LUCID – BURIED
Outside the Heat Field
Rii was revelling in the scenery around her and it was all because of her. Nobody could take the credit for this that she could, not even Maro. Soon that fool would be dead and she could take all the glory for this. It was a desolate wasteland, formerly there had been some trees around the entrance of the cave, that was no longer the case. All moisture had left the heat field, the only hint of life the flaming remnants of the fallen trees. Only Naruto could survive inside and that was pushing it.
The rogue shinobi wasn't even considering the possibility of death. Sasuke may kill her and all the others upon Naruto's death but that wouldn't matter. The Leaf Shinobi could lose his temper as much as he liked, her name would forever be etched into history. She was the scientist who did what even the most ruthless shinobi proved incapable of doing. She would be the one to defeat Uzumaki Naruto. She, she and nobody else.
She laughed aloud, cackling like the evil scientist she was. "This is too good, it's too good to be true" she said, ignoring the gazes of others and looking at the entrance to the cave. "Taking down Naruto is one thing but look at who I am outperforming".
The legendary shinobi who the rogues considered their true enemy were all present. It was a group of four who truly saved the world, who brought order to the chaos.
"I'm outperforming the 6th Hokage, the legendary copycat, Hatake Kakashi".
"I'm outperforming the world's new great healer, the heir to Senju Tsunade, Haruno Sakura herself".
"And I'm outperforming Uchiha Sasuke, with all his power and ruthlessness, none of you can stop me".
"Today isn't the day of Hinata's dream, today is the day where my dream becomes reality".
Kakashi felt his chest tighten slightly. He couldn't believe that this was happening. When team 7 defeated Kaguya, it was as if there was nothing they couldn't do. Where Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara and so many others had failed, they brought an end to the vicious cycle that consumed their world. Whether it was Sasuke or Naruto, one of them would inevitably determine the world's destiny. After the war nobody could rival their power, for someone to overcome either of them individually was unthinkable. For someone to overcome them both together was unbelievable. Now he, the leader of this crazy but brilliant team was watching them destruct and he couldn't do anything about it.
Kakashi was about to say something, he wasn't sure whether he was going to beg or plead for mercy or whether he would make threats. He was glad he didn't get to say it though as he was cut off by his student.
"Hinata can stop you…" Sakura whispered.
"Huh?" Rii was irritated rather than curious, wondering if Sakura had ignored everything she said.
"You may have outfoxed team 7. You may have beaten Kakashi sensei, me, Sasuke and even Naruto but you haven't beaten her yet" Sakura said, her resolve strong as she clenched her fists. "She can still choose to come back to this world".
The former cloud scientist rolled her eyes, she hated illogical people like Sakura. "Do you know how many shinobi I have killed using this method? Fifty… fifty elite agents of this boring world".
Rii had been using these victims to prepare her technique, to perfect her killing methods before using it against someone important, Hinata.
"When Hyuuga Hanabi stumbled into our grasp, Tetsuya knew that she was too valuable to kill but I never foresaw her being this useful" Rii admitted, "This is the first time I've used a middle-man to cast the jutsu and his been simply glorious".
"Which other shinobi have you killed?" Kakashi asked, his logical mind returning to him.
"Kouta Yaru, Takahashi Shin…" she listed names. Name after name of shinobi from all over the world.
Shikamaru contacted the other Kage with the names the second Rii spoke them. One after another they were confirmed amongst the missing. The shinobi of the five villages soon found out that she wasn't bluffing, she was an experienced shinobi killer.
The group was overcome by silence for a moment, their morale was down. They couldn't see a way out of this. If the technique had overcome fifty others what would make this case so different.
"I may act like this" Sasuke began quietly, "Detached, vacant, empty… but that's not actually the case".
Even the rogue shinobi were looking at Sasuke curiously, for him to speak from the heart like this was very unusual, even Sakura seldom saw it.
