The forest terrain began to thin out, the further they traveled, giving way to sparse plains, with little else but grass and small bushes here and there. In the distance, massive mountains were looming high into the sky, their rocky masses void of most vegetation, a peculiar trait of mountains that were situated in The Land of Earth. If Naruto had to guess, they were headed for those mountains. Looking towards Hinata, who was at the head of the formation, he considered catching up with her to ask, but decided it would be best not to. From what he saw, she was the leader of the team, and needed to focus. If he remembered correctly, the rocky plains of the Land of Earth spilled somewhat into the very small portion of the Land of Grass that separated the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire. It must be the small patch of mountains he saw now. Noticing he was starting to lag behind from the group, Naruto picked up his pace and kept his eyes ahead, deciding he'd figure it out when he got to where they were going.
After another two hours of running with no break, they finally reached the rocky terrain, where pillars of earth stood erect in mismatched rows, creating a natural network of cover from prying eyes, as after passing the first pillar, you would be surrounded on all sides. If they were hiding around here, it would be a good choice. With the still massive mountain directly ahead of them, Naruto was glad for it, as it blocked most of the mid-afternoon sun, it's shadow casting a nice shade on them. He let out a smile as a strong breeze coming from the north blew through the natural canyons, cooling his skin.
"Everyone, watch out!" Hinata called out from her position. Her voice wasn't panicked, as if an attack was coming, but rather as if a foreseen event was about to take place. Naruto quickly scanned the area as they turned to run around another pillar, and he saw for a brief moment a massive boulder that came riding on another massive wind gust that fiercely blew through. Just as he started to think about what to do about it, he saw Hinata appear directly in front of it, "Hinata-chan!" he yelled out, his eye widening.
But to his surprise, she let out a fierce roar and thrust her leg into the rock, instantly shattering it into hundreds of smaller pieces. His jaw fell open, as he barely noticed the smaller pieces of rock pelting him and falling to the side. She didn't even lose her stride as she fell back towards the ground, landing next to him. Naruto still had the look of shock on his face when he turned to look at her, causing her to blush.
If Hinata was honest with herself, everyone could have just avoided it, but she wanted to show for Naruto. Although getting the reaction she wanted made her still feel slightly embarrassed. "Rock rain." She spoke, motioning with her head towards the sky, "It's a phenomenon that occurs in the Land of Earth at times when the northern wind blows. It's a rather effective deterrent for anyone wanting to cross the border or travel within these natural mazes."
Naruto nodded his head slowly, still feeling amazed. "Just how strong did you get Hinata-chan?" he asked honestly. He felt himself blush as she smiled at him, her face dazzling him. "I've been training really hard!" She replied, before picking up her pace to get back to the head of the formation that never stopped moving. 'll say. Naruto laughed in his mind, as he itched the side of his cheek.
It wasn't long before they reached the bottom of the mountain, and slowed from their full on run to a walk, as he found that there was a trail, almost carved into the mountain that was covered on both sides by smooth rock, all the way up the zigzagging trail that followed the mountain. As Naruto looked around, he saw that there were several of these trails, many leading to dead ends, or just opening up into open areas. Naruto figured they must have been getting close, because the looks on everyone's faces were starting to go from tense to relieved, like seeing your house in sight after walking all day.
Roughly halfway up the mountain, the path turned and revealed a small cave opening, only a few feet taller and wider than a human. Naruto watched as Hinata stopped, and raised her hands to her mouth, letting out a peculiar whistle, one that Naruto realized mimicked a bird that was native to the forest in Konoha. He watched her tense face, looking somewhat worried as she strained her ears into the cave. Within moments, an echoing whistle, from another bird of Konoha sounded, and Hinata visibly relaxed. Turning towards everyone, she smiled. "We're home, everyone. Good job, I can take it from here." The other ninja nodded, and looked towards Naruto, all giving their own farewells, saying they'd wanted to get to know him better later. Naruto looked surprised, shaking the hands that were offered and tried to remember names given. Looking up to Hinata, he saw she was blushing again, her eyes seeming to be focused on him. But as soon as she noticed he was looking back towards her, she quickly averted her gaze. "F-Follow me Naruto-kun!" she quickly called out, walking into the cave with the others in front of them, her walking rigid and forced.
Naruto raised his eyebrow, and then shrugged, shifting the scroll under his arm to get a better grip on it again. Walking behind her, he let out a sigh of relief, feeling the cave was much cooler than outside. As they moved further within, the sunlight quickly faded away, giving to darkness, and right at the end of the light, Hinata waited for him with her hand held out some.
"It's dark until you get to the main area, we have some lights set up further in to avoid detection at night. There's a few turns, but we know the way by heart." Hinata spoke, answering the question she imagined he had. She continued to hold her hand out, hoping he understood what she wanted.
Naruto looked down at her outstretched hand and gave her a soft smile, as he walked up to her and slipped his hand into hers, interlocking their fingers. She squeezed his hand once, before leading him into the dark tunnel. Their footsteps echoed through the tunnel, as they stepped across the solid rock, and heard the fainter footsteps from the ninja who went before them up ahead. The path took two corners that Naruto could tell, effectively making a U shaped turn from the entrance, and when they reached the end of it, pale yellow light marked the end of the tunnel into a large open area. When they reached the light, Naruto gave a reassuring squeeze to Hinata's hand, but didn't let go. He was glad she didn't try to let go.
At the mouth of the tunnel, Konohamaru was greeting the returning ninja, trying to get them to tell them about the mission, and was only getting that they'd tell him later, much to the teen's displeasure. He was fourteen damn it! Plenty old enough to go out on missions! He hated getting left behind, he wanted to help fight the bastards that took his home from him and that. . . Konohamaru cut his thoughts off, clenching his fist. He couldn't brood on that anymore, or they'd never let him go for real. Looking up, he saw Hinata finally appear in the light. "Oi, Nee-san, what took you so -" His voice trailed off as he saw she was holding the hand of a huge blond man, his body packed with muscles and he had weapons all over him. Konohamaru's mouth opened as he saw the sword on his back, and the eyepatch, and instantly recognized him. "Oyabun!"
"Konohamaru?" Naruto asked, not recognizing the grandson of the Hokage he hadn't seen since he was a little kid. He was definitely taller, roughly Hinata's height, and he still wore his defining scarf and had his foreheard protector on. But before he could examine the teen any further, Konohamaru slammed into him, hugging his midsection.. Naruto looked down at the little kid he'd always seen as almost a little brother, rubbing his head with the hand that was holding the scroll. "Hey now, you okay?" Naruto asked with a laugh.
Konohamaru pulled away from Naruto, looking up at him with a look like he didn't believe what he saw. "I knew you weren't dead Oyabun. Everyone started to say that. . ." he trailed off, making Naruto give a sad smile. He couldn't blame people for thinking he was dead or otherwise gone, it'd been a long time. Konohamaru shook his head once, stepping away from Naruto and looking up at him with a huge grin. "Just wait till everyone hears your back! Oh man, I gotta go tell everyone!" He shouted as he started to run off.
