Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. This.

Rivers of Hades

Chapter 7

The five shinobi had been on the road for about six hours. When they stopped for lunch, the three members of Team 8 took the opportunity to question their classmate about his clan. Naruto edited some of the information he gave; after all, a ninja had to have their secrets. He didn't mention the notes on the strengths and weaknesses of their clan's abilities, or further explain his own. Perhaps the biggest effect this conversation would have revolved around Shino.

Naruto finished explaining the Uzumaki view on over-reliance on clan techniques and Kekkai Genkai.

"While your argument is logical, it is not so easy for an Aburame to add to their arsenal of abilities. Our relationship with the Kikai requires that they constantly feed on our chakra when not in battle, limiting the extent to which we can improve."

"Fair enough, but what about taijutsu? Or kenjutsu? Maybe even some fuinjutsu? Most of those techniques don't require much chakra. You could try those."

"Hmm... That may work. I will think on it."

"That's all I ask."

--

Training on the road with Team 8 was a new experience. With the exception of Gai-sensei working with him and Lee at the same time, Naruto had never really trained with other genin. The teamwork exercises were well-constructed, but Kurenai-sensei really couldn't teach him much of her specialty. He had the needed imagination and good enough control to be half-decent at it. He just didn't have the necessary mentality for it, and often didn't pay attention to details. With few exceptions, the subtlety of genjutsu just wasn't for him. He did, however, learn different ways to recognize and dispel genjutsu.

Kurenai had also told Naruto more about his mother. While Kurenai hadn't known Kushina personally, she was well aware of Kushina's reputation. Naruto learned that his mother had been a great kunoichi, a role model for what a kunoichi should be, second only to Tsunade. Kurenai had just been in the academy for a little over a year when Kushina came to Konoha. When she found out that one of her role models was now in Konoha, Kurenai hoped that she would get a chance to train with her. It was probably the closest she ever came to being a fangirl. She considered it one of her biggest regrets that she never got the chance.

Uzu no Kuni was a good week to a week and a half from Konoha, two or three if you were to walk the entire way. The roads were well-maintained, with villages about a day's walk apart, so keeping well-supplied wasn't a problem. They decided that they wouldn't hang around in the towns any longer than they had to, even though there wasn't a set time limit on the length of the mission. They would also spend the nights camping. It was during this trip that Naruto came to a conclusion: Hinata should have been top kunoichi. Yeah, Sakura had top book grades. Good for her. She and Ino would never have put up with camping out.

They had been traveling for about three days, and made camp for the night. Naruto was currently on watch duty, and would be relieved soon by Hinata. He had no idea what was going to happen tonight.

"Um, Naruto-kun, I'm here to t-take over for you."

"Okay, see you tomorrow then, Hinata-chan."

'Come on, Hinata, you can do this! Just tell him!'

"Uh... Uh... Naruto-kun, there's something I want to tell you. I, I've b-been in l-l..."

"I know, Hinata-chan," Naruto interrupted.

"Y-you do? How could you know?" Hinata was ready to faint, but kept herself from doing so. She had to find out how he knew.

"You told me."

At Hinata's look, a combination of shell-shocked and questioning, Naruto continued.

"Remember the day we were told about the assessment? You had fainted the second time, and Iruka led the rest of the class out to the training field. I was making sure you were okay, when you reached out and grabbed me. Then, you hugged me to you and said you loved me."

"I-I'm so embarrassed," Hinata squeaked, her face now crimson.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Sure, I freaked out a little. I mean, someone I didn't know very well said they loved me, even if they didn't know they had told me. But, after I calmed down a little, I decided that if you thought you loved me, the least I could do was get to know you better."

"I-Is that why you started spending so much time around m-me?"

"Yep."

"A-and what did you decide?"

"I decided... I decided that I like you, Hinata. You're sweet, gentle, and just fun to be around. You are also probably the best kunoichi in our class, skill-wise. You could probably have beaten Ino for practical ability, and Sakura for grades, if you had a more assertive attitude, but that's okay. I don't know if I love you or not, though. But give me time, I might find out that I do love you."

