Author Note: Hey guys, here's the next installment in the story! Sorry it's taken so long but college has been a little hectic. This chapter will be more about plot development and less about action but I'm gonna try and pick up the pace a little. There are questions that need to be answered!

Enjoy! And as usual, please read and review!

Chapter 6: The Ultimatum

Hinata watched in horror as Naruto closed his eyes with a smile on his face and collapsed on top of her.

"Narutoooo!" she screamed as the door exploded open and Sakura along with Hiashi rushed in.

Her mind racing and her body exhausted from the brutal pain she had just been through, Hinata fell back in exhaustion. Her father rushed over to her and tossed Naruto to the side. Scooping her up in his arms, tears began to form in his eyes as he stared horrified at his daughter. Opening her eyes slowly Hinata saw her father go in and out of focus, amazed that he was so openly displaying his emotions. She wanted to say something, anything, to keep him from crying but the only word that escaped her lips was,

"Naruto…"

With nothing left in her, she finally succumbed to the darkness.

When she finally came to the sun had gone down and the room was completely dark except for the soft glow of the moonlight trickling through the window and falling across her bed sheets. Keeping her eyes closed she lay there not moving, the warmth of the bed comforting and protecting her from the reality waiting for her just outside her sheets.

"Hiashi-sama."

The voice followed by movement just to her left brought back to reality for the moment. Her head still felt a little fuzzy and the voices echoed slightly but she focused on the voices as best she could.

"What is it?" Hiashi's voice asked tiredly.

"It's about the lab results for Hinata-sama. Everything came back negative. Somehow the chakra that was slowly killing her was sealed away inside her with an extremely powerful seal; we've never seen anything like it before."

"What does that mean then?" Hinata could hear the concern in her father's voice.

"It means that your daughter is going to be fine." The voice replied with a slight upbeat to it.

Both Hinata and Hiashi exhaled at the same time, both of them not realizing they had been holding their breaths. Thankfully, Hiashi didn't catch Hinata and she continued to listen to the conversation. Wanting the answer to the biggest question that was ravaging her mind, she tried to focus but the voices were becoming harder to follow as her mind became more disoriented and fuzzy.

"We are going to keep her for the next day to make sure nothing out of the ordinary happens and she remains stable." the nurse continued. "After that she is free to return home."

Unable to stand it any longer, Hinata was just about to ask her question when her father did for her.

"And what about the boy?"

There was a slight pause and the only noise to break the silence was the soft rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor hooked up to Hinata. Even though she was lying there still it felt as if her body was spinning faster and faster and she tried desperately to hear the answer.

"Somehow he survived."

The heart monitor immediately increased its rhythm as Hinata felt her heart flutter in a mix of excitement and relief giving her away.

"Hinata, are you alright? Is everything okay?" her father asked hurriedly.

She opened her and smiled weakly at him nodding. Her body on the other hand decided it was time to rest again as the images of her father's face and the nurse next to him swirled together out of focus and darkness once again consumed her. However, her mind was at ease knowing that her love had made it through the ordeal as well. "How can I ever thank you?"

Naruto felt as if he was suspended in the middle of nothing, surrounded by complete darkness. It wasn't a bad darkness though. In fact, he was quite comfortable. "If this is death then it's not so bad." he thought dreamily to himself as he continued floating through the darkness. Then, slowly he began to hear what sounded like voices echoing off in the distance. Over the course of a few minutes they slowly came into focus until he could finally make out what they were saying. Suddenly the suspension left him and he felt the warmth of blankets wrapped around him and the softness of a pillow tucked behind his head. "I'm still alive?" he asked himself. "But how?" After a moment he was able to register who was in the room with him.

"How is he?" Yamato asked.

"He's stabilized finally and the worst part is over. Now that he's out of the woods he seems to be making a rapid recovery." Sakura answered.

There was an audible rush of air as everyone sighed in relief.

"Having the Kyuubi sealed inside of him along with being an Uzumaki certainly does give him the edge when it comes to healing, doesn't it?" Kakashi said amusingly.

"It most certainly does." Sakura said with a slight laugh. "He truly is amazing."

Naruto tried to move, to speak, but he found his body unresponsive. Panic set in quickly as his imagination got the best of him. "Oh god, I'm in a coma! I can hear everything but I can't respond to anything!"

"I don't understand though," Sai's voice lost in confusion. "Why would he risk his life to save one person? It wasn't worth it; he's far more valuable to the village than her."

