Hello all!
It's been a while, sorry for the wait!
I'm want to dedicate this chapter to PotassiumNitrate for encouraging me to continue writing this story and everyone else who has stuck with me.
Reviews! Flood my inbox with them, it's much appreciated. Honestly, they are what keep me going. I appreciate each and every one of them and try to respond to them all, so please keep them coming! (Seriously, the more reviews I get the faster I'll get the next chapter out because they keep me typing).
Also…I have received lots of messages saying Otto is obviously the killer. I'm glad you all think so. Heh. Heh.
Okay, lot's of love from me. Take care. Enjoy.
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Chapter 22- Missions
"Scarlett."
"What's up?" the red haired woman asked, her legs propped up on the mans desk.
"What's going on back in the village?"
"Not sure," she said, unwrapping a piece of candy and popping it in her mouth. "I think your pawn's been slacking on the amount of kills recently. He hasn't called on me recently."
"Well, he has a certain set of rules as to who he picks."
"And none of the people in his lovely village fall under those rules?"
"Apparently, not anymore."
"What a disappointment. It was quite fun."
"Maybe so, but I don't think we can rely on him anymore."
"Rely on him for what?"
The man picked at an empty wrapper in thought. "A scapegoat? A decoy? Something along those lines."
Scarlett raised her eyebrows. "So it was about her this whole time."
The man nodded but changed the subject. "I do believe he's starting to regret his choices."
She rolled the piece of candy around in her mouth. "Getting cold feet?"
"It seems so. Not everyone is made to kill. Your psyche can take only so much. I believe the fuel driving his chosen murders is starting to dwindle."
"Shame. What am I doing again?"
"You follow the instructions he gives you."
"Sure, sure," she said with a wave of her arm. "His instructions."
The man laughed. "Exactly."
"And my little ability isn't why you keep me around? Is that why we don't need any people from that gang anymore?"
"You have it covered."
She sighed. "So now it's just me. It's up to me to carry out the dirty work."
"You like it dirty."
She smirked. "You would know." It was silent for a little while. The only sound was the crackling of another candy wrapper. "So why are you involved in this mission again?" Scarlett asked.
"I explained before."
"Revenge?"
"Yes," he was silent as if thinking about the thing that fueled him. "But also because I'm enjoying the freedom I feel doing this. This time I'm in control. I'm the one giving orders. And I get to let others feel the pain I've felt."
Scarlet blinked. "Tell me again why I'm here."
"You're obviously here for me," he said, giving her a sultry smile.
She laughed, but got up from her seat and walked over to the man, getting comfortable on his lap. She didn't quite believe him but she thought she might as well get the most out of the current job. It was requiring much more effort and time than she thought it would. At least it pays well, she thought. "You got that right," she said, before kissing him roughly. But she knew it wasn't just her body he wanted. No, he sought her out before because of a certain ability she had.
She felt the last of the candy melt on her tongue before darting it inside of his mouth.
.
.
"I kind of miss going on missions," Hinata said as she took a bite of the homemade ramen she made for Naruto and herself.
"Don't say that," Naruto said, suddenly getting serious and stopping mid-bite, the ramen noodles dangling precariously from his chopsticks. "I don't want you going anywhere. Let alone anywhere dangerous."
Hinata laughed. "Of course I won't. I can't," Hinata said, rubbing her belly. "But sometimes I miss it, ya know?" she teased.
Naruto slowly broke out into a grin. "That was real cute, do it again."
Hinata's face went slightly red as she laughed. "Okay: I kind of miss going on missions."
Naruto pouted, waving his chopsticks at her in a chastising sort of way. "You know that's not what I meant."
"I know," she said sweetly. Then her face fell and Naruto immediately knew her thoughts wandered to some past even.
"Which mission did you remember?"
"The one where you were supposed to be gone for two months," she said sadly.
"And I was gone for three," Naruto recalled grimly.
.
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One Year Ago
It rained all week.
