Shortly after nightfall, inside Naruto's apartment, Hinata laid within the small bathtub in the bathroom filled with almost scalding hot water, which felt like heaven on her sore body. The days passed for Hinata without her really noticing them. Since her first training session with Gai, she had felt a strong fire light within her. She jokingly thought it could be the fires of youth Gai always went on about, but she knew that it was more than that. Her body ached from the exertion she had put it through, she pushed it far harder than she had in training with the Jyuken in the past. But the aching almost felt good to the girl, it was proof that she was putting all she had into her training and more. Gai's physical training regimen was harsh, but she could see the results from Lee, it was clearly worth it. Lifting one long pale leg out of the water, feeling her muscles ask her to please not to do that, she wondered with a bit of worry if she would get too muscular from all this training practice. Before she could fret about what her body might look like after a while of intense physical training, she shook her head. It wouldn't do to worry about frivolous things like that, she was a ninja and had to train her body appropriately. Letting her leg sink back down into the heavenly water, which it was quite thankful for, she let out a content sigh and settled into the bathtub.

Then, three loud knocks sounded from from what she believed to be the main door. "Eh? I wonder who that could be at this hour?" Hinata murmured to herself, and then she heard the knocks again. With a sigh, she sat up in the tub, wishing she hadn't as she felt the cool air torture her moist chest and rob her of the beautiful warmth. "Be right there!" she called out, trying to keep the frustration from her voice, she wasn't pleased about having to get out of the bath. Standing up, her legs once more brought forth the question of why she hated them, but she ignored the aching complainers and picked herself out of the bathtub, uttering a small, "Brr!" before she quickly grabbed a large t-shirt and threw it onto her exposed body, already clinging to her wet form. It was long enough to go to her mid thigh, it would be decent enough just to see who was at the door. Quickly moving through the dark apartment, she heard the knock sound more time, which she answered with "One moment!", reaching the door, she quickly undid the lock and opened it just a bit, trying to hide her body behind the door. The cool air of the night came in on a gentle breeze, caressing her naked legs and making her shiver for a moment. She looked up and was surprised to see the looming form of Jiraiya standing with a slight smile on his face outside the door. For a moment, she was glad to see him, remembering that he had left with Naruto, but then her mind stopped dead on the thought. If he had returned, where was Naruto?

"Sorry about coming to the door so late, but I have something for you." Jiraiya spoke, trying to keep his eyes off the young girls pale legs, but the perverted area of his mind – which some could argue it would be the entire thing – was taking very calculating stock of them. But, he soon noticed the beyond worried look on the young girls face, and he quickly spoke, "It's from Naruto, he's fine, if that's what you're worrying about."

Hinata let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, putting a hand to her chest. For a brief moment, she had thought – she shook her head, and looked back towards Jiraiya. "Thank goodness. But, why isn't he with you right now?"

Jiraiya reached into his yukata, pulling out the folded letter and necklace. Handing it to her, he waited until she took it before speaking. "He had to stay behind. I imagine," he spoke, pointing at the letter, "That will explain the rest."

Hinata looked down at the letter and necklace, noticing just how beautiful the golden lion's head was, as the moonlight reflected off the ridges of it's metal mane. The emerald green eyes seemed to be staring directly at her, rather than the other way around. She wondered how she hadn't ever really noticed the necklace before this point? She then remembered that she was staring at the necklace wearing next to nothing in front of Jiraiya who went to the trouble of delivering the letter to her. With a slight blush, she quickly bowed her head. "Thank you for delivering this to me, Jiraiya-sama."

Jiraiya nodded, trying not to laugh at how flustered she seemed. "It's no problem. Have a good night." Jiraiya turned and heard the door hurriedly close behind him. As he started walking back down to the street below Jiraiya couldn't help but grin. You got quite the catch there Naruto. She's gonna be a real looker when she's older, hehehe. Ooh, this gives me a good idea for a Icha Icha novel. . . hmm.

Leaning against the door for a moment, her face still flushed, Hinata let out a small breath. Becoming aware of the letter still in her hand however caused her to forget about the previous events and she made a straight line for the kitchen, where she turned on the light and sat down at the old wooden table. Carefully, she unwound the golden chain of the necklace from around the letter and set it down. She folded open the letter with a small breath, wondering what could be contained within. She chuckled for a moment, seeing Naruto's messy calligraphy. His handwriting was rather messy, but she could tell that he had been very careful when he had wrote this letter.

Dear Hinata-chan,

A lot's happened since I left Konoha, some of it I can't talk about unless I was there with you. But, what I can say is that we reached Uzushiogakure, and found what we needed to help me fight the Kyuubi! And even more we found a surviving member of the Uzumaki clan who was still living there, and what's more is he's my Grandfather! Can you believe that?!

Hinata let out a small gasp, reading about Naruto's grandfather. A small smile crossed her face, she was happy for him. She knew how terribly much he wished for family, and he had suffered for so long without anyone to show him love.

What's even cooler is that he's a total badass, he's going to be teaching me all of my clan's techniques and help me with learning how to fight the Kyuubi. The only problem is though, Hinata could imagine for a moment, before she went on reading, how long he had waited before beginning the next part. I have no idea just how long that might take. Grandpa says that it takes years in order to master the sealing techniques.

Hinata swallowed the information, it's bitter taste feeling horrible.

I can't leave here, not until I learn what Grandpa has to teach me. He says this is holy ground where we are, and if I leave before I take care of the Kyuubi, I'll be putting everyone in danger. I'm sorry Hinata-chan, I really am. I don't want to be away from you for so long and this will probably be the only letter I'll be able to send you, but I don't have a choice. But I swear to you, I'm going to train as hard as I can, I'm going to learn everything I need to and come back to Konoha as soon as possible.

