NARUTO IS PROPERTY OF MASASHI KISHIMOTO
"Kyuubi talking"
'Kyuubi thinking'
"Normal speech"
'Characters thinking'
Author's note:
Here you go. I had 80% of this one ready in less than a week, but the endings are always difficult to me. And yes! I got carried away with the NaruHina parts but that's what inspires me most, so sue me.
Also, I think I'm going to re-write the first two chapters of Absent. And then I'll bring it back from the dead, but you have to be patient.
Generation Lost
Chapter 7: A Beautiful Indifference
"Cause there is hate and there is love and there is loss
But there is light and there is dark, then there is us."
"You can't be serious. That's…" Sakura put down her chopsticks, the brand new information was too much for her stomach to handle.
"The word you're looking for is disgusting." Naruto chipped in, taking the hot noodles to his mouth. "Although I'm not that surprised."
The pink-haired girl looked down to her half-finished bowl of ramen, as she tried to imagine a gigantic snake being able to live underneath Orochimaru's skin. Kakashi continued to narrate how his mission with Anko evolved into a race against time, with Kakashi's dogs trying to get a scent of Sasuke's or any of Orochimaru's followers to track down their whereabouts, but failing to do so.
"When we came back to the hideout with the support team, the snake's head had been severed." The white-haired shinobi explained humorlessly, failing to hide his disappointment.
"Who'd do that?" The medic-nin asked in disbelief, placing her bowl out of sight.
'I have a fair idea.' The blond thought as he emptied his soup. Naruto considered finishing off her left overs but found that his appetite was lacking. He still had mixed feelings about the conclusion of their meeting, and even in the company of his old team he didn't feel like his usual self.
"What would you do with a snake head, anyways?"
"You already told them about the snake, huh?" A loud, familiar voice asked from behind the three of them. Sakura and Naruto turned to face the newcomer, but Kakashi didn't bother.
Anko's revealing cleavage welcomed the sight of the two younger ninjas. "I'd have place it on my living room, hanging on the wall, with my other trophies."
"Anko-san." Sakura greeted respectfully. "What other trophies do you have?"
Before the purple-haired woman could open her mouth, Naruto said. "A bunch of men's testicles, I'm sure." A sly smile played in his face. He didn't know what was with that crazy woman but messing with her always made his day.
"Sadly, no." The snake user replied in a monotone, but a twisted smile started appearing on her lips. "But that's not a bad idea. Perhaps I can start my collection with yours."
Naruto watched as she took out a kunai from her pouch and twisted it between her fingers. "You should really tone down your fetish for balls, Anko-chan." The boy grinned as he watched her cheeks flush in anger. Sakura stifled a laugh with a not so dissimulated cough. She made a mental note to scold Naruto after Anko was done with him. If he was alive, that was.
"You forget, brat… I have the right to castrate you after that prank you pulled on me." The woman hissed; not a hint of humor on her voice.
"There, there Anko." Called Kakashi from his corner, before Naruto could open his mouth and secure his death. "He's still a minor. Give him a break."
"You know well enough what he put in my dango!" The snake mistress said firmly, puffing out her cheeks childishly. Naruto couldn't help to snicker.
"Naruto, how long 'till your seventeenth birthday?" Team 7's sensei asked lazily. Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Little less than two months." The child replied.
"Once he is of age, you can maim him all you want." Kakashi replied simply.
"Thanks, sensei." Naruto spat. He narrowed his eyes at Anko's delighted ones.
"I'll have a very special gift for you then, Naruto-kun." The dangerous woman replied sweetly.
"Joy." Muttered the blond. "So, did you just came here just to shout abuse at me?" Naruto said almost casually.
"Oh, right." Anko took a moment to recall what she came here for. "Kakashi, guess what."
The older man sighed heavily, his hand itching to get his book from his pocket. "Do I really have to?"
His response earned a smile from Naruto. He didn't notice how much he missed his sensei.
"Ass." The woman said sourly, taking a seat beside him and placing a friendly hand over Kakashi's shoulder. "The team sent to clean up after your student's fuck up actually came with something good." She sent a mocking grin to the blond, who flipped her the middle finger in reply.
She ignored him. "A scientist was rescued alive from under the mountain, and he might be related to the disappearances in the village."
Kakashi was starting to understand why she was so happy about it. "And he was brought to Konoha for interrogation, right?"
The woman in the trench coat nodded her head vigorously. "Ibiki and I threw a coin for him. He's already on his way to my interrogation room!"
"He's a goner, then." Mumbled Kakashi as he shook his head.
Anko made it seem more exciting than it really was.
She didn't stay long. She left saying she had a few sharp tools to polish for her new client.
"You actually ate less than five bowls." Said an admiring Kakashi, looking into his wallet to pay for everyone's meal.
"Yeah, well… I wasn't that hungry." The blond explained, looking down at his shoes.
"Here." Kakashi said, taking out an envelope from his pouch and handing it to a confused Naruto. "Tsunade-sama asked me to give it to you."
The blond could see the Hokage seal on top of the letter, as he opened the envelope.
"Do you already know what it is?" asked the blond as he unfolded the letter. Sakura watched curiously from behind.
"I ought to. I'm your team leader after all."
The blond's shoulders fell as he took a look at the first two uppercase words.
SUSPENSION NOTICE
"Fuck."
"Oh, I've been waiting for this day for years!" squealed Suigetsu, while he stroked the handle of his gigantic sword.
The sound of water crashing against the pointy rocks still resonated through the cold hallways of their actual hideout. Juugo made no comment or reaction. With long strides, he made his way to Kabuto's lab. It had been locked from the outside a day ago in case he wanted to scape.
"Hurry it up. My blade is thirsty for blood." The purple-eyed shinobi urged, as his taller partner opened the door.