Naruto had left for his mission approximately three months ago. For a couple of weeks during the first two months she had been busy with her own on and off missions. Coming home to an empty house after each finished one was a different experience for her. Years ago she would go home to the Hyuga Compound, and more recently she would come home to Naruto. But now, as she rushed inside to get away from the pouring rain, standing alone in the darkened doorway made the large house seem even emptier.
She slipped off her wet shoes and carefully made her way to the bedroom, trying not to slip on the wooden floor with her wet feet. She had really hoped to find Naruto waiting for her at home. She wished that everyday for the past few weeks.
Today was another disappointing one.
Two months, she thought, rummaging through the dresser for dry clothes to change into. He was already the Hokage but was still considered an active ninja. Currently he was on an S-rank mission that was supposed to end one month ago. No one was supposed to know the details about the mission and so she was in the dark.
And she didn't like it one bit.
Three months…she thought sadly, her fingers stopping on orange fabric. She pulled at it and realized it was one of Naruto's shirts. She was trying to maintain her composure but it was enough worrying about her husband for two months doing who knows what kind of dangerous things but now he was missing for a whole extra month and she had no way to contact him. Naruto-kun…
She buried her face in the piece of clothing, trying to stop tears from flowing. No, don't cry. He wouldn't want me to cry. She swallowed hard and rushed into the bathroom, stripping off her wet clothes and stepping under the hot shower. She allowed the water to wet her hair and stream down her face, her salty tears mixing with the water droplets. She just wanted to know if he was okay. Even if he didn't come home to her she really just wanted to know that he was safe.
She heard the loud rumble of thunder and gusts of wind rattling the windows throughout the house as she stepped out of the shower to dry herself. She slipped on a pair of shorts and Naruto's orange shirt before shuffling her way to the kitchen. She wasn't in the mood to make anything so she decided on eating one of those instant ramen packs Naruto had left in the pantry.
She sat at the table simply staring at the container. Three minutes. Naruto always hated the wait after pouring the boiling water in. Three minutes, Naruto-kun. Imagine three months.
She ate the food slowly, trying to savor each bite. Instant ramen wasn't particularly her favorite food to eat, but it would do. After she finished, she emptied the trash, cleaned up the kitchen and made sure the house was locked up and the windows closed tight to prevent rainwater from dripping in. She turned off the lights and slid into bed, staring at the storm brewing outside. Rain pelted against the window, creating a thin layer of water and making it almost impossible to actually see anything, except blurs, outside.
Naruto…was her last thought before she finally drifted off to sleep.
BANG!
Hinata shot up in bed, armed with a kunai. She looked around, senses alert. It was quiet. Hinata glanced outside and realized it had stopped raining. She heard footsteps somewhere outside her room and quickly activated her Byakugan. Her eyes widened, filling with unshed tears. She jumped out of bed, throwing the weapon onto the bedside table and flung open the door just as Naruto held out his hand to turn the knob.
Hinata didn't realize she was holding her breath.
They stared at each other, the only light source being the light from the moon.
"Hinata-"
She didn't hesitate to fling her arms around him. He reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her tightly, bringing her close to him. "Naruto-kun!" she sobbed happily.
"I missed you," he whispered.
She said nothing. She just pressed her face into his chest, not willing to let him go. "Don't do that," she said, her voice muffled. "D-don't ever do that."
He kissed the top of her head. "Don't do what, Hina-hime?"
"Don't…just don't be gone for so long," she said, pulling away and looking at him.
Naruto felt a tug at his heart. Here was his wonderful wife, wearing his shirt, her eyes sad and filled with worry, holding onto him like her life depended on it. It was hard enough for him to be away from her for so long but imagining her side of the story made him feel very guilty. She didn't know his whereabouts or what condition he was in. Whether he was hurt or even alive. He could only imagine how insane and uneasy he would have felt if their roles were reversed. Her bottom lip trembled and he gently ran a finger across her lips. "I'm sorry, Hinata. I'll try not to," he promised.
She threw her arms around his neck and pulled herself up to bring her lips to his, kissing him frantically. He responded eagerly, hooking his hands at the back of her knees. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he picked her up, slamming their bedroom door shut with his foot. Hinata found her back pressed against the bed, with Naruto on top of her.