A wet sensation rolling down her cheek brought Hinata out of the daze she had been in as she read the letter. Bringing a hand up, she absent-mindedly brushed aside the tear. She took a deep breath, and told herself she needed to finish reading the letter.

I don't know what much else to say, but I want you to know I really love you Hinata-chan. The entire time I've been away from home all I can think about is how it would be like if you were with me. Even now, when I'm writing this, I can imagine you sitting next to me. If you noticed, I sent Jiraiya back with my necklace along with this letter. Grandpa says it's a special necklace, and I want you to hold onto it for me. It's my promise, I'm going to come back to you Hinata. I'll beat this stupid fox into the dirt and make sure I pummel him so hard he'll understand all the pain he's caused me and still is. I don't know what more I can say at this point, but I just want you to know I love you, more than anyone else in the world.

Love,

Naruto

Hinata stared at the letter, it's fragile body held desperately between her hands. Again and again she re-read it, hoping, praying she found something that told her she imagined Naruto not coming home for as long as he was implying. But she found nothing that supported that theory. With a small, pain-filled sob, her will to hold back her tears fled, and she let out a heart wrenching cry, tears fully falling from her eyes. Her heart was full of pain, and she wished beyond anything that the letter was a lie, and that she would see him walk through the door telling her it was all a bad joke and she could hit him for upsetting her so. But as he cries continued, and the ticking clock on the wall continued, she had to accept it. Gently setting the letter aside, Hinata tried her best to control herself, trying to tell her how humiliating crying like this was. Looking for anything, she grabbed hold onto the necklace Naruto sent to her and clutched onto it with a fierce, yet gentle grip, trying to gather all the strength she could from it. Leaning forward onto the desk, she allowed herself to cry, and all she could do was repeat Naruto's name in her head, over and over again, as she recalled the words I love you over and over again. She could picture him saying it to her, as he leaned into once more give her a kiss like the one they had shared before.

Little did she know, that letter had been the only one he'd been able to finish after trying for countless times. Naruto had cried onto each letter, ruining them all with his unspoken sorrow.

XXXX

At the Hokage's residence, Sarutobi had welcomed Jiraiya's late arrival, bringing out a large bottle of sake for them to relax and enjoy. The gentle light of a small lampshade in the back corner of the room was the only illumination for the small traditional room where both men sat crosslegged, across from each other at a small table. The warm orange light mingled with the dark areas of the room to bring on a rather relaxing feeling to both, especially Jiraiya who was weary from running the past few days to reach Konoha. After exchanging small pleasantries, Sarutobi moved onto the subject of the trip to Uzushiogakure, assuming that Naruto was cured and reuniting with his love. But, he was soon corrected, as Jiraiya explained the trip in full, along with what they found in the Uzumaki Shrine.

Sarutobi put his sake cup down, no longer having a taste for it at the moment. He looked towards Jiraiya, staring into his student's eyes as he thought about the tale. Reaching into his robes after a moment, he withdrew his old pipe and proceeded to go about lighting it, still silent. After finally lighting it and taking a drag, Sarutobi slowly let out a breath of smoke. "Interesting." he finally spoke, as he looked into the smoke. After another moment, he spoke again. "So we have no idea when Naruto is going to be able to return to us?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "No. It's implied though that it will take years, however."

Sarutobi grumbled, as he thought about how Hinata would take the news. He felt a bit protective of the young girl, she was a nice girl who truly made a difference in Naruto's life and cared for him as none had before. He would make sure to make time to see her tomorrow. "Well, it is as it is. This isn't something he can avoid." Sarutobi continued, accepting the report and taking another deep drag from his pipe.

"You're not concerned about this man who claims to be Naruto's grandfather? It's true he named Kushina before Naruto even gave his name but. . ." Jiraiya spoke, trailing off. He was still worried about it, even though at this point he had accepted that stranger things could have happened.

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at Jiraiya. "You're the one who left him there, You wouldn't have done so if you thought he might have been lying. I have no reason to mistrust your judgment, do I?"

Jiraiya let out a small chuckle, feeling a bit embarrassed for asking his previous question, his sensei had a point. "You're right, I guess. . ." Jiraiya trailed off for a moment, wondering if he should continue, "I guess I was just a bit jealous is all."

Sarutobi stared at Jiraiya for a moment, the single confession truly surprising him. He was certain why he would feel as he did, but asked, "And why would that be?"

Jiraiya let out an uncomfortable grunt, starting to wish he had never said anything in the first place, and the look on Sarutobi's face said he wasn't about to let it drop either. Looking down to take a deep breath, he saw Sarutobi was surprised when he saw the honest look on Jiraiya's face. "This trip, it's showed me just how much I missed out on by not being there for Naruto. The regret I've been feeling is. . ." he stopped for a moment. "He knows. I accidentally admitted who I was to him when we had an argument over his grandfather."

Sarutobi nodded, listening intently to the explanation. "And? What did he say?"

Jiraiya gave a small mocking laugh, though it was directed at himself. "At first, he said he hated my fucking guts. I couldn't blame him, I really do deserve it."

Sarutobi was now feeling as if he was speaking to an entirely different person. It had only been a week since he'd last spoken to his student, but it was obvious in that short time he had a great change of heart. He of course knew that it would have been full due to Naruto, which made the old man smile.

"But then, the next day, right before I left. He said he still couldn't fully forgive me, but he was willing to start over again."

