A/N
I like to think my English writing skills are better than Kishi's would be. I'm not him, and I don't own Naruto.
I don't really have anything else to say, so I'll just let you read. Enjoy!
Chapter 3
Knock Knock. Shizune and Tsunade looked up from the desk, and Tsunade frowned at the door.
"Come in."
Naruto warily opened the door, stepping inside. He walked forward slowly, eying Tsunade carefully. There was a lightning-quick movement, and Naruto immediately dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the chair that rocketed past. It slammed into the wall, shattering into pieces.
After Tsunade broke the walls a few times, the Hokage Tower was rebuilt. They rebuilt it out of solid concrete, with steel rebar running through the walls, from down in the foundation all the way up to the roof. A tornado could flatten the rest of Konoha, but you could be damn sure that the Hokage Tower wasn't going anywhere. And, this way, the walls were Tsunade-proof.
"HEY!" Naruto shouted. "What the hell was that for?"
"SHUT UP, BRAT!" Tsunade yelled, throwing a potted plant.
Naruto dodged this too, and the pot exploded against the wall in a shower of dirt and clay.
"Get off your ass and come see me yourself, you lazy twerp!" Tsunade said, and threw a stapler with deadly accuracy.
Unfortunately, Naruto was just a little too slow this time. The stapler clipped his right bicep, and he imploded in a cloud of smoke.
"How did you know it was a clone?" Shizune asked curiously.
"Remember this, Shizune. When it comes to Naruto, it's ALWAYS a clone." Tsunade said seriously.
LTLTLTLT
"And then...Damn!" Naruto broke off suddenly, mid-sentence.
Hinata raised her eyebrows at him, quizzically, and continued to chew her barbecue.
His hands formed a familiar handseal, and a clone of Naruto appeared, dashing off. "Granny's grumpy tonight." Naruto said by way of explanation.
Hinata nodded as if that made sense, and returned to her barbecue.
LTLTLTLT
Naruto jumped down into the Inuzuka compound, stopping for a second to take his bearings. The setting sun was almost past the horizon, casting long shadows into the compound, making it difficult to see.
The walkway Naruto was on was made entirely of brick. It was about as wide as Naruto was tall, and it had rows of plants on either side. To his right, a row of bushes met a brick wall that rose above his shoulders. Grapevines twisted up the wall in a chaotic maze so complex it was impossible to follow one vine from top to bottom.
To his left, a row of grass preceded another row of bushes. The bushes were prickly, and they were filled with small red berries that Naruto knew better than to eat. He had tried a handful as a kid, and if the bitter taste and grainy texture weren't enough, they also left him sick for the rest of the night.
On the other side of the bushes was another stretch of grass, and then another walkway and the wall. Naruto jogged down the walkway, making sure to glance over to the other side as well.
He pricked his ears as laughter echoed down the passageway. He slowed to a walk as he recognized the chakra signatures.
The long, deep shadow kept even Naruto's keen eyesight from picking them out until he was within speaking range.
Naruto smirked as he felt the wind blow against his face. With the wind to his front, there was almost no chance of them smelling him. That meant he could sneak up on them.
Naruto stopped as they came into view. Ken, Chamaru, Akamaru and Kiba were lined up in front of the last bush on the right.
What the hell?
The sound of a zipper being zipped up drifted to his ears. Ken moved aside to join Kiba, who was standing with a satisfied air.
Chamaru walked up, lifted a leg, and peed in the same spot. Then Akamaru did the same thing.
"What the hell?" Naruto vocalized his thoughts.
Ken and Kiba, as well as the two Ninken, whirled to face him.
"Oh. Hey Naruto." Kiba said, relaxing.
"Umm...Sensei? How long have you been standing there?" Ken asked, apparently the only one to realize that Naruto wasn't witnessing what he thought was normal behavior. When Naruto didn't respond, gaping, he continued..."Uh... we were just marking our territory..." he laughed awkwardly.
What has been seen cannot be unseen. Naruto shook his head rapidly.
