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Ever since the attack of the Kyubi, Naruto was shunned as 'Konoha's Demon' when he was born with the Kyubi sealed in him. His life was miserable beyond grief. Time passed by and he has slowly proven himself as its jailer instead of its incarnate. But despite this, love never truly touched the young jinchuuriki's heart until death came over him.

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A/N: I do not own Naruto, Bleach or any other canonical characters. If I did, I wouldn't be here in FF now would I?

Talking
'thinking/flashback'
Kyubi Talking/Jutsu
'Kyubi Thinking'

Chapter 3

My Heart is now Satisfied

The Next Path…

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Darkness…It was all that his cerulean eyes could peer into.

Shadows…Now present to his eyes, was the image imprinted on his mind.

Haze…the form began to show distinct shape and color though he couldn't make out exactly what it was.

A Woman…His eyes now fixated by the darkness could see the figure before him. His gaze did not leave him as he saw a beautiful woman with long, silky blue hair and lavender eyes met his with a look of concern. Her face was sporting a mild pink color as she kept repeating his name.

"Naruto-kun…Naruto-kun…Wake up Naruto-kun! It's me, Hinata. Are you all right?"

The soft echo of her voice started to reverberate in his mind like a ripple on a lake. He then snapped back into reality to realize what had happened. From the storeroom of his mind, he replayed what had just happened to them several minutes ago…

Flashback

Sasuke swung his right wing at Naruto which caused Naruto to be blown back from the impact. Unfortunately, Hinata was behind the blonde in midair. Naturally, she was swept by the impact of his body colliding with hers. Both were pushed back so far that they began to fall into the pit behind Sasuke as soon as the force's acceleration had reached its peak and began to die down. Both fell; screaming as they were in a seemingly never ending freefall into the abyss below.

Seeing the abyss below starting to close in as they plummeted, Naruto began to take action and reached and grabbed Hinata close to his chest as he hugged her tightly and turned around so that his back was facing the abyss.

Hinata, blushed at the awkward position she was in, but soon it faded away as she felt they were being tossed and turned as Naruto took the full blows of the outcropping rocks in the crevice that could have hit Hinata and impaled her. As she peaked over her guardian's right shoulder, she screamed to Naruto of the impending danger before them.

"Naruto-kun! To your right!"

Her warnings however did not fall upon deaf ears. Hearing this, Naruto quickly opened his right hand. Reflexively, a Kage Bunshin of him appeared began to mold with both of his hands the circular ball of energy that was forming in Naruto's right hand. Once the shape was complete Naruto faced the impending danger, right hand leading the way, and shouted,

"Rasengan!"

The ball of energy now bashed through the rocks ahead like a hammer on a windowpane. When the technique had finally expired, they were caught unprepared by the clumps of boulders at the bottom. It was too late for Naruto to create another Rasengan. Bracing himself, he turned his backside again for Hinata not to take the impact.

Adrenaline began pouring through her veins. Within a heart beat, she left her tight grip on her blonde savior, and outstretched her arms and spun her body like a ballerina while shouting the word,

"Kaiten!"

The incantation made its effect as a sphere of pure energy encased them and spun in the direction of her spinning body, effectively grinding the roughly shaped boulders into very fine grains of sand. When the technique had finished, they fell directly below the sand and into a cavern were they both collapsed. Unconscious they were, but safe because of the sand that cushioned their fall.

End of Flashback

With his reminiscence of what had happened now finished, he sat straight up, causing a now relieved Hinata to sigh in gladness that he was fine. With love-stricken eyes, she smiled and blushed as she looked at him lovingly. Feeling certain uneasiness, Naruto motioned to talk to her.

"What's wrong Hinata-chan? Is there something on my face?"

The very puzzled Naruto asked. Surprised, Hinata quickly but shyly attempted to sway the conversation away so as to not reveal her well concealed thoughts to Naruto.

"N-n-no! N-nothings wrong. I…I-I'm just glad your fine, t-that's all."