Naruto screamed in anger inside of his head as he commanded his body to move so he could get up and punch Sai in the face. "You are so lucky Sai! When I get my hands on you, you are in for a world of pain!" Luckily, Sakura was there to berate Sai for Naruto.

"Sai! You should know by now that Naruto would do anything for any of his precious people. He wouldn't think twice about sacrificing his life for any of us."

"It's true." Yamato said in agreement. "It can be a real pain sometimes, but Naruto always keeps the best interest of others in mind."

"Regardless," said Sai, "it seems like a complete waste, but then again I don't really understand these things."

Giving up on trying to move or speak, Naruto lay there in the bed and continued to listen to the conversation. As he did, he heard the door to the room open and another person enter.

"Danzo-sama, what are you doing here?" Sai asked surprised.

There was silence as the light shuffling of feet and tapping of a cane approached the bed.

"I would like a minute with Sai." he said with authority.

"Damn bastard." Naruto seethed, "Probably loves being able to boss everyone around."

"Of course Hokage-sama." Kakashi said and with that the footsteps of everyone one could be heard as they exited the room.

Danzo stood there and waited until the door was shut and he was sure that no one was listening before he began to speak.

"Sai, I'm going to be leaving later today to travel to the Land of Iron. I will be meeting with the other kages to discuss circumstances regarding the Akatsuki. While I'm gone I want you to keep an eye on Naruto and report everything he does. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Danzo-sama."

"Good." Danzo replied. There was a moment of silence and Naruto could feel Danzo staring at him. "If I had my way I'd have him locked away until we needed him. Such a powerful weapon should only see the light of day when it is needed. However, with the Akatsuki's interest in him and the way he acts so recklessly he should be locked away permanently. If we're lucky, he'll slip into a coma."

Naruto lay there seething in anger and clenching his fists to keep himself from yelling at the old bastard. "Wait a minute, I can move now?" Slowly letting his hands relax; Naruto breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. Risking a peak, Naruto cracked his left eye open just slightly to see Danzo's back to him. Closing it quickly he continued to listen.

"Well, I must be off. Keep me informed Sai."

"Hai, Danzo-sama." he replied curtly.

With that Danzo turned and left the room leaving just Sai and Naruto. He sat there in silence for a few minutes and then sighed to himself and stood up. Turning to leave, he stopped when he heard Naruto's voice.

"Are you really going to listen to that jerk and keep tabs on me?"

Sai's eyes widened and a faint blush crossed his cheeks as he turned around and looked down. "I don't have a choice; he is our Hokage and my commander."

Naruto tried to sit up in the bed but the aching and burning in his muscles kept him from doing so. Stepping towards the bed, Sai helped him sit up and turned to leave but Naruto grabbed his hand.

"Sai, listen to me." He said as he looked determinedly into his eyes. "We always have a choice. We aren't tools, we're humans. And being human means being able to make your own choices." He released his grip from Sai's hand and looked down at the bed. "Also, I would hate to think that one of my friends would do that to me."

"Friend?" Sai whispered to himself slightly confused as well as taken back.

"Yes, Sai." Naruto said with a smile. "You're my teammate and my comrade. We may not always get along but we look out and protect each other, and I would like to think that makes us friends."

"I see." was all Sai managed to say. He wasn't used to this feeling, the feeling that someone actually cared for him and saw him as something more than a tool. He smiled slightly to himself, a real smile for once. "I will still have to report to Danzo-sama but the reports may be a little… vague."

Naruto smiled at him appreciatively. "Thanks Sai, now can you do me a favor and go get Kakashi and Yamato-sensei? I think I have some explaining to do."

Sai nodded and left the room and within a few seconds Sakura and Yamato came rushing through the door followed by Kakashi walking lazily in. He may have acted cool and nonchalant on the outside but inside he was breathing a sigh relief that Naruto was awake and alright.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Yamato asked hurriedly.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Sakura bombarded him right after.

Raising his hands in front of him he smiled and began to laugh. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I just figured I should tell you what happened."

Everyone nodded and grabbed a seat around his bed to listen to what Naruto had to say. Once everyone was settled he began.

"Okay first off, before I begin, how is Hinata-chan?"

Kakashi smiled under his mask catching the honorific and shot a sideways glance at Sakura just in time to see her eyes widen just ever so slightly. It wasn't like Naruto to use endings like that for anyone, and as far as he knew Sakura was the only one that ever got one from him. He sat there amused as he watched Sakura try to pretend like she didn't catch it but the faint blush and quick glance down gave her away.

