A/N: Hey everybody. So I changed my writing style a bit in this one. I want to know what you think and if I should continue to use the new style. If you like this style better I might even go back and edit the previous chapters. So let me know what you think. As always please review.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Text examples:
"Hello." Biju or jinchuriki using biju's powers speaking
'Hi.' Person thinking
'Hi there.' Person speaking through mental link
'Howdy.' Biju speaking through mental link
Chapter 13: Moving In and Moving On
Naruko, Hinata, and Neji were all at the Uzumaki compound helping the red head move in. It had taken quite a bit of time and effort, but the place was finally fit to live in. Naruko had used her inheritance to furnish the place as well as get new appliances. Sadly most of the furniture was just left in the main hallway and needed to be moved, which was why Naruko had enlisted the help of the Hyuga teens. They had walked over together so Naruko took out her keys to let them in. Once inside Neji took in everything that was scattered about.
"Four couches, two coffee tables, six end tables, three reclining chairs, three dining tables with six chairs each, four TVs, three mattresses, and six nightstands. Did I miss anything?" Neji asked as he turned towards the red head. Naruko pulled out a list from her pocket and read it to herself while looking up at the furniture.
"Just the six bookshelves, but those are still in boxes and need to be assembled. Otherwise, yeah that's everything." Naruko confirmed and Hinata was a bit surprised at how many things that they had to move.
"Are we going to be okay moving these by ourselves?" Hinata asked. Naruko turned to her girlfriend and nodded.
"Yeah. I had planned to take care of most of this stuff with clones. I just wanted to get another pair of eyes in here to let me know how it all looked. And nobody has better eyes than my Princess." Naruko had leaned in close so she could whisper the last part in Hinata's ear. The Hyuga heir reddened a bit at the compliment and smiled at Naruko before she placed a kiss on her fox girl's lips. Neji cleared his throat and the girls separated.
"Can we please get this going? I'd rather not have to sit here while you two make out." Neji stated with a slightly annoyed voice.
Naruko grinned sheepishly while Hinata looked at the floor. The red head walked up to the teen and patted his shoulder.
"You're right. Let's get this started." Naruko said with a snap of her fingers.
The red head moved a little away from the two and preformed the shadow clone jutsu. About a dozen clones appeared and went to work moving the furniture as two others got on the floor to put together the bookshelves. Most of the furniture was meant for the two story portion at the back of the compound so they first moved all of it there first. Naruko pulled out her list again.
"Okay so we have enough to fill three bedrooms and two general living areas. Each bedroom will get a TV, a bookshelf, a bed, and two night stands. The master bedroom will also get one of the couches. The larger living area will get the largest TV, two couches, four end tables, a bookshelf, a reclining chair, and a coffee table. The smaller living area will have the remaining couch, reclining chairs, bookshelves, end tables, and coffee table. The dining tables and chairs will go in some of the empty rooms by the kitchen." Naruko stated. Hinata and Neji blinked in surprise.
"That' very thought out Naruko." Hinata said. The red head looked up from her list and smiled as she scratched the back of her head.
"Well, I may have had Momma come by and help me decide on what I needed where." Naruko said.
The two Hyuga teens accepted the answer easily and decided to set about moving the furniture. They decided to take care of the upstairs first so they could get it out of the way. The clones took care of most of the labor but the teens still helped out. Once everything was upstairs Naruko dismissed the clones and went about arranging the furniture in each room. Most of the time Naruko just went with what she liked or differed to Hinata, especially when they were arranging the master bedroom. Neji got to arrange one of the bedrooms by himself and was silently pleased when he received Naruko's nod of approval. It was close to noon by the time the finished the upstairs so they took a break for lunch. Luckily Hinata had thought ahead and brought lunch for everyone. They ate in relative silence and relaxed a bit before they went back to work. The downstairs went much faster and only took them about three hours to have everything in place. Naruko decided it was time to test some of the new stuff out and leapt onto the couch in the largest living area. She turned to face her girlfriend and waved her over. Hinata smiled as she walked over to the couch and lifted Naruko a bit so she could sit down. Once she was comfortable she positioned Naruko so that her head rested on Hinata's lap. Neji helped himself to the reclining chair and turned on the TV. He settled on an old movie and pulled the lever to raise his legs so he could relax. As the movie progressed Hinata had begun to stroke Naruko's hair and the red head snuggled closer to her. The three watched the movie in silence until they realized how hungry they were. Naruko snapped her fingers as she had an idea.
