A/N: Hey everyone, here's chapter 15! Glad to see everyone enjoyed the last chapter and the Omake. I must admit, it was a little mean to just embarrass Hinata like that but hey, it was funny! Now don't freak out, the chapter looks long but it's only average length I promise. The only reason it looks long is because I added an Omake at the end of the chapter. Yes, I know, I spoil you. On a serious not I would like to say that this chapter will shed some light on Sakura, so those of you that have been condemning her and wanting answers here ya go! On an even more serious note I would like to give a shout out to two amazing authors that are new and you should all definitely check out.
JadedRen: Out of the Dark
Roamer79: My Own Peace
Seriously guys, check these out they have great stories! Now, without further ado the latest chapter. R&R please as always!
Chapter 15: Breakfast Note
Night had completely fallen over Konoha like a dark blanket. The once bustling city was now resting sleepily for the night as everyone wound down for the day. The only people out now were ninja on duty patrolling the perimeters and the streets. However, two ninja that were not on duty still made their way through the darkened streets slowly winding their way up the Hokage monument.
"What do you think Kakashi-sensei wants from us?" Kiba asked.
Sai didn't look at Kiba but answered regardless. "It could be any number of things, but if I had to guess I would say it has something to do with our latest 'unofficial' mission."
Kiba nodded in agreement, it did seem like a logical reason for why the Cyclops ninja told them to not speak a word to anyone about what had happened and even more so as to why they had been told to lay low until Kakashi could debrief them. Reaching the top of the monument the two shinobi made their way over to the edge of the cliff, more specifically, over the Fourth's head. As they approached the edge, the shape of Kakashi came into view standing on the edge staring up at the night sky.
"Hey sensei, we're here. What do you want to talk to us about?" Kiba said as they came to a stop.
Kakashi remained quiet for a few more moments before sighing and turning around to face them. "I'm sure you two have already guessed that I want to talk to you about Sakura's desertion." Kiba and Sai both nodded at this. "What I want you to do is not utter a single word about what happened to anyone else."
"But sensei, Naruto has a right to know what happened." Sai said somewhat heatedly. He was upset that yet another one of Naruto's special people were trying to keep things from him.
Kakashi simply smiled at Sai. "Sai, I'm glad to see that you are beginning to understand these emotions you feel and that you recognize that your friendship with Naruto is special. However," Kakashi suddenly stopped smiling and hardened his gaze at the both of them, "I expect you to follow my orders."
Sai and Kiba both glared at Kakashi both they both spoke.
"Of course sensei."
Kakashi sighed heavily. A deep sigh that spoke about the volumes of troubles, burdens, and regrets that he had experienced in his lifetime. "Look," he said getting their attention, "I plan on telling Naruto about what has happened just not right at this very moment. He's been through so much the past two weeks I think he deserves one night of rest. I'll tell him tomorrow morning and we'll develop a plan from there."
"A plan?" Kiba asked warily.
"I agree, what do you mean by that sensei?" Sai asked.
Kakashi reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded slip of paper. "When I came across that girl at the bridge I found this note clenched in her hand. It was a note left by Sakura."
Kiba's eyes widened slightly and glanced at Sai.
Sai remained expressionless but was the first to speak. "What did it say?"
Kakashi slipped the note back into pocket. "All you need to know for now is that nothing is ever as it first appears."
Kiba's face contorted slightly as he tried to understand what Kakashi meant but Sai seemed to understand and nod in acceptance.
Kakashi continued. "Meet me at the hospital tomorrow at noon. I want you two to be there when I tell Naruto. You are dismissed."
The artist and tracker nin turned to leave but were stopped one last time. "I hate to my repeat myself, but this information stays with us. Understood?"
"Hai, sensei." They replied.
"Good, get some rest and I'll see you in the evening." Kakashi said as he turned to look back out over the village.
Kiba and Sai left leaving Kakashi only with his thoughts. "Sensei…I could really use your guidance right now. Please, give me some kind of a sign." Kakashi prayed silently as he continued to stare up at the twinkling stars.
Kakashi was a man that usually didn't resorted to these kinds of things. He found life was short, cruel, and flat out brutal. It was because of this that he refused to pray to any higher beings. He had experienced sorrow that could only be bested by Tsunade or Naruto, and therefore he felt that no higher beings deserved any prayers from him for making life a sick joke. However, if there was one person he did pray to, it was his father figure and sensei, Minato. The man had brought light to his darkness when he was a child and he both respected and loved him as a teacher and father. So, when Kakashi found himself deeply burdened he would only pray to the one person that meant as much as Naruto did to him. His peace didn't last however as the shadowy figure of an ANBU appeared behind him.
"Hatake-san, you have been summoned to appear before the village elders." The ninja said to the former ANBU captain.
Kakashi sighed. "I expected as much. I will be there momentarily." The ANBU gave a short bow and disappeared. "Please sensei," Kakashi thought once more looking up at the night sky, "I really need your strength right now."
With one last troubled sigh the silver haired jonin disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
Two old shinobi sat in the Hokage's office waiting for the appearance of jonin they had summoned. They had long since retired but they still served the village they loved by representing on the village council. There was a knock at the door and old man spoke.
"Enter." Homura said quickly.
The door opened and Kakashi walked in and stood before the two elders before he asked somewhat bored. "You summoned me?"
Ignoring his tone Koharu spoke. "Hatake Kakashi, we have looked over your report that you submitted upon your return from your unofficial mission. We are disturbed to hear about the events that took place at the Five Kage Summit meeting. Uchiha Sasuke has truly become a threat to the shinobi world, but that is for another discussion entirely. The reason we have called you here is for something much more pressing at the moment."