"Konohamaru!" Hinata yelled after him, causing the boy to stop dead in his tracks, recognizing the tone of voice she used, gentle but very firm. He looked back towards her, trying to use puppy dog eyes to convince her. Hinata shook her head and pointed back to the small rock he'd been standing on. "Back to your post. You know the patrol is still out there, and you need to be here to let them know we're still here." Konohamaru let out a low whine, but Hinata only straightened her stance, pointing with renewed vigor. The boy finally gave up, much to Naruto's amusement, and started grumbling to himself.
Naruto momentarily let go of Hinata's hand, reaching out to ruffle Konohamaru's hair. "We can catch up later, besides, everyone's gonna know I'm here soon anyways." The teen seemed to take little comfort in it, as he watched the two walk past him, still grumbling.
Naruto let out a chuckle he'd been suppressing, as they walked towards another turn which led into another long tunnel, with lights strung up all the way down it. He heard Hinata letting out a small laugh too, her gaze seeming to be looking into a memory that only she could see. "He's been trying really hard to prove he can go out on a mission himself, but he's still far too inexperienced to fight. He does take his job as the front guard seriously though, even if he acts like he hates it." Hinata's face seemed to almost darken, as if she was remembering something foul. Naruto took instant notice of the subtle change, but decided to change the subject.
"Why the bird calls?" Naruto asked, guessing it was some form of identification. Hinata looked towards him, "It's a system we devised to tell whether or not it was safe inside or outside. Safe being the Sora bird whistle and danger being the Akai bird. If the outside party whistles like I did, we're safe. If we hear the Akai whistle you heard Konohamaru do, it's safe inside. But if he repeated my whistle, or if an enemy waiting to ambush us mimicked the whistle, we'd know it was dangerous to go in. And vice versa, if we whistled Akai, then the guard would know to warn everyone because we were captured and led to show the way in."
Naruto nodded, impressed by the system, it would be hard for an enemy to understand that returning a different whistle would mean danger, rather than thinking it would make the enemy suspicious. "We're going to stop by the armory to drop off the scroll, then I can show you around." Hinata spoke, pointing towards an opening in the left side of the tunnel, where a wooden sign was held up the symbols for Armory crudely written in kanji.
Entering the hollowed out cavern, Naruto let out a small whistle, the rocky room was cut off in the middle by a solid steel wall, with only a single window covered in iron bars, that doubled as a door, if the hinges on the right side of the window and the wall underneath it was any indication. Looking through the bars, he saw a familiar girl, her signature hair buns easy to remember. Though, from the little he could see of her face, as it was pointed down towards a book, she grew to be a beauty in her own right.
"Tenten! I brought you a present." Hinata called out in a cheery voice, surprising the girl. Tenten looked up, and instantly her eyes lit up as she leaned forward into the window, her eyes tracing Naruto's chiseled body, making the blonde very self-conscious. "Oh Hinata, you shouldn't have." She let out an almost perverted chuckle. "You know I have Neji, but I might be able to reconsider for this hunk."
"Tenten!" Hinata moaned out with an embarrassed tone, stomping her foot. "The scroll! Not Naruto-kun!" In her mind, she was also adding how the walking beefcake was hers.
Tenten's eyes shot open, as she sat up straight. She looked back towards a still awkward Naruto, quickly looking him up and down again. Without a word, she quickly threw open the window/door and walked straight up to him, the blonde dwarfing her. "No way. . ." she muttered out, starting to look around him.
"Uh. . . Tenten, it is me I promise." Naruto chuckled out, trying to keep her from getting behind him by turning as she tried to walk around him. For a moment, their eyes met, her chocolate brown orbs narrowing as she looked at his face, making the blonde blush.
The panda-girl looked back to him, then over at Hinata. She blinked once before shooting her finger out towards him. "Are you telling me that little runt turned into this?!"
"He was never a runt! - and here –" Hinata took the scroll from the still embarrassed Naruto and shoved it into Tenten's arms. "That's the weapons we recovered from the caravan going to Kusa." Her voice was still trying to be authoritative, but clearly she was trying her best not to sound flustered. Without waiting for Tenten to reply, Hinata grabbed Naruto's hand again and led the still confused man from the armory, as he tried to stutter out a question.
"Bye Naruto! You can come visit whenever!" Hinata heard Tenten giggle out, knowing she did it to rile her up. Deciding they weren't going fast enough, Hinata got behind Naruto and started pushing against the small of his back with both arms, trying not think about how nice his muscles felt under her hands. "We're getting you a shirt later Naruto-kun! We need to cover up that S-Rank genjutsu, it's dangerous!"Naruto only let out a nervous chuckle in response.
After managing to calm down the flustered Hinata somewhat, Naruto found himself led to the next room further down the hall. As they approached, he heard Hinata speak next to him. "This is the planning room up ahead, it's where I – we make our next plans." Naruto caught the attempt to hide the fact she meant to say I, rather than we, but decided that again, he'd wait until later. Then, a voice came from within the planing room.
"No need to lie to save face," the voice called out, a heavy bitter tone attached to it, "I don't really care what others think about me."
Naruto felt Hinata stiffen, her grip tightening on him. She seemed to be in a small indecisive panic, but she made her decision just as soon as it came on. Her mouth opened partially, as if to say something, but only began walking forward again into the room. The room itself was about the size of a living room, with two other tunnels leading away in two different directions. A large table set in the middle of it with an old map of the Elemental Nations strewn across it, with multiple little piece of wood set all along it. Around the table were a few chairs, one of them holding a familiar ninja.
Naruto grinned as he saw one of his old friends, "Shikama-" Naruto's voice died in his throat, his joy lost to him in a flash. As he looked at his old friend, his eyes took in his friend's ragged appearance. Shikamaru's hair wasn't in it's usual high ponytail, his hair loose and tangled, giving off the appearance he hadn't bothered to wash or even comb it in a few days. His eyes were cold and full of an emotion Naruto couldn't figure out. His face was covered in dark stubble, showing he hadn't bothered to shave in days. He wore a long sleeved black shirt and pants, the right pant leg was tied off into a knot at the knee. Naruto looked at the knot, his mind registering the fact that Shikamaru was missing his leg from the knee down.
Hinata tightly squeezed Naruto's hand, looking at him with concern, seeing the plain shock on his face. She didn't want him to see this until later, knowing how he would take it.
"Shikamaru. . . you -" Naruto started, his voice just above a whisper.
"Are a cripple? How astute of you." Shikamaru replied, his voice bitter. "I'd say you gained a brain while you were gone but by actually coming here you've proven the opposite."
"Shikamaru that's going too far." Hinata spoke, stepping forward. Her voice was firm but still holding it's gentle tone. Her face scrunched for a moment, as she looked down towards his foot, and saw empty bottles littering the floor. "Have you been drinking again? I told you to stop." Her voice was far more firm this time, in a tone that Naruto hadn't heard before.
