AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello! I just wanted to say that I've really enjoyed writing this so far, and I really hope you all have enjoyed reading it. I'll be honest, when I first started this story, I wasn't even a thousand percent sure I would like it enough to commit to it. But now that I've tested the waters, I'm ready for the plunge. I feel like my chapters have been relatively short, so I want to focus on making them longer, especially now that it will be set back at the Leaf soon. So, the update times might get a tad bit longer, but I'm not leaving this!
Enough of my rant, here's Chapter 5. Enjoy!
Hinata awoke as the sunlight peeked through the entrance of her tent and shined across her face. She could hear people outside talking and laughing, and she knew it was time to get up, and stay up this time.
Hinata had changed out of her war uniform after Hyuuga soldiers had set up her tent. She was now back to wearing her normal blue pants and baggy white and lavender hoodie. She threw her clothes on and walked outside, eager to see what the day had planned for her next. She hoped she would get to spend a little more alone time with Naruto before the journey home, but she also knew that wasn't likely with everyone else running around.
The campsite was beaming with joy and excitement now. People from all different villages were playing games together, training together, or just hanging out together. She smiled even brighter at this sight. She was glad the conflicts between the different nations had ended, and that everyone was getting along now. Her thoughts were interrupted when she was approached by Sakura.
"Hey Hinata! I was wondering when I'd see you! I stopped by your tent late last night because I couldn't sleep, but you weren't there... Um, you sure look like you're in a good mood." Sakura said.
Hinata hadn't realized it, but she had a wide smile on her face ever since she woke up, and Sakura had seen this. She couldn't really help it, the events of last night still felt so unreal and continued to replay over and over in her head. Hinata had unknowingly kept this smile until Sakura had noticed. As soon as Hinata realized, she blushed and looked away.
"Um, yeah, I'm just so glad that everyone is still alive, you know? It feels good to be back in the real world."
Sakura studied Hinata's face as she avoided eye contact, her cheeks slowly getting redder. Sakura knew something was up. Hinata was thinking about something, and that was what was making her nervous. Sakura bet it had something to do with why Hinata wasn't at her tent last night. She cocked her eyebrow and gave Hinata a knowing look.
Hinata tried to play it off. "W-what? Why are you looking at me like that?" Sakura didn't look convinced. "So... where did you disappear to last night?" Sakura asked.
"I... um..." Hinata trailed off. Why was she lying? She knew that Sakura had always supported her feelings for Naruto. Sakura was her friend, and Hinata decided she shouldn't hide from the one person she knew she could talk to about this stuff. She met Sakura's emerald eyes and sighed heavily.
"I was with Naruto last night. We-"
"I KNEW IT!" Sakura interrupted, nearly squealing her words out. Hinata motioned for her to keep quiet so nobody else would hear their conversation. The last thing she needed was people blowing this out of proportion and scaring Naruto off. She had made serious progress with him last night, and wasn't about to let it go to waste.
"Sorry, sorry. So, what happened? What did you guys do? Tell me everything!" Sakura asked with excitement in her eyes.
"Well, it started..."
Hinata told her everything that had occurred the night before, in every detail. Sakura looked like she had just seen an asteroid hit the earth.
"Wait, so you guys did all that, literally slept next to each other, but you didn't even kiss once!? As soon as you said you had hiked away from everyone I thought you guys had definitely done the deed!"
Hinata blushed furiously as her eyes widened. "S-Sakura! Keep your voice down! It wasn't like that. We just... I don't know. It was just as friends, but I feel like we grew a lot closer than we were before. At least, I hope so."
Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes. "That idiot... he's never been good at taking hints. Maybe you just need to be a little more bold, and I don't just mean offering more camping trips. You want his attention? Take it. Surely he'll understand how you feel if you can pull him out of his comfort zone. Either way I'm sure he'll find his way, Hinata. Just don't give up on him." Sakura said smiling at her.
Hinata smiled back. "Thank you Sakura. I won't. Also, um, this stays between us, right?"
"Absolutely not. I'm telling everyone." Sakura responded with no expression.
"W-what!?"
"I'm just kidding, Hinata! Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."
Hinata let out a breath of relief and felt an immediate need to change the subject.
"So, what has everyone else been up to?"