It was hard to see what was inside the room, since the lights were off and there weren't any windows. Strangely, it was colder than the hallway outside and the room smelled like moist dirt. Or at least it did to Juugo. A faint image of Kabuto' hair hinted that he was in the middle of the room, sitting down and facing opposite to them.
"You don't know how long we've been waiting to get rid of you." Said Suigetsu with an ample smile. 'Too bad Karin isn't here to see this.' He thought, admitting that although he wasn't really fond of her, he shared her hatred for Kabuto.
"C'mon, we'll do this in another room." Said Juugo in his deep voice, approaching the fallen man and placing a hand on his shoulder. Orochimaru's pupil didn't say anything.
"Please don't touch him."
Juugo raised his head in search for the owner of the voice, eventually meeting Suigetsu's equally confused eyes. Suigetsu walked up to them and looked around. "You're supposed to be alone."
He noticed the stiffness that fell over his giant friend. "What is it?"
"Juugo. Stand back." That soft voice, and the way it said his name, brought the orange-haired man distant memories he somehow had managed to forget.
"Don't you recognize his voice?" spoke Kabuto, standing up in wobbly feet. Suigetsu took a glance at his exposed left arm. It made his skin crawl.
"What have you done?" asked the sword wielder, bearing his teeth at Kabuto.
Slow footsteps approached the three shinobi. Suigetsu and Juugo turned to look at whoever was in the darkness of the laboratory.
"Good to see you again." Juugo was starting to breath quickly, not being able to believe who was greeting him with such a gentle voice. Suigetsu's eyes widened.
His skin was cracked almost everywhere, and he was walking so slowly it seemed it pained him to move. His green eyes were surrounded by blackness, and they were staring at Juugo.
"Kimi…maro" Breathed the tallest of the men in the room, feeling like he was about to have a mental breakdown.
"Call Sasuke." Kabuto said, stepping over to Kimimaro. Suigetsu noticed how his left arm seemed to be dried up, with strange wrinkles. "Tell him he can have his army."
Even though the sight of a once dead man standing in front of them was daunting, Orochimaru's snake eye looking right back at them from Kabuto's face was downright frightening.
He couldn't said he was surprised, but he certainly was disappointed.
Kakashi and Sakura had been sent back again to Yugakure two days after eating together, this time to look for clues on Kabuto's whereabouts, but Naruto had to wait two long weeks before he could join them.
Two weeks, for someone who had just returned to his home village after so long, was something short of an eternity.
He didn't even remember what he did when he wasn't on missions. He couldn't train properly, because he had already finished with Jiraiya's training and he didn't know what else to learn. His closest friends left him behind and he couldn't go after them. It was still two o'clock, so neither Iruka nor Konohamaru could hang out with him.
He decided to go to the weapon shop and look around. Maybe there was something cool he might buy for himself.
He ended up meeting Tenten, who hugged him when he stepped through the door. Apart from her clothes, she had remained the same. She tried to chat with him, but with little success, as Naruto was still depressed with his nightmares and detention.
"Oh that's right. Sakura told me that you got a suspension." The brunette said, forgetting that she wasn't supposed to tell. Specially Naruto.
Strangely, the blond didn't have the energy to get mad. "It was doomed to happen sooner or later."
"It's not that bad." Tenten said, waving it off. "It happens to all of us. Even Hinata got one as well, but I still don't get how that happened."
Naruto stopped in his tracks. He turned his blue eyes to the older girl. "Bullshit."
"It's true! I just ran into her yesterday. She was supposed to help your team in their mission with Kiba, but she's stuck here instead… Hey! Where're you going?"
The blond had left the spiked kunai he had been looking at in the counter table and exit the shop with a wave of his hand but with no explanation.
The Uzumaki walked briskly down the streets, eyes scanning every shop he saw, in case he found her before reaching her house.
The Hyuuga complex looked even bigger than he remembered. Maybe it was because Hiashi had ordered a new building that would hold a bathhouse, as Hinata would later tell Naruto.
The whiskered chuunin spotted a Hyuuga guard near the entrance, and went to him quickly. Apparently, the girl he was looking for was currently in the house, but the guard told him to wait for her to receive him.
"Sure." The blond replied, already familiar with how things in this house worked. Fifteen minutes passed before a woman greeted him in the lobby and, for Naruto's great surprised, told him that Hinata couldn't see him. She couldn't offer him any further explanation.
Naruto tried to talk her into letting him in, but they would rather call Neji before disobeying a direct order from the next clan head. Naruto found himself walking away from main entrance, still unbelieving of what had just happened.
It wasn't the first time he had come to the Hyuuga Mansion, but not even if he visited late at night or early in the morning, had Hinata prevented him from coming in. Hell, even Hinata's father once said he was welcome to come in the permitted hours.
He suddenly felt cold in his stomach, as a horrible thought came into his mind. 'Have I really pushed her away?'
They had been through so much ever since they were little kids in the Academy. She had been there for him when Gaara almost destroyed the village, when Kisame almost cut his arm off, when Sasuke almost ripped his heart out… Most of his childhood memories were with Hinata at his side, and he had wanted to be there for her when she needed it, but now that connection was lost after he let the Kyuubi run rampant all over her.
She had wanted to make it right, but he kept turning away from her.
He stopped walking, and stood there for almost five full minutes before realization came over him.
He was terrified to face her after all the nightmares, but he was even more scared to lose her after all they had been through.
He scanned the street for any guards that could be lingering around, but found none. With one swift jump over the wall that separated the building from the rest of the village, Naruto disappeared from the streets.
This was more difficult than any other infiltration mission he had ever done. There were hundreds of Hyuuga's in that house and even a kid with those eyes could spot him if he wasn't careful.