Shikamaru scoffed, "Of course, how could I forget. You're actually stupid enough to think we can do anything. Forgive me, Lady Hokage." His words dripped with venomous sarcasm, and he was clearly avoiding the accusation of his drinking.
"Wait a -" Naruto started, about to tell Shikamaru to apologize for such a rude remark, before feeling Hinata pull at his arm gently, making him look down at her. She shook her head, mouthing It's okay. Naruto set his mouth in a grim line, as he looked back towards Shikamaru who was reaching to his side, pulling out a make shift wooden crutch.
Shikamaru stumbled for a moment, but quickly regained his balance as he turned towards the left tunnel. "You better grow a brain and leave Naruto. We're all just going to die anyways, you might still have a chance." His voice was now more somber, but Naruto could tell now what it was that he seeing and hearing from his friend, bitterness and self-loathing beyond anything he could ever comprehend.
Naruto stared down the tunnel that Shikamaru disappeared into, listening to the fading echo of the wooden crutch clacking against the rocky floor. He remained that way for a while, not being able to think of something to say, or even to do. What happened to him? Looking down towards Hinata, she saw she was pained, it was clear on her face. Realizing she was being watched though, her face settled into a more sad smile. As Naruto was about to ask something about it, another voice, a females, called out.
"Shika, are you there?"
Naruto looked up, and tilted his head seeing the girl he wasn't familiar with. She was wearing a long short sleeved one piece purple dress, buttons going from the collar to the where the dress passed the knees. She had long blonde hair that was left freely hanging, though her most dominate features was the bandages wrapped around her eyes and the numerous small scars that discolored her skin all along her arms and legs.
"Ino, you just missed him." Hinata called out softly, her voice gentle. Ino looked slightly surprised, but had a large smile on her face. "Hinata! You're back, I take it the raid went well?" Ino spoke, staring to move away from the wall, holding her hand out in front of her as she slowly started walking towards where she heard Hinata's voice. Hinata let go of Naruto's hand, walking briskly to Ino, grabbing onto her shoulder, making the other girl let out an amused laugh. "Hina-chan, you know I'm not going to trip into a hole or anything. I know my way well enough around."
Naruto watched the scene is silence, his face reflecting the sadness he was feeling. He could remember Ino when he was still in Konoha, she was always rambunctious, the center of gossip and always the loudest next to Sakura. To see her like this, watching as Hinata led her towards him with a kind look on her face. . . his fist clenched.
"Ino, I found someone while I was out on the mission." Hinata started, her voice sing-song, her smile infectious to Naruto, who understand what she was doing.
Ino clapped her hands, turning towards Hinata, "Did you finally get a boyfriend? And here I was thinking you really would wait for Naruto until you were old and gray." Her voice was teasing, and judging by the smile on her face, this wasn't the first time she'd teased Hinata.
Hinata smiled at her, leading her closer to Naruto. "You could say that. I finally found him." she almost whispered, looking towards Naruto with a loving smile, making him melt. Ino let out a small gasp, "No way! Naruto, are you here!?" she called out, her inquisitive tone not holding any sort of regret towards her condition.
"Right here." Naruto replied, stepping closer. Letting Hinata guide her closer to Naruto, Ino let out a small laugh, "Now that's a manly voice if I've heard one." She held out her hands, "I know it sounds weird, but can I feel your face? It lets me get a mental image of someone." Naruto nodded in reply, bending over slightly, putting his face close to her hands. He sucked in a small breath, as she pressed her warm hands against his face, very gently running them over his face. He stared into the white bandages that covered her eyes, trying not to frown.
"Hmm, eyepatch check, I remember that. . . ahh, those whiskers actually do feel like something! - I always wondered. . . Hehe, that's a strong chin, I bet you're a real looker, nothing like Shika." Her hands started to trail a bit further down, touching his neck. "Hm?" her voice perked up, and she dropped them down towards his chest. "Oooh. . . hehehe these are nice. Hina-chan, you can't keep him, I want him." Her voice almost sounded drunk, a bright blush across her face, her hands grasping onto his pectorals.
Naruto blushed as he felt her hands start to go even lower, as they moved across his abs, and Hinata grabbed her wrists before they could go lower. Hinata glared at Ino, and the girl only stuck her tongue out at her friend. "You're no fun." Then, she sniffed twice, and let out an exasperated sigh. "I swear, what am I going to do with him? Sorry, Hina-chan, I can usually catch him drinking but he's been avoiding me all day."
"It's okay Ino, I understand. Want me to help you find him?" Hinata asked, looking towards Naruto quickly, to give him an apologetic look.
Ino shook her head quickly, "Nope, you go ahead and show your new toy around, it's not gonna be hard to find him, I just have to follow the smell of a brewery. Geez, he really got into it today!" She stepped away from Naruto, starting to feel for the nearest wall that would lead her left. "Naruto, let's catch up at dinner okay? And you better watch out Hinata, I'm starting to think about trading in my boozer for that cutie!" She laughed when she heard Hinata's grumpy growl.
Naruto nodded, but then cringed to himself, remembering she would be able to see that. "You got it Ino, I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about." He spoke in honest, trying to keep his tone in check. He wanted to laugh at her joke, but found himself full of a crushing pity he couldn't shake. Watching for the second time as someone left out of the room, Naruto had a hundred questions in his mind as he looked down to a pensive Hinata. "Hinata-chan, what happened?" He asked simply, knowing he wouldn't need anything more to say.
Hinata was silent for a moment, wanting to ensure Ino was fully out of earshot. She let out a small sigh, as the unpleasant memory came back to her. "It was about a year and a half ago, not too long after we originally found this place." Hinata walked up to the old wooden table, reaching over to grab one of the wooden pieces, painted like a red T. "We were running way more operations to try and subvert Danzo, and in one of the operations, Shikamaru led his team to a suspected ROOT base, where they were launching scouting parties to try and find us. When they found it . . . well, it was a trap." Hinata dropped the piece, looking back towards Naruto. The blonde felt his heart twist in his chest, seeing Hinata's face turn into one of a soldier who had seen way too much. "One of the rooms inside was rigged with bombs, Shikamaru lost his leg in the explosion, Ino was furthest away from it, but she was hit with shrapnel all over her body, a large piece of which pierced her eyes." Her voice slowly turned cold, almost mechanical as she recalled the memory, as if reading an after-action report. It caused a shiver to run down Naruto's spine, not believing that the same girl he loved was capable of such a terrible voice. When he noticed she had yet to bring up the final member of Ino-Shika-Cho, Naruto felt a dread realization creep over him. "And Choji?"
Hinata's eyes closed, and she shook her head, slowly opening them again. The look in her eyes froze Naruto's blood. "Gone. He was the one who set it off." Naruto slowly looked down towards the ground, now understanding fully why Shikamaru was so despondent. Images of the Akimichi flashed through his memory, and he felt his throat constrict as he recalled every time he'd ever hung out with the two boys. They were never super close friends, but Choji had never once judged him. He always too preoccupied with some article of food for something like that. Naruto laughed in his mind. He was broken from his train of thought by the gentle touch from Hinata that alleviated some of his thoughts. With an unsure smile he nodded at her, "I guess a lot's changed. You have more to show me though, right?" He asked, starting to understand that the reason for her not explaining much. He dreaded what else lay ahead.
