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Next chapter is the wedding and Naruto & Hanabi might consummate their marriage. Do you want lemons or no lemons? Or maybe just another story with lemons to supplement this one?I'll be honest; I'm not too big a fan of lemons but if the demand is there, I'll consider writing them. Ratings will go up to M, obviously, if you want me to write them as part of the story.

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Akimichi Barbeque, Konoha – March 23, AK22

It was one of the rare times when the remaining members of the Konoha Twelve met up. Today, however, Naruto had not been invited and Hinata had refused to show her face even with the assurance that Naruto wouldn't be present. And lastly, Sai was out on a mission.

Shino found himself stuck between Lee and Kiba, the two most exuberant ones among his friends. Normally he would have summoned the kikaichu of his hive to plug his ears so he wouldn't to hear screams of 'youth' or arrogant boasts about being 'kicking everyone's ass.' The mood today, however, was a lot more somber.

"I guess this is everyone then," Shikamaru drawled, as the waiter brought everyone's orders. "Kiba, I don't know why you wanted to set up this meeting because frankly, it looks like it's going to be a drag."

Shino scrunched his nose as the smell of cooking meet filled their air. He wasn't averse to meat, but he simply had no appetite for anything. Seeing Hinata bawling earlier left a bad feeling in his stomach.

Aside from Chouji, it seemed like everyone else shared his sentiment.

"Tenten," Kiba said in a low voice, "I know this is a private room, but give us some privacy. I'm probably going to lose my temper multiple times and I don't want to make a scene."

Shino blinked in surprise. Kiba was usually not one to admit his flaws. It was likely that Kiba had feelings of regret from inflicting bodily harm to Naruto in the morning.

"Right." Shino watched with some interest as the only sealing elite of their group placed her hand on the table. Characters flowed outward from her hand and eventually filled the entire room. Tenten made a few hand signs. "Activate!"

The only indication that something happened was the characters on the ground glowing blue. While the seal was in plain sight to them, a person outside the barrier that Tenten just erected wouldn't see hear anything.

"Shikamaru," Kiba said threateningly, "I think you owe it to us to give us some details as to what happened in that infamous council meeting."

Shino decided to contribute his point to provide context. "We had made the logical assumption that someone was spreading rumors about Naruto, given his celebrity status in the village. Eventually, though, the rumors grew loud enough that we decided to confirm it with Hinata and Naruto before the surprise announcement today."

"I heard about that," Tenten chortled. "Naruto really went all-out on that one, huh?"

"I'm just glad I wasn't there," Ino shuddered. "Being covered in semen is not my thing."

"We're getting off topic," Kiba growled. "Just tell us about how the damn meeting went!"

"Ugh," Shikamaru groaned. "Not you guys, too. Ino pestered me for details all week so she can go gossip with her friends."

The blonde in question grit her teeth. "Hey, I just wanted to confirm what I heard. Is that so bad? My mom refused to tell me anything. And Hinata's my friend too, you know. I wasn't trying to gossip!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "The world must be ending if you don't want to gossip, Ino." The Nara clan head ducked under a swing from his teammate. "The Sixth figured something like this would happen and gave me the green light to tell all of you what happened. But understand that this is classified. There's a reason why the council meetings are closed door meetings."

"So, what actually happened?" Ino asked before turning to admonish her other teammate, "Hey, Chouji! Slow down! You'll throw up if you eat that quickly."

Chouji's only response was to eat even faster.

Shikamaru ignored the two as he chewed on his own piece of meat. "The Land of Spring and the Demon Country all but demanded that Naruto marry their respective rulers. They had heard that Sakura had passed on and that Naruto was once again single."

Ino growled. "Those conniving and cruel bitches! They just want to marry the war hero!"

"Ino, calm down," the Nara clan head warned. "Otherwise I won't tell you anything. I'm sure that the rulers had feelings for Naruto and that those feelings were genuine, but it's more likely that they were forced by the political situation in their own countries to ask for a marriage."

Shino didn't understand the idea of political marriages. Marriages should be based on compatibility. Two insects of different species would not be able to have offspring simply because they were put in one nest. It was more likely that one would kill the other. But Shino had long come to terms with that fact that humans never operated on logic.

Lee cut in, "That's right. High Priestess Shion is required to have an heiress by her twenty-fifth birthday, which is in three years. Naruto unwittingly promised to help her birth an heiress."

"Eh? Then isn't he breaking the promise by getting married to Hanabi?" Tenten asked. "How is he going to—"

"Samples," Ino interrupted, "of certain bodily fluids. I was wondering why Naruto had asked about that the other day."

There was a long pause. Shino regularly practiced breeding his kikaichu so he didn't find any problem with the concept of sperm donation, but it was clear that the rest of the group did not agree.

"And understandably, High Priestess Shion doesn't favor that option too much," Shikamaru continued, "Not only is it…well…a deviation from normal copulation, but also something about her bloodline ability makes it harder for her to conceive without love. So she demanded that Naruto come and marry her. At the very least, she wanted him to come make love to her to make it easier for her to conceive."

There was another silence. It was definitely bad if the political situation of the Demon Country required the priestess to be that desperate. Priestesses were usually expected to have only one sexual partner for life. For High Priestess Shion to be willing to throw any chance of a future marriage away just to have an heir with Naruto was serious. On the flip side, it could also mean that the priestess was just that desperate for Naruto, but Shino doubted that. The priestess was probably trying to get out of an unwanted marriage to someone from her own home.

"It's a similar situation in the Land of Springs. People are demanding that she get married. Daimyo Kazahana simply went with someone she admired and chose Naruto even though he's more than seven years younger than her."

Shino suddenly recalled a part of his conversation with Naruto.