Kneeling behind a tree in the right corner of the gardens, Naruto closed his eyes and focused on Hinata's energy. He had to be careful not to use any of his own chakra, or else that would attract unwanted attention.
'Central building, second floor on the right.' Good. Now it was just a matter of avoiding everyone. He could handle it.
It wasn't so hard actually. He just had to jump over the ledge on the second floor and make his way to the room Hinata was in. There weren't many windows, so he could just jump over them and land quietly, but he was good at that.
"Hey."
Naruto froze at the voice behind him. Turning around slowly, he noticed that a window that was once closed had been opened by no less than Hinata's younger sister.
Blue eyes met white, cold ones. 'Ah, shit.' The blond didn't dare say anything, but he wasn't enjoying the look of satisfaction on Hanabi's not so young face. It actually crept him out.
Since she didn't speak, Naruto was the one to continue the conversation. "Please don't say anything."
Hanabi's knowing eyes glinted with joy. "Do I get an incentive?"
Naruto's eye ticked in annoyance. "How about a favor?"
She smirked at him. "Good. I'll cash it out whenever I see fit." Hanabi looked towards Hinata's position. "Go on then. I think she's crying again. She wouldn't tell me why but I had a feeling it had something to do with you."
Naruto's aggravation grew even more, so he didn't waste a second to leap through the ceiling, finally reaching the corner of the complex and finding an open window that let through a touch of her gentle aroma.
This was definitively her room. And she had been crying. He could hear her sniffling from outside.
Even though he desperately wanted to see her, he thought it best not to violate her privacy by climbing into her bedroom uninvited. He called her name, at which her sniffles cut short but didn't respond. He called again.
"Hinata, it's me." He said with a sigh, although he was positive she had figured that out already. "I know I'm being very inappropriate but I really wanted to talk to you."
Silence. It seemed that she really hated him right now. And if she asked him to go he'd do just that, and bury what once had been his source of happiness and leave it behind.
"I'm… not sure if I can face you now, Naruto-kun." Her voice waved a bit.
The blond lowered his head. "We can just talk like we're doing now."
The girl nodded her head, then remembered she couldn't see her so she said, "Ok."
The blond wet his lips, trying to think how to start. "Uh… I saw Tenten today. She told me you had also been suspended."
"Yeah." Hinata still had the open letter on top of her study.
"We can talk to Tsunade. I'll tell her it was my fault we disobeyed orders. There's a possibility she can take yours back." Naruto positioned himself on a sitting position on top of a horizontal wooden beam, with a lamp hanging at the end.
"It wasn't your fault. I went with you willingly." The girl objected in a low voice, just loud enough for Naruto to hear.
"Escaping was my idea. At least she'll understand that-"
"Naruto-kun, I won't allow you to take the blame for me. We were both wrong, and we should've known better. It was just bad luck that things ended like they did." Her tone was firm this time.
The Kyuubi container was starting to lose his temper. "Why won't you let me help you?"
"You don't need to help me, Naruto-kun. It's just the way things are." She sat down on the edge of her bed, feeling too weak to argue standing up.
The blond let out a shaky breath. "You got hurt because of me."
"Naruto-kun, that has nothing to do with the suspension not-"
"Yes it does!" Naruto snapped, maybe a little bit too loud. "It has everything to do with that goddamn mission… I just want to make it right."
"I never blamed you for anything. You don't owe me. Everything is fine." Her hands pressed against each other.
"Fine..." This time his voice was really low, but she could hear him clearly. She raised her shiny eyes to meet his stunning blue ones. "Then why were you crying?"
He had a concerned look on his face, and his worry grew even more when the Hyuuga beauty averted her puffy eyes.
"I… didn't want you to see me like this."
"I'm sorry." Naruto kneeled in front of her, but she still wouldn't face him. "But I can't bear you telling me everything's fine when we can't even look each other in the eye."
He talked to her delicately, fearing she might break if he said the wrong thing.
Hinata held her tears in place. She didn't want to break in front of him. Not over a subject they had already been over. Still, it was hard to breath.
"If you prefer, we can talk another day." Naruto said, climbing back to his feet. "I just don't want to see you suffering because of me."
Hinata let out a small laugh, to which Naruto raised an eyebrow. He didn't know just how sweet he could be, and that made Hinata even more sensitive.
She sniffed one more time, before scooting a bit further from him and motioning him to sit down beside her. Naruto wondered if she had forgotten it was her bed they were talking about. He hesitated.
"Maybe I could just get a chair or something?" Hinata shook her head forcefully, terminating his argument. He sat down slowly, almost fearing he somehow could break it if he sat too suddenly. That's when he noticed the real dimensions of her bedroom.
It was at least as big as his kitchen and living room combined. Her bed wasn't as big as his new one, but the covers were so soft he might as well me sitting on top of a cloud. There were multiple photos hanging from the wall besides her desk, along with a flower base standing at the end of the desk's surface. There was a door on the far east that Naruto supposed lead to the bathroom, but he soon found another one on his right. He supposed it might be where she kept her clothes.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going to be part of your monitoring team." She started, playing with a few strands of her hair. "You were so angry… I didn't know what to say after your debriefing."
"That…" Naruto breathed deeply and hunched his shoulders. He started over. "If I could, I'd go back in time and I wouldn't let myself sleep that day, so you wouldn't have to see me scream your name like that."
"I…"
"Just answer me this." Naruto turned to her. "Do you think you're the one responsible for my nightmares?"
Hinata gulped. "I'm not sure."
"That means it's passed through your mind." Naruto said sadly. "That's why I didn't want you to see me like that… You'd think that it's your fault, then you'd start avoiding me, and here we are."
"I thought that… if you didn't see me then your nightmares would start getting better." Hinata mumbled miserably.
