Bonds That Bind
'Naruto-kun has a demon inside of him?!' Hinata's mind raced; shocked by the news that it had just take in. 'But, how? What demon? How is that possible? That doesn't make any sense. It isn't possible to have a demon inside of you. Right? If were true, than why haven't I heard about it before? No one has ever said anything about this. But, it does seem like everyone hates Naruto-kun; I've never been able to understand that. But surely if it were indeed fact because he had a demon… Naruto-kun. Hinata leapt down from her tree and ran towards the direction Naruto and Yugito had headed.
"So, Naruto-kun, your friend, I take it that he was a Jinchuuriki?" Yugito had begun exploring Naruto's past and present life. Taking in all of the knowledge he had to offer; which she discovered, wasn't all that much.
Naruto's face scowled when the thought of Gaara being betrayed by his own village resurfaced in his thought. "Yea." He replied, with a hint of sadness in his voice. "He had the Shukaku, Ichibi, sealed into him." Naruto started to imagine the battle that Gaara fought against Akatsuki, and then he pictured them prying the demon entity out from Gaara's limp body. Naruto wanted to just level Sunagakure.
"Really." Yugito had slowed her speech patterns to feign remorse. She knew that Naruto was clearly being torn apart on the inside from the loss of his friend. "May I ask what Biju you have?"
"Huh?" Naruto's thoughts were brought back to reality.
"Your Biju, which one is it?"
"You tell me yours first."
"So cheap." Yugito rolled her eyes in response. "I have the Nibi, it's a demon cat. It's really good with fire techniques; that's why I can use fire Jutsus so well."
"Wow that's pretty useful, I can't even use fire Jutsus."
"Well what about you? Which one do you have?"
"Oh, well I…"
"Na-Naruto-kun!" Naruto looked away from Yugito to see the Huuyga heiress running towards him. When she arrived, he noticed that there appeared to be traces of tears on the cheeks of her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and her body was badly bruised. "Naruto-k-kun, I have t-t-to dis-cuss something w-with you."
Naruto was bewildered at Hinata's appearance, let alone her attitude. By now, he thought, she would have normally fainted. "What about?" he inquired.
"J-just please, I-I-I need to s-speak with you." Hinata was trying her best not to stutter, she had spent hours alone practicing. But she was so confused about what she had learned that she became distraught.
"Ok Hinata, Yugito. I'm sorry; we'll have to finish this conversation another time." Yugito nodded as Naruto followed Hinata towards where she came from. Hinata's mind raced, 'How am I going to do this, I can't just ask him right away can I? No, but, I don't know what else to say. I, I have to get this over with. I need to know for sure. I need to hear it from Naruto-kun.' Hinata quickly stopped and turned around to confront Naruto.
"Na-Naruto-kun, I-I need t-to know something."
Naruto was confused at what she could possibly want to know from him. "Sure thing Hinata, what is it?"
"Do y-you h-have…" Hinata couldn't get the words out, she was worried what the answer would be. "D-Do y-y-you ha-ve a-a…"
"Have what Hinata?"
"D-Do you h-have…" She couldn't take it, her thoughts were exploding. Her mind was racing between the possible answers, it was driving her insane. "DO YOU HAVE A DEMON INSIDE OF YOU?!" Hinata covered her mouth, she couldn't believe what she had just accused Naruto of, her Naruto. She looked out towards his face. It was frozen in fear, shock, horror, and sadness; all bundled into one frozen look.
"W-Why d-do you ask?" Naruto's voice was barely audible, but being the quite and shy type that Hinata was, she could understand him clearly.
"F-Forgive me, b-but I w-was in that t-tree that you a-a-and she passed by in, a-and I o-verheard wh-a-at you were sa-saying." Hinata felt as if she could burst into tears and collapse onto the ground at any second. Her knees were shaking and her tear ducts were quickly filling to their brim, but she endured it, and she continued to stand. She watched Naruto, who's facial expression had yet to change.
"I-I…" Naruto was caught. He'd rather die than expose himself as the Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi. The very demon that had attacked his village fifteen years earlier, and destroyed so much, and killed so many. "I-uh" 'What do I do! I can't tell her! But she already knows! But if I tell her than she'll hate me, scream at me and think of me as a monster. She'll probably tell everyone, I'll be hated by both the adults and my teammates. I can't live like that; what if they turn on me like Gaara's village did to him? No, the Hokage wouldn't allow that. Right?' "N-No Hinata, you must have misheard." Naruto attempted his usual fake big grin, but could only manage a small semi-smile.
