of the ninjas stopped him and knocked him out, or killed him. He couldn't make out if he was dead or unconscious from this far.
He turned his eyes to the girl once more. Now her eyes were visible… but he couldn't make out the colour. He saw that she was looking towards the fallen man, tears running down her cheeks, glimmering in the light of the moon. After this… the world went dark when the man behind her stabbed her in the neck…
Naruto woke up from his dream clearly startled. He sat up on his bed the moment he opened his eyes, rugged breaths accompanying. His blue orbs where wide and full of fear, still trying to take in the idea that it was all a dream.
He was in his room and the light of the morning sun rolled smoothly inside from his windows, bathing the room in all its glory.
Turning his head to the left, he saw the clock indicating the time. It was 8 a.m still… he woke up late today.
He sighed knowing this day would most likely be another boring waste of his life, working alongside Tsunade and the vast amounts of damn paperwork that was seemingly never ending. He stretched his arms and yawned, preparing mentally for what was most likely to come. After rubbing his eyes a little, he got up from his bed and started his everyday routines…
When he was ready, dressed in his usual black and orange outfit, he went down to the kitchen to get some breakfast. Of course, he thought of ramen, but the cook had prepared some eggs and pancakes for the morning. He whined to no one for the lack of ramen in the morning table and slowly ate, thankful that at least it wasn't bad…
After getting breakfast he headed for the exit and went out in the peaceful streets of the morning Konoha. The Hokage tower wasn't far away…
He knocked the door of the Hokage's office, knowing that Tsunade should be here by now. No one answered so he decided to get in. Opening it slowly, he finally witnessed Tsunade doing what her old, good self usually did in a morning at the office. Sleeping, of course.
He grinned as at least twenty evil thoughts of how to wake her up rolled through his mind. He wasn't in the mood though for complicated pranks, so he did the usual…
"TSUNADE-OBAA-CHAN!! WAKE UP!!" he yelled with ferocity that could level buildings. After what seemed like seconds, a book came flying towards him from a 'sleeping' Godaime and he barely dodged to the side before the book could hit bull's eye. "Who the hell…?" She said, still sleepy. Her tired mind then noticed Naruto standing near the door, his eyes wide in fear as he gazed at the crack on the wall the book had created and back at her. She grinned. "Oh… it's you…" she nearly whispered while placing her palm on her forehead. She hated waking up like this…
XxxxX
At noon, he started walking towards Ichiraku Ramen once again a decent by his standards lunch. The conversation he had with Tsunade after the paperwork was done was still ringing in his mind…
Flashback
Tsunade placed the last of the paperwork at a rather big pile of papers full of reports and mission requests. She turned to look at Naruto who was piling some other books at her left.
He grinned widely when he noticed her gaze on him. She grinned back and sighed. "Listen up Naruto…" she said in a serious tone. Naruto turned around to look at her in the eye, curiosity painting his own ones. "I've got a mission for you…" she said. He now grinned even more in joy. "A mission! Woohoo!" He said as he jumped from his chair and punched the air above him
"What kind of mission?" He added and looked down at her from his now heightened position. Tsunade grinned again "An escort mission" she said. Now he wanted to start jumping around but Tsunade interrupted his urge as she continued.
"You will escort the heir of the Hyuuga clan" she said. Naruto now was confused… wait… heir… Hyuuga… Hinata! He now grinned even more, if that was even possible. "Were to?" he asked. Tsunade's grin was still on her face. "You do know that Hinata is getting married ne(eh)?" she asked and was surprised when his grin faltered, replaced by a speck of sadness
She raised an eyebrow. "Yes…" he replied as he looked away at the pile of books in front of him. Tsunade was still grinning though. "Well you see, today she is expected to meet her husband-to-be…" Naruto caught a sign of disgust in her voice. He took note of that. "Who is the heir of the Akake clan. The Akake's don't live in Konoha even though they are our Shinobis. Instead, their compound is located a days journey at the borders of Konoha and the hidden village of Rain. They are supposed to be some kind of 'Guardians' and spies. Imagine their compound as a watch post for possible infiltrations in Konoha. You are to escort Hinata there. In an hour from now, go find her at the Hyuuga compound." She said and now she was looking at him seriously in the eye. "But… why me?" he asked. Tsunade sighed "Naruto… you are going to be the Hokage. See this mission as… training." She said. Now he looked confused. He was about to ask more but she raised her hand in motion for him to silence "Go Naruto. You've got work to do." She said. With a 'Hai(yes)' and a still sad look on his face, he took off…
End Flashback
Finally reaching his favourite ramen stand, he said hello to the owner, Ichiraku and his daughter Ayame as he sat down.