The Kyuubi laughed behind his bars, his malevolent cackle echoing in Naruto's head.
"OH!" Ken said suddenly, remembering. "What happened? Is Hanabi alright?"
"And what about Hinata?" Kiba added, trying to sound nonchalant.
Naruto's brain kick-started."Oh. Right. Why I'm here. They're both fine." Naruto said.
Ken sighed in relief, and Kiba's shoulders relaxed a little. He clapped Ken's shoulder. "See? I told you there was nothing to worry about. Don't ever underestimate your Sensei."
"Awww, thanks Kiba." Naruto grinned, kneeling down to pet the two dogs.
"I was talking about Hinata." Kiba joked.
"No kidding." Naruto said seriously, turning to Ken. "Don't be fooled by that caring, compassionate, outer shell. Man, I remember this one time, after we got back from the war, there was this really aggressive fangirl who wouldn't leave me alone. Hinata got a little protective and...well, it was basically the most terrifying thing I've ever seen...and that's saying something."
Kiba laughed. "That's nothing. This one time, when we were genin, Shino made a comment about you coming up short in the intelligence department." Akamaru's wagging tail sped up.
"Hinata decided to give him a lesson on what happens when a Taijutsu specialist gets inside his ninjutsu range." Kiba grinned. "He was skittish around her for a month, flinched every time she said his name, and he couldn't look at her for a whole week." Akamaru barked, wagging his tail fiercely.
Naruto grinned, and Ken laughed. "I bet he started practicing his Taijutsu after that!" The boy exclaimed.
Kiba laughed. "You have no idea."
Naruto smiled slightly, watching as Chamaru rubbed his face against Naruto's palm, eyes closed in ecstasy.
Akamaru buried his nose in Naruto's crotch. "Oof! What the hell, dog, you know it's me!" Naruto exclaimed, scooting backwards.
Akamaru backed up a little, and barked a couple times, wagging his tail. Chamaru wagged his tail fiercely in response, and the two Inuzuka laughed.
"Akamaru says he still doesn't smell any girl down there. What good's being the village hero and the future Hokage if you can't even get laid, dude?" Kiba asked.
"Hey. You're corrupting my students." Naruto said, shooting a glance at the grinning Chunin.
"Sensei. I've seen dogs mating in the courtyard since I was, like, 6." Ken said, exasperated.
"Still..." Naruto mumbled, uncomfortable.
"You know, if you won't accept any advances from any of your fangirls, then you should at least ask Hinata out." Kiba continued.
"Actually, Hinata and I are on a date right now." Naruto said, feeling vindicated.
He took a second to relish the expression on their faces. "Aaaaand now I'm going to leave before you can ask troublesome questions."
Kiba jumped forward, grabbing for Naruto's shirt. "Wait!"
Naruto evaporated into smoke, which slipped through Kiba's grasping fingers. "Damn!" Kiba said, frustrated. "That was a clone?"
Ken looked up, completely serious. "It's always a clone, Kiba." Chamaru barked in agreement.
LTLTLTLT
Naruto knocked on the door.
"Come in." Tsunade's voice sounded from the other side.
"It's the real me this time." Naruto said, warily opening the door and walking in. Tsunade and Shizune were sitting behind the large desk, looking over some paperwork. They both smiled at him when he walked in.
"Oh. Hey Naruto." Tsunade said warmly. Still smiling, she reached for a cup on her desk, filled with various writing instruments, from pencils to highlighters.
Naruto tensed. The Hokage was smiling exactly like a fox, before they pounced on their prey. Naruto knew exactly what that smile looked like.
Shizune gasped in alarm as the Hokage started slicing the air with pens and pencils, all aimed at Naruto.
Naruto ducked and weaved, dodging the projectiles as best he could. "What the hell? IT'S ME YOU OLD HAG!" He yelled.
"LIAR! I can tell the difference, brat!"
Shizune covered her ears. She still remembered the first time she had listened to a yelling match between Tsunade and Naruto. She hadn't covered her ears, for fear of looking weak. Her ears had rang for hours.