"A-alright, Naruto-kun. Good night."

"Okay, night Hinata-chan."

'I don't believe it. He's known how I felt for him all this time, and he wasn't scared off. Plus, he decided that he wanted to know me better. I might actually win him over yet!'

Now, Hinata was by no means competitive. If she had been, she would have left Ino and Sakura in the dust at the academy. Still, she couldn't help but gloat, at least to herself, that by just being herself, she was making progress towards making Naruto love her. He had acknowledged her for her abilities, and while he hadn't said he loved her, he did say that he might one day.

'Sakura, Ino, you both thought I'd never stand a chance at getting Naruto to love me because I was too shy to talk to him. Now, I'm farther along than either of you are with Sasuke-san. In your faces!'

With that thought, Hinata's face split into a grin that was normally found on Naruto's, and it stayed there throughout her shift.

--

After a week of traveling, the group of five had reached the border of Uzu no Kuni. Just across the border was a small village, built near a crossroads where trade caravans would normally stop for the night. They would be gathering information on the location of the Uzumaki library.

While none of them were able to find out about the library, they still found useful information. The Uzumaki clan were still highly respected in Uzu no Kuni. Anyone who badmouthed them soon found themselves in a world of trouble. It was a valuable lesson in information gathering, as directly asking about the Uzumaki clan was regarded suspiciously, especially if the asker was a shinobi. Apparently, ever since the clan had been destroyed, shinobi from all over had come, trying to find their library and take it for their own villages.

Even though there hadn't been any news of the clan, many still believed there was an Uzumaki out there, somewhere. If only they knew how right they were. Naruto decided that it would be best to keep his family name a secret as long as needed. If word spread around that someone was trying to claim the Uzumaki name, it would only complicate the mission, since these people would probably want proof, and Naruto wasn't sure what would count as proof. To anyone who had personally known an Uzumaki, the seals on his back might work, but odds were that most wouldn't know their importance, and only notice that most Uzumaki had a matching set.

The most important information they found out was that the village near their clan home still existed, with many of the original families, who had lived there for generations. They had just found a lead.

With their new destination, Team 8 plus Naruto set out, heading further into Uzu no Kuni, towards the coast.

--

The next day, they reached the village, and looked around. The village had rebuilt itself, and the old damage was there, if one knew what to look for. When the villager saw their hitai-ate, they almost started to tell the group to go away. When they saw the Konoha leaf emblem, they paused. Evidently, the entire village knew about the deal that had brought Kushina to Konoha, and were willing to give them a chance to explain themselves. Word of mouth spread, and soon the village leader came to meet the group.

"Konoha shinobi, welcome. Might I ask what brings you here?"

Kurenai spoke up. "Greetings. The five of us were sent here by the Hokage, on a mission regarding the ..."

"The Uzumaki clan library, I presume," At Kurenai's surprised nod, the man continued. "Yes, well. The other four major villages that clan members were sent to have also come at some point in time, with the same intent. They failed to find it. We are also aware that Kushina has been dead for twelve years now. Unless you can give a reason as to why we should allow you to stay, we must ask you to leave."

"I believe I have such a reason. You know she died, but do you know how she died?"

"As we understand it, one of the Nine Bijuu attacked, and she died as a result."

"That is only part of it. She did die when the Kyuubi attacked, but she died because she went into premature labor, due to the stress caused by the attack."

At that, the villagers gasped collectively.

"Wait, premature labor? She was pregnant? Then, the child..."

"Yes. She died, but her child, her son, lived, and lives in Konoha to this day. We have come to retrieve the library for him."

There was dead silence, the villagers shocked.

"That... that would be a very good reason, but it means nothing unless you can prove it."

"I can do that. Naruto, if you would?"

Naruto stepped forward. He couldn't remember the last time he was this nervous.

"Hi, I'm... I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the son of Uzumaki Kushina."

The crowd surrounding them gasped again. Some of them collapsed, their legs unable to support them. This boy couldn't possibly be Kushina's son, could he? One of the older villagers stepped forward.