She said as she stuttered and bowed her head in embarrassment as she bloomed once again. She was glad though that Naruto is still as dull as ever concerning feelings and emotions.

As she attempted once again to talk with him, the young blonde then quickly went over to her. She was startled by this turn of events. Her heart began to rise to her throat as her wide-eyed face began to turn red.

Naruto, more concerned at what he saw, spoke in hurried concern.

"Hinata-chan! You're hurt! Are you ok? Let me bandage that."

Said the noble blonde as he rushed to her aid.

Hinata snapped out of her worried conscience to look at what Naruto was implying had happened to her. When she looked at her right side, she saw a diagonal streak of red that started to flow from that side. She then knew that she was hurt from the fall into this cavern. She then began to contest to him saying,

"It's all right! I-I'm fine. It's just a scratch. W-what about y-you Naruto-kun? You took the full blow of the pit h-how c-come you're not hurt?"

She spoke in utter astonishment at how he was completely unglazed even though he took the direct blows from the fall.

Naruto then gave a sad look as he looked down realizing that there was no escaping the thought as he remembered why it was that way.

'She won't understand. I can't tell her…'

He thought to himself as he knew very well what disaster it could bring to those who knew. In order to lock away himself from that conversation, he then looked at her with a fox grin as he went over to bandage her wound saying,

"I'm fine Hinata-chan! It's always like this! As long as I get some decent rest, I can be fully healed in no time. You should be more concerned with your wounds."

He said as he began to disinfect and clean up her wound.

Hinata was not concerned with that though. To her, a minor flesh wound was nothing compared to never being able to voice out to him. More so, that he could not completely tell her anything. She now had her chance to be with him, yet he stayed so distant from her and kept things to himself. She then spoke out using all the courage she could muster and said,

"N-naruto-kun d-do you distrust me that much?"

These words…though soft and mellow when spoken, pierced straight into his heart. He never expected that to come from one his most trusted friends. He trusted everyone with his life, yet somehow she couldn't see that. In distress, he replied,

"I-Its n-nothing like that Hinata-chan! I really do trust you! You're one of my best friends even though we haven't gotten to know each other that well yet."

He said to the blue-haired woman in front of him while putting up a smile and ridiculously waving his hands around. Seeing this Hinata then sighed in relief again.

Feeling that he managed to save his relationship with her, he then turned over to look through his belt to see if there were anymore medical supplies with which he could help his female companion with. As he looked through, he attempted to speak more to get over his nervousness of the situation so he could calm down.

"Let's see here…Ahh! Hinata-chan, I think I can help heal your wounds with the stuff here. Good thing Ero-sennin always packed some emergency medical supplies in here. After we heal up you wounds, let's try to find a way out so we can regrou-"

He could not finish the last sentence when he turned around to face her. His heart began beating as fast as when he was sparring with his master Jiraya during their two and a-half year absence from the village. His body grew hotter and his grip on the bottle carrying the medical supply collapsed. His face started to blush as he was awestruck at what his cerulean eyes had gazed upon.

Hinata began to remove the bloody white coat and jacket, revealing her true form after those years the young blonde had been away. She wore a black tube that covered only her developed bust, revealing her slim yet curvaceous body. Curves were seen on her body in all the right areas. She had the body that even models would be envious of as her white skin complimented if not enhanced her sensual, womanly body.

To Naruto, he thought he was in a dream. It always struck him that Sakura was beautiful, but as he gazed upon the stunning vixen in front of him, he never imagined that this shy, strange girl was now a beautiful flower in full bloom. All he could think of as he saw her was,

'beautiful…VERY… beautiful…'

as he blanked out of his senses, blood dripped out of his nose. This caught the attention of Hinata. She panicked and turned steaming red in the face as she immediately faced her back towards him and attempted to cover her fleshy front as she said,

"A-ano…Y-your nose…"

She stuttered as she told him in embarrassment. Her heart had leaped out of her mouth. She never felt this embarrassed before. Naruto then realized that his nose began to flow with blood and he quickly covered it with some tissue from his pocket and turned around almost imitating Hinata's usual reactions to these kinds of situations; looking up with a very red face.

