Words-140405, Chapters-20, Reviews-591, Hits-244054, C2s-109, Favs-918, Alerts-1027
AN, Well, I'm still alive. I apologise for the long wait, and that this one and the last chapter are still unbeta'd. Please note, this chapter was put together on computer, my phone, and paper, then combined later on. So there may be places where it doesn't flow properly, though I tried to catch them all. If you find one, please let me know. That being said, I'm not really satisfied with this chapter, particularly the last portion.
Anyway, don't forget to check out my other stories and challenges. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 18 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.
'THOUGHTS'
LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV
Chapter 18
Kiba couldn't help but grin as he took his partner on an early morning walk.
Things couldn't be going better as far as he was concerned. First, he had graduated from the academy with, if not flying colors, then at least his grades weren't the worst. Then he'd hit the jackpot and ended up on a team with Hinata Hyuuga.
She might be the quietest girl in class, but she was also the cutest, nicest, and possibly even the most talented of the wannabe kunoichi. Needless to say, Kiba had had an eye on her for a while.
Best of all, that scar-faced prick hadn't been put on their team, finally giving him a chance to get closer to Hinata without Uzumaki popping up out of the blue and kicking his ass. Kiba could be stubborn, but even he had his limits.
But maybe now he'd finally get Hinata on a date.
Of course, the fact that their Jounin-sensei was a total babe was an added bonus. Kiba grinned in a way that would have made a certain Sannin proud. 'Maybe Kurenai-sensei would be willing to "teach me" how to keep Hinata happ-HOLY SHIT!'
The only thing that kept Kiba from shrieking when Naruto suddenly appeared right in front of him was the fact that it had happened before. Many times.
"H-hey there, Naruto. Fancy meeting you here." Kiba managed to say with only a hint of nervousness. The fact that the Uzumaki's appearance -when Kiba and Akamaru were alone, deep in the forests surrounding the Inuzuka compound- couldn't possibly be a coincidence, wasn't lost on him.
"Hello, Kiba." Naruto said quietly as he stepped closer, causing Kiba to subconsciously shuffle back a few steps. "Let's have a little chat, you and I." The older boy ordered as he followed him.
"Chat? About what? If it's about that whole food fight thing, I told you it wasn't me! I never would have gotten Hinata-chan dragged into that! And even if I did, I definitely didn't do it on purpose." Kiba babbled quickly as he cautiously glanced around for an escape.
Over the years, Kiba had become something of an expert on stalling Naruto's wrath. He knew full well that his best bet to escape the Uzumaki was to distract him by bringing up another reason for the older boy to want to pummel him, then run like hell in that split second of distraction. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, though it was always just a temporary solution. Eventually, Naruto always found him.
"You got placed on quite the team, Kiba." Naruto continued nonplussed. "Kurenai, a powerful Jounin who's a master of Genjutsu, Hinata, with her Byakugan and, Shino, and yourself. Quite the team indeed. Anyone would be thrilled to be in your shoes."
"Look Naruto, if this is about the whole team placement thing, Iruka-sensei already said they were final." Kiba said with a tinge of exasperation.
"I know, and I've accepted that." The scarred blond said as he stepped even closer. "Just like I've accepted that a smelly mutt is going to be on a team with Kurenai and Hinata."
"Hey! Who're you calling a mutt, you scar-faced asshole!" Kiba growled angrily as his usual attitude returned. Of course, he quickly felt the blood drain from his face as he remembered something. "How do you know about Kurenai-sensei's Genjutsu?" He asked nervously. Something in the back of his head was screaming for his attention.
"How could I not?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.
'Shit!' Kiba growled to himself as that voice finally broke through. Kurenai was Naruto's mom! A hot mom, but his mom nonetheless! And Hinata at least, thought of Naruto as an older brother...and they were both on Kiba's team...and Naruto didn't like Kiba. "Are you here to try to kill me?" Kiba growled defiantly. "Cause I'll kick your ass from here to Kumo if I have to!"
"Kill you?" Naruto asked in a bemused tone. "No, no, no. I'm just here to talk."
"About what?" Kiba asked warily. The Uzumaki wasn't ever much of a talker as far as he knew.
"Just about how you're going to behave properly around Hinata and Kurenai. About how you'll keep your hands, and whatever thoughts you may have to yourself, and how you'll sacrifice your life to keep any harm from befalling them." With each sentence, Kiba felt a terrifying, oppressive feeling that spiked each time. If Kiba was older and more experienced, he'd be able to put a named to that feeling. Killing Intent.
"I don't think I need to tell you what will happen if you don't." Naruto finished before turning to walk away.
As Kiba rediscovered the ability to breathe, he felt his fear disappear, only to be replaced by anger. "Who the fuck do you think you are!" He yelled at the retreating teen. "You can't control Hinata-chan's life! I don't know what your problem is with me, but who Hinata spends her time with is none of your business!"
Naruto whipped around and glared at him with more anger than Kiba had ever seen, including the time he'd tripped during recess and fell on Hinata's lap.
"My problem is that you're a worthless, brash, inconsiderate little fucker who barely has enough brain power to write your own name, yet you think you're good enough to be with Hinata." Naruto said quietly, almost calmly if it wasn't for his eyes. How Naruto managed to make his blue eyes burn, Kiba didn't know. "My problem is that there's nothing you have to offer her, that you'll only drag her down, yet you somehow think you deserve her. My problem is that you're not good enough."
Kiba was shocked into silence at that, but only for a moment. "Don't you think that's something for Hinata-chan to decide?" He snarled as he took a threatening step forward.
"No." The older boy snapped back. "Hinata sees things as she wishes them to be, not how they really are. She wants to see you as a friend, as someone she can trust. But I know otherwise."
Kiba opened his mouth to retort, only to be interrupted by a very familiar laughter. Blinking, he looked around for the source, only to pause as he spotted Naruto frowning up at a tree. Following his gaze, Kiba was surprised -and just a little relieved- to find Hana and her three partners grinning down at them from a large branch.
A moment later, a still chuckling Hana and her companions jumped to the ground, Sanae and Kanae rushing towards Naruto immediately after.
Relieved and slightly peeved at the thought that the dogs were coming to his defense, Kiba's jaw dropped open when Sanae and Kanae rushed up to Naruto and began nuzzling at his hand and jumping around excitedly. Even more so when Naruto began scratching their ears absentmindedly.
"Sis!" Kiba sputtered. He wanted to ask what her companions were doing, fraternizing with the enemy, but all that came out was, "how long were you there!"
Still chuckling, she walked over to them, Mikoto trotting by her side. "Oh, long enough to see Naruto do his scary big brother act." She paused to grin over at said blond. "I had no idea you were so protective of your girls. It's kind of cute."
"Cute!" Kiba objected. "Hana, this prick's anything but cute! He's borderline insane! You heard the things he said!"
"Oh, hush Kiba." Hana waved him off. "He's just being protective of his pack, just like anyone should be."
Kiba could only gape as she walked past him and over to Naruto, Mikoto -by far the most protective of her dogs- wagging her tail happily at the older boy. 'Wait a minute...her dogs are way too friendly with a complete stranger...' "You two know each other?" He accused his sister in shock.