"I lived most of my life working closely with the Uzumaki clan. If you really are Kushina's son and an Uzumaki, you would have special marks. Do you have them?"

"Do you mean these?" Naruto removed his shirt and turned so that his back was to the woman. She then bent over, to inspect the seals on his back.

"Hmmm... Well now, you are an Uzumaki, I'm glad to say."

The crowd just stared, the older people there with tears in their eyes. The Uzumaki clan wasn't dead after all! It lived! The leader spoke up once more.

"Well then, in light of this terrific news, feel free to stay as long as you need! I'll arrange for the five of you to stay at the Uzumaki clan house while you complete your mission."

"Thank you. It would be an honor."

"Alright. This way, please."

--

Naruto couldn't sleep. He was too depressed. They had been in the village less than a day, and he already felt more at home than he had in Konoha, until he had moved in with Kakashi.

When they arrived at the Uzumaki clan house, they had split up to look for information about the library and its location. Naruto was looking through a bookcase when he found a family photo album. Opening it to a random page, he found himself looking at pictures of his mother. There had been a couple photos in his scroll, but those had been portrait-style shots. These were family photos. One was taken after she made genin, with her family around her. A second showed her getting a chuunin vest. Still another showed her after her promotion to jounin. Naruto turned back to the beginning of the album and started looking.

He eventually had to force himself to put the album back. It was too painful. The pictures had shown that the Uzumaki were very close-knit. He would have been happy here; his mom's family seemed like great people, and yet he'd never get to meet any of them. One thing he did notice was that many of the photos had an island in the background. It had a building on it, surrounded by high cliffs. The only access point was guarded by a giant whirlpool. One that was much, much larger than could possibly occur naturally.

There had been a huge town feast, in celebration of the return of an Uzumaki. It seemed like he was being treated like Sasuke-teme was treated in Konoha. He liked the positive attention, but he didn't think he deserved it. One of the villagers saw his discomfort and walked over to him. He reminded Naruto that everyone here knew how the Uzumaki clan felt about things like this, and then explained why they were doing this.

The Uzumaki clan had a very close relationship with the villagers, and with all of Uzu no Kuni. They had been friends to just about everyone. The feast wasn't about him, it was the villager's way of celebrating the clan as a whole and giving thanks that the Uzumaki backup plan had worked. It was a wake of sorts, honoring a group of people that were loved within the country. After that revelation, Naruto was able to enjoy himself a little more.

Laying down, staring at the ceiling, Naruto wondered what to do. This place, something he had never known, had suddenly become a second home to him. He didn't want to give it up, not without a fight, but he had a responsibility to Konoha.

'Man, what am I going to do? This sucks. I feel at home here, but if I want to be Hokage, I can't live here. I just got a normal home, and now I've got a second one.'

Naruto's eyes widened, and then he slapped himself on the forehead.

'A second home! I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner! Even shinobi take vacations. I can come here on vacations! Gee, if I ever have a family, we could come down here too. Maybe my kids or grandkids would move here permanently.'

Naruto had never really considered having a family of his own, at least, not this seriously. The last time he had really considered it had been when he had been given his mother's scroll. Of course, he had blacked out, but he had been younger, and talking about him marrying and having kids was a little too much for him then. Deciding to clear his head, he got out of bed and walked over to the door that would lead to the balcony that surrounded the second floor. He expected to be alone, but instead, he found Hinata, doing what he was planning on doing himself, sitting there, watching the stars.

"Hey Hinata-chan. Why are you out here?"

"N-Naruto-kun, hello. I needed to think and this seemed to be a good place for it."

"Ah. I see. Mind if I join you?"

"Certainly." With that, Naruto plopped down next to her.

"Thanks. So, what did you need to think about? Or is it a private thing?"

"No, it's all right. I'm just... overwhelmed."

"Tell me about it. That's why I'm out here."

"What do you mean?"

"We've been here less than a day, and yet I already feel as though this place is my home. It's a nice feeling, one I never really had in Konoha, not until sensei found me a guardian."

"So what's the problem?"