"She's fine Naruto, she'll be released from the hospital later today." She managed to get out.

Naruto visibly relaxed and sighed in relief. "That's great to hear." he said with a smile. "I guess I can tell you what happened then."

At this point all ears were open and eyes on Naruto as he began to describe what happened. He started off telling them about his and Hinata's plan to train with each other, and then moved on to talk about the missing nin that attacked them who were working under the Akatsuki. He continued on describing the battle until he got to the part where he was knocked unconscious. He decided to leave out the conversation he had with Kyuubi since he didn't want anyone to know he was talking to him. Naruto picked up the story where he woke up to see Hinata about to be executed and explained how he went about saving her and defeating the enemy. Yamato's eyes widened in horror when he described how he ripped the chakra away from Kyuubi but at the same time relaxed because it meant that the seal on Naruto wasn't weakened or broken. He thought about leaving Renge and Jihibiki out of the story, but he realized that it would make no sense as to how he managed to seal the chakra inside of Hinata, so he finally decided on telling them since he only knew their first names anyways. He then described the seal that he used as well as the vast amount of chakra that was required. When Naruto was finally done the room was dead quiet as everyone absorbed everything that he had just said.

"Well," Kakashi said finally breaking the silence, "at least you two are okay and the seal on your stomach is fine."

"I agree." Yamato said. "But what you did was very irresponsible Naruto. You could have permanently damaged or broken the seal and released the Kyuubi. You're lucky nothing happened."

Naruto clenched the bed sheets in his fists and stared down at his lap. "I know…but I had to protect her." Looking up fiercely he stared back at the group. "I made a promise to myself to protect her and I intend to keep it!

"We know you do." Sakura said softly but there was a slight pain in her voice.

Naruto caught it immediately and became crestfallen. "Sakura…" he whispered to her, "It's not over yet. I promised you I would bring him back and I will. It's just…I need a little more time." "Who am I kidding? I don't know if I'll ever be able to…"

Kakashi shot Yamato a glance and Sai sat there intrigued, watching his teammates talk about a taboo subject. "You don't know yet do you Naruto?" he thought to himself.

Sakura stood up and walked over to the window and Naruto followed her with his eyes.

"Actually Naruto, there's something you need to know." She said quietly as tears began to form in her eyes. "Danzo issued an order giving the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village permission to hunt down and kill Sasuke on sight as a rogue ninja of the Leaf."

"W-What?" Naruto asked, barely able to speak above a whisper. "Why would he do such a thing?"

"As a fact of fact, we've been lucky that the order hasn't been issued up until now. Tsunade was very lenient but Danzo isn't." Kakashi pointed out.

Naruto's mind spun out of control as he became shut out from his surroundings. "How can this be happening? I have to stop it, I made a promise to bring Sasuke back!"

Sai was perplexed by the look that Naruto had on his face, he couldn't understand where it was coming from. "Why is there so much pain in your eyes Naruto? Is the burden you carry truly that great?" Looking up at Sakura he couldn't help but wonder. "What did you make him promise you Sakura?"

Breaking the silence he spoke. "Ano, not to change the subject but should we be concerned about the two strangers Naruto met?" he asked. "That was an extremely powerful seal they gave Naruto and they're just walking around our village freely."

"No, if they meant harm I doubt they would have helped Naruto." Kakashi said bluntly. "Still, I don't think it would hurt to find out more about them."

"Naruto."

Naruto turned and looked at Yamato.

"Yes sensei?" he asked with a questioning look.

Yamato shifted uncomfortably in his seat for a moment before finally speaking. "I wanted to apologize for being so difficult at the training ground. If I had truly known how much trouble Hinata was in I would have left for the hospital immediately. I was just concerned that the seal had been broken…"

Naruto was stunned for a moment but then put a hand behind his head smiled. "It's okay sensei, you don't have to apologize." His smile quickly faded though as he became lost in thought again. After a moment of silence Naruto threw back the covers and swung his feet over the hospital bed.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked as she rushed over and placed a hand on his chest. "You need your rest so stay in bed."

Naruto lightly tapped her hand away. "I will get my rest but right now I want to check on Hinata-chan and make sure she is okay."

"She is fine so stay in bed."

Everyone turned to see Hiashi standing in the doorway stoic as ever.

"Hiashi-sama, what are you doing here?" Yamato asked.

