I do not own Naruto…

Of all the fifty or more photos on the wall, Naruto found himself staring at one in particular. At first sight, the lady in question seemed to look like any other Hyuga – fair-skinned, black-haired and white-eyed. The only other photo that had really captured his attention before this was that of team eight. It had thrilled him to see a photo of his wife with her teammates and their sensei in their younger days. It had also made him realize that he had forgotten how Hinata used to have short, hime-cut hairstyle and for a while, he thought that she looked really cute when she was younger.

He had paid some attention to some other photos too, especially the ones with Neji in them. He could never forget how Hinata's cousin had sacrificed his life to save him during the last war and even though it had been many years since the Hyuga prodigy had died, Naruto couldn't help experiencing a passing sense of sadness when he had detected Neji's face among the photos. After that, the Hokage had easily skimmed past all the other photos until he came to the picture of one particular lady. Somehow, he found himself incapable of peeling his eyes off the person within the frame. There was something about her that made him pause in his course. She was wearing an elegant, red kimono and as he leaned forward for a closer look, the Hokage noticed her features were almost flawless with smooth, porcelain-like complexion to flaunt. She had a pair of lavender-tinged eyes and a beautiful, straight nose. Nevertheless, it was the way her mouth curved into a smile that really seized his attention. She had a most enticing smile and for a moment, he knew that he was looking at a most beautiful lady.

Initially, Naruto felt like he actually knew the person in the photo. Yet, he wondered if he was just confused and deluded after having glanced through so many photos on the wall. Maybe it was the hair – the flowing, dark, almost bluish tresses that reached the small of her back. Or maybe it was the fair skin and the smooth, porcelain-like complexion. Then, he realized that it was probably the smile that he could really acquaint with – attractive, yet in some way, bashful… something he was most familiar with.

"Why are you staring at my mom?"

Roused from his deliberation, Naruto quickly turned around to find Hinata's sister giving him an intent look.

"Huh?"

"You were staring at my mom," Hanabi alleged.

"Your mom? I… um… I…," the Hokage turned back to the photo as realization sank in. That little detail had easily explained the familiarity he had felt. Then turning around again, he studied the appearance of the young girl standing before him before carelessly adding, "You don't look a lot like her, though."

Hanabi frowned a little, not knowing whether or not to consider Naruto's comment an insult. Even though she had not had much chance to actually get to know her mom, from photos and from what she had gathered from other people, the late Hyuga matriarch had always been considered a real beauty. So, alternatively, she would have preferred to hear the blonde-haired male mention her resemblance to her mother rather than her dissimilarity.

"You have different hair color," the blonde-haired Hokage continued innocently. "…and your mouth, the way you smile…"

"Dinner's ready and everyone's waiting," Hanabi quickly intercepted, not really eager to hear what her sister's husband wished to impart.

Truthfully, Naruto could be tactless... too tactless sometimes. The young girl promptly decided that it would be better not to hear what her brother-in-law wanted to convey at that very moment. She then swiftly turned around and strode towards the main dining hall. The Hokage only shrugged as he continued to mull over Hanabi's appearance as he trailed after her.

Hinata's younger sister probably had some semblance to her mother but it was her dissimilarity that stood out as Naruto studied her overall appearance. Hanabi had dark-brown hair, similar to her father's and when she smiled, she held an over-confident, smug look about her. That was probably the primary difference between mother and daughter. Then again, even though the young girl was full of self-assurance, there was something that was clearly lacking. Naruto found himself curiously chewing over the issue as they walked through the wooden-floored passages. But before he could come to any conclusion, Hanabi turned into the main dining room and as he followed her into the room, the Hokage found himself suddenly in the presence of not only Hyuga Hiashi, but also many more of Hinata's family members…

%%%

He wasn't brought up in a proper household and was never bothered with the Hyugas' expectation of what was supposed to be appropriate behavior before. The conduct required of good, honorable breeding never really sat well with him too and even though he was now the Hokage, he still found the Hyuga's ever-so-proper custom, a little exaggerating. Somehow, he had always acted on a kind of understanding and appreciation for the people around him. At the very least, he believed that he was mannerly most of the time.

Then again, when he had told Ko that he would like to join Hiashi for dinner that night, he never really expected to be sitting down with the other members of the Hyuga family, saved for Hinata's younger sister. One way or another, the presence of the few elders and some other considerable members of the family had elevated a simple dinner into what looked like a complicated, ceremonial affair. Quietly, he made a mental note to actually clarify to Ko or whoever significant next time, the kind of dinner he would like attend, especially when anybody from the Hyuga household was involved.