"You're lucky you were at home when I came back," he whispered into her neck, scraping his teeth across her skin.
"Why?" she asked with a gasp.
"I haven't seen you in three months, Hinata. I planned on making love to you where ever I found you," he said, staring down at her with glazed eyes. She was blushing brightly at his bluntness. "And whenever I found you. Morning or night."
And he did.
.
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Present Time
"Hinata, you're blushing," Naruto teased.
"That night was…interesting," she said, her face bright.
"You mean amazing!"
Hinata giggled. "If you say so," she said, hiding a small smirk.
Naruto froze, staring at her with wide eyes. "What do you mean, 'if you say so'?" He looked worried and confused and Hinata couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm just playing, Naruto-kun."
"Are you saying you didn't like-that you don't like…that-oh man, Hinata!" he covered his face in his hands and she could see the tips of his ears were red.
"Calm down," she said, still laughing. "Naruto-kun, I was kidding. Don't be embarrassed."
"No, no, no!" he moaned, resting his head on the table. "Now I don't know what to think." Suddenly he shot up in his seat, hands on the table and leaned down towards Hinata, face serious. "Hinata, what do you want me to do to you?"
Hinata stopped laughing, her blush returning. "H-huh?"
"When we're having sex-"
"Naruto-kun!"
Naruto chuckled. "When we're sleeping together," he amended. "Tell me what you like and what you don't," he insisted.
Hinata gave him a smile. "Naruto-kun, you were right, okay? It was amazing."
Naruto pouted and narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe you."
Her eyebrows shot up. "Really?"
He stared at her for a few more seconds before plopping down on his seat again, arms hanging limply at his side. "Hinata, my self confidence dropped down to zero when you said, 'if you say so,'" he groaned.
Hinata giggled. "There's no reason your self-confidence should be so low."
He sat up straighter, still looking a bit unsure. "Really?"
"I promise."
They both knew how important promises were to each other and she saw her husband visually relax. "Well, okay."
"I mean it, Naruto-kun," she said, blushing again. "It really was amazing. Is amazing."
Slowly his goofy grin returned to his face. "Yeah?"
Hinata tried not to roll her eyes. He could be such a guy sometimes. "Yes."
He immediately returned to his ramen, slurping it loudly. "Well, now that that's settled, I can enjoy your food again."
She watched him fondly as he got up refill his bowl.
"How come you're not eating?" he asked, as he sat down once again.
"I feel kind of queasy," she said.
Naruto looked at her, his face expressing his concern. "Is it the baby?"
Hinata rubbed her stomach slowly. "I don't know."
"It can't be this ramen," Naruto said with a grin. "This thing tastes so much better with the fresh ingredients you added from the garden."
"I'm glad you like it," Hinata said, smiling. "I chopped up some green onions I picked earlier today just for you. To get some vegetables into your body."
"Who knew I'd willingly eat anything that wasn't ramen."
Hinata laughed. "You ate those rice cakes I made for you a long time ago on a mission."
Naruto nodded, looking up at the ceiling. "You're right. I remember. They looked like me."
She smiled, resting her head on her hand. "And you told me I'd make a good wife some day."
"Well, I certainly didn't lie."
Hinata blushed. "You really think so?"
"No doubt in my mind."
Hinata giggled.
Since when have you gotten so 'smooth' with your words? Kurama echoed in Naruto's mind.
Naruto rolled his eyes and Hinata quirked up an eyebrow in question. "Kurama," Naruto explained.
Hinata nodded in understanding. She was used to this. Naruto would occasionally recede into his mind to have a conversation with the nine-tails about all kinds of different things. She often noticed sometimes he'd be smiling to himself or chuckling. Other times his eyebrows would be scrunched together in frustration with his hands clenched into fists, and she would get very curious as to what was going on in there. He would normally tell her what they talked about but she would insist that some things should be kept in private between the fox and his container, in which Naruto would counter that she was his wife, and he wouldn't hide anything from her. He also told her that Kurama had grown fond of her and didn't mind his words being shared.