Flashback

"…I have to marry someone I don't love, but I get out of a political situation that would have forced me to go marry a girl in another country AND I get a powerful ally in the Hyuuga clan for my future bid to be Hokage. Konoha manages to avert offending two rich countries. The only casualty in all this is love."

End Flashback

"I see," Shino commented in a low tone, "Naruto mentioned his aversion to a marriage with a foreign woman."

"Naruto was stuck between a rock and a hard place," Shikamaru admitted. "No matter what, he was going to have to get married. He simply chose the path involving the least amount of pain."

"Least amount of pain?" Ino shrieked. Shino winced at the volume, though he understood the sentiment. He to would not call the level of heartbreak Hinata was currently suffering a small amount of pain. "Do you not know what Hinata must be going through right now? Wouldn't it have been easier on everyone if Naruto married Hinata? Or just not married at all? What happened to his nindo of never giving up? What about Sak—"

"Ino, have a bit more faith in Naruto," Chouji scolded.

Shino did not miss the hard look that Shikamaru was giving Ino, but filed it away in his mind for later use. It was clear that Ino was going to mention Sakura, but surely the girl didn't think that Naruto had to be faithful to a dead girlfriend? And everyone knew that Sakura hadn't truly loved Naruto. Most people felt that the girl had used Naruto as a replacement for Sasuke and Shino agreed with them.

It was probably better that Naruto be forced to move on in this manner.

Instead, Shino stared at the plump boy for a few seconds. Chouji had always been the kindest among them and didn't doubt Naruto's good heart for a single second. Shino could only describe what he was feeling as envy. Even he, with his years of careful observation, had doubted Naruto. There was shame in that. The Aburame clan prided itself on cold logic, but even the Aburame clan did not deny the value of friendship and loyalty.

"Indeed," Shino commented, publicly acknowledging Chouji's trust in Naruto. "Naruto explained that he desired for Hinata to become the Hyuuga clan head."

The blonde girl suddenly looked apologetic at hearing the reasonable explanation.

"That was my reaction when he told us that," Kiba said sadly, "I even slugged the guy. So don't feel too bad. It's just strange to be thinking about political consequences because very few of us are involved in that manner."

"I'm sure that Naruto understands," Shikamaru consoled, "He's not the type that wants credit for selfless deeds anyway. I think he much rather have all the people in the village think he chose Hanabi because she's the strongest woman around his age. Given how he embarrassed Hiashi in front of the entire council, I think that Naruto also intended for everyone to think he was denying Hiashi his favored heir."

"Oh my goodness," Tenten gasped. "What the hell did he do? Angering Lord Hyuuga is not something anyone should want to do. While Naruto certainly could, Naruto wouldn't wipe out the Hyuuga clan single-handedly. The Hyuuga clan, on the other hand, would have no qualms about burying him politically."

Shikamaru frowned. "I don't think Naruto's really worried about that, especially now that Hinata's the undisputed heiress. Besides, it wasn't too bad. Naruto just questioned Hiashi's motivation. Hiashi spun his argument by claiming that he was trying to act as a good father to Hinata while acting as a responsible clan head trying to gain political influence."

"Ah. By requesting Hanabi, Naruto revealed that Hinata's father was little more than a shrewd politician. Tch. The bastard should have just died in the last war."

"Kiba, stop being such a troublesome idiot," Shikamaru sighed. "The situation wasn't as simple as that. Hiashi was honest in his response. So Naruto did more than just shame Hiashi. He rewarded Hiashi. On the surface, it may be that Hiashi failed, but look at it from a different perspective. Hint: This about the situation as if Hanabi didn't want to be the clan head."

Shikamaru's perspective was quite interesting and if true, would demonstrate incredible depth from Naruto. Naruto did Hiashi a favor to help him be a better parent. With the marriage to Hanabi, Hiashi would be fulfilling his duty as a caring parent by giving something to both of his daughters: Hinata, the approval to be clan head, and Hanabi, freedom from the clan. If Naruto agreed to marry Hinata, Hiashi would have become a horrible father because Hanabi would have been trapped in the clan forever while Hinata would never have the opportunity to achieve her dream.

But Shino didn't feel that Shikamaru really believed what he was saying himself. It was just probably a way to make Naruto appear as a good person. Shino himself doubted Naruto thought that deeply into it since Naruto admitted his reasons, but it was still interesting how it was becoming easier and easier to rationalize Naruto's choice.

"Naruto instinctively understands people and relationships better than any of us here," Chouji added. "He might not have gone through the entire thought process that Shikamaru just did, but Naruto probably foresaw a future where Hinata just ended up completely dependent on him. Hinata might have convinced herself that she was happy, but that's no way to live."

"I agree. But it's not important that we dissect his reasons. What I'm more interested in is why Hanabi agreed."

"Well, didn't you say she wanted to leave the clan?" Kiba asked. "She probably just took the first chance she got."

"It's a bit more complicated than that. Kakashi and I looked over the marriage contract. That scroll was loaded with intricate seals. From what we were able to deduce, the seals would use Naruto's own nature chakra to sense whether Hanabi truly wanted the marriage."

"Do you have a copy of the seals?" Tenten asked. "I'm sure Lord Hokage looked over it carefully, but it can't hurt to to have more opinions."

Shino carefully watched as Shikamaru nodded and handed her a copy of the seals.

"Um…this might be a stupid question. But how does anyone read the words on the contract if the seals are covering it," Kiba asked, while pointing at the scroll.

"Idiot!" Ino smacked her forehead in exasperation. "The seals would obviously be invisible on the real paper. They would only be visible upon activation with chakra."

"Oh."

"Any luck?" Shikamaru asked after a few minutes. "We really don't have any true fuinjutsu masters in the village anymore. You, Sai, Yugao, and Kakashi are probably among the best we have."