"And that would be?" Kakashi asked lazily but his eye did narrow slightly.
Koharu continued. "After speaking with the ANBU captains we have confirmed that Danzo, the Sixth Hokage, is dead."
Kakashi made no sign of surprise and it didn't go unnoticed.
"You were expecting this?" Homura asked.
Kakashi nodded. "I had my suspicions when Sai informed me that the seal placed on his tongue by Danzo disappeared."
Homura glanced at Koharu quickly and Kakashi felt himself beginning to get impatient. "Is there a reason you asked me to come here?" he asked slightly irritated.
Koharu once again ignored his tone. "Hatake Kakashi, after discussing it with Koharu and the clan heads we have decided to nominate you as the next Hokage."
Kakashi's eye widened in surprise before he regained control and spoke. "Are you sure there isn't someone else that could fill the position? What about Nara Shikaku?"
Homura shook his head. "We suggested that to Shikaku but he claimed that he would best serve the village by leading in the strategy and the defenses of the village. He claimed that it would be best to have the younger generation take the lead and finally step up to the plate."
"Probably thought it was too troublesome." Kakashi muttered under his breath.
"You were the best choice, Kakashi." Koharu said grabbing his attention. "You fought in the Third Shinobi war and are known far and wide for your skills. This village needs a strong ninja that will be able to lead and protect it."
"Then why not nominate Naruto?" Kakashi asked off-handedly. This caused the elders to stop for a moment. "He is very strong, stronger than me at this point. He has mastered Senjutsu and saved the village from imminent death. He is the perfect candidate for the position."
"You are correct." Homaru said after a pause. "However, this all started and was caused because of the demon he has inside of him-"
"-Watch what you say…" Kakashi warned as his eye flashed dangerously.
Homaru held up his hands in a placating manner. "I hold no ill will against the boy. He has earned my respect and the respect of the village. Not to mention my grandson idolizes him. However, what I mean to say is that the Akatsuki will be hunting him down relentlessly. If something were to happen to him and he was captured then the village would be without a leader yet again. That's something we simply can't allow."
Kakashi was quiet as he processed what he had just heard. They were willing to nominate Naruto, but they wouldn't at this current time due to the threat of the Akatsuki. He didn't see a way out of the situation he was in at the moment. "Damn it sensei, you have sick sense of humor!"
Sighing in defeat Kakashi spoke. "Okay, I accept the nomination for the next Hokage." Both Homaru and Koharu looked relieved at hearing this. "However, as soon as the threat of the Akatsuki is taken care of I will be stepping down and naming Naruto as my successor."
Koharu glanced at Homaru before looking at him. "That's fine Kakashi, it's your decision and if you think he is ready when the time comes then so be it. The Fire Dynamo will be here tomorrow morning to hear and agree to the nomination. The meeting will be held on the first floor of the Hokage tower at 10 a.m."
Kakashi nodded his head and understanding and gave a bow before leaving. As he reached the door, however, he was stopped by Koharu.
"One more thing Kakashi." The jonin turned around and looked at her questioningly. "Don't be late."
Kakashi's one eye turned into a U-shaped smile as he waved them off and left. Walking out of the building he looked up at the starry sky and sighed one last time. "I stand corrected sensei…NOW I really need you."
On the third floor in the west wing of the newly built hospital in an isolated room surrounded by ANBU guards, lies the unconscious body of Senju Tsunade. The room was completely secure, with no windows and only one door in and out. The room was completely dark except for the faint green glow of the monitors that were hooked up to the comatose former Hokage. The only noise in the room was the soft steady breathing of the blonde and the soft beep of the heart monitor. This changed however when a shadow seemed to morph out of the wall and walk towards her. The soft sound of scuffing feet joined the noise of the room until the shadow appeared standing over Tsunade.
"Tsk, tsk, sleeping on the job Tsunade-chan? What would your grandfather say?" the shadowy figure asked jokingly.
The soft beeping of the monitor was the only thing that answered his questions.
Reaching out a hand that began to glow faintly, a flash of static electricity jumped from the man's finger tips as he pressed them to the blonde's forehead and spoke. "Time to wake up."
There was a slight influx on the monitor as Tsunade's heart rate changed when the man's fingers pressed against Tsunade's head. At first nothing happened, but after a moment Tsunade's faced scrunched up and then with a slight groan her eyes fluttered open.
"Rise and shine Tsunade-hime," The man said with a smile as he leaned forward into the soft green light to reveal himself as Jihibiki, "it's time to go to work."
Morning came quickly for most people, however, for one blonde shinobi it couldn't come fast enough. As the sun started to rise in the sky so did Naruto, but the dark bags under his eyes clearly showed that he had little sleep if any at all. Sitting up with an exhausted yawn and a stretch he could feel that his muscles were still just a little bit sore. "Damn my subconscious! This night terror is driving me insane!" he thought as he placed his tired head in his hands. He was so close to discovering who the person was in his dream. This time he had heard a voice, well, the beginning of a voice. As soon as they began to speak the dream ended. It was frustrating and Naruto was beginning to feel the drain from the lack of proper rest.
Looking up from his hands miserably, Naruto glanced across the room and had to do a double take because of what met his eyes. Lying across from him wrapped up in bandages was a sleeping angel. Naruto rubbed his eyes before looking again and couldn't help but feel the heat from a slight blush. Her midnight blue hair was spread out on her pillow and her chest fell up and down softly as she peacefully slept. Her face radiated innocence and she had a beautiful aura about her. "What makes me so special? What do you see in me Hinata?" he asked himself.