He walked into the room and up to Naruto. "I just wanted to have a talk with Naruto." He said as he stared hard at Naruto.

Naruto immediately became irritated by the tone in Hiashi's voice and the way he was looking at him.

"Well," Naruto asked with his tone matching Hiashi's, "what is it?"

The usually emotionless Hiashi showed irritation for a brief second before regaining his composure. Looking hard at Naruto again he began to speak.

"First, I would like to personally thank you for your service to this village and to the Hyuuga clan during the invasion of the village."

Naruto allowed a brief smirk to cross his face but it didn't last long. He knew there was more to Hiashi coming to see him than to just thank him for saving the village.

"Second, I want to apologize for my daughter. She tries so hard to be strong but she doesn't realize that she is being a burden to-"

"-Shut up!" Naruto shouted as he jumped out of bed. His muscles burned and begged him to lie back down but he refused to listen. Instead he stood his ground and stared angrily back at Hiashi.

To say that you could hear a pin dropped would be an understatement. The room was dead silent as everyone one sat still as statues, shocked and horrified at Naruto's outburst. Words even escaped Yamato and Kakashi as they stared speechlessly at Naruto. Naruto was so angry he was shaking and Hiashi had clenched his jaw in an attempt to mask his emotions but a vein had appeared on his forehead and was throbbing dangerously.

"What did you just say to me?" Hiashi whispered quietly. As if any louder and all of his anger and emotions would erupt.

"I told you to shut. up." Naruto whispered back just as quietly, laced with distaste and added emphasis at the end.

"How dare you speak to me in that way! I am part of the village counsel and head of the Hyuuga clan, the oldest and most noble clan in this village. What right do you have to speak to me in that manner?" Hiashi was livid and was now shaking with rage on the inside. To think that this blonde haired brat had the nerve to speak to him like he was a lowly peasant was unimaginable.

"I have every right to speak to you in whatever manner I damn well choose!" Naruto shouted back. "Scum like you doesn't deserve to speak about Hinata let alone have her as a daughter!"

That was the straw that broke Hiashi's back. The vein grew even larger on his head and throbbed even harder as he erupted in anger.

"Let me tell you something you loudmouthed bastard! I will speak about my daughter however I please. The truth is she is a weak, insecure, pathetic excuse of a Hyuuga and will never be the leader of our clan!" Hiashi was hyperventilating now he was so worked up from Naruto.

"Take that back you son-of-a-bitch!" Naruto screamed as he flew at Hiashi with a fist cocked.

"Naruto, no!" Sakura shouted as she and Sai sprung up and grabbed Naruto just before he reached Hiashi.

"Let go of me!" Naruto yelled in rage as he twisted and turned trying to break free from their grip. "This bastard needs taught a lesson!" He struggled against his teammates but continued to stare Hiashi hard in the eyes. "Hinata is NOT weak. She is NOT insecure. She is NOT pathetic. Hinata is strong, confident in what she believes in, and is an extraordinary ninja!" Wrenching a hand free, he jammed a finger into Hiashi's chest knocking him back a step shocking him. "She's just as much a hero of this village as I am!" Naruto screamed at Hiashi in anger. He continued to struggle with his teammates for freedom but Kakashi's sudden and booming voice caused him to stop immediately.

"NARUTO THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Team seven stopped immediately and looked at their sensei in surprise. Letting Naruto go, they stood there obediently except for Naruto who continue to eye Hiashi angrily.

"Hiashi." Kakashi said turning his attention to the Hyuuga. "What is the real reason for you coming here?"

There was a pause as Hiashi closed his eyes and regained his composure. Then, opening them he looked at Naruto and spoke.

"Naruto, stay away from my daughter."

"What?" Everyone cried out except for Kakashi.

"I want you to stay away from my daughter. Do not talk to her, be around her, or try to contact her in any way. If, for some reason, you end up on a mission with her I want you to speak only when necessary to her." With that Hiashi turned and walked to the door.

"And if I don't listen?" Naruto shouted after him.

Opening the door he stopped and spoke without even turning around. "If you do then I will use every bit of my influence to ensure you never become Hokage."

Naruto's world shattered and he sat back on the bed speechless. Sakura gasped audibly and Sai looked bewildered back and forth between his teammates and Hiashi.

"Surely you can't do that." Sakura spoke barely above a whisper.