Ayame did notice though that his usually cheerful attitude was somehow gone, replaced by a speck of sadness accompanying his wide smile. She wanted to ask what was up, but her father stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and a shook of his head. They looked at Naruto as family, but his personal problems were his to deal with, sadly
Ayame felt better when he finally ate around 8 bowls of miso ramen. In the end, it seemed that he was his usual ramen devouring self. Naruto rarely ate less than 4 bowls of ramen whenever he came, the circumstances were he ate less being slim to none.
He paid his fee and started walking towards the Hyuuga compound, as the clock at the stand indicated that it was finally time. He didn't understand though… why did this felt wrong? Why he felt that bad? Maybe it was because he knew Hinata didn't want this, that she was sad though she hid it. He couldn't stand seeing her sad. He didn't stand to see any of his friends been sad… but Hinata… it felt wrong, terribly wrong. He knew he could do something to take it away, but what? What was in him that could make her feel better? What power he held to take off the sadness?
He didn't really understand, but he knew that he could do at least something to help. He was shot out of his daydreams when he noticed he had reached the gates of the Hyuuga compound. He walked up to knock the door…
A guard opened it "Can I help you, young man?" He asked politely. Naruto faked a grin. He reached for his pouch "Actually, you can" he said and brought out a scroll, indicating a B-rank mission. The guard opened the scroll to see the briefing
"Can you go call Hinata-chan please? We don't have all day" Naruto said while crossing his arms. Impatient he was. For yet another weird reason, he wanted to get over with it. The guard raised his eyebrows. He never heard anyone call Hinata-sama with a –chan.
He didn't mind though, it was her decision as for who she wanted to call her what. "Of course. Wait here please" he said and handed the scroll back to Naruto, who placed the respective document back in his pouch.
After a seemingly endless eternity of waiting, the door finally slid open once more. He looked up to see Hinata, dressed in a formal white Kimono with lavender stripes standing at the door, her hair caught in a messy bun at the back of her head, the familiar two strands of dark-blue gracing the sides of her face.
He smiled at her and she smiled back. "Well… it is time to depart, miss Hyuuga" he said and bowed while pointing with his arms to the left. She knew he made fun of formality and couldn't help but giggle at the comment
"Hai" she said, her smile never fading. He rose and now she could see the usual wide grin that run across his face, the grin that could make even the sun look dull…
They started walking towards the main gates of Konoha, where was the appointed point of meeting with the other heir. There, they met with a rather strange young man with spiky red hair, if only more composed than Naruto's own blond.
It was far from hard to notice such a lad, considering his outfit… Hinata looked at his shoulder and saw the symbol of the Akake clan… figures.
She stared at him with wide eyes for just a second before her face returned to the normal, calm and in Naruto's opinion, cute one. She didn't know he thought it was cute though…
The man's light red hair danced with the wind, his height towering a few inches taller than her and wore a red vest with long sleeves. To tell the truth, he was all dressed in red, even his shoes were red! Naruto was twitching his eyebrows wildly. He too liked the orange colour, but he wasn't devoured in it!
Hinata couldn't help but smile at his somehow strange sense of fashion. It was like seeing Lee in red, without the bowl haircut and the amazingly thick eyebrows of course. Though this man's cloths looked more… expensive and fashionable, to say the least.
The man smiled back at her and bowed. "Miss Hyuuga Hinata I presume? My name is Kakari Akake, heir of the Akake clan. I'm pleased to see my future wife being such a marvelous young woman." He said and took her hand to kiss it lightly. She blushed a slight pink, not used to such formalities. "Nice to meet you too…" she said quietly. Naruto noticed that she tried hard to smile. He too did the same thing anyway. They both had the same first impression for him. Good guy, formal, cheerful, though he had a rather awkward sense of fashion… he didn't want to imagine what would happen if he met up with Lee
"And you must be our escort? Pleased to meet you Mister Uzumaki." He said and raised his hand. Naruto did the same and they shook them lightly. Naruto could clearly see the man was gleaming in happiness, though he himself fought hard to keep a smile on his face.
"Well, my beloved wife and our dear escort, I presume it's time for us to take our leave? I'm looking forward to plan for the wedding today. My beauty can't wait" he said, his voice serious and formal, his face happy and his eyes gleaming. Naruto raised an eyebrow 'His, beauty...?' he thought, trying to find out if he felt amused or confused. Maybe both at the same time...
Hinata tried to compare his smile with Naruto's… totally different, she concluded and she liked the last one more… much more…
They walked by the road for about thirty minutes, the travel calm and… well, boring at some point.