"Good question…" Kyuubi muttered.
Naruto sighed inwardly, "Please, can just give me time to wake up?"
Kyuubi snorted. "You were up all night, you are awake."
"You know what I mean!" Naruto hissed, and with an 'hmph' Kyuubi left his mind.
As soon as the Kyuubi left Naruto a nurse walked in through the door. "Good morning Naruto-sama!" she said brightly.
"Shhh." Naruto said quietly with a finger to his lips before he pointed towards Hinata.
The nurse seemed confused at first but when she saw Hinata sleeping she smiled warmly at him which he returned. However, it was short lived when he saw what she had brought in and his face showed the horror.
"Naruto-sama, I know you hate it but you can't leave the hospital so you're just going to have to endure it." The nurse said exasperatedly.
Naruto wanted to complain but he didn't want to wake up Hinata so he nodded glumly. The nurse rolled her eyes and set the tray of hospital food down beside him on his table.
"Since Hinata-sama is still sleeping I will come back when she wakes up. Just press that button beside your bed and I will bring it." The nurse said with a smile as she turned to leave.
When the nurse opened the door she was met with shouts of excitement as Shizune went barreling down the hallway.
"What in the world?" the nurse asked confused.
Hearing the shouts of excitement, Hinata slowly opened her eyes and sat up sleepily. "Ano…what's going on?" she asked trying to rub the sleep from her eyes.
"Good morning Hime!" Naruto said brightly with a large smile.
"Eeep!" was all Hinata got out as she was instantly awake and pulled her sheets up to her face to hide her blush.
"She's too cute." Naruto could help but think with a smile as he watched her. A growl in the back of his mind instantly killed his mood though. "Can it fur ball, I swear you're worse than a woman when it comes to emotions." Naruto hissed.
"Coming from the kid that wouldn't understand if she crashed a caravan full of signs saying 'I love you' through your apartment…yeah, you're right." Kyuubi muttered sarcastically.
"Enough." Naruto said shoving him from his mind. He then looked at Hinata as the nurse returned to give her breakfast. "We don't know what that noise was all about, it came out of nowhere."
Hinata nodded meekly as she accepted her tray and the nurse left. Looking at Naruto she saw that he hadn't even touched his food yet.
"A-Aren't you g-going to eat, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked confused. She knew that he had a huge appetite.
"No way, I didn't think it was possible but the food actually tastes sad!" Naruto said making a face.
Hinata put a hand to her mouth and couldn't help but giggle at the face he made. "I wish I could wake up to this every morning." She thought. Suddenly the idea of sharing a bed with Naruto flashed in her head and she was rewarded with a deeper blush.
Across the room Naruto heard the soft giggle from Hinata and couldn't help but laugh a little as well. "Ya know Hinata, you're giggle is really contagious."
Hinata's face instantly grew a shade darker and her eyes widened slightly. Finding that her voice was failing her, Hinata quickly picked up her chopsticks and ate some rice. In an instant her face scrunched up and she gagged a horrific taste attacked her tongue. Quickly she reached for her napkin and spit out the contents and then proceeded to try and calm her stomach.
Naruto, who had watched the whole thing happen, was holding his sides in pain from laughing so hard. This only caused Hinata to blush more from embarrassment as she tried to calmly put the tray of food on the table by her bed.
"I told you it was bad Hinata." Naruto teased with a small smirk.
"I d-didn't know it w-was going t-to taste l-like that." Hinata said before trying to rid the awful taste from her mouth with a glass of water.
Naruto just laughed again before his stomach growled loudly causing him to blush slightly and scratch the back of his head. "Man I wish they had some ramen here. Then you wouldn't have to listen to this."
Hinata simply giggled at his antics but her stomach growled in protest as well causing her to look away and blush. "S-Some fresh cinnamon r-rolls w-would be n-nice." She said quietly.
"Is that your favorite food?" Naruto asked perking up and cocking his head to the side.
Hinata giggled once more at the image he gave off, it reminded her of a curious fox. Nodding she answered him. "H-Hai, they are my favorite f-food. I enjoy s-sweet things and fresh c-cinnamon rolls are the b-best."
Naruto grinned at her before hopping out of bed and walking over to the window and opening it. "I guess that makes sense." He said as he looked both ways out the window.
"I-It does?" Hinata asked confused by his logic and what he was doing.
"Sure it does." Naruto said turning around to look at her nodding sagely. "You're a kind, gentle, caring person so naturally you must like sweet things."
Hinata now had a scarlet blush across her face and her hands held up in front of her. "Th-Thank you N-Naruto-kun." She barely managed to get out.
"You don't need to thank me; I'm only telling the truth after all Hinata-chan." Naruto said before catching himself and blushing a little. "Sorry, didn't mean to say that."
Hinata felt herself starting to become woozy but she fought the urge to pass out. "I-It's f-f-fine, r-really Na-Naruto-kun." She stuttered out horribly.
Naruto shook his head. "No it isn't, you're royalty after all." He then proceeded to climb out the window.
"Where are y-you going?" Hinata asked before she could even process what he had said.
"I'm going to go get us some real food. I'll be back in a little bit Hime." Naruto said and then he was gone.
Hinata who was already blushing promptly passed out from the private pet name he had apparently picked for her.