"I can and I will if I must." Hiashi answered evenly. "You may have saved the village but you are still a monster on the inside. If you don't believe me then look at the people around you; one left to join the enemy, your master is dead, your previous Hokage is in a coma, and everyone else gets hurt when they are near you. You are nothing but trouble Naruto and I refuse to risk my daughter again. I will do whatever it takes to protect her from you. Whatever it takes."

"Careful Hiashi." Kakashi said with an edge in his voice. "One could almost call that threat."

"It's not a threat, it's a promise." Hiashi said with a slight air of superiority and with that he left.

The room was silent as everyone stared at Naruto waiting for a reaction, but no reaction came. Inside, Naruto's mind was reeling trying to process what had just happened. "Stay away from Hinata or I'll never become Hokage? What kind of choice is that? Why am I even upset about it? Damn it what is this feeling? What should I do?" Getting up slowly he began to walk for the door.

"Where are you going Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"…To get some fresh air." He replied as he opened the door.

Sakura started to make her way towards Naruto to stop him, "Naruto wait-"

"-Stop, let him go Sakura." Kakashi said as he put a hand on her shoulder halting her progress.

"But Kakashi-sensei, he needs his rest." she insisted.

"Maybe," Kakashi said in a low tone with a hint of sadness as Naruto closed the door behind him, "but I think he needs this more. He needs time to think about what just happened and decide what he's going to do."

"As if everything that's happened with Sasuke, Master Jiraiya, and Tsunade-sama wasn't enough, now this." Yamato said sympathetically.

"Naruto can never truly catch a break can he?" Sai said more than asked. "Everyone takes him so lightly, they never really understand what he's been or going through."

"The question is," Kakashi said solemnly, "what will he chose?"

Hinata was sitting patiently on the edge of her bed waiting for the nurse to come check her out of the hospital when she saw Naruto walk by her room.

"Naruto!" she called out, her mind and heart racing with excitement but she received no reply. "Maybe he didn't hear me?" she thought to herself as she rushed out of the room to see Naruto slowly walking down the hall. "Naruto!" she called out again with a smile on her face as she ran towards him but she still received no response.

As she got closer she noticed his shoulders. "What's wrong with him?" she wondered, "Does it have to do with what happened to him?" She was walking just behind him now and he still hadn't acknowledged her yet.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" she asked with concern.

Silence once again met her as they continued walking down the hall. "Maybe it's something I did? Is he mad at me?" Hinata could feel she was becoming upset from the silence he was giving her. They continued walking, now side by side in an awkward silenc. When they reached the lobby of the hospital Hinata couldn't take it any longer. Reaching out she grabbed hold of his hand.

"Naruto why won't you say anything?"

"Damn it, leave me alone!" he yelled as he wrenched his hand out of her grasp.

Everyone in the lobby of the hospital stopped what they were doing and stared at Naruto in surprise.

"N-Naruto?" Hinata's voice began to shake from the shock as she tried to suppress her tears.

"Just stay away from me!" He said as he turned and walked for the door.

Hinata stood there devoid of all emotions from what had just happened. Her world came crashing down around her as she watched him turn his gaze from her eyes and walk towards the exit. "What did I do?" she asked herself as the tears fell from her eyes. "Why are you so mad at me? I don't understand!" Wrapping her arms around herself she bowed her head and started to cry quietly.

"What the hell was that Naruto?" a voice shouted from the lobby desk.

Turning her head to the side, she had to blink through blurry eyes before she made out Kiba looking extremely pissed off.

"Yeah Naruto, what was that all about?" Tenten's voice rang out.

Hinata then noticed that Kiba was also with Lee, Tenten, Shino, and Ino. However, Naruto didn't acknowledge them either and continued for the door.

"Naruto, what is the matter?" Lee asked, the only one staying relatively calm.

"Hey! We're talking to you!" Ino shouted angrily.

Naruto made it to the door and was about to open it when Kiba's words stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Look at him! He saves the village and he's already becoming arrogant. In case you've forgotten, Hinata's risked her life for you!" Pointing a finger at Naruto he yelled, "You're almost as bad as Sasuke."

Naruto's hand stopped in mid air as he was reaching for the door hand. It hovered there for a second and then began to shake. He clenched it into a fist, but then after a moment his shoulders sagged and he relaxed his fist, grabbed the handle, opened the door, and left without a word.

Hinata felt woozy and began to sway, but luckily Lee saw this and rushed over to brace her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"W-what is wrong w-with Naruto?" she asked more to herself than anyone else.