"I understand the basics of it. There's an activation seal, chakra absorption seal, branding seal, and something that looks like a summoning contract in it. There are a couple other things about it that I don't get, but that's advanced fuinjutsu for sure. You sure Naruto made this thing?"

"Naruto also mentioned fuinjutsu to us in the marketplace," Shino added. The Nara clan head was a good actor but Shino was a better reader on people. There was something bigger going on here. Shikamaru may pretend to be lazy but he had a deeper reason to be interested in this topic.

"Neither Kiba nor I was aware that Naruto had knowledge in the sealing arts."

"Kakashi said the design looks somewhat like Lord Jiraiya's, so it's likely that much of the original construct came from something Lord Jiraiya invented. I knew that Naruto had picked up fuinjutsu a while back, but I doubt he could come up with something as advanced as this from scratch." Shikamaru took the scroll back from Tenten. "Anyway, you four know Hanabi better than I do. Were any of you aware that she knew Naruto before this?"

There was a pause. Shino thought for a few moments before he narrowed his eyes. Shikamaru's constant questioning about Hanabi and emphasis on the contract…

Perhaps the Nara clan head was looking into a conspiracy? Shino probably wouldn't put it past the Hyuuga clan to try to set Naruto as the Hokage and then assassinate him so that their favored heiress would become both clan heir and interim Hokage for at least a good year while the village scrambled to discover what went wrong. And during that time, the Hyuuga clan would move to solidify their power permanently. It was incredibly risky but the Hyuuga clan might be too arrogant to see that.

Shino shook his head. "Hanabi never gave us the indication that she knew Naruto whenever she saw her while we were visiting Hinata in the past."

"Strange, so how was the contract able to accept her? According to Kakashi, that seal was designed to reject anyone that didn't want Naruto specifically."

"Mmm…" Lee stated with some uncertainty. "Well, on our last mission, we ran into an S-rank ninja that completely outclassed us in youth."

Shino didn't know what to make of the youth comment. He assumed that it meant power but he couldn't be too sure. Still, the green spandex-wearing boy looked uncharacteristically serious so Shino decided to pay careful attention.

Tenten shivered, "Lee! Don't remind me of that! I don't think I have ever been that scared in my life."

Shino shifted his glasses. He was not a coward by any means, but the thought of facing a hostile master in the ninja arts was not pleasant.

"Holy crap!" Kiba shouted. "You fought one and lived to tell the tale? Shit! I wish I had been there!"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Tenten shivered again. "The sheer chakra pressure, even without an intent to kill, was ridiculous. And he carved a trench in the ground a kilometer long with just one technique."

"And?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow after a pause. "So how does being scared out of your minds have to do with Hanabi agreeing to marry Naruto?"

Lee picked up from where he left off. "Well, I believe that something changed within Hanabi after that mission. I don't quite have the youth to figure out what it is and I lost consciousness well before Hanabi did, but I believe she lost some of her youthfulness. We know that Naruto is the only S-rank that Hanabi could realistically marry, so maybe that was enough for her. Maybe there was a desire for protection."

The two girls groaned and rolled their eyes.

For his part, however, Shino thought that the idea had some merit. It was certainly more probable than looking into a conspiracy. Shino personally had never participated in close-quarter combat with an S-rank but the one member of his clan who survived an encounter with one was Torune Aburame. The man, who had been just a young boy then, had come back with a changed personality. He began to thirst for power, either out of a sense of fear or sense of ambition. Eventually, the clan had discovered that he had used forbidden techniques to amplify the power of his kikachi to make them highly toxic. It was even discovered that Torune had entered Root, the illegal underground ANBU unit during the reign of the Third and the Fifth. The clan had instantly disowned him and surreptitiously reported him to the Third.

Hanabi as fairly young as well and did not have as much experience as their generation did, even at that age. So it was likely that Hanabi would be greatly affected psychologically by the tremendous amount of killing intent that S-ranks were able to unleash.

"Lee, I agree that she's just a kid, especially since she was too young to participate in any of the multiple wars and invasions like we did. And yes, running into an S-rank will scare the crap out of anyone." Ino said with her arms crossed. "But I know human psychology. That wouldn't be enough to make her want to sell her life away. Besides, she's arguably the strongest kunoichi in the entire village, up there with Uzuki and well…Temari if you consider her a Konoha ninja. She's not just going to crawl into her bed and cry in terror, even if she is just a little girl."

"Ino, that little girl is probably going to have children before you do," Kiba sneered. "She'll become a real woman before you will."

Shino twitched in irritation at his teammate's completely unnecessary and irrelevant comment. Sometimes he felt that Kiba desired corporal punishment from the females around him. It would be one of those things that he never understood about his brash Inuzuka teammate. He initially considered Kiba's brashness an Inuzuka trait but seeing Akamaru constantly smack his paw to his forehead at Kiba's antics confirmed that the idiocy was purely Kiba's.

Lee frowned at that and continued to argue his point. "I can't really explain it, but Gai-sensei always used to say that you can see the spirit of a warrior through their eyes. After that battle, I thought I saw something different in her eyes. It was as if her spirit was broken."

Shino did not comment. Hearing Lee's statement only made Shino more confident about his assessment.

It was certainly better than the idea of a Hyuuga conspiracy, but it wasn't a pretty thought either.

Hanabi agreed to marry Naruto for power. In Shino's experience, actions motivated by desire for power never ended well. It was, after all, how Sasuke Uchiha became an enemy of the village.

For now, he would merely observe to check for any signs of betrayal from Hanabi, but Shino had a bad feeling that he was right. Hanabi would eventually betray the village.

Konoha Uzumaki Clan Compound, March 23, AK 22

Naruto looked at the picture of his master. "Hey, Pervy Sage," he whispered.