Hinata smiled to herself at those thoughts that went through her head.
"Hinata, remember that long mission you had to go on some time after I came back?" Naruto said, bringing her out of her thoughts.
She looked surprised. I wonder what Kurama said to him to bring that to his mind. She nodded. "I remember."
"Boy, I was so upset," Naruto said. "I didn't want you leaving for so long."
"But then you were really happy," Hinata said.
Naruto returned her smile. "Oh yeah, I ended up really, really, happy."
.
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A Little Over Six Months Ago
Half a year had passed since Naruto returned from the mission Hinata was so distraught over. He had resumed his position as Hokage and continued doing the jobs that came with it, including assigning missions. Hinata had been assigned to only occasional small and quick missions and this hadn't gone unnoticed by the elders.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in," Naruto said, scribbling something on a piece of paper, not bothering to look up. The door opened with a small creak and Naruto glanced up to see Hinata walk in nervously. "Hey, I didn't know you'd be coming by today."
"Mhm," she mumbled. "Konohamaru let me in."
"Yeah, he's been doing some apprentice/secretary type of work for me," Naruto explained.
"He probably doesn't like that," Hinata said with a small smile.
"Nope, he doesn't. He's more of a talking with his fists kind of guy. Not a desk one," Naruto said, watching his wife curiously as she walked to the middle of the room, standing in front of his desk.
"But if it's his dream to become Hokage he has to learn to like the paperwork. Maybe at least a little," she said, twisting and turning the ring on her index finger.
"It grows on you," he said. "No really. It literally grows on you," Naruto said, indicating to the stacks of paper piled on the corners of his desk that seemed to sprout more and more sheets each day. Hinata giggled. "Hinata, what's wrong?" Naruto asked, noticing small details about her behavior that made him believe there was something to worry about.
Hinata bit her lip, trying hard not to poke her fingers together. "I've been assigned a mission," she said finally.
Naruto looked shocked. "I don't remember assigning you anything."
"The elders did."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Are they even allowed to do that?" Hinata said nothing. "Eh, fine. Whatever…old geezers," he muttered. "So what're the details of the mission?"
"I can't disclose much," she said, standing straighter and her hands now behind her back. "S-rank."
Naruto frowned. "Oh."
She gave him a tentative smile. "Don't think I can handle it?"
Naruto laughed. "I'm sure you can. But that doesn't mean I want you to go."
"I'll be on the mission with Kurenai-sensei and Tenten," Hinata informed.
"Shouldn't there be four members?"
"We will be going somewhere near Suna."
"So Shikamaru's lovely wife will be joining you?"
"It's an undercover mission," she said. "The details aren't very important."
"You mean you aren't allowed to tell me," he said with a smirk.
"That too," she smiled.
Naruto stared at her, wondering why she was acting a bit distant. He tried to wheedle more information out of her. "Hinata, what else is there to this mission?"
She wavered, glancing at the floor before looking back up at him, biting her lip again. "It's six months long."
Naruto shot up in his seat. "WHAT?"
"I leave tomorrow."
"WHAT?"
"Naruto-kun-"
"TOMORROW?"
"Nar-"
"Six months?" he was immediately at her side, hands on her shoulders. "You're kidding me!" She shook her head. He let go and paced the room, running his hands through his hair, muttering under his breath. "I'm going to kill those geezers."
"Naruto-kun!"
"But Hinata, six months?"
"I don't like it either…"
"Can't they get another kunoichi?" Naruto practically whined. "Are you absolutely necessary in this mission?"
"I don't think I am…"
"Then why did they pick you?" he groaned, rubbing his face.
Hinata smiled at him tenderly. Because I have been going on easy missions for a while now, she thought. She appreciated his worry but also understood where the elders were coming from. "I'm sure the six months will go by quickly."
Naruto looked at her seriously. "How fast did those two to three months go when I was gone?"
Hinata cringed. "Very slowly." He pouted. "Sorry."
