Naruto of the Noh Masks

by Widget-23

Naruto finds the Uzumaki Mask Shrine and discovers his heritage along with the legends of the Uzumaki clan. One in particular involves his ancestor who specialized in using Noh masks in combat. Naruto revives his ancestor's technique and builds his own legend as the next Shinobi of the Masks. Strong Naruto. No bashing. NaruHina eventually.

4. Chapter 4

Aurhors Note: Here is Chapter 4 of Naruto of the Noh Masks. Thank you to everyone for your reviews and feedback! I will try to keep updating every couple of weeks or more if I can. I wanted to answer a couple of questions from the reviews here. First, I do not plan on making this a harem fic. For this first one, I will be keeping it to just the main NaruHina pairing. Second, Naruto will be learning more Uzumaki techniques, but as the title suggests, he will be most known for his masks. I thought this was fitting because of the mask he generally wears in canon to hide his true feelings. So without further ado, here is the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the related IP. Any OCs and original plot points are mine.

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Naruto lead his team through the bustling streets of Afternoon Konoha. His fingers itched to grab Kichijōten's journal, but a nagging thought kept him from reaching to his pouch. Why had Sasuke spoken up, not just in the mission office, but at the training ground as well? He glanced back at the Last Uchiha. Sasuke was walking along, hands still in his pockets, customary scowl frozen to his face. He seemed lost in his own world, far away gaze never quite focusing on his surroundings. The only indication that he was even aware of his surroundings was a slight twitch to his eye whenever they passed a group of girls. It seemed their quiet whispers and giggles, punctuated by the occasional infatuated squeal was the only thing that could break Sasuke's musings.

Naruto snorted. What did they see in him, anyway? He barely even looked at them, and they still fawned all over him. Sasuke must have felt Naruto's gaze, or at least heard his snort, because he turned to stare back in challenge. The confrontation didn't last long however, before Sasuke smirked and deliberately broke the stare in clear dismissal.

Naruto turned his eyes forward again, growling to himself. That jerk, Sasuke, he thought. Who cares why he said what he did! He was probably just trying to make me look stupid. It's not my fault I didn't know any of that clan law stuff! He angrily tore Kichijōten's journal from his pouch and opened it to a random page.

The remainder of the trek to the Uzumaki Shrine passed in silence, save for a futile attempt from Sakura to engage Sasuke in conversation, and the occasional perverse giggle from their sensei. When the four ninjas arrived at the shrine clearing, it looked much the same as when Naruto had left it the night before. The wind blew lazily through the clearing, only half-heartedly brushing the leaves and grass before departing. The sun shone merrily, but a jealous cloud was vainly trying to keep the light to itself.

Kakashi looked up at the dilapidated structure, whistling at its condition, "Well, now, it looks like it didn't escape all the damage from the Nine Tails's attack, after all. I'm sorry Naruto, this might be a bigger job than I thought."

Sakura looked askance at the crumbling entrance, "Is it even safe to go in there? It looks like it could collapse at a harsh tone."

"Nah, it's fine, Sakura-chan," Naruto affirmed, "I was in there for a while yesterday."

Sasuke grunted, but it seemed more out of habit than haughtiness. Flashes of his own clan compound overlaid themselves on the shrine. Memories of that night surging upward from their prison in his mind. He quickly rallied himself, and counter attacked with vigor, his vendetta against that man leading the charge. He took the stairs like an enraged chef handling eggs, and stepped across the threshold.

Naruto bounded up the stairs after him, excitement lending weight to his steps rather than anger, his remaining teammate and sensei following close behind. Inside the shrine was as Naruto had left it the previous day. The darkness still clung stubbornly to every corner it could, giving way only to the sunlight peeking through the perforated roof and the beams from the ninjas' flashlights.