Naruto, still recalling the task he needed to accomplish, he started to ask Hinata,

"A-a-ano, Hinata…I-is it ok if I can bandage your wound?"

For the first time, Naruto stuttered like Hinata as he spoke to her.

She was quite surprised as Naruto was never this nervous around her. She felt that their roles had somehow been reversed.

'Wow. He's stuttering like me. Is he that embarrassed? I guess he's that innocent. But that's a good thing though. After all, he is Naruto.'

Inwardly, she began to laugh as she thought about his innocent nature. In an attempt to tease him further, she decided to make her voice more sensual to her partner's ears. She then seductively replied to him as she turned her head to face him,

"I don't mind at all…go ahead and do what you want with me…Na-ru-to-kun."

She said with an added wink and a sly smile. Her eyes showed an obvious lust for him, rather… a hunger for him.

Naruto was very embarrassed at this point. Not only was she luscious to his eyes, she was also teasing him and feigning innocence. He had never met a woman like this before who could be so foxy, yet so innocent and pure. His flustered face showed how uncomfortable he was with this.

'Is this really Hinata? This feels…weird. Why am I getting all riled up inside? NO! k-keep c-calm. S-she has a w-wound! She needs healing!'

Though Hinata just laughed at this, Naruto kept his emotions as controlled as possible as he went closer to her to bandage her wound. Though not fatal, he was still concerned for her well being. When he finally started to bandage her wound, his heart beat even more rapidly than before as he saw some of her skin and curves. His lungs began to tighten as he smelled her fragrance. She smelled like the Konoha Fire Lily that grows during the summer. It was an irresistible scent. His hands started developing a mind of their own as he struggled to lift his hands from her body when he had finished.

'AAACCK! SHE'S TOO BEAUTIFUL! NO! SELF CONTROL NARUTO! SELF CONTROL!'

Naruto thought to himself. His obvious battle against his flesh made her blush and chuckle as she saw it as nothing more than silliness.

"All done Hinata-chan, could you put back your jacket on…please?"

He said as he blushed more than ever. Hinata nodded in acknowledgement and did as he had asked of her.

'I guess even Naruto-kun has his limits. Not that I mind though…WAIT! What are you thinking?'

The naughty girl thought as she zipped up her jacket. When she felt she was in control once more, she turned around and started talking to the love of her life.

"N-naruto-kun, w-where do you think we are?"

She stuttered as she reverted back to her former persona.

"I'm not sure myself. But this place is quite amazing."

The young blonde replied as he looked around in amazement.

As they both looked around at were they were, they realized how beautiful the cavern was. Lining the cavern were several gigantic pillars of columns that were carved with beautiful engravings as well implying that people have lived here before. In fact, so many things in that cave had manmade structures that were carved directly from the cave itself or the boulders and crystals that were extracted from the cave were used to form them. A crystal clear river flowed in the center of the cave. It wasn't salt water, but it was drinkable, as Naruto proved it when he drank some. But what was most amazing was that the ceiling wasn't dark as the crystal outcroppings sparkled, illuminating the room. When they looked up to see it, it was just like gazing at the universe. At the same time, they both spoke up and said,

"Wow. It's amazing!"

It truly was amazing. It was as if they were looking directly at the night sky and there was no stony ceiling hovering above the astral plane. While they gazed at this marvelous wonder of nature, unknowingly to both of them, they were now holding hands as they explored the entire cave. Somehow, being together in this situation made things much easier for them to get such closeness.

Hinata was slightly worried though as they ventured in. But Naruto who still had that childlike boldness against fear, grabbed her by the hand and spoke to her.

"It's all right. I'll be here to protect you if anything happens."

He said with his fox grin all over his face. Hinata had never been this close to him ever. It never occurred to her that such a situation could ever happen to her. It was like a dream come true especially since she hasn't fainted even once.