Just then Sakura rushed into the lobby to see Hinata in a mess being braced by Lee and everyone else looking shocked.

"Oh no." she said and rushed over to Hinata. "Here Lee, let me take her."

Lee nodded and let Sakura wrap her in arms around her.

"Come on Hinata." Sakura said softly. "Let's get you back to the room."

Hinata just simply nodded and suppressed a sob.

"I'm going after Naruto." Kiba said angrily as he turned to leave.

"No you're not." Sakura said evenly.

"And why the hell not?" Kiba shouted.

"Because your teammate needs you." she said matter-o-factly.

"What my teammate needs is for me to go kick Naruto's ass!" he retorted.

"For starters we all know that's highly unlikely." Shino suddenly said out of nowhere. "And secondly, there's obviously something going on that we know nothing about so let's stay with Hinata and have Sakura fill us in."

"Oh who asked you?" Kiba asked angrily as he crossed his arms but it was evident he was going to stay.

"Lee, Tenten, can you go check on Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Sure Sakura, you can count on us!" Lee said with a fire in his eyes.

"Ino, are you coming with us?" Tenten asked.

One look at Sakura and Ino knew the answer to that. "No, I think I'll stay here. You two go ahead." She could tell Sakura knew something so she would just get it out of her.

"Okay then. Tenten, let's go!" With a nod both of them took off after Naruto while Ino helped Sakura get a devastated Hinata back to her room with her teammates close behind.

Naruto walked aimlessly down the streets of the village completely lost in thought and oblivious to the world around him. "What do I do? Why is it so hard to make a decision?" He gritted his teeth in frustration and kicked a small rock banking it of the beam of a building under construction. "May I make a suggestion?" Kyuubi asked out of nowhere. "Go to hell! I told you I want nothing to do with you!" "Oh come on, are you honestly going to stay mad at me forever?" Naruto didn't answer him and simply forced Kyuubi out of his mind.

"Oi, Naruto!"

Naruto was dragged out of his thoughts by the familiar voice. Looking to the right he saw the new Ichiraku ramen stand open for business and the old man, Teuchi waving him inside. Walking in he saw the place was busier than ever with no place to sit at all, the new place was packed full.

"Naruto it's so good to finally see you!" Teuchi yelled happily over the customers.

"Likewise to you old man." Naruto said with a smile but it quickly faded.

"Did you say Naruto?" a voice asked and around the corner Ayame walked with a pen and paper. "Naruto!" she shouted with a smile.

Looking around Naruto had to admit he was impressed that the ramen stand was already rebuilt, and in much better condition too. "I have to say, I'm surprised you got this place up and running so quickly."

Teuchi beamed a smile. "Well what can I say? The people wanted this place up and running as soon as possible, and beside that, our hero needs a place where he can eat his fill!"

Naruto gave another quick smile but he wasn't enjoying the attention that they were bringing to him. Everyone had started to stare and were pointing and whispering, many of them smiling and laughing happily. "Figures, I've worked my entire life for the acknowledgement of the villagers and now that I've finally got it I wish they'd leave me alone." "Oh the irony." Kyuubi's voice said mockingly. Naruto's face darkened, "Fuck off." he hissed as he pushed him out of his thoughts again.

"Naruto, is something wrong?" Teuchi asked. "I know, how about all-you-can-eat ramen on the house?" he suggested with a huge smile.

Naruto's next response caused Ayame to gasp and Teuchi to nearly faint.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry." He said as he turned and headed for the door.

"B-But you never turn down ramen." Ayame said.

Naruto fought the tears back as he gritted his teeth. Glancing over his shoulder he answered. "I'm just not hungry right now." With that, he left a shocked Teuchi and Ayame standing in the middle of their ramen restaurant dumbstruck.

"Okay, something is definitely bothering Naruto. He never turns down ramen especially when it's free." Lee whispered behind the cover of some barrels as he and Tenten watched from across the street.

"I agree." Tenten whispered nodding, "And did you see the look on his face? It looks like he's almost in some kind of pain, it's heart breaking."

"Let's keep following and get to the bottom of this!" Lee shouted standing up full of emotion. "The fire of youth only burns once!"

"Can it baka or he'll hear us!" Tenten hissed slamming a fist down on his head and eliciting a yelp from him.

"So are you gonna tell us what's going on or not?" Kiba asked impatiently as he waited on Ino and Sakura to finish putting Hinata into bed.

"Yeah Sakura, what gives?" Ino asked.