So, here he found himself, as the Hokage, sitting cross-legged, at one end of a long, extended, traditional, low dining table, feeling as uncomfortable as he could while Hyuga Hiashi sat poised as head of the Hyuga clan on the opposite end. Between them, there were twelve other members, all of them from the main household, including Hanabi and around them, Naruto found Ko and two other members from the branch family, serving dinner and waiting on the table. For a moment, it was like being in the middle of an important meeting and he wouldn't be surprised if he was actually asked to deliver some notable speeches very soon. Everything was set up in a most formal manner and everyone present was behaving ever so virtuously.

As he struggled through the very proper, very quiet dinner, Naruto started wondering what objective he could gain from such an assembly. He had only wanted to get to know more about Hinata, more about her past. He had wanted to know how it was like growing up as a Hyuga. But with so many people between his father-in-law and him, it was impossible to even talk comfortably. So, he chose to enjoy the lavish spread and keep his mind occupied with other matters.

"Naruto…" Hiashi finally broke the silence halfway through dinner, giving light to what had clearly become a very uncomfortable affair. "… The daimyo told me that he and his wife will be visiting a friend in Iwagakure next week. Has he approached you about the visit?"

Surprised at the sudden dialogue, Naruto looked up and quickly lowered his bowl, suddenly aware that all eyes were on him. "Um… yeah," he answered a little awkwardly.

"So?" Hiashi prodded.

"Uh… so?" the blonde-haired Hokage found himself at a loss of words and ideas as all the other people in the room lowered their bowls and chopsticks and subsequently stopped eating to observe him.

The Hyuga head then casually started picking on the fish in front of him before continuing, "Who will be escorting the daimyo?"

"Actually… uh, actually I…" Naruto stammered as he glanced around to see the other family members looking at him as if speculating his every move, every word. For once, he actually felt like a child - ignorant and vulnerable.

Then, he slowly realized that this was probably what Hinata had to go through all these years. Maybe, they didn't have big family dinners like this every day and maybe, his wife didn't have to sit at one end of the table like how he was. Nevertheless, this was probably how she had felt whenever she had to attend any family 'gathering' because from what he understood, Hinata was supposed to be the heiress to the Hyuga clan but was stripped of her title many years back. A flash of annoyance passed through him when he felt for certain that those eyes that were looking at him at that very moment had been scrutinizing his wife's every action all through her life - those same, cold, pensive, white eyes that seemed to act like a judge in a courthouse… condescending and unforgiving.

"You have already dispensed someone to the task, I'm sure?" an elderly Hyuga on his left queried while all the other people around the table resumed their dinner.

At that point, Naruto wanted to retort, wanted to make everyone in the room know that it really wasn't their place to discuss what missions he passed and who were dispensed to them. But employing his better sense, he chose not to say a word and instead, nonchalantly continued to eat.

"The daimyo would want a jounin as escort," another elderly Hyuga said.

"Hatake Kakashi then?" a third person offered.

"They wouldn't want him. It seems Hatake's son can be a little offensive sometimes. Seemed like he never showed up on time for anything."

"Yuhi Kurenai would be a better candidate…"

By this time, the Hokage had sort of tuned out the conversation around him as he tried to ease his annoyance. However, when Hinata's name was mentioned, he found himself all ears as he looked up from his position.

"She needed those three years," the elderly Hyuga on his left carelessly remarked.

"Yes, yes, it will do her good," another agreed.

Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing, but before he could argue on the subject, he heard someone from his side voice his opinion.

"Hinata-sama is already a very capable kunoichi," Ko defended in what sounded like a restrained voice.

"Ko…" Hiashi suddenly called out before flashing the man a stern look.

It seemed inappropriate for Hinata's previous guardian to say his thoughts on such occasion. Ko dropped his head in defeat and respect while Naruto found himself getting more and more irritated.

After that, Hanabi joined in the conversation, "I still don't understand why she has to leave."

"Hanabi…" Hiashi sighed.

"No, father. Everything was just fine and you did say that Hinata is fortunate enough to marry the Hokage and…"

"That doesn't mean that she is already a stronger person," the Hyuga head started to explain.

"Hinata has always been weak," the elderly Hyuga on Naruto's left offered. "She needed to get stronger especially since she is now the Hokage's wife."