Naruto paused, half expecting the same weightiness from the atmosphere of the shrine. After a moment, he continued forward, leading the way through the foyer. The flashlights revealed more of the interior than Naruto had seen the night before. Portraits of prominent clan members and leaders lined the wall, along with a large tapestry depicting what Naruto assumed to be Uzushio. Steep hills surrounded the village, leaving the buildable area of the island quite restricted. The limited space lead the buildings to grow tall, reaching for the sky. A picturesque waterfall laughed it's way down the northern rim of hills until it formed a wide river bisecting the village. Bridges spanned its width, both at ground level and at various heights between the towers that marched along the banks. Rooftop gardens lent a lush and colorful splash to the village palette, and fountains of sparkling water adorned nearly every intersection.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Sakura sighed. "That waterfall looks so romantic! Don't you think so, Sasuke-kun?" When the object of her affection didn't even grunt in acknowledgment, she deflated.

The four continued their investigation of the shrine. When they reached the wall where the masks were displayed, Naruto again felt the weight of the masks' gaze, but he felt far more comfortable knowing this was his family shrine.

Kakashi looked thoughtful as he examines the masks, "Naruto, what was the name of your ancestor who wrote that journal, again?"

"Hmm? Kichijōten," Naruto replied. "Kichijōten of the Noh Masks."

The masked jonin tapped his chin. Something was just tickling his memory, but it was ephemeral as the scent of a dream. The more he tried to trail it, the more faint it became, until he questioned whether it was ever there in the first place.

Kakashi mentally shook his head clear, "Alright team, let's get started. We have three days to complete the mission. Sakura, start with the masks, get the number and a short descriptor of each. Sasuke, start outside, get the condition of the exterior and the grounds. When you are finished, meet Sakura in the foyer and begin making note of the condition of the interior. Naruto, you and I will go through the rest of the shrine and get an idea of the layout."

The three genin snapped to attention before moving to their respective tasks. Naruto lead Kakashi to where he had found the journals. The added illumination from the ninjas' flashlights revealed the room to be a small library or study. Bookshelves lined the walls, with one window on the eastern wall giving a now paneless view of the Hokage Mountain peering over the surrounding forest. A decrepit desk leaned near the window, two legs along with the chair conspicuously absent. Kakashi could see that sitting at the desk would afford a view of the window as well as the portrait of the severe-looking man which had played a part in Naruto's discovery of the journals the previous night.

"Hmm, that must be Uzumaki Ashina," Kakashi mentioned, moving over to take a closer look at the portrait.

"You mean that guy Old Man Hokage talked about? The sealing guy?"

"That sealing guy was close friends with the Shodai and Nidaime Hokages and taught them most of what they knew about sealing. In fact, he is also known as the Father of Konoha's fuinjutsu."

Naruto whistled lowly, impressed, though to save face, he began looking more closely at the bookshelves while his sensei finished inspecting the portrait. Most of the contents were journals and records of the lives and accomplishments of the Uzumaki, though he did find a small collection of scrolls containing what looked like ninja techniques.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! Lookit this!"

Kakashi moved over to his blond student, "Looks like you found some training scrolls." He shined his light at the open scroll Naruto held out, "This one seems to be about some chakra control exercises taught to novices, probably to get children ready for the academy ninja training."

Naruto deflated a bit, hoping he'd found some awesome secret clan jutsu. The rest of the scrolls contained similarly basic exercises, though one did have the beginning forms of a taijutsu style Kakshi was not familiar with.

"This one might be a clan taijutsu style, though."

Naruto perked up at that, "Can you teach it to me, sensei?"

"I can try my best, but I haven't seen this style before," and the last person who would have known it has been dead for 12 years. "I also have a friend who is specializes in taijutsu. He may be willing to give us a hand." Kakashi shuddered a bit at that thought, though. He hoped his friend could keep his...youthfulness...restrained enough to not make this a part of their ongoing competition.

Kakashi and Naruto continued their exploration of the shrine, finding several store rooms containing more pictures and tapestries, along with some vases, statuettes, and even a trunk filled with clothes of different fabrics and cuts. Naruto was happy to find so many things from his clan's homeland, but he was severly disappointed that nothing seemed very ninja-oriented, aside from the few scrolls now tucked into his pouch alongside Kichijōten's journal. Still, he could at least find out more about his family from all the journals left behind in the library.