"Well, as you know, Sasuke had planned on leaving. He said goodbye to me, Naruto and Kakashi earlier. I don't know where he's going or when he'll be back. He wouldn't say, and honestly I don't think he knows either." Sakura replied with disappointment in her voice.
"Other than that, everyone's just been hanging out and having a good time! If you're looking for Naruto, he should be over there with everyone else." Sakura said as she pointed over to a group of people. It seemed like almost everyone else in their class, as well as a few other familiar faces, had assembled over there. They appeared to be having a casual taijutsu sparring competition.
Sakura looked back to Hinata and said, "Well, I'm off to do more rounds around camp and make sure nobody needs any medical attention. The five Kage are discussing plans as we speak. We should be heading out early tomorrow morning. I'll catch up with you later okay?" Sakura said as she turned and waved goodbye.
Hinata made her way over to the sparring competition. It was currently Sai and Kiba against each other, and Kiba seemed to be getting his ass handed to him. Sai was a former student of The Foundation, after all.
Sai dodged a haymaker from Kiba and took the opportunity to put him in a standing rear chokehold. Kiba realized he couldn't escape and before he was choked unconscious, he rapidly tapped Sai on the arm, a seemingly known signal of defeat.
"Match! Winner: Sai by submission!" Rock Lee yelled. He seemed to be the proctor of this competition, and honestly, that was probably best for everyone else's sake. In taijutsu, Lee could probably take them all on at once.
"What's going on?" Hinata asked as she approached the group.
Lee spoke first. "Hey Hinata! We're just having a friendly sparring competition. Wanna join?"
"Oh, um, I don't know, I-"
"Yeah! Come on Hinata, show us how it's done!" Naruto cheered.
Hinata grew red as she imagined herself fighting Naruto. Even in a sparring match, she knew she could never even attempt to hurt him. She didn't particularly want to participate, but if Naruto was willing to cheer her on, she decided she'd make light of the situation. All she hoped was that he wouldn't be her opponent. Wait, hadn't he promised her to take it easy?
"Naruto, should you really be fighting again so soon?" She asked with concern in her voice.
Choji spoke up. "Yeah, we kinda already had that conversation. He claims he's good to go, so we didn't bother arguing."
Hinata gave Naruto a playfully disapproving look. He had made her a promise, and she was going to make him pay, one way or another.
"Well, okay then, I guess I could give it a try." Hinata said.
Lee spoke again, "Alright, here are the rules! This is a taijutsu only competition. That means no ninjutsu or genjutsu. Furthermore! No 'special' abilities that would cause unfair disadvantage are allowed. That means no Byakugan! Also, no chakra infusing to make your attacks stronger. The winner is determined by whoever manages to knock the other person to the ground, or make them submit. Naruto and Shikamaru are fighting next, you can take on the winner. Wait, where did Shikamaru go?"
Ino rolled her eyes. "Probably sucking face with Temari."
"I can fill Shikamaru's place!" A familiar voice spoke from behind. The group turned to see the challenger. It was Kakashi.
"Yikes, your call Naruto!" Kiba said. Everyone knew that Kakashi was exceptionally talented in taijutsu. He would be a tough match, even for Naruto.
"Alright! Now we're talking!" Naruto said with confidence.
Several of the group looked concerned. "Are you sure about this, Naruto?" TenTen asked.
"Positive! Unless Kakashi would rather chicken out..."
"Alright then hot shot, let's see if the student really has become the master." Kakashi said as he stepped up.
Lee repeated the rules to Kakashi and instructed them to stand a certain distance from each other.
"Kakashi Sensei, are you ready?" Kakashi nodded, his masked face completely absent of any kind of expression.
"Naruto, are you ready?" Naruto nodded.
Hinata watched in anticipation as Lee was about to start the match. She knew it was only sparring, but she was still worried about Naruto getting hurt. Kakashi wasn't the type to go easy on anyone.
"Fight!"
Naruto and Kakashi bolted toward one another, both determined to walk away in victory. Everyone watched quietly as they exchanged blow after blow. After about 2 minutes of fighting, they both seemed to be holding their own. Then, Naruto counter attacked one of Kakashi's punches with a powerful kick to his liver. Kakashi stumbled and dropped to his knee. Naruto wasn't the type to take cheap shots, so he backed up and waited for Kakashi to get back up. He knew he wasn't going to submit. If Naruto wanted to beat Kakashi, he was going to have to do it the hard way.