He shook his head. "You have no reason to be," he sighed. He faced her, mouth tilted into a frown, not knowing what to say. She was no longer fidgeting with her ring or biting her lip so he knew that she felt more relaxed simply by saying what she had to say. "What are your plans now, Hinata?"
"I think I should go back and start packing," she said.
"Lot's to pack," Naruto stated. She nodded. "Six months," he sighed.
"Sorry…"
"No, no," he said, walking up to her and kissing her on the forehead. "You go on and do what you have to. Make sure you pack things that'll keep you warm."
"But we're heading to the dessert-"
"It doesn't matter," he insisted. "It's winter time and…I dunno, just pack everything."
Hinata smiled at his flustered expression. "Yes, sir, Hokage-sama."
He smirked. "I'll see you later," he said, kissing her soundly.
He watched her leave and stood in the middle of the room for a few moments, everything that had just happened processing through his head. SIX MONTHS! He groaned. He lazily sat down in his chair and rubbed his eyes warily. With a sigh he blearily opened his eyes and tried to concentrate on the work in front of him again. He stared at the words and numbers on the pages, nothing quite sinking in. He did as much as he could for as long as he could but his mind kept drifting back to thoughts of his wife heading out to a S-rank, half a yearlong mission.
I wonder if she's allowed to send me letters, he thought as he sifted through a binder. What an important question, he thought to himself with a snigger. I think I'll go ask her. He immediately formed several shadow clones to finish up his work and left his office, locking the door behind him.
"Konohamaru," he said to the young man seated at a table on his way out of the building.
"Yes, boss?"
"I might not be back for the remainder of the night," he said. "Feel free to go home whenever."
"I didn't finish my work though-"
"You're a smart kid, I'm sure you'll think of some way to get it done while you're kind of not here."
Konohamaru watched the man leave, his robe fluttering behind him. Naruto had raised his right hand up to signal a goodbye and Konohamaru racked his brain as to what his "mentor" had meant. If Naruto had found a loophole to get himself out of doing work, he sure as hell could! Konohamaru formed himself a shadow clone to help himself think. Both sat cross-legged with faces of intense concentration, trying to think of the answer. After all, aren't two heads were better than one?
Naruto rushed home once he was out the doors of the building. He wondered how much time had passed since Hinata had left his office and wondered if she got much packing done.
Probably, he thought with a smile. She's much more efficient than I am, that's for sure.
He slowed down to a walk once he was closer and walked into the house casually, locking the door behind him. He hung up his robe and slipped off his shoes before venturing inside.
"Hinata?" he called as he navigated through the hallway.
"In the bedroom!" he heard her voice sort of muffled from behind the closed door.
He peeked inside warily but saw Hinata near the dressing table combing her long hair. He looked around the room and saw her packed bag sitting in a corner.
"You're all done with work, Naruto-kun?" she asked.
"Kind of," he said vaguely. "Did you pack extra kunai?" he asked. "And shuriken?"
"Yup," she said, watching his reflection in the mirror.
Naruto started to strip off his clothes and tossed them in the hamper. "What about some of that medicinal cream of yours?"
"I took a huge jar," she answered, setting the comb down. She tied her hair up into a loose bun before slipping into bed.
Naruto, now only in his boxers, shivered from the chilly air. He turned off the lights and quickly scrambled into bed. He peaked his head out from under the covers, making Hinata laugh. As soon as she got into bed he slid up so that he was at her side. He found her hand underneath the covers and put his on top. "Hinata, I don't want you to go."
"I don't want to go either," she admitted.
"Six-"
"I know…"
He looked at her with longing eyes before slowly leaning down to give her a deep kiss. "I'm going to miss you, ya know?" he said softly, his hands brushing the skin underneath her shirt.
"I'm going to miss you too," she said softly, placing the palms of her hands against his chest.
He rolled over so that he was lying on top of her, making sure not to crush her with his weight. The rise and fall of her chest and the curves of his body made blood surge through his veins. He kissed the tip of her nose before trailing his pecks of affection slowly down her to her lips. Hinata brought her hands to his waist, returning his kiss with as much passion as he gave it.