When they finally made it back to the mask room, the sunlight streaming through the window and the gaps in the walls was beginning to have an orange cast to it. Sasuke and Sakura were finishing up the catalog of the masks with a surprising amount of focus on Sakura's part, considering the proximity of her crush.

"Ok, team, let's wrap it up for today," Kakashi announced, "we'll start on the inventory of the outer rooms tomorrow, after team training."

Sasuke nodded once and turned for the door without a word. Sakura hurriedly finished writing the description of the last mask, this one looking like a strange horned lizard, before rushing after the Last Uchiha, intent on asking him to try out a new restaurant in town with her. Naruto was about to dart after her to offer his own company, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him short.

"Naruto," Kakashi's lone visable eye crinkled in a smile, "do you mind if I take a look at that journal you've been reading? There's something I want to check that has been bugging me all afternoon."

"Eh, sure think sensei," Naruto fished the book out of his pouch and held it out.

After a few minutes of thumbing through the pages, during which time Naruto's pent up energy and impatience reached near-fallout levels, Kakashi finally found the confirmation he was looking for. That didn't mean he couldn't take an extra few moments to see what new colors Naruto's face could turn with each 'hmm' and 'aha' Kakashi let slip out.

Just as Naruto looked ready to explode, Kakashi closed the book with a snap, "Well, I remember where I heard the name Kichijōten of the Noh Masks before," he handed the book back to the blond. 3...2...1...

"Well?!" Naruto erupted, "What do you know about her Kakashi-sensei?"

"She was fairly well known in both the First and Second Wars, though most didn't know her name was Kichijōten. She was known in the books simply as the Shinobi of the Masks," Kakashi got a far away look in his eye, reliving the times he had been told stories of the Shinobi of the Masks by his sensei's wife. "For a while, many thought she was part of a special strike force of Uzushio Shinobi, similar to Konoha's ANBU. They always seemed to work as single members attached to other teams, and they each wore a different mask. Eventually, word got out that there was no task force, and that all the masked shinobi were one and the same," Kakashi chuckled, remembering the pride in Kushina's eyes as she told him. "After that, her reputation as the Shinobi of the Masks grew almost as much as the Sanin, though they came later."

Naruto looked down at the journal, starstruck at the idea of being related to such a legend. He silently renewed his vow to bring back the Uzumaki from the brink of extinction, and he added his resolution to live up to his clan's legacy. When he looked up, Kakashi saw the fire in blue eyes so familiar, he could not hold their gaze for long, lest he break his word to uphold the Sandaime's law. Instead, he turned to the masks hanging on the wall, still visible in the evening glow.

Kakashi cleared the catch from his throat, "If I'm not mistaken, some of these masks may have belonged to Kichijōten." At Naruto's surprised look, he continued, "Why don't you bring a couple of these masks to the training ground tomorrow and we can try to figure out how they worked. I'm sure something in that journal will give us some clues."

With that, the silver haired jonin ruffled the blond's hair and sauntered out the door, heading back to the village proper. As he reached the bottom of the steps, he called out once more, "Don't stay out too late! You know how your sensei feels about punctuality!"

Naruto scoffed and turned to retort, but his teacher was already gone. Facing the wall of masks once more, he tried to decide which onces he should take with him to try first. There were several with animal likenesses, including the horned lizard Sakura had finished her catalog with, as well as a wolf or fox, some kind of large cat, and a sea serpent. There were others that appeared to be in the image of different people, male and female, with distinctive markings on the cheeks and forehead that made them appear to change expression, depending on how Naruto looked at them. There were still others that had fearsome, demonic looking faces, including one fashioned to look like the Shinigami himself, a small dagger clutched in its fanged mouth, with two curving horns sprouting from the top of the mask's head. Naruto shuddered at the expression of that mask, and moved back toward the animal masks.