Sarutobi smiled softly, feeling proud beyond reason about how Naruto had handled the situation. He was growing into a fine young man. "Good." Sarutobi replied, causing Jiraiya to nod.

"I plan on making good on his faith in me. Soon as he comes back, I'll be what I promised Minato I would be."

Sarutobi gently set down his pipe, feeling a very happy warmth take him over. It had been a long time coming, but it seemed as though he might finally have his student that he treasured as a son back. Grabbing his sake cup, he took another drink of the sweet alcohol, savoring the bite on his tongue, and the warm fire that ran down his throat. Setting down the now empty cup, he looked at Jiraiya. "It's good to see you again Jiraiya." Jiraiya grabbed his cup with a bit of a blush and began drinking it heavily to avoid having to respond to the question, making Sarutobi laugh. Then, seeming as he remembered something, Sarutobi waited until Jiraiya finished drinking and was able to talk again. "That reminds me, I need your services with something tomorrow, if you don't mind."

Jiraiya let out a long breath, feeling the top dollar sake hit him like a train in all the right ways. "Oh yeah? What do you need?"

Sarutobi waved his hand once, "It's nothing that needs be discussed here, it's not that important." Jiraiya understood it as wanting to wait until they were in the relative safe environment of the Hokage Office, "So when you have time tomorrow, come see me."

Jiraiya nodded, keeping his face neutral. Then, with a smile he reached for the bottle of sake that had been laid out. "Works for me then, but until then I think I'll help myself to more of this excellent drink."

Sarutobi laughed, and then held out his cup. "Not until you pour me another one, my dear student." Both men shared a chuckle, and made a silent toast.

XXXX

Gai was surprised when he and Lee had arrived early that morning at their training ground, the sun still nestled behind the mountains with only a hint of orange now coloring the eastern sky. They found Hinata was already running around the field, and looked like she had been doing so for a while. Gai studied her for a moment, and saw she had a look of determination beyond the one she normally wore, it spoke of a renewed vigor and a flame that had reached an infernal intensity.

"Gai-Sensei! Are you seeing this?! Such a vigorous fire burns in Hinata-san! I mustn't allow her fire to dwarf my own! Yosh!" Lee roared, as he charged in a full sprint straight towards Hinata, who gave the boy a small smile and nod before returning her concentration to her run, while Lee began complimenting her on stroking her fires of youth so brightly.

Gai crossed his arms and watched on with a smile. There was something very similar in her countenance that reminded him of Naruto. He thought with a chuckle her goal wasn't nearly as far off as she thought.

After counting a number of appropriate laps, Gai called them both over, and asked them both if they were ready for the full run. Hinata tied with Lee for answering, both giving an enthusiastic yes/yosh. "Good! But today we're going to do it a bit differently, seeing as how both of your fires are burning with such a glorious flame today!" Gai smiled, with a thumbs up, his teeth catching the first ray of light that peaked over the forest.

Hinata looked at Gai with a bit of a nervous look, his normally benign and joyous smile seemed to almost hide something sinister behind it. With a fierce nod however, she began to listen to what the change in plans were.

The morning sun was now well on it's way to greeting Konoha once again, as it had since it's establishment. The citizens began their daily routines once more as they tended to do. Of course, with it being a ninja village, many of the inhabitants started their mornings with exercise and training. And anyone who would be up early to engage in this knew quite well of the eccentric duo clad in green leotards, and that they recently picked up a third. Today though, was a show of a different kind; instead of the enthusiastic running through the village, those who were lucky enough to witness two green blurs run by, saw they did so on their hands. The third of them however, wasn't quite as used to the motion, and was much, much slower.

Hinata saw the sweat dripping down her face, forming an erratic pattern in the dirt below. She struggled with every 'step', having to keep a constant check on her balance, as well as having an anxious feeling that her shirt would fall out at any time from where she had it tucked into her shorts. The sheer thought of her bra being flashed to everyone made the poor girl turn a new shade of crimson. It didn't help any that with how slow she was going, people who were walking had to move around her, causing her to apologize meekly every time. It made her want to just quit now and run home to throw her face in the pillow. With an inner sigh however, she told herself to stop thinking like that. She swore on the necklace that now swayed ever so gently under her face, giving her a glimpse of it from time to time that she would work as hard as she could, so that when Naruto did come back they could be equals. Gritting her teeth she tried to speed up her pace, only to lose her balance and fall forward with a small yell. Hinata let out a small groan, as she felt a rather large rock jutting into her back. Reaching under her, she brushed the offending object away with a small complaint.

"Hinata?"

Hinata opened one eye, and saw Ino bent over, leaning with her arms on her knees. Hinata fully opened both eyes, and moved her head to get the glaring sun out of her eyes. "Hello Ino." She replied with.

Ino turned her head to the side, curious as to why the young Hyuuga had been walking on her hands. Ino had been out on an errand when she saw Hinata, and had followed her for a moment which allowed her to catch the girl falling flat on her back in a rather nice front flip. Holding her hand out towards Hinata, she gave the other girl a smile.

Hinata returned the smile in kind, starting to reach for it, but then seemed to remember something. "Thank you, but," she started, and then quickly pushed herself up into another handstand, trying to regain her balance. "I have to do this all the way." she briefly explained. "We can talk later, maybe?"

Ino looked at the girl with a surprised look, but stood back straight and shrugged. Crossing her arms behind her back, she walked up to Hinata's side and kept the slow pace that Hinata was 'walking' at. "So Hinata?" Ino asked, looking down toward the girl. Hearing the girl make a sound that was akin to 'yes?' Ino continued. "I was kind of hoping you might agree to coming with me and a bunch of us to go see Sakura today?"