"I'm treated the way Sasuke is back in Konoha, and I don't like it. I've done nothing for these people, but they treat me like I'm a hero, like the teme is back home."

"I don't think so. The Uchiha clan was treated like that in Konoha because of the Sharingan. No one has a feast like that for them because although they were respected and feared, they weren't liked. They were considered rather cold in their dealings with people, viewing just about everyone else as being beneath them, much like my clan, un-unfortunately. They demanded the respect. Your clan, however, were apparently very friendly and dependable people. They earned the respect they got, and while you're being given that respect, it is only until you show that you aren't worthy of it. I would prefer it if my clan w-would do the same, sometimes."

"Huh... Thanks, Hinata. I feel a little bit better about this now. So, why are you feeling overwhelmed?"

"It's the first time I haven't been given special treatment because of w-who I am or what clan I'm from. Inside the village, I'm Hyuuga Hinata, clan heiress. To my clan, I'm a di-disappointment. Out here, I'm just a Konoha kunoichi, a-and my reputation is what I wish to make of it. It's a liberating experience, but a little much to take in a-at once."

"Yeah, that's true. Well, I think we better call it a night. Don't want Kurenai-sensei to get mad at us because we keep falling asleep during the day."

"All right, N-Naruto-kun."

Deciding to do something different, Naruto reached over and pulled Hinata into a hug. As soon as he did that, Naruto knew it was the right thing to do. Hinata was so warm. If someone had asked Naruto to list the best decisions he had ever made up to this point in his life, this would have been at the top, no doubt about it.

Hinata was unsure of what was going on. Her now not-so-secret crush had pulled her into a hug with no warning. It felt great, but her face was still red enough that she thought she was going to start glowing soon. She was both relieved and unhappy that the hug ended so soon. Relieved because she probably wouldn't be fainting in front of Naruto, and unhappy because she didn't want the hug to end.

"Well, good night, Hinata-cha-MMPH!"

In a rare occurrence for Hinata, she acted on her impulses, and grabbed Naruto by his collar, pulling him in for a kiss. Naruto was frozen, barely aware of the fact that his hands were moving on their own, currently making their way to Hinata's hips.

'What in Kami's name is going on? Why is Hinata kissing me? And... hey, she tastes like strawberries! This is kinda nice.'

A few seconds later, they broke up for air. Hinata immediately realized what she had just done, squeaked, and ran off. Naruto was still stunned, so he turned around silently, and headed back to his room. In his current state, though, he forgot to open the door first, and walked into it, shaking him out of his trance. Opening the door, he muttered just loud enough to be heard by Hinata, who was hidden nearby, "Man, now I'm definitely not going to get to sleep."

Had there been an inner Hinata, she would have been doing a victory dance just now, ranting about how Naruto was almost theirs. For the second time since they had left, a Naruto grin found its way onto Hinata's face.

'And in the race for love, Hyuuga pulls out even further ahead of Haruno and Yamanaka. I've almost won, so now I just need to be careful about what I do next.'

-- -

AN: Hmm... Some NarutoHinata for all of you. Hinata was OoC because she's had two years of Naruto paying attention to her. Parts of his personality have rubbed off on her. She still stutters, though, but not much. Here, she only stutters badly when she's uncomfortable or scared, feelings she wouldn't normally associate with being around Naruto. Nervous, yes, but not scared.

And if you think the villager's feast was kinda contrary to what the Uzumaki would have wanted, even after the in-story explanation, you aren't alone. I had serious trouble writing that part. I wanted Naruto to be treated nice and to feel at home right off the bat, but I couldn't think of a way to do it without turning him into the Sasuke of Uzu no Kuni.

You know, I never realized that writing backstory for this would be so tough. I have to force myself to remember that most of the adult Konoha shinobi were academy students when Kushina came there. If you go by their age in canon, Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, etc., were about fourteen or fifteen when Naruto was born. Knock off the five years before that for when Kushina was first sent to Konoha, and they were nine or ten, and in the academy. Kakashi was an early grad in canon, so I'm not counting him.

Next time: The Library, and A Big Surprise