Tsunade took a second cup of pens, and cast it into the air in a wide arc. As Naruto looked up, to dodge the rain of projectiles, Tsunade cast one last pen, which she had kept in her hand. It speared Naruto right in the chest, and he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Shizune looked in distress at the swamp of writing utensils covering the floor. She sighed heavily.
Tsunade looked at Shizune, then at the floor. "Just leave them, Shizune." She said, grinning slightly.
Shizune sighed. "Hai, Hokage-sama." Then a thought struck her. "Tsunade-sama? How can you tell the difference between the clones and the real thing?" She asked, curious.
Tsunade laughed. "That's easy. The clones are always wary, looking out for anything that might make them dispel. The real Naruto is completely oblivious." She said, grinning. She gestured to the floor.
Shizune looked at the floor for a second, uncomprehending. Then , in spite of herself, she grinned.
LTLTLTLT
Naruto and Hinata reclined in their booths, relaxing. Naruto had paid, the dishes had been taken away, and now they were just chatting absentmindedly. Well, Naruto was the one doing most of the chatting, but Hinata didn't mind. She wasn't all that much of a talker.
The good thing was, she didn't have to fake interest or amusement. Naruto was genuinely a funny guy. I wonder at what point he actually picked up social skills. Hinata thought absentmindedly. Naruto had come a long way from the thirteen year-old brat who only knew one way to communicate; shouting.
Of course, at the time, Hinata had admired him for that very trait.
The grill in front of them had put out a lot of heat, and Naruto was glad, for it excused the light blush on his cheeks. After it had started heating up, Hinata had shyly taken off her jacket, revealing the form-hugging mesh shirt underneath.
It took an extraordinary amount of will not to stare at her breasts, but Naruto was a strong-willed man. He contented himself with only a quick glance every minute or so.
Then he absorbed the clone's memory. "Damn." He said.
"What?" Hinata asked.
"Granny's really, really not in a good mood tonight. I suppose I'll actually have to go see her myself." He said, sighing a little.
"The Hokage?" Hinata asked.
"Yeah."
Hinata grinned. She had been so worried about Hanabi, and then so distracted by Naruto, that she hadn't even thought about reporting to the Hokage.
"Well...I suppose we shouldn't keep her waiting much longer." Hinata said regretfully. She didn't really want to leave.
"We?" Naruto asked, surprised.
"Yeah. She'll probably want to hear from me too." Hinata said, standing up and putting on her jacket.
"Errr... Actually, I don't think that's such a good idea." Naruto said, standing too. "Granny's pretty dangerous tonight...besides I'm sure you're tired, after today."
"I guess so." Hinata said. She supposed that she should've been tired, but being near Naruto filled her with nervous energy, and she didn't feel tired at all.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Naruto said. Then, sensing her hesitation, he added, "If she asks, I'll just tell her you're exhausted and will report tommorow."
It warmed Hinata's heart, that he was concerned for her. "Okay." She said, as they exited the restaurant. It's not like she could really refuse Naruto anyway.
They paused awkwardly, in the street, facing each other. They were going in completely opposite directions. Hinata searched Naruto's blue eyes. "Naruto-kun. Thank you so much. For everything." She said, her voice raw with emotion.
Naruto stared back. He remembered the feeling in his chest as he had chased after Hinata, desperate to catch up. "I'm really glad you're okay." He said. The words felt totally inadequate.
Simultaneously, they stepped forward, enveloping each other in a tight hug. Naruto was surprised to find that Hinata was almost as tall as him. All he had to do was lean over a little, and she could put her chin on his shoulder, her cheek against his. Most of his fangirls didn't even come up to his shoulders.
After a few seconds they separated. Hinata searched Naruto's eyes, staring into the blue depths that were impossible to read.
His eyes dropped to her lips, and for a heart-stopping second she thought he was going to kiss her.
"I'll see you around." Naruto said, and then he was gone.
Hinata turned around, starting the walk home. She couldn't hide the radiant smile on her face. When Hinata entered the Hyuuga compound, she was certain she would never be able to get to sleep, she was still so full of energy.