Kakari was talking to Hinata about the wedding, his own life and to her surprise, he seemed to pay more attention to the mirror he held in his hand rather than her. Yes, another strange thing about him. He had this mirror on his hand from the moment they got out of Konoha. He even brushed his hair with his free hand now and then, and could even take a glance at her. She didn't really pay attention to what he said, her mind been focused on a certain blond a few feet ahead of them…
Naruto was not amused with said red haired. Though he was formal and good looking, he seemed to care about his looks more than anything else in the world. He wandered what kind of husband he could make…
He laughed mentally at the idea of his children praising themselves in front of mirrors, but groaned at the idea that Hinata would be the mother. He didn't understand why he hated the idea of her getting married to someone. He knew it wasn't only about the fact that she disliked it… there was something more in there that he couldn't grasp… he couldn't quite understand. He never had this feeling before…
As they kept walking, the hours seemed to pass awkwardly slow. Kakari was bragging for himself all along. Hinata told him about herself too, but to Naruto's surprise, many of the things see told were lies or twisted truth. She didn't brag. It seemed that she didn't plan telling him the truth about her own life whatsoever. He was aware however that, he himself knew much about her, even her personal life, her fears, her likes and dislikes from the conversations they had lately. When calm, she just seemed like an open book to read, a well written book that its words where delicate and carefully accommodated throughout the story, filled with emotions that dangled between the edge of sorrow and the gleam of happiness.
When night fell, they had to set camp at a rather large clearing a few meters away from the road and into the forest, the woods the only cover they had against any threat that may arise.
There weren't unfortunately any post towns on the way towards the Akake compound or Hidden Rain. 'Unfortunately' for Kakari, who mumbled and complained about sleeping in a tent as they had to and unfortunately for Naruto and Hinata who had to endure his complains
When Naruto took off his backpack to get the supplies for the tent, he felt Chakra signatures coming from the forest. One of them was strong… stronger than your average shinobi.
He looked around, searching for the source of this newcomers, one side of his mind screaming to him to grab a kunai or something, the other wishing they where just travelling ninja or something… He wished they were at least Konoha nins heading out in missions, though his hopes were crushed as one of the signatures seemed VERY familiar… and evil…
He turned to look at Hinata and Kakari. They were sitting by the fireplace, practically talking, though it was obvious that Kakari was bragging as always. He then noticed some figures shadowed in the bushes, elusive as they where to hide their presence.
He pretended that he didn't see anything, though after less than a second, the figure was gone. He walked towards the 'couple' and leaned down. "We've got company" By the tone of his voice and the look of his eyes they knew he didn't mean the good one
Kakari surprisingly nodded. "Very well then! Let them come and taste the power of the Akakes!" he said, nearly shouting. Naruto groaned inwardly and putted his palm on his forehead
'This guy is supposed to be a ninja? God damn…'. Naruto had grown wary of the importance of stealth in a shinobi's life, and this man practically gave them away rather naturally, as if he wanted them to really come out and start throwing kunai and shuriken at them. He could only wish that the unknown ninjas haven't heard him…
Too bad it wasn't 'You're wish is granted' day.
A group of 5 men jumped out of the shadows, the light of the full moon above them the only thing giving away their appearance. They all wore black robes, as if trying to melt in the night. Naruto's eyes went wide, but he frowned as he stood up and slipped in a battle stance.
Hinata and Kakari stood up as well, the latter just staying still, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes closed and a smile on his face. Hinata questioned it for a moment. Was he that powerful that he even kept his eyes closed? Only time would tell…
"So, Naruto-kun, we meet again." Naruto's eyes went wide in an instant. The voice was clear and sincere, though sarcasm somehow hid behind it. Also… besides Lee, Itachi and the Third at times, only one more male person called him with a –kun…
"Kabuto…" he hissed. The man who stood in the middle of the group took a step forward and took off his cloak, revealing his rather typical purple clothing, glasses gleaming, smirk accompanying and silver hair flowing with the motion.
His eyes glittered evilly behind the round objects of sight enhancement as he used a finger to raise them on his nose. His silver hair where as always wrapped in a ponytail that hanged on his back, said mane glimmering in the light of the moon and fire, making his figure more intimidating…
"Oh, you remember me? I'm honoured." Kabuto said, sarcasm filling every word. This man had escaped the battle with Orochimaru and practically no one knew what happened to him, yet now, they seemingly had the answers.
"How could I forget one of my beloved traitors?" Naruto mocked back, his voice formal, but pure sarcasm poisoned every word. It was like they were having a sarcasm 'debate' to see who could do it better.
Naruto's eyes were fixed on the ones that resided behind the round glasses, hands twitching in anticipation of any sudden movement.
Kabuto only smirked. "By the way, strange to find you here Naruto-kun, we didn't expect you to be the escort, but what the hell? Two birds with one stone!" He said while grinning evilly. Naruto gasped. How did Kabuto know that there would an escort to this travel, how did he even know about this in particular? And what did he mean by 'two birds with one stone'?
"What are you talking about?" He asked, or rather hissed. It was more of a demand rather than a question.