The golden glow of the late afternoon sun streamed through the doorway and windows, as well as the cracks and holes in the ceiling. It's gentle caress bathed the room with warmth and an added an almost mystical feeling, as if the shrine existed in some fey world, whose border with the material blurred and twisted from the shrine's influence. The wind blew through the shrine, jostling the masks on their hangings. The movement, coupled with the steady glow of sunlight, made the masks look as if they were laughing and frolicking where they hung, joyous at the promised reemergence of the clan who created them.

He heard a small sound coming from the doorway in the foyer behind him. He pulled out a kunai, and crouched, turning toward the door. He darted to one side of the door, hiding behind the frame. His team had left, and the Hokage hadn't mentioned that anyone else would be sent to help. He took a deep breath, then spun around the door frame to face the intruder.

Silhouetted by the afternoon sun, Hinata yelped and stumbled back out the doorway, nearly falling down the stairs, "I-I'm sorry...I'm sorry Naruto-k-...-san, I didn't mean to...to startle you..." she stuttered, trembling and red-faced.

"Hinata?" Naruto straightened, returning his kunai to his belt. "What are you doing here?"

The Hyuga heiress straightened, but she found the floor in front of her far more comfortable to look at, only briefly glancing up at the orange-clad ninja, "My...team training...," she swallowed, and tried again, "Kurenai-sensei dismissed us...I remembered you telling us about...about your clan's shrine, and I...wanted...to...," she trailed off, looking up briefly. She hoped Naruto understood what she was trying to say, but his bewildered look showed her hope was in vain. She took a deep breath, clasping her hands firmly at her waist to still the trembling, and bowed. She breathed one more time, gathering her courage, "I would like to offer to help...to help you restore the Uzumaki shrine."

She closed her eyes, still bowed at the waist. Hope and dread warred within her, as the silence seemed to stretch on. Did he not hear her? Maybe he didn't want her help. Should she have come earlier, when his team was still here? How much help could she even be, really? Surely he would prefer someone else, like Sakura.

Hinata's knees began shaking, and the tremor from her hands spread to her shoulders, despite her tightly clutching them to her waist. Heat began to rise from her neck into her face, and she was beginning to feel dizzy. She was just about to bolt for the door when she heard a Naruto respond in a voice smaller than she had ever heard him use.

"You...want...to help me?"

Hinata looked up, and once again pale lavender met surprised blue. She nearly lost herself in those blue depths, the mask beginning to crack. She nodded once, not trusting her voice.

"Why?"

Her heart fluttered at his expression, so filled with hopeful disbelief and confusion that she couldn't speak for a moment. She saw the cracks in the mask beginning to close, Naruto's guard returning, and she knew she had to speak now, or lose her chance. She straightened fully, meeting his eyes, praying he could see her sincerity.

"I want to help you because...you deserve to know where you come from," she began. "You always try so hard to get...to get people to acknowledge you. You never give up...even...even when you make m-mistakes. No matter how hard things may...may seem, you always try your best. When you fall...you get up again. And you keep trying. Now that you know you...come from a clan...you have family, even if their village is gone. The Uzumaki are still alive...because you..."

Hinata could feel her face heating up even more, but looking into Naruto's eyes gave her strength to push on, despite her trembling.

"When you said you'd...you'd bring the Uzumaki back, I...I believed you...and I want to help by...helping you restore your clan's shrine."

There was more Hinata wanted to say, but her courage gave out, so she simply bowed again, letting her midnight blue hair fall forward to shadow her eyes as tears threatened to spill from them.

Naruto was stunned once again by Hinata's words. He could hardly believe that anyone would so fervently believe in him. He'd always felt like a screw-up, and the constant reminders of his failures by nearly everyone in the village had hurt more than he liked to admit. He fought so hard for respect and recognition, only for it to be denied him at every turn. Yet here was someone, a girl from his class, offering it to him freely. True, she seemed a little weird and timid, but she came here on her own, just because she wanted to help him.