Naruto walked through the village at a leisurely stroll with his hands in his pockets. After he left the hospital he had summoned one clone to go to his apartment and get him another change of clothes. Luckily he was dressed in his usual black and orange pant bottoms and had a simple burnt orange t-shirt on top with the red swirl symbol on the chest. Regardless, they were old and he wanted to change before he started to stink. Naruto couldn't help but notice the village was bouncing back nicely and everywhere he looked he saw people happy and smiling. Of course, he failed to notice that many of these smiles were directed towards him figuring that people were just being friendly and enjoying the nice day. He made his way happily through the village when he came across his favorite little restaurant. Pushing the flap aside, Naruto walked in and was greeted with the intoxicating aroma of different types of noodley goodness.
"Naruto, it's so good to see you again boy! Where have you been lately? My service has been suffering without you here." Teuchi joked from behind the counter.
Naruto smiled and waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, sorry about that old man. I've currently taken up a new residence at the hospital so I haven't been able to get out much."
"The hospital? Is everything okay?" Ayame asked as she walked out from the back of the kitchen.
Naruto smiled at her brightly. "Of course! You know me; nothing keeps me down for long."
Ayme smiled and gave a small nod and then pulled out a notepad and pen. "So, what'll it be Naruto?"
"I'll take two bowls of miso and three of the barbecued pork." Naruto said with his mouth watering.
"Okay, it'll take about fifteen minutes so make yourself comfortable." Ayme said as she started to turn to leave.
"Actually this is to go." Naruto said causing Ayame to turn and look at Naruto while Teuchi popped his head out curiously from the door of the kitchen.
"But you always eat here." Teuchi said confused.
"Yeah I know," Naruto said with a laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. "But I've got a friend that's in the hospital too and I don't want her to be alone for long. I know how boring it is being in there by yourself, plus I snuck out to get us some real food since the hospital's tastes like shit."
"Aw, that's so sweet Naruto!" Ayame practically shouted as her eyes started to glisten.
This caused two reactions to occur. The first was Naruto blushing slightly and shifting uncomfortably while averting his eyes. The second was Teuchi groaning and rolling his eyes before grabbing the order from his daughter's hand to start it.
"Anyways, I was hoping that you could tell me where the bakery is Ayame. I've never been there before and I need some things from it." Naruto said as he rubbed his head again.
"Yeah I can tell you." Ayame said and then after a pause she got a glint in her eye. "Why do you need to go there?"
Naruto shifted uncomfortably some more. "I, uh, was going to pick up breakfast for, uh, my friend."
At this point Ayame was practically gushing over Naruto. "Naruto you're such a gentleman!" she squealed as she wrapped him up in a hug.
After finally calming her down Naruto managed to get the directions to the bakery and his order of food. However, as Naruto was leaving Ayame gave him last minute advice.
"Uh, are you sure about that Ayame? We aren't like that or anything." Naruto said as he blushed again at the thought of them being a couple.
Ayame put her hands on her hips. "Yes I'm sure Naruto. Just because you aren't together doesn't mean you can't be nice to her. You like to make her smile don't you?"
"Of course, I love seeing her smile!" Naruto blurted out before he shut his mouth and blushed a red that would have made Hinata proud.
"Well then make sure you do it." Ayame said with a wink before waving good bye and walking back into the restaurant.
Naruto sighed and turned around to see his clone arriving with a pack full of new clothes. Taking the pack from his clone and dispelling it, Naruto then set out to find the bakery. It wasn't that hard for him to do, once he found the general area he was able to pinpoint the location of the bakery using his nose alone. Walking in Naruto couldn't help it as his mouth watered from all the different scents that bombarded his nose. The smell of fresh baked bread mixed with the different smells of glazes and spices had his stomach growling in demand of some kind of sustenance.
The baker heard Naruto walk in and without even looking spoke. "I'll be with you in a moment."
"It's okay, take your time." Naruto replied cheerfully as he looked around the bakery.
The baker froze hearing his voice and turned around slowly. His eyes widened when he realized who was in his establishment. "N-Naruto-sama! What a wonderful surprise to have the hero of the Hidden Leaf Village grace my bakery with his presence! How can I help you?" The man asked excitedly with a smile that could only be outdone by Naruto.
Naruto smiled nervously from all the attention. "I was hoping that you had some fresh cinnamon rolls?"
The man nodded vigorously. "Yes of course! I just pulled them out of the oven. How many would you like?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "Hmm, let's see…Ramen is my favorite food and I can eat it like no tomorrow and Hinata-chan says that cinnamon rolls are her favorite but how many would she eat?" Naruto muttered to himself as he tried to think.
"Did you say Hinata? As in Hyuuga Hinata?" The baker asked.
"Yeah! You know her or something?" Naruto asked curiously.
The man grinned. "Do I know her? She's my best customer! I haven't seen her in a few days but she almost always come by here every morning for cinnamon rolls."
Naruto nodded his head. "Yeah, Hinata and I got laid up in the hospital for a few days. I figured I'd do us a favor and get us something real to eat."
The man had seemed alarmed at first but when he heard that his best customer and the hero of the village were fine he smiled. "Well in that case this order is on me."
Naruto tried to pay but the man refused and quickly got a box to put the rolls in. Naruto watched and his eyes grew bigger and bigger as he saw the man put more and more cinnamon rolls in the box. Handing the box to the blonde, Naruto took it hesitantly.
"Are you sure about this?" Naruto asked. He didn't want Hinata to think he was calling her fat or something since he had half a dozen cinnamon rolls.
The baker seemed to pick up on this and laughed. "Relax Naruto-sama, this is Hinata-san's usual order."
