I chipped away at this from time to time. It's not revised or anything but I'll focus on having an ironed out story when I've actually finished it in the first place.
I don't own the characters but I own the ideas.
Kurama had slept late the next morning, when he did wake up, he begrudgingly got dressed and set out to find Jiraiya. After walking him to his apartment, Jiraiya instructed Kurama to find training field 7.
That morning Hinata had gone for a walk, after she had spent the past day and a half recomposing herself, she thought an early morning stroll would help. It had been a while since she and Kurama hadn't seen each other for a full day. She hoped that it wouldn't be a common occurrence.
As she turned onto the main street, Hinata walked into Kurama. "Oh! Sorry about that Hinata".
Hinata hugged Kurama close, "I'm so sorry I yelled at you Kurama". Kurama returned the hug, his nose resting on the top of her head.
"It's okay, I'm just glad I get to see you today".
"I… I have a mission that'll take about five days that I leave for tomorrow. Can we get lunch together, or maybe dinner?" Hinata asked.
"I think I can do dinner. How about we try that Akimichi BBQ place? I hear that they're really good". Hinata's grip became tighter, "I take that as a yes". It took another minute for the two to separate, Hinata apologizing a few more times about her outburst.
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"Well what took you? I told you to get here 10 minutes ago!" Jiraiya shouted.
"I made some last minute scheduling with Hinata on the way over. Now, let's get started because I have a dinner date".
"Well aren't you a busy man," the irritation and envy clear in Jiraiya's voice.
"Don't be upset, she's going on a mission tomorrow that'll last for four or five days so you'll have all that time to drill that training into me," Jiraiya did seem to brighten up at the sound of that.
"Alright then. First thing first. Let me show you what it is you're trying to do". Jiraiya held out his palm to the sky. Wisps of blue energy flashed for a few seconds before a tiny blue sphere formed and eventually grew to the size of Naruto's head. Once the sphere stopped growing, Jiraiya ran up to the thickest tree nearby and shoved the orb into it. That section of tree disintegrated instantly, the top of the tree fell with its now missing middle section.
Naruto was amazed. "I bet they didn't have anything like that in the circus!" Jiraiya teased. When he returned to Naruto, he took a water balloon from one of two baskets he brought. "Your first step is to pop this balloon with only your chakra. This is like walking on water. It's not a jutsu, it's chakra control. So!" Jiraiya put the balloon in Naruto's hand and grabbed another. "Good luck!" Jiraiya then exploded the balloon like intended before walking over to a tree and settling for a nap.
Naruto looked from the balloon to Jiraiya several times.
…
…
…
'What the f***?!'
…
…
Naruto let out a sigh before plopping himself down and trying to pop the balloon. For several minutes Naruto tried and failed miserably. "If you use shadow clones it'll go faster! You're trying to make the water spin in multiple directions!".
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?!"
"I wanted you to suffer for a little bit," Jiraiya answered with a smile. He found a water balloon in his face a second later.
Naruto didn't get back to training until Jiraiya had finally extracted revenge after chasing him for 10 minutes. By the end of the day Naruto had made 100 clones and had started grasping the concept of spinning the water with chakra.
Naruto had left a little earlier than he had intended so he could take a shower, much to Jiraiya's displeasure, but the man was more envious of Kurama's romantic success than Naruto getting out of training.
Kurama arrived at the restaurant with 3 minutes to spare, much to his pleasure, allowing him to watch as Hinata approached in a light blue summer dress. Hinata caught him staring and blushed.
The two enjoyed their reunion after spending a day and a half apart. Hinata was especially happy to have her yelling at Kurama not be the last time they saw each other. It wasn't ramen, but the two were a little happy to have something different. Hinata told Kurama the details about a mission she had been assigned to that she was scheduled to depart for the next day, reassuring him that she wasn't in over her head.
The next day Kurama saw Hinata off, once again taking her into his arms. "You better stay safe out there. Otherwise I'll trap you here and never let you leave again".
"I don't think my parents would be very happy about that".
"I think they'll understand my reasoning".
Hinata's team leader called out to her, she looked Kurama in the eyes, "I'll find you when I get back. You better be good," Hinata went on her toes and placed a kiss on Kurama's cheek, "otherwise I don't think I'll be able to leave you alone anymore". Hinata then ran to her team as her confidence rapidly drained. She was teased for the next hour on her red face.
Kurama felt as if his feet had been pulled out from under him, his mind was blank. 3 minutes later his feet really were pulled out from under him when a giant toad caught his feet with its tongue and dragged him over to the training ground he and Jiraiya were using.
"So you finally show up," Jiraiya got up from his spot under a tree to greet Naruto. After thanking the toad it disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "I've been waiting for 3 hours!"
"And I was saying goodbye to Hinata, now if you're done YELLING at me! Let's continue my training," Naruto dusted himself off and made thirty-ish clones, each one taking a balloon. Within the hour he had figured out the first step and moved onto the second.