"Hinata, it's been three days since I don't see you and they're as bad as usual." Naruto mused. "Even if it worked, I wouldn't have it."
"Why wouldn't you?" asked Hinata, alarmed.
"Because I've decided to stop running away from you." He turned to look at her, and this time, their eyes met. She could see he was being sincere. "Everything that's happening to me is on me, you heard Inoichi. So you worry about you and I'll worry about me, but in the mean time I'd like to get back to normal."
Hinata's lips tugged upwards. "You make it sound so easy, Naruto-kun."
"Believe me, Hin." She blushed. She loved it when he called her that. "It'd be way easier for you than for me. But I'll try if you try."
"With one condition." The girl said, turning to look at his suspicious face. Just seeing him in front of her childhood photos, sitting stiffly on top of her covers made her breath faster. "You have to stop trying to make it up to me."
"No." Naruto took less than a second to answer. He shifted his whole body to her, so she could see how serious he was. "I can't just let it go like that."
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata said patiently. She knew just how his pride worked. "The only thing I care about is that we're both alive and well. Why don't we just pick it up from here? Isn't that what you're looking for?"
"Well, yeah but-"
"Then it's decided." Hinata said cheerfully, springing up from her bed and turning to look at him, all traces of tears gone. The only way to beat Naruto's arguments was to be more assertive than him, so she gathered her courage and strained her voice to sound cheerful. "You can stay here and argue if you want, or you can come with me to the flower shop." The girl immediately went to the far side of her room to recover her jacket.
Hinata's change of attitude was so sudden Naruto didn't know what to think. "Wait we can't just leave it at that, Hinata. And why the flower shop? Hey!"
"Shhh." The girl rushed towards him with a finger on her lips. Naruto stopped talking, but only because her face got too close to his. "No one knows you're in my room, remember?"
"Yeah?"
"Meet me in the street. I can't be late." A few moments later, Naruto was left alone on her strange room, before he snapped into action. It was difficult to concentrate on the other Hyuuga's in the house, since a new rush of happiness was coursing through Naruto's veins at seeing Hinata act like her usual self, or even better.
Hinata was left hanging against her own compound's walls while she waited for her crush appear.
Ten minutes later, she felt his presence jumping from the other side of the walls, dusting his shoulders and hair from leaves and dirt.
"Sorry, I had to find another way out to the gardens." Naruto said as he ran both hands through his spikes to make sure nothing was left. "There were a bunch of old guys sitting in front of the lake."
"Those are the elders." Hinata explained as she started walking north to the center of the village.
"They seemed pretty grumpy."
"They are always like that."
"How can you put up with people like that?" If Naruto were to listen to a handful of bitter old men every day he would have left that place a long time ago.
Hinata smiled but didn't answer. They were already on busy streets so they had to mind their steps. Naruto decided to stop talking about Hyuuga matters. "So, why the flower shop?"
"I need to buy some flowers."
"Obviously." Naruto stepped to the left to avoid an old lady passing by. "What for?"
"I always take flowers to Kurenai-sensei when I visit her and Mirai-chan." Hinata's smile grew tender at the thought of the baby.
"Mirai-chan?" Naruto scratched his head, but the name didn't ring a bell.
Hinata stopped on her tracks and turned to look at Naruto in wonder. "That's Kurenai-sensei's daughter… didn't you know?"
Naruto's widened eyes told her that he didn't have a clue. "What?! A daughter? Who's the father?" The Uzumaki only remembered Hinata's teacher like a tall, good-looking young woman who was always smiling at him but he never got to know why.
Hinata's smile faltered noticeably. "I thought you knew already. She got married to Asuma-san just before she gave birth."
"Asuma? Like in Konohamaru's uncle?" The instant image of a beard under a cigarette hit Naruto's mind.
Hinata smiled sadly. "And team 10's sensei…" She continued to walk the familiar route towards the Yamanaka flower shop.
"Oh, man. I had no idea those two were a couple. But now that I think about it… they were always together."
"Naruto-kun, Asuma-sensei died almost two months ago." Hinata said, taking a right in the corner and looking at him meaningfully. "It's a delicate topic to Kurenai-sensei and team 10."
"He's dead?" The blond muttered more to himself than to the girl. He had barely known the guy but he knew he was an important part of his friends' life. He always thought that after three years he would come back to the same place, with the same people, but never did he consider the possibility of someone he knew dying.
He didn't get to ask Hinata how he died, as they were already entering the shop.
"Look who decided to finally visit."
Her voice hadn't changed. But she looked more like an adult than the rest of the rookie 9. Her clothing revealed her bare stomach, shoulders and legs, which Naruto was sure left little to other men's imagination. Her makeup made her features seem sharper, but no matter how mature she looked, he was sure she could revert to her childish nature in an instant.
"Trust me, it was Hinata's idea to come here." The blond replied nonchalantly, watching as the blond beauty walked over to them.
"I'm sure." Ino replied, forgetting about him and enveloping Hinata in a hug. "How did your mission go?"
"Good… well, we just ran into a little bit of trouble." Hinata said with a cordial smile.
"Is it true that you got suspended?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"And you didn't have anything to do with it, right?" her tone changed to a threatening one as she turned to look at Naruto, but she had to angle her face upwards so she could meet his eyes.
"I might be wrong, but I think that's none of your business." Naruto said with folded arms, not willing to stand down. Why was she always mad at him?
"You are wrong. Hina-chan's my friend and therefor it is my business." The girl made her point clear by wrapping her arm around Hinata's shoulder. Hinata offered an uncomfortable laugh.
"Let's forget about that. Ino-san, would you help me with Kurenai-sensei's bouquet?" The girl smiled sweetly at her friend, which made both Ino and Naruto forget about their aggressive exchange.
"Oh right! It is Friday after all. I already made it for you."