It had been seven years since his godfather had passed away, but Naruto still missed him dearly to this day. If Naruto had to pick the one person in his life that made him the way he was, he would pick the Pervy Sage without hesitation.

The pervert had been the first one to truly notice him for who he was. Iruka-sensei had seen a similar-minded orphan in need of attention and while Naruto was grateful to the man, the man never managed to be more than a friend and supporter. Granny Tsunade had seen her dead younger brother in him and treated him as such. Shizune saw him as the younger brother she never had.

Kakashi saw a mix of both the Fourth and Obito in him and a means to make up for his mistakes in the past. The Third saw in him a means to protect the village and a symbol of Konoha's Will of Fire.

Naruto's own generation and the generation below had come to see him just as a rock they could lean on.

None of them saw him. He was just a representation of their hopes and dreams. He was just an emblem to them all.

None of that had mattered to Jiraiya, however. The Pervy Sage never got that far-off look that Kakashi got when they interacted. The Pervy Sage did teach in the Rasengan in remembrance of the Fourth, but he never once tried to use Naruto as a replacement for the Fourth. Unlike Kakashi, the Pervy Sage never called him "Minato." Unlike the Third, the Pervy Sage never expected perfection. The Pervy Sage recognized that failure was possible because Naruto wasn't his genius father.

The Pervy Sage shared pearls of wisdom that he had not with the Fourth, berated Naruto in a way he had not with the Fourth, and trained him in a completely different manner than he did with the Fourth.

"Would you still approve of me if you saw the person I have become?" Naruto asked the picture. He then turned to the picture of his parents next to the picture of the legendary Sannin. "And Father, in the end, I understand why you had to do what you did. Peace usually comes at the expense of others."

Naruto's thoughts turned to the stories he had heard about his father wiping out entire armies of ninjas. His father had slaughtered men, women, children, animals, and more. Nothing wearing an Iwa headband had been safe during that war. That brought the longest era of peace to Konoha and boosted Konoha to heights never reached before.

In spite of that, the pervert had never approved of the Fourth's method of saving Konoha.

The Pervy Sage was proud of the Fourth and had declared that the Fourth was the Child of Prophecy to anyone who would listen, but he never approved of the Fourth taking lives.

Ever.

The Pervy Sage had his flaws and his habits, but he had always been idealistic and positive, hoping for a world without any fighting. Thus, the old pervert never took an opponent's life if he could help it. He had said that killing only begot hatred, which led to war and even more hatred.

Naruto glanced at the picture of his old teacher sighed. Naruto know he couldn't adhere to that philosophy. He would eventually apologize to the pervert when they met in the afterlife. There would be a lot of pain to go around before peace eventually settled upon the Elemental Nations.

"Still, even if you don't end up approving of what I did and what I'll continue to do, I want to tell you that I'm getting married." Naruto smiled at all of them. "She's quite a looker. Pervy Sage, I'm not sure if her 'measurements' are up to your standards, but I'm still sure you would have approved of my marriage with her, if anything, just so you can get some inspiration for those damn books of yours. She's the Hyuuga princess, a real damsel in distress. I know you would have liked a plot of a orphaned prince ending up with the beautiful princess in one of your books."

Naruto laughed at the idea of a damsel in distress.

Hanabi hadn't even tried to hide it.

She was using him. Born as a Hyuuga, the entire world both respected her and hated her. The girl was revered as a princess in Konoha, but her life was constantly in danger from assassins and kidnappers who were after her family's bloodline. On top of that, the threat of being sealed constantly loomed over her and she was deathly afraid of losing any measure of freedom. It was really sad; Hanabi was a captive to her own family.

Naruto was, in more ways than one, to be her shield to keep the world at bay. His clan head status would counter the Hyuuga's political hold over her. His power and strength would protect her from any dangers from direct threats. His compassion would give her room to become whom she wished.

All incredibly selfish reasons to agree to marry him.

Still, Naruto appreciated that frank honesty. It was more than what most people gave him. The Third gave Naruto to the wolves to be a sacrifice to appease the villagers' pain and hurt. Kakashi gave Naruto absolutely no attention when he needed the attention and guidance and then gave him restrictions once he became powerful enough to roam around freely. Sasuke, his "best" friend, had given him a Chidori to the chest and endless grief as Naruto chased after him from country to country hoping to reform him. Sakura left him with a broken heart and a jaded outlook on life.

All of this while they—even Granny Tsunade and the Pervy Sage—prevented him from knowing the truth about his own heritage.

Naruto sighed. Why did life have to be so damn complicated?

He took out a small hunk of gold. He could have bought a ring for Hanabi, but he decided to fashion his own ring for her.

"I noticed that you're sighing a lot more these days. I once read in a book—"

"Quit it, Sai," Naruto groaned as he filled the metal with his chakra. "And what did I tell you about sneaking into my house?"

Sai had the decency to look slightly abashed by that. But the expression was gone so quickly; Naruto wondered if he had just imagined it.

The gold hunk expanded and shrunk in size freely as if it were liquid suspended in the air.

"Your house is considerably safer than it was then. And I didn't mean for things to go the way they did during that incident," Sai said in a neutral voice. "You have my apologies."

Naruto nodded, understanding that suppressing feelings was the only way Sai coped with the world.

"I don't blame you. I never did," Naruto said with a sad smile as he rapidly shaped the metal into a perfect sphere. "You're not the one who hurt me anyway."

"If you had just left me to die instead of trying to save me, none of this would have happened. If you weren't distracted with attempting to heal my wounds, then the incident with Sakura would never have happened. In fact, she might be the one you'd be getting married to in a few days," Sai said with a small frown. "I know more than anyone how much you loved her. Wasn't that one of your unbreakable bonds?"

