He stared up at the stars, feeling more helpless than he had in a long time.

Naruto still could not bring himself to believe it; his best friend and teammate had been abducted by Akatsuki, and they had no idea where she has been taken. He promised to protect those important to him, and yet he failed to keep the two most important people to him safe. Did he even deserve to become Hokage?

"I-I understand, but I…want you to know that you didn't fail in saving Sasuke. He's still out there, waiting for you to come get him, j-just like Sakura must be waiting for you come and get her." The blonde-haired ninja thought back to Hinata's words. Hinata…What you said…I'm having a problem seeing it right now. All I can think about is Sakura possibly being tortured or dead…I feel like I've failed; I'm a failure…

"Naruto-kun? W-What are you doing still awake?" Hinata asked as she exited her tent.

"Oh! Hey! I'm just thinking. Sakura always tells me that I don't do that enough, so I thought I'd try it out," Naruto replied, lightly laughing.

The shy kunoichi heard only sadness in his laughter. It was obvious that he was completely overwhelmed, but of course, he would never admit that.

Naruto…The boy born into the world to become a vessel to a demon right after. Everyone hated him for something that he could not control; they all seemed to overlook the fact that he was still human, despite what he was harboring inside. Yet, even through the adversity, his determination to become Hokage did not waver. He continued to put out his heart for those who were heartless towards him.

As the years went on and Naruto trained with Team 7, he became more and more popular. His bright and optimistic personality touched the heart of everyone he met, and his strength began to surpass even his own expectations. He became a protector—a hero. People trusted him with their hopes and dreams. He truly was spectacular, but when bad things happened, he was always so quick to blame himself. Despite the fact that he had shown his power and genuine-heartedness time and time again, it was never enough for him. He felt as though he needed to shoulder the world on his own. It was his most motivating and most destructive quality.

"I know S-Sakura will be fine, Naruto…" Hinata offered comforting words as she sat beside her crush. Naruto turned his head towards her while lying on his back.

"Yeah…I really hope so. I'm not sure that I'd be able to live with myself if something happened to her, ya know?"

As much as Hinata understood his pain, she cringed at his words. It hurt her that he felt so strongly for Sakura, when he seemed completely oblivious to her own feelings.

"I…I know…" she managed to choke out.

"It's a really pretty night. The stars are out. I wonder if Sakura-chan can see them too?"

"Uh-huh…"

"We've slept under a sky like this for missions a whole bunch of times, but I never get tired of it, ya know?"

"Y-Yes…Of course…"

Naruto noticed Hinata's discomfort, but he was not sure what to say. How could he approach it? He has never been great with girls. What is she even upset about? Maybe he could use another subject to get it out of her without making himself look like a fool…

"Oh yeah, Hinata, that reminds me. Why are you awake?" The question seemed to surprise her.

"I…Uh…It's kind of embarrassing, b-but…I had a nightmare…"

"A nightmare? What was it about?"

"It's s-silly…"

"C'mon, Hinata! Tell me! Now I'm even more curious!"

"W-Well…Okay…I-If you really want to know…My nightmare was about…it was about y-you…" Hinata focused her eyes on the ground as she spoke.

"Oh yeah? Well, whatta about me?" Naruto pried.

"You…You were the one taken by Akatsuki, and…I…I tried fighting t-to get you back, but…I wasn't strong enough…"

"That's nothing to be upset about. I mean, the Akatsuki are crazy strong! It'd be difficult for anyone to fight them! I think you're a super strong girl regardless!"

At Naruto's words, the shy girl looked him in the eyes. "Y-You say that to me, but you don't feel the same about yourself?"

Hinata's response took the hero by surprise. He looked away from her. She was right; he didn't apply his statement to himself. Why? Why was he so hard on himself?

"I…guess I'm just afraid of letting people down…" he whispers, more to himself than to his friend. A gentle hand touched his cheek and pulled him to look back in the Hyuga girl's direction.

"I don't think...that you have ever let anyone down, N-Naruto, and I d-don't believe you ever will. You're the strongest person I know, inside and out. I…believe in you. I have faith that you will figure out a way to get Sakura back…The only way t-that you would let anyone down would be if you gave up, and I don't see you ever doing that…"

Naruto latched on to Hinata's words. They calmed him and gave him his optimism back, just like they always seemed to. As his gaze fell upon her, he noticed something…She was absolutely beautiful. Her midnight blue hair, her grey eyes, her soft smile, everything—it was all beautiful. Before he realized what he is doing, the blonde-haired ninja leaned in. Hinata did not move; whether it was because she is in shock or not, he didn't know, but he knew that somehow, their lips met. A surge of warmth made it way over his body and intensified when he felt her return the kiss. They lingered in their position for a minute or two before pulling away, both of them panting.

