Title: What could've been
Author: Kurotsuki-Tenchi
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: NaruXHina,
Genre: Action, Romance and a little bit of comedy.
Rated: M for Language, violence, and sexual content.
Disclaimer: All Naruto characters and stuff belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and therefore can only make make believe stories about them and dream about them being real. Sigh.
Authors Note: Sorry everybody, I've been unable to type on this story because I've lost most my inspiration for it. So I just let it set, and hoped my inspiration would return. And guess what? IT DID! Thanks to Uzumaki Ricky, I got to thinking about the story again so I want to continue. I don't know if it'll be up to snuff with my other chapters, I just hope you like it.
Three days later Team eight found themselves at training ground fourteen yet again, standing before their sensei. Kurenai looked at each of her students individually, gauging their postures.
Naruto was standing awkwardly, taking pressure off parts of his body that was still tender. He would shift from foot to foot randomly, to ease an ache. Shino was standing relaxed, ready for anything she could throw at him. Hinata was standing a little hunched, not entirely confident in herself yet.
With a smile she got down to business.
"Okay, today we'll be training a little differently then the way we usually have been training." Kurenai stated, holding her hand up to stop the question she could literally see jumping around Naruto's head. "Due to the fact that Naruto isn't completely healed at the moment, we'll be shifting direction for a little bit."
"I'm not hurt anymore!" Naruto's outburst was ignored by the red eyed sensei. "Seriously I'm not." He sulked as he crossed his arms.
"During our last mission there were a few things I noticed," She started as if Naruto hadn't said anything. At the mention of their last mission all of the genin's faces fell. "While both Shino and Hinata noticed something wrong, Naruto you were completely oblivious to the danger that hung in the air." She said with a slight look of reproach at him.
Naruto felt himself hunch subconsciously. He hadn't felt anything off then, while both Hinata and Shino were able to. It made him realize that there were some things that he has to improve that he didn't even know about.
"So today we will be training Naruto to become more aware of his surroundings and possible enemies that could lurk within them." Kurenai said with a smile. "To do that we'll be playing hide and seek today!"
Naruto actually gaped at her, while Hinata looked as if she had just said something in a different language. Shino's expression didn't change, but you could almost see the disbelief in the air.
"Hide and seek?" Naruto asked, "You mean the game that little kids play?" He was still having trouble grasping that concept.
"Yes," Kurenai said with a bright smile.
"And we're going to play it?" Naruto asked still skeptical, "And call it training?"
"Yes." She answered happily again. Naruto face palmed at her reaction, surprised at her reaction as much as her words.
"U-um Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata raised her hand in question. "How do you play exactly?" At her words three set of eyes landed on her.
"You've never played hide and seek before?" Naruto asked her a little shocked. She looked over at him with a slight blush, her eyes slightly downcast.
"We weren't allowed to play frivolous games in my clan," She said with a nervous shake to her voice. Her fingers were once again pushed together. "We were only allowed to train, anyone not performing their training exercises was punished."
Naruto looked at her aghast, her words striking a cord in him. Not being able to have fun and being punished for not training? "That's horrible Hinata."
Hinata blushed at his words, "It wasn't so bad." She replied but nothing she said could get rid of the sad feeling the blond felt.
Shino and Kurenai who had been watching this exchange shook their heads. They knew how it was like in the more stricter clans, and the Hyuugas' was the strictest clan in the leaf village.
"Back to the topic at hand," Kurenai finally replied after a tense silence. "Hide and seek is where everyone hides while one person looks for them." She then smiled, "We will be incorporating our training into a form of hide and seek. Hinata and Shino will hide, Naruto you will seek."
"What?" Naruto asked with a whine, "I hate being the seeker! Why can't I hide?"
"That would defeat the purpose of this training exercise," Kurenai explained patiently. "This training practice it to teach you to be more aware of your surroundings and feel others that are near."
"Oh," He replied a little dumbly. "I get it now," He said with a sigh.
"Can we use ninjutsu?" Shino asked out of no where.
"Yes, the only person not allowed to use any jutsus will be Naruto!" Kurenai said with a happy smile, almost laughing at the look of dejection that crossed the blonde's face. "That means no Kage Bunshins Naruto."
"Why not?" He asked with a whine, liking this exercise less and less as time went by.