"Yes," Naruto agreed. "And it is still an unbreakable bond. I still care for Sakura even though I'm marrying Hanabi. But I've already accepted that Sakura's no longer coming back. That may not be entirely true," Naruto added bitterly, "since the seal on her will eventually break, but our relationship will never be what it once was. That unbreakable bond doesn't necessarily have to be one of romantic love, Sai. It can be a connection of friendship or that of close teammates."

"Then what of romantic love?" Sai asked curiously.

"Romantic love?" Naruto asked in a bitter tone. "It's just not for someone like me. Nor do I have time for it. I'll just do the best I can to fall in love while married. Sai," Naruto looked at his old teammate, "each and every day, a small part of me dies. The doubt in me grows and I become more and more exhausted. The toads tell me that I'm supposed to be the Child of Prophecy and my master's last request was for me to unite this world with peace. At first, I was excited to hear that. I felt acknowledged. Honored. But now those feelings are deeply muted. I'm strong, Sai. You know that I'm stronger than almost anyone else in the world. But I'm tired of fighting. It's just easier to go along with what life throws at me without any expectations or hopes."

There was a pause and the only sound was the metal being carefully molded into a ring.

Sai hesitated. "We could have just escaped the village. You and I both know well that this departed from its original mission and philosophy. The Will of Fire was forged from a desire to protect children and the helpless who got caught up in the wars of ambitious and greedy men. This village only seeks to improve its own power and isn't above using children as tools of war and throwing helpless orphans like you and me to the wolves. And besides, we're both motivated by bonds of friendship, not bonds of the village. Why are you so adamant about staying in Konoha?"

Naruto shook his head. "The new generations aren't at fault for the sins of the old. I have to remain here to protect that for now. Until I'm ready to protect everyone in the world, I can't let the people right in front of me suffer. You know better than I do what would happen if I leave."

Sai regularly went out on espionage missions. The intel he gathered was not encouraging. Many different powers were ready to invade and destroy Konoha. Naruto's presence in Konoha was one of the greatest deterrents to war.

The so-called "balance of power." Naruto raised his other hand and lifted the prepared gemstones into the air and started embedding them into the ring.

Sai smiled lightly. "Still adamant about protecting even your enemies, huh? Lord Danzo is probably rolling in his grave right now at your softness."

Naruto closed his eyes to think about his fiancé. "It's not just that. There's something about the Hanabi that intrigues me. If there were someone I could love, it would be her. I want to stay here and see if a true relationship blossoms."

"I never thought you would say that about any girl besides Sakura. What is this girl like?" Sai asked curiously. "Why do you like her so much?"

Naruto thought about that for a minute as he started carving the Uzumaki clan crest onto the ring with wind chakra.

Hanabi, unlike many others, had tried and continued to try to understand him. From what some of his friends were telling him, the girl had purposely made an effort to ask everyone about their opinions on him. And she tried to interact with him as much as possible, asking probing questions, to learn about who he was as a person. Unlike others, she didn't just look at his actions; she searched for the motivations behind those actions. She wasn't interested in the legends and reputations. As he did with others, she wanted to look directly into his soul.

"She can see me," Naruto finally decided to say.

Sai's eyes widened before quickly returning to their emotionless position. "That perceptive?"

Naruto saw the shock in the other boy's eyes. Sai was methodical by nature and had sought to figure out Naruto's true nature. But there were very few who were. Moreover, even the most logical ones let their assessments be clouded by their personal feelings towards Naruto, whether those feelings were about Naruto's former status as a jinchuuriki and a prankster or his current status as the village hero.

"More like unbiased," Naruto clarified. "You already know that people only see what they want to see in me. Hanabi, on the other hand, objectively seeks the truth for herself rather than trying to fool herself with deluded thoughts like the rest of the village."

"Those are some compliments you're giving her," Sai remarked in an off-hand tone, "Are you sure you're not projecting your old feelings for Sakura onto this new girl?"

Naruto shook his head as he drew incredibly small sealing arrays onto the ring. This seal was more or less a chakra storage seal. It would need to be charged regularly, but it would give Hanabi an extra source of chakra to use if her own reserves were to be depleted.

"No way. Not a chance. Unlike my idealization of Sakura, I actually recognize Hanabi's flaws. She isn't a perfect girl. For example, she's using this marriage for her own gain."

"Ah," Sai nodded. "You mean our 'friend' Kokuten?"

Naruto nodded. "The experience traumatized her and she's grasping at whatever she could for protection. Survival instinct."

"And the freedom from the Hyuuga clan is another bonus of her, I suppose," Sai mused with his arms folded.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed.

"Then why are you indulging her? It's not like you have no duty or debt to her. You owe Hinata more than you owe her."

Naruto chuckled but there was no mirth in his laughter. "Well, Hanabi is like us. She's trying to find her own identity in this damned world of ours. So I decided to help her out a bit."

"I see. But what are your intentions towards her?" Sai asked slowly. "That's some ring you're creating for her," Sai commented before Naruto could answer. "I've known you for a while now and I understand what that means."

"Oh?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Can't a husband just create a ring for his beloved?"

Sai just gave him a dull look. "What is it that Kakashi Hatake always says? A ninja must look underneath the underneath. The reason you gave? That's the first layer," he said. "The second layer represents your desire to get stronger and using even something like a wedding preparation as practice for your technique. The third layer represents your fatigue in feeling forced into having to practice so that you can protect the world." Sai had another fake smile on his face. "Shall I go on and talk about how you're putting your soul into that piece of jewelry or are you going to explain why you're already in love with a girl you just recently met?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You're wrong about that last part," Naruto insisted. "I don't love her. I'll admit that she's attractive and that I'm intrigued, but there's nothing more than that."