Hinata nodded, her face showing she understood why he seemed hesitant. If she had been in his place, she knew she wouldn't be able to come to terms with the reality thrust upon him either. "Yes, but I think you might be glad to see the next person." Holding her hand out, she gave Naruto a smile.
Naruto was glad for the usual brilliant smile he'd always come to expect from Hinata, grabbing her hand. Just how much else had changed since he'd been gone? Were things so different?
Hinata led him to the right, from where Ino had come from. Noticing that Naruto still seemed to be dwelling on what he had heard, Hinata began speaking. "This mountain is actually kind of neat, we think it used to be some kind of mining operation that was abandoned a long time ago. You can still see some of the supports, though we reinforced them. It's made up of a series of long corridors like this along with large rooms where they probably found large ore veins, we use those for rooms and the like."
Naruto knew she was trying to make him feel better, and silently thanked her for it. "Who's idea was it to come here?" He asked, curious, "it seems odd to try and hide out in enemy territory – we are in the Land of Rock right?"
Hinata shook her head. "We're actually on a mountain range that spills into the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire. We're technically in the Land of Grass, though barely. Kusagakure never sends anyone around here, there's no way for them to take advantage of their special ninjutsu here, and they'd be outclassed if they ran into any Iwa-nin. As for who thought of it, it was actually Shikamaru." She winced at speaking his name, hoping it wouldn't cause Naruto to feel hurt again, "With his reasoning, if we tried to hide anywhere in the Land of Fire, Danzo would have no worries about sending out patrols to find us, if we hid in another country, especially as close as we are to Iwa, he'd be far more hesitant. And as long as we aren't caught by either Kusa or Iwa, we can hide here and be relatively safe."
"Amazing, Shikamaru came up with that? That lazy bum?" Naruto asked, his voice playful, trying to think of his old friend as he remembered him.
Hinata nodded, laughing at his prod, "He's a brilliant tactician, he was promoted to Chunin the exam after ours, after displaying a masterful battle plan. After we had to flee Konoha, he was the reason we were able to avoid getting captured until we came here. If it hadn't been for him, I don't know if we'd still be around. He used to plan our moves and attacks too, up until . . .well, the incident." Naruto nodded, understanding. Hinata decided to quickly change the subject, "We're almost to the residential area – it's the best way to describe it."
The area ahead of them basically consisted of many smaller tunnels, many of which crossed over each other, making it somewhat confusing, but there were signs up that labeled areas by letters, making it somewhat easier. Each of the 'homes' were marked by a wooden door built into a frame that had been fitted to whatever opening was found, making all of the door frames look different. Some of the tunnels even descended and ascended, though they never took any of these paths. As they turned another corner, Naruto saw one of the doors open, and to his great surprise, he saw Kurenai and Asuma walk out – a small toddler held in Kurenai's arms.
Hinata's eyes lit up as she saw her sensei, waving her arm. "Sensei!" It was pure luck, this would kill two birds with one stone, or so to say.
Kurenai heard Hinata's voice and already had a large smile as she looked over to her, but her jaw soon dropped in shock. "Is that – Naruto?!" Kurenai couldn't believe her eyes, for a minute, she could have sworn she was looking at the fourth Hokage, if it hadn't been for the telltale eyepatch and whiskers.
Naruto grinned as he jogged up to his old sensei, pulling Hinata with him. "It's been a while Sensei," Looking at the child in her arms, he slightly bent over to look at the toddler. The child had curly black hair and brown eyes. "And who's this? You babysitting?" Naruto's voice reflected his amusement, the idea of his sensei babysitting amusing him.
"No, I stopped babysitting after you left." Kurenai replied with a smug tone, her barb felt by Naruto who gave her a hurt look. "This is my son, Kenshin." Her voice softened, as she held the baby out a bit to Naruto. The blonde eye snapped open, as he was hit first by the news that his sensei became a mother over the time he was gone, and then that she had named her son after his first sensei. Memories of the blond Jonin came to him, along with a sense of shame he hadn't thought of his old team in so long. He was silent for a moment, looking back and forth between mother and child in awe. Finally, he found his voice, "Amazing. . . who's the father?"
From behind Kurenai, Asuma spoke up, stepping forward. "That'd be me,." Naruto looked towards the bearded Jonin, vaguely remembering him. "You're. . . Asuma, Team Ten's sensei right?" Naruto wished he hadn't asked as soon as he did, noting the wince from Asuma's face. He had a few guesses as to why. But as soon as it came it was gone, "Yep, that's me alright. Good memory."
Noticing the conversation was drying up between them, Kurenai chimed in, "He's also my husband, we haven't had an official marriage yet but," she looked towards the bearded Jonin with a smile, "who needs a ceremony?" The baby started to squirm in Kurenai's arms, letting out a small cry. Kurenai laughed, as she gently rubbed the baby's back. "Uh oh, looks like he's ready for his nap. Sorry Naruto, but we can catch up later?"
"Of course," Naruto stepped to the side with Hinata, giving the two room to pass. "Thank you Naruto, and I'm sure we'll have a lot to catch up on. You certainly look like you've grown stronger." Kurenai gave a sly wink to Hinata, making the girl blush and mouth a complaint at her sensei who let out a foxish chuckle as she passed.
Naruto watched Kurenai walk away with a small smile, he was glad to see that at least some people were still continuing to live, even under these circumstances. Looking down towards Hinata, he saw she was staring, transfixed at his torso, a bright blush on her face. "Hinata, is there something weird on me?" he asked, wondering what she was looking at with such interest.
The girl's face doubled in color, as she snapped her head up to look at Naruto, who still loved how absolutely cute she looked when she was embarrassed, and the scar across her face seemed to amplify it. "N-No! I was j-just lost in thought!" Hinata kicked herself as she felt her stutter return, she thought she had killed it years ago. "Wait out here for a minute," she managed to say, walking quickly to the door Kurenai left from.
"Eh?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms as he watched her go. The girl quickly gave him a look that promised an explanation, and she opened the door, quickly disappearing behind it. Naruto took a look around the hall feeling a bit anxious if anyone would pass by him. Even if he was among his fellow ninja, it still felt akin to waiting around in a place you've never been and feeling out of place. A minute passed, and Naruto started to think about going to knock on the door, when it opened and Hinata poked her head around the door. "Come in."
Naruto crossed the hallway, wondering what the big surprise was, when he saw yet again another person he wasn't expecting to. "Old man!" Inside the rocky room on rather comfy looking bed, he saw Sarutobi sitting up against a bed frame with a pillow to his back, dressed in a white robe. The old Hokage looked older than Naruto thought possible, his wrinkles deeper, and his face reflecting the fatigue that old age brought. But at the moment, the old face was in shock.