Hinata tried to look up towards Ino, but the best she could manage was to look at the other girl's feet. "Why. . . is there . . . something wrong?" Hinata managed to speak out.

Ino looked a little troubled for a moment, and nodded her head, not that the other girl could see. With a hesitant start, Ino spoke, "It's about Sasuke. . . ever since he left she's been holed up in her room. It's been really weird, I know she liked him a lot, but the way she's acting. . ." Ino made another sigh, and shook her head. "And like, it's weird with Kiba too, you know? He got stabbed by Sasuke, and she's acting like it's the end of the world with him gone, it's really not cool."

Hinata was trying her best to listen as she focused on walking, and understood what she was talking about. She had heard about what happened with Kiba, though a lot of the details were vague at best. It wasn't exactly something that was widespread talked about. She realized that Ino hadn't stopped talking, and was asking her a question.

"So what do you think Hinata?" Ino asked, having reached the end of her long talk.

Hinata gave an awkward smile, and gave herself a moment to think of a response. "Uh . . .sure, I can help." She began to wonder if Ino was oblivious to the fact that Hinata wasn't in the best position to have a talk like this or if she just didn't care.

Ino gave a small cheer, and clapped her hands. "You're the best Hinata, thanks! Think we can go now?"

Hinata shook her head. "I can't. . . five laps. . . around Konoha. . ." she breathed out. She heard Ino make a small whining sound, and knew what was coming next.

"Come on Hinata," Ino pleaded, walking in front of the girl and back pedaling at her pace. "You can ditch this for now!" She was a bit put off when she saw Hinata firmly shake her head no.

"No. This is important." Hinata replied, feeling a new strength emerge in her, finding a second wind to keep going. "What time are you . . . going?"

Ino let out a sigh, but shrugged after. If she wanted to do this weird training, who was she to say no to it. "Meet us around noon, at the BBQ restaurant by the academy. But Hinata," Ino paused as she turned and looked forward, envisioning her trek around Konoha. "I don't think you're gonna really –"

"I'll see you then Ino." Hinata spoke curtly, cutting off the other girl. Then, not allowing her anymore time, Hinata let out a small yell and picked up the pace that she was moving at. She smiled when she almost felt herself lose balance but she was able to correct herself, she was getting the hang of it!

Ino stopped walking, watching the Hyuuga girl moving at a pace closer to a light jog now, and gave a small laugh. She then watched as Hinata's shirt started to gently come loose from her shorts due to the vigorous movement. "Gah! Hinata! Wait!" Ino yelled as she ran after her.

XXXX

Gai stood at the Team Gai grounds alone, keeping an eye on the road that led from the forest into Konoha. He and Lee had finished their laps a few hours ago, but his young pupil insisted on finding Hinata and keep her company on the rest of her laps, which made Gai swell with pride. Glancing up at the sky, he saw it was roughly eleven, about six hours since they had first started out on the run. His ears perked up as he heard the sound of someone moving through the forest. With a large smile, he saw Hinata and Lee come into view, with Hinata still keeping a strong pace, even if she looked like she was about to pass out. The two came just a few feet in front of Gai, and with a single wobble, Hinata fell to the ground. Lee wasn't too far behind, but managed to fall with a bit more grace and moved into a sitting position next to his fellow student.

Gai knelt down on the ground and put a gentle hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Well done Hinata." In truth, he hadn't been sure if she was going to be able to do all five laps, and he wouldn't have been disappointed in the slightest. But, she instead showed him just how powerful her will was and finished the course.

Hinata picked herself up off the ground, and returned the smile, though it was a bit unsteady as having spent the previous six hours upside down left her with only a slight sense of vertigo. She then took the hand that Gai offered, and pulled herself up on still numb legs, trying to steady herself enough so she could stand.

"You did a superb job today Hinata. At this rate you'll be ready for the really advanced training in no time!" Gai let out a boisterous laugh at how her face turned a shade paler, and then he clapped her on the shoulder making her squeak. "That won't be for a while. For now though, we're finished; But before you go home, the Hokage wishes to see you in his office."

Hinata forgot all about the promise of harder training and looked at Gai in surprise, "Why would that be?" she asked, more rhetorically than anything. Gai gave a small shrug in reply. "An ANBU came by and asked to relay that message. You shouldn't keep him waiting though."

Hinata gave a small nod in agreement and gave a quick bow, "Thank you again for the training Gai-sensei!" Before trying to run off to head for the town, but only succeeded in awkwardly jogging as her legs were still a bit unresponsive.

Gai was about to tell her she didn't need to be so formal, but decided against it, knowing it was in her nature to be overly polite. Looking down, he saw Lee was watching her go and kept his gaze on her. Gai felt a mischievous grin creep on his face and squatted down next to his clone. "Could it be that my Lee is feeling the spring of youth take blossom?"

Lee snapped his head towards his sensei fast enough to make the boy dizzy, his face completely beet red. Gai had asked in their own language if he had a crush on the ex-Hyuuga Princess. "N-n-no! Gai-sensei, how could you think that-?! She, Naruto-san, they –" Lee began babbling off incoherently, before jumping up from where he stood. "Strike practice!" The boy yelled before charging to the nearest log to start firing off punches as fast as he could, yelling out the number of times he punched.

Gai laughed long and hard before he decided to join in on the practice.

XXXX

Hinata found herself fidgeting outside of the Hokage's Office door, realizing that in her hurry to get here, she had never considered her state of dress. Her training clothes were stained with sweat and she herself had a layer of stale sweat and grime that was begging to be scrubbed off in the worst way. Trying to smooth out her hair and get it into a more presentable state, she heard an amused voice call out from behind the partially open door.