The second step was more of a joke, he accomplished it in one try, his ability to overload something with chakra second to none. Jiraiya was impressed with Naruto's rapid practice, out of curiosity he asked, "how are you able to control so much chakra so well?".
"Well the first technique they had me master was walking on air in the circus. I started with multiple chakra inhibitors and as I became more comfortable with the task I took them off until eventually, I didn't need them," Naruto punctuated his explanation by inflating another balloon after failing for the fifth time at containing the sphere.
"Walking on air?"
Naruto demonstrated, sending Jiraiya's jaw to the ground. "How are you doing that? Air is too thin to be stepped on! Except in the rare instances I've heard of in dense fog, are you pulling in the water in the air?".
"Sort of, I'm actually pulling any and all molecules in the air to my feet, y'know. That part is where great chakra control helps, but what I found most difficult was the imagination part. I need to fully believe that there is a wall or step to support me and I need to imagine that the surface is at the correct angle. I'm actually training two genin in how to do it right now. I'm having the one further ahead work on this imagination part by walking to the river bottom".
Jiraiya's eyes were a lit with inspiration, thrilled by how genius the technique was and for the first time in a while felt like learning about something other than his usual research.
The two spent the rest of afternoon training in the other's jutsu. Jiraiya wasn't too thrilled about having to go into a nearby pond , but he was able to understand what Naruto meant by "imagination" being a factor. When motivation was low the two would watch the other struggle for a while and their morale returned swiftly.
On the third day Jiraiya had moved onto actually walking on air. The sannin had moved to making a few quick steps as if he were running up stairs before letting himself fall back to the ground again. Around noon Naruto had finally made a complete rasengan, a crater now surrounding him from a test run of its capabilities.
The two took a break to celebrate, Jiraiya pulling out a flask of sake to share. The two sat together for a while, enjoying the breeze and the sweet smelling air it brought with it.
Jiraiya inhaled, "I'm sorry, Naruto…". Jiraiya paused to accept his responsibility before continuing. "When your parents died, I was supposed to take you in… Your parents had asked me to be your godfather… and at the time I accepted… but when the time came for me to fulfill that role, I got scared…"
"Of what?"
"After I trained your father I traveled from country to country to create a spy network; and in Rain Country I found a trio of kids who were victims of the last Shinobi War. I have never seen so much destruction and loss as I did that day… Seeing them there was a miracle, and I decided I was going to help those miracles… They were also my students. Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato… At first everything was going fine. They were growing up strong and healthy and I was able to continue my work for the leaf when I wasn't training them…
"They became strong and eventually formed a group to try and save their country… Their cause grew fast, but a noble cause quickly turned into an oppressing one. After years of rebelling, the leader of Rain Country, a powerful shinobi, died of old age and they were able to take over. I had hoped they would create the utopia they promised for Rain Country, but they quickly grew mad with power. Nagato ended up killing Yahiko and now Rain Country has become a prison for him to exploit.
"I feared that by taking you in I would create another monster and I couldn't let Minato's son be another one of my failures… You deserved better and I should've given it to you, but I was too focused on my failures to imagine a new success."
With that the sannin fell silent, there was nothing more to say. Naruto took several minutes to process the information and to determine his feelings towards the sannin. A shinobi came running up from the village, stopping in front of Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-sama. The Hokage is requesting your presence at once". Once the message was received the ninja poofed into a cloud of smoke.
Reluctantly Jiraiya rose from his seat under a tree to start his journey. As he passed Naruto he heard, "I will never forgive you for the life you left me to, but I understand your fears. However, if we never move on from our past failures, how can we hope to find new success?". With that Naruto had no more to say. Jiraiya took a moment to take in Naruto's words before resuming his journey to Hokage tower. Naruto watched as he became a small spec before disappearing in the village buildings.
()()-()()-()()
The next morning Kurama had expected to sleep in. Sleep in he did not. Someone had been sent to wake him up. And they decided to do it through kisses. Kurama opened his eyes to the slobbery mouth of a dog with the most soul peering eyes he had ever seen. Once up the dog retreated from Kurama's face and sat at the foot of the bed.
"My master requests to meet you at the training field at 8. Don't be late". With that the dog quickly snatched a granola bar from the counter before poofing into a cloud of smoke.
…
"THIEF!"
{}-{}-{}-{}
A cranky Kurama arrived at the training ground he had been meeting with Jiraiya at, 30 minutes late to spite whoever sent the wake up call. Unfortunately for him, the goal of irritating his waker was impossible. The man behind the wake up licking was peacefully reading his book on a branch.
"Oh, you've made it," The ninja allowed himself to fall from the branch, orienting himself to land on his feet while falling off the branch. "It is a pleasure to be working with you again Kurama-san". The jounin casually stuck out a hand in greeting.
Kurama narrowed his eyes, "You sent a dog to wake me up this morning by licking my face".
"Yep!"
"And it was that same dog that stole my last granola bar and intern my breakfast for the morning"
"Yep!"
"Will I be receiving any apology from this dog or yourself?"
"Nope! However, I will be teaching you the next phase of the rasengan!". Kakashi had made jazz hands in hopes to sell his offer more.