"Contrary to appearances, I do believe that one person can pull you back to reality" he said, noting that would be Naruto for Hinata. "No matter how far you have drifted from the right path, there is always someone who wants you to come back, there is always someone who will forgive you".
Sasuke and Sakura shared a smile. Sakura had been a person like that for Sasuke. The last Uchiha had been lucky that not only had Sakura been willing to forgive him but all of team 7. If it had not been for Naruto he may never have understood that.
Rii groaned, illogical people.
"You all seem to have regained your belief. I preferred it when you were on edge" she said, "Let me give you a hint. In a few seconds Hinata will wake up and it will be the last time she ever does so".
Sakura immediately raised her radio and spoke with Naruto. "Listen up Naruto, this will be the last time Hinata wakes unless… well, this is your last chance so please, please, think of something".
The Cave
Naruto took a deep breath, filling his lungs and then exhaling. A week's worth of protecting Hinata and this would be his last chance to get through to her.
"Hinata…" he said to himself.
"I love Hinata…".
"Make her understand… one last time…".
"No… make her understand… for the first time".
"Then I will spend the rest of eternity… doing the same thing".
Kurama watched silently over Naruto, he refused to break his focus, not even wishing him good luck. The tailed-beast knew that what his host did in the next few minutes would decide if he lived or died. Naruto was the one who united the tailed-beasts, the one foreseen by the sage of the six paths. So Kurama simply held his breath and prayed.
Naruto had only to wait a few minutes before Rii's prophecy came to pass. Hinata gasped and woke up from the dream once more.
Upon waking up Hinata was alerted by how close Naruto was to her, his forehead was pressed against hers and his eyes were closed. She had wondered if he had been asleep himself.
"Naruto…" she whispered, trying to gain his attention.
"Hinata" he responded, pulling his head just an inch back so they could look in one another's eyes.
Hinata felt terrible, there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. If this was the last time she was going to see him she would owe it to him to tell him that. She would have to tell him right to his face.
She shivered slightly, wondering how she could possibly be feeling cold here in this terrible place. It looked like all the water in the world was contained within a few meters of them. She then realised, Naruto had some sort of barrier around them, he must have been maintaining it, looking after her. She decided better of saying she was cold before she felt an undeniable warmness. That warmness was Naruto, his breath running along the goose bumps on her neck and down her back.
Something about Naruto felt different to her. Honestly, he was in a terrible state. He hadn't slept for days, he looked tired, mentally and physically exhausted. His arms and legs could barely prop his body up enough for him to look into Hinata's eyes. He had been staying still for as long as he could but was convinced that he wouldn't be able to do much more before his body gave up.
She didn't notice any of that though, his blue eyes still had the same perfection to them, his cheeks still had the same adorable whisker marks. She couldn't see any of his imperfections, not even with her gifted eyes. The short spikey blonde hair, the ridiculous orange jumpsuit he looked exactly the same as the night he had confessed to her.
"I've been given a big choice to make" she said, reluctantly meeting Naruto's eyes, "I have to choose between the worlds".
He nodded. "I know".
It pushed her to the verge of tears. He was still the same as he always had been, while his body matured those eyes had maintained the innocence they had in their youth. Naruto could maintain that innocence where nobody else could, he was the only one who stayed true to himself in the face of such hardship. Hidden behind those eyes may be the mind of a genius or even the mind of an idiot but it was her idiot.
"I may never see you again after this Naruto" she said, "I'm really sorry. I'm really sorry that I have been so much trouble to you".
Naruto laughed through tears as she said that. He hadn't ever believed that she had been the slightest bit of trouble to him.
"I may be in love with you but I can't… I can't give up what's in the other world" she continued.
The other world was heavenly, she couldn't deny that. There were Neji and Nikko and her son. While it all appeared backwards at first it was designed by her own subconscious. After she had gotten used to it she had found that trait after trait of that place was how she wished it. She had become the confident hard-working shinobi that she strived to be, a shinobi just like Naruto. She had lived the perfect life there with caring subordinates and wonderful friends. Only one thing was absent that she really wanted, Naruto.