"Hinata, it's quite alright, come in."

Hinata made a small 'eep!' and blushed, before slowly opening the door, peeking her head in first. She saw Sarutobi sitting alone behind his desk with a rather amused expression and his pipe hanging out of his mouth. The older man took another puff of his tobacco before setting it down and moving some paperwork out of the way. "Come in, I won't bite." he chuckled, seeing the girl's sheepish attitude. As she slowly stepped in and walked towards the desk he saw why she was acting so strange. "You've been hard at training I see? It's been the only thing I've been hearing lately is that someone was crazy enough to seek out Gai for taijutsu training, I can see you've been taking it seriously."

Hinata felt grateful for the compliment, and bowed, though she did wonder about the gossip calling her crazy. "Thank you Hokage-sama, Gai-sensei has been very kind to help me continue my training since I can no longer with my clan."

Sarutobi didn't let his frown appear, to show his feelings on the subject. He'd been keeping tabs on the Hyuuga since the incident with Youta, and the clan hadn't exactly skyrocketed in a direction he had hoped. In truth, the Hyuuga was now without a strong leader. Youta might have been a colossal ass, but he had indeed been a strong lynchpin. The Clan now had appointed Hanabi as the clan head of the household, but he knew it was a farce, they were using her as a proxy and more than likely the elders were calling all the shots now. With a nod, Sarutobi reminded himself he had company. "That's good dear, I'm glad you've shown such want to fight. I take it you know about Naruto?" Sarutobi asked the question directly, he didn't think asking about it lightly would be of any help. He noticed that the girls mood fell for a moment, showing a deep sadness, but it was quickly shaken off and replaced with a very gentle smile. "Yes, but it's okay. Thank you Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi knew she was probably still hurt by the news, but she was obviously fighting through it in her own way. She was a strong girl, and he knew she would make an amazing kunoichi when she fully matured. Figuring it was time to get onto the real reason he called her in, he motioned her closer to the desk. "The reason I called you in Hinata, was to give you something." The Hokage started, as he pulled open a drawer in his desk.

The ex-Heiress stepped forward with an inquisitive look. She hadn't been expecting this when she was called in. Watching the Hokage with a hidden eagerness, she tried to stand up a bit taller to try and see what he was reaching for. She let out a small gasp when she saw what he pulled out. "Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi smiled as he held the item out to her. "You earned it, Hinata." in his hands, he held a brand new Chunin vest.

Hinata reached out, with an entranced look on her face, as she carefully grabbed the vest. Pulling it close to her, she couldn't help but trace the large red swirl on the back, and she smiled, as it reminded her of Naruto.

"It was a unanimous decision you know." The Hokage started. He saw her perk up, fer face looking surprised. "Due to the fact that the Chunin Exams were cut short, there wasn't a winner. But, there can still be a vote on who to become become Chunin. Everyone agreed that you should great promise and skill in your fight against Sasuke. They were very impressed on the gambit you took to stop Kakashi's legendary Chidori. Though," Sarutobi let out a small laugh, "I wouldn't recommended trying that method every time."

Hinata felt speechless, as she looked back down towards her vest. The Chunin Exams hadn't even crossed her mind after everything that had occurred with the war and Naruto. She ran her thumb across the thick kevlar padding, and smiled. This was the real thing, she made it to Chunin.

Sarutobi cleared his throat, and changed his tone to a more Hokage like one. "As a Chunin," he began, and watched Hinata snap to attention, "You will now be assigned more difficult missions and more will be expected of you. Do you believe that you will be able to handle this?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Hinata replied, her voice bold and sure.

Sarutobi gave the briefest of a smile, unable to hide it. "Then you are officially a Chunin of Konohagakure. May you always carry the Will of Fire within you."

Hinata smiled and gave a deep bow, "I'll give it my best."

"Of that my dear, I have no doubt." Sarutobi replied. He knew too

XXXX

Hinata had a large smile on her face as she ran down the street that led to the BBQ restaurant that Ino asked her to meet at. After hurrying home and taking the most luxurious shower she felt she ever had, the grime and dirt that had accumulated on her skin and hair was washed off. She tried to think of a reason to not wear her vest now, but she couldn't help it. The only reason she hadn't done so when she first left the Hokage's Office, was because of how dirty she was. After getting dried off, she chose to wear a pair of plain black cloth pants, with black ninja sandals. She chose a simple black tank top that she wore her Chunnin vest over.

The days were starting to cool off, leaving Konoha a nice temperature that everyone was thankful for after the scorching summer. Hinata was quite happy for it too, as the cooler air felt amazing against her still damp hair. She wondered what it was like in Uzushiogakure right now? She almost envied Naruto, being on an island with such nice weather must be like paradise. She smiled, as she thought about the blonde, and even felt happy too. Last night, she had felt devastated over the news of his long delayed return. She still couldn't say she was happy about it, but she had accepted it. Naruto wouldn't want her to be crying over him, and she would expect the same from him. The contents of the letter came back to her, and she knew that he'd keep his word and return to her someday. Seeing the turn in the road that would bring her to the restaurant, Hinata picked up her pace some, hoping she wasn't too late.

Ino stood outside the BBQ restaurant with an annoyed look on her face. It was a few minutes past noon, and the only person who had showed up so far was Choji, bearing a message from Shikamaru who said there was no way he was going to show up for something so troublesome when the weather was perfect for cloud watching. And Choji himself only came because he thought they were going to be eating at the restaurant. She felt her eyebrow twitch as she heard Choji open his third bag of chips, the crinkling of the foil bag far louder than the street to her.