Kurama's eyes were dead. "You have exactly 15 seconds to prove to me that you are worth my time before I drag your ass to the nearest restaurant to pay for my meal".
Kakashi's face faulted, "Umm… well… I uh… I can't make the second phase of rasengan… BUT it was originally your father's idea of a jutsu so you'd be able to finish your father's work!"
The light returned to Kurama's eyes "Wait, my father created the rasengan?". Kakashi nodded his head. "Wait… how did you know who my father was?".
"I was… close… with your father".
"Great, another person who could've helped me but didn't. Now you owe me as much as I want for lunch".
"I'm… I'm sorry"
"Save it, explain to me this second phase thing. It'd be nice to have something else to honor my father with".
Kakashi took a deep breath before continuing, "Right! So, I'm told you've mastered the normal rasengan. The second phase is adding a chakra nature to it. What is your experience with chakra nature?".
"I've played around with fire before but nothing else". Kakashi pulled out a small piece of paper, instructing Kurama to channel some chakra into it; the paper split.
"Do you get your fire from the fox demon?"
Kurama found himself a bit relieved that he didn't need to explain himself, but the fact that someone else knew about his power put him on edge. "Yes, I do use the fox's power when using fire".
Kakashi nodded his head while clutching his chin, processing the information. "Alrighty then! Let's try it out right. Try combining the fire chakra from the fox with the rasengan!"
Kurama created a clone and had the clone do the experiment, having more experience than he cared to admit with failed jutsus exploding. He was smart to do so because the attempt ended with the rasengan losing control and obliterating the clone.
"Try it one at a time," Kakashi instructed.
Kurama complied, making another clone. The results were more promising, but the rasengan still lost control. This time it ended with the clone catching fire. Kurama shivered as a wave of unpleasant memories washed over him.
"Let's leave that for clones to practice, in the meantime you and I are going to work on your wind chakra. Oh, that's what cutting the paper in half meant by the way. Anyways, here's a demonstration". Kakashi then coated a kunai in chakra and threw it at a tree branch, cutting it cleanly.
"I like where this is going… but this seems very dangerous".
"Oh it is, but that's what shadow clones are for".
Kurama sighed as he made more clones, both to practice with wind chakra and to replace the ones who had poofed from practicing the fire rasengan. This is how the day went for the most part, Kurama would keep making clones and the original would watch with Kakashi. Kurama made rapid progress once again. Not necessarily completing the jutsu, but gaining good control over his wind chakra.
Around lunch the two left the clones to their work, Kurama making a mere 300 for each chakra nature to leave behind. The two went off to get lunch, finding a small noodle shop nearby.
They took their seats in the back of the restaurant. "So…" Kurama started, "Why did you abandon me?".
Kakashi looked to the table. "I don't have the greatest… luck when it comes to having close attachments. My mother died when I was young. My father… committed suicide. My genin team, my friends, died in battle horribly. My sensei, your father and my father figure, giving his life to save the village, and you… After losing so many, I was afraid, and am still afraid, of getting close to people".
Naruto sat quietly, staring down Kakashi. The jounin started sweating. The silence ended when their food arrived. There were several bowls before Naruto finished. Once done he looked Kakashi in the eye, "you are a broken man; and I am a victim of it. I don't know who I am to you but I do not care about you. What I want from you is to let go of your past. All of it. Your pain and your comfort. Allow yourself to be vulnerable with someone and start anew. From here on out, I am just another person in the world and nothing more".
Kakashi's eye was wide and with tears. He had been on numerous deadly missions, but nothing had been so intimidating. To give up everything? To his pain in the past? The thought made him feel naked and unstable. Naruto rose from the table and left. Kakashi didn't even leave his thoughts to look at the bill. Without a word he took out a month's worth of salary to pay the bill. Once done he walked outside and with that billed paid Kakashi felt liberated. The world had never looked so colorful. The sounds and smells of the world were heavenly to him, he found himself in bliss. Quickly returning home, Kakashi opened his long closed curtains, letting in sunlight for the first time in years. He cried, Kakashi Hatake cried tears of joy that day. He had left his past behind and Kakashi finally wanted to enjoy his life, not as a ninja but as a person.
The next day the two met early, nothing was said about what happened the previous day and nothing would. Kakashi treated Kurama with respect but never sought to become friendly. At noon Kurama had called it quits to start preparing for Hinata's return. Kakashi did not object, what more insight could he give the boy on mastering a jutsu he himself could never accomplish?
That night, Kakashi invited Might Guy to dinner for the first time. After a brief explanation Guy understood what had happened and readily embraced it. The two ended up drunk and poorly singing a Karaoke duet of "Anything you can do I can do better".
Iruka just so happened to be at the same restaurant and was privy to witnessing the whole ordeal; he nearly passed out from laughing so much.