"Hmph, you have always been slow ne, Naruto-kun? I'll tell you then since the chances that you getting out of here are rather minimal. Orochimaru-sama had began a project about bloodline limits. So far so good, we have gathered many bloodlines, though most of them are weak. We now seek a rather higher goal…" he said and threw an evil glance at Hinata while smiling, his smile equally evil.
Naruto's eyes went wide. 'Bloodlines… research… higher goal… Hinata!' his eyes immediately frowned, his teeth grinded and his fists clenched. "We had information about this, 'escort' and it was the perfect chance! I questioned at first the fact that there would be only one escort. This 'Hokage' of yours thinks her ninjas are almighty ne? I know your pretty powerful Naruto-kun… what a marvellous test subject a Jinchuuriki would be, don't you think so?" he said and smirked.
He let out a chuckle while closing his eyes. "Oh this will be fun Naruto-kun" he said while balancing his glasses on his nose again. Normally, he knew he wasn't a match for Naruto in Kyuubi form, but he intended only to wound him enough to bring him under incapacitation. "I want to see you try…" was Naruto's solemn reply as he prepared to launch in battle, in order to protect… her…
Before he moved though, a laugh could be heard from Hinata's right. They both turned to look at Kakari who was laughing lightly, his arms still crossed on his chest and his eyes still closed.
Kabuto's group looked at him too. "Hmm? And you I presume… are?" He said, his face serious now. "Oh, you don't know? Very well then! My dear opponent! I am Kakari Akake! Heir of the mighty Akake clan! Tremble before my beauty and bow to my superiority!" He said while brushing his hair with one hand, the other resting on his thigh.
Kabuto, along with everyone else in the area, was twitching his eyebrows wildly. As far as he could tell, the Akake's were just a border watch clan. Noble they were indeed, but there was nothing special about them except the fact that their Fire Jutsu specialise was second only to the Uchiha's.
He grinned evilly, wanting to play a little with the fool that bragged so much about him and his clan. "Oh, forgive me your highness, but I need to take that beautiful lady over there with me." He said, fighting hard not to chuckle at the sarcasm of his own words
Kakari stepped right in front of Hinata, his hands at his sides, his smile never fading. "Don't worry my beloved. This lower human will not touch you. For I am here, and the might of the Akake clan will prevail!" He said, his face still painted with that smile, his eyes never leaving the group of ninjas ahead.
"So, I presume we will have to do it the hard way, your highness?" Kabuto said, hardly holding from bursting out laughing at the last words. "Oh, it's truly fun. Let's see the so called might of the Akake's, shall we?" He said and began chuckling. His men burst out laughing, not able to hold it anymore. It was just so ridiculous, and Hinata was red from embarrassment that she even knew this man. Naruto though chuckled himself silently from behind. He too wanted to see what this man was capable of, though he didn't expect much…
"Fools! You challenged my wrath and now you will perish!" Kakari said, his face frowning. He then slowly made a sequence of hand seals. All the individuals where more than intrigued to find out if the sequence was long or if he was terribly slow.
He then finished the seals and inhaled a good amount of air. "Katon: Dragon Fire no Jutsu!" He exclaimed and at his exhalation, a large, wide flame was shot towards them. The ninjas just jumped out of the way. In the meantime, when the Jutsu was over, Kakari was panting. Not much, but he was panting. Naruto and Hinata were both shocked, Kabuto and his men were completely disappointed. HE had only done ONE Jutsu, and he was panting! Ok the Jutsu needed some Chakra to perform, but panting? Come on, who the hell has that low amount of Chakra?
"I see you managed to dodge it! I'm honored that you will be a worthy opponent" Kakari exclaimed, not noticing the humility of his strength. Everyone sweat dropped at his comment. "Who the hell does he think he is?" One of the men whispered so only their group could listen.
Naruto turned to Hinata to see that she was looking at Kakari. Her expression was rather sad. She pitied him for his insolence and weakness, it seemed. Surprisingly everyone had the same thought…
'This fool is a Shinobi?'. Hinata turned to look at Naruto and blushed when she noticed that he was looking at her. He smiled back. Blushing was so common of her. He could hardly imagine a not blushing Hinata. He then shook his head, showing her his disappointment for Kakari. He believed that at least, this man had some honor.
"Let's get over with it. I don't like the idea of sitting here hearing you bragging all day" Kabuto commented, setting his glasses straight one more time.
He rushed towards Kakari and launched a heavy kick to the head. Kakari only dodged with a duck as he made a low roundhouse kick to sweep the offender off his legs. Kabuto jumped to dodge the attack and prepared his chakra scraper, hands surrounded by an intense blue glow…
Kakari did his best to dodge as strike came after strike. Despite his lack in chakra reserves, the man was pretty agile. He made a few back flips, disengaging from Kabuto and… hiding behind Hinata.