"How about I treat you two to dinner as thanks for helping me today?" The red head asked. The other teens looked at each other and shrugged. Hinata peered down at her girlfriend again.
"Sounds like a plan." Hinata said with a pleasant smile on her face. Naruko beamed at her love.
-Pork Tail BBQ-
After much insistence by Neji it was decide that they would go to the BBQ joint. He had said that he was tired of always going to Ichiraku's whenever Naruko offered to pay for the meal. The red head tried to convince him otherwise, but was out voted when Hinata said she felt like having BBQ as well. So they decided on their usual group stand-by. The three teens walked in and waited to be seated.
"Hey guys." The three teens turned and saw Sasuke with his hand held up in greeting.
Naruko smiled as she made her way towards her rival with Hinata and Neji in tow. As they approached they saw that Sora and Mikoto, Sasuke's mother, were also at the table. Naruko grinned as she threw a punch at Sasuke's face only for the teen to block it and throw one of his own, which the red head caught. Sasuke was pleased.
"I see your training is going well." The Uchiha said with a grin.
"Yours too." Naruko replied with a grin of her own.
Sora looked back and forth between the two. She was confused by the exchange.
"What was that?" The girl asked the table in general.
Hinata placed her hand on the younger girl's shoulder to get her attention.
"That's how they say hello." Hinata replied.
The black haired girl looked back at Naruko and Sasuke, who had begun to talk about their training, and hummed. A waitress had walked by and saw the two groups talking to each other. She offered a bigger table so they could all sit together and they readily accepted. Once everyone was settled again they ordered their food and the group began to talk to each other. All throughout the meal Naruko noticed that Sora kept glancing at her almost like she wanted to say something, but the girl never spoke up. The red head made a decision and leaned over to whisper in her girlfriend's ear. Hinata blinked a few times as she processed the words but she eventually smiled and nodded. Naruko placed a light kiss on her Princess's cheek. Everyone finished their meals and made their way to the exit. On the way out Naruko pulled Mikoto to the side while the rest of the group went outside and waited. After a few moments the two joined the rest. Sora turned to follow her family, but was stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Naruko.
"Not so fast, you and I have to talk." The red head stated.
Sora had a confused look on her face as she turned towards her Aunt, only to see the woman smile and nod. She looked back over at Naruko and saw the girl toss a set of keys to Hinata, who snatched them out of the air. The Hyuga girl looked down at the keys and blushed. The red head just smiled.
"I've slept over at your place so many times before so I figured you might like to sleep over at mine for once." Naruko said with a soft smile on her face.
Hinata could not find her voice so she just nodded before she turned and walked away. Neji gave a wave before he followed behind Hinata. Soon it was just Sora and Naruko. The younger girl broke the silence first.
"So what did you want to talk about Naruko?" Sora asked.
The red head looked at the girl for a minute before she sighed.
"Why don't you tell me? You've looked like you've wanted to say something all night. Is it about Chitose?" Naruko questioned.
Sora was surprised that she had been found out. She did not think that she was that obvious. It was her turn to let out a sigh.
"I get excited when I come across something interesting and I tend to not shut up till my curiosity is satisfied. I asked what the demon realm was like, where she grew up, and who her parents were. I had no idea that her mother died giving birth to her. That she didn't even know her father. That Isamu found her in the streets. That people tried to hurt her, just because she was born. It all seems so cruel." Sora's eyes were filled with unshed tears and she was fighting to keep herself from sobbing.
Naruko had a sad smile on her face. The red head knew all of this already. She knew that in the Fox clan the child of a mother who died giving birth was seen as unlucky and was often shunned or even beaten. She knew that there were fox children in the slums because their parents did not want them. She had known for years and even more than that she knew exactly what it was like. To be hated for the way you were born. It was cruel. The red head stepped forward and took Sora into her arms and let the girl rest there for a while. Once Sora calmed down they finally parted. Naruko looked at the girl.