Ino took Hinata to a table where a bouquet of white and yellow flowers was waiting for them. Naruto decided to just hang around and browse over the colorful options the Yamanaka's had to offer, since he didn't want to interrupt the two girls' talk.
"Oi, Naruto." The whiskered boy snapped his head towards Ino's voice.
"Hmm?"
"I was telling Hinata we're going to Shikamaru's river tonight along with Chouji, you can come as well and say hi to the guys."
Her tone wasn't polite at all, but it lacked the irritability she was addressing him with just a few minutes ago. Naruto wondered if she was still hurting over her dead sensei. He wondered how he would be like two months after his own sensei's death.
Noticing Naruto was watching her strangely without replying to her invitation, Ino decided to add, "or do you already have plans for tonight?"
"No."
"Good. 7 o'clock at Shikamaru's. Hinata can take you, she knows where he lives." The Yamanaka winked at Hinata, but Naruto couldn't tell why she would do that. The Hyuuga turned away from the counter with the bouquet in her hands and a blush in her face. Naruto took it as a cue for them to go.
"Later." He called to the other blonde in the shop. Ino responded with a nod of her head.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to, Naruto-kun." The girl said shyly.
"No, it's okay." The blond replied, walking besides her. "I've decided to meet with each team individually and tell them about my condition as a jinchuriki."
Hinata's eyebrows rose in concern. "Are you sure?"
The blond nodded his head. "I gave it some thought, but I decided to tell my friends myself before they find out in another nasty way."
"I'm sure they'll appreciate you personally telling them." Hinata said, agreeing with his decision and admiring his courage.
"Hey, Hin."
The girl turned her eyes to his, noticing his tone had gone somber and his eyes were serious.
"How did Asuma died?"
Hinata looked ahead again, but she answered nonetheless. "He was killed by an Akatsuki member. Their mission was to investigate two mysterious men that were making their way to Konoha."
"What were their names?" The boy asked in a tense voice. Hinata noticed.
"The man that killed him was named Hidan. The other one I can't remember." Hinata noticed Naruto was uncharacteristically silent.
"Naruto-kun?" the girl called, but Naruto's eye seemed far away. "We're here."
Hinata's last words seemed to shake Naruto out of his thoughts. He found himself standing in front of a wooden door with a welcome mat at his feet.
"Would you like to visit her too?" The girl asked, noticing that she had dragged Naruto with her without first asking him if he wanted to see her sensei.
"Oh… I don't think that she'd like having me in her house." The blond said, waving his palms in front of him.
The girl smiled. "She's been wanting to see you ever since you came back, and you are the only one that hasn't met Mirai-chan yet."
Naruto would be lying if he said he didn't want to see Asuma and Kurenai's baby, but had a feeling Kurenai already knew what had happened on Yugakure and she wouldn't like him to be near Hinata.
Whatever excuse Naruto was going to say left his mind when he saw Kurenai's face popping up from behind the window that was next to the entrance door and spotting the two of them.
The door opened a second later.
"Now this is a surprise." The gorgeous lady said in her usual calm tone. Naruto watched as Hinata was embraced the second time that day. "Don't just stand there, come on in."
Naruto noticed she was talking to him, so he resigned and stepped inside her house. "Thanks."
Team 8's sensei smiled at him. "Wow, you're so tall now. Even though you were even smaller than Hinata."
"We were the same size, actually." The blond corrected.
"Hmm… I'm sure I can get a picture that proves me right." Kurenai offered him a smug smile.
"It's not that important. I mean, who cares?" The blond scratched the back of his head with a grin. "Anyways, Tsunade-baachan says I'll be even taller in a few years." Hinata smiled at their interaction. She stepped towards her sensei and offered the flowers she had in her hands.
"Oh, Hinata. They're as beautiful as always." The black-haired jounin said as she held them close to her face. "Why don't you sit and I'll bring Mirai? She's so eager to see you."
"I want to see her too." Hinata replied as she let Kurenai guide her and Naruto to the living room and into a comfortable couch. The blond took notice of a photograph were Asuma was hugging a very pregnant Kurenai.
"How old is the baby?" The boy asked Hinata while they waited for Kurenai return with her daughter.
"Just about six months." Hinata answered, with a tinge of pink on her cheeks. "Oh, you're going to love her."
Naruto couldn't help but smile at Hinata's enthusiasm for an infant. "I have a feeling that you're gonna get carried away."
Hinata didn't replied to his words, as she sprung to her feet as soon as she saw Kurenai coming from around the corner with what he supposed to be her daughter moving on her arms.
"She just woke up." Announced the mother as she held the baby for Hinata to take.
"Hello, Mirai-chan." Hinata cooed, face hovering on top of the baby girl. There was a pause before the baby could recognize the face in front of her, but when she did, the room exploded in gurgles of pleasure and laughter that only a baby could make. "I missed you too!"
Hinata's own pleasure was evident. Her eyes were almost closed from her smile being so big, and her cheeks were as pink as the baby's. Her affection for the little girl was captivating.
"Naruto?" Kurenai called again, this time managing to get his attention.
"Uh… Yeah?" The blond said stupidly, turning around to face the adult. It was hard to concentrate with Hinata's caring words in the background. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
"Clearly." The jounin said with a knowing smile. "I'm glad that you and Hinata worked it out."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Hinata just came by two days ago with the worst case of depression I've ever seen. And I supposed it was because of what happened in your mission." Kurenai explained, offering Naruto a glass of water, which he accepted.
"Right… well, we talked about it just an hour ago. I guessed it helped in a way, since we can already talk somewhat normal." The blond said seriously, but the laughter that escaped Hinata's lips made him look back at her.
"You bet it helped." Kurenai said, sipping from her own glass. "I mean look at her. Not a trace from the sulking Hinata from before."