She fell asleep the second her head hit the pillow.
LTLTLTLT
Naruto was still smiling like an idiot when he opened the Hokage's door, not bothering to knock. The smile was knocked off his face a second later, as his foot rolled over a pen, and he crashed onto his tailbone.
Tsunade and Shizune both looked up, Shizune covering her mouth with her hand, and Tsunade openly laughing at Naruto.
"You left all this shit on the floor?" Naruto whined.
"Language, brat." Tsunade said.
Naruto made 10 clones, which knelt down and started rapidly clearing the floor of writing utensils.
Tsunade watched as the clones carried them over to her desk, and dumped them in the two large cups. "Thank you." She said, as they dispelled. She picked up one of the cups, and preceded to start chucking pens at Naruto.
"If you know it's me why are you still chucking things at me?" Naruto asked, dodging around the pens.
"TWO WEEKS I SAID! All I wanted was two quiet weeks, two peaceful weeks before I retired! I told you to stay here and train your little Chunin team so...that...you...wouldn't...get...into...trouble!" Each word was punctuated with a deadly projectile.
"And you ask why I'm mad at you? When, instead of the easy transition I asked for, you plant a political crisis on my desk instead?" She threw another pen, causing Naruto to duck, leaving the pen quivering in the door.
"THEY KIDNAPPED MY STUDENT!" Naruto shouted in frustration.
"And then, on top of that, you don't even bother coming to report to your Hokage for a few hours?" Tsunade shouted, ignoring him.
Shizune had her hands clamped firmly over her ears.
"I TRIED! TWICE!" Naruto shouted back angrily. "It's your own fault-"
"This is all your fault!" Tsunade shouted, drowning him out. "You attract trouble like a lantern attracts moths!"
"And what do you want me to do about it?" Naruto asked, exasperated.
"Oh, good. I was hoping you'd ask." Tsunade said, voice abruptly normal, retaking her seat. "I want you to go to Kumo and talk to the Raikage about it. I'm sure you remember what happened when Hinata was kidnapped as a young girl."
"Yeah." Naruto said, remembering his fight with Neji in the Chunin exams.
"I have a feeling that if you're the one to talk to the Raikage, you might be able to arrive at a peaceful conclusion to this mess. Without any more bloodshed."
"I see. Alright, I'll do it."
"Good. I've assigned a couple of ANBU to travel with you-"
"That won't be necessary." Naruto said calmly. "I won't be traveling to Kumo the normal way."
"You expect me to allow you to wander into Kumo without guards?" Tsunade asked.
"Yes. Because you don't have a choice. I don't feel like taking a couple days to travel to Kumo when I could do it my way instead. Besides, I won't be there long." Naruto said confidently.
Tsunade shook her head. "Whatever, brat. Just don't get yourself killed."She knotted her fingers together, staring at him. "Now. Report."
LTLTLTLTLT
Earlier that evening
Naruto traveled to the very bottom of the Hokage Monument, directly below the Third's head. The door was small, and hidden behind the vegetation that grew against the bottom of the cliff. Naruto knew vaguely how many paces it was from here, but trying to find the door otherwise would be almost impossible.
Naruto jumped onto the side of the cliff, so he wouldn't have to walk through the vegetation. Then, walking with his head parallel to the ground, he started walking west, counting his paces.
When he got to fifty he dismounted, jumping down onto the forest floor below. Then he started walking forward, searching for Ryuu's door by sweeping the vines and ferns out of the way.
He came to a particularly large fern, which he vaguely recognized, and swept it to the side. Behind it, embedded in the cliff face stood a small door. It was painted the same light brown as the rest of the cliff, and blended in almost perfectly. It was also short, a couple feet shorter than Naruto. He knocked, then opened the door, knowing how unlikely it was that Ryuu had heard the noise.