Hana grinned happily when she picked up Naruto's scent hanging around the Inuzuka compound. 'He showed up sooner than I expected.' She mused to herself as her girls barked excitedly. After all, they had just met yesterday, and she had expected it to take a few days for him to come looking for his book.
At first, she had intended to wait and make him come to her, but then she picked up his scent moving away from the compound and out into the woods.
Frowning at the thought that the boy would chicken out like that, she and the triplets decided to give chase. After all, he still owed her for the other day, and she still had questions for him.
It wasn't long after leaving the compound that Hana realized that her prey seemed to have prey of his own, as his scent overlapped with the slightly older scent of her younger brother. Her curiosity stoked to new heights, she picked up the pace ever so slightly. When she came to a silent halt on a tree branch, she was just in time catch Naruto's scary brother speech.
She found the whole act amusing, and oddly enough, endearing. 'God help the poor soul that tries to date his daughters.' She mused fondly, remembering the slight look of wonder on his face when her girls were playing with him. She didn't even notice when her face heated up at her thoughts.
Of course, it was rather nice to see Kiba willing to fight a boy he obviously feared for the sake of his not so secret crush. After all, an Alpha should be willing to face insurmountable odds for their chosen mate. And she had a distinct impression that Naruto could crush her brother without much effort.
Eventually deciding to step in before things went too far, Hana ceased to hold in her amusement and just laughed.
Of course, they noticed her immediately after, Naruto faster than Kiba.
Still chuckling, she jumped to the ground and approached them, smiling fondly as Sanae and Kanae rushed forward to greet Naruto.
"Sis!" Kiba sputtered. "How long were you there!"
Still chuckling, she walked over to them, Mikoto trotting by her side. "Oh, long enough to see Naruto do his scary big brother act." She paused to grin fondly over at said blond. "I had no idea you were so protective of your girls. It's kind of cute."
"Cute!" Kiba growled at her. "Hana, this prick's anything but cute! He's borderline insane! You heard the things he said!"
"Oh, hush Kiba." Hana waved him off, despite her sudden urge to pound him into the dirt. "He's just being protective of his pack, just like anyone should be."
"You two know each other!"
Hana couldn't explain why, but the way Kiba phrased that question like some kind of accusation made her grit her teeth angrily. Taking a deep breath, she decided to tease both of the younger boys.
"And then some..." She purred as she stepped up as close to Naruto as he would allow-which was far closer than normal due to Sanae and Kanae herding him towards her. "How's your shoulder?" She asked as she slowly stroked the still frowning Uzumaki's tense shoulder with one finger. "I don't usually bite so hard, but then again, I'm not usually on the bottom either."
Hana barely managed to hold in a cackle at the look on Kiba's face. A childish mixture of horror, rage, disgust, anger, and others danced across his face as he stared wide-eyed at her. Still stroking his shoulder, she glanced over at Naruto, only to feel her breath catch and her heart stop.
Naruto was scowling at her, which was expected. What wasn't expected was the tiniest hint of red that she almost convinced herself wasn't there. He was blushing! She didn't know why, but for some reason, her heart started hammering frantically in her chest, almost as if trying to make up for lost time.
Hana couldn't help but stare at Naruto, drinking in his features as if for the first time. Even her dogs seemed to sense something, as they stopped their cavorting and sat on their haunches, staring up at the two of them expectantly. Finally allowing her eyes to meet his, Hana stared into Naruto's deep, blue slit eyes. A tiny voice in the back of her head whispered, 'Take his hand...'
Fortunately -and it was fortunate Hana told herself vigorously- Kiba chose that moment to return to his senses. "You bastard!" He howled as he threw himself at Naruto in an attempt to throttle said blond. It was an attempt because Naruto caught him and used his momentum to hurl her brother over his shoulder. All of this without taking his eyes from hers.
Taking the moment to shake her strange impulses from her head, Hana could have sworn she heard Sanae and Kanae sigh at her in exasperation and she did see Mikoto shaking her head in disappointedly. Sending them a sharp look, she addressed Naruto in her usual confident tone. "So, did you come to thank me? Because I took care of you quite well yesterday, if I do say so myself."
She grinned happily when Kiba took that completely the wrong way, especially when she didn't intend it that way.
Throwing him aside again, Naruto fixed her with a slight look of exasperation peeking through his usual calm facade. "Do you enjoy seeing your brother getting tossed around?"
"Sometimes," she agreed happily. "It does him good to be reminded from time to time that he's not the top dog."
Naruto stared at the strangely vexing girl. The girl was toying with both him, and her brother, and he knew it. First, she followed them, then she spied on them -though he was sure, she wouldn't call it that- during their "conversation". Then she set about teasing her brother with little innuendos that affected him as well, despite his best efforts to control his body. The fact that her dogs managed to corral him...again...only added to his irritation. Honestly, why couldn't he just kick the damn things? They didn't even have to whine this time!
Struggling to bring himself under control, he glanced over at the seething Kiba. It appeared the younger Inuzuka had finally figured out that recklessly charging him repeatedly was a painful exercise in futility. And it only took him being thrown around like a rag doll a couple of times too.
Glancing back at Hana and struggling not to lash out at her uncomfortably close proximity, he sent Kiba one last glare. "Stay away from Hinata." He ordered coldly before jumping up into the nearest trees and darting away, finding it harder to ignore the whines of Hana's dogs than he'd like to admit.
Unfortunately, it wasn't long before his ears picked up the sounds of excited breathing closing in from behind him. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto jumped to the forest floor and concentrated. Sure enough, he heard the sounds of multiple thumps, signifying that his pursuers had followed him to the ground. Frowning, he tried to calculate the distance to the boundary between the Inuzuka forest and the "public" forest of Konoha.
It seemed like a lifetime ago that he had dedicated his time to studying and memorizing the general layouts and boundaries of Konoha's various clans and restricted areas. Strictly as a precaution of course.
Once he had a guess as to the distance, he turned his attention back to his pursuers. They were downwind of him, explaining the ease with which they had matched his course, and if his suspicions about the identities were correct, then they should catch up to him just outside of the Inuzuka grounds. Perfect.
Putting on an extra burst of speed, as if trying to escape, Naruto passed the boundary, then turned and leaped back into the trees he had passed, using his Konohagakure no Jutsu as he did. Once settled he stilled his heartbeat and breathing with practiced ease, waiting for his "guests" to arrive.
Barely twenty seconds later, three blurs flashed by underneath him, followed by another. It was just when the fourth form began to pass underneath him that Naruto struck, leaping down out of the tree and crashing into their back as he did so. Locking one of her arms behind her back with his own, Naruto reached forward with his other, intending to wrap it around her throat.
A quick snap of her teeth was all it took to force him to draw his arm back, giving Hana the time she needed to twist around and hook a foot behind his ankle, tugging on it even as she shoved down on his chest.
Unbalanced, Naruto realized his plight and pulled the young woman down with him. The collision with the forest floor jarred him slightly. The impact of Hana falling on top of him managed to extract a slight gasp, but neither was enough to slow him as he spun them both over, placing him back in control.