"So is that what you wanted to talk about?" Naruko asked and Sora shook her head as she dried her eyes.
"What I wanted to ask was why the Fox clan is like that even though someone as nice as Kurama is in charge?" Sora asked.
Naruko took a second to gather her thoughts before she sighed and nodded.
"It's not just the Fox clan Sora. It's like that everywhere. People just don't want to see it." Naruko said. She continued when she saw the questioning look on Sora's face.
"Have you ever wondered why you never see any half-demons around even though there are ninja around who can summon demons?" The red head questioned and Sora shook her head.
"That's because they're hiding. Sora, you're young so I don't think you've noticed, but I get a lot of nasty looks from some of the villagers here. Some of them hate half-demons because they see us as an abomination, a sin against Kami. Some think it is their right to hurt us. They hate us just because of who we are. There are some who walk around in broad daylight and they get jumped for it. Some people have even tried to come after me before, and my father was the Fourth Hokage." Naruko stated much to the surprise of the Uchiha.
"What I'm trying to say is that hate exists everywhere Sora, even if there is someone good in charge." Naruko said in a very serious manor.
Sora looked down at the ground as she clenched her jaw. She was mad and sad all at the same time. For a long moment she did not know what to feel, but in the end her anger won out. Her eyes seemed to gain a hint of red to them and Naruko could almost feel the hate roll off the girl.
"Well someone should stop them! They shouldn't do things like that just because they think they are in the right! It doesn't matter how much you think you're doing the right thing! If you do something evil it's still evil!" Sora said with a hard tone and hatred in her eyes.
Naruko saw the look in the girl's eyes and she could only imagine that it was similar to the hatred that was in her own eyes at times. This was not just about Chitose anymore. This was not the type of hatred that comes from a fresh wound. It was old hatred, a hatred that took root in your heart and made its home there, the most difficult kind to get rid of. And Naruko had a good idea where it came from. The same place that Sasuke's hatred had come from. The Uchiha massacre. The red head walked forward and took Sora into her arms. The smaller girl froze, unable to fully process the kind act. Slowly but surely Sora relaxed in Naruko's arms until she finally returned the embrace and cried silent tears. The red head rubbed Sora's back to comfort her. The two stayed like that for a few minutes until Sora pulled away. Naruko looked into the younger girl's eyes.
"Better?" Naruko asked as Sora wiped away her tears. Sora nodded and a small smile appeared on Naruko's face.
"You're a good person Sora. Don't let your anger consume you. I know Chitose would be hurt if that happened. The best thing you can do is to let it go." Naruko said with a soft smile.
Sora did not like the idea of bringing any more pain to the twins. They had been through enough already. Sora took a deep breath and nodded.
"I'll try." Sora said and Naruko gave her own nod as she turned to walk down the street.
"Alright it's getting late so I need to get you home to your family and I don't want to keep my girlfriend waiting any longer." Naruko said as her mind wandered to other places.
Sora chuckled a bit at the remark and followed behind the red head. Naruko walked Sora back to the girl's home and looked down at the Uchiha.
"Sora, there's one more thing I want to say before you go in." Naruko got the girl's attention. "What you said earlier, about stopping people from doing evil even if they think it's the right thing, well the way you said it made you sound like a person who thought they were doing the right thing." Naruko said with concern in her voice.
The young girl's mouth slowly dropped open as she processed what Naruko had said. Was she really acting like that? The words made the girl question many things, things that she did not realize about herself. After a long moment she looked back up at Naruko and nodded before she went inside. Naruko let out a sigh and turned to walk home.