Hinata was constantly being reminded by her squad to slow down on their return to the village. Whether they were running or walking, Hinata always pulled ahead, almost leaving behind the group several times. As annoying as it was for her squadmates, they found her young love to be heartwarming. Hinata felt purposeful after completing a mission and was in high spirits because of it. As they approached the gate to Konoha Hinata had taken off at a full blown sprint.
Hinata was due to return around noon so Kurama spent the morning preparing for the next day. Finally he could enact his master plan. After returning from his errands Kurama put the groceries away and ran off to the Front Gate. There were a few other people there to welcome back the returning shinobi. Kurama had taken to pacing, some of the others distracting themselves by watching him. He eventually got lost in his own thoughts after reviewing his master plan for the 5th time. He was distracted by the call "Kurama!". His head whipped to the gate. Hinata was running through the gate, a heart stopping smile on her face. Kurama ran to meet her.
Hinata flung her arms around Kurama and found herself spinning in the air around him so he didn't lose balance. When her feet were returned to the ground they embraced in a tight hug. Hinata buried her face in Kurama's chest, Kurama likewise in her hair, the two taking in the other's scent. Hinata loosened her arms so she could look Kurama in the face, "I've got to stop at home but maybe tonight we can". Hinata was cut off by Kurama's lips on her forehead. Hinata's mission squad returned just in time to see the steam rise from her face.
Kurama then leaned to her ear, "Shall I walk you home, Hinata-hime"? The response he received was Hinata's face once again buried in his chest. Kurama along with many of the spectators chuckled.
The two walked to the Hyuga Complex in silence, hand in hand. They were enjoying the pure presence of the other. When they arrived Hinata asked Kurama about meeting up for dinner.
A smile spread across Kurama's face, "I'll pick you up at 6 tomorrow night". Kurama had started off when he remembered something critical to his plan "Oh! Wear something you'll be able to move in. I have a surprise for you". With that he walked away, leaving Hinata in suspense for what he had in store.
*(*(*(*()*)*)*)*)*
Hinata had laid out three different outfits on her bed around noon in preparation of her date, the only problem was she had no clue what Kurama meant by "something you'll be able to move in". Hinata had whittled her options down to a dress and then two outfits with pants.
Hanabi was walking by her sister's room and saw her sister was in deep thought about something. Looking at the bed Hanabi was able to put the pieces together and figured she would help her sister out a little. "Do the dress".
Hinata jumped a little bit by Hanabi breaking her thoughts. "Oh… umm… but what if we're going to be too active for a dress?"
"Trust me, the dress is your best choice," Hanabi smirked thinking about how much her sister was at her mercy and how clueless Hinata was about what Kurama had in store for her.
Hinata was skeptical of her sister's smirk, but trusted her enough to listen. Aftering shooing Hanabi out, Hinata put on the dress and put the other outfits away(Use your imagination, the dress goes just above here knees and is sleeveless). Right as she sat down to do her make-up she received a knock on her door. "Yes?".
It was Hanabi, "Kurama is waiting for you at the front gate. Better hurry up sis". Hanabi then cheerfully hummed as she walked back towards the gate so she could watch her sister's flustered interaction with Kurama. Hanabi would not be disappointed.
Hinata's mind had sirens and red lights flashing. 'There's not enough time for makeup! Lipstick? It'd be messy. Ahhhhhh. Perfume! That's something I can do!'. With a few spritz Hinata applied her favorite perfume and speed walked to the gate, running not being appropriate within the Hyuga house.
As soon as Hinata opened the front gate she started apologizing, "I'm sorry for making you wait, I lost track of time and…" Hinata fell quiet when she felt Kurama's hand weave with her own.
"You came, that's all that matters to me". Hinata looked to the ground, flustered. Kurama enjoyed the sight for a few seconds before continuing. "Shall we go for a picnic?" Kurama then held up his basket. Hinata nodded her head, her smile now out of her control and permanently adorning her face. Kurama gave a little smile of his own and led her away.
On their walk over Hinata tried to pry any information from Kurama but was unsuccessful. When they grew closer Hinata could hear live music. They turned a corner to reveal a pavilion with a band and large clear area for dancing in. Hinata was speechless. She absentmindedly let Kurama lead her towards it, only returning from her surprise when Kurama put down the basket and asked her, "shall we dance?". Kurama was now bowing to her like a prince, his hand in front of him to welcome her onto the dance floor.
Hinata accepted Kurama's hand and the two took to the dance floor. Rocking back and forth to the music, spinning each other around and never passing up an opportunity to embrace the other. They danced for almost an hour, taking breaks with the band along the way. As the young couple started to leave, Kurama secretly made a clone to give the band a big tip for taking the job on such short notice. They chuckled and said that they'd be more than happy to do it again. The clone couldn't help but smile before poofing away.
Hinata was overflowing with joy and Kurama was right there with her. Next Kurama took her to a small hill in a nearby park. Far enough away from the music to relax but close enough to not have complete silence. Kurama pulled a blanket from his basket and laid it out for them to sit on. After taking their seats next to each other Kurama pulled out two wooden boxes with seals on them to keep the contents cold and two pairs of chopsticks.