"I don't believe you, Naruto," his friend answered back, "Because I've learned about emotions from a theoretical standpoint, I can look at things objectively. You're already in love with her. At this point, you're just stubbornly denying it out of a desire to protect your heart. You tend to fall hard, Naruto."

He shook his head. "Believe what you want, but you're wrong. I already learned my lesson once. I may fall in love with her. But that's after I know she can be fully trusted. She hasn't done anything to earn that trust."

Sai didn't look convinced but accepted his statement. "Then I hope you realize that while this isn't the typical political marriage since you'll be keeping all your children in your own clan, but you'll be a married clan head. Being a clan head in Konoha has certain requirements. You'll need to produce an heir as soon as possible," Sai informed him with a strange smile. "Biologically, you have to ins—"

Naruto groaned loudly and covered his ears. "I'm not in the mood to hear one of your lame jokes. I get it. I'm going to have to sleep with her. And very soon after the marriage as well. That doesn't mean anything. It's just the act of procreation."

Again, Sai didn't look too convinced. "If you say so, Naruto. Personally, I don't think that sounds like the Naruto who used to be a romantic at heart. But in any case, just make sure you don't regret this. What happened with Sakura wasn't your fault. But you're just bringing this on yourself if something goes wrong with Hanabi."

Naruto scowled. "That won't happen. I'm guarding my heart," Naruto said fiercely, as Sai disappeared. Naruto opened his closet to pull out something heavily covered in seals. "Now…to make the final preparations. After all, I won't be home for several weeks."

Hyuuga Graveyard, Konoha – March 26, AK 22

"I thought this was more of Hinata's thing."

"It is," Hanabi admitted. "I try not to live in the past. And besides," she added sadly, "I don't have as many memories of my mother as my sister does. So it makes sense for her to be more attached."

Naruto came next to her and held her hand. "That doesn't devalue your relationship with your mother in the least, Hanabi." Hanabi glanced at him. Naruto was uncharacteristically somber. "Those we love will continue to live on in our hearts."

"I recognize those words," Hanabi murmured. "They're quotes from Fourth Shinobi World War. To be precise, they're your words."

"Sort of," Naruto shook his head. "Hinata and I came up with that together after Neji died. I'm merely the one who shouted it out for the entire world to hear. So everyone just assumed it was something I came up with. I figured it's appropriate here since it's both your and her mother. But that's not the important part," Naruto said with a small smile, "the point is that your mother is watching over you from wherever she is."

She nodded. "I know."

There was a long silence.

It was a day before their marriage and things were still uncomfortable between them. It wasn't that they didn't like each other. It was just that there was a strange need to start a conversation whenever they were together. They weren't close enough to be perfectly fine standing together in silence. They would get there some day, but it was still some ways off in the future.

For now, they had to cover up the awkwardness by getting to know each other more. Or so Hanabi felt. Naruto seemed completely immune to awkwardness.

Hanabi watched as Naruto put his hands together in front of him and bowed his head in a rare show of respect. "Lady Hyuuga, tomorrow, your daughter will become my wife. I won't lie and say that I love her dearly," he paused, "but I will do my best to treat her well and make her happy. I assure you that no harm will come to her while she is in my care."

Hanabi reached out to grab Naruto hand. She could tell that his words were sincere. It was one of those times when he didn't mask his thoughts. It was why he was so serious.

She stepped forward. "Mother, Naruto is the strongest man in the Elemental Nations." Hanabi smiled. "He can be a perverted idiot," she ignored the small cry of indignation from her fiancé, "but there's no one with a better heart. He loves the poor, sick, and the needy, just as you once did. So I'm sure you'd approve. He's the one freeing my from the shackles of the Hyuuga clan that you despised so much."

They were silent as they bowed again and left flowers before they walked away together.

"I," Naruto began, "I didn't know that your mother loved the poor and hated your clan. I wouldn't have expected the wife of Hiashi Hyuuga to be so different from him."

She gave him a sad smile. "I'm not surprised when people tell me that. But where do you think my sister got her kindness and gentleness from?"

The Sage looked thoughtful at that. "I suppose you're right," he nodded slowly. "I just always thought it was her way of coping with how she was raised, but I guess not."

Hanabi shook her head and continued her explanation. "Our clan is known for being noble and powerful, not kind. Kindness is almost immediately stamped out among the members of the Hyuuga clan. It's a miracle that my mother lasted as long as she did. But in the end, it was probably because of her gentleness that the elders assassinated her. She hated the fact that our clan was so proper in the most pointless of things. We had power but did nothing but hoard it while people outside our compound suffered."

He looked at her intently. "Last time you said that there was no proof. Yet today, you're saying it as if it's a certainty."

"I'm convinced that it's an assassination. My father doesn't think so; he has too much faith in our clan. Hinata is naïve at times so she simply believes the cover story. But I'm different from both of them. I recognize the flaws in the clan and don't feel attachment to the clan. It's one of the reasons why I wanted to leave so much."

"I can understand that. I wanted to be free of the Kyuubi so much for destroying my childhood. Every time I walked in front of the cage, I was reminded of just how much hate was thrown at me. It must have been difficult for you to live at home and see the faces of your mother's killers."

"To be fair, I don't know who did it. But yes," she nodded, "it was difficult to live at home. It was a constant source of fear and anger."

"It's strange," Naruto squeezed her hand to reassure her, "I used to think that only the Branch House members were caged, but it seems like those in the Main House are caged in a different manner. I wish Neji were here to see it," he said in a wistful voice, "he was kind to you and Hinata, but he still hated the Main House with all his heart."