"I-I didn't m-m-mishear N-Naruto-kun. P-Please t-tell me. I-I want to know." Hinata's eyes pleaded with Naruto, begging for the truth.
"I-I…" 'What do I do, she's just waiting for me to confirm it. So she can tell everyone that I'm a monster. Why can't they see that I'm not that despicable demon. Why can't they see me for who I am?' "I-I'm sorry." Naruto suddenly vanished away from where he once stood. Hinata quickly activated her Byakugan and scanned the area for Naruto, she found him surprisingly far away running in the forest away from the village. She quickly gave chase.
'Please tell me Naruto-kun. I have to know.' Naruto knew that Hinata was following him, but he didn't want to do anything to her that could put her in danger.
'What can I do, can't she just forget it. Damnit! How could I have been so stupid, why did I admit to being a Jinchuuriki like that out in the open. IDIOT!' Hinata continued to leave her Byakugan activated, she watched Naruto running from her. She looked at him more clearly and saw that he had tears falling behind his fleeing body. The chase continued for more than an hour until Naruto finally stopped near a small waterfall in a clearing. By the time Hinata had caught up to Naruto, he was sitting against a tree with his knees up to his shoulders and with his head covered up by his arms, crying. It broke Hinata's heart to see her Naruto like this, it was completely unlike him. She was used to his rambunctious, care-free attitude that he flashed everywhere he went along with his wide, toothy grin. But now, she knew that he had a burden, a heavy burden that he alone carried underneath that care-free mask which he always wore.
Hinata walked over to the sobbing Naruto and sat down next to him. "Naruto-k-kun, ple-please tell me."
"Hinata, I-I am not a demon." He continued to have his face hidden from view, hidden from the look of horror that must be on her face right now, hidden from the pain that he feels when he sees the glares of horror and anger directed towards him.
"I-I know that Nar-uto-kun. When I w-was chasing you, I realized th-that e-even if you did h-have a demon inside o-of you. It s-s-still doesn't change wh-who you are."
Naruto sobs ceased once he heard what Hinata had said. He looked up to see her sitting next to him, her knees brought up to her face with her arms rapped around her legs, as she gazed past her kneecaps into the waterfall in front of the two. "Hinata…"
"Naruto-kun, I-I've w-watched you for a-a long time, and from what I've seen, a-and from what I know. You are no demon, y-you're simply just, you." Hinata took her gaze off of the falling water in front of her and looked over at Naruto. His eyes were fixated on hers; they were wide and slightly red from the tears, his mouth hung open slightly and his face showed a look of admiration.
"H-Hinata…" Naruto leaned towards the lavender-eyed girl and hugged her intently. "Thank you."
Hinata was stunned by his move of affection. 'What! Did Naruto-kun just, he still his. He's hugging me! This is like a dream.' Hinata pulled her arms out from his grasp and returned the hug, madly blushing at the same time. They held each other for what seemed like hours until Naruto leaned up and out of Hinata's warm embrace. He loved the feeling, not in a sexual way, but in a comforting way, where he had someone that knew him for who is; rather than what's inside of him.
Naruto sat back up against the tree, but also leaned against Hinata's shoulder. He enjoyed the comforting feeling that he received from it. "Hinata, if I tell you about me, can you please promise not to tell anyone?"
Hinata looked over to the face of her dreams, and the eyes that were seeking approval. "I promise."
Naruto turned his gaze towards the waterfall and started. "Fifteen years ago, the demon fox lord Kyuubi attacked our village. He killed many great shinobi including the Forth Hokage. He was an unstoppable force; his destruction was reported as a natural disaster. And he is still alive."
"But I thought the Forth Hokage killed the Kyuubi along with himself?"