Hinata was surprised to find ramen in the container, "Is this cold ramen?".
"Yes! It's a recipe I found at the library! I experimented with it and I think I've gotten it pretty close to perfection," Kurama proudly stated. Hinata was intrigued now, picking her target she plunged her chopsticks into the meal and lifted out a well mixed bite. The moment it touched her tongue, Hinata was hooked. The comforting taste of ramen with the refreshing cold of the dish was perfect. The two ate in silence, leaning against each other and watching a nearby creek.
When they finished Kurama packed up the containers and utensils before returning to that position. He wrapped an arm around Hinata's waist, pulling her closer. Hinata gladly moved closer and leaned onto his chest. They spent the next few minutes purely enjoying the other's presence.
"You got help from my sister, didn't you," Hinata teased.
"Maybe a little, I think it paid off though"
Hinata lifted herself off Kurama and used a hand to turn his head to face her, "it definitely paid off tonight". Hinata leaned in and time came to a stop and Kurama's senses were flooded with her. Kurama only regained his consciousness when Hinata left his lips.
Kurama tried to continue the moment, but Hinata pulled back. "If I kiss you again, I'm not sure I'll be going home tonight".
"Just one more, " Kurama stated. He leaned in again, Hinata meeting him this time. Once again time seemed to slow around them and all Kurama could do was take in Hinata and seek out more of her. This continued for half a minute before they had to part for air. The two were heaving. "You're right," Kurama started, "that is dangerous". To avoid Hinata getting home too late Kurama distanced himself and pulled out a water bottle to cool himself down.
The bottle was then handed to Hinata, she had taken to folding up the picnic blanket while Kurama drank and swapped it with him when he finished. Once packed up and cooled off Kurama walked Hinata home, hand in hand but keeping a gap in between to help further compose themselves. The closer they got to the Hyuuga compound the closer they walked to each other, eventually their shoulders connecting. The couple parted reluctantly, sharing one more kiss that night, keeping it short to prevent a scene from occurring.
Hinata would receive pestering from all members of her family the next morning for details, to varying degrees of blantantency. Hinata could describe the dancing and picnic, but she always went quiet when asked what happened after. It was only after Hiashi voiced his hasty assumption that she and Kurama had hit all four bases that Hinata explained it was just a kiss.
Kurama and Hinata had met up at the cafe Hinata had first taken Kurama to the next day. After receiving their cups of tea Kurama proposed an idea. "I think I have an idea of how you can get rid of Kiba".
Hinata choked on her tea for a second, "wha-cough-what does he have to do with anything?".
"He has harassed you and several other women and girls, correct?" Hinata confirmed the information. "You should have to live in fear of seeing him. No one should. He needs to be stopped".
"Yes, but he's second in line to one of the major clans in Konoha and is a powerful shinobi. The Hyugas are powerful but we can't get him jailed without the proper evidence, and the village council doesn't exactly care about women like me!" The end of Hinata's statement coming out a little harsher than she realized, she apologized for losing her temper to Kurama.
"You don't need to apologize. You're upset about it. So let's try creating a solution that the council will approve of". Hinata didn't like having to think about Kiba, but she desperately wanted to be free of him. And she didn't want to rely on Kurama whenever Kiba came around.
"Okay, what's your idea?"
Kurama relaxed a little, the hard part was now over. "So the number one enemy of the leaf is Orochimaru, right?..."
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
Tsunade had just finished the paperwork for the hour and was about to open her bottle of sake when a knocking came from the door. "AARRGGGHHH! FINE!... You may enter". Hinata hesitantly opened the door and quickly closed it behind her. Tsunade's face softened, Hinata was one of the few Hyugas Tsunade liked. "How can I help you Hinata?".
"Hokage-sama. I think it would be beneficial to our search for Orocihmaru if Kiba Inuzuka was transferred to the South East Outpost". Hinata was shaking a little as she waited for Tsunade's response, her nerves getting the better of her.
"Oh? And why is that, Hinata?" Tsunade liked the proposal but she had already tried to do this already but the clan head retaliated and got the council involved. It was deemed unreasonable for him to be posted out there because of sexual harassment accusations and the case was dropped. "It doesn't look good to send a capable shinobi out of the village for a long period of time without good reason".
"Of-of course Hokage-sama. I believe this transfer is beneficial for the leaf village because he's a capable shinobi, and one who hails from a clan known to be trackers. Having him posted to the south east outpost will allow him to search the area for any leads on Orochimaru and also adapt to an environment with more water."
Tsunade considered this, trying to think of any loopholes that the council would use. "Why specifically Kiba Inuzuka? Why not another member of the Inuzuka clan? Or why not one of the Aburame clan?".
Hinata faltered for a moment, "Ahh…". Hinata tried to think of all the ways Shino ways different from Kiba and why Kiba would be better. "The Aburame clan's form of adaptation is to have their bugs evolve through breeding. The Inuzuka clan can't use this strategy so sending Kiba there would allow him to learn a new terrain with his nin-dog."
"And why Kiba Inuzuka in particular?" Tsunade asked, hoping that Hinata could provide an answer.