"It's not because it's perfect" Hinata explained, "It's because of the family I have there, because of the son that I have there and I… I…".
Hinata was surprised as she felt something warm on her lips. She felt a warmth permeating through her entire body to push the cold away. It was Naruto, he had kissed her. Whether it was his lips gently smothering hers, his abs pressing warmly against her stomach or his hand gently caressing the side of her face, she wished the feeling could last forever, losing herself in it.
As he pulled away she almost started crying again. "Naruto…".
"You've always been easy to catch off-guard" he said with a little laugh to himself.
"Hinata, reality may not be perfect, no, it's far from perfect" he began, "And I can never compare to a dream, I can never be perfect either".
She was keen to disagree with that last statement. "Naruto…".
"No" he pressed a finger to her lips, "If this is the last time, you are going to let me talk".
"I've been thinking about love and still don't know exactly what it is".
"This decision you've got to make, it is your decision and I'm not going to force you one way or the other".
"But I understand why you asked now, about love".
"I don't know what love is really, I don't understand it but I really believe that I love you Hinata".
"To make a decision you have to work out what love means to you. You have to be the one to do that".
"Naruto…" she hated this. She hated that he was being so kind to her. If there was one time she didn't need that from him it was now. It would make her decision all the more painful.
"I hope that I can see you again, Hinata" he whispered, "I really do".
He kissed her one final time, hoping that if she chose the other world, she would remember that he loved her.
Hinata shed more tears while she kissed Naruto.
'Am I really never going to feel this again?'.
'This feeling, this warmth, this sensation…'.
'Am I never going to see Naruto again?'.
She knew as they spent this last moment together that he was the one she would always love. Nikko may be a concoction of all her desires and wishes but with Naruto, fate knew something she didn't. Naruto was someone so incredible that she couldn't have even dreamt him up.
With this final realisation, she fainted for the last time.
Naruto knew she was gone, he lifted himself up and kissed her on the forehead.
"I love you Hinata…".
"I love you…".
A White Space
Hinata was surprised to move between worlds. This time she moved straight from Naruto's embrace to a world she had not been to before. This world was completely featureless, the occupants seemed like they were floating on an invisible white floor. Hinata couldn't see anything other than white walls which appeared to be a million miles away. It was an empty realm, a void.
There were three people other than her present in this realm. Two of them had red-hair to match autumn leaves, Nikko and her son. They didn't seem concerned or surprised to be here, instead they were just happy to see her. The other had the un-matching eyes, the cloak that had been following her around for the last few days, Itoh Rii. Rii wasn't like the other two, she didn't look happy to see Hinata the person, she looked happy to see Hinata the object. She was a hunter who's trap was entering the final stage.
"So, here we are at long last, Hinata" Rii called.
"Hello Hinata" Nikko called.
"Mommy!" her son echoed.
He had called out but didn't run to her, diligently staying by his father's side, unmoving.
They were both stood on Hinata's left, with Rii stood in front of her. Hinata then looked to her right, there was a blur in the shape of a door. She could just about make out what the blur was, with faint orange and yellow colours, it could only be Naruto. He looked like he was being erased from existence, like he was becoming a forgotten dream.
"Is this what it will be like?" Hinata asked, staring at the increasingly blurry image of the leaf shinobi, "Will I forget the face of the one I don't choose?".
"Yes" Rii said bluntly.
Hinata shook her head. "I can't…". The prospect of forgetting either Naruto or her son horrified her.
"The time has come to decide, Hinata" Rii was getting impatient. She was confident in Hinata's choice but was eager about something else. She didn't care about Hinata, she would die when her decision was made, what she cared about was Naruto. The greatest assassination in history and it would be hers to claim.
'To never feel that warmth again… or to never see my son again… to disappoint Nikko… to devastate Naruto'.