At least, it did for a second. "You really like being on top, don't you?" She asked with a saucy wink. Naruto blinked in surprise as her statement registered, and that was all the distraction Hana needed to grab his left arm in both of hers, tuck in and push up with her left leg and hip, rolling them over a second time. This left her straddling his abdomen as she held down his hands with her own, leaving her face hovering above his.
Her breath on his face, Hana faux whispered. "I like being on top too."
It only took a fraction of a second for her statement to register, and Naruto felt his face warm up as his treacherous body began to react to her. Snarling angrily at his own lack of control, he easily forced his hands free and seized Hana's shoulders. The Inuzuka instinctively pulled up and away from him, which was exactly what he wanted.
As Hana jerked back, Naruto thrust his hips up, throwing his legs up towards her back at the same time. She had enough time to blink in shock as his ankles crossed in front of her neck, before he put all his weight and momentum to use, slamming her onto the ground.
Had anyone come across them in that moment they would have been treated to a strange sight.
Naruto lying flat on his back, with Hana lying flat on her back on top of him, her legs folded up on either side of his hips, her ass on his pelvis and her head held down by his feet.
Luckily, the only witnesses were Hana's dogs, all three watching with doggy grins, though Sanae and Kanae's were a tad more excited than Mikoto's.
Fortunately, the moment passed as all moments do, and Naruto continued through his movement, sitting up with Hana's neck pinned under his feet and her legs under his arms.
Throwing one of legs to the side, he brought his legs up in order to get himself on top of her. Hana, however, didn't seem willing to let that happen, as she whipped her legs back around his waist, preventing Naruto from completing his mount. Instead, she managed to roll them once again, though this time Naruto managed to stop her halfway.
What followed was the oddest wrestling match he had ever seen. If anything, their struggle seemed almost...playful. The two of them continued to roll back and forth, the silence broken only by Naruto's grunts and Hana's laughter, her dogs skipping around them excitedly.
Despite his darker instincts, Naruto managed to keep from using any of his weapons on the Inuzuka heiress, unwilling to risk the investigation and hunt that would undoubtedly follow.
He couldn't reliably say how long this went on. It could have been seconds or hours for all he knew. Eventually however, Naruto managed to get her arm twisted behind her back, one leg wrapped around her waist while the other pinned her legs to the ground.
Hana had proven herself quite flexible during their tussle, often moving her body in ways that Naruto was sure required a bloodline to accomplish. However, now that he had her pinned down, she couldn't overpower Naruto's strength.
Still, that didn't stop her from trying, as she squirmed around in his arms for a bit before pouting at him over her shoulder. "I guess you win this time, Naruto." He blinked when the pout transformed into a smirk. "I think you deserve a reward..." She trailed off as she leaned her head as close as she could to his. "I hope you like tongue."
Naruto could only blink in confusion before a cold, wet snout butted up against his face, followed shortly after by an equally wet tongue.
Recoiling instinctively, he was caught off guard when two furry, wet noses pounced on him, knocking him onto his back as they continued to lick and nuzzle him.
A seal less Kawarimi later revealed a whining Sanae and Kanae pawing pitifully at the rock he'd switched with.
"That wasn't very nice, Naruto." Hana scolded him from her seat on the ground, dutifully accepting the similar treatment Mikoto was giving her.
"What do you want from me?" Naruto growled suspiciously. What was this girl's angle? Why did she keep doing these things? And why was she so calm after he had jumped her twice, and threatened her brother's life? It didn't make sense. Was she trying to manipulate him somehow? To get him to lower his guard? Or perhaps she wanted him to try to harm her, or even attempt to kill her? Self-defense could easily get a clan heiress acquitted of murder. That could explain why she was so eager to catch him before he left the Inuzuka lands.
Hana looked at him with what he thought might be hesitance before smiling brightly.
'She has a nice smile...' A voice in the back of his head made itself known.
"I love mysteries," Hana began. "More specifically, I love solving them. And you, Naruto Uzumaki," she pointed at him dramatically. "Are a mystery. You have slit eyes like my clan, blond hair like the Yamanaka clan, the last name of an almost legendary, yet extinct clan from Uzu no Kuni, your mother's last name isn't Uzumaki -not to mention she looks nothing like you- the Hyuuga heiress absolutely adores you, and you became Rookie of the Year, despite the fact that you didn't start the academy until you were eight." Hana dropped her arm as she paused for breath. "So the mystery is; who is Naruto Uzumaki? And I intend to find out."
Naruto could only stare at the older girl in disbelief and a hint on intrigue. That she knew as much as she did about him after only one day was both amazing and disturbing. Assuming that she didn't just pull all of that information from his file-which he was sure the Old Man and his Anbu kept on him- her contacts and investigative abilities must be great indeed! Particularly that bit about him having the surname of an extinct clan from Uzu no Kuni. That in itself was more than Naruto had ever been able to discover about where his name came from.
That the dead clan was "almost legendary" according to Hana was even stranger. If that were the case, why had Naruto never been able to find any info about them? Naruto felt a chill at the implication that there was no information because someone was going to great pains to hide it. That, or perhaps Hana was simply trying to mislead him?
On the other hand, if she was being honest with him, then maybe he should consider recruiting her, especially with her added skills as a medic and a tracker. He didn't even have to look to know that the stitches she gave him were still holding, despite their little tussle. And if it turned out she was a spy for the Old Man, or anyone else for that matter, then Naruto could use her to feed misinformation to his enemies.
He was so lost in his thoughts and schemes, he didn't notice when Hana softly -almost shyly- continued. "Although, I'd be willing to settle for seeing you smile or laugh a little."
"Well, I suppose I could answer some questions for you...for a price." Naruto offered carefully. It wouldn't do to drive off his first recruit after all.
"And what price would that be?" Hana asked suspiciously. Even her dogs suddenly seemed wary.
"Don't know." Naruto said, smiling ever so slightly. "But when I figure it out, I'll let you know."
Hana frowned as she stared at the younger teen. She didn't think Naruto was a pervert, but the way he said that, "for a price"... "And just what would that price be?" She asked suspiciously.
Naruto's smile was a small, pitiful thing, barely more than a slight up turning of the corners of his lips. She knew all of that, yet her heart still sped up as she stared wide-eyed at the man looking down at her. 'When did he...wait a minute.' Hana was sure that Naruto was about the same height as her. In fact, she was sure that she was an inch or two taller than he was. So how could she possibly be looking up at him?
She was snatched from her thoughts by the hand Naruto placed on her cheek, his thumb gently stroking her clan marking.
"My price?" He asked huskily. "Is you!"
Hana barely had enough time to register the hand that grabbed her shoulder, before Naruto pulled her close, dipping down to press his lips to hers.
She could only stare up at him, flabbergasted. He wasn't being gentle, but neither was he rough. If she had to describe the kiss, she'd call it hungry, ravenous even. A small part of her was proud that she could invoke such hunger and passion from the Uzumaki. The rest of her, however, was appalled that the Genin thought he could just claim her like some bitch in heat.
Contrary to popular belief, the Inuzuka did not seek to emulate their dogs. Sure, some things had bled over through the years, such as their pack mentality, or referring to their young as pups. However, despite all of the rumors, Inuzuka women didn't go into heat, they didn't think of themselves as bitches, and they didn't just lie down and take it from any "strong" or "dominating" male that decided he wanted to have their way with them.