"Kiba is the son of the Inuzuka Clan's Matriarch, sending him to the outpost will show humility and also provide him with the skills to aid in guiding his sister lead the clan". Tsunade nodded her head to this response. Once again she tried to think of any reasons for this order to be denied.
"Why do you bring this to me now, Hinata?".
"I..I….." Hinata's confidence was rapidly dissipating. She understood why the Hokage needed to ask these questions but it didn't help her find an answer any easier. Right as Hinata was about to give up on the question her diplomatic skills kicked into overdrive and the path became clear before her. "I believe that Orochimaru can now be eliminated if found. With the return of Jiraiya-sama and the arrival of Kurama Sakusa, I believe that we start to focus our efforts outside of protecting the leaf and be directing them towards eliminating the source of the problem. As you mentioned before, Kiba Inuzuka is a capable shinobi. Having him actively search will act as both aid to reveal Orochimaru's location and to boost morale in the outpost".
Tsunade went over the reasons Hinata provided her one last time. "I will be considering your request, Hinata. You are free to leave".
Hinata bowed deeply, "Thank you Hokage-sama". Kurama was waiting outside for Hinata, pulling her into his arms before she could even say a word. On the way back to the Hyuuga compound Hinata told Kurama what had happened and how some of the Hokage's questions had caught her off guard. Kurama praised her for being able to quickly come up with answers. When they arrived at the compound they were greeted by Hitomi. As Hinata went inside to get something before the pair went for a walk in the park.
As soon as Hinata disappeared from sight Hitomi turned to Kurama, "Hinata was telling me last night of your plan. Thank you for what you've done for her today".
"I only suggested the idea. Hinata was the one who did this. This is her battle and her victory, I am just cheering on the sidelines for her". Hinata returned and the young couple went off to enjoy the evening together. Hitomi watched them as they left the compound.
'Hinata chose a good one this time'
(*)(*)_(*)(*)
A few days later Kiba received an assignment to the south east outpost. The streets of Konoha were just as busy as ever, the stay at home wives of Konoha looking for the day's groceries. If one was to pay careful attention though they'd notice people didn't look over their shoulder as much as they usually did.
{}{}{][][][}{}{}
One morning Kurama had visited the Hyuga compound requesting Hinata, not something the clan was unfamiliar with. When Hinata arrived she asked why he wanted to meet so early. "I've been trying to learn this jutsu and was hoping you could help me… and I wanted to have lunch with you before you get pulled away for clan duties again". Hinata pouted at the reminder of her clan duties. Kurama laughed, "I sorry I couldn't get you out of another business dinner". Hinata pouted even more at her predictability.
Hinata's mood improved when they finally reached the training ground. "So what jutsu are you trying to do?".
"Okay, so it starts with this," Kurama formed a rasengan in his palm, "and what I'm trying to do is add a chakra element to it but the problem is…" Kurama quickly made two clones. The clones ran a few meters away and attempted the jutsu. One with fire and the other with air. One clone's jutsu ended in a fiery explosion and the other was torn apart by the out of control rings of air that formed around the rasengan. "I can form the normal rasengan easily but I lose control of it when I try adding an elemental chakra. Any suggestions?"
Hinata started with the tricks from her childhood to help restrict the amount of chakra that one could summon to help learn control. She did this by blocking some of Kurama's chakra points. This helped a little but only prolonged the violent explosions. "Aaahhh! Why can't I do this? It's just making a rasengan and adding elemental chakra!" Kurama plopped himself on the ground and pouted.
"Maybe it's too much for just one of you to do," suggested Hinata. Kurama gave her a curious look. "Try using two clones, made that will help. One can focus on the rasengan and the other can focus on the elemental chakra". Kurama quickly did as she suggested, unsure about two clones making one jutsu, but he was willing to try anything Hinata suggested. The clones ran out to the craters that formed after so many explosions. As one made the rasengan the other added wind chakra. Hinata and Kurama watched intently as the rasengan started to change shape. The air started to shimmer around the rasengan in a ring. The clone adding elemental chakra stopped and braced for an explosion that never came. The jutsu was stable. Hinata and Kurama cheered, Kurama pulled her into his arms and the two clones did a little dance of their own.
Unfortunately for the clone with the rasengan he stepped on an unstable rock and he fell to the ground. A giant sphere grew from the site within a second, Kurama used his advanced speed to move him and Hinata out of harm's way. The two witnessed as the clones were torn apart brutally. Kurama dropped to his knees as the memories of the pain washed over him. Nothing that was in the sphere survived, all that was left was dust.
"Maybe I save that one for a rainy day," Kurama made two more clones and they repeated the experiment but with fire chakra. The rasengan turned whiter with small flames appearing around it. The clones decided to try throwing the jutsu this time, the sphere held shape and was effective. While only slightly bigger than the previous one, the explosion did not completely obliterate everything. Instead there were scorch marks everywhere, several trees on fire, and two silhouettes.