-Uzumaki Compound-
Hinata had parted ways with Neji at the gate to the compound since he insisted on escorting her there. Once inside she had made her way upstairs to Naruko's room. One of Naruko's clones had moved some of Hinata's clothes to the Uzumaki Compound while they had been cleaning. The Hyuga heir smiled as she grabbed some night wear and went downstairs to the open air bath that was behind the two story portion of the compound. The bath was traditional like the rest of the compound. It was lined with stones and had a small waterfall that kept the water circulating. Hinata grabbed a towel from the linen closet before she undressed. She sighed in contentment as she entered the warm water. Hinata began to wash herself and enjoy the water run down her skin. Unbeknownst to the blue haired teen Naruko had returned to the compound and made her way to the bath when she heard noises come from that direction. The fox girl had snuck inside with the intention of scaring her Princess but froze when she saw her girlfriend already in the bath, naked. Naruko gulped and could not peal her eyes away from the sight before her. She had seen Hinata naked in passing before while they change in the Hyuga girl's room. Naruko would admit to herself that she had stolen glances before and even openly stared at her girlfriend during those moments, but something about the way the moon light reflected off of the water made her appreciate Hinata's beauty even more. Naruko bit her lip as she took in the view of her girlfriend and then smiled.
'Maybe I should join her?' The red head thought but then shook her head.
'No! Bad idea!' But instead of walking away she hummed a bit as her gaze went back to the blue haired teen.
'But she is my girlfriend.' That thought appealed to her but she quickly turned her head away to look at the wall.
'You're thirteen!' It was a good counter point and should have been the end to her internal argument but she found that her eyes had trailed back to her girlfriend.
'So is she.' She took a step forward and froze for a moment before she turned and went out the door.
'What is wrong with me?' Naruko questioned herself as she paced outside the entrance to the bath.
After about ten turns she stopped and looked at the door.
'Maybe just one more peek.' The fox girl thought mischievously as she raised her hand to open the door but jumped backwards when the door opened and Hinata stepped out in her night clothes.
Hinata looked at her girlfriend and giggled. Naruko was stiff as a board with her ears and tails sticking straight up into the air. Hinata walked forward and placed her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.
"Are you alright Naru?" Hinata asked with a soft smile.
The red head only nodded. Hinata just shook her head at how strange Naruko acted sometimes.
"I'm going to head upstairs. You should get cleaned up and come join me." Hinata stated as she leaned forward and placed a peck on her girlfriend's lips.
She then turned towards the stairs and headed up. Once Hinata was out of sight Naruko let out a frustrated growl and stomped into the bath.
-Naruko's Room-
After taking a very cold bath Naruko went up to her room to join Hinata. A smile graced the Hyuga heir's lips when she saw Naruko walk in. The red head stretched out on the bed next to her girlfriend and the two cuddled together. They both just laid there in silence as they enjoyed the moment. Naruko's ears twitched when she heard Hinata hum.
"What is it Princess?" Naruko wondered aloud as Hinata snuggled closer to her fox girl.
"I was just thinking that even though we've slept together so many times before this feels different somehow." Hinata said and Naruko paused for a moment to think before she nodded her head.
"It does feel different. I guess it's because for the first time we're really alone." Naruko stated and then Hinata hummed in thought.
"You're right. Even when we were alone in my room there were still other people in the compound. But here, it's just us." The Hyuga said softly.
They settled down again as the silence lengthened. That is until Naruko got a mischievous grin on her face. She had an idea.
"Yeah, it is just us." Naruko said in a very soft voice.
Hinata looked over at Naruko and saw the fox girl giving her a very hungry look. She reddened as Naruko leaned in and licked the side of her neck.
"You taste good." Naruko stated as she let out a soft moan of satisfaction.
Hinata blushed even harder at the remark and an event that had not occurred in years happened. Hinata fainted. Naruko laughed a little and shook her head. She enjoyed teasing Hinata but she had not expected the girl to faint on her. She drew her girlfriend closer to her and after a few minutes Hinata began to stir.
"Naru, what happened?" Hinata questioned.
The red head smiled as she lifted Hinata's chin and placed a light kiss on her lips.
"Sorry Princess. I just wanted to tease you a little but I guess I went too far. You fainted." Naruko said apologetically.
Hinata blushed again as her memories came back to her.
"It's okay Naru. And I'm sorry about fainting." Hinata apologized.