What the hell, Ino thought angrily, as her foot started tapping. Does no one care about Sakura or something?! This is so bogus! I expected Shikamaru not to show, but I thought Hinata would have – Ino's thoughts were cut short as she saw the aforementioned object of her ire come sprinting into view, and looking rather happy. Ino smiled and started waving her hand over her head, "Hinata! Over here!" the blond yelled, drawing some stares towards her.

Hinata came to a quick stop, only slightly winded from her run. "S-Sorry it took me so long, I -"

"Hinata? Are you a Chunin now?!" Choji blurted out, stopping his feast when he saw the vest. Ino too looked at the girl's chest, surprised she hadn't noticed it at first.

Hinata felt a small blush creep onto her face, she had expected this, but she wanted to wear it. Choosing pride in herself over any embarrassment, she gave a proud nod. "Yes, Hokage-sama just promoted me today and gave me the vest."

Ino felt a bit shocked at seeing Hinata with the Chunin vest. She had always thought the shy heiress was okay, but not really cut out to be a ninja. That was until she watched the fight in the preliminaries, where Hinata completely blew that notion out of the water when she defeated Tenten. Ino still didn't fully believe that the shy princess triumphed over Sasuke in the finals, even though she had seen it herself. With a small laugh, Ino had to admit she had been dead wrong about the girl, and judging by the small cuts, scrapes and marks on her hands, she'd finished her handstand laps too. "You're really something, aren't you Hinata?" Ino asked softly, she knew that the other girl was in a completely other class than herself.

Hinata blushed, pulling her hands up, "E-Eh? What do you mean Ino?" But before the blond could respond to her question, another voice cut in.

"Well, well. It seems you made Chunin. Congratulations Hinata."

Hinata turned around, a bit startled, and saw Kakashi standing aside Kiba, who was dressed a bit messily, and was leaning onto a crutch with Akamaru walking by his side. "Holy crap! You made Chunin?!" Kiba barked out, staring at the girl with a dropped jaw.

Hinata fidgeted for a moment, trying to find a word to say, starting to feel like she was too much the center of attention, maybe it had been a bad idea to wear this after all. But with a quick bow, she responded out of habit, "T-Thank you very much!"

Kakashi laughed, knowing the girl had felt overwhelmed. Deciding to do the princess a favor, he spoke up. "Well, I think this is everyone? Perhaps it's time we go see how Sakura is doing." Kakashi suggested.

Hinata looked up and gave the Jonin a thankful smile. She didn't know how much more of that she could have took.

Ino shrugged her shoulders with a sigh, "I had been hoping for a bit more than this but I guess it'll do. You all know why we're here right?" Everyone gave an affirmation, and Ino nodded. "Okay, I think the best thing we can do is just try to show her some support and see if we can maybe bring her out to have some food here, it's not too far away from her house." Ino explained, and Kakashi noticed that the blond was trying her best to keep her voice unemotional, but he could tell that her friend's attitude of late was hurting her in a way she didn't say. Seeing that everyone was on the same page, Ino swiveled on her foot and led the way to Sakura's house.

XXXX

"I'm very sorry, but she refuses to come out of her room." Sakura's mother spoke, bowing to her guests who were all in the living room. She came out of the bow, her face looking quite troubled. "I have no idea what's gotten into her. It's been two weeks and she's barely eaten, and only come out to use the restroom when she thinks we're asleep. We just don't know what to do anymore. . ."

Hinata frowned as she heard Sakura's mother tell her tale. She didn't know that it was going to be this serious when Ino asked her to come along. Was Sakura really so destitute over Sasuke's betrayal? She would have thought that the girl would have been more angry over Kiba getting stabbed than anything. Stepping forward, Hinata spoke to Sakura's mother. "Haurno-san, maybe if we tried to convince her to open the door? She might if we all talk to her." Hinata asked.

Mrs. Haruno looked at Hinata and gave an almost desperate smile. "We can certainly try. Thank you dear." She then turned and began walking down a nearby hallway that led to Sakura's room. Ino moved past everyone with a quick stride and was on Mrs. Haruno's heels with everyone else not far behind. Hinata felt cramped, currently sandwiched between Kakashi on her left, Kiba to her right, and Choji just infront of her, but she tried not to complain.

Mrs. Haruno stood at the door for a moment, about to knock, but seemed to be thinking against it for a moment. Ino however, was in no such mind set and gave two quick rasps on the door. "Sakura! It's Ino! Open up, I brought our friends to come see you!" Ino yelled out, making anyone in the tight hallway cringe for a moment from the noise. Everyone remained silent however, as they waited for any sound to be returned. After waiting almost a full minute, there was no reply. Ino let out a small sigh of frustration, not happy at all. "Sakura! C'mon, open up! I know you can hear me!" Again, only silence answered her.

Deciding to join in, Hinata spoke up. "Sakura-san, we're all really worried for you. Please, can you answer us?" Hinata stared at the door intently as she spoke, hoping her words got through. She wasn't exactly friends with the girl, but she was still a comrade and a classmate from the academy. But once more, no reply came back.

Mrs. Haruno made a small sob sound, as if trying to hold back a cry, her sadness and frustration clear on her face. Kiba looked as if he was about to speak, but an enraged cry stopped it short. Ino slammed her fist on the wooden door and yelled, "Dammit billboard-brow! You stupid, ugly, pink headed, flat-chested loser! Are you really just going to curl up in a ball and starve yourself to death over a traitor who never even cared for you?!" Ino's voice cracked toward the end, and as Kakashi was reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, he was put off guard by the tear that streamed down Ino's face. The blond reached up and slammed her fist down again. "You goddamn idiot!"