In a flash all seven days events flashed through Hinata's mind and she came to a decision.
She walked left, towards her son and Nikko. That was her decision.
She took the first step and felt an agonising pain in her chest, it was like she had been shot. "Ah" she whispered, "I finally understand".
With tears in her eyes she approached her son and kneeled down in front of him. She placed her hand on his cheek and sorted his hair out with her thumb. Placing her forehead on her sons she said her fateful words.
"I'm so sorry".
"Mommy…".
Having said those words, Hinata rose to her feet and turned around, walking towards the blurry image that was Naruto.
She had changed her mind.
"What…" Rii was startled, "That can't be… why… WHY WOULD YOU!".
The scientist had worked everything through logically, she had tested this world on fifty other people. Amongst those fifty other people not one of them had decided the real world over her genjutsu world. Each of those fifty people had been experiments, dealing with weaker versions of the technique than Hinata. It made no sense, there was no logic behind it, how could the Hyuuga have made a decision that none of them had. Why had this all failed at the last moment?
"This is a world designed by your own subconscious. It's what you really want. Why would you abandon it?" Rii was howling, she couldn't accept this. She was being robbed, where all of team 7 couldn't stop her, Hinata had. "Nobody has ever abandoned this world before, what makes you so different?".
"I thought I knew what love was but I never did" Hinata explained, smiling at Rii, "Not until now, not until I took that first step towards paradise".
"What is it? What did you discover?".
"If that world is heaven and Naruto's world is hell then he is trapped" she continued, "He is trapped in that hell".
"That's right, it's hell, why would you go back there?".
Hinata finally answered her own question. "I would rather go to hell to be with the man I love than go to heaven to be without him".
Rii hadn't even considered this possibility. In her mind this couldn't be happening.
"Hinata" a voice called to her.
She turned around to see Nikko, she hated disappointing him but felt she should at least look him in the eye and apologise. However, as she turned around and looked at him, he wasn't disappointed in the least, both Nikko and her son were smiling.
"You made the correct choice" Nikko explained, "Nobody has ever done that before, congratulations".
"Don't forget me mother" her son shouted with a wave.
Hinata smiled, knowing she had made the right choice. "I could never forget you".
As Hinata stepped into the blurry image she disappeared from the world. The entire dimension seemed to be shaking, tearing itself apart. Hinata had decided and she had decided Naruto.
The Cave
Hinata snapped upright and immediately pulled Naruto into a tight embrace. Naruto was completely taken back. Hinata was holding on so tight it felt like she would never let go. A big part of him thought that he had already spoken to Hinata for the last time, that he would never experience her company again. Every point of contact between them felt like it was being electrified, despite his lack of sleep he felt more alive than he had in ages.
As Hinata released Naruto she noticed that he was crying. This wasn't the same as before, these were happy tears for the first time in this cave. He felt like he had fallen in love with Hinata again for the first time and she felt exactly the same way.
"You chose me?" he said in disbelief.
Hinata nodded, pulling Naruto tightly to her once again. She wondered how she could ever have decided anything else. "I love you Naruto, I love you".
Outside the rogue shinobi at the centre of the heat field, Maro was getting hotter and hotter. He began to scream as his very body began to evaporate.
Hidden Leaf shinobi were looking towards Shikamaru in fear. Rogue shinobi were looking towards Shikamaru eagerly. The Hokage's assistant was the one in possession of all the facts, he was monitoring the temperature in the heat field constantly. The readings before him confirmed what he and everyone else had suspected.
"He's gone unstable, he's going to explode at any second" Shikamaru said.
Tetsuya was feeling on top of the world, like he had conquered the unconquerable and his grand victory was assured. He pulled his collar, unable to control his hands with his excitement. That was until he looked at Rii. Rii was the only one amongst the rogues not looking excited, instead she looked petrified. The smile on Tetsuya's face dropped completely as he heard one word roll from Rii's tongue.
"No…".