"Minato. . .?" Sarutobi breathed out in a whisper. When Hinata had come in to check on him, he was glad to see her, he and the young kunoichi had become close over the years. She was like a granddaughter to him, and she had told him he was the grandpa she had always wanted. So when she said she had a surprise visitor for him, he had been aptly curious, though he hadn't expected this. Had Minato come back from the grave? Sarutobi cursed his old eyes, there was simply no way, the figure was slightly blurry, but the hair, the face, there was no mistaking it! But. . . there was a giant sword on his back. . . "No, not Minato – Naruto?!"
Naruto crossed the room in three large steps, not expecting to see the Sandaime. Yet another death that Danzo had lied to him about, and he was aptly glad for it. "Yep, it's me Old man – Do I really look that much like my dad?" Naruto saw a chair nearby, deciding to take it and pull it close to the bed.
Sarutobi stared at Naruto, his form now unblurred, still feeling some level of shock at having seen the spitting image of his successor walk into the room after fearing the worst for years. With a warm smile and nod, he replied, "You truly are. It's as if I was looking into the past. But tell me Naruto, I take it by you being here you have subdued it?" The old Hokage's chose to use a general term for the Kyuubi, not wanting any passing ninja to hear it. The sounds in the caves traveled well, a little too well for the embarrassment for many couples.
Naruto gave a large grin. "More than that – Hinata, you'll want to hear this too!" The girl moved in closer, taking a seat on the edge of the Hokage's bed as Naruto began to recount his tale. He kept decently short, telling them about his grandfather, how he trained to become the next guardian of the Uzumaki clan's techniques, about the final confrontation with the Kyuubi and his parents and how his grandfather had sealed himself to the temple. When he finished, he noticed the looks on his listeners faces, and felt a bit embarrassed from their awe struck looks. He rubbed the back of his head, "It wasn't really all that amazing."
Sarutobi let out a small laugh at the boy's modesty. "Naruto, you defeated a tailed beast! That was something that not even I or the combined might of the village could accomplish."
"Well, I did have the support from my dad – if he hadn't been there I would have gotten killed for sure. The Flying Thunder God technique is amazing. That, and we had the home field advantage due to the consecrated ground and the rituals my grandfather went through to further weaken him. If I had fought him in his prime, as you all did, I have no doubt we couldn't have won." He meant it all in earnest, the deck had been stacked against the Kyuubi, though Naruto certainly didn't feel any remorse over it.
Hinata stared at Naruto with muted shock, the tale sounding so outrageous that she knew it was true; not that she would ever doubt him. She couldn't help but smile, knowing how much the blonde had wanted to see his parents. When he looked her way, he blushed at her warm smile, and Hinata spoke, "I'm glad you were able to meet your parents Naruto-kun."
Naruto gave his own smile back, knowing she was probably thinking of all the times he'd expressed to her about how much he had wanted the very thing. It always made him feel like the luckiest guy in the world, how she would always remember things about him like that.
"How did you find your way here?" Sarutobi asked, feeling almost bad for interrupting the two lovers. He let out a soft chuckle when they quickly broke eye contact, looking at the Hokage as if they hadn't been staring into each other.
"It was by sheer luck I guess," Naruto chuckled out, sneaking another look towards Hinata. "I had snuck onto a transport that was delivering weapons to Kusa, where I overheard something about increased 'terrorist' activity," he noted the scowl that Sarutobi formed at the word, "and I knew that if Hinata was still alive, she'd be with them."
"If I was still alive?" Hinata asked, her tone confused. A small idea formed into the back of her head as to what might have happened, though she waited for Naruto to answer.
The blonde nodded slowly, his eye seeming to cloud for a moment as the feelings he had on that day hit him like a ripple. "When I first arrived in Konoha, I was brought to see Danzo. He took me to the Konoha Graveyard where he showed me . . . well he showed me your tombstone. He told me you had died fighting against the forces that tried – that had killed the Old Man and many others. I . . . I thought that everyone was dead." He looked towards Hinata, the ghost of the sorrow he felt that day reflected on his face. "I can't begin to tell you how glad I am he lied to me."
Hinata felt her anger spike, though she didn't let it show as she moved to Naruto to embrace him in her arms, pressing his head against her chest. She couldn't believe that Danzo had tried to use his love for her against him – but then again, she should have expected no less. She had often wondered what might happen if Naruto returned to Konoha, but she hadn't imagined that scenario. "I'm so sorry Naruto-kun."
Naruto smiled as he felt her warmth even through the flak vest she wore. Deciding to change the subject, he pulled away from her with a grin. "I like what you did with the apartment though, a lot nicer than how I had left it."
Hinata let out a small laugh, sitting back down reluctantly. "I'm glad, I was worried you might not enjoy what I did to it." That was the truth, it had taken her some time to work up the nerve to switch things around, constantly worried he might not approve the changes. The two were interrupted by a harsh coughing fit from Sarutobi, who was bent over, sounding as if he was hacking up a lung. Hinata was by his side in less than a second, gently rubbing his back and looking down at him with worry. The coughing didn't last long however, as Sarutobi quickly started to pat Hinata's arm, and looked up at her with a weary smile.
"* cough * forgive me, I didn't mean to * cough * worry you. That's the second one I've had today, not bad at all." He tried to give the ex-Hyuuga princess and Jinchuriki a reassuring smile but neither seemed to be buying it. Leaning back onto his headboard, he cleared his throat. "Why don't you two go on for now? Naruto, I would like to speak to you some more later, but for now I can tell you both haven't had time to properly speak to each other." He watched the two exchange unsure looks, but he quickly went on, "No arguments, go on now." He watched the two stand, keeping his smile as he felt a tingling in his lungs that threatened to explode into coughing again. He kept it in check.
Naruto nodded, gently grabbing onto Hinata's hand. "You got it Old Man, I'll come again tomorrow and we can talk more then."
Sarutobi nodded with a smile, and then seemed as if he remembered something. "That reminds me Naruto. While it's a few years late, I want to congratulate you on making Chunin." He smiled at the shocked look on Naruto's face. "Though, I would say Jonin would be more appropriate, and I have no doubt you could pass the exam for it – if we could give such things."
Naruto hadn't even considered the fact he was still a genin, things like rank he'd long since forgotten about. He grinned at the Hokage, "Awesome! I'll be expecting that jacket when I see you tomorrow!" he joked, knowing it'd be impossible. With another farewell, Naruto and Hinata turned to leave the room.
Sarutobi settled himself back into bed, feeling tired and ready for some more sleep. It seemed all he did these days was sleep. He hadn't been able to do much else with this accursed illness. He smiled though, as he watched the grown Hinata and Naruto leave the room, a shadow of their child selves standing behind them that his memory overlayed . I'm glad I was able to survive this long, if nothing else to see them again. Of all the children I have seen grow, those two mean much to me. I know that the future of Konoha lies within them. With a weary sigh, Sarutobi resigned himself to sleep.