Inside, there was a short tunnel, the same height as the door. Naruto stooped, and walked slowly through it. The tunnel was dark at the front, sloping down and to the right. After he came around a bend, however, the tunnel started to lighten up, and Naruto emerged into a large cavern. The cavern was well-lit, and Naruto wondered, not for the first time, how Ryuu managed to get electricity back here.
"Anybody home?" He asked. The cavern was large, as wide as his apartment, and a couple stories tall. Ryuu had stacked large wooden shelves against both walls, from several feet off the ground up to the ceiling. Ryuu had chemically treated the wood to resist moisture, but Naruto still didn't see how he kept them from rotting.
The floor was also littered with the occasional stalagmite, and a path had been worn into the floor, winding between them. Naruto took it now, traveling deeper into the cave. He watched his feet, wary for the occasional sudden dip and rise in the cave floor.
"Hello?" He called, louder now.
"Yo! Sensei! I'm back here!" Ryuu's voice echoed from the back of the cave.
Naruto continued down the path, which was constantly sloping downwards. He noticed with interest that a large shelf on his right, which was actually sealed closed on three sides, was filled to the brim with a collection of scrolls. There was also a table in front of it, with a few scrolls sitting on top. Naruto resisted the urge to pick one up, and continued forwards.
Soon, the light revealed the end of the path, where the cavern doubled in width. Tables were strewn about the circular room, covered with different instruments. On one, a couple scrolls were rolled out. On the second, several rows of kunai knives were laid out, gleaming as if recently cleaned and sharpened. Next to them, two long ninjato were laid out, next to their scabbards. Naruto's favorite table was the largest table in the room, a huge slab of wood several inches thick that lay on top of two large stalagmites. Ryuu had somehow managed to flatten the stalagmites, cutting through the stone and removing the tips. The large table was bolted through the board and into the cones of solid mineral.
Naruto had never been at the back of the cavern before, and he noticed that cracks had been grooved out where the wall met the floor. Most of the water that collected in the damp cave collected and found its way to the small ditches, running down to this point, and out the back wall.
The back wall didn't come all the way down to the floor, Naruto noticed. It stopped a few feet above the ground, where the cave continued, and disappeared into darkness. The sounds of water rushing by could be heard below, the signs of an underground river.
A hammock was shoved into the far corner, tied between a stalagmite and an anchor in the wall, as if sleep was the last thing Ryuu ever worried about. Ryuu stood just to the right of the center of the floor, drinking straight out of a pitcher. In front of him, everything had been cleared, including the tables, which had been shoved to the side. The wall Ryuu was facing was completely covered in soot. Where the rest of the walls gleamed, as if the rocks were sweating, this rock was completely dry.
Ryuu finished gulping down the pitcher, spilling half of it down his front. His light brown skin was flushed and he was perspiring heavily. His face and dark brown, spiky hair were streaked with soot. His teeth gleamed white against his tanned skin, and his dark green eyes were alight with mischief.
"Sup, sensei?" He asked, eyes glinting.
"You seem to be in a very good mood... and very unconcerned for your teammate." Naruto noticed, watching Ryuu warily. "Is there something I should know?"
"Mmmmm... well I saw you...on a date with Hinata-sensei!" Ryuu busted out laughing.
Naruto felt his ears turned red.
"It's about damn time, sensei!" Ryuu exclaimed, smirking. "I can't believe you didn't notice me walk past the window. You must be getting old."
"Yeah no kidding." Naruto said sarcastically. "I'm already a whole 21 years old. Practically ancient."
Ryuu laughed, and Naruto grinned despite himself. It was an old joke between them.
"So, you wanna tell me what this is?" Naruto asked, waving a hand towards the soot covered wall.
"Oh. I've been practicing a new jutsu. It was a little hard to control..." Ryuu said, scratching the back of his neck.
"Was?" Naruto questioned.
"I've got it under control now." Ryuu assured him.
"How long have you been working on this jutsu?" Naruto asked suspiciously.
"Uhh...a few hours." Ryuu answered absentmindedly.
Naruto was starting to get concerned. "And...what technique was this?"