Kakashi got back up and lunged toward Naruto with a spinning kick. Naruto caught his leg and used it to swing him into the ground.
"Match! Winner: Naruto by knockdown!" Lee called.
The group watched in amazement as Kakashi got back to his feet. Most had expected Naruto to lose, especially after being so close to death only a day ago. Then again, Naruto had come a long way in a short time. He was without a doubt the most powerful Shinobi alive, except for maybe Sasuke, but even then it was pretty much a tie.
"Well, I know when I've been beat. I hate to say it Naruto, but I think you've surpassed me in just about everything. You truly have become an exceptional Shinobi... even for a Genin." Kakashi said.
"I learned from the best." Naruto said with a smile.
Naruto looked over to Hinata and saw the worry on her face disappear. It was true, Naruto could tell that Hinata really did care for him. He was starting to really care about her too. He had always cared about her, just as he had about any of his friends. But now... it was different with her. Hinata was someone special, someone he really liked, so much that he was secretly hoping she was the one who had wanted him for so long. With every passing moment, he found himself wanting to talk to and be around her more and more. He had to admit, she had every bit of his attention. It was driving him nuts. It was all happening so fast... Before last night, he never would have thought that Hinata might have feelings for him, and now here he was, hoping that she did.
Anxiety struck him as he realized... he had to fight her next.
Lee announced, "Okay! Naruto, take a few minutes, and when you're both ready, you and Hinata will go next."
The group dispersed a little as everyone began talking to each other about the fight. Naruto saw Kiba slide Shino some money, and figured he must've lost a bet. 'Thanks for the vote of confidence...' Naruto thought.
Hinata watched as Naruto walked over to her. 'Be bold. Be bold.' She thought.
"Hey, I'll go easy on you if you go easy on me." Naruto teased.
"Not a chance. You're going down."
"Woah, okay then! And what makes you so sure of that?" Naruto said with an eyebrow raised. Hinata began to stretch nonchalantly.
"You promised me that you would be careful to not hurt yourself, and the first thing you do is get into a fighting contest. I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to Naruto. It's just what has to happen now." She said this with total confidence and mentally applauded herself for not stuttering, or even blushing.
"Oh yeah? And if I win, what are you going to do about it?"
Hinata stepped close to him. Very close. She leaned right up to his ear and whispered seductively, "Maybe I'll let you win, just so you can find out the answer to that. I have a few ideas..."
Naruto swallowed hard at this. Woah. This was a new feeling. Hinata suddenly had him blushing. He didn't look down but he was pretty sure his arm hair had risen a little. He played along, whispering back into her ear, "That sounds like a great idea to me."
Hinata suddenly stepped away from him and continued stretching. "Or, maybe I'll just beat you anyway. It wouldn't be nearly as fun, but it would make you learn your lesson." She said at normal volume. Hinata had no idea where this sudden boldness came from, but she decided to use every bit of it to her advantage.
"I-I don't know, I kinda want to know what this other idea is." Naruto said. His face was redder than Hinata had ever seen it. It was nice to finally not be on the receiving end of embarrassment.
"I guess you'll never know..." she said as she began walking back to the starting position. She looked back at him. "Well? Aren't you ready? Or are you chickening out?"
"That's it, you're going down Hinata!"
As soon as they both said they were ready, Lee started the match. "Fight!"
Hinata, in fact, did not go down. Naruto had been pinned to the ground in about ten seconds. Blinded by her usual shyness, he had forgotten how strong she had truly become. She fought relentlessly and showed no intention of letting him win. To make matters worse, she was a Hyuuga, and Hyuugas were especially deadly in taijutsu by nature. Naruto was rather disappointed, he was hoping Hinata would have something else in store for him.
"Match! Winner: Hinata by knockdown!" Lee yelled. "That was the final fight. If nobody chooses to challenge Hinata for one last match, she will be given the winning title! Any takers?"
Silence.
"Then the victor has been decided! Hinata is the champion!"
Everyone else clapped and cheered loudly for her. She felt awkward being the center of attention and simply waited for everyone to calm down. Once the excitement had passed, everyone seemed to go back to their own conversations. Some were talking about how fast Hinata had beaten Naruto, some were talking about their favorite part from the other matches, and some were simply talking about whatever was on their mind. Hinata turned around to face Naruto as he got back on his feet.