"Because you need to learn how to track others… Using Kage Bunshins will make the task far too easy for you." She replied, "What's the point of training if you cheat?"
Naruto wanted to say it wasn't cheating, but even he knows it would be. So he merely sighed with a dejected look, "Fine no jutsus."
"Don't worry Naruto," Kurenai said with a smile. "If you manage to find them before lunchtime then I'll give you a reward."
"Really?" Naruto asked, suddenly a lot less upset then he was. The thought of winning anything enough to perk him up. "What kind of reward?"
"Can't tell you, however it should be enough incentive to get you to try a little harder." She said, before smiling at his crestfallen look.
"It better not be something lame like a scroll or something," Naruto grumbled. "Because that would be seriously mean."
"Don't worry it will be good. Now Naruto go stand over by that tree and cover your eyes." Kurenai said with a smile, pointing to the far edge of the clearing. "I will tell you when you can begin seeking."
"Fine," Naruto said with a sigh. He made his way over, and Kurenai waited till he covered his eyes. She then turned to the other two staring at her in curiosity.
"Now that he's out of earshot I can tell you the real mission," Kurenai said with an evil grin.
"Real mission?" Hinata asked softly. "Why would there be a real mission? I just thought we had to hide and let Naruto try and find us."
"Well you see if we just played traditional hide and seek then Naruto will not learn to pay attention to his surroundings." She explained patiently, "So I want you two to follow him and try and get him to realize that he's being followed."
"So we're playing 'Hide and Stalk while being Seeked?' Shino asked with a slight air of amusement around him.
"Exactly," Kurenai said proudly. "Hopefully we can help him tune into his more baser instincts that help him sense nearby enemies."
"So all we have to do is follow Naruto-Kun without being caught and try to get him to realize we're there?" Hinata asked, still slightly confused.
"Yes," Kurenai replied. "Hopefully we can get him to realize he's being followed so he can start learning to find hiding enemies."
"Okay," Hinata replied. Helping Naruto no matter what is enough to get her determined, "W-well get him to become more aware," She said with a slightly determined look. "No matter what!"
"Good!" Kurenai said, quite surprised at the small Hyuuga's reaction. "Now go hide, you won't have much time so hurry up."
They both nodded before jumping into the forest, their forms being swallowed by the trees. Kurenai made her way to a tree not too far from Naruto. As she leaned back she had to smile, watching the impatient blond who was rocking back and forth from foot to foot.
"Okay Naruto!" Kurenai shouted, "You can look now!" With that the blond was on his way intent on finding them before lunch. Kurenai leaned back against the tree and found a comfortable position, she had a feeling that this would take a while.
o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o
Hinata watched Naruto stumble around the forest, feeling sad for the blond. She was standing on a branch about twenty five yards behind him, watching his trek through the trees. Completely out of the blonde's notice.
It's been half an hour and Naruto was as oblivious to her presence as when they first started. It was actually really sad how Naruto still hadn't noticed their presence.
Shino was on the other side of the blond, and she could feel his amusement from here. The Aburame was finding it so amusing that he let his bugs out. They were flying through the shadows in one giant black mass, hiding amongst the shadows but not being very stealthy.
Naruto however remained completely unaware of them, not even blinking. He didn't even notice a large mass of insects moving not more then ten feet from him.
How someone could be so oblivious to their surroundings surprised her, she didn't even think it was possible. She was able to tell when anyone passed her room at her house, she was even able to tell what they felt. In the Hyuuga household it was imperative to learn that skill early, it's one of the most basic training regiments they had.
"Hinata! Shino!" Naruto suddenly shouting almost made her loose her footing, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" The childish way he was acting was enough to make her giggle slightly, Naruto was getting more frustrated.
She felt really bad for not being able to help, but she had to follow the rules set out by Kurenai-sensei. That meant she couldn't help him. Though she wouldn't help him even if she was allowed.
Being unaware of the danger that lurks in the shadows was deadly to ninja, so he had to learn to sense and find them. Otherwise he could end up getting killed. It was a lesson he had to learn, even if it was the hard way.
But that's not to say Hinata was sitting by passively, she was trying everything to get the blond to pay attention to his surroundings. She was staring at him intently, something that usually made other's aware of those who were staring immediately. She let her emotions rise, getting herself upset on purpose, something that most ninja would be able to sense. She even tried jumping up and down quietly, hoping the movement would get his attention.