Giving a glance sideways at Hinata and concluding that she was practically in a comatose state and wouldn't hear anything she sighed heavily.

"How do I put this? Hinata's father came in to see Naruto after he had woken up. After thanking him for saving her, he and Naruto got into a huge argument when he started to degrade Hinata and Naruto defended her. After that it spiraled out of control." She sighed again as she went over what had happened in her head.

"So? That still doesn't explain why he acted the way he did towards Hinata." Kiba said bluntly crossing his arms.

"What did he say to Naruto after that?" Shino asked sensing there was more.

Sakura smiled a little looking at him. "Nothing gets by you, huh Shino?"

"Usually, no." he said flatly.

Taking a deep breath she said it all at once.

"Hiashi told Naruto to stay away from Hinata or else he would make sure that Naruto never became Hokage."

"WHAT?" everyone shouted in unison.

"That can't be true, can it?" Ino asked in shock.

Sakura slowly nodded her head. "It is; I was there when it happened."

"You've got to be kidding me."

Sakura started to shake her head but quickly realized that the voice didn't belong to anyone in front of her. Turning around wide-eyed she saw Hinata sitting up in the bed with the most distant look on her face. Everyone prepared to comfort her as they saw the tears welling up in her eyes. However, in the blink of an eye Hinata's face quickly turned from sad and distant to pure rage.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Hinata screamed leaping out of bed.

Everyone stood in their place terrified as they watched a completely different Hinata take over.

"Where is my father?" she shouted at the top of her lungs and activating her Byakugan. "Where is he? When I find him I'll KILL him!"

She started to make her way for the door but Kiba stepped in front of her to stop her, or at least tried to.

"Whoa, hang on Hinata. This is your fa-" the rest was cut off as she grabbed his throat.

"Get the fuck out of my way," she whispered with pure venom, "or I'll kill you too."

In a flash Shino and Ino had tackled Hinata back onto the bed causing Kiba to fall to the floor gasping for air. Sakura wasted no time and quickly pulled out a syringe with a sedative in it. Sticking it into Hinata's arm, she waited for it to kick in while the others struggled to keep her still. When she finally drifted out of consciousness Shino and Ino both stood up looking extremely worried.

"What the hell was that?" Kiba rasped out through a sore throat.

"I have no idea, but we should leave her alone so she can get some rest. She should be out for a few hours, so I'll come back to check on her later." Sakura said and with that she ushered them out of the room

As Sakura closed the door behind her Ino hung back while the others went on down the hall.

"Ano…Sakura?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah Ino?" she answered with a troubled look.

Literally shaking, Ino gulped before continuing. "Did you by chance catch the way Hinata's eyes looked?"

Sakura nodded. She had been hoping that what she thought she had seen wasn't real, but Ino having asked about it confirmed what she had seen.

"Yeah," Sakura whispered looking around, "her Byakugan was blood red."

Ino nodded to confirm she saw it too.

"Ino, I think its best that we keep this between us for right now." Sakura said as they started to walk down the hall. Her mind was racing trying to find an answer for what she had just seen.

"Okay, but should we tell Naruto?"

Sakura shook her head quickly. "No, that's the last thing he needs to hear about. She isn't in any life threatening situation so let's leave him in the dark for now."

"Okay, you're the boss." Ino said waving her hand and dismissing what she had seen with a shudder.

Sakura, however, couldn't let the image of Hinata's eyes go. No matter how many medical ailments, diseases, or infections she went through she kept coming back to the same conclusion. "It's the Kyuubi's chakra sealed inside her…"

Naruto found himself at the top of the Hokage monument watching the sun slowly set and thinking about everything that had happened that day. As the sun slowly sank down past the horizon the reds and oranges mixed together streaking across the sky like paint on a canvas and slowly put his mind to ease. There was a reason why this was his favorite place to come and think, to relax and just get away. Slowly he watched as the reds and oranges began to fade away into shades of purples and the stars started to wake in the night sky. "Reminds me of…" His eyes narrowed as he tried to force the thoughts from his head, but another one surfaced instead.

Flashback

Naruto had just reached the top of the monument and found himself sitting on a rock staring at the ground, not thinking about anything in particular his mind blank and numb. After a few minutes of staring at nothing a quiet scuff of sandals on the dirt roused him from his trance. Looking up he saw Neji standing next to him staring up at the clouds in the sky.

"What do you want?" Naruto muttered.

"Just came to talk." he said simply not breaking his gaze from the sky.