"I guess..." The blond said, somewhat lightheaded. The baby was still laughing her lungs out while Hinata nuzzled her nose against hers, and showered her with kisses on the forehead and cheeks. It was a motherly sight of Hinata Naruto had never encountered, and he was mesmerized by it.
He wondered how it would feel like to be on the opposing end of the Hyuuga's kisses. By the end of his current thoughts, his ears were burning hot and he was sure his cheeks were as red as the flower vase on top of the table.
"Naruto-kun." Hinata's voice brought him back to reality.
"T-Tell me." Naruto tried his best to appear casual as he drank from his glass. Hinata didn't seem to notice. But he couldn't speak for Kurenai. She seemed to know something he didn't.
"Would you like to hold her?" She asked, still breathless from all the fun she'd been having with the toddler.
"I don't think that's such a good idea." Naruto hurried to say, and turned around to look at the mother. But Kurenai gave a permissive nod that Hinata took as a signal to sit next to Naruto.
"Here." The girl said, leaning closely to the blond until their arms met. Naruto was still spitting excuses, but Hinata was already positioning the child on his arms. "Hold her like this."
Hinata was still looking exclusively at the girl in both her and Naruto's arms. Naruto didn't miss the fond look in her eyes. He felt his heart beating faster. 'Shut up.' The blond chastised himself inwardly.
"You need to hold her head in place." Kurenai added cautiously, noticing that Naruto was paying more attention to Hinata than to her baby.
"Like this?" The blond could now look down on the toddler, which was looking at him with her shining red eyes. "Look, she has your eyes." Naruto exclaimed, as if they hadn't figure it out already.
Both Kurenai and Hinata awarded him with a smile. Her chubby cheeks were flushed from her rounds of laughter with Hinata, and a sprout of dark hair was neatly arranged on her miniature head. The girl started at him with her big eyes, without emitting a sound.
"She's so light." Naruto marveled, being the first time he held a baby like this. "What's up? My name's Naruto… nice to meet you… Mirai." Unlike with Hinata, the baby was still analyzing Naruto's face intently. She lifted up one of her miniature arms and extended her even more miniature fingers.
"All right. Just don't scratch my face, okay?" Naruto lowered his face a little bit more, and Mirai placed her tiny palm on top of his right cheek, where his whiskers were placed. She tried to scratch them, which only triggered a chuckle from Naruto. "I'm a little bit sensitive in there." The Uzumaki explained, almost as if the baby could understand.
Hinata wondered if the blond was aware of the spreading smile that was adorning his face, or that his voice had gone so low that they could barely listen. Right now was a private moment between Naruto and the baby, the other two people in the room had completely disappeared for him.
Mirai emitted a few grunts as she tried to reach higher. Naruto knitted his eyebrows, then lowered his head even more, until Mirai finally got what she was looking for. A couple of tugs to one of his golden spikes caused the baby to laugh like mad.
"Ouch." Naruto closed his right eye, as Mirai continued to tug on his hair. "So that's what she wanted."
"She's just not used to see blond hair." Kurenai explained from her chair. "She does the same thing with Ino."
"Come on." Naruto tried to escape her grip but she had a pretty good one. "That's mean."
"Stop bullying Naruto-kun, Mirai-chan." Hinata said cheerfully. Mirai recognized her voice immediately and threw her arms her way, red eyes shining with excitement. "Come here."
Hinata recovered the girl swiftly from Naruto's hands, and he felt he could move freely again.
"That was my first time holding a baby." Naruto announced with a bashful smile to the two other women in the room.
"Not bad." Kurenai said with a grin. "I mean, it could go so much worse. The first time I gave her to Kiba, he almost dropped her."
"He often thinks he's got paws for hands." The Uzumaki claimed seriously. Hinata was now ensnared by the attention the baby was giving her, and Naruto was just happy to watch the indigo-haired girl play with Mirai's ears and nose.
"What are you planning to do in your forced vacations?"
Naruto took a second to understand she meant his suspension. He ripped his eyes away from Hinata snuggling the toddler. "I don't really know. Ever since I came back I feel like I have too much time in my hands. I was planning on asking Kakashi-sensei to teach me some wind jutsus but he's in a mission with Sakura."
He guessed she should be really mad at him for Hinata's suspension. But she still hadn't mention anything about that, nor did she look reprovingly at him.
"You're a wind type?" Kurenai asked, slightly surprised.
"Yeah." The blond replied with a proud grin. "Jiraiya says it's not common for someone from Konoha. I know a few techniques but I really want to expand my portfolio, you know?"
"How do you feel about learning from a jutsu scroll?" Kurenai said in a tone Hinata knew to be like she was planning something.
"They're rare and expensive. I've been to the library but they don't seem to have much more than simple jutsus." The whiskered boy replied in a bummed out tone.
"Excuse me for a minute." The woman said, as she disappeared into the stairs that led to the second floor.
The blond sent a confused look at Hinata, who only shrugged in response and went back to listen to Mirai babble gibberish. The blond smirked. "If you want to steal her, now's the time."
The Hyuuga laughed. "I'm waiting until she doesn't have to be breastfed anymore."
"Wow." The blond exclaimed with honest surprise. "You've actually put some thought into it."
"Who knows…" the Hyuuga heiress mused as she caressed Mirai's cheek. The toddler managed to trap one of Hinata's fingers in her tiny hands. "I mean, she's so cute." The girl almost squealed.
The blond chuckled. "Yeah, you both are."
Hinata continued to smile onto the baby until Naruto's words dawned on her. Slowly, she ripped her eyes away from Mirai's toothless grin and towards her partner, but found herself hostage of the Uzumaki's blue irises already looking at her.
"Thank you." Hinata managed to say through her glowing face. "But I think you and Mirai make an even cuter sight."