At that, Naruto felt something in him snap as he gave a contemptuous laugh that drew the attention of all the people in the room. Putting down his bowl and chopsticks, he slowly wiped his mouth with a wet towel before carelessly tossing it onto the table. Then, he placed his hands on the edge of the wooden table and looked up calmly, effortlessly bringing out an imposing presence his title called for.

"She needed to get stronger because she's my wife?" Naruto asked, followed by a humorless smile as he shook his head slowly. "She's weak… and being away for three years will do her good?" he continued to shake his head. "Weak?"

The Hokage looked around, his commanding blue eyes taking in every person in the room. By then, all the Hyugas had stopped eating and were curiously waiting to hear what he wanted to say. Either that or they were too taken aback to utter a word because at that moment, Naruto seemed to be conveying a very potent, very furious aura from within.

"During the Chunin preliminaries, when she had fought against Neji, was any one of you there to watch the fight?" the blonde-haired Hokage asked in a worryingly calm tone, not realizing that having glimpsed Neji's photo earlier had actually helped him remember things that had taken place a long, long time ago.

"Well, she nearly died…" someone offered but quickly chose to keep quiet when Naruto flashed him a deadly glare.

"Off course she nearly died… because she never did give up..." he countered, his hands now clenched to the sides of the table.

As he continued to look around dauntingly, thoughts and memories began to awaken within him – thoughts and memories that had lain dormant for years and what had started as a defense approach on his part soon became an opening of understanding and realization.

"When Konoha was attacked by the Akatsuki…" the Hokage continued, as he called to mind the things in the past that he had somehow taken for granted. "…she was the only one who came to help me when I was pinned down by Pain… Did any of you know that?"

"Hinata-sama had fought with great courage," Ko quietly offered. "I tried to stop her but she just wouldn't stay back."

The Hokage nodded at that, internally grateful to the Hyuga for always standing up for his wife. However, in addition to Ko's account, there was also something else he had come to remember – Hinata had adamantly jumped forward to help him even though she knew she couldn't defeat Pain. He knew that the Akatsuki was too powerful for her too and had begged her to leave yet she had persisted, actually willing to lay down her life for him. Apart from that, she had also candidly confessed her love for him at that time. It was probably the life and death situation they had been in that had made her own up her feelings. But even though that had happened a long time ago, he somehow realized that he had not actually acknowledged her declaration. Perhaps, he had taken advantage of her feelings somewhere down the line or perhaps, he had also held a kind of affection towards her ever since then?

As a sense of culpability and fondness sparked within him, other memories surfaced and slowly, Naruto found himself staring intently into his father-in-law's eyes from across the table. "There was something else that some of you might know but have forgotten or have thought it too trivial to consider…" His gaze slowly changed from displeasure to curiosity. "During the last war, Hinata had actually shielded me from the Ten Tails' attack when I was out of chakra. If not…" he inhaled deeply as he recalled the incident. "If not for Neji, she… she would have died …It would have been her… So was she considered weak because she lived?"

At those words, Hiashi gave a defeated sigh. He was at the very scene where Neji had sacrificed his life and although he had tried pushing the details of that day to the very back of his mind, now that he summoned up his thoughts, he did remember that Hinata had put herself before Naruto first… before Neji decided to be their shield.

Seconds passed before Naruto slowly stood up, the anger within him gone, now that he had stated all that he had wanted to. Then, struggling between being a respectful member to the family and a prevailing Hokage, he chose to give a curt nod before relating, "You know, this has been… a most… most interesting dinner. I'm really glad I came... really." Then, when all impression of hostility and anger dissipated into thin air, he pulled a warm, genuine smile before casually adding, "Maybe in time, I'll actually come to know all your names… but until then, thanks for having me and… goodnight everyone." Then, he turned and left.

He had to admit that it had been a most trying dinner, but Naruto couldn't help the eventual calmness and gratification that dawned on him as he slowly walked out of the Hyuga residence. Involuntarily, his hands went straight to the two rings on his chest. The whole affair had not actually turned out the way he had envisioned it to but one way or another, he seemed to have attained what he had come for… and more.

Gradually, two things came into shape in his mind. Firstly, even though he knew that there were people who had always thought that Hinata was weak, he had only ever just brushed them aside or flashed them with disapproving looks to tell them off. Yet, he had never really considered when and why he knew they were wrong… at least not until tonight. And when he finally decided to openly stand up for her, he was glad that it truly wasn't difficult to bring out her positive qualities and strength. For once, he could actually appreciate her genuine sacrifice and even confession.