"Hinata…I…I'm sor—"

"Don't apologize!" the flustered kunoichi blurted out. "I've…I've been waiting for this m-moment for a long time…"

Naruto stared for a moment, dumbfounded. He was so used to Sakura laying into him when he made any kind of advancement that he wasn't sure what to do next. Although his conscious mind wasn't working, his instinct was telling him he wants more of her. Without thinking, he stood and held out his hand. She took it despite seeming confused, and he led her back into her tent. Once inside, he gently pushed her onto her back and kissed her again, this time a bit more forcefully.

The heat coursing through Naruto's body continued becoming more prominent. He subconsciously reached up for the zipper on Hinata's jacket, earning a muffled gasp.

"If…this isn't what you want, stop me now. I honestly don't know if I'll be able to stop if you let me go any further." Naruto let out a nervous chuckle in an attempt to mask his desire. His female companion did not reply; instead, she unzipped her jacket and removed it. Not stopping there, she took off her shirt as well, revealing her bra.

The young jinchūriki ran his fingertips over the top of her breasts; they were soft, not to mention huge. Not wanting to risk looking like an idiot while trying to undo her bra, he just pulled the front down, exposing her pink nipples. Hinata blushed the deepest red he had ever seen her blush before, and it just made him want her more.

Naruto repositioned himself in between Hinata's legs and took one of her breasts in his mouth. As soon as his lips made contact with her skin, he felt her back arch. He gently sucked on her nipple, making sure not to hurt her. He began to lift one of his hands to grab her other breast, and in doing so, grazed against her crotch area. He was surprised to feel that it is moist, so he pulled away. Curious, he slowly placed his hands on either side of her pants.

Hinata nodded her head slightly to let her lover know that it was okay to continue. Naruto slowly pulled down her pants and underwear until he was able to completely take them off. The shy girl beneath him covered her face with both of her hands, obviously embarrassed. Not exactly sure what to do next, he placed a finger on her sensitive area. She gasped, and he had to admit that he liked the sound of it. So, he decided to put a finger inside of her. He moved it around, earning more gasps. He could feel the groin area of his pants getting tighter with each noise she made.

All of a sudden, the young Hyuga stopped him.

"I…I w-want to…to…I want to make you feel good as well, Naruto!" she forced out, pushing her lover back. He caught himself and landed with his legs opened. She took the opportunity to crawl between them and quickly undid his pant zipper.

Naruto was surprised by Hinata's forwardness. Once she had his zipper opened, she pulled down his boxers slightly, allowing for her to grip his large member. She started running her hand up and down the shaft. He hardly knew how to react, so he just closed his eyes and tried to focus on enjoying what she was doing. He was startled when he felt her take him into her mouth and let out a moan. She lightly sucked, almost bringing him to his breaking point.

Naruto stopped the attractive kunoichi, not wanting their session to be over just yet. He got her to twirl around so that her ass was towards him. He sat up onto his knees and positioned himself so that he could push into her. He did so, very carefully. She let out a loud moan and then covered her mouth in fear that their friends might hear them. Once he was completely inside of her, he allowed her body to adjust to him. When she indicated to him that she felt comfortable, he began to move. His pace was slow to begin with, but with each thrust, it got harder for him to control himself. Eventually, he was slamming into her, both of them panting in pleasure.

The blue-eyed hero felt himself reaching the top of his ecstasy. Not wanting to hit his climax without being able to see his lover's beautiful face, he pulled out of her and made her lay on her back. He did not push himself back into her gently but instead thrusted into her roughly. His strokes became more and more erotic until he felt Hinata's walls tighten around his member. She shrieked in desire. He followed closely behind as he released himself inside of her, not able to hold it in any longer.

After their session, Naruto and Hinata laid next to one another, unable to speak. Had he only done this because his emotions were running wild? No…No, that wasn't it. He truly did feel for her, and thinking about it, she was better for him than Sakura ever could have been. He loved Sakura, of course, but not in the way that he felt for Hinata.

Sakura was full of fiery passion, but he had enough of that on his own. What he needed was someone who was calm, kind, and loving—someone who had passion but a gentle touch.

He needed someone like Hinata, whose tender strength was always present through her words and actions. He saw that now.

In his lowest time, Naruto saw that she was the one whose love would be the source of his confidence and power. He would save Sakura. There was no doubt about it, so long as Hinata was by his side.