In the cave, the barrier of chakra was being remoulded into a moveable shape. Naruto's barrier was changing colour to the orange chakra he had become associated with and the shape was changing to mimic the head of the nine-tails contained within him.
With a burst of speed, Naruto ran from the cave, moving to just avoid Maro. He was running as quick as he could, which wasn't very quick given his fatigue. But he was running, something that he hadn't been doing for the past week.
"She's awake" Sakura shouted as she pointed at the orange object moving toward them.
Naruto was smiling as he ran, he was absolutely exhausted but he didn't care. Hinata was with him so he felt like he could do everything.
The White Space
As Rii left the white space with a displeased look on her face, Nikko and his son were left alone to look through the door into the other realm. They had simply been a piece of Hinata's subconscious construction, they had known that they were tricking her but that doesn't mean they didn't want her to see through it.
Nikko looked down to see his son lifting his hand up, he decided to play along, taking the young boys hand.
He looked out into the blurry space and smiled.
"Take her and run, Uzumaki Naruto" he said. "Never stop running".
The Heat Field
Rii shook her head, she looked absolutely devastated. "This can't be happening" she told herself, "This can't be happening".
Tetsuya shared her shock. He had never expected that Hinata would wake from the dream. There was still hope though, they still had to make it out of the heat field before the explosion.
As Maro's body continued to crumble, balls of flame formed around his body and flew in all directions, landing within the heat field. A few of these fireballs flew towards Naruto and he dodged them. However, after he had dodged the first two, he noticed his landing hurt. He had been sapped of energy. He fell to one knee.
"Sakura" Sasuke shouted as he jumped, lifting his feet off the floor.
Sakura knew what he meant, it would hurt but she had no time to hesitate. She raised her leg and kicked Sasuke into the heat field like a football. He was the only other one who would be able to survive within.
The moment Sasuke passed into the heat field he formed a Susano ribcage around him, shielding him from the astonishing temperatures. He had a few cracked ribs from Sakura's hit but he couldn't feel it, adrenaline was flying through his body like water through a river.
Just as Naruto ran out of chakra, his barrier disappeared and Sasuke arrived. The Uchiha created a hand from his ribcage and wrapped it around the couple, as Itachi had done for him long ago. They were shielded, they were together.
Sasuke turned, immediately running for the edge of the heat field. He was running a lot faster than Naruto, that provided some hope for those watching from the outside.
As he skilfully avoided each of the incoming fireballs, Naruto took Hinata's hand.
The blonde shinobi groaned, "He's stealing my spotlight".
Hinata laughed, taking Naruto's hand tightly. Only a fool like Naruto could complain about that at a time like this. That is just what Naruto was though, he was her fool.
As Sasuke approached the edge of the heat field, the last part of Maro, his heart evaporated with the heat. As the last part of the superheated shinobi disappeared, it became the nucleus for a huge explosion and a sea of flames charged after Sasuke and the couple.
Rii and Tetsuya rose to their feet, praying that their plan would succeed. "Yes!".
"They won't make it" Shikamaru shouted.
"Sasuke!".
"Come on!".
The other members of team 7 couldn't keep calm, they could do nothing. They just clenched their muscles anxiously and prayed that Sasuke would be able to do what nobody else could.
For an instant the rogue shinobi believed they had won. For an instant the leaf shinobi believed they had lost. Sasuke wouldn't be able to endure this explosion. Sasuke wouldn't be able to escape this explosion.
The Uchiha activated his rinnegan and pulled his sword from its sheath. Kakashi and Sakura were familiar with this technique. Sasuke pulled his arm back and through his sword beyond the confines of the heat field.
Just as the flames seemed to engulf him he disappeared, along with Naruto and Hinata. He then appeared, where the sword had been, outside the heat field.
Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata landed uncontrollably as he dissipated the ribcage. The three of them rolled along the ground and landed in a heap. The rogues couldn't believe it but the shinobi of the leaf were jubilant. Sakura cheered as she watched Sasuke bring them back safely. Kakashi held his head and exhaled, having held his breath for the last minute. Not even the calm and analytical Shikamaru could keep calm, punching the air as he watched his friends return to safety.
"It's impossible" Rii said as she fell to the floor.
Shikamaru quickly sent out the message to the other Kage.
"Lord Kage… Lord Kage… They're both out of the heat field safe and sound, everyone has survived".
The news travelled around the world with lightning speed. Those in the know were all delighted, they all understood that Naruto was a hero they owed the world to and he and Hinata were safe.
Kakashi calmed himself, walking over to the rogue shinobi with a smile go great to be intimidating.
"Now then, Itoh Rii, Seta Tetsuya, all of you. You are under arrest for fifty counts of murder" he began, "And one attempted murder".
Naruto and Hinata had survived, together.
One Hour Later, A Medical Tent
"OW" Naruto yelped.
Sakura had just pushed a needle into his arm.
"Quit being such a baby Naruto" she said as she gave him an injection.
Naruto's body had taken a beating. He had been awake for seven days straight and straining himself to the utmost all the while, nobody could perform at full capacity after that.
"Have you even checked on Hinata" Naruto barked as he pointed at the third party in the room.
"She is fine you idiot" Sakura said with a tap on Naruto's head, "She's just had a long nap, you've almost killed yourself trying to keep that barrier up".
Naruto scratched the back of his head awkwardly, it's not like he had another choice after all.
"I know, I know I did but…".
Naruto was interrupted as Sakura pulled both he and Hinata close and hugged them tightly. "I'm really proud of you, both of you" she said.
Sakura gave Naruto a few more checks before leaving the room, giving the couple privacy one more time.
"I'm sorry that you had to leave the dream world behind, Hinata" Naruto said. "I could tell that your son there meant a lot to you".
"Thanks Naruto, you have been amazing" she responded.
"This world isn't perfect but I will do everything I can to make it perfect for you".
"No" Hinata said.
"No?".
Hinata had experienced perfection in depth. She had seen the effects of striving for perfection. She had seen the result and while it may appear sublime on the surface underneath it was cold and empty. She never again wanted to know that world without Naruto.
"Don't do that Naruto, don't change at all. Keep pursuing your dreams and never look back" she urged him, "Because love can't exist when everything's perfect. So, we should never strive for perfection… never…".
Naruto didn't really understand what Hinata meant. He did however, know that she had come to an answer on what love meant to her. He trusted that she had found the right answer, nodding and accepting what she had suggested.
"I want to go dancing again soon" he said, "I miss the days when falling over wasn't so important".
Hinata laughed. He had picked a bad time to run out of chakra. "Me too, trust me, perfect dancing is overrated".
"Will you be able to remember the other world?" Naruto questioned, "I mean, I forget most of my dreams pretty quickly".
"Sakura said that it will be like a vivid dream" Hinata said, "I will remember it for a few days and then forget all about it. At least that's what Sakura said…".
Naruto noticed that Hinata seemed to disagree with the diagnosis, he pressed her, wondering if some part of her was still in denial about what had happened.
"I could never forget my son from that world" she said, smiling to Naruto.
Naruto hugged Hinata tight. To him she was perfect, the way she cared for so many people and never gave up on them, no matter who they were or where they came from. He wanted to experience that forever. He wanted to wake up each day of his life and know that Hinata would always be there and she would always care the way she had done.
Hinata closed her eyes, on the verge of sleep. She knew that she wouldn't see them again in her dreams, that she wouldn't likely see them again. She no longer worried about what her next dream would bring because she knew that when she woke up, Naruto would be there waiting for her.
She pulled back, forcing her eyes open one more time. She noticed for the first time certain similarities between her family in the other world and Naruto. In a certain light they looked very similar. Smiling, she said some final words before heading back to join the others.
"After all, it's such a beautiful name isn't it...".
"… Boruto…".