Naruto propped himself up slightly and ran his fingers down her body, stopping at the hem of her shirt. He brought his face down to her toned stomach and kissed her exposed skin as he slowly pulled of her shirt.
Hinata giggled as he moved his mouth against her ribs.
"What?" Naruto asked, stopping from his ministrations and glancing up.
"That tickles," she said with a laugh.
Naruto grinned and kissed her on the lips once again before fully removing her shirt. He pulled over the blankets to cover most of their bodies from the cold air before moving his attention to her neck. She tilted her head to bare more of her skin and combed her fingers through his golden hair. He rubbed his body against hers and she let out a little purr that Naruto always loved to hear. He trailed his kisses down to the rise of her breasts, quickly unclasping her bra and throwing the garment somewhere in the dark room.
Hinata laughed. "Naruto-kun, a little excited are we?"
He brought his face close to hers, his breath mingling with hers. "Well, I have a couple of months to make up for, don't I?"
Hinata hummed in agreement and Naruto felt the vibration when he placed his lips on hers. He moved his hands to fondle her breasts and she responded with a short gasp. She moved his body against his, making him grunt in satisfaction. He brought his lips to her chest as he fumbled with the waistband of her pants. He momentarily sat up to remove her pajama pants before reasserting his attention to her breasts. She closed her eyes in bliss at the feel of his tongue, lips, and occasionally teeth, nipping and nibbling at her skin.
Naruto brought his hands down lower to caress her between her legs and her hips instinctively pushed up against him. He could feel the cold smoothness of the ring on her finger as she trailed her hands down from the rippling muscles of his back lower and lower to his rear. She pulled at his boxers, using her toes to continue removing the article of clothing when her arms couldn't reach anymore.
Naruto looked up at her, a small smirk evident on his face. "Who's excited now?"
Hinata pouted, her eyes half lidded, and bit her lip. Naruto's laugh caught in his throat at the sultry look she gave him. He let out a moan before roughly kissing her, gripping her sides tightly, pressing their waists together. She could feel his excitement and he could feel her heat through the thin fabric of her underwear.
"I love you, Naruto-kun," she whispered, her cheeks dusted red and her eyes glazed over.
"I love you too, Hinata," he said, his voice deep with desire. "I love you so much."
They kissed again and Naruto undid the bun on Hinata's head, allowing her hair to tumble loose against her bare shoulders. He gently moved some strands of her hair before biting the crook of her neck, gently enough not to leave a mark, but hard enough to make her sigh in pleasure. They continued to touch, feel, and caress one another before Naruto gripped her bottom. She arched into him, rubbing against him and he hissed in ecstasy. He removed her panties and rocked his hips against her, just grazing against her.
"Naruto-kun…" she moaned quietly, gripping his back. He was teasing, and she knew it.
"Tell me what you want, Hina-hime," he whispered, nibbling her earlobe, and holding on tightly to her thighs.
Her face was red from both arousal and embarrassment, but she said nothing. They made eye contact and, without warning, Naruto found himself pressed against the bed with Hinata on top of him. She was normally shy and didn't do this type of thing and it caught him off guard. But the look on her face, loving and sensual made him twitch with even more desire. She kissed him softly but he grabbed the back of her head and pressed their lips together harder. He knew what she was saying. It wasn't time to play games. It was time to love each other and become enveloped in each other's presence.
In one swift move she was pinned again. "Hinata," he panted, breathing heavily. He pulled at her lip and just barely brushed his fingers down along her body. "Tell me what you want," he repeated.
Her chest was heaving, and she pulled herself up to give him a heated kiss. "You," she breathed out.
Naruto smiled at his wife. He kissed her and he and finally gave her what they both wanted.
It was only the first time of many for that night.
Two Months Later
Naruto was heading back from work and the first thing he did was check his mailbox. He was frowning as he sifted through the letters.
Bills.
Bills.
Spam.