Naruto stared wide eyed at what Kakari was doing. He was just startled…
"No please! Don't! My beautiful face! My excellent hair! My perfect cloths! Spare me, spare me! Here take her, I don't care, just spare me!!" he shouted, begging for his life as he pushed Hinata towards them. She too was completely taken off guard at what he said. He tried to run off but a punch in the face threw him right in the ground. Kakari raised his eyes to see who was the offender of his beauty…
Naruto couldn't believe his ears! This pathetic coward was supposed to be a ninja! And right now, he gave up everything, betrayed his 'future wife' and begged for his life. A shinobi that didn't obey the rules and his duty was crap, but a shinobi that betrayed his comrades and allies due to selfishness, was even worse crap.
Even though these words could barely describe the attitude of said man...
He preferred to save his 'beautiful face' and let Hinata die! He couldn't stand such a coward. He did the only thing reasonable to save Kakari's last specs of honour, not that he deserved it though…
"What are you doing? You are supposed to protect me!" Kakari shouted at his attacker. Naruto frowned even more. This man probably had no honor to begin with…
"Protect you? Such a selfish, arrogant and weak fool doesn't deserve to even exist! Fate less coward! You prefer to leave Hinata die so you can save your sorry ass. A great husband you could make. I don't understand how the hell you even became a shinobi… a rookie genin can easily beat you senseless!" he practically spat, hands twitching to launch more punches. It was hard to restrain himself from spitting on the weakling that lied next to him.
"I'm surprised though, that you are even awake right now. If you have any self esteem at all, stand and fight!" He shouted.
"No! I don't want to die! I'm too beautiful to die!" Naruto now frowned even more. This man… how can someone be so selfish? At that moment, he wanted to take out a kunai and stab him in the head, if only to end his misery.
But suddenly he felt a warm, gentle hand on his shoulder. And as if by magic, the rage that was building inside suddenly subsided, fell back… vanished, if only for a moment. He turned his head to she Hinata shook her own
"His not worth it…" she whispered so only he could hear her. He nodded and grabbed Kakari by the cloths to raise him to eye level. "Thank her later for saving your pathetic life… for now." He said and punched him hard on the head, throwing him unconscious.
"Well, well, if you're done with that fool, could we get to work Naruto-kun?" Kabuto asked from behind. He too along with his men were watching the scene, enjoying that fools beat up. Naruto's answer was a glare that, if human eyes could really kill, Kabuto would be mutilated.
"So desuka (I see). Let's begin then." And with that, he and his men were upon them. Both Shinobi of the leaf fell in their respective fighting stances, Hinata in her Jyuuken one and Naruto in an awkward taijutsu one… hands before him and slowly jumping from one leg to the other, moving non stop as each motion of his muscles prepared for a strike…
All four of the offenders took out a kunai, Kabuto preparing his Chakra scraper yet again. The traitor of the leaf engaged Naruto in combat while the others took on Hinata, said girl narrowing her eyes as the Byakugan flared into action.
Naruto kept dodging strike after strike, each one answered by one of his own. If Kabuto would throw a left punch, he would title his body to the left, avoiding the attack and hitting the man straight in the stomach or chest. He relied only in quick and evasive counterattacks for now…
Kabuto braced himself once more… there, Naruto saw an opening. Quickly attacking, he feigned a strike to the head with his front arm. As expected, Kabuto tried to dodge…
Only to have Naruto spun in blinding speed and give him a backhand in the face with his other hand… the purple clad man faltered…
But Naruto was relentless as he quickly did a low roundhouse kick, taking the man off his feet and then used both hands as leverage with his legs shooting out, kicking the still falling man away. He stood up once more, seeing as Kabuto quickly recuperated and stood up himself, coughing a little at the force of the dual kick.
What was this stance… this technique… so unfamiliar, the whole movement seemed to loose and disorientated, yet reflexives and speed accompanied by technique could easily overpower brutal strength. No matter how strong Kabuto's punches or kicks where, they couldn't do much since the target was elusive enough to avoid and counterattack…
He wouldn't let this slide so easily… not like this. He charged in again, his eyes full of controlled and purposed anger as he charged again, hands glowing…
Hinata in the meantime used yet another 'Hakkeshou Kaiten' to repel an incoming shower of flying weaponry, all of them repelled. The velocity of her 'ultimate defence' even took down two of the poor fools that dared stay close…
The remaining duo of the group nodded to each other as they prepared hand seals… Hinata's eyes narrowed. She herself had quite the poor arsenal in jutsus, being more depended on her family's taijutsu for combat. She didn't have time to waste, she didn't have time to let them finish their techniques…
She rushed forward towards one of them…
"Katon: Fenikusu Kaki (Fire Release: Phoenix Fire)!" both men exclaimed as an endless shower of small fireballs launched towards the Hyuuga heiress… she could see that they had purposely lowered the power of the technique, not as much chakra given in it. They didn't want to kill her… or at least they didn't want to destroy her face…
A wild dance began as she moved with amazing speed throughout the balls, avoiding most of them by an inch as her dress got scorches at plenty of areas, thankfully not enough though to catch fire. When the technique ended, the Hyuuga finally released the breath she was holding and took a new one, this time one of her opponents quite close. The man took out a kunai…
And that was the last thing he did as she rushed forward, a Jyuuken strike straight in his chest… needless to say, the man only groaned before hitting the dirt… dead.