Slowly, a small smile spread across Naruto's face. The smile widened, forcing his eyes closed with its intensity. Hinata straightened just as Naruto bounded forward, wrapping her in a tight hug, nearly lifting her from the ground. The young girl swooned, the edges of her vision going dark, but a whisper from Naruto, so at odds with the exuberance of his actions, grounded her.

"Thank you...Hinata."

Naruto let her go and stepped back, uncharacteristically nervous. Hinata swayed slightly, but she exerted every ounce of will she had to prevent herself from fainting. A shy smile graced her face, and her heartbeat would have made a hummingbird jealous, but she succeeded in remaining conscious.

"So, uh, do you want to look around first?" Naruto asked, "I don't think we can get too much more done tonight, but maybe you can help me look for more jutsu scrolls in the library?"

At Hinata's nod, Naruto turned to once again lead the way through the foyer and into the mask room. Before they crossed the threshold to the inner rooms, Naruto paused and moved toward the tapestry depicting his clan's home.

"Actually, we might as well start here." He gestured grandly at the image of his homeland, "This is Uzushio, the Village Hidden in the Whirling Tides."

Hinata gasped in wonder, and Naruto felt a surge of pride in his ancestors' accomplishments. They had to rely more on their flashlights as the sun continued westward, granting the sunlight that spilled through the roof and doorway a more orange cast to its previous golden hue. After a moment, they continued deeper into the shrine.

"By the way, Hinata-chan," Naruto began, not noticing Hinata's stumble at his words, "how did you know where this place was? You left the mission hall before I told the Hokage about it. How did you know I'd be here?"

"O-oh, I didn't know where you would be," Hinata stuttered, trying to push down the flush brought on by Naruto's addition of -chan to her name, "but I guessed you might want to...to return to your clan's shrine to at least...gather more of your family's belongings. When I saw your...teammates leaving...I assumed your team...your team was assigned to...to help you. I got here just as your sensei left."

"Huh, that's pretty smart!" Naruto was surprised at Hinata's perceptiveness, but one thing still confused him, "But that doesn't explain how you found this place?"

Hinata blushed at the compliment, and continued her explanation, "I used my...Byakugan, and I saw you and your teammates...out here..."

"Bee-aku-what now?"

Hinata stopped, and Naruto turned, perplexed.

"Byakugan. It's my...family's bloodline," she explained, gesturing to her eyes. "We can channel...chakra to our eyes, which lets us see...see a great distance as well as, as chakra..." she trailed off as Naruto's confusion seemed to grow. "M-maybe I could just...show you?"

She closed her eyes and gathered her chakra, Then after a short sequence of hand signs, she muttered, "Byakugan!" triggering the technique and sending a surge of chakra into her eyes, activating her bloodline. The chakra pathways surrounding her eyes bulged with the surge, and she opened her eyes, revealing the faint outline of her pupils were now visible in her lavender irises.

"Woah!" Naruto took half a step back, surprised at the activation. "That's awesome! You can see chakra?"

Hinata nodded, "And I can see...approximately 50 meters...in all directions..."

"That's so cool!"

Hinata blushed at the praise, and turned her attention to the shrine to try to calm her emotions. She couldn't entirely avoid noticing Naruto's blazing chakra signature, testifying of his enormous stamina and vitality, but she was surprised at the several weaker chakra sources spread throughout the shrine.

"U-um, Naruto-kun? Do you know what the other chakra signatures in the shrine are?"

"Other chakra? Do you mean there are more people here?" Naruto immediately went on guard, searching for the unseen company.

"No...no they are too small to be people, and they aren't moving," Hinata focused her vision on the nearest source, back at the entrance to the shrine. "They look like s-seals. There's one there...by the entrance."

The pair moved back to the entrance, and with Hinata's guidance, they soon found a seal carved into post to one side. The intricate carving was remarkably well-preserved, considering the condition of the rest of the shrine, but there were faint scorch marks along some of the main strokes. Naruto reached out to touch the seal, but a gentle touch from Hinata made him pause.