"Don't worry about it. It's my fault anyway." The red head said with a smile.
Hinata returned the smile as they locked eyes. Naruko moved in close and they shared a loving kiss. Once they separated for air Naruko turned and grabbed a small box off of the nightstand. She took Hinata's hand and placed the box in her palm. Hinata looked from the box to Naruko and saw the red head give her a nod so she opened it. Inside was a set of keys. She looked up at Naruko once again for an explanation.
"That's a complete set of keys for the compound. I want you to come here whenever you feel like it." Naruko stated to a very surprised and happy Hinata.
"Are you sure?" The Hyuga questioned and Naruko gave a nod.
"Of course I am. This is my home now and I love you. It's only natural that you should get a set of keys." Naruko said as Hinata wrapped her arms around Naruko's neck and pulled the girl close.
"I love you too. And thank you." Hinata said pleasantly.
Naruko smiled as she returned the embrace. The girls stayed in each other's arms as they feel asleep.
-Hokage's Office-
After two months of training and D-rank missions team Kurenai was finally ready for their first C-rank mission. They were told at the Mission Office to get the details from the Hokage. As the team entered the Hokage's Office he looked up from his paperwork.
"Hello everyone, I take it you're here for your mission details?" Obito asked and he was pleased when the group nodded.
"Good, your mission is a C-rank escort and protection job to the Land of Waves. The Client goes by the name Tazuna, he's a bridge builder and he's worried about bandit attacks. The mission will last approximately three months. Two weeks of travel time to the Land of Waves, a month and a half for construction to finish, and another two weeks for the return trip. Do you accept the terms of this mission?" He asked and again the team nodded.
"Alright, I will inform Tazuna to meet you all at the gates tomorrow morning. You have the remainder of the day to prepare for the journey." With that said the team turned to leave.
"Wait a moment Naruko, I wish to speak with you." Obito said before the girl left his office.
The red head stopped and looked at Hinata before she squeezed her Princess's hand. Naruko turned and went back to stand before the Hokage as the others left.
"What is it Lord Obito?" The red head asked.
Obito motioned for Naruko to sit down and leaned forward in his chair. There was a long pause as the Hokage gathered his thoughts.
"You remind me of myself when I was younger." Obito stated and Naruko was a bit surprised. "You care about your friends, you're open and passionate, and most of all you have someone to love."
"Thank you." The red head replied and Obito nodded as he leaned back in his chair.
"Do you know Kakshi?" He asked and Naruko nodded.
"He's Sasuke's team leader." Naruko said calmly.
"Yes he is and back in the day he and I were teammates along with our friend Rin. Your father was our sensei." He chuckled when Naruko's eyes went wide. "Quite the surprise, huh? I knew your father back before you were even born, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Kurama told me about the Uchiha that killed your parents, that he's still alive. I can only imagine how you feel. Do you hate him?" Obito asked and after a long pause Naruko nodded.
"Good." He said and the red head was shocked at his response.
"How is me hating him a good thing?" She asked.
"He killed your parents. Of course you would hate him. I would be more worried if you didn't. That would mean that you could be repressing your feelings and could snap at some point. So yes, I think it's good that you hate him." He said and Naruko nodded.
"So is that all you wanted to talk about?" The red head questioned.
She felt uncomfortable talking about her parents with someone she barely knew. The only people she ever really talked about her parents with were Kurama and Jiraiya. She wanted to leave but Obito shook his head so she had to stay.
"Just one more thing. Don't let your hate consume you. I did once and on that day I almost killed Kakashi. He is my best friend, but on that day I hated him so much that I wanted to kill him." The Hokage stated with a very serious tone.
Naruko was taken aback by the statement, but what surprised her more was the Hokage himself. His eye had morphed into a strange version of the Sharingan and a dark aura seemed to be rolling off of him. Obito blinked and the strange eye and aura were gone.
"But I didn't kill him. I came close, but I stopped myself. I saw through my hatred and found the truth. Don't let your hatred blind you Naruko. You could end up doing something you regret." He said sagely.
Naruko absorbed the warning and nodded her head. Silence fell for a moment before Naruko worked up her courage to ask a question that had popped into her mind.