"No, that was because of a law made by the Third Hokage. It proclaimed that it was a punishable offense to ever speak of what really happened that night. I'm sure that you have noticed all of the hate and disgust that I get from the adults. Well that's because when the Forth died; he knew the Kyuubi was too powerful to kill. So he instead sealed it within the body of a newborn… Me." Naruto looked at Hinata's face wondering of the reaction it would give as a result to his story, but he discovered her starring back at him, wanting to know more. "I was my understanding that the Forth thought that the village would think of me as a hero, a jail-keeper of the demon that terrorized us. But instead the villagers merely think of me as the demon itself, they can't openly speak about it because of the Thirds law, yet they all hate me. Well, most of them, some of them don't know about the Kyuubi at all, and some understand that I'm not a demon. That's why I want to become Hokage so bad Hinata, I want to show this village that I'm not the demon that killed so many of it's ninja, but rather that I can prove to them that I can make this village better."
Hinata stared at Naruto, 'There he is, there is the Naruto that I know and love.' She leaned her head on his shoulder and stared of into the small paradise. "I know you can do it Naruto-kun."
"Thank you again Hinata." And with that the two of them stared at the natural beauty in front of them, taking in all that it had to offer.
After a few minutes, Hinata was fast asleep on Naruto's shoulder. Hey looked down at her soft face and her flowing dark blue hair. 'Heh, she's kind of cute when she's sleeping.' He looked back at the scenery in front of them and began to think yet again about Gaara. 'I can't believe that I wasn't there for Gaara, when he really needed me. And his filthy village, it's unforgivable what they did. I'll be there next time Akatsuki tries to take the life of another one of my friends. Wait! What about Yugito? They'll undoubtedly make another attempt to take her Biju. I have to help her, but what about all of the other Jinchuuriki's out there? Damn those Akatsuki. They're going to slowly take all of the Jinchuuriki one by one. Damn them! I can't believe Tsunade-obaachan's strategy. Doesn't she understand that it won't work?! If only I could… THAT'S IT!'
"Hey Hinata, wake up." Naruto gently shook Hinata until she awoke from her slumber.
Hinata gasped when she saw that Naruto was the one who woke her up, and then the memories from earlier in the day cam back. "Yes Naruto-kun?"
"Sorry Hinata, I have to go to see Tsunade about something." Naruto got up from his paradise and stretched out his muscles.
"Oh, Ok then Naruto-kun."
"Hey Hinata! You didn't stutter!" Naruto congratulated her with his grin as Hinata retraced her words.
"You're right! Thank you N-Naruto-kun." Hinata caught her stutter that time and silently yelled at herself.
"Oh, well. Almost, I'll see you later Hinata." As Naruto jumped into the trees, Hinata recapped what had happened earlier. 'Did I really fall asleep on his shoulder? Oh, this is better than my dreams.' Naruto quickly appeared behind the still waking up Hinata, and startled her with another hug. "Thanks again for earlier Hinata, I'm glad I finally told someone about it." Hinata grabbed the arms that were wrapped in front of her and looked behind her.
"You're welcome Naruto-kun."
Naruto smiled wide and let go, "Hah, you didn't stutter again." Naruto jumped once again into the trees and headed back towards his village. Happier than he could ever remember.
Hinata stayed back at the waterfall, going over her confrontation with Naruto repeatedly. Each time blushing harder and harder until she finally fainted when remembering the second hug Naruto gave her.
Naruto arrived into town and headed straight for the Hokage's building with a strategy in his mind that he was sure would be a winner. He ran through the circular corridors that were painted a bright red until he made it to the Hokage's office. He knocked and when he heard the words to enter, he promptly did so. Tsunade was surprised that Naruto had been the one to knock at her door. Usually he would just leap through an open window or nearly break the door down barging in. "Naruto, what is the occasion?" Tsunade was intrigued already with whatever Naruto wanted to discuss with her, merely by the way he was acting.
"Baachan, I've been thinking a lot about Akatsuki lately and after hearing about Gaara's death, I've come up with a good strategy that I think you will like. Akatsuki is already on the move, kidnapping Jinchuuriki after Jinchuuriki, right?" Tsunade nodded her head in approval. "Well, what if we form a team and go from village to village gathering the Jinchuuriki ourselves before Akatsuki does?"
"What are you saying Naruto?" Tsunade didn't fully understand Naruto's plan.
"I'm saying that, we get all of the Jinchuuriki together, and then we make a last stand against Akatsuki as a whole. Once and for all."