Everyone was silent, as they heard the hurt in Ino's voice, it was clear to all just how much her friend's actions was affecting her. But what they heard next surprised everyone. The metal lock turned in the door, and it was pulled open, revealing a pale and almost sickly looking Sakura. Her hair was far from the shiny pink it usually was, and her eyes had dark bags under them, along with a slight red tint. She was wearing a wrinkled pair of pajamas that looked like they had been worn for a long time. The bit of the room they could see was dark, the curtains being drawn over the window. It didn't help any that a rather foul odor came seeping out of the room, causing all to wrinkle their noses for a moment. But before anyone could say anything, Sakura yelled out, her voice coarse and raspy. "What the hell do you know Ino-pig?!" The hate in her voice made all present draw back a step. Sakura glared daggers into Ino, as she spoke again, "Sasuke wouldn't have just left the village! He isn't a traitor!"

"Sakura," Kakashi started, wanting to stop her, but saw Kiba hobbled up a step and stopped. "Then how do you explain this?" Kiba asked, motioning to himself. "He stabbed me, Sakura, I was there when he made his intention rather well known. He left with the Oto-nin an-"

"Liar!" Sakura curtly yelled, snapping her head towards Kiba, who looked like he'd been slapped. But the boy quickly recovered, and he tried not to bear his fangs. "Why the hell would I lie about that?!" Sakura let out a laugh in reply, as if what Kiba said was the stupidest thing she had ever heard. "It's because you've always been jealous of Sasuke! This would be your best chance to make him look bad!"

Kiba's jaw dropped, and any sort of good intentions he had was momentarily forgotten in a haze of anger. But a quick hand from Kakashi stopped him from going any further. "Sakura -" Kakashi tried to start but the distraught girl interrupted again.

"Just shut up! None of you can understand why he left! Just go away!" Sakura screamed and slammed the door, but it didn't close. As the door went to slam shut, Hinata jumped forward past Choji and put her foot in the way of the heavy door, wincing as she felt it slam into it. Sakura looked down at the intruding foot, and then opened the door, her fury now redirected to Hinata. "Are you kidding me?! Get out of here!"

Hinata shook her head, taking the chance to step in further. "No. Sakura, you're acting like a brat." She firmly stated, earning a few gasps, hearing the words come from her. Hinata had been standing by quietly, listening to the mad ravings and was getting fed up with it. Before Sakura could reply, her face looking as if she had been terribly insulted, Hinata continued. "Sasuke betrayed the village and left to find more power. He meant to kill Kiba, and would have succeeded if he hadn't been in the hospital." Hinata paused, letting her words sink in, but saw they didn't have much effect. "I understand, what it feels like to not have your love returned. To love someone so much you would do anything for them, but this is all wasted! Just sitting in your room, waiting to die won't bring Sasuke back."

Sakura scoffed, but she seemed to actually hear what Hinata said. And for a moment, they thought they had gotten through to her, that is until her face regained it's scathing look. "That's right." she started. "You're in love with Naruto." she said his name with scorn, as if talking about a bad smell. Hinata frowned, not liking how she was speaking about him, but didn't say anything yet. "You don't know anything about how I feel about Sasuke. You're in love with that – that monster. That murderer!" Hinata grit her teeth, trying her best not to just punch Sakura for saying such a grievous insult about Naruto, especially considering she has no idea what he's going through.

"He is not a monster or a murderer." She trusted herself enough to say, not able to bite her tongue to defend him.

Sakura let out an irritating laugh. "Are you kidding me? Oh right, you weren't there. You didn't see how he killed that Gaara kid. Or how he took a giant spike through his stomach and lived!"

"I know about that." Hinata replied, keeping the anger from her voice. Sakura laughed in reply.

"So you know? And you still want him? What, did he fuck you or something, is his dick that good?" she asked, bitter hatred in her voice. Her vulgar questioning drew some shocked responses, most of all from her mother who looked at her daughter as if she had never seen her before.

Hinata however, didn't seem fazed by the rude comment at all. She instead shook her head. "No. I love Naruto because he is the strongest, kindest person I know. He has suffered and sacrificed more than you could ever possibly understand."

Kakashi looked at the girl with a smile, though it was hidden behind his mask. The way she spoke, indicated that she had knowledge of the Kyuubi, though he couldn't be sure. Looking back towards his student however, wiped the smile off his face as he saw the terrible emotions playing out across hers.

"So you think he's just so much more superior than all of us? Isn't that just nice. You know he almost killed Sasuke one time right?" She asked, making everyone look confused, but Kakashi let out a barely audible sigh. "Sasuke challenged him to a fight, and when he was about to win, Naruto used some weird power to grab Sasuke and almost caved his skull in, if Kakashi hadn't interrupted –"

"Sakura, stop." Kakashi cut her off with an annoyed tone. "Naruto did no such thing and I didn't have to stop him. You also forgot to mention that Sasuke blackmailed Naruto into the fight, saying he was going to reveal something to Hinata if he didn't."

Hinata looked back towards Kakashi with a surprised look, hearing this for the first time. Naruto had fought Sasuke due to a secret? She would have to ask Kakashi about that later, but it made her smile, as she knew that Naruto would have done it out of fear that she might hate him if the secret was revealed to her, he tended to worry about those things.

"He's your student! You should be on his side!" Sakura replied, to which Kakashi shook his head. "Not when he's in the wrong Sakura." He sighed again, knowing that this was going nowhere.

"What is this?" Sakura asked, her voice starting to crack. "When did everyone start hating Sasuke and start sticking up for that loser!? What the hell?!"