"What did Kakashi do that made you hate him so much?" She asked and Obito let out a long sigh before he locked eyes with Naruko.
"Rin, our teammate, I loved her. She was kind and beautiful. She never really liked me back. She always had eyes for Kakashi. I never could out shine him back then, but I digress. One day Rin got kidnapped by Kiri ninja. Kakashi and I managed to get her back, but we were pursued. I swung back to hold them off and Kakashi went ahead with Rin. When I caught up to them I saw him stab her through the chest. I went crazy. I think I blacked out. The next thing I remember is Kakashi underneath me as I held a kunai to his neck. I remembered what he did and I almost slit his throat, but the look on his face made me stop. He looked like he wanted me to kill him. So I asked him why he did it. And he told me. He told me that she impaled herself on his blade. That the Kiri ninja had sealed the Isobu inside her and that they were counting on her to make it back to the village just in time for the seal to crack. The Isobu would have been released in the village and torn it apart. Rin knew all of this so she made sure it didn't happen. She sacrificed herself for the village. I'll never forget that day." Obito stated and a long pause filled the air. After a deep breath he continued. "Hate is a powerful thing Naruko. You will do well to remember that." The Hokage said and Naruko nodded.
She was reminded of the conversation she had with Sora, though now she was on the receiving end of the advice. After a long pause she let out a chuckle and shook her head.
"You know, I gave Sora Uchiha a very similar talk about a week ago. Maybe I should learn to take my own advice and move on." Naruko said and the Hokage smiled at her.
"Wise words Naruko. Wise words." Obito said pleasantly.
The fox teen got up and gave the Hokage a slight bow before she turned towards the door. She reached for the handle but the door flew open and a foot shot forward and into her stomach. The impact was not strong but it was enough to knock the wind out of her. As she righted herself she saw a small boy standing in front of her with brown hair and a blue scarf. The boy looked her up and down.
"You must be Uncle Obito's new guard! I guess he finally realized how much of a threat I am." The boy said and Naruko raised an eyebrow at the boy before she turned towards the Hokage.
"Who is this kid?" She questioned and then the boy stomped his foot at being ignored.
"I'm Konohamaru! And I'm going to be the next Hokage after I beat Uncle Obito." Konohamaru practically yelled.
Naruko had to smile at the boy. She admired his enthusiasm. The red head crossed her arms as she let out a chuckle.
"That's going to be tough kid considering my best friend and I are both gunning for that title and we're both way ahead of you." Naruko said with a challenging look on her face.
Konohamaru grit his teeth as he stared at the crazy red head in front of him.
"You are not!" The boy said angrily.
Naruko shifted her stance and pointed at the headband around her neck.
"See this? I'm already a ninja with plenty of missions under my belt. You're not even a ninja." The fox girl said and Konohamaru growled at her.
"I'm in the academy and I'll graduate soon. I even have a special tutor to train me." He said proudly.
Naruko nodded but she had an idea about the tutor.
"Oh and do you listen to this tutor?" She questioned.
Konohamaru's mouth slowly opened and closed before he huffed out a breath in annoyance.
"That's not important. I can become Hokage on my own." He stated and Naruko shook her head.
"That's impossible. You can't become the Hokage without the Will of Fire and the Will of Fire comes from your friends and family. They make you strong. You can never become Hokage on your own." Naruko said with conviction.
The boy blinked a few times as he processed what he just heard.
'Was that really it? Was that the key to it?' He wondered.
"I'd listen to her Konohamaru. She knows what she's talking about. Naruko here has been trained by Jiraiya the Toad Sage, one of Konoha's finest ninja and a former student of your grandfather." Obito chimed in with his two cents.
The boy nodded as a man in sunglasses came in through the door.
"Konohamaru, there you are. I've been looking everywhere for you." The man said as Konohamaru turned and walked past him.
"Come on sensei, we have training to do." The boy stated with determination.
The man blinked a few times before he gave the Hokage a quick bow and followed the boy. Naruko grinned as she watched them leave.
"Does this happen a lot?" She asked the Hokage.