"I know," Hanabi said sadly, "I only wish he's at peace now." She looked ahead and didn't turn to look at her fiancé so he wouldn't see her struggling to keep her tears down, "I'm lucky," Hanabi murmured sadly. "I should have been in the Branch House by now. It was only because of my sister's softness that I was given a chance to even escape. I feel bad for having benefited from my sister's misfortune—first from her gentleness and second from taking 'her man'—" Hanabi intertwined her fingers with Naruto's, "but I'm still grateful for how things turned out."

"I have to ask," Naruto began, "Why not just become the clan head and change everything? You can save those in the Branch House as well. It seems a bit selfish for you to bail by yourself like this."

"Who said I wasn't selfish?" she said in a soft tone. She released his hand and faced him with a smile. She stepped forward and hugged him tightly, shocking him with her sudden boldness. "If I had been selfless, I would have left you to my sister. But, I'm not. I'm a horrible person who looks out for myself before anyone else."

Naruto chuckled and patted her on the head while holding her close. "Oh, I don't believe that. Give yourself some credit. You tried to cover for your sister the other day and I know you visit the graveyards of your old teammates whenever you have a chance. You're not heartless by any means."

Hanabi froze. How did he know that?

She melted into his arms again when she remembered that she resigned herself to being completely read by the Sage. It wouldn't matter in twenty-four hours anyway. He'd become her husband and know her intimately and understand her more than anyone else in the world. They were going to become one.

"Then I'm a coward," she said into his chest, with her eyes closed. "Too scared to try and change what seems unchangeable. You already know that I'm marrying you out of fear as well."

She didn't have to explain about her own clan and the masked man. Naruto would immediately get it.

"And yet, you're willing to try and figure out who I am, even while knowing that you might not like what you see," Naruto whispered. "I could be the reincarnation of the Kyuubi for all you know."

"Hah. As if the Kyuubi would act as idiotic as you do sometimes," she laughed before becoming serious. "It's because you're warm," Hanabi replied, giving him a soft squeeze to prove her point. "The fact that you're warm means that you're alive. You too have thoughts, feelings, dreams, and fears like I do, even if you are an S-rank. That's enough for me to look past whatever mask you have on and disregard what other people say about you. I know better than anyone else what it's like to put up a mask and not be known for who I really am. Or maybe I'm just too tired," Hanabi continued in a weary tone. "I'm tired of making my life a daily struggle, especially over something so pathetic. The members of my family fear their own family. How sad is that kind of world? I could change the exterior and get rid of the Caged Bird Seal for future generations, but the resentment from the past will still be there. I don't want to have to be the target of all that hate."

"And that's something I can understand. The desire to be free and the weariness of constant fighting. Our job as ninjas requires fighting, but I like to think that fighting is something we do when there's nothing else we can do. Yet we're being asked to do it day and night without end."

She nodded and smirked. "See! We know each other so well even if we haven't been all that close. I can understand you and you can understand me!"

"So in the end, you're saying that you know me in and out," Naruto laughed, as he grabbed her cheeks with both hands. "Typical Hyuuga arrogance."

"I agree but I'm going to deny that I did if you try to tell anyone else," Hanabi smiled and nodded the best she could with her head in his hands. "But frankly, it's more that I want to get to know you. I don't pretend to understand and recognize every detail about you just yet. I only have a glimpse of your soul." She paused. "But that's okay. I'll slowly discover everything about you. Good or bad, I'll be satisfied with getting to discern who you are."

"Why me?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I don't know," Hanabi said honestly. "There's just something about you that draws me to you."

Naruto leaned closer. "As for me, I like your spirit, your passion, your pride. I respect all of those qualities. But that's not all," he admitted, "there's just something about you that intrigues me."

Hanabi could feel her heart beating faster. This time, it was during the evening in an isolated forest. There would be no interruptions.

She closed her eyes.

Hanabi slowly moved her arms around his neck as he slid his arms around her waist. She felt a warm fire rise up in her as she waited.

Then she felt it.

A kiss on her forehead.

Her eyes snapped open in slight surprise and mild disappointment when she felt him pull away.

Secret Hospital Room, Konoha – March 26, AK 22

"Sakura," Ino grabbed her best friend's hand and pressed it lightly. "It pains me to say this, but your boyfriend is getting married tomorrow."

There was nothing but the beeps coming from the EKG.

Ino wanted to cry out in frustration. It wasn't supposed to be this way. This wasn't what they had imagined when they dreamed about becoming ninjas. The dreams about boys and being saved by Sasuke Uchiha were obviously childish dreams, but their hopes to build a better world were not. So why was everything going wrong?

"Naruto seems resigned. He's already given up so much for the village. He's given everything: his best efforts, his life, and now his soul. He's angry, Sakura. He loved you with all his heart and now, he is being forced to throw that away as well. Just what are we fighting for, Sakura?"

"For peace. For the unborn children who have yet to take a breath in this world."

"Shikamaru." Ino didn't bother turning around. It was partially his fault that everything had become the mess it was.

"I figured you'd be here. I heard from Kakashi."

Ino gave a small nod. "Naruto knows."

"And he's mature enough to push his own feelings aside," Shikamaru said softly. "You're an A-rank ninja and you still haven't learned that life is cruel."

"Do you really think that Naruto is pushing his feelings aside?" Ino asked sadly. "I saw him, you know." She paused. "He wasn't happy in the least. I could tell that there was anger and resentment. He's about to snap if he hasn't already."

"I trust Naruto."

"You trust him?" Ino asked angrily. "Is that your only response? You have faith in him. You believe in him. Is that your excuse to use his entire life as a sacrifice for those who never used to even look at him? Shikamaru, that's just a convenient excuse you and Kakashi came up with to justify all your actions against him. I saw it. He's breaking up inside. You are creating your own nightmare. One day, he'll be gone and you'll wonder where you went wrong. I'm telling you here and now that you may have already lost him. Don't be surprised if he betrays us or something like that."