Naruto's eyes practically bulged out of his head when he heard this and caused the man to laugh harder. Naruto then got a mischievous look in his eyes. "Looks like Hinata-chan has a guilty pleasure no one knows about." Naruto thought with a chuckle. Thanking the man, Naruto left and made his way to his last stop for the morning.
Kakashi sighed inwardly as he stood in front of the clan heads, village elders, and the Fire Daimyo. "I really don't want to do this." He thought as he started to reach for the book in his pouch and had to stop himself. He couldn't help it though, he was so bored. The meeting had started at 10; it was now 10:30. It had taken the Fire Daimyo five minutes to decide that Kakashi was a worthy nomination for Hokage. The rest of the time was spent trying to decide if he should be named the sixth or the seventh Hokage. "This is something so trivial. Please…someone just end this pain." He thought miserably.
Naruto slipped back through the window and found that Hinata was asleep in her bed. Smirking to himself, he quickly went about getting everything ready. Removing the food from the tray on Hinata's table, Naruto quickly placed the cinnamon rolls on the plate in a pile. After he was done he pulled out the last thing he had stopped to get; a small vase with lilies. Setting it next to her bed on the table and then leaned over and shook Hinata's shoulder gently.
"Hinata wake up, I'm back with breakfast." He said softly.
"Mmm, Naruto-kun." Hinata said softly as her pale lavender eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Hey Hime, I got something for you." Naruto said with a smaller than usual smile yet it seemed so much larger.
Naruto turned around and Hinata slowly sat up in bad. When he turned around he held a tray with a mountain of fresh hot cinnamon rolls sitting on it. Hinata's mouth became a waterfall and her stomach demanded satisfaction.
"Th-Thank you Naruto-kun." Hinata said with a smile that lit up her face as she accepted the tray. She blushed at the thought of Naruto giving her breakfast in bed and blushed harder as their hands brushed against each other.
Naruto grinned larger as he watched her smile light up the room. "No problem, it's the least I can do." He said with a shrug.
Hinata couldn't wait any longer. She quickly picked up a roll and began to devour it, trying to remain as civil as possible. Naruto could see her hunger and simply laughed as she tried to remember her manners but was failing somewhat at it. She couldn't help it, she was starving. The whole ordeal with the demonic chakra had drained her and she needed her energy back. She and Naruto were enjoying their breakfast and Hinata had just finished her third roll when she reached over to the table beside her bed for a glass of water and froze. There was something on the table that wasn't there before and better yet had no reason to be there.
"N-Naruto-kun?" she asked in a shaky voice.
Naruto looked up with noodles hanging from his mouth. "Hmm?"
"W-Where did th-these c-come from?" she asked as she pointed to a small vase that had pink and white lilies in it.
Naruto swallowed his noodles and put a hand behind his head with a smile. "Well I got them for you when I was out getting our breakfast."
Hinata's face became dark red and her vision started to blur. "Naruto-kun got me flowers? He actually got me flowers!"
"O-Oh." Was all she could get out.
The change on Naruto's face was instantaneous. "Crap, you don't like them do you."
"W-What?! N-N-No of c-course n-not Naruto. I l-l-love them!" Hinata struggled to get out as she turned and stared at the most average yet beautiful lilies she had ever seen in her life.
The sheer amount of joy that washed over Hinata was indescribable as a small smile graced her lips but grew with the realization that Naruto had actually been the one that had gotten her the flowers. She absent-mindedly brought another cinnamon roll to her lips and began to nibble on it as she daydreamed about what it could actually mean.
Naruto watched as Hinata's smile grew and she became quite. He didn't think that she would like them that much but apparently Ayame was right, he would have to thank her next time he saw her. He couldn't help but feel warmth inside his chest knowing that he was the reason she had such a glow about her as she stared at the flowers. It made him feel amazing inside and he couldn't help but feel like he wanted to continue to make feel that way.
'I love them Naruto…I love you…'
Naruto froze as he remembered what she had said. However, that strange feeling came back in the pit of his stomach and when he looked at Hinata he felt it double. Everything about her screamed beauty and elegance to him and he couldn't help but feel a longing for her. He had the urge to get out of bed and wrap her in his arms before planting a kiss on her soft full lips and hold her tight.
"Where are these feelings coming from? Does it mean that I want to be more than just friends with her?" He asked himself as he watched her eat. "Does she really love me and is it possible that maybe I'm starting to get deeper feelings for her?"
Naruto became lost in his thoughts as he started to play with the idea of them dating. He had to admit that it sounded nice. He knew how gentle and caring Hinata could be and the idea of her being there to comfort him when he was down seemed to make him smile on the inside. He also knew that he was in for hard times and they were only going to get harder with the Akatsuki hunting him, but the idea of having Hinata there for him to lean on sounded reassuring. Having her there to listen to him and not judge him, to hold his hand and stand by his side, to wrap him in a hug and tell him everything was all right; things that Naruto didn't have in his life but he wanted desperately.
"She's beautiful, understanding, and caring so what's stopping me from returning the feelings to her?" he wondered.
"Me." Kyuubi muttered in the back of his mind.
Naruto tried to hide it but he couldn't as the scowl crossed his face and he pushed the fox from his mind.
"A-Ano, are y-you okay Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked quietly.
Naruto was ripped from his thoughts and looked up at Hinata with a sheepish grin. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." he said trying to wave it off. He gave her a toothy smile and she gave a small one in return. However, his smile faded when he got a contemplative look on his face.
"Hey Hinata?" he asked after a moment.
"Y-Yes Naruto-kun?" Hinata responded with a small blush.
"During the invasion when Pain had me trapped…Did you…did you really mean it when you said that…you loved me?" Naruto asked hesitantly looking down.