Then her side ached, as a kick landed on her side, sending her flying and finally crushing on the dirt, her shout of pain not going unnoticed by the blond who still engaged against Kabuto…
"Little bitch…" the man hissed as he let one last glance fall to his fallen comrade before preparing two kunai in each hand, focused on finishing the girl off right here and now and take her eyes. Most preferable, since she would be… 'less-kicking' if she was dead…
She slowly sat up, her side aching from the pain as the shock of the strike passed and the pain rolled in, even though it was getting duller already. Her Byakugan noticed the man nearing…
She quickly spoon around, a kick finding it's way in the mans chest, sending him back a few meters. He quickly recuperated though as he glared at her, rushing in quickly…
Hinata dodged one strike after the other as each of them came dangerously close in finding it's mark. This one was practically good in close-range combat…
Sidestepping one more strike, she went in for the kill, grabbing the stretched limp with one hand, crushing it in a wave of chakra as the open palm of her other hand found its way to the mans chest, the power shot out coursing through him and expelling on the other side…
He coughed up blood, before starting to fall
"Jyuuken bitches… curse the mushroom…" and with that he was dead, even though his last words where quite weird. She shook it off though, gazing back at the blond and his fight, ready to rush in and help him…
But before she could get any closer, Kabuto somehow managed to send one of the multiple Naruto's that where fighting him away in the sky, said blond crushing in a tree and practically destroying it as his copies poofed into smoke…
The traitor then smirked, as his eyes focused on the final target
"Now my lady… the easy or the hard way?" He said, turning to Hinata. Her slip into Jyuuken stance was her answer. His smirk only widened
"Good" he stated and he was off. Hinata barely had time to avoid his strikes, even with her Byakuugan, he was pretty fast. He managed to land a few strikes since she was already pretty winded from fighting four shinobi together nearly a minute prior, but thankfully said hits where not chakra scrapers. She was needed alive, after all.
She kept launching palm strikes which he dodged for he knew even one hit could mean the end. Finally, after several minutes of exchanging taijutsu strikes, Kabuto hit her in the chest, making her fall back and crush on a tree. He walked near her and prepared for a final blow to throw her unconscious. Little did he know though, until the last second, that an ominous Chakra was raging behind him…
Naruto once more felt sore from Kabuto's strike. He had applied much Chakra in that kick, thus making it ten or more times more painful. His vision was quite blurry at the moment though he could make out Hinata fighting Kabuto. His eyes suddenly went wide, his heart started beating like crazy, fear overwhelmed his senses. He knew Hinata wasn't a match for the traitor. He was toying with her and that made him even madder.
Something inside him though, was tranquil instead of raging. He felt power overcoming him, he felt every muscle in his body going wild. But why? He knew it was the Kyuubi chakra, but usually this power was unleashed when he was terribly angry, but now, he felt a sense of tranquillity overwhelming him. He knew something was amiss. But when he saw Hinata getting pummelled on a tree, his heart nearly stopped. He couldn't sit and wonder why his powers were rising now. He had to stop him… at all costs…
Kabuto turned around to see Naruto rushing towards him. He knew it had to do something with the Kyuubi, since his eyes were red and he had fangs and claws but he was glad that the 'cloak of the fox' hadn't developed yet. He was holding back the Kyuubi's power on purpose. He knew he did it for the girl, for if he unleashed the full of it, it would be devastating.
He barely had a second to dodge a mighty punch in the chest. A split second after he missed, Naruto turned around to deliver a round kick at Kabuto's sides. He, not able to dodge, raised his hands in defence. He took the kick and was launched several meters away, hitting a tree and breaking it in two. But the blond wasn't satisfied.
His red eyes lusted for more. He wanted that glass fool to take what he deserved. Kabuto was sore, the kick was filled with so much demonic chakra… he tried to heal himself but to no avail. Naruto was already above him, Rasengan in hand. "It is over… glass boy." He said with a smirk and rammed the Rasengan in Kabuto's chest. He didn't scream, for a smirk could be seen on his face before the pain overwhelmed him and his eyes went wide. After that, the world darkened…
Hinata just stared in awe. Naruto's power was something… extraordinary. She didn't understand how he became so powerful suddenly. She wanted to ask him, but she felt sore from the battle, her senses dulled at the moment. She had thankfully healed most small injuries already though with a few basic healing ninjutsus, in order to avoid infection.