Obito chuckled as he stretched out in his chair.
"You have no idea." He replied.
The red head shrugged and waved before she too left the room.
-Hinata's Room-
Hinata stood in her room as she stared at the large pile of items on her bed. She had a week and a half's worth of clothing, field rations that would last her half a month, her standard ninja gear plus extra, and several canteens of water. It amounted to quite a lot when put all in one place. She was debating over the best way to pack everything when she suddenly went blind.
"Guess who." A voice asked and Hinata smiled.
"Naru." Hinata said as she turned around to face her girlfriend.
Naruko wrapped her arms around Hinata's waist once they were facing each other. The two shared a loving look before they kissed. Their lips separated and they held each other tightly for a moment before Naruko noticed the large amount of clutter on Hinata's bed.
"Need any help?" The red head questioned. Hinata turned while still in the red head's arms and looked at her belongings.
"I have everything I need, I just can't figure out how to pack it all." Hinata said as the red head dropped her arms and moved next to the bed.
"Why not just use a scroll? With a little sealing all of this could fit in one scroll." Naruko sated and Hinata's mouth opened slightly in wonder.
"Naru? You know fuinjutsu?" She asked and the red head nodded.
"Gramps taught me. I can show you how if you like. The basic stuff like this is pretty easy, but kind of tedious since you have to do each item individually." Naruko said.
The Hyuga heir smiled and let out a chuckle. It made sense now that she thought about it. Jiraiya was supposed to be a master of fuinjutsu so it was only natural that he would teach it to Naruko.
"I'd like that." Hinata said.
With a smile Naruko pulled out a blank scroll from one of the pouches on her belt and started to show Hinata how to seal her gear. After a few attempts the blue haired teen got the hang of it and set about sealing the rest of the objects on her bed. It took almost an hour for Hinata to seal everything. She was quite proud of her accomplishment and turned towards Naruko. Hinata's smile faded as she took in the sight of her girlfriend. Naruko was leaning against the wall looking out the window with a sad expression on her face. The red head did not even seem to be aware of her surroundings. Hinata walked towards the girl and placed her hand on her fox girl's shoulder. Naruko blinked as she came out of her thoughts. She smiled as she saw her Princess but Hinata could see that it was not the usual smile that her girlfriend had. Hinata raised her hand and caressed the fox girl's cheek.
"What's wrong Naru?" She asked. Naruko lifted her hand and took Hinata's into her own as she placed a kiss on her girlfriend's knuckles.
"Nothing Princess. I'm just remembering a sad story." Naruko said. Hinata laced her fingers together with Naruko's as she stared into the red head's eyes. After a moment the Hyuga girl nodded.
"Okay. It's getting late so we should probably get to bed. We don't want to be late for our first C-ranked mission." Hinata said.
The Hyuga then turned to walk away but stopped as she felt a tug on her hand. She peered over her should and saw that Naruko had a serious look on her face and love in her eyes. She stepped forward and took Hinata into her arms and held her close.
"I love you Hinata. I will always love you. I just wanted you to know that before we head out tomorrow. Just in case…" Naruko trailed off but Hinata knew what she meant.
The blue haired teen had been having similar thoughts as to what could happen on their first mission outside the village. To know that her girlfriend was also worried was somehow a comfort to the Hyuga girl. She smiled as she returned the hug.
"I love you too Naruko. And you don't have to talk like that. Nothing will happen to either of us. We'll both make sure of that." Hinata stated.
With that said Hinata put some space between them so she could plant a loving kiss on Naruko's lips. When the kiss ended the two girlfriends separated and went about their usual routine and headed for bed. They lied down next to each other on the mattress and Naruko rolled over slightly on top of Hinata. The red head snuggled into the warmth of her Princess.
"Goodnight Hinata." Naruko said and he blued haired teen placed a kiss on Naruko's forehead.
"Good night Naruko." Hinata replied before they fell asleep in each other's arms.
A/N: Not bad if I do say so myself, but I would still like to get some opinions. It seems a bit choppy to me in places.
Next time: Team Kurenai leaves the village.