They were quiet for another two minutes while each one stared off in their own world.

Finally breaking the silence Neji spoke. "I heard about what happened…about…everything."

Silence again as they continued to stare.

"So, what about it?" Naruto finally asked slightly irritated. "God I wish he'd leave, why is it so damn hard to find a quiet place to be alone?"

"So I wanted to know," Neji said finally breaking his gaze and looking down at Naruto, "what are you going to do?"

Naruto's face contorted in anger for a moment, like he was about to explode on Neji, but then his shoulders sagged wearily and he sighed.

"I don't know." He said defeated. "I'm so confused right now about what I feel. I can't help but think that Hiashi is right though, I am a monster and everyone around me does end up getting hurt. Even though I want more than anything to no longer be alone, I know that no one deserves to be with a monster like me. Hinata is better off staying away from me."

Neji went back to looking at the clouds and Naruto went back to staring at the ground. After a few minutes of silence Neji spoke again.

"Naruto, let me tell you something that nobody else has told you."

Naruto's eyes slightly widened and he looked up at Neji in curiosity.

"What would that be?"

"When you fought Pain and the nine-tails was released, do you know why that happened?"

Naruto nodded looking down depressed. "Hinata sacrificed herself to try and save me."

Neji nodded back at him. "Correct, but do you know what actually happened when the nine-tails fought Pain?"

Naruto thought for a moment and then answered. "No. I just know that a lot of destruction took place." He looked down in shame. "No surprise there."

"That is true," Neji said, "but what you don't know is that the nine-tails actually protected Hinata."

"What?" Naruto said looking up in shock.

Neji nodded and continued. "Right after the Kyuubi was released Pain used a massive water release jutsu that flooded that area you and Hinata were in. The massive flooding destroyed everything in its wake but the nine-tails got Hinata to safety. In short, the Kyuubi saved Hinata from drowning."

Naruto was speechless, he had no idea the Kyuubi had done that or would even think of doing that. "He actually went out of his way to protect her. And all this time I've accused him of being selfish and nothing but a curse."

"Anyways, it's something to consider Naruto." Neji turned and started to walk away. "If anyone deserves to be happy it's you. You've definitely earned it."

End Flashback

Night had fallen now and the only light around came from the moon and the stars. Standing up, Naruto stretched and was about to leave when he heard another set of footsteps approaching. Turning around he saw Kakashi walking towards him.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?"

"Well Naruto, in case you haven't notice everyone is pretty worried about you." Kakashi replied.

Naruto stared out over the village, the lights from the tents and newly built houses shining like fireflies in the night. "No shit, it's a lot to take in."

"Yeah I've noticed." he mumbled. "But still, did you come to check up on me or did you need something?"

Kakashi looked surprised for once. "Am I not allowed to be concerned for my student?"

"I supposed not, although it does seem a little out of character." Naruto said pointedly. "So are you here to give me a pep talk or can we skip it?"

"I said I was concerned, not that I cared." Kakashi stated bluntly.

This caused Naruto to turn and stare at him hard with a rather annoyed look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something but Kakashi cut him off.

"I will say this though. Everyone wants to help and give you advice on what to do. But it's ultimately up to you to make the right decision."

For the first time that day Naruto cracked a real smile. "You know," he said evenly, "you really suck at being a sensei."

Kakashi smiled at him from underneath his mask. "Honestly if it were up to me I never would have been one." Naruto rolled his eyes at him but he continued. "However, I couldn't be more proud of you Naruto, and no matter what you decide I'll support your decision."

Naruto smiled gratefully at his sensei. "Thanks, that means a lot."

"Hey any time." Kakashi said with a smile. "Now, how about we go get some ramen my treat?"

Naruto turned and stared out across the village again.

"Naruto, you don't have to do this alone." Kakashi said putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Your friends are standing behind you all the way, there's no reason to do this by yourself."

Naruto sighed and turned to his sensei and smiled. "Yeah I guess so." His stomach growled reminding him how he hadn't eaten in two days. "So…how about that ramen?" he smiled sheepishly.

"Glad to have you back Naruto." Kakashi thought as he wrapped his arm around Naruto and they walked off towards Ichiraku's ramen.

"Well I guess Naruto is back to his old self." Tenten whispered from behind some bushes.

"Indeed," Lee said nodding, "Now let's go tell the others what we have found out."

With that, they took off towards the BBQ restaurant where they said they would meet everyone.