Hinata quickly replied, "Naruto isn't a loser. He might be loud, and he likes to play pranks, and not always the smartest," she smiled and let out a small giggle as some memories came back to her, but they quickly faded to confidence. "He would never stab an ally in the back."

"Bitch!" Sakura roared out and then without warning threw a punch straight at Hinata. But the princess saw it coming and ducked. Taking a quick breath, she thrust out with a straight punch like Gai had been teaching her, hitting dead center in her solar plexus. The sound of the punch was loud and solid. Sakura let out a large spray of saliva as the breath was completely forced out of her lungs, and the girl slumped on top of Hinata.

"Sakura?!" Mrs. Haruno cried out, rushing to her side.

Hinata caught Sakura and gently laid her down. Immediately after, she turned and prostrated herself to her mother. "Please forgive me, Haruno-san. But I couldn't think of any other way to get her out of her room." She apologized, keeping her head against the floor. It was mostly true, though she wouldn't admit that she had been wanting to do that.

Mrs. Haruno looked down at Hinata with a bit of shocked look, but shook her head. "No, I should be thanking you. Please, raise your head." She asked, putting her hand on Hinata. The younger girl complied, but stayed in her kneeling position. "My poor girl is. . .she can't be well. I'll take her to the hospital and see if the doctors can help her at all." Looking back towards the rest of the silent shinobi gathered, including a still dumbfounded Ino, she bowed. "Thank you for caring so much about my daughter. And please, please forgive her for what she has done today, this isn't her."

Kiba was the first to speak. "It's okay, Haruno-san. I know Sakura, she's hotheaded but not stupid and violent. Getting her out of here would be best." He grinned at her, giving the older woman a thumbs up. But in truth, he didn't exactly believe what he said, and not many agreed with him.

"Thank you, Kiba-san. I should get going with her now though, before she comes to."

"Let me help, please." Ino spoke up, having been in a state of shock from seeing her friend as she was. She felt somewhat embarrassed, having been the one to organize this, but it was Hinata who got through to Sakura in the end. At the least, she could be there for her in the hospital for a bit. Moving to Sakura, she took the inept girl and put her over her shoulder, to her mother's protest. "She'll be fine, now let's get going – Thank you, everyone." Ino spoke, remembering to turn and thank everyone.

Kakashi stepped forward, "Come on, that's our cue to leave." He looked towards Hinata, and gave her a nod, impressed with her handling of the situation. Hinata returned the gesture and stood, watching Sakura's unconscious form sway on Ino's back as they walked back towards the living room. Following everyone out of the hallway, she said her goodbyes and followed everyone out of the house. Watching everyone go their separate ways she jogged up to Kakashi who was in the process of pulling out Icha Icha.

"Kakashi-sensei." she called out.

Kakashi turned, his visible eyebrow arched. "Yes?" he replied, tilting his head. Hinata fumbled with her words for a moment, feeling a tad shy but continued, "I was wondering, could you tell me about what happened with Naruto and Sasuke? He never told me."

Kakashi regarded the girl for a moment, wondering if he should or not, "Why not ask him yourself?"

"He's. . .He's going to be away from the village for a while." She replied, not sure on how much she should divulge about his trip to Uzushiogakure.

Kakashi was surprised, he hadn't heard anything about Naruto going on an extended mission or anything. Giving it some thought, he figured there was no harm in telling her, she might already know. "Sasuke found out about Naruto's original team. You know about them?" Seeing Hinata nod, Kakashi felt better about explaining the story. Going in some detail, he finished off to where he interrupted the fight.

Hinata felt her heart warm, as she heard the tale. It was as she thought, he had done it out of fear of losing her. Naruto-kun, she thought with a small laugh. She hoped he knew that it was foolish to ever think she could hate or spur him. With a quick bow, and a word of thanks for telling her, she started to walk off.

"Hinata," Kakashi called out, stopping the girl. When he saw her turn back, he continued. "You don't have to call me Sensei anymore, you know. You can just call me Kakashi. You're a Chunin now."

Hinata smiled, and nodded. "Okay, I will then, Kakashi." Giving a wave, feeling rather happy about a Jonin acknowledging her as a higher ranked ninja she ran off to head home.

Kakashi watched her go, a slight red tint to his cheeks that was hidden by his mask. He couldn't help but think about how cute she was. No. Bad Kakashi. He quickly thought. Way, way too young. Pulling out his Icha Icha paradise book, he was rather distraught to find out that the main heroine in the book was kind hearted and had purple hair. For the first time, Kakashi considered skipping a volume of Icha Icha.

XXXX

And another one done my friends. As some have guess there is infact going to be a timeskip coming up! WOO TIMESKIP! Everyone LOVES that. But there's still that needs be done in Konoha, and it's gonna be featuring our very own Hinata-chan!

"Hey! What about me?!"

Oh great. Naruto is having MC issues. Sorry dude, but you might be silent for a chapter or two.

"Oi, oi. What did you title this thing?"

Naruto The Demonic Swordsman.

"So wouldn't that imply I'm a rather central character!?"

Probably. But not for the next few chapters.

"You bastard. . . "

What was that? Sounded like someone wants this to change to a HinataXwho ever I feel like. Kakashi and Lee seem to be digging the Hyuuga Heiress, It wouldn't be that hard to –

"Okay okay! Geez! I'll deal with it!"

That's what I thought.

Till next time everyone!

Shinobi no Ryu

(P.S. Thanks again to everyone who reviews! It really makes my day when I get to see what everyone thinks of my chapters. Even if it's just a two word review I love it! Getting to talk to my readers is fun, so please don't be shy!)