"N-naruto-kun, it could be dangerous," Hinata noticed her hand on his, and pulled back, embarrassed. "We don't know what kind of seal it is, or what it does."

Naruto gulped, curling his fingers back, but leaving his hand outstretched, "Well, what's the worst it could be?"

"An explosive seal," was her quiet reply. "Maybe a way to prevent enemies from capturing the shrine."

Naruto tensed, retracting his hand fully, and peered at the seal, its twisting lines now evoking a coiled adder in his imagination. He peered closer, shining his light at different angles. The longer he looked, the more calm he felt. He didn't get the feeling the seal was dangerous, at least, not in an explosive way. He didn't understand how his certainty was growing, but it was a similar feeling of weight, looking at this seal, as when he first found the shrine the day before. The felt again the faint almost-whisper caress his mind as he stared ever deeper into the seal.

...Uzumaki...

"Hinata," Naruto breathed, "did you hear that?"

"Naruto?"

"I thought I heard...something," Naruto shook himself. "I don't think this is dangerous."

"How do you know?" The slight quaver in Hinata's voice was unmistakable.

"I don't know, but, looking at it...it just feels different, you know?"

Hinata considered the blond next to her, "Alright, Naruto-kun. I trust you."

Naruto reached his finger out toward the seal, hesitating just above the surface, before pressing the center firmly.

A moment passed, and the two genin realized they had both squeezed their eyes shut. They looked at each other sheepishly and chuckled.

"Um, Naruto...you usually have to put chakra into a seal to activate it."

The blond blinked, "Oh, ah ha ha, I knew that! I was just messing around to break the tension!"

Hinata giggled at his antics, watching with her byakugan as he sent a small spike of chakra into the seal. Almost immediately, most of the other chakra sources flared to life, the light vanishing from her sight more quickly than it came. The result made her gasp in astonishment.

She couldn't see outside the shrine.

Hinata quickly deactivated her Byakugan, and saw everything appeared unchanged to her normal vision. Naruto still stood, touching the seal, looking bewildered.

"Nothing happened? Maybe I need to put more chakra into it?"

"N-no, Naruto," Hinata reactivated her clan's technique to confirm what she had seen. "The seal worked, but I don't know what it did exactly. I think...I think it put up a barrier."

"A barrier?"

Hinata nodded, her vision once again returning to normal, "It looks the same, but when I try to use my Byakugan, I can't see anything outside of the shrine."

"Woah," Naruto looked around the shrine again, with far more interest. "Let's go outside and see if anything changed."

Hinata followed the blond down the stairs and into the clearing. They looked around, but nothing seemed out of place. The late afternoon had become early evening, the sun inching ever closer to the horizon, and a friendly breeze rustled the leaves in the trees surrounding. On a hunch, Hinata reactivated her eyes, and knew what had happened.

"Naruto, the barrier blocks my sight. I can't see the shrine now," she took a few steps forward, but found an invisible obstruction blocking her from getting any close to the shrine. "I've found it! The barrier is right here!"

Naruto came forward, "I can't see anything, are you sure?"

Hinata, excitement completely swallowing her shyness, clasped his hand and brought it up next to where hers was pressed against the barrier, "Can you feel it? It won't let us get any closer to the shrine."

Naruto hesitated, but he couldn't feel anything. He took another step forward, attempting to pull his companion with him, but something prevented her from following, and his hand slipped from her grasp.

"Naruto? You got through the barrier? I can't see you anymore."

"I didn't feel any barrier," Naruto looked even more confused.

Hinata thought for a moment before inspiration struck, "It might be coded to allow people with the right chakra signature through. You can get through because you are an Uzumaki, but I can't, because I don't have the right chakra."

"Seals can do that?"

Hinata shrugged. She admittedly didn't know much about seals beyond what her family used, which she did not like to think about, but the evidence seemed to suggest no other conclusion.