With that in mind, Hana shoved the arrogant blond away from her. Or at least she tried to. It would be more accurate to say she backed away to arms distance, as Naruto proved to be impossible to move and he didn't seem willing to relinquish his hold on her shoulders.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Naruto!" She growled threateningly.
Instead of answering, Naruto gave her a smirk. Not the smile he had earlier which conveyed a soft feeling of kindness and warmth. No, this smirk was all power and allure and...sexy! Shaking her head, Hana glared at Naruto, intending to show him just what she thought of his smirk, only to yelp in surprise as two blows swept her legs out from under her.
Oddly enough, she never felt the impact with the ground, though she knew she was laying on it. One second she was standing, the next she was laying on the ground.
She did however, feel the hand that stroked its way up her side, grabbing the zipper to her Chuunin vest. Another prominent feeling was the weights on both her arms, pinning them to either side of her body.
Shivering at the feeling of Naruto's lips on her neck, and growling at the hand that was slowly unzipping her vest, Hana opened her mouth to snap at him, only to blink as she realized something. Naruto couldn't possibly be holding her arms down and teasingly unzipping her vest at the same time.
Turning to her right, she gasped at what she saw -and certainly not because Naruto had found a sensitive spot on her neck. "Sanae!" She cried as she found one of her own companions pinning her arm down, a wide doggy grin meeting her cry.
Wrenching her head to her left -and coincidentally exposing the right side of her neck to Naruto's persistent ministrations, even as he finally unzipped her vest completely, leaving the vest to sit on her so it only exposed a strip of flesh from her collar bone to her shorts- she was met by Kanae, who was copying her sister. "Girls, what are you doing? Get off of me!"
They both ignored her, as did Mikoto who was, as Hana could now see, sitting on her haunches just above her head.
Shivering at all of the sensations she felt as Naruto's hand made its way under her vest to caress the flesh beneath, Hana almost shrieked when his other hand grabbed her chin, turning her so she was facing him again.
"You know," Naruto began as he slid his calloused hand up to cup and massage one of her breasts, drawing a pleased moan from her as he did so. "It's a good thing I'm not the jealous type. Otherwise, I might be pissed off to see you paying more attention to them than to me." He punctuated his statement by simultaneously squeezing her breast roughly and pinching her nipple.
Hana didn't even bother trying to hold in her mixed cry of pleasure and pain, her body trembling at the sensations assaulting her.
Naruto took this opening to thrust his tongue into her mouth. As he explored her mouth, Hana put her own tongue to use -strictly in an attempt to push the invading appendage out of course- only to realize the futility of it. The fact that his hands were now roaming, squeezing, stroking, and massaging all over her completely exposed upper body -where and how her vest disappeared to, she didn't know or care- made gathering the will to continue resisting seem impossible. Instead, she could only moan into the kiss while struggling to breath.
Awash in pleasure and confusion, Hana took deep, gulping breaths when Naruto finally drew back from her mouth, only to kiss and nip his way from her lips to her chest. Gazing at him through clouded eyes, Hana briefly wondered what he'd look like without a shirt, only for it to quite literally disappear before her eyes. She blinked in confusion, before struggling to focus what parts of her mind weren't hopelessly tangled up in all the pleasurable sensations he was giving her.
What happened to her anger? What happened to her will to resist? He didn't ask for her permission to do this, and she didn't give it -and she wouldn't have either, she was quick to remind herself, though even to herself the statement lacked conviction- she had even made a showing of her objections when she tried to push him away.
So why was her body responding to him? Why were her muscles quivering in anticipation, why was her core slowly tensing up like a coiled spring? Why could she feel the steadily growing wetness in her most intimate spot?
Dear God, why did she wish her hands were free so she could run them through his hair, to rain kisses and caresses on his face, neck, shoulders, and chest?
Her train of thought -along with whatever self-control she had left- was banished completely when she realized that her arms were free and her companions missing just as abruptly as her vest and Naruto's shirt, just as Naruto stopped teasing her breasts and took an already sensitive nipple in his mouth, sucking, playing, and nipping it lovingly.
Hana grabbed Naruto's head and squeezed him tightly to her breast, even as her whole body seized up as the waves of her climax hit her.
As she silently screamed, Naruto somehow escaped from her grip and once more shoved his tongue into her mouth. This time, she welcomed the intrusion wholeheartedly, doing her best to give as good as she got, no longer caring about all of the inconsistencies in the situation.
Her hands running through his spiky, yet somehow soft hair, Hana felt faint as all the dizzying sensations, tastes, and smells that Naruto gave her threatened to overwhelm her. His hands were still roaming all over her body, his right hand slowly/infuriatingly creeping closer and closer to her waistline before sliding back up her body.
"Naruto..." Hana growled in a mixture of pleasure and frustration. "Stop teasing me." Taking matters into her own hands -literally- she grabbed his hand and tried to force him to her burning mound. Much to her frustration, he easily held her at bay, smirking that infuriatingly attractive smirk at her.
"Anxious are we?" He asked huskily.
Hana opened her mouth to tell him just what he could do with that smirk of his -she actually had several delicious ideas that she was anxious to try out- only to release an embarrassingly high-pitched gasp when Naruto rubbed his leg against her sensitive cleft.
Bucking up against him, her body arched up, giving Naruto the chance to grab the hem of her shorts and panties and pulling them down to tangle around her knees, before placing both hands on her ass, alternating between squeezing her cheeks roughly and massaging them gently.
Moaning even louder, Hana bit her lip as she felt Naruto's weight settle against her, causing delicious friction up and down her essentially naked body.
"Now, now," Naruto murmured into her ear, his hot breath sending shivers up and down her spine. "You shouldn't bite those pretty lips of yours Hana." He scolded her in amusement.
She opened her mouth -what she planned to say, she didn't know- only to be interrupted when Naruto growled, "That's my job." before he captured her lip once again, kissing her fiercely before gently biting and tugging at her lower lip as he pulled away.
"Naruto-" she began, only to moan loudly as he steadily ground his still unfairly clothed hips into hers, nearly driving her over the edge once again.
Not one to be outdone, Hana ran her own hands over his neck, shoulders and back, massaging and stroking for the most part, yet clenching tightly enough to break skin whenever he did something particularly pleasing to her.
She pulled him to her and smashed her lips to his, intending to curl his toes with it. She felt him grin against her lips as his left hand lazily trailed up her side. Her rather ticklish side.
She giggled girlishly and instinctively tried to scoot away from his hand, failing due to the simple fact that his weight prevented her.
The next few minutes were wrought with giggles, moans, gasps, groping, caressing, squeezing, kissing, nipping, and rubbing. Hana was in ecstasy, feeling more alive than ever before. Naruto's actions continued to stoke the fire in her lower belly, sending sparks of burning pleasure throughout her body.
For what seemed like an eternity, Hana could think of nothing, but the man on top of her and the joyous results of their respective actions. Eventually, as her next climax hovered just out of reach, Hana grew impatient for more.