A copy of Icha-Icha? What the hell? Naruto looked at the name of the sender and his face scrunched up in disgust. Kakashi-bastard-sensei. What the hell are you thinking?
He rolled his eyes and continued flipping through the letters until he got to one that made his face light up.
Hinata!
As soon as he walked through the door he sprawled out on his couch and ripped open the letter from Hinata. He had received one every week so far and each contained a cute picture of Hinata and sometimes Tenten, Kurenai, and Temari. He knew for certain this oh-so-secretive S-rank mission was taking place somewhere in the dessert. He didn't know the details but he didn't care so much, as long as his friends were safe and they were allowed to send these messages.
Naruto held the envelope in his hand and realized it was much thicker than usual. He emptied it out onto the cushion in front of him and a bunch of pictures fell out. He was surprised at the number of photographs but didn't complain. He rolled over onto his back and went through them one by one.
A picture of Hinata covering her face while Tenten hugged her, looking ecstatic. Kurenai was staring at her fondly. Naruto smiled at the picture and wondered why Hinata wasn't looking at the camera.
The next picture was a bit stranger, Tenten had pulled out a shuriken and kunai out of her bag and Kurenai had a hand on her hip, smiling but looking uncertain. Hinata wasn't looking at the camera but her eyes were wide and her face was red as she watched her partner carefully. Naruto raised his eyebrows in confusion.
Then next picture Tenten had inserted the kunai into the hole of the shuriken and Naruto couldn't help but blush at the vulgar gesture that that symbolized. Many kids training to become ninjas used to do this when they were younger. The kunai, long and hard, stuck into the hole of the shuriken. Naruto rolled his eyes and realized this time Temari was in the picture. She was laughing and Hinata had covered her face again, seemingly blushing once more. Naruto laughed out loud. He was sure he knew what Tenten and Temari were implying and poor Hinata had to deal with that on her own.
The next picture had all four of the kunoichi lined up against a sandy looking wall. Temari was leaning against the building casually, a grin on her face and had one finger pointed at Hinata's waist or something. Naruto didn't pay much mind to that. Kurenai had an arm wrapped around her former students shoulder and was looking down. At Hinata's shoes? Naruto shrugged. Tenten looked giddy and Hinata was smiling nervously at the camera. Nauto was confused. Usually Hinata included a letter and one picture of herself occasionally with her teammates. This? This was nice but he didn't get what was going on.
He moved on. The last picture was only Hinata. He smiled. She wasn't wearing her vest or ninja gear but was wearing a simple dress and was facing the side so he couldn't see her entire face. He could tell she was smiling. She had her hand on her stomach and he tilted his head slightly confused. Did she have a stomachache or something? He placed the pictures aside and picked up the short letter still in the envelope.
Naruto-kun!
I have some good news.
There have been a change of plans and I'll be returning to Konoha sooner than you think. I'm no longer eligible to go on missions for the next couple of months so I'll be heading home as soon as I can. Can you guess why? I can't wait!
Lots and lots of love,
Hinata
Naruto stared at her writing and blinked.
And blinked again.
Not eligible to go on missions?
He sat up and scrambled to get the pictures again.
Is she hurt?
He quickly flicked through the images but saw no bruises or cuts or scrapes.
She's asking me to guess why…
He stared at the picture of just Hinata closely. For the next couple of months… Slowly his frown changed into a grin as his eyes widened in recognition, filling with tears of joy. He felt his cheeks get wet as happiness flood through his body.
It took a lot of self-control for him not to yell and scream happily.
That self-control lasted only for a few seconds.
"Screw it," he muttered and rushed to the window, opening them with a bang. "I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER!" he yelled out for all of Konoha to hear.
.
.
Maybe you all noticed but a lot of this half of the story is just an expansion of Naruto and Hinata's relationship. I like exploring the different things that could happen in the world of fanfiction.
Anyway, leave a review and thanks for reading!
-Magma
Up Next: Jealousy
"Naruto felt himself go cold and Sakura brought her hand up to her mouth in a gasp. She did not expect that. None of them did."