Naruto and Hinata waited outside the closed door for a moment, hoping they wouldn't hear anymore of the terrible coughing. Silence reigned for a while, letting them know that he seemed to be past it for the moment. In a hushed voice, Naruto looked towards Hinata and asked, "Hinata-chan, what's wrong with him?"
Hinata frowned, as she gently placed a hand onto the old Hokage's door. "We're not entirely sure. We don't have the equipment necessary for an exact diagnosis, but from what the few medics we have can figure it's probably lung cancer." she replied in the same hushed tone.
Naruto sucked in a sharp breath, the news hitting him. "Lung cancer? Isn't that -" he was cut off by Hinata's nod. "Yes. He's been showing bad signs of it since the day Konoha fell. It's in an advanced stage, and they can't remove it safely without risk of him dying in the procedure. But he refuses treatment at any rate, he won't let them try. He doesn't want any supplies used on him that could be used for ninja who can still fight."
Naruto looked towards the ground, feeling helpless. There was nothing he could do to help the old man. The hallway remained silent, as the two continued to think about their ailing Hokage. A thought then occurred to Naruto, and he looked back up, deciding to change the subject. "In the planning room, Shikamaru called you Lady Hokage, what did he mean by that?"
Hinata gave a sad smile then turned towards Naruto. "In a short version, he likes to call me that because of what I do around here." She let out a soft chuckle, "I'm not actually the Hokage, so you don't have to worry – you still have a chance."
Naruto let out a laugh in reply, "Well, I could think of a lot worse people to take the title than you. But I want to hear the long version too to that." That was putting it mildly. The blond wanted to know everything that had occurred in the past five years with her, but the hallway wasn't the place to do that. "Is there somewhere better we can talk?"
Hinata nodded. "Let's go to my room, we can get some dinner and talk there." Hearing Naruto agree with her, she led him down the path to the mess hall they had set up.
XXXX
After a short stop in the mess hall, Naruto had to admit he didn't like what he had seen. It was the middle of dinner, yet there were maybe eighty or so ninja within. Hinata had mentioned there were still teams out on patrol, but it wasn't just the number. It was the look on all their faces and the general mood. It was obvious they were all tired, even if they all seemed to perk up when Hinata walked by, everyone greeting her and asking her various questions. But even still, they all seemed – defeated. As if they all were about to march to their own deaths.
Dinner didn't exactly cheer him up much either. While he had been holding out hope foolishly for some ramen, all they had were dried foods and rice. Well, he knew not to be picky when the choices were slim, and he imagined that having to feed so many when you had to constantly hide wasn't easy.
When they reached Hinata's room, a small cave at the end of a hall, Naruto saw it didn't differ much from Sarutobi's room, containing only a bed, a table with two chairs, and a small chest where he imagined she put most her things. Taking a seat at her table, he spoke, "Nice place, gotta tell me who your interior designer is."
Hinata laughed at his bad joke, sitting across from him. "Believe it or not it was all me – though the furniture was made by a Daisuke – one of our ninja – who liked to dabble in carpentry as a hobby. He actually made most of everything in the cave, though he had quite a bit of help from other ninja who wanted to help and were handy with tools."
Naruto smiled as he heard the tale. "I'm glad he was here then. So most of the small jobs like that are being filled by ninja?" Naruto grabbed onto the worn chopsticks he had been given at the mess hall, by the look of them, they had been the one use wooden chopsticks given out at restaurants, but washed and reused. Grabbing a piece of dried fish that he'd been given, he popped it into his mouth. He grimaced a bit, tasting how salty it was but he was hungry enough he didn't care at the moment.
Hinata mimicked him, grabbing her own eating utensils. "Yes, none of the civilians came with us when we had to leave Konoha – not that we would let them of course. We've had to learn how to form our own working community without their aid." She let out a small laugh, "It really made us all notice just how much we had depended on them for our everyday things." Her face matched Naruto's for a moment, not quite enjoying the taste either but she was used to it.
They continued to eat their respective meals with only a bit of small talk here and there, each only asking simple questions about how the other had lived after he had left. Naruto had asked her about the photos he'd seen in their apartment, and she'd asked about things he'd done on the island. She had been rather touched at how he had made it his mission to bury all the dead that had been forsaken on the island. Naruto was skirting around asking the biggest question he wanted to ask – what happened in Konoha. He wanted to wait until after they ate.
Placing his chopsticks down, he let out a semi-content sigh. It hadn't been tasty, but at least his stomach wasn't angry with him anymore. Hinata followed suit soon after, wiping her mouth with a small napkin. Naruto decided that if he was going to ask, now would be the time. "Hinata-chan. . ." he started, stopping for a moment when he saw her cute curious reaction to her name being called, "What happened in Konoha?"
Hinata's face fell for a moment, and she placed the napkin down. She looked to him and remained quiet for a moment. "How about we take a bath first, and then I'll tell you?"
Naruto blinked once before his face erupted into fire. "B-B-Bath?! Together?!" His mind instantly exploded into rather lewd imagery, the jonin outfit Hinata wore hid much of her shape, but he could still see she had a killer figure.
Hinata's hands flew to her cheeks as she felt her blush rival his own, her words playing back in her head. "N-N-No! I meant separately!" Though, you know you want to get that Adonis naked and get his arms around you, have him hold you down and f- Hinata's whole body turned red, and she started mumbling things to herself as she quickly shook her head back and forth. She stood quickly and moved over to her chest pulling out a towel and then mumbled and stuttered something to Naruto along the lines of "Follow me."
Naruto stood, looking embarrassed, feeling like he wanted to dig himself a shallow grave after asking something like that. Naruto followed Hinata out of her room and through the complex maze of tunnels, noting they were taking passages that led them further down into the mountain. Eventually, they came to a split in a tunnel, with wooden planks placed over each reading Men and Women. Between the two signs was another, Bath. There was also a dull roaring sound that echoed up through the tunnels, which Naruto guessed had to be the source of the bathing area. Naruto looked over at Hinata, who had seemed for the most part recovered. "I'll meet you back at your room?" he asked, still feeling embarrassed. Hinata quickly nodded, not trusting herself to speak and quickly disappeared down the women's tunnel. Naruto followed suit, going down the men's tunnel, knowing that he probably caused her to freak out. He let out a sigh, hanging his head. First day back with her and he managed to put his foot in his mouth – great.
The tunnel went down only a few feet before opening up into a massive cavern that Naruto let out a small whistle at seeing, which echoed. It had to be at least fifty or more feet high, and about thirty feet or more wide, ending at a constructed wooden wall. The wall stretched from wall to wall, ending on the opposite one where a massive waterfall spewed out a river that passed under the wall. An underground reservoir, interesting. And I guess on the other side of the wall must be where the women's bathing area is. Naruto felt his blush creep up again as he thought about it, and knew he had to take a cold bath fast or else he was going to be in trouble big time. Looking around, he didn't see anyone in the area, so he started shredding his clothes and ran full speed to throw himself into the, what he would soon find out, ice cold water.