Tugging at his pants -which he had yet to shed- Hana pouted as seductively as she knew how. "Naruto...please...I'm so close..." She whined breathlessly, half expecting them to disappear as seemed to be the norm in this strange situation.
Naruto pulled his head away from her neck and met her eyes, temporarily shocking her with the sheer life that danced in those beautiful eyes of his. He was still staring in her eyes as he brought his hand away from her ass and slowly slid it across her vulva, pausing to rub her lightly.
Hana felt her body seize up once again in preparation for her orgasm, just before Naruto lightly pinched her clit and-
Hana bolted upright in bed, her breathing ragged and her cheeks flushed.
Glancing around the dark room, Hana sighed in relief/disappointment. 'No Naruto, no forest, no-'. Feeling the heat in her cheeks -and the wetness between her legs- flare up, Hana sighed in embarrassment. She couldn't believe she'd had a...a damn wet dream! About Naruto of all people! The dream had obviously been based on their earlier encounter, which ended in Naruto's cryptic promise of coming up with a price for her answers before departing to meet up with his Genin team. That her mind could twist that around into her dream was...
Feeling something watching her, she glanced to her side where Mikoto lay on the bed. Her companion was giving her a knowing look, while her sisters were wagging their tails.
"Don't look at me like that." She grumbled half-heartedly as she picked at her sweaty nightclothes. Her sleeping robe was drenched in a mixture of sweat and...other bodily fluids.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she decided to forgo attempting to go back to sleep in favor of a nice, hot bath. Sliding out of bed, she shrugged out of her sleeping robe, padded over to her drawer, and withdrew a simple bathing robe. Putting it on, Hana loosely tied it shut and opened her bedroom door. Sanae and Kanae both rushed past her and down the hall, no doubt on their way to pester Kuromaru or Akamaru, depending on their mood.
That was the odd thing about those two. Whereas Mikoto acted like an overprotective sister -both to her other companions, and Hana- Sanae, and Kanae both possessed a slightly mischievous, child-like personality. There was also their puppy-like excitement, whenever they met anyone new. That wasn't to say they couldn't be as ferocious and vicious as the meanest wolf in battle or out of it. But outside of battle, they acted like week old pups most of the time.
The fact that she could easily see them pinning her down like in her dream also made its presence known.
Glancing back at Mikoto, Hana asked, "Are you coming?"
Much to her surprise, Mikoto just yawned and curled up to sleep.
Shrugging off her companion's strange behavior, Hana silently padded down the hallway towards the bathroom, grateful that it was early enough that no one was awake to pick up the scent of her arousal, and ask her awkward questions.
Opening the door to the bathroom, Hana sighed in relief as she slid out of her robe and turned on the nearest shower head.
The Inuzuka compound was an odd mixture of modern and traditional for the most part. Here a traditional dining room, there a modern, wooden door. The bath she shared withher mother and brother was a prime example of this mixture. It possessed a beautifully crafted bath resembling a miniature hot spring, designed to hold two grown adults comfortably, as well as several shower heads on the opposite wall.
Carefully rinsing her still sensitive body, Hana thought over the dream and what it could mean.
They say that dreams were the human mind's way of subconsciously dealing with your issues. So what? Was her mind trying to tell her that she needed to get laid? Or was it something far more complicated? And what did Naruto have to do with it?
"You're up early." A voice said next to her head. It was only years of shinobi training that kept her from jumping out of her skin.
Whipping her head around, Hana was greeted by the sight of the Inuzuka clan Matriarch -as well as its head- Tsume Inuzuka, also known to Hana as, "Mom! What are you doing up?"
"I think that's my question." Tsume smirked as she sat next to her. "But if you must know, your girls decided to try their luck with Kuromaru. They were making such a ruckus with their rough housing, I decided to just get up." She explained as she turned on her own shower head. "What about you? What are you doing up so early?"
Hana closed her eyes and scrubbed at her face, hoping that her mother couldn't see her blush. "I couldn't sleep." She muttered as she shut off the shower and retreated to the bath.
"Oh?" Tsume asked with amusement in her voice. "Why's that? Did you have a nightmare?"
Hana scowled at her mother before growling. "Something like that."
Tsume just hummed as she continued to wash her body.
They fell into a comfortable silence after that. Sighing in relief, Hana settled back to try to enjoy her soak. Of course, no sooner did she set her mind to that than her thoughts returned to a certain infuriating blond. Hana wasn't so immature as to blame Naruto for her dreams, but she would probably never have had the dream if he didn't keep popping up around her.
She didn't even bother thinking about how she had been the one to seek him out.
"So who is he?" Tsume interrupted her thoughts as she slid into the water next to her.
"Who's who?" Hana blurted defensively before she could stop herself. Berating herself, Hana sank up to her chin in embarrassment as her mother gave her an all too knowing look.
"I could smell your arousal a mile away, and believe it or not Hana, I was your age once. I had an exciting dream once in a while, I still do in fact." Tsume grinned wryly.
"Mom!" Hana all but shrieked in mortification. "Don't tell me things like that!"
"Stop being childish." Tsume scolded lightly. "And stop trying to avoid the question. Who were you dreaming about?"
Feeling the heat in her cheeks rising, Hana muttered defensively, "It was just a dream. It doesn't mean anything."
"Of course it doesn't." Tsume agreed with a wide grin. "So..." She prompted.
Accepting that she wasn't going to be able to avoid her, Hana mumbled. "Naruto Uzumaki...". Glancing up at her mother, Hana was shocked to see a cascade of emotions cross over the older woman's face, though three easily stood out as stronger than the others.
Rage, sorrow, and guilt.
"Naruto Uzumaki, huh?" Tsume asked in an emotion-laden voice. "I didn't know you and he were...close." She finished as she wrapped her arms around her -despite the warm water- slightly shaking body.
"Well...we're not really close." Hana said slowly as she carefully observed her mother. "I don't really know much about him, and we've only really talked twice." She explained before giving and abbreviated and...more acceptable version of their encounters and her goals involving the enigmatic blond.
As she explained herself, Hana watched as her mother slowly regained control of herself.
When she finally spoke, Tsume sounded sad of all things, though what she said grabbed all of Hana's attention. "I think it would be best if you stayed away from that boy, Hana."
"What? Why?" Hana demanded angrily. Her mother wasn't the type to discriminate against anyone like that, so to hear her pass judgment on Naruto like that was appalling to the Inuzuka heiress.
"Some mysteries are better left unsolved." Tsume said quietly as she rose from the bath and headed for the door. "I think I'll try to get some more sleep after all. Don't stay in too long, Hana-chan."
Hana started at the form of address, as Tsume only ever called her Hana-chan when she was feeling particularly motherly or emotional. Blinking, she could only watch as Tsume dried herself off and left.
Hana frowned as she mulled over her mother's strange behavior and even stranger words. What did she know about Naruto? Why would the very mention of his name invoke such a powerful emotional reaction? And why was she so cryptic in her explanation? It was almost as if Tsume wanted her to continue looking into Naruto.
Sighing to herself, Hana grumbled. "You better be having a rough night too, Naruto Uzumaki."
As it would turn out, Naruto was not having an easy night either. He was dreaming, and in the subconscious way of dreams, he knew he was dreaming in a distant corner of his mind.