"Maybe...could you go back inside and...deactivate the barrier?"

"How do I do that?"

"Try putting your chakra into the seal again?"

Naruto nodded, forgetting that Hinata couldn't see him through the barrier while she still had her Byakugan activated. He turned and ascended the stairs, stepping through the doorway. As soon as his foot crossed the threshold, he heard an exclamation behind him.

"Oh! Naruto, the barrier is gone!" Hinata came up next to him, her eye technique still active.

The pair reentered the shrine, and moved to the center of the foyer. Hinata gazed around for a few minutes, before turning back to Naruto, the chakra pathways to her eyes returning to normal as she released her technique.

"It looks like most of the chakra sources are connected to that seal," she pointed back to the door post. "It's probably a network used for the barrier."

Naruto nodded, "What about the others?"

"There are a few in the library that might be storage scrolls, and most of the masks have quite a few seals on them. There are also quite a few different seals and chakra sources in the basement."

Naruto started, "The basement?"

Hinata cocked her head in a way that made something inside Naruto jump, but before he could do more than notice the feeling, her response gave him something else to think about.

"There is a floor beneath this one with several rooms, and a large open space. Did you not know that?"

Excitement gleamed in Naruto's blue eyes, providing more answer than words, and Hinata was surprised to feel the same emotion welling up in her. The two genin felt the allure of adventure calling them deeper into the shrine as they searched for a way into the lower level. Hinata lead the way toward where she had seen the stairs. The two entered the library, and Hinata pointed to the portrait of Uzumaki Ashina.

"The stairs are behind that picture."

Naruto hurried over and started examining the frame, looking for a hidden clasp or switch. He soon found another seal, this one tiny, no large than his fingertip. A small pulse of chakra resulted in an audible click, and the portrait swung forward, revealing a hidden staircase leading down into the darkness. The air was cool, but not musty, and there was no trace of dust or grime on the steps. Naruto turned back to Hinata, the thrill of discovery shining in his face matched only by her own.

Naruto practically vibrated with excitement, and Hinata giggled into the back of her hand at his exuberance. Their elation was short-lived, however, as they both noticed the sun fully setting behind the trees, casting the surrounding forest in shadow.

"Oh no," Hinata moaned, "I didn't realize it...it was so late." She cast her eyes to the floor, "I have to get home before...before my father sends someone looking for me. I'm sorry Naruto. You'll have to go down without...without me."

Naruto could see Hinata's disappointment, and his heart clenched within him. He looked down into the dark stairway, silently beckoning him with adventure and promise of uncovering more of his family's legacy. He looked back at the girl who had, in one day, done more to help him than anyone else had in his entire life.

Hinata stood, staring at the floor, disappointed that she couldn't see this through to the end with Naruto, but not wanting to hold him back from discovering more about the family he so desperately wanted. She knew he couldn't wait to investigate the basement, but the sound of the hidden door closing felt like the crashing of prison bars to her heart. A hand reaching down to hers shocked her into looking up to meet those bright blue eyes she so admired. The genuine compassion in them made her breath catch in her throat.

"Hinata-chan, I never would have found this place without you," he began. "I couldn't go down there and leave you to go home alone. That wouldn't be fair, you know?"

"B-but, this is your family, don't you want to see what they left behind?"

"Of course I do! But you're part of this now, too. Don't you want to see what is down there?"

"Y-yes, but-"

"Then we will find out together!" Naruto pounded his fist into his hand. "They've waited this long, they can wait one more night."

Hinata was touched by Naruto's consideration. His words, that she was part of this too, etched themselves into her memory. She felt like she was finally being useful to someone, and that someone being Naruto made it all the better. The deepening darkness of the shrine hid her blush, but the warmth she felt went beyond her shyness. She felt she had worth for the first time since her mother had passed. She wasn't just a burden. She sniffled, tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks, and she bowed.

"Thank you...Naruto-kun." For more than you know.