XXXX
Naruto sat, feeling rather cold at the moment, shivering slightly as he laid on Hinata's bed with his arms behind his head. He had forgotten to ask about a towel and after plunging himself into the arctic water where he took a very quick bath, he had to resort to shaking himself dry; he was dry by the time he found his way back. It didn't help any that the caverns were rather cold at the moment, or maybe that was just the after effects of the water. He frowned slightly, thinking on the conditions everyone had been living in so far. Crap food, living in caves and not even hot baths. It started to make his mood foul as he knew Danzo was the reason behind it all. He – his thoughts were cut short as he heard the door open, and he looked towards it sitting back up. "Hinata-chan do -" his question was cut short as she stepped into view. She was wearing the black under top and bottoms that Jonin wore, but with her skin still being slightly damp, it stuck to her figure, and a rather stacked figure at that. He suddenly felt his mouth go dry as he traced her figure from thighs to shoulders and saw that she had unbraided her hair, and it was now loose and ran far down her back, coming to rest just above her rear.
Hinata noticed his heated stare, and fidgeted, doing her best not to cover herself with her arms. Had it been anyone else she would have, but she had wanted him to look at her like that for sometime. It was only right, she had been ogling his chest all day, and she still was. Walking into the room, she closed the door, walking over to her bedside, where Naruto quickly scooted over to make room for her to sit.
He managed to tear his eyes away from her, using every last meditation technique he had learned to keep his thoughts calm, though it was like trying to fight a torrent of his own wants and desires. He barely noticed when Hinata reached over for her comb and started to comb her hair out, and he noticed that she was stealing glances at him too. The tension between them was something akin to two racers waiting to see who would make the first move, it wasn't uncomfortable, just present. Then, as he was about to speak, Hinata beat him to it.
"About Konoha," she started, placing her hairbrush down somewhat reluctantly, she turned to Naruto her hair now straight and smooth, "What did Danzo tell you exactly?"
"He said that it came under attack from a group of ninja who despised the Old Man."
Hinata nodded. "That's correct, except in that sense he was talking about himself. The attack, it happened so fast none of us really understood what happened." She went on to explain about how Lee, Neji and herself had gone to speak to Hanabi, and then were on their way to see Sarutobi. At the mentioning of her younger sister, Naruto noted the pain in her face and voice, but decided to wait until later to ask, deciding to focus on one tale at a time. "After we defeated the Oni, I saw an explosion come from the Hokage tower and decided to make sure Hokage-sama was okay. When I got there, Danzo was about to finish him off – his illness was starting to turn bad at the worst time. I stopped Danzo from killing the Hokage and had Lee carry him to safety. It was during that fight I received this -" she reached up and pointed at the scar under her eyes, "and even though I had managed to keep on level with him and almost landed a killing blow, he still avoided it with some technique I'm sure is related to the Sharingan he had."
"Sharingan?" Naruto asked, his voice laced with some anger, spawning from hearing how Hinata had been injured. He didn't remember seeing one on Danzo but – "The eye he keeps covered up."
Hinata nodded, "He didn't have it covered when I fought him. But when I attacked him, he didn't just vanish like someone does in a substitution, it was more like he never had existed there in the first place. I was flying towards him at a high speed, and then next thing I knew I was suspended with a sword through my torso." Seeing Naruto's eye shoot open, she slowly reached down to her shirt and gently lifted it, garnering a blush from both, but it was quickly lost by Naruto as he beheld the wicked scar that rested just underneath her breasts. "If it had been a few more inches to the left, a punctured liver would have been the least of my worries."
Naruto's eyes were locked on the dark discolored flesh that stuck out like a sore thumb on Hinata's otherwise perfect skin. He barely noted his fists were gripping the sheets tight and he could actually feel his chakra pathways start to almost boil from the sheer anger he was feeling. Hinata lowered her shirt back down and gently touched his arm, causing some of his rage to subside.
After seeing Naruto calm down some she continued, "After that, I fell to ground, in more pain than I can ever remember being in. Danzo stood over me, his sword held high over my chest and I knew then I was going to die." She looked over at the still Naruto, and smiled, "You were the only thing I could think of though, you know? Even though I knew I was moments from my death, all I could think about was how I . . . I might never see you again." Her eyes started to mist up some, and she slowly reached up and wiped them away.
Naruto bit his lip as he felt the same emotion start to take him. If it had been him in the same position he would have thought the same. He reached out and gently cupped her face, stopping another tear that ran down her cheek. "I'm back now." It was the most he could think to say, but it seemed to work as she smiled again and nodded, nuzzling his hand for a moment. With a frown, he knew the story wasn't over yet. "So. . . how did you survive?"
Hinata's smile didn't fade and she continued to speak. "Danzo stood over me, and was about to plunge his sword into my heart . . ."
Hinata stared at the piece of cold steel that was held by it's owner determined to take her life. As she watched the gleaming edge glisten with her blood, a single drop fell from it's tip and fell straight down, the drop landing directly into the mouth of the lion necklace that rested above her heart. The golden lion head glowed for the briefest of an instant, it's eyes turning into an emerald green.
Danzo began to plunge his sword down, when he was blinded by a golden light far brighter than anything he had ever seen. "What?!" he cried out as he took a step back, covering his eyes. A loud roar cut through the air, and with only a fraction of a second to move, Danzo barely avoided a massive claw that materialized from nothing, avoiding getting his head torn off but the edge of the claws tore through his face, making him cry out in agony as he landed away from the downed Hyuuga. Looking up, his sharingan blocked with his own blood, he let out a gasp.
In front of him stood a magnificent beast, twice as large as a human. It was creature Danzo had never seen, with golden fur running underneath polished blue armor with gold trim that protected it's powerful body and a dark brown mane that surrounded it's head, which itself was armored.
"By the blood of a brave warrior, I hath been released at last." The beast spoke, it's voice seeming far louder than what it could manage with it's size. The animal's voice was proud and confident, reflecting the strength it possessed.
Hinata stared in awe at the animal, that stood over her understanding at once it had come from Naruto's necklace, how though she had no clue. She felt her consciousness start to drift as the beast moved to look down at her.
"Thou who hath awoken me. By thine virtue I deem thee worthy to be the first in many long years to take contract with the proud Lions. Will thou accept?"
Hinata looked at the thing called a Lion, and couldn't help but think how it's eyes reminded her so much of Naruto. With a small nod, the Lion returned it. As it moved to pick her up, it's head turned towards two presences that appeared over the roof.
"Danzo-sama!" Two ROOT ninja yelled, already pulling out weapons and charging the strange beast that dwarfed them both.
"Wait!" Danzo roared out, but it was too late. The first ROOT that charged the Lion was met by a vicious paw, it's claws tearing his body into four gory segments that soared across the roof and landed in sick thumps. As the second one tried to stop and turn, the ROOT let out a terrifying scream as the Lion snatched it into his powerful jaws and shattered the ROOT's torso with a sickening crunch. With a flick of it's head, it tossed the disfigured ROOT's corpse to the side and glared at Danzo.