"Well, that was something," Kurama sat down, stretched himself out on the ground and patted the grass next to him for Hinata to join him. The two took a few seconds to let the adrenaline die down. They started leaning on each other, hands entwined. "Maybe I don't use that one very often" .
"I think Konoha would be very thankful for your mercy upon the landscape". A comfortable silence fell upon the two lovers.
'Tell her'
Kurama's heart started racing and his palms became sweaty, he knew the demon was right. He straightened up, putting a little distance between him and Hinata. "I uh… There's something I need to tell you, Hinata. I… I want to tell you who.. I.. am". 'Well, that was sh*t wording'.
"Nothing about your past could change how I feel about you now. I will stay by your side, always". Kurama started his story, and Naruto finished it. He told how he was abused by his village and that he was kidnapped by the circus and had found a family in it. As the story continued it became more grim. After the attack, Naruto packed what he could and went to the Hidden Cloud Village to seek refuge, and training. The Raikage took him in and had him train with their Jinjuriki. It was there that Naruto learned to befriend and use his tailed beast. It was there he also started practicing circus tricks once again. With each one he completed he felt as if he was grabbing hold of more and more of the past.
Eventually Naruto felt the need to leave, the Raikage refused to let such a powerful asset to leave. Killer B didn't seem to care about that though. Within 8 hours Naruto had escaped the village thanks to the help of his teacher. From that moment on though, he was no longer Naruto Uzumaki, he became Kurama Sakusa, showman extraordinaire! For a while he was entirely Kurama Sakusa. And while he loved what he did, he felt that he was missing something. There were many villages he went to and a great multitude of women he would talk with and sometimes even spend the night with, but they were only drops that teased Naruto's thirst.
One day, after a show Naruto remembered something from his village, the first circus performance he had ever seen and a little girl who shared the experience with him. "And so, after my last show I packed up and decided to come home to find the girl from my past and what do you know, she found me!... Hinata you will always be my first friend, the first person to treat me as an equal, to defend me, and the only person that I fell in love with. I know I just unloaded a lot onto you just now but please let me make one request… Don't… Please don't leave me too".
Silence hung heavily between the two, what was only seconds was Naruto's purgatory, never sure when it was going to end, only that something good or bad was to happen. Naruto felt a hand turn his face, his face was filled with Hinata's bosom. She cradled his head close, kissing the top, "Ever since that night at the circus you have never left my mind. And with my eyes you can never leave my sight. And with my heart I never want to leave your side. Even when apart I will find you and move heaven and earth to be with you once more". Naruto's body started to relax, he leaned into Hinata's warmth. After another minute Hinata felt something was off, she inspected Naruto a bit more and found that he had fallen asleep in her arms. 'He must've used up more chakra than he realized'.
Naruto hadn't slept so well in years. Nor had Hinata gotten into so much trouble after not returning home until morning.
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A few days later Kurama was summoned by Tsunade. "How can I be of assistance Ms. Hokage?".
"Hokage-sama to you Sakusa… I need you to quell some trouble that's arissen near the coast. Pirates have been terrorizing our ports, we believe that they'll be targeting Port Poto. I need you there in 2 days to face them off. If they do attack you will engage with lethal force. Capture the captain or higher ranked pirates if you can but that is not necessary".
"Are there not any shinobi already in the village?"
"There are but the pirates have proved to have the skills of jounin and skilled chunin. You have proven yourself to be quite fearsome in battle, able to face Orochimaru head on and be a threat. These pirates should not be a problem for you". Tsunade then waved Kurama off, diving back into her paperwork. "The shinobi there will inform you more on the situation".
"Shouldn't I have others with me? I realize my power but I would imagine I should have some others to provide guidance or strategy".
"No, I can't spare anyone at the moment. Think of this as another test of your character".
Kurama took his leave, not liking the idea of so much reliance on his strength in order to succeed but he also knew that the leaf shinobi were already being stretched a bit thin. With the kidnappings more had been put on village guard so there were less available for missions.
Hinata had been assigned a mission the day before so Naruto had no reason to delay his departure. He noticed that there were several shinobi he knew of that were enjoying their days. Shinobi that he knew hadn't received a mission for a few days. He started forming a list of questions for the Hokage upon his return. What Kurama failed to notice was the mini army of Root ANBU that followed him.
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After arriving at the port village and speaking with the stationed shinobi, Kurama took to fishing while he waited for the pirates. His legs dangling off the side of a docked fishing boat. The civilians had already evacuated to nearby villages, the local shinobi would regather them once Kurama neutralized the pirates. Since they weren't sure when the pirates would arrive it was a whole lot of hurry up and waiting.
The pirates found Kurama with his hat over his eyes and sound asleep in a boat. Two pirates jumped down to the fishing boat, still Kurama slept. They made noises and shook the boat to wake him up but nothing came of it. The captain rolled his eyes, a pistol shot later and slouched over Kurama, the pirates lost interest in the young man and turned back to looting the village.
"Death to Kami, that hurt!" The pirates froze. Kurama started whipping his hand up and down, a red burn streak on his palm. A few seconds of steam later it was completely healed. "That was not worth it AT ALL!".