But that didn't really change anything. He was standing in the apartment that he shared with Kurenai. He could tell that the apartment was empty save for himself, as he couldn't smell Kurenai. Oh, the apartment still bore a strong scent of Kurenai and to a lesser degree of Anko and a few others, but the scent was faded, really only lingering due to the sheer amount of time the scents origin had spent there.
The apartment also lacked the feel of Kurenai, the warmth and security that she seemed to effortlessly put into the place with her mere presence. Instead, there was only the after feeling, that tiny voice in the back of his mind that insisted that the one associated with it was absent.
Frowning at nothing, Naruto walked through the apartment, carefully studying each room. He didn't smell, see, or sense anyone nearby, nor did he find anything out of place. Yet just the same, he knew something was wrong.
Closing his eyes, Naruto Listened, slowly blocking out all of the background and ambient sounds.
For a moment that seemed to last for hours, he was met by silence. Then, there was a slight shuffling of feet, followed by the sound of metal sliding along leather.
Eyes snapping open, Naruto darted towards the nearest window. As he did, the door to the apartment exploded inward, several dark forms darting into the room.
Glancing back, he caught several glimpses of porcelain masks followed by a barrage of kunai. Narrowing his eyes angrily, Naruto easily dodged the blades through a series of serpentine movements -learned through very long, very insane training with Anko- only to curse as he threw himself through the window just before the explosive tags attached to the kunai exploded.
Twisting his body to control his fall, Naruto growled angrily as he watched the apartment go up in flames. 'The Old Man's going to pay for that!' His second thought came a little more angrily as he belatedly realized why his escape had been so easy. 'Damn it! They're herding me!'
Hitting the ground in a roll, Naruto came up with kunai in his hands ready to fight.
What he saw caused his heart to drop into his stomach, his muscles frozen in horror.
He was surrounded by Anbu, their forms obscured by their black cloaks and the moonlight glistening off their bone white masks. At their forefront stood the Old Man, a stern look on his face even as his white and red robes swayed majestically in the wind. But it wasn't the glare of the Old Man, or the overwhelming presence of the Anbu that stopped him.
It was the sight of Kurenai on her knees at the kage's feet, beaten and bloody. Blood cascaded down the side of her face, one eye swollen shut while the other was little better. Her breathing was labored and heavy, rattling on each breath she took, suggesting a punctured lung and the broken ribs that would accomplish it. As she gasped for breath, Naruto could see the bloody gaps where her teeth had been knocked out, others broken and jagged.
And that was just what he could see of her face.
Her strange clothes were now torn and shredded, little more than strips of cloth that revealed more than it hid, allowing him to see the dark, vivid bruising, terrible gashes, gushing holes, and even burn marks that littered her normally pale, flawless flesh.
Her hands were cruelly bound with ninja wire, the metal strands cutting deep into her flesh.
As terrible as all this was, it was the final sight that terrified him the most.
Standing behind Kurenai was another Anbu one hand fisted in her bloodied hair, the other holding a ninjato to her throat.
"Naruto Uzumaki." The Old Man spoke, breaking him from his paralyzation. "Do you think me a fool? Did you really think I had forgotten? That I would simply let you escape my grasp?" He paused to draw something from his pristine robes. It was a bloodstained hitae-ate, Kurenai's hitae-ate Naruto realized in horror. Horror at the deep groove carved through the leaf symbol in the center.
"Did you really think I would stand by and do nothing while you plotted against me?" The Old Man asked as he tossed the forehead protector at Kurenai's feet in disgust.
Finally finding his voice again, Naruto tried to demand. "Let her go!" Even to his ears, it sounded more like a plea than an order. "She has nothing do with this!"
"On the contrary." The Old Man lectured in that calm voice of his. "She has quite a bit to do with this. Originally, she was supposed to kill you, you know." He paused to frown down at Kurenai in disappointment. "Once you came up with that irritating Genjutsu of yours, it became next to impossible for my Anbu to find you. Kurenai here," he explained as he roughly gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. "Was the perfect person to track you down. From there, killing you should have been child's play. But it seems they don't make kunoichi like they used to." With that, he casually backhanded her, only the Anbu's grip on her hair keeping her on her knees. Even then, Naruto heard some chunks of her hair ripping out.
Naruto instinctively darted forward, only to feel something akin to a mountain slam him to the ground.
Coughing, he tried to force himself to his feet as the Old Man continued as if nothing had happened. "I'm not certain what you did to convince her to oppose me, and to be honest, I don't care. I was even willing to forgive her, after she went through some reeducation. But you!" He spat with a venomous glare. "You had to get it into your head to try to plot against me! And that couldn't stand."
"You're lying..." Naruto growled as he pushed himself to his feet. "Kurenai was never one of your pawns."
"Wasn't she?" Sarutobi snorted. "Don't tell me you really thought it was coincidence that she met you? She was mine long before you were even born."
"You're LYING!" Naruto shouted angrily. "I'm no fool either! I know you're just trying to confuse me, to hurt me a little more, but you can't! I know Kurenai, and I know she would never serve someone like you!"
The Old Man laughed heartily at that. "Everyone in this village serves me. To do otherwise is death. Just like what happened to Mitarashi, Shiranui, and those fools at that ramen stand you love so much. My only regret is that I didn't think to make you watch them die."
Naruto's eyes widened in horror at those words. "You wouldn't…," he breathed as images of them rushed through his head. Teuchi, grinning as they traded light barbs over a steaming bowl of ramen, Ayame treating him like a child even as she made sure he always stopped before he made himself sick, then offering him compliments and well wishes the few times he talked about his training.
Genma grinning around that stupid senbon of his, as they looked over an explosive tag that Kurenai didn't know the Special Jounin was letting him study, before hastily covering it up with a history book when she unexpectedly walked in.
Anko and him constantly arguing over nothing and everything, before sneaking into Asuma's house and throwing women's underwear everywhere just minutes before Kurenai and Asuma walked through the door -had Naruto known they actually were Kurenai's he wouldn't have gone along with it- then getting into a fist fight over where to go for their victory meal.
"Of course I would." The Old Man snorted sarcastically. "Honestly, it's like you don't know me at all. After all, it's the only reason I let you live this long."
Despite himself, Naruto couldn't help but ask, "What are you talking about?"
"You always were a slow child." the Old Man sighed before shaking his head in exasperation. "I let you live, because I saw how you managed to make Yoshino help you. At first, I thought she was trying to recruit you for something, especially when she brought her son in. But then you gained the loyalty of those civilians, and I had to wonder. So I watched you, and I saw how you were gathering others to yourself. Obviously, it's easier to wait for you to bring anyone who would oppose me together, than it was to hunt them down individually. And once I was sure you had rooted out all of my enemies, I just swooped in and eliminated them. But I must commend you on Kurenai. No matter what we did to her, she kept insisting that you weren't plotting against me."
For the first time since the confrontation had begun, Kurenai looked up at him, a betrayed expression on her face as she met his eyes. "Why, Naruto?" She sobbed brokenly. "I loved you. How could you do this to me?"