Nothing. Naruto didn't even notice a thing. He continued on like there wasn't anything happening around him. Like he didn't have a care in the world.
Hinata let out a sigh, quite surprised at the turn of events for the day. She jumped from the branch she was on to another, keeping up with the blond.
Her landing was anything but quiet, but the blond still didn't acknowledge anything. She sighed as she shook her head, this might take a while.
o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o
Shino shook his head, quite surprised that the blond didn't feel the sudden displacement of air. Hinata's landing had been anything but stealthy, how did the blond completely ignore that?
Half an hour of following and Naruto and the blond still wasn't aware, still didn't realize that he was being followed since he started.
He hadn't thought it was possible for a ninja to be so ignorant of his surroundings, but somehow Naruto had always exceeded his expectations... And not in a good way.
His insects were moving around in the shadows, and Shino made sure that they remained out of the blonde's line of sight. Though at the ignorant rate Naruto had hit, they could probably move around him in a circle and the blond wouldn't even notice.
He was tempted to test his theory. To see if the blond would notice the subtle change in the shadows that would indicate his bugs. But Kurenai said to remain hidden, so he kept them at a reasonable distance.
He was following a little closer then Hinata, yet the blond still hadn't sensed him. They would have to fix that, Naruto could not be a ninja without that skill.
When they had been on their last mission, he was slightly shocked to see that Naruto hadn't felt anything off. He might not have sensed the presence the night before like Hinata, but he felt something the next morning. The malice and bloodlust in the air had been almost visible.
Looking down at Naruto Shino finally realized something, why wasn't Naruto jumping through the trees? It was practically second nature to ninja to jump along the trees. Not only does it make it harder to catch them but it also allows them a better view of the forest.
So why was Naruto walking on the ground? That confused Shino and he had to wonder what the blond was thinking about.
After watching for another few minutes Shino shook his head, at this rate it might take till tomorrow for the blond to notice them.
Though not all was lost, because a few minutes into the game Shino had noticed something. Naruto tended to scratch the back of his neck every five to ten minutes.
That could be his alarm system screaming at him, telling him that there was someone nearby. However Naruto was completely ignoring it, shrugging it off as something else.
If they could just get him to realize that there might be hope yet... The problem would be getting Naruto to finally realize that he has a warning system. The blond could be completely dense, so it might take a little longer then normal.
Hinata was right, this was going to take a while.
o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o
Naruto trudged through the forest, irritation visible in his posture. He's been looking for three hours and had yet to find anything. He looked around, trying to find his two hidden friends.
They were good at hiding, he's already trekked around the forest six times and he still can't seem to find them.
It was getting closer to lunchtime and he felt his mood dropping again. He can't get his reward if he didn't find them. But how was he suppose to find them when they had an entire chunk of forest to hide in? This was ridiculous, even by his standards.
"Where are you!" Naruto shouted out in frustration, not exactly surprised when no response came. He was officially not having fun.
A strange tingle ran down his spine, but he shrugged it off. He's been feeling the same strange feeling for the last few hours, but he just figured it was remnants of his injuries.
He might be healed, but his body still had a twinge if he moved the wrong way. Scratching the back of his neck he continued, looking in places that would be enough to hide a person.
Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen them in the most best hiding spots. For years Naruto has been hiding from various people, from villagers to Chunin. So he knew where some of the best spots were located, but they weren't hiding in them.
Thinking back on that, he scratched his chin. It was almost as if they weren't staying still, but moving away from him. But isn't that against hide and seek rules? He wouldn't know however, he's never actually played the game with anyone before. You can't play by yourself, defeats the purpose if you hide and there's no one seeking.
The snapping of a twig had Naruto turning, the tingling running down his spine again. The urge to rub his neck was back, but before he did he froze.
Kurenai said that this exercise was about becoming aware of his surroundings and sensing if anyone was nearby. He had been so intent on finding Shino and Hinata that he completely forgot that.
So with that he scanned the trees, for once paying attention to what was around him. He looked along the forest floor before moving to the trees, trying to see anything out of the ordinary. As he came up with nothing, he decided to try something else.
He closed his eyes, trying to figure out how one went about trying to sense someone. He's never even thought to do it, so he had no clue what to do. Taking a deep breath, he concentrated. He can succeed at anything if he tried hard enough, and he was intent on learning to do it.