While she stared at his form before the now dead medic-nin, he alleviated his gaze from the corpse to look at her. She caught sight of a colour of demonic red in his eyes, the red orbs filled with concern. After a split second, the red was replaced with the usual cerulean she knew all too well…
He walked up to her…
"Daijobu desuka(are you okay)?" He asked gently as he placed a palm on her shoulder. She smiled and blushed when she realized he was so close again. She nodded, though her smile was all he needed for an answer. "Let's go back then…" he said.
She tried to stand but she realized her legs couldn't take her body weight, probably a side-effect of Kabuto's enhanced strike before…
"N-Naruto-kun… I…I can't m-move…" she said, the usual stutter returning even lightly. He grinned at this. "No problem!" he said and circled his arms around her waist and under her knees to pick her up. She blushed heavily at this, and he noticed it for her body went stiff. He wondered if he did the right thing or if she didn't want to, but he knew it was ok when her body relaxed after a second. He was surprised at how light she was. She was quite smaller than him yes, but then again, he didn't hold girls in his arms everyday.
She felt warm in there, in his hands. His body radiated warmth no other could give… She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest as he walked towards their 'encampment'. Her hands warped on his jacket ever so lightly, as if wanting to absorb more… and the blond noticed it
Why was she doing that? Would every girl do that? Was he that comfortable? This thoughts raced in his mind, but one overwhelmed them all when he looked at her face. She was asleep, her face radiating an aura that told you that she was in heaven. Her smile also helped in it, that smile he could never forget and he rarely saw. He knew for sure she was asleep when her grip on his jacket loosened completely.
He smiled again. He looked down at her face once more, adoring the paleness of her skin against the similarly coloured light of the moon... She could be so peaceful when she was sleeping… his smile widened when she moaned lightly…
His dream, or nightmare had come true. He saw this fight in his dream, not the individuals, but he saw the fight. He knew his dream had somehow come true when Kakari pushed Hinata over to the enemy and tried to run for his life, though in said imaginary occasion, there was someone else who stopped him. Not that it mattered though, this coward got what he deserved. And that clearly wasn't Hinata…
Kakari had just woken up a few minutes before the battle ended. And he had witnessed what happened...
The rage in Naruto's red eyes, the murderous intent they radiated against Kabuto. He saw what the now dead traitor did to Hinata, but he could care less. His first thought was to run away and save himself, when he saw Hinata fall. But his legs were so sore he could barely move as he had probably hit a nerve when he had crushed on the dirt. He saw Naruto approaching with a smiling Hinata in his arms.
What was this mockery? This… monster held his future wife in his hands!
Naruto approached the campfire they had set before all these started, the corpses of their opponents at the other side of the clearing.
Unfortunately he hadn't set up a tent or anything yet... All they had was a small campfire. He walked up to a tree and gently leaned Hinata on it. He could have sworn he saw disappointment covering her face for a second when he detached her from him. He too though, felt somehow cold without her presence. He thought it must have been the night temperature and his tiredness, of course. What else could it be anyway?
He took a rather big blanket from his backpack and covered her dreaming form with it, hoping that at least it could keep her warm... Needless to say, her dress was ruined from combat as well as the bun, which had lessened, allowing her long hair to fall, messily covering shoulders and back, the majestic ink-blue colour a contradiction to her pale skin…
He looked at her now tranquil face while she was sleeping, breathing slowly. He couldn't help but smile…
Kakari finally found enough power in him to walk. He stood up and with slow steps approached the two...
Hinata laying on a tree with a certain blond kneeling beside her, his mind drifted off... "Bah, what have you done? You took away my honour of defeating these fools! Now step back! I need to see my wife! I said step back you monster or I'll…" he didn't finish his sentence for Naruto gave him a hard punch in the face.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Kakari shouted. Naruto was... pissed, to say the least.
This fool had the guts to speak after what he had done? He demanded respect? "Serving you as you deserve" he said, faking formality "What are you talking about? I am the heir of the Akake clan! I demand for you to bow!" he shouted and stood up "Bow to me and ask for forgiveness" he stated. Oh, Naruto now wanted nothing in the world than to take a kunai and rip all of Kakari's internal world apart.