One of the pirates looked to his captain, "Should we shoot him again, cap'in?".
"I think a sword be a more permanent ending for our dear bullet catcher here. Run him through boys!". 23 swords unsheathed and 23 swords were snapped at the base right after.
Kurama was now comparing the captain's hat with his top hat in a mirror roped on to the mast, "I think I'll need a second opinion on this, what do you guys think?". The captain's sword was his answer. When dodging the blade Kurama dropped the hat, before it had hit the deck Kurama had dodged 17 strikes from the Captain of the ship.
The captain had a wicked smile as he and Kurama came to a stand still, "You're a quick one, I'll give ya that. Loot the tow and kill who you find, we'll burn this place after. While you do that I'll be showing Mr. Quickstep here a proper welcome to the ship".
Kurama cracked his fingers, the pirates never left the dock.
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Kurama was humming a happy tune on his way back to the village. Hinata still wouldn't be home if he rushed so he decided to take his time and enjoy the scenery. 'Please just deal with them, kit'.
"Bah! Fine, I'll be a responsible human being… Hey *ssh*les, are we fighting now or later?"...
Multiple smoke bombs were thrown at Kurama, the smoke containing sleeping gas. With the aid of the fox Kurama made the wise decision to move to avoid being caught up in the cloud. As he did, needles were flung at him from all sides, each coated in tranquilizer. 'Well this isn't fun'. 'No, it's called being efficient. And they want you alive so while they may not kill you they could make living hell on earth'. 'Well sh*t'.
Kurama spouted a snake of fire to coil around him, disrupting the needles and providing cover. As soon as he stopped, 20 ninjas clad in gray vests and with white masks charged him from all sides, swords and kunai ready. "It's you". Using his speed the world slowed down around him, Kurama left the sphere of death he found himself in and summoned some clones. He had them create a fire rasengan and sent one of them to lightly toss it in the middle of the sphere. Together the three Kurama's ran another 30 feet away and watched the spectacle as they returned to normal speed.
A white explosion consumed the shinobi, leaving nothing but the metal on them behind. More shinobi emerged from the trees, seemingly unfazed by their dead comrades. "I was playing nice before, but I think I want to leave some bodies behind this time". One by one he slaughtered them using their own weapons. His orange suit stained red, his hair looking more Uzumaki than Namikaze. It wasn't all the enemies', he had received several stabs and cuts, one of them stabbing through his lung before finding that same sword in his throat. Flares of red could be seen in his eyes, but it never took over.
After almost half an hour of solid combat he was finished. 80 bodies now laid around him. "TAKE THAT YOU BASTARDS!... I DON'T NEED PROTECTION FROM YOU NOW! YOU LOST!... NOT ME! YOU!... YOU CAN'T TAKE WHAT IS MINE AWAY FROM ME ANYMORE!... AAAAAAHHHHH!...". Every weapon was coated in tranquilizer, Kurama was burning it up during the battle but was now overwhelmed with most of it now setting in. His new goal was keeping Naruto from dying of overdose. Naruto kept walking towards Konoha, a slight limp and blood dripping but he plowed on. He was determined to make it to the safety of the village before he passed out.
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Kakashi and Anko had taken each other's hand for support as they witnessed the slaughter Kurama unleashed. They had been assigned only to do surveillance so they restrained themselves from rushing to Kurama's aid. Eventually they stayed out of the battle in fear of getting caught up in that carnage. When Kurama was far enough away they emerged from their perch, inspecting the bodies for clues to their master.
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Hinata had gotten home before Naruto and wanted to welcome him home at his apartment. She had spent an hour deciding on what to wear so she could find the balance of attractive and comforting. Once an outfit was chosen she went out for groceries, deciding to make ramen since it was both of their favorites. After disguising herself she also bought a pack of rubbers(wink wink), just in case things went a bit farther than usual. It all was going perfectly, all that was left was for Naruto to walk through the door.
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Naruto decided to take the rooftops once he arrived at Konoha. He lacked the spare change of close and will power to clean himself from the battle so he thought it best not to give the villagers a scare. As he was passing through he noticed the light on in his apartment, 'they're here too!'. Within seconds he had jumped through his window with a rasengan in hand.
Hinata screamed. The two lovers stared at each other for a second before Naruto passed out. The tranquilizer had finally been burned away but only after it had taken its toll on his body, and while all the cuts had healed it had also drained the poor man much of his energy. Hinata rushed to him, the dried blood flaking off. She found it hard to believe that his spiky yellow hair had become straight and red.
Picking him up, she brought him to the bath. The next hour and a half was spent getting all the blood out of Naruto's hair. Once finished she dried him and brought him to bed. Hinata was considering bringing his clothes to a laundry mat but there were so many tears and holes she was unsure if it was worth saving. After packing up the meal and cleaning up Hinata curled up on the sheets next to Naruto.
recipe/ramen-with-steak-and-sesame-ginger-dressing - Ramen Recipe