Secondly, it had slowly become clear to him that his wife was essentially a very beautiful woman. Well, maybe he was aware of the beautiful part but ever since he had carefully studied the photo of Hinata's mother, he found himself, during the first half of the dinner, quietly contemplating the similarities between mother and daughter.

At first, he was only mulling over the differences and likeness between Hanabi and the late Hyuga matriarch. They both have different hair colors and their mouths curved in different ways. Nevertheless, the two did have the same straight nose. As for the skin, it was smooth and flawless and the hair reached the small of her back and… by then, Naruto realized that he wasn't comparing Hanabi to her mother anymore. He was actually thinking and considering Hinata's appearance.

Nevertheless, Hiashi had soon afterwards, interrupted his thoughts with some pointless questions and only now was he able to really ponder on his luck... to really appreciate what he actually has.

%%%

Once he got home, Naruto immediately went straight to the left side of the living room and took down his wedding photo that was hung alongside a couple of photos of his parents and one of him, when he was sworn in as Hokage. Then, he went to sit on the sofa so that he could slowly examine the people in the photo particularly, the one who had become his wife. And it was true; Hinata did look a lot like her mother. They both have the same hair color and the same flowing, dark tresses and even though Hinata's hair was pulled back into a complicated bun in the picture, he knew that like her mother's it would reached the small of her back when she let it down. She also had a beautiful, straight nose and as he quietly ran a finger over her face in the photo, he could actually call to mind her fair, flawless complexion and soft, supple lips and suddenly, he found that he really missed her appealingly bashful smile. And then, he slowly recognized exactly what Hanabi lacked among mother and sisters – a little bit of humility. Maybe, it was just the way she was born, the way she looked. But with her over-confident, smug appearance, the younger sister did look like she was short of a little bit of modesty. Quietly, he was grateful that his wife was different.

As he continued to pore over the photo, the handsome Hokage slowly came to one realization – even though Hinata bore a lot of similarities to her mother, in some ways, she was actually better-looking than the late Hyuga matriarch. All of a sudden, Naruto could feel his chest overflowing with pride and his cheeks flushed with love and admiration for his wife as awareness slowly dawned on him. If he had earlier thought that Hinata's mother was beautiful then, he had beyond a doubt, married a most, most beautiful lady.

Afterward, he leaned back and placed the photo on his chest and closed his eyes. It had been four long months since his wife had left for Oiru. Throughout these four months, many things have taken place and he couldn't deny that there were times when he did think that he could actually get used to being alone again… just like he used to. He also did think that even if Hinata would eventually choose not to come home, he would be fine. But tonight, after sitting down for dinner with her family members and after slowly observing her in the photo, the Hokage found himself yearning for his wife. He craved to look into her lavender-tinged eyes; needed to run his hands through her flowing, dark hair and longed to touch her smooth, porcelain-like skin. But there were more – he really wanted to kiss her soft, supple lips and bury his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent while running his tongue down her neck... and everywhere else. Admittedly, if there was one thing that he had never failed to appreciate, it was Hinata's perfect body and at that moment, he really craved to hold her in his arms.

"Hinata," Naruto whispered as he put the photo aside and placed his hand over the rings. After that, he opened his eyes and slowly looked around. Everything around the house was just the way it had been when Hinata had left… nothing had changed. Yet, he couldn't deny the empty feeling within him that had become more and more evident lately, tonight especially. Quietly standing up, the Hokage inhaled deeply as he thought of the course of action he had to take… that he should actually take. Then, as he slowly formed a plan in his mind, he could feel a crooked smile quietly appearing on his lips…

A/N: Thanks again to those of you who have reviewed the previous chapter. To phone reviewer, Jimbo (I suppose Naruto's slowly starting to open his eyes now), Mylady (thank you for the explanation. I really appreciate that), JK, misha48 (It's true, everytime I hear the song – Give Me A Reason on radio, I could immediately feel a certain connection it has to this story), Honestly and all other guests, thanks for the reviews!

Again, if you have enjoyed this, don't deny me a review (took me a long time to write this, actually). If you feel that I'm actually bashing Naruto, point it out to me. If you feel that you hate this story, I apologize beforehand (but frankly, I can't help it). Whatever it is, drop me a review and knock some sense into me. Sometimes, I really need that. Thanks!

- softwinds -

p/s : I hope to complete this story as soon as I can. After this, I promise to get back to my other stories 'Where Are The Stars' in particular. So, to fans of that story, please be patient with me.