Her heart began to trust him more and more as they explored through the mega structures and castle-like buildings. It very well reminded them of Konoha and how the planning of the structures was very similar. This thought had triggered the play button on their childhood years. As they both reminisced of their lives during their childhood, she started to gain confidence and began to open up to him more.

'Naruto is holding my hand, yet I'm not scared or worried…I've never felt this way before, it's so wonderful to be next to him like this… it's just him and me, walking side by side into the unknown.'

She thought to herself as a faint blush began to emerge on her face.

"Wow! I've never seen anything like it. Everything here is beautiful."

The excited blonde said as he grinned at the wonderful sight.

"I-it is i-isn't it?"

The shy Hyugga Hieress said, still stuttering. As the happy couple continued walking, Naruto looked over the young lady walking beside him. She was a sight to behold as he stared into her fully developed form. He then timidly said...

"Yup. By the way, uh, H-hinata-chan, h-how d-did y-you get so…fit?"

The young lady then blushed as she explained to him.

"D-do you remember when we went on that mission to find the Bikochu bug?"

The young blonde nodded and smiled as he said,

"How can I forget? You were amazing during that mission!"

"After that mission, I've been training myself hard everyday. That's how I got this fit. Do you like it Naruto-kun?"

She said as she winked and blushed at him while swaying her body more sensually. Her actions made the young blonde even more uneasy and blush much more.

"Y-ya! V-v-very much." 'What did I just say? What's wrong with you? How come I'm so nervous? I've never felt this way before towards her. She's a really good friend right? But is she more…'

"Is something wrong Naruto-kun?"

Her sudden statement snapped the young blonde out of his trance. Never has Naruto been this flustered because of the young woman walking beside him. Thinking on his feet, Naruto replied.

"N-nothing Hinata-chan. Actually, I was remembering the time during that mission when I saw a beautiful girl doing ballet on the water when we made camp. She was so sexy and elegant. I thought I was dreaming at first until I fell in the lake and she ran off. I never got to see her clearly though."

Hinata blushed as she remembered that time. She then made a weak smile.

"Uhm…that girl you saw…that was me practicing…"

The two blushed as the looked down in opposite directions.

"R-really? W-wow…I never expected that…then again…y-you're full of surprises."

Said the now timid blonde as he begun to blush even brighter.

"I never expected you to see me that night. Especially since I was naked that time and just finished taking a bath."

The lavender-eyed girl said as she flustered a visible crimson on her face. Her cerulean-eyed counterpart did the same when he heard her words. There was a few seconds of silence before Naruto quickly faced her and smiled. This caught the timid girl off guard as she gazed into his eyes.

"You know Hinata-chan, your not stuttering anymore. In fact, you've been smiling the whole time and acting more confident."

Hinata's eyes grew wider as she realized what he said. He was right though. Somehow, she was growing out of her shell after spending some time with him. She then smiled even wider.

"I guess so...Thanks to you Naruto-kun." 'Yes, thanks to him, I'm able to be this happy.'

Hinata's thoughts were clear as the sky. She really enjoyed being with him. Yet she had no idea if he enjoyed it as well. Her heart has now become tranquil enough for her to truly speak her mind with him just when they walked straight into the balcony of the largest structure in the cave. She then asked him as she turned her head towards him.

"Naruto-kun, are you enjoying this?"

She asked with a smile. Her smile became infectious and caused him to smile as well. He then replied.

"Yup, every moment of it. It's very breathtaking. Too bad we can't come back here though…it would have been really nice to take Sakura-san to see this."

Her heart sank as she heard those painful words from our young blonde hero. She felt as if she had died and resurrected to die once more. She clutched her chest as a sad expression filled her face. But her resolve was not broken. She then turned to face him. He in turn, predicting a question would be darted at him, faced her as well.