'What was that!' Naruto thought as his eyes snapped open, there had been something there. Another tingle ran down his back, and he finally realized that was what that was. It wasn't his injuries, it was his body telling him that someone was nearby!
Closing his eyes he turned in a circle, trying to pinpoint the source of the feeling. It was faint, but he felt two different presences.
He felt a large smile split his face, because suddenly it all made sense now. He had always had that feeling but had always dismissed it, no one had told him what it meant so he never developed it.
"Hinata!" He suddenly shouted, pointing at the top of a tree to his left. "Found you!" The girl fell out in surprise, and barely managed to land on her feet. It was a heavy landing, but she was smiling with a slight flush on her face.
"And Shino!" He shouted and pointed to his right. "Found you too!" The boy dropped down from the branches, landing smoothly. He had a smile on his face too, though it was much harder to see.
"You finally found us," Hinata said with a soft smile. Naruto flushed a little at the words, trying to keep his embarrassment hidden.
"So you guys were following me the entire time?" Naruto asked with the tilt of his head, scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah," Shino replied. "It was our mission to make you realize that you were being followed, it just took three hours." Naruto grinned a little sheepishly before jerking his head to the right, his eyes narrowed.
"You seemed to have found my insects too." Shino replied and they sulked out of the bushes, almost as if they were upset at being caught. They quickly made their way back to Shino's body, making their way into their home.
"Yeah, I just realized that this tingling feeling I got was really my instincts." Naruto tried to explain, "It's like they were telling me the entire time that you were there, but I just didn't understand them."
"Those are your survival instincts Naruto," Kurenai said as she jumped down from the tree above them. All three of them jumped, not having sensed her presence. "Everyone has them, I'm just surprised it took so long for you to realize what they were."
Naruto flushed in embarrassment, "Well no one never told me about them!" He defended, "How am I suppose to know what they mean when no one tells me?"
"Don't worry Naruto," Kurenai said with a smile. "We'll keep practicing them until you get the hang of sensing people okay?"
"Oh!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, "What about my reward?" He asked eagerly, practically bouncing. "I finished before lunchtime!"
Kurenai grinned at his enthusiasm, while Hinata smiled. Shino was watching with a smile as well, though hidden from them. "Here you go Naruto," She said and a bento appeared into her hand. "One free lunch courtesy of me."
"Awesome!" He shouted as he took it and opened it, looking at the massive amount of food. "Thanks Kurenai-sensei!" He then grabbed his chopsticks and dug in, intent on enjoying his reward. Shino and Hinata were watching in amusement, happy that their teammate had overcome one of his limits.
o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.o
Once lunch was over Kurenai had her students lined back in front of her, they were waiting for her to speak so she held them in suspense just a little bit. Eventually she finally decided to have mercy on them. "Okay, since training is over for the day Naruto and Shino can go home." Kurenai told them, "Hinata you will stay after for additional training."
"Additional training?" Naruto asked confused, even Shino was unaware of what they were talking about. "Hinata is good enough, she doesn't need additional training." The blond said with some anger in his tone.
"No Naruto," Kurenai said with a sigh at Naruto's defensive words. "Not that type of training," She answered.
Hinata who was shocked at Naruto's statement was flushed slightly, pushing her fingers together. "N-naruto-kun," She spoke up to get his attention. "She's giving me training on my healing technique, something that I've just learned in the last year."
"Healing?" Naruto asked curiously, "You can heal people?" He asked and the Hyuuga nodded, "That's so cool!"
"Well you wouldn't remember Naruto," Kurenai started. "But Hinata saved your life with her healing. On the way back to the Leaf Village you would've died if it wasn't for her."
"Really?" Naruto asked seriously, and Kurenai nodded. "Thank you Hinata!" Naruto said suddenly and grabbed her, enveloping the smaller female in a hug. "You saved my life, thanks!"
Hinata was freaking out, Naruto was hugging her and she had no idea what to do. Her eyes were wide in shock, and her face was getting progressively brighter.
When Naruto finally realized that he had suddenly hugged the girl he was currently having confusing thoughts about, he jerked back. A flush painted his features, and his eyes were wide. "I-I'm sorry!" He stuttered out, not that he knew what he was apologizing for anyway.