"I doubt it. I stopped being cute ages ago." The blond leaned forward and rest his arms on top of his legs, but continued to look at Hinata and the back of the baby's head.
"How would you describe yourself, then?" The Hyuuga inquired.
Naruto smirked before answering. "Freakishly sexy." He replied with a toothy grin. Hinata's lips let out a laugh, which probably made Naruto's day.
"Freakish, yes." The girl said, trying to tone done her smile. Just saying the other word provoked her giggle reflexes. "The other part I'm not so sure."
"Hmm." Naruto appeared thoughtful. "We'll see about that when you see me in my swimsuit."
The girl grinned inwardly, turning her flushed face to the baby. "Is it a speedo?" Hinata still found the energy to tease. In fact, she felt more invigorated than she'd ever felt before.
The blond was tempted to reply with a 'you wish', but he knew Hinata would be appalled by the words' implications. He decided to go for the truth. "They're normal trunks."
"Thank God." Hurried to say Hinata, but not without involuntarily imaging Naruto in a tight, green speedo, very similar to the one Lee owned.
Naruto bit his inner cheek before continuing. "… With a bunch of little bowls of ramen all over it."
This caught Hinata's attention. She turned to look at him with an unbelieving stare, but by witnessing his guilty smile, she knew he wasn't kidding.
"What?" Naruto couldn't stop grinning at Hinata's silent laughter. "Say something!"
It was too soon. Now the baby was also shaking along with Hinata's arms. The blond let out a laugh of his own while he continued to explain. "I just saw them on a store and I had to buy them!"
Right after Naruto finished talking, Hinata let out the most magical burst of laughter he had ever heard. The whole house filled with the sound of the Hyuuga's mirth. It was so shocking that Naruto stopped smiling at once. He was transfixed, listening to her for the very first time laugh like a carefree person, without duties or responsibilities.
Hinata's laugh had a meaning of its own. After days of not sleeping well, remembering the bloody night she had to learn of Naruto's secret, and to watch him through a window howl her name in pain, she could finally let go of it. If it weren't for Naruto's boldness, she would still be thinking of avoiding him until his nightmares disappeared and he forgot about her name.
Within his dumbfounded mind, an irrational thought was dictating what the only course of action could be. Naruto got the incredible urge to hold her as close as he could, and meet again her lips, so that he could erase the terrible circumstances that led to their first. It was surfacing. He didn't even think about the baby blocking his way. The young man wanted to close the few centimeters that were separating them, but Kurenai made her way to the scene, which only served to let him in a paralyzed state.
"Wow Hinata, I've never heard you laugh like that." If the jounin had to admit it, she got scared for a full second, thinking that something had probably happened to her daughter.
"I'm sorry." The Hyuuga breathed, trying to calm herself down. She was succeeding. "I'm sorry. I'm okay now."
'More than okay, I'd say.' Kurenai thought happily.
"It's just… Naruto-kun has-"
"I know. I heard everything from upstairs." The red-eyed kunoichi turned to the young blond. She raised an eyebrow at him. Unlike Hinata, Naruto had a disappointed look on his face which he was trying to mask. 'Sorry to ruin your moment, kiddo.' "Naruto, why don't you take a look at this?"
The long-haired jounin handed a scroll to the blond. Naruto still felt like a deflate balloon, but his humor started to change after he analyzed the scroll carefully.
"Asuma learned some of his techniques from this one right there." Kurenai said solemnly.
At the sound of Asuma's name, Naruto looked at the scroll like it were cursed. "I can't take something from him. This belongs to the Sarutobi family." He tried to give it back but Kurenai had already retrieved her hand.
"I am part of the Sarutobi family, and I'm lending it to you." The woman said with pride. "It's not being used, and I don't think it will for at least a decade. Besides, I'm sure he'd like a fellow wind user to have a go at it."
The blond seemed to think about it. He analyzed the yellow scroll in his hands and found a signature at the back. "This belonged to the Sandaime." The last thing he expected to find that day was a memento from his grandfather figure. The Third Hokage's signature was neatly written in the corner of the surface.
"There are others with more advanced techniques upstairs. When you feel ready just come and get them." The mother offered a smile.
"Take it Naruto-kun." Hinata prodded, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's just what you need."
Naruto started to unravel the parchment and witness the tiny scriptures and hand drawn figures on the first part of the document. Based on the length of every technique and the size of the words, there should be at least twenty techniques listed there. His eyes shone bright with a new type of hunger.
He nodded, taking away his eyes from the scroll. "I'll give it back as soon as I can."
The Hyuuga beamed at him.
"Take your time." The jounin said, and as an afterthought added, "And be careful. There're a few dangerous in there."
"Those are my favorite." Naruto said with a confident smile, analyzing the scroll once again.
Just fifteen minutes after that, Naruto excused himself saying that he was sure teacher and student had things to talk that didn't concern him. It was clear that he was eager to take a closer look at the first listed jutsu, so Kurenai didn't put much trouble for him to leave.
He added, however, a last comment to Hinata.
"Pick you up tonight?" he asked once he was standing up. Hinata took a moment to reply with a nod of her head. "6:30." He said simply, leaving the three girls alone.
Kurenai looked pointedly at her student, incapable of masking the accusing smile that was tugging at her lips. Hinata tried to defend herself.
"We're just going to Shikamaru's house since we got invited." She said lamely, avoiding her master's eyes.
Her sensei grinned wolfishly at her, mortifying the Hyuuga even more. But even though her student's advance delighted her, a worrying thought lingered in the back of her head. 'I have to talk to Kiba.'
Nothing brought more joy to Kabuto than the fact that it was Sasuke who had come to see him, rather than he was ordered to appear in front of his throne to report his success. Although the Uchiha seemed to have more interest in the once dead Kimimaro, as he was pacing around him.