Naruto could only stare at her in horror. He had never wanted this; he deliberately refused to get her involved for this very reason. And now...
"Why Naru-grrk!" Kurenai's betrayal laden voice trailed off into a wet gurgle as the ANBU slit her throat.
"NOOOO!" Naruto screamed as he tried to run to her, fighting off unseen, grabbing hands, as if he could undo all of this, undo the destruction of his world, just by reaching her. "NOOOO! Kurenai! NONONO NO! Don't die, please don't die!" He wailed as unfelt tears streamed down his face. No matter how much he struggled, Naruto couldn't seem to get any closer to her twitching body. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Kurenai! Please don't go! Please!"
"Naruto! Naruto, wake up!"
Naruto came awake with a start, reflexively grabbing at the arms holding him before he recognized her scent. Then he just threw her arms around Kurenai and held on to her for all he was worth.
After babbling incomprehensibly into her chest for a few seconds, Naruto forced himself to calm down by taking deep, gulping breaths, taking in as much of Kurenai's relaxing scent as he could, then trying to get more. After about a minute, he judged himself as calm enough and released her.
Kurenai quietly made her way to Naruto's room, as was her custom before bed. A custom built on years of making sure her son was sleeping well, on the bed and not under it. At first, this was a fairly easy task, as Naruto was both untrained, and a heavy sleeper, despite his intense paranoia. She was even able to curl up against him on a regular basis.
Once, Naruto began his training however, it became increasingly more difficult for her to do so. Oh, she could still sneak up on him in his sleep -she was a kunoichi after all- but now she actually had to try to avoid waking him. And while she could still easily get close enough to brush his hair and tuck him in -as he really was a heavy sleeper, something that she both cherished, and worried over, because it allowed her to indulge her motherly whims and desires, but at the same time, was worrisome due to the danger such a weakness could cause- it had been years since she could hold him as she did when he was a child.
Sighing quietly, she gently brushed his unruly hair back from his face. 'He needs a haircut.' she mused to herself with a rueful smile as she often did, only to put off actually telling him. He always butchered his hair whenever he cut it himself.
Her pleasant musings were cut off when Naruto began thrashing lightly beneath his sheets. Reaching out to run her fingers through his hair -something she knew from experience could help calm him from the darkest nightmare- she felt her chest constrict when he started screaming, his thrashing so violent that she actually had to grab his arms to try to keep him from hurting himself. "Naruto! Naruto, wake up!" she yelled to be heard over his own screams of denial.
When he awoke with a bolt, he actually startled her for a moment, before he buried his face in her chest and held onto her in desperation. A painfully familiar desperation, as this was far from the first time he had clung to her like this. Usually following a particularly bad nightmare, though he was never willing to speak of it with her, and only rarely could Yoshino pry it out of him. As he sobbed into her chest, the only word she could decipher was "sorry" repeated over and over again.
Frowning sadly, she just held him and ran her fingers through Naruto's hair, whispering soft assurances to him as he struggled to bring himself under control.
As usual, her baby boy forcefully calmed himself down, taking the deep gulping breaths he always did in such situations. The final sign that he had regained control of himself was when he loosened his grip on her, before releasing her altogether and letting his arms fall to his side.
Not that she was willing to let him go just yet. "Another nightmare?" Kurenai asked softly.
For a moment, she didn't think Naruto would answer, but then he whispered a quiet, "Yeah."
"Do you want to talk about it?" she offered hopefully. She hated seeing him in pain, and whether he believed it or not, talking about it would help.
Unfortunately, Naruto gave the same answer he always did. "No."
Struggling to keep the frown off her face, Kurenai tried again. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Naruto assured her as he gently extracted himself from her arms. "Sorry if I woke you. You can go back to sleep now."
Kurenai stared at him with a mixture of worry and frustration as he laid back down in bed, rolling over so he wasn't facing her. Mentally growling at how stubborn he could be, she nonetheless kissed his head and murmured, "If you're sure…" before retreating to his door.
Pausing one last time, she turned around and lovingly said, "Goodnight, Naru-chan." Waiting for his response, she struggled to contain her hope, her longing to hear him say the one word she most wanted to hear from him. Mom.
"Goodnight, Kurenai." he replied as he shuffled further beneath his blankets.
Keeping her disappointment hidden through long practice, Kurenai quietly closed the door and retreated down the hallway to her own room, where she finally released a sigh. Even after all these years, he still had issues with calling her mother. She understood the reasons behind his reluctance, even before Yoshino explained it to her.
The last time he had been adopted, he had devoted his entire being to loving the Sanadas, his "ojisan and obaachan". And then they had tried to kill him. So it was no surprise that he would be hesitant to put himself in the position where there could be a repeat. The same thing applied to his last name, which he stubbornly refused to change to Yuuhi, despite giving his consent to the adoption.
As Yoshino explained, the name Uzumaki, and avoiding calling her Kaa-san, was something of a safety net for Naruto. While Kurenai had no doubt that Naruto loved her, and thought of her as a mother, deep down, he feared that calling her Kaa-san would bring about a repeat of the Sanada Incident. And what he feared most about such a repeat, was losing Kurenai, possibly by his own hands.
Cursing everyone she could think of that played a part in ruining Naruto's life, Kurenai vowed that one day soon, Naruto would finally be able to move on and have a true family, one that wasn't marred by fear and suspicion. Believe it.
Meanwhile, back in the Inuzuka compound, another mother was also worrying over her child, while struggling with her own emotions at the same time.
From the moment Hana mentioned Naruto's name, Tsume had been struggling to contain her boiling emotions. Just the very mention of that boy filled her with rage. Oh, how she hated that boy, hated what he reminded her of, hated the way he reminded her of her beloved Teiru, and how his life had been stolen from him, and most of all she hated what he contained. She cursed the day he had been born.
Right after the rage came sorrow, as she remembered all the things she and Teiru would never be able to share, such as the birth of their son, Kiba. Teiru would never be able to watch their children grow, and learn, and love. He'd never see their future grandchildren. She'd never get to cuddle up to him at night, and hear him jokingly complain about her cold feet even as he pulled her even closer.
And then came the guilt. Because as much as she hated Naruto, she knew it wasn't his fault. She knew that he was likely the greatest victim of the whole tragedy. She knew that more than anyone else, that boy deserved, and needed compassion. He needed someone to hold him close as he was growing up, to tell him that it wasn't his fault, that he was innocent.
And perhaps, the greatest source of her sorrow and guilt, was that she had promised. She had promised Teiru on his death bed that she would stop hating Naruto, stop blaming him for what happened. She had promised, yet she never even tried to keep it. She had tried to avoid the boy entirely, as if given enough time, she could just…ignore the hate away. But deep down, she knew. She knew that all she was doing was avoiding the problem, and her promise to her husband. She knew.
And now, Naruto was barging back into her life again. Only this time, it was her own daughter that was dragging him in. And she had felt all that hate come screaming back, even more intense than ever before at the mention of his part in Hana's dream. Not only was he tormenting her with Teiru's death and her un-kept promise, now he was going after her daughter!