Hinata was blushing just as darkly, and her fingers were twisted together nervously. "I-i-it's okay," Hinata replied shyly. She had enjoyed the hug, even though it felt like she was about to faint. She was lightheaded, and she was sure her head would explode soon. But it was all worth it, Naruto had hugged her!
Shino and Kurenai was watching the exchange, varying degrees of interest on their faces. The interaction was amusing, especially because Naruto was becoming more conscious of Hinata.
An awkward atmosphere soon engulfed the two genin, neither knowing what to say. Kurenai finally decided to throw them a life preserver.
"Okay, so you guys head on home so me and Hinata can start her training." Kurenai finally said to them, shooing them away with her hands.
"Can I stay and watch?" Shino asked curiously, "I want to see the type of healing Hinata has." He replied, "It has to be interesting by default just because she's a Hyuuga."
"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "I want to see too!"
Hinata flushed slightly, looking at Naruto out of the corner of her eye. Kurenai seemed to be thinking it over, mulling over the question.
"Well, considering that Hinata will be leading the training you'll have to ask her." Kurenai replied, finally coming to a conclusion. "If Hinata says it's okay then it's fine."
They looked at Hinata, and she flushed slightly at the attention. "It's o-okay with me," She said softly with a small shrug.
"Fine by me then," Kurenai replied and Naruto cheered. "However this training session is to be a secret, especially from the Hyuuga household. Understand?" She asked with a serious expression.
"Why?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"The Hyuuga clan is a very traditional clan," Shino replied. "Doing anything that is not deemed the 'right' use of their technique is looked down upon." Shino explained.
"Exactly," Kurenai then replied. "Hinata could get in a lot of trouble for using her Gentle fist for anything that doesn't fit their views of how it's supposed to be used."
"That's stupid!" Naruto burst out, "They should be proud of her for developing her own techniques and expanding the uses of their jutsus!" Hinata blushed at his words, his words making her feel more determined to use her gentle fist for healing.
"We know Naruto," Kurenai replied. "However the Hyuuga clan doesn't see it that way, so that's why we're keeping it a secret."
"Okay," Naruto replied but was still upset. How could they think that way? It just bugged him, and he was glad he's never met any of the other Hyuugas'.
"Now Hinata," Kurenai replied to the heiress. "Considering I know next to nothing about what you're doing how about you explain to the class how it's done."
Hinata flushed as she watched them take a seat in front of her in a semi-circle. "I-i-it starts with certain pressure points in the body, ones not related to chakra." She explained, trying to pretend she didn't have an audience. "These pressure points are located over various parts of the body, and can improve health and speed up healing."
A hand raised in the air and she looked at Naruto in question, "What are pressure points?" He asked, truly curious.
"They're parts of the body that the skin is tender due to there being nerves or blood vessels under them," Kurenai explained for her. "I've heard pressure points being used in fighting, but never healing."
"Different points do different things," Hinata continued. There was a slight confidence in her voice, and it was strengthening with every passing minute. "There are pain points, points that can cause pain by striking them. There are message points, that is used to increase blood flow and relax muscles. However it is believed that certain points are connected to certain organs, I used my gentle fist to give them an added 'push' in healing." she replied, her voice getting stronger and more confident. Her eyes were almost glowing with excitement, being able to talk about something she loves giving her confidence.
Naruto was entrapped by Hinata's enthusiasm, surprised to see her so animated. Usually she was more quieter and withdrawn, but now she was practically glowing. You could tell that Hinata enjoyed learning about this subject, and loved to learn about it. She was absolutely stunning, and Naruto felt himself flushing. Glad that no one else was paying attention to him to see his face.
"So you literally multiplied the effect of the pressure point by applying chakra in a sharp jolt?" Shino asked, completely unaware of Naruto's thoughts. He was much more interested in this, already catching on to what she was saying. It was shocking, the thought that someone figured out how to do this on their own was staggering.
"Yes," Hinata said with a small smile. He had figured it out exactly, "It was a little difficult to figure how much chakra to add and at what angle to hit them at first." She said before rubbing her arm unconsciously, "But after I figured it out it became much easier."
"You practiced it by yourself?" Naruto asked suddenly, slightly upset that she would have to resort to being alone.
"No, my sister Hanabi was with me." She answered with a slight flush. "It wasn't that bad, it was harder finding the points then anything."