Hinata stiffened and her face became a fiery mess as her heart rate jumped. "Oh no, why is this coming up now?" She knew that now was as good a time as any to talk about it but she was absolutely terrified as to what the outcome might be. "You can do this Hinata; just tell him that you meant every word." However, her own words seemed empty to her. She started to get a sick feeling in her stomach and her vision started to darken. She didn't want to say anything, she was so scared of what he might say but the quiet in the room was deafening to her. After a moment of attempting to steady her breathing and find her voice she answered him.
"Naruto-kun…" she said softly.
Naruto looked up at her with something she had never seen in his eyes before but something she was all too familiar with: fear. Fear of rejection. Fear that she was going to say she didn't mean any of it. Fear that he was going to wake up and it was all going to be a dream. As Hinata stared into fear laced blue orbs she could feel her heart breaking for him. She needed to fix it right now and resolved herself to do so.
Finding her voice she spoke. "…Naruto-kun I-I meant-"
Hinata never finished because at that moment the door slammed open and in walked Kiba and Sai.
"Hey guys!" Kiba said cheerfully. "What's…up…?" He trailed off as a depressed looking Hinata and an irritated looking Naruto met his eyes.
"Not much now." Naruto muttered crossing his arms and glaring at Kiba. Never in his entire life had he been so upset to seeing his friends.
Kiba remained oblivious but Sai picked up on the tension in the room. "Naruto is this a bad time?" he asked.
"What do you mean 'is this a bad time'?" Kiba asked confused looking back and forth between Sai and Naruto.
"Naruto is obviously irritated about our arrival and Hinata seems upset as well." Sai said as he analyzed the situation. Suddenly a light bulb went off in his head as he put two and two together. "Naruto we weren't interrupting anything intimate were we?"
"What do you mean?" Kiba asked confused looking at Sai. He failed to see the bewildered look on Naruto's face and the deepening blush of Hinata.
"We are I believe the term is, cock blocking Naruto." Sai explained.
Several things happened at that moment. Sai smiled innocently as if he understood the situation, Kiba looked horrified and then switched to anger as he turned on Naruto, Naruto looked absolutely shocked at how Sai even came to that conclusion, and Hinata…poor Hinata was blushing such a deep red that it looked like all the blood in her body had been redirected to her face. All she could do was shake her head vigorously as she held her hands up to her lips.
"S-Sai man, what the hell?!" Naruto stuttered out as he tried to break the silence.
"Was I incorrect about my conclusion?" Sai asked.
"VERY!" Hinata and Naruto shouted at the same time.
At that moment, a disheveled looking Kakashi and Hiashi entered the room to see a pouting Sai, an angry Kiba and Naruto, and a blushing Hinata.
"What's going on here?" Hiashi demanded.
Naruto looked over at him and Kakashi and couldn't help but show the confusion on his face. "What the hell happened to you two?" he asked as he took in their appearance and ignored the previous question.
Both Kakashi and Hiashi looked like they had been in a war. They had small welts and bruises on their faces and their clothes were a mess. Then there were the paper wads that were stuck in the men's hair as well.
Kakashi gave his typical one eyed smile. "Oh you know, just your standard meeting with the clan heads."
"A bunch of children." Hiashi muttered causing to Kakashi to chuckle.
Naruto was about to ask but Kakashi stopped him. "Naruto, I'm here to talk to you, Sai, and Kiba about what happened when we went on our little mission outside of the village."
Naruto nodded but then looked at Sai and Kiba. "What does that have to do with them?"
Kakashi sighed. "Sai, Kiba, and Sakura left after we did in an attempt to chase us down."
"Why?" Naruto asked confused, but then a more important question hit him. "Where is Sakura-chan?" Kiba and Sai shared a look and Kakashi hesitated. Naruto suddenly felt fear well up inside of him. "Where is Sakura? Where is my teammate?!" He demanded.
"Naruto…" Kakashi started but then failed to continue. He thought he had prepared himself for this conversation but he found that he still couldn't do it. He felt like a complete failure as a sensei and just couldn't bring himself to put this on Naruto.
Seeing that his sensei was of no use at the moment Naruto turned to the others. "Well?"
Kiba and Sai shared a look and then Sai spoke. "On our way to you, Kiba picked up Sasuke's scent." Naruto's eyes widened at this and Hinata let out a small gasp. "We redirected towards him, hoping to intercept him and bring him back to the village. However…" Sai trailed off as he tried to find the words.
"The bitch attacked us and left with Sasuke." Kiba said irritated as he crossed his arms.
Naruto was in so much shock he couldn't even breathe. "W-What?"
"Kiba!" Kakashi said sharply making him flinch. "When you say it like that you make her sound like she deserted the village."
"Well that's what she did!" Kiba shouted back.
"Did you forget about the note already?" The scarecrow ninja scolded as he reached into his pocket.
Kiba shrank back and lowered his head and listened as Kakashi continued. "I found this on the girl I picked up on our way back to the village after you were reversed summoned." Kakashi said handing the note over to Naruto. "It was left by Sakura."
Naruto's eyes widened when he heard this so he slowly opened the note and read the message inside.