Time seemed to stop as they both looked each other eye to eye. Both gazes were met and it felt like a star in the universe was either going to be born or die. She formed her lips to speak while in her mind a thought raced…

'I knew it…it was too good to be true, but even if that's the case, I don't want to regret not taking the chance anymore. This moment…these feelings…I want this to be real and not a dream. I want to be real to him so that he could be real to me I can tell he's been putting on a mask every time he's reminded of his past. I want to be there for him no matter what I…'

She thought before she slowly released her sealed lips. Her heart raced with her mind as she began to utter words she had always wanted to say to him for a long time…

"Naruto-kun…"

She said as she waited on him to reply. She started to blush and dropped both her arms to her side. Feeling puzzled once more, the young blonde then asked.

"What is it Hinata-chan?"

This was it. It was a battle between her heart and mind. Her heart despaired to tell him her feelings for him, but her mind shuddered at the thought of receiving the reply. As such, she couldn't argue with her low self esteem, until now. It was a do or die situation were she knew it could very well hurt her if she found out the answer. With her heart worn on her sleeves, she then spoke.

"What am I to you…Naruto-kun?"

Naruto was surprised by this. For all his life with her and his peers, he saw her as a good friend and nothing more. But as he looked closer at her, he could see she was obviously hiding something that she never told him before. Before he could say anything, Hinata continued.

"I know you have a lot of secrets to hide, I know this because I know when you put up a fake smile because you never grew up with a family. But as your good friend, no…as more than a friend I want to share you mine so you don't have to worry anymore…so that you can have a friend to lean on to…so that you can feel that there is someone who cares for you…"

His eyes grew wide at what he heard. 'MORE than a friend' was a very strong word that triggered several swirls of emotions in his heart. He felt his lungs once again tighten. He became very anxious yet confused at what she meant. Hinata spent no time for him to ponder on. She then started to lay out everything to him.

"Naruto-kun…I…I…I've always admired you. You were my inspiration. You gave me the courage to go on and be myself. I always stalked you because I could never muster the courage to talk to you. But you were always able to do so to talk to me. I've always enjoyed being with you even though sometimes you act very silly. For so long it's been this way. And it hurts my heart whenever I see you constantly try to gain Sakura-san's heart. Because of that, I've trained hard to be better than her. I always wanted to know you more and find out everything about you and be with you though I had a hard time doing so."

Naruto had never expected this before. That someone could actually like him for him. It was right there in front of him. Always it has been this way yet he never noticed. His thoughts came crashing into his reality like lightning on a rock.

'How could I have missed this all this time? All those times she was there stalking me, helping me, and attempting to comfort me…of course…like that time just before my match in the chuunin exams…or that mission to find the Bikochu…Wait! But then that means…'

Before he could speak, he paused to hear her next words. For if he was right it would drastically change their relationship forever.

"Naruto-kun…I…I…I…I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH! AND I ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL NO MATTER WHAT!"

She finally shouted out her true feelings to him. The endeavor however caused so much stress on her that she was about to collapse until the now speechless blonde caught her in his two arms. He knelt down to the ground, clutching her in his arms, both of them blushing, as his cerulean eyes met her lavender ones. He then was able to regain some consciousness to speak as he finally was able to digest all this information in his heart.

"Hinata…I…" ' What do I say to her? This is all so sudden. Yet somehow, it feels meant to be. I think I'm…falling…but it's so fast.'

Stopping him from crafting any more words, she then put her middle and index finger to cover his lips. With a smile of content, she said,

Hinata: It's alright. You don't have to answer. But I needed to for a long time. It's been tugging my heart when I saw you again. I'm very happy to have been able to tell you. I hope you are satisfied to hear the truth in your heart. Because, my heart…Is now…Satisfied…

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I told you something would happen to them.

I'm still questioning if it is romantic enough though…I really want to make it as romantic as possible so that this and the next chapter have a tremendous impact on the story itself. Many are going to kill me in the next chapter I can guarantee it. I actually felt sad when I thought of it. But it's a better way to make it progress with a little drama.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter of Naruto: Death's Second Chance.