Kurenai seemed to accept that, "Well it sounds like you just need practice." She then nodded, "Naruto you'll be her test dummy for now."
"What?" Naruto asked uncertain, and he saw Hinata jump out of the corner of his eye. She looked slightly startled at the thought of using the blond as a practice dummy. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"Considering you're still injured it would help you recover as well," She replied with a smile. "Hinata has gotten good enough to not worry about injuries, she just need help refining her technique."
Naruto trusted Hinata and everything, but he wasn't too keen on being used as an experiment. However Hinata needed to practice and it was better then using it on herself. The thought of Hinata hurting herself, even accidentally, caused pain to spark in his chest. "Okay," Naruto said with a shrug. Trying to look nonchalant.
"Huh?" Hinata asked suddenly, looking at him in shock. Evidently she wasn't the only one shocked by the announcement, Shino stared at him as if he had just grown another head.
"Good, Hinata what does Naruto have to do to prepare?" Kurenai said as she turned to the girl who was still too shocked at Naruto's answer to even begin to think of an answer. "Hinata?"
"Oh," Hinata finally recovered at the question. "Roll up your selves, and take off your shoes." She answered with a slight flush. Still surprised when Naruto did so, she then approached him carefully.
Taking one of his hands, she tried to keep her breathing under control. She had to concentrate, or otherwise she could damage the blond. When she had done this the first time, Naruto had been unconscious so she hadn't seen him staring at her. But now the blue eyes focused on her was making her nervous.
Taking a deep breath she jabbed at a certain point on his wrist, adding a slight jolt of chakra to the mix. She ignored everything around her, focusing on the task at hand. If she focused then she didn't have to worry about getting nervous.
It took about two minutes but eventually she finished with all the ones on Naruto's left hand so she moved to the next. Working methodically she sped up, hitting each point precisely.
As she finished his hands she looked up, and gaped. Naruto was swaying slightly, his eyes hooded. He looked almost as if he was about to fall asleep on the spot.
She turned to Kurenai and Shino in question, this had never happened to her when she practiced on herself.
Shino shrugged and Kurenai had to stop from laughing, the blonde's reaction was just too funny. "He suddenly started to yawn a little while ago, you didn't tell me it made you sleepy."
"It didn't," Hinata said. "It's not suppose to anyway." She then looked at the wavering blond, who looked as though he was about to drop off into la la land.
"Naruto how do you feel?" Shino asked the blond, who had to concentrate to decipher his words. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open.
"Great," Naruto managed to slur. "Like I had a very warm bath, and got wrapped in a fluffy blanket." He then slumped to the right and started to snore.
"Well that's an interesting reaction," Kurenai stated after a few seconds of watching the orange ninja sleep like he didn't have a care in the world.
"It's not suppose to happen like that," Hinata said with a slightly nervous twitch. "What if I messed up and caused him damage?"
"It's okay Hinata," Kurenai said with a chuckle. "I already know what happened," She the shook her head. "Due to his injuries his body has suffered a lot of damage, therefore it still need rest to recover. However you know how long Naruto can stay in one place, so when you begun to work on healing him his body decided it was a good time to make him rest."
"Makes sense," Shino intoned and Hinata felt the fear slightly dissipate. "With the trauma his body suffered, I'm seriously surprised he didn't sleep much more then he did."
"Well you know Naruto," Kurenai said with a grin. "Nothing can keep him down long."
"So are we just going to leave him to sleep?" Shino asked, watching the blond mumble in his sleep. "I mean his body obviously needs it."
"I'll take him back to his apartment," Kurenai replied and picked him up along with his shoes. "Training is over for the day, so go on home."
"Will he be alright?" Hinata asked one more time, a little worried for Naruto. He was sleeping normally so it wasn't totally worrisome but she still felt a twinge of fear.
"He'll be fine," She replied. "So head on home, some sleep will be good for him." With that she jumped into the trees, her form disappearing.
"Don't worry Hinata," Shino said with hopes of reassuring the Hyuuga. "He'll bounce back tomorrow as good as new."
"I-I hope so," She stuttered fearfully under her breath. With that she turned to make her way home, hoping that she hadn't hurt the most important person to her. Shino called out to her but she continued without stopping, her mind to far in turmoil to listen.
END CHAPTER