Danzo uttered a curse, the pain from his wound causing him a rather great deal of pain. He considered his options in a flash, fighting a summon wasn't something he had planned on, and he had no clue to how the beast would fight. The girl was already going to die, and the summon would disappear soon after; fighting wasn't necessary. A flash bomb fell from Danzo's robe, and a blinding flash enveloped the roof, causing the Lion to roar out and wince. When it reopened it's eyes, Danzo was gone.
"Hinata-san!"
Hinata moved her head slightly, and saw Lee standing on the roof, looking anxiously towards the Lion and her. She tried to speak, to tell him it was okay, but her voice didn't want to come out, and her vision was blurring.
"Come hither young one. Be swift and taketh mine summoner to aid. She is not long for this world."
Lee looked towards the Lion and nodded, feeling as though he could trust the armored beast. Scooping Hinata gently into his arms, he grimaced as he saw the pool of blood under her, and the paleness of her skin told him how bad she was. With a quick bow to the Lion he turned and kicked off the roof as hard as he could, heading towards the hospital the second time and glad he had removed his weights there.
Hinata stared back towards the rooftop, her consciousness fading as she stared at the golden lion, it's mane being moved by the wind. She managed to utter a single phrase as she felt herself pass out, "Thank you."
XXXX
Naruto stared at the necklace that Hinata had pulled from under her shirt, his eye wide. He was struck dumb by the tale, and then he recalled the day he had sad with his grandfather, Tenchi explaining to him that there was an ancient seal upon the necklace and how Kenshin had told him it was passed through his family as an heirloom. "So. . . all this time the necklace had been a summoning contract?"
Hinata nodded with a smile. "Of sorts. Leo – that's the Lion's name – told me that his contract was sealed long ago. It had been originally created after a ninja traveled to his land in the far west, where he impressed the lions so much they offered to fight with him. But unlike a normal contract, where if you sign it you can summon the animal, the Lions only accept the blood of those they deem worthy. Apparently they can sense the actions of the one wearing the necklace, or that's how he explained it to me."
Naruto felt an immense gratitude take him, as he remembered the day he held Kenshin as he died, his sensei asking him to take his families treasure. Kenshin-sensei. . . thank you. "I need to meet him sometime, and thank him personally."
"I'm sure he'd like to meet you, he asked about you one time. He remembered the times you wore the necklace and always wanted to meet the human who," Hinata changed her voice to mimic Leo's deep tone, "fought with the ferocity of a lion."
Naruto laughed and nodded. "I can't wait." Then, after letting his joy fade some, he asked, "What happened after you passed out?"
Hinata frowned as she shook her head. "I didn't wake up again until after we had retreated. But. . ." She fell silent closing her eyes. "Too many died." Her voice was tight, as if remembering something horrible. "We. . . we fought to escape, but the Oni have no need for rest, they have no emotion, nothing they care about beyond carrying out their orders. They killed indiscriminately. Man, woman, child – it made no difference." She slowly wrapped her arms around herself. "They. . . they didn't even spare the academy students or genin . . . t-they – !" She was cut off as Naruto closed the distance between them and drew her into her arms, the girl instantly seeking refuge in his embrace as her arms closed around his back. She let out a single sob, causing Naruto's heart to tighten. "We had five hundred when we first left Konoha Naruto. . . now, after two years we only have a one hundred and three, and it's as if we lose someone daily." She started to cry, her tears wetting his chest. Naruto grit his teeth, as he held onto her, wishing there was some way he could take her pain. "I've seen so many people die. . . each day that passes people lose more and more hope. It used to be that we all were full of the desire to retake our home, but everyone has lost someone, some more than others. . . I've tried so hard to remain strong, to try and lead by example, no one wants to do anything anymore and I'm the only one who still tries and fight, who even bothers to fight anymore. I gather people to go with me, but even then barely. . . it's why the Hokage puts so much of his trust into me, but it's hard – how can we defeat an enemy that outnumbers us ten to one!?" She started to cry harder, all the doubts and fears she had been bottling up for two years being unleashed in the safety of her lovers arms. "Why are we here Naruto-kun!? Every time I see our friends – the pain they've endured, the people they've lost, the wounds that permanently mark their bodies – when they watch more dead than alive return, how can I ask them to go out again to fight?! To fight a losing war and just to continue to suffer until we finally all die?! What kind of future is that!? What kind of leader am I to ask them to keep doing this!?" Her voice was loud, mixed with all her rage and sorrow that she had refused to show anyone else.
Naruto gently rubbed Hinata's back, feeling very much like an outsider now. He thought he had understood the suffering of his village, of what they had been through, but now he knew how arrogant it had been of him to ever think of that. Now he understood the looks that everyone had, and why they wore them. If Shikamaru was any indication, people had lost hope – how could they not? Naruto gently grabbed Hinata's shoulders, pushing the sobbing girl back some, looking into her tear stained eyes. With a firm voice that showed his conviction he spoke. "You've done well Hinata. . . You never gave up not once. All of you, who've fought . . I can't even begin to imagine what's happened here. But I swear to you Hinata." His eyes hardened as she looked into her desperate eyes, searching for any strength she could find. "I'm going to make them give back our lives – we're going to take back everything we lost! If it's the last thing I do I will make Danzo pay! "
Hinata let out another sob, smiling up at Naruto. "Naruto-kun. . .please. . ." she slowly breathed out, more tears falling from her eyes. "Kiss me." Naruto answered her by giving her just that. All but smashing his lips onto hers, he gave her the most passionate kiss he could. Hinata clutched at his back, holding onto his powerful back muscles as he pushed her down onto her bed. He felt her run her hands through his unbound hair, tugging at it. Naruto's hands began running over her body, caressing under her shirt. Hinata let out a soft moan into his lips, feeling him touch her in place that only the Naruto in her imagination had touched before. Realizing what he was doing, Naruto pulled his hand away from her chest, only to feel Hinata's hand stop him. "Naruto-kun. . . it's okay – please, love me."
Naruto nodded, and then let out a small breath when he felt Hinata start to remove his eyepatch. "Hinata-chan, that's -" the girl stopped him by shaking her head. "I've told you Naruto, I love you, everything about you." Fully removing his eyepatch, it revealed his black and red eye. "You never have to hide anything from me, even this part of you is beautiful to me." She gently caressed the side of his face.
"Hinata. . ." he gently whispered, not using the honorific, feeling his heart melt. She was too good for him, he was sure of it. "The same goes for you, you know?" He gently rubbed the scar under her eyes. "I love you more than I could ever say. I will never leave you again." Leaning again into her, he kissed her, and he allowed his hands to roam over her once more.
XXXX
And if I need to tell you what happened next you're too young to be reading this huehuehue. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and don't worry if you didn't see any characters you had been expecting. If I tried to get to everyone this would have been a HELLA long chapter. I hope you enjoyed what was shown though. As an interesting side note this is my longest chapter yet!
We got a long path ahead of us yet kiddos. Konoha's finest is down but not out. Naruto is back and vengance is on the menu. As always don't forget to review!
Till next time,
Shinobi no Ryu