Naruto,
I don't have a lot of time but I wanted to leave you with something to try and ease your worrying. Please don't think that I have deserted you. I know that's what it looks like but I promise it isn't. The world has turned its back on Sasuke and it seems like team seven is the only thing he has left. You have been carrying Sasuke as a burden for so long because of me and the time has finally come for me to carry it myself. I don't know what I can do, but I know that I have to try something. If I do fail, and I die please know this though. You are the greatest friend any person could ask for. You have a light about you that puts courage and faith in people and brings out the best in others. Never let that light go out Naruto. Find happiness in your life and cling to it. I'm sorry that I could never return the feelings that you felt for me, but any woman would be lucky to have you. I have to go now so please do this one thing for me. Stay safe and be the man that you were destined to be.
In my heart always,
Sakura
Hinata watched as tears flowed openly from Naruto's pain filled eyes. It tore her apart to see him like this. She wanted to do something, anything to make him feel better but she didn't know what to do. She watched as he gripped the note and let his head fall onto his knees as he tried to suppress a sob but failed in the end. The mood had become incredibly depressing and for good reasons. Team 7 now consisted of only two members while the other two had left the village.
"Why would she leave me a note saying that she was trying to help me? How is abandoning team 7 helping? How could it not look like what it is? She left me, she left us." Naruto thought to himself desperately.
"If I make a suggestion kit?" Kyuubi asked in the back of his mind. Naruto just simply nodded for him to continue. "Look beneath the beneath." Was all the fox said before fading.
Naruto tried to think straight but he found it difficult with his breathing ragged and his heart beating like crazy. Closing his eyes he forced his breathing to calm and thought the note over in his head.
'…I know that's what it looks like but I promise it isn't…team seven is all he has left…team seven…'
"Why team seven?" Naruto asked himself confused as he looked at the note again. "Why not team 7? She was in a rush and that would have saved time…unless!"
Naruto suddenly looked up at Kakashi. "Have you had this note checked for encryptions?"
Kakashi was surprised by his student's sudden question. "No I haven't, I didn't think it was necessary." He admitted.
Naruto scowled at him. "You should more faith in your students, sensei. Get me Shikamaru, I think he'll want to see this."
"Did you find something?" Kakashi asked surprised that Naruto may have picked up something he didn't.
Naruto handed the note back as he answered him. "Read the fourth sentence again."
Kakashi skimmed the sentence over and looked at Naruto confused. "I don't see anything peculiar." He admitted raising an eyebrow.
"Look beneath the beneath." Naruto said.
Kakashi's eyes widened for a moment and then he looked back at the note. After a reading the first part again he saw it. "How did you see this?"
Naruto smiled sheepishly with a hand scratching the back of his head. "Oh you know it just came to me."
In the back Naruto's head Kyuubi muttered something about never getting any credit or respect that he deserved but Naruto ignored him for the time being.
"What's going on?" Kiba asked confused.
"Well it appears that there may be a hidden message in this note that Sakura left behind." Kakashi said.
"So she may have a reason for leaving the village then." Sai followed up as he thought about what could have caused it.
"Exactly." Kakashi said. "I'm going to take this to the encryption department and see what they can tell me."
Kakashi turned to leave when he was stopped by his last student.
"Kakashi-sensei, what happened to the girl you got the note from?" Naruto asked.
"She had been wounded and was dying but we managed to save her. Sakura had apparently left the note in her hand for one of us to find." Kakashi said and with that he turned and left.
"W-What's going to happen t-to the girl n-now?" Hinata asked. She had been quiet this entire time but she was curious as to what would happen to her now.
"She's recovering in the hospital and once she is well enough she will be transported to the interrogation group for questioning about the Akatsuki." Hiashi said as he moved over to his daughter's side.
"That makes two Akatsuki members that are in our custody now." Said Sai as he referred to the water nin that attacked Hinata and Naruto over a week ago.
"Any progress with her?" Naruto asked curiously. He was surprised that the interrogation department hadn't said anything about her yet.
"No, she's proving to be a tough nut to crack." Sai answered him.
"The important thing is that everyone is safe for the time being." Hiashi said with a rare smile as he looked at his daughter. Suddenly there was a crash in the hallway and several shouts. This caused Hiashi to become paler than usual and he looked at Naruto and spoke quickly. "Naruto, there's probably something you should know."
Naruto cocked his head in confusion.
"The Hokage is awake." Hiashi said quickly as he bent down and kissed his daughter on the top of the head before briskly walking to the window and saying, "And she isn't happy."
With that Hiashi jumped out the window and disappeared, a rare and ungraceful exit for a Hyuuga seen only once in a blue moon, but an exit that Hiashi thought was necessary. Kiba and Sai took one look at Naruto, looked at each other, and then followed Hiashi out the window. Before Naruto could open his mouth to speak the door to the room burst off its hinges and a busty ragged looking blonde with two pigtails staggered into the room and looked straight at him.
"You!" she shouted crazily as she pointed a finger at him.
"M-Me?!" Naruto asked in fear as he pointed to himself.
A/N: Well there's the 'official chapter 15'. Hope you enjoyed it. Now for another Omake, yes I know I spoil you but I had this hilarious idea about the meeting that Kakashi and Hiashi were at prior to talking with Naruto. So here is Omake number two and I hope you enjoy it!
Omake 2
If Kakashi wasn't standing he would have been banging his head off of the table in boredom. The meeting had started at 10 and it was now 11:30. "We haven't done anything! This blubbering idiot has still been thinking about what number to give me!" He cried inwardly. He wanted to just leave but he knew that could cause problems if he did. He seriously needed to find something to occupy his time or else he was sure he was going to die of boredom.