"I'll show you!" Ryuu exclaimed excitedly, turning to face the wall. Naruto hurried to scoot out of the way. There was no such thing as taking chances when it came to Ryuu.
Ryuu focused, his hands forming the tiger seal, his brows furrowed. He took a deep breath, then exhaled, releasing a large burst of fire from his mouth. "Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!" He shouted, as the fire ball took the shape of a giant dragon's head. The head crashed into the wall, and Naruto ducked reflexively as the entire cave shook, dumping dirt all around them.
"Whoa! That was the strongest one yet!" Ryuu exclaimed excitedly, his voice scratchy.
Naruto shook his hair, sending dirt flying. "Maybe you should move practice outside." He said seriously. This kid's a monster. He thought, not for the first time. Mastering a B-rank technique in a few hours. It would take an average shinobi at least a week of hard work to learn a technique like that.
Ryuu cleared his throat. "Yeah, I guess so." He said, studying the wall. His face fell into a frown, a relatively rare occurrence.
"You know, Sensei, I used to think loneliness was the worst feeling in the world." He said, his face still facing the wall.
"I was so lonely sometimes, growing up, that I used to go to funerals to make myself feel better. I would watch the people crying over the coffin, and take comfort over the fact that there were others as sad as me. But then I would think; these people don't know anything. At least they still have friends, or family. Other people sharing their grief. And at least they had someone close to them in the first place."
Naruto stayed silent, waiting.
"I never had anyone." Ryuu said, his eyes tearing up, gaze still fixed on the wall. "Do you know what that's like, Sensei?"
He turned to face Naruto, who looked him in the eyes. "I guess you do." Ryuu said sadly, turning back to the wall.
"The entire time I lived alone, I felt empty. Like I was living for no reason, with no future. The other kids at the academy generally ignored me. I had no one to help me, no one to teach me. The teachers were too busy to give me extra help, when all the other kids were Clan ninja, with their Clans to help them. I fell behind, and I became unpopular in my class." Ryuu took a deep breath. "Still, I was alone."
"Then I graduated, and I met you, the village hero. The Bell Test drew Hanabi, Ken, and I together. And before long, I had friends. The void in my chest had been filled. I had people I cared about, and people who cared about me. I became a whole person, and for the first time I felt truly happy." Tears were tracing their way down Ryuu's face, but he made no move to wipe them away.
He took another deep breath. "And then today. 10 missing-nin out of nowhere. They had Hanabi before I realized what was happening, and then when I tried to follow, I was knocked unconscious. The last thing I saw before losing consciousness, was Hinata-sensei and Ken locked in a genjutsu battle of wills, completely oblivious. I woke up, totally alone, in the practice fields."
"You weren't there, the Shinobi had a head start, and there were at least 10 of them. I realized Hanabi was most likely gone...or dead. I only really have 3 people precious to me. I was...distraught...to say the least, over the possibility of losing one of them. I panicked. What if Hanabi was gone, and they split us up? What if I was stuck in a new team, one with people I hated?"
"To keep myself from thinking about it, I came back here and threw myself into mastering a new Jutsu. When I ran out of Chakra, I walked into town."
"That's when I saw you and Hinata-sensei through the window, smiling and laughing." Ryuu smiled, wiping the tears off his face. "And I realized everything was going to be alright. Then, on my way back here, I realized something else. You're probably going to be Hokage in a few weeks, and you won't always be around to protect us."
"And that's when I realized. The only thing worse than being totally alone, without ever having anyone to love, is going back to being completely alone after learning what love is. I'm never going to go back to being alone again, Sensei." He turned his head to meet Naruto's gaze. "I'm going to get stronger." His eyes seemed to glow, as if alight. "I'm going to become a ninja so famous, so feared, that no one will ever mess with the people precious to me again."
A/N
And that's Chapter 3! I really enjoyed writing the part about the cave, that was a lot of fun. I didn't really mean for Hinata and Naruto to have much screen time together this chapter, but the NaruHina part kind of wrote itself. xD
Please, please review, hearing from you all might be my favorite part of writing fanfiction!