"You are so fucking lucky that Hinata-chan didn't allow me to kill you… you are not worth the energy anyway…" he hissed, fighting hard the urge to spit on him. Who was this spoiled brat to demand respect? The heir of the 'mighty' Akake clan? The title was worth nothing as long as the person bearing it was less than dirt worthy…
He couldn't believe such people even existed, yet there he stood, the most selfish and naïve human being, who dared to even call himself a shinobi. He was around his age yes, but he was like a five-year-old spoiled brat in the body of a teenager
"See? She doesn't hate me! She will be my wife!" he shouted back. It took every spec of Naruto's self-control to not rip him apart, for Hinata's sake…
"You arrogant bastard! How dare you even say that! What kind of husband will you make when you care more for your fucking hair than her? True, you don't know her much, but… she had been kind to you, she had endured this bragging shit of yours and what does she get from her 'beloved' husband-to-be? 'No please! Don't! My beautiful face! My excellent hair! My perfect cloths! Spare me, spare me! Here take her, I don't care, just spare me'. Even if she is somehow a stranger, it's your freaking duty as a shinobi to protect her! You are not worth shit! Not you, nor that clan of yours. Think you're all high and mighty because you come from a noble family? A shinobi who betrays his duty and the rules is shit, but a shinobi who betrays his fellow ninjas, his combrades, to save his sorry ass is even worse shit! You don't deserve… her" Naruto said, his speech having rather stunned the 'shinobi joke' in front of him
"She will be my wife! I do not care what you monster think!" Kakari shouted back again. Naruto now stood up and looked Kakari in the eye "The only monster I see here… is you" he said, countering his words. "Step aside! We need to reach the compound soon!" Kakari stated. Oh that was it, Naruto couldn't hold himself anymore. His eyes went a blood red, his pupils slit. He still contained his power though, for only his eyes changed.
"Not 'we'. 'YOU' are leaving. Now." Naruto stated. Kakari was startled. The killing intent he saw before was there again. "But…" he tried to protest. A red Rasengan was now forming in Naruto's hand. "Leave. Now." He repeated. This time Kakari seemed to get the message. He turned around with a frown and by crossing his arms over his chest, he walked quickly away.
With that Naruto calmed down, and when the arrogant fool was out of sight, he turned around to see a shivering Hinata lying beside him. He didn't understand why she shivered. She should be warm with that blanket right? Her face was frowning as if she suffered, and he didn't like that one bit. Without knowing anything else to do, he leaned down next to her and warped his arms around her, holding her tightly on him. Her arms on his chest and her head at the crook of his neck, her silky hair touching his chin, that aroma of lavender and roses back yet again...
He was surprised at how warm she was yet again, how comfortable it was to just sit there.
He could get used to this… no wait… he didn't want to. He wanted every time to be like this. He was pleased to see that the shiver had stopped. He felt even better when he heard her soft moan. He didn't know why. He had held girls before but this was different… it felt so… warm… he would smile widely if he could see the smile that formed on her face when she had leaned her head into him even more, letting her whole weight free on his body, but he didn't see it for he had fallen asleep… in the emerald dream…
She could feel his warmth all over her body. She felt like it was heaven. She moaned softly while being in his arms, having not noticed that he heard it. She was a little disappointed when he laid her down, but felt a little better when he covered her in a blanket. She was nearly asleep but she was awoken by Kakari's shouts. She didn't move though. She onlu opened her eyes slightly in order to observe.
She heard every word they exchanged. She too, wanted so badly to get up and beat Kakari senseless to the ground, but she didn't react. She heard Naruto talking again, she felt so happy that he really did mention that he wouldn't kill him for she asked him not to.
He did it for her… that's what mattered. She felt even better with the little speech counter on Kakari's selfish words. She observed silently at Kakari and questioned herself as to why his eyes went wide in fear after Naruto stood up. Maybe he feared him so much? She knew he was a coward. But then, she saw the red Rasengan in Naruto's hand. She thought the Rasengan was blue… she shook it off, thinking it must have been her sleepiness as for the sphere of destruction disappeared after a few seconds, and so, to her relief, did Kakari
She felt happy that Naruto supported her so much. Now she had a very good reason to not marry that bastard. She saw him turning to look at her, and she looked right into his blue eyes through her eyelids.
She then closed her lavender pools shut and started shivering from nervousness, hoping he didn't know she was awake the whole time. She was completely taken off guard when he leaned down, got under the blanket and held her close. She didn't mind though, as long as he held her. She smiled as the warmth of his body returned and moaned softly. It was like a dream coming true. A final thought raced through her mind. There truly was truth in dreams, and the evidence was right there… she was asleep… in his arms…
ANOTHER WARNING: If you have this story on Story Alert and you get a new chapter message, please don't overlook it. NEXT WILL COME a brand new chapter that will pose as a song-fic of my own style and a prelude of the confession chapter. WHICH I AM GOING TO CHANGE!! If my readers won't like the new edition of the confession chapter, I will then replace it once again with the current one.
That is all for now, I think
Till we meet again,
HoNdeR All Mighty