He wasn't the only one that felt this way either. Nara Shikaku looked like he was about to die of boredom as well, Akimichi Choza was holding his stomach in pain trying to silence its hunger noises, and Yamanaka Inoichi had built a small catapult out of a paper clip and was in the process of launching tiny paper wads at Hiashi. Hiashi, however, was surprisingly behaving no better. He had silently activated his Byakugan and was repelling the wads of paper by releasing bursts of chakra from his tenketsu points before they could hit him. It amused Kakashi to see these clan heads reverting back to such childish things but he couldn't blame them.
Suddenly Kakashi go an idea. Deciding to play the devil's advocate, he nonchalantly lifted his headband from his eye and activated his mangekyo Sharingan. Hiashi saw this and was confused as to what Kakashi was planning. Inoichi didn't notice though and launched another wad at Hiashi but it never reached him as it was sucked up into a small spiraling vortex. Inoichi looked stunned for a moment before he looked at Kakashi confused. Kakashi simply smiled with his eye before focusing on Shikaku. A small swirling vortex appeared yet again but this time a paper wad flew out and bounced off of Shikaku's head. That was all it took. Shikaku took one look at his friend who was trying to silently motion that it wasn't him and tore off multiple pieces of paper. Rolling them all into balls he then summoned his shadow into multiple tentacles and had each of them pick up a wad. Before Inoichi could do anything he found himself under a hail of paper pieces and picked up the folder in front of him to try and shield himself. Howerver, in the process of doing this a paper wad deflected off the folder and struck Choza.
Choza, who was already in a foul mood due to hunger, look at Shikaku with daggers. Shikaku could only sweat drop as he muttered 'troublesome' to himself before ducking to dodge a paper wad that rocketed past his head. Choza would have his revenge though and rolled up another piece of paper and placed it in his partially expanded hand before taking aim again. Before he could do anything though another wad struck him in the chest much powerful than usual. Looking over he saw Hiashi with a smirk on his face and two fingers extended.
Choza took one look at Inoichi and with a nod the teams had been silently chosen. Choza took aim and channeled chakra into the paper wad and fingers. While he did this Inoichi prepared his tiny catapult, took aim of Shikaku, and channeled chakra into them as well. Without a word they fired at the same time.
Shikaku quickly called up his shadow to catch the paper piece and flung it back at Choza with another barrage of chakra laced paper wads. Choza could only cover his face as he was pelted with stinging little paper bullets. Inoichi hadn't fared much better. Hiashi had the incoming paper bullet repelled with a chakra burst and then tossed his own wad in the air before doing a two fingered Air Palm Wave to send the projectile rocketing back at Inoichi. The wad hit him right between the eyes and a welt could already be seen.
In a flash paper wads filled the air as they flew back and forth at different targets. Some collided in air while others found their mark. The table was quickly becoming littered with paper and small mountains of ammunition could be found in front of each clan head. This sight proved to be too much for Kakashi and quiet chuckle escaped his lips. In an instant all fighting ceased and everyone turned to look at Kakashi. Raising his hands in defense he tried to smile and seem innocent but he could see the teams had switched. Before Kakashi could do anything all four men launched their attacks at him.
Kakashi watched the attacks come at him and did the only thing he could. Holding out one finger he activated a weak mini Chidori and used it to incinerate any incoming paper wads while he used Kamui to intercept paper wads and fire them back at whomever he thought deserved it. However, the amount of paper wads proved to be too much and soon he found himself being pelted and stung over and over again. Looking for an exit he did the only thing he could think of.
"Sir I have an idea." Kakashi said trying to hide his desperation.
The Fire Daimyo looked up to see the clan heads frozen and staring at him like children caught in the act. The old man remained oblivious to the welts and paper wads and looked at Kakashi.
"And what is that, Hatake-san?" he asked with a smile.
"I say we flip for it and let fate decide." Kakashi said with a smile.
The Fire Daimyo thought for a minute fluttering his fan in his face before he smiled as well. "Okay, I like the sound of that. How shall we do this?"
"How about if I win I pick the title and if you win then you pick?" Kakashi suggested. The old man smiled and nodded. "Great, which side would you like sir?" Kakashi asked as he pulled out a coin.
"I would like tails, it never fails you know." The old man said with a chuckle and Shikaku had to fight every urge to argue the logic behind the comment.
"Great," Kakashi said as he readied the coin. "Heads I wins, tails you lose." The one eyed ninja said quickly and then flipped. Every clan head and even the elders stared at Kakashi as if he were crazy. Was he honestly trying to pull a fast one on the Fire Daimyo?
The coin went up and then came back down in Kakashi's hand. Kakashi looked at it and then smiled. "Well looks like I win, heads!" he said cheerfully.
"Aw well that's too bad." The Fire Daimyo said but smiled regardless. "Which number would you like?"
"I would like to be the-"
Before Kakashi could finish, Shizune burst into the room.
"I'm sorry to interrupt this meeting your majesty, but it is no longer necessary!" Shizune said breathlessly.
"Oh? And why is that sweetie?" The Fire Dynamo asked.
"Because Tsunade-sama has awakened from her coma." Shizune said relieved.
"Oh…" was all everyone could say.
"Well then in that case you are free to go." The Fire Daimyo said with a smile.
Shikaku face planted onto the table, Inoichi started to weep uncontrollably, Choza groaned in hunger and fell out of his chair, and Hiashi had developed an eyebrow tick. Kakashi sighed and turned for the door when he suddenly felt like something was wrong. Looking back, he saw all the men glaring at him and preparing another attack.
"Now, now, can't we talk this out?" Kakashi asked raising his hands and smiling.
"Get him!" Inoichi yelled as they launched their attacks.
Kakashi ran from the room with paper wads cracking the wall behind him. "Oops, wrong choice of words I guess."