"Told you so." Hinata said with her arms crossed.
"Yeah yeah, whatever. I let you win." Naruto said, avoiding eye contact. Hinata looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
Naruto groaned jokingly. "Okay, fine. You beat me, fair and square, and now I'm left in agonizing curiosity about whatever 'ideas' you had. Happy now?"
"Almost," she responded.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I think I can share one of them with you..."
This made Naruto excited. "Okay then, what are you waiting for?"
"Follow me." She commanded.
Hinata lead them away from the group and into the outskirts of the campsite. Naruto found himself checking her out as she walked in front of him. He liked her long hair, and his eyes followed it down to her swaying hips. He couldn't believe he was looking at her like this, like some kind of pervert. But he couldn't bring himself to look away, she was just so... distracting.
Suddenly, Hinata said "Try and keep up!" and rushed ahead, turning behind a corner of one of the tents. Naruto quickened his pace to catch up to her, but when he turned the corner, she was nowhere to be found at all, as if she had actually disappeared. He heard a footstep behind him and turned around, only to be tackled to the ground.
Hinata climbed on top of him and sat on his waist as she pinned his arms down. Once Naruto's brain had registered what happened, he blushed as he felt her hips briefly move against his. He had to admit, he really liked where this was going.
Hinata herself had started to blush again. She could feel Naruto... all of him... pressed against her. She loved this feeling but wanted to feel more than just his clothes. It took every bit of willpower to not rip off what remained of his tattered clothing.
"This is what you get for breaking your promise to me." Hinata said as she looked down at him. "Have you learned your lesson now?"
Truthfully, yes. Naruto realized that if he ever promised something to Hinata, even if it was something small, she would make him keep his word for it. But he knew that if he admitted defeat, this little game they were playing would come to an end, and he didn't quite want that yet. Naruto's shocked expression grew into a devilish smile. "And if I say no, what happens then? Is this the only 'idea' you could come up with?"
Hinata hadn't quite gotten that far. Everything she was doing was out of pure wittiness. She was already blushing hard, and her pulse was racing so fast she thought she might have a heart attack. She could tell Naruto was enjoying this, and that only made her want him more.
"I have plenty of ideas planned for you, Naruto Uzumaki. But this is all you get for now. Admit defeat, and maybe I'll share one more with you..."
"Okay, fine. You win, Hinata. I've learned my lesson."
"Say it." She commanded.
"I promise I won't do anything to get myself hurt until I'm back to one hundred percent." Naruto said anxiously.
"Good." She responded while smiling sweetly at him.
"Is that all?" Naruto said grinning at her.
"Um..." Hinata looked around as if she couldn't figure out what to do next. What should she do? They were on the ground, outside, in broad daylight, where people could see them at any moment.
She let go of Naruto's arms and backed up just enough to allow him to sit up. She was still sitting on top of his crotch when he sat up and put his hands on her waist. She gasped at his touch, even if it was just through her hoodie. When he was fully upright, their faces were mere inches apart.
Naruto felt like he was going to have a stroke. All of this was so new to him, and the tension was driving him mad. What was even worse, was that he loved every second of it. He loved the way Hinata looked at him, and the way she became flustered when he looked back at her the same. He loved the feel of Hinata sitting on him, and loved the feel of his hands on her slim waist. He wanted more. He found himself desperately wanting to know what this other idea was that Hinata had planned.
"Well? I'm waiting..." Naruto said.
Hinata said nothing as she wrapped her hands behind his neck and began to pull him closer to her. This was it, no going back. She felt Naruto tilt his head upward at her as he moved one of his hands to her cheek. She blushed even further as she realized, Naruto could tell exactly where this was going, and he wanted it to happen. She began to close what little distance was left, and then...
That's when the giant sand tower exploded out of the ground.
Well, how was that? I hope you guys aren't too upset about their little "interruption" haha. I promise things are about to get better. Personally, I enjoy a somewhat slower relationship building process, especially when it comes to building tension, as I feel this chapter did. I don't like when it's rushed just so people can skip to the good part. But, the best is yet to come, I assure you that. How was the chapter length? Too long? Not long enough? Let me know in the reviews!