She had told Hana to stay away from him, had given her a vague excuse that she knew her daughter would never buy. And she burned with the shame of knowing that, even if Hana was the one capable of giving Naruto the support he needed, she'd rather tear them apart, than give Naruto even the slightest amount of peace. She was given a perfect opportunity to finally keep her promise, and she had once again allowed herself to give in to her hatred.
Tsume couldn't even look at Teiru's picture next to her bed. She was sure if she did, she'd seen his shame and disappointment in her.
In retrospect, Naruto probably should have seen this coming. Every time he had a nightmare bad enough to wake Kurenai, he had coincidentally run into Yoshino a day or two later. He'd be walking down the street, turn a corner and there she was.
She'd ask him how he'd been, make some idle chit chat, then invite him out to eat or get something to drink. He'd agree, and Yoshino would drag him to some restaurant or other that always seemed to be on good terms with her, and they would suddenly be sitting in a table or booth that was far enough from any other for their conversation to go unheard but not too far as to be obvious, and then all of the sudden, she'd spring her trap.
"I heard you had another nightmare, Naruto-kun." And there it was.
Naruto didn't even bother trying to hold in his sigh. "Everyone has nightmares, Yoshino. Why do you always want to talk about mine?"
"Because everyone else knows better than to keep it all locked up inside. You however, are stubborn enough to try and deal with it on your own." She retorted gently. "I know you don't like talking about your feelings, but if you keep hiding from whatever it is you're so afraid of, you'll never have any sense of peace in your life.
"I'm not hiding!" Naruto said angrily. "Is it a crime to enjoy my privacy? To not want a bunch of people judging and analyzing every single word that comes out of my mouth?"
"No, of course not." Yoshino agreed. "However, you are being judged and analyzed, even if you don't notice it."
He knew she was just trying to bait him, to lure him into something that would get him to talk about the damn nightmare, but Naruto couldn't help himself. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan of course." Yoshino replied as if it were obvious. "Those two angels adore you, and are always listening to what you have to say."
"You're exaggerating." Naruto stated, uncomfortable with the idea.
"I'm not." Yoshino assured him. "When Hinata-chan and I get together for tea, ninety percent of what she has to say involves you. Including things like, "Naruto-niisama says that Elder Hotaru is just mad that his hair's falling out, and I shouldn't listen to what he says about my Jyuuken" or "Niisama says I should look into Genjutsu because it's much superior to flashy, noisy Ninjutsu."".
Naruto cringed slightly at that, especially since Yoshino was so good at mimicking Hinata's voice. But she wasn't done yet. "Now what happens when they hear you say you should keep your problems to yourself? How long do you think those two could last like that?"
"Alright, alright, enough with the guilt trip! I'll talk about the stupid dream, alright? Nosy shrink." Naruto muttered grumpily.
Yoshino's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "I am not a "shrink", Naruto-kun, and I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that."
"Anko says you are." He retorted quickly.
"Be that as it may, I don't believe we're here to talk about Anko." Yoshino replied. "And stop trying to change the subject."
"Fine." Naruto bit out. "What do you want to know?"
"You could start with the dream." She offered gently, her ever present notebook and pen at the ready.
Naruto glanced around, more than a little uncomfortable to be talking about this in the open, then slowly began. "I'm in the apartment…"
As he slowly explained the dream, Yoshino looked on with a sad look in her eyes as she wrote the occasional note. He was grateful that she only had him recite the dream once, and when he was done, he did his best to put the dream out of his mind. Unfortunately, she wouldn't let him. "Why do you think you dream about things like that?" Yoshino asked in that damnably gentle voice of hers.
"How should I know?" Naruto muttered. "Why don't you tell me?"
"Have you considered that this is your subconscious mind's way of telling you something?" Yoshino probed carefully.
Naruto frowned. "Like what?"
"Well, do you really believe the Sandaime would choose such a…climatic way to kill someone? In the middle of the street in broad daylight?" she answered.
He blinked at that. "Well, no, probably not. Being a ninja, I'd think it would be something a little more subtle."
"What about how he needed Kurenai to kill you? In your dream, she was needed to track you down so he could kill you, but in the end she refused and for some reason, the Hokage allowed it. Why would he do that?" The Nara Matriarch asked.
"I don't know…he said that he saw that people were helping me and he wanted to see how many so he could kill them too." Naruto slowly reasoned.
"But he noticed that people wanted to help you even before your Genjutsu, remember?" she pointed out. "My name was the first one he mentioned, yet he didn't say anything about going after me, or Shikamaru-chan, or Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan. Even Konohamaru wasn't mentioned. So why would he suddenly decide the others were a threat?"
"Maybe he just didn't see children as a threat? I don't know, it was just a dream. It doesn't mean anything." Naruto said a little heatedly, though he didn't know why.
"But you were just a child once too. So why would he see you a threat and not them?" Yoshino pressed.
"I don't know." Naruto muttered, suddenly starting to see where this was going.
"Why would he wait so long if he wanted you gone? He would have waited for six years before you talked to anyone other than myself. Why?"
"I don't know." Naruto repeated with a glare.
"What could the Shinobi no Kami possibly find threatening about a little boy?"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Naruto yelled as he surged to his feet. "I don't know why he's doing this, I don't know why he wants me dead! But I know he does! I know he gave me to them so they could kill me! And when they failed he sent his Anbu to finish the job!"
He glared down at her as she sat there, looking calmly up at him as if he hadn't just screamed at her in a public restaurant. "One last question, Naruto-kun. Why did the other Anbu save you? Why did you even wake up in the hospital in the first place? Surely it would have been child's play for someone to finish you off as lay unconscious in the Sanada house?"
Naruto opened his mouth to spew out an angry retort, only to struggle to form the answer. Then he came to a disturbing realization. He didn't have an answer.
He had had so many questions about what happened, that he just took everything about the situation he couldn't explain on his own and lumped them together to form 'the Truth'. It had never occurred to him to question it much. Why question it when the only one who could give him the answers was the one hiding the truth from him?
He stared at Yoshino for a moment longer, then turned on his heel and left, ignoring her calls to wait as he stormed from the cafe and jumped up to the nearest roof, simultaneously casting his Konohagakure no Jutsu. He headed off for the nearest training ground, deciding it would be best if he worked off his anger before he ran into someone he might hurt without intending to. Someone like Hinata or Hanabi. Or like Kurenai.
"Naruto-kun, wait!" Yoshino called as Naruto vanished from her sight. She might know about his Genjutsu, but knowing about it and being able to overcome it were two different things.
She bit at her lip worryingly, wondering if she had pushed him too hard, too fast. Should she have waited before pressing the matter? But the dream seemed such a perfect opportunity to finally begin breaking him of his fears that she couldn't help but jump at the chance.
Yoshino could admit that she was no longer maintaining a strictly professional relationship with the boy, who had now become a young man. No, she genuinely cared about the welfare of the child who had been almost like a second son, or favored nephew to her for the better part of a decade. Did her attachment to him make her act rashly?
She wasn't sure, yet all she could do now was hope that at the least, she'd made some progress. Otherwise, she might have just destroyed her and Naruto's relationship for good.
AN: Like I said, I'm not really satisfied with this one. As always, let me know what you think and feel free to give any reviews, criticisms, etc that you may have.
Peace, Vaan.