"I wouldn't blame him either," Shikamaru said with a sigh. "He's given his life for the village multiple times and it's a miracle that he's alive. He's given his time and energy over and over again when we needed him. Now he's given his heart and soul for the village as well. I understand that he's probably no more than a living husk at this point. I understand he's given up more than anyone else in the history of this village with the exception of Itachi."

Itachi…

Ino's security clearance was finally high enough to see the truth behind the Uchiha massacre. As much as Sasuke caused pain for her and for the entire world, she couldn't blame him. She probably would have done the same in that situation.

"And?" Ino asked.

"And nothing," Shikamaru insisted. "What would you have us do? Would you like to volunteer to go slaughter all of Konoha's enemies?"

"I couldn't," she responded. "I don't have the ability to do so."

"And neither do I," Shikamaru agreed. "The only person who can do it is Naruto which is why we keep having to go to him. Konoha's pretty much a one-trick pony at this point and Naruto is our only trick. But it's a trick that has worked every damn time without fail. The situation is so troublesome because we're in deep shit either way."

Ino suddenly understood the implications of what Shikamaru was saying. "You…" she gasped. "You're doing this on purpose!" She pointed a shaking finger at his friend. "You're going to have him kill you one day to appease his anger."

He nodded. "It's something I've come to terms with already. I'm going to abuse the hell out of Naruto as much as I can and then have him kill me. It's the only way I can ensure the survival of this village. There's not much I can do in life than think and come up with strategies so perhaps in death I can actually do something to push the fires of war away just a little bit further."

"Is Kakashi in on this?" Ino asked in a hushed voice, still in shock.

"No, I doubt he knows. He's too caught up in the past to see what is happening with Naruto. He's trying to make up for all his failures in the past by betting everything on Naruto. It's what Obito Uchiha would have wanted in his younger years. But Kakashi doesn't understand that Naruto is not Obito. Naruto is no longer a thirteen year old brat who wants acknowledgment and affection."

"Then it's just you. B…b…but," Ino stammered, "But what about Temari? What about any children you might have with Temari in the future?"

He gave her a sad look. "The Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself and his son. I should be able to do the same. At the very least, my children will have Temari around to take care of them."

"Y…you…you're willing to go that far?"

"It'd be troublesome to go through the process of child-rearing anyway. I always did want to end up dying much earlier than my wife," Shikamaru chuckled lightly in a lame attempt at a joke.

Ino walked up to him and slapped him. Hard.

"You bastard! You're just running away and trying to ease your guilt by dying. Instead of looking to die, you should be trying to figure a way out of this mess with that brain of yours. You don't just have a responsibility towards the village; you have a responsibility to your wife and your future kids!"

The shadow user didn't even flinch or wince in pain. "There is nothing we can do. There's only so much you can do with only a few pieces on the chessboard. If you have another plan, I'm all ears, Ino."

With that, he walked out.

Ino clenched her fist in anger and frustration. Damn it. Damn it all.

She turned to look at Sakura. "It might be best if you never woke up, Sakura. This world is really ugly. Any dream world you're in right now is probably like heaven in comparison."

AN: Yet another chapter with more fluff and plot building. I wanted to blaze through the fluff as soon as possible and get to the meat of the story, which is more action/adventure-oriented, but I found out that developing the story is taking a lot more space than I had anticipated. The action is coming in a few chapters. I promise. At least I hope.

This didn't seem nearly as tedious and long when I first outlined it. I'll excuse myself by saying that I'm still doing a lot of character/relationship building. So more Naruto X Hanabi moments to come in the immediate future.

So, yes this is a bit complicated. Naruto is attracted to Hanabi and enjoys spending time with her. But he doesn't love her. Yet.

And as for the questions I got about the power levels...Remember, I said they are Konoha's estimates, not values that reflected "reality" in this story. For those who can't read between the lines, I'll spell it out for you. Naruto's true values appear something like this:

Naruto (Golden Sun) – Rank S

Status: Alive

Official Rank: Elite Jounin, Toad Sage

Battle stats: Intelligence = 4.5 | Strength = 5+ | Speed = 5+ | Chakra Levels/Stamina = 5+ | Chakra Control/Hand Signs = 5

Skill stats: Ninjutsu = 5+ | Genjutsu = 5 | Taijutsu = 5+

Total: 39.5+++++

I was trying to make the point that Konoha repeatedly underestimates and undervalues Naruto. Even a value of 39.5 probably underestimates how powerful Naruto is once you factor in his multiple abilities and versatility. My goal is to get you to get annoyed with Konoha as much as possible but as slowly as possible. I suppose the fact that twenty indignant people PM'ed me or left reviews about how Naruto should be smarter/stronger is a sign that I'm doing something right.

The only two who stand a chance against Naruto are Kokuten and maybe Sasuke. Kokuten is special and well, Sasuke has the ultimate godmode in the Sharingan. It's really unfortunate how ridiculously overpowered the Sharingan is in the manga and I just decided to keep that theme in this story as well. It'll only make the eventual beat-down of Sasuke that much more satisfying to write.

Is this a "Dark Naruto" story? You tell me. None of his values have changed at all. He still wishes to protect those close to him and achieve peace in the world. Naruto merely sees Konoha as an obstacle to peace. I did mention before that this was an anti-Konoha story. Will Naruto betray Konoha? Maybe. Or maybe not. I suppose it depends on your definition of betrayal. But wow…if you think about it…Konoha is completely fucked. They have Sasuke after them, Kokuten (whom Konoha incorrectly believes is Sasuke) after them, and a Naruto who is completely disillusioned with Konoha and the idea of the Will of Fire. Bye-bye Konoha. Haha.