"They regain all their memories, you say?" Sasuke said in an interested tone, which only served to strengthen Kabuto's smug smile.
"Memories, abilities, personality…" Kabuto said with a grin. "Juugo already proved it, when he started talking about his childhood with our guest here."
"How were you killed?" the Uchiha demanded. Kimimaro looked at him impassively, finding it hard to believe that the kid was the new leader of Orochimaru's forces. Sasuke narrowed his eyes a bit on Kimimaro's delay to answer. "Don't you remember?"
"I remember being crush to death by Sabaku no Gaara's jutsu, after the jinchuriki left to fight you." Strangely enough, Kimimaro didn't feel anything at narrating the gruesome facts of his death.
"He's also indestructible." The older former Konoha shinobi announced proudly. Kimimaro raised an eyebrow at his words.
"Suigetsu, want to prove it?" Sasuke asked of his right hand, who took a swing from his water bottle and proceeded to use Zabuza's sword to slash the undead's head off. The Uchiha had to admit he was impressed at the speed that Kimimaro's severed head started to turn into dust that quickly returned to his still standing body.
Sasuke nodded, thoughtfully.
"Let's say you revive someone who isn't going to cooperate with us…" The black-eyed Uchiha started, but seeing the glint in Kabuto's now unequal eyes, he knew he had already thought about it.
"There's the possibility to just place a totem inside of them and render them puppet-like. It disposes of the personality, though."
Sasuke didn't like how he felt like Orochimaru was smiling at him through Kabuto's new eye.
"It's incredible." Commented Karin, walking closer to the undead. "He even keeps his chakra signature."
"What is it that you need to keep making these?" Sasuke asked. His mind was made and he decided he'll kill Kabuto after he didn't need of the Edo Tensei* anymore.
"Just a human sacrifice and a part of the decease's body, preferably its corpse." The Medic-nin replied simply, holding two fingers high for them to see.
"Juugo, Suigetsu." Sasuke started and Suigetsu cursed under his breath. That tone meant he'll start to order them around. "Start gathering people for Kabuto to sacrifice."
"How many?" Juugo asked calmly.
"As many as you can in one month, without sparking too much attention." Sasuke then turned to Karin. "You're coming with me. We'll have to find that masked man." The red-haired woman squealed at the opportunity to be in Sasuke's company.
"Kabuto, keep this one out of people's eyes. No one is to know we managed to replicate the Nidaime's jutsu." As he was getting out of Kabuto's laboratory he added. "Kabuto, I trust you can find more fine candidates for my army."
"I have a few on my mind already." Kabuto replied with a twisted smile.
Sasuke swore he saw a snake-like tongue creep out of his lips for a fraction of a second.
When Naruto arrived to the Hyuuga compound for the second time that same day, the Hyuuga heiress was already waiting for him.
"Sorry I'm late." Naruto huffed, bending over as he recovered his breath. It was just ten minutes to 7 o'clock, but Hinata had decided to wait for him to come no matter how late he arrived.
"It's okay, Naruto-kun. They won't mind that much." The girl spoke for Shikamaru and Chouji, but she knew Ino didn't like to wait. She preferred to be the one who made the rest wait.
"I know, I just didn't want you to keep you waiting."
His words made her look to the ground with a small smile as they parted from her home and into the village. The light was already receding and it wouldn't take more than half an hour for total darkness to fall upon the village.
There was still warmness between them since their afternoon interaction, for which Hinata decided to ask, "I'm assuming the jutsu scroll had nothing to do with your lateness?" Her voice was innocent, but her eyes analyzed him playfully.
Naruto grinned while he scratched the back of his head. "There's no fooling you, huh?"
Hinata smiled at her right guess. "Anything good?"
Naruto's eyes immediately lightened, and his mouth started to move rapidly. "Oh, you have no idea! If I managed to learn at least five of those jutsus I'd be promoted to jounin instantly! There's everything! From defensive walls of wind to slicing techniques that can reach hundreds of meters away! There's a jutsu that technically allows you to become a human sword. Everything you touch gets sliced up in pieces and you can extended it to any object with a blade…"
Hinata smiled at the blond's enthusiasm. It was refreshing to see him talk like there was nothing plaguing his mind. She was glad that this day had turned out the way it had, and she was hoping it would only get better.
Their walk to the far side of West Konoha was filled with chatter, mainly because Naruto wouldn't shut up about his future jutsus. The Nara's house reached the village's limits to the point of having the forest for an exterior garden. Naruto didn't know there were houses in this part of the city, but a big red, pointy roof greeted his sight under the light of the street lampposts.
Hinata explained that every clan had a duty to the village, apart from supplying shinobi to the village's forces. The Yamanakas were owners of the flower trade all over the country, the Akimichis were in charge of the production of shinobi pills that were sold all over the world, and the Nara watched over the forest surrounding the village, along with the deers living within them.
Naruto watched with interest at the two stone deers that were flanking the entrance of the Nara clan compound. "You weren't kidding about the deers." He commented in a soft voice, stepping up to the main entrance door. Hinata was about to press the doorbell to announce their arrival, but the door opened as soon as Naruto stepped besides Hinata.
"Finally." A very stern Ino said, opening the door for both of them to enter. "Why are you late?" She demanded, placing her hands on her hips and seizing him with her stare.
'Why is she always angry with me?' Naruto said with a raised eyebrow, looking down at her. "You see, I was having a difficult time choosing the perfect swimsuit for this special occasion."
He turned to wink at Hinata, which only made her laugh silently.
Ino rolled her eyes at Hinata. "Oh yeah? How many do you have?"
Naruto walked passed her towards the source of noises that were coming from the kitchen, holding out one finger for her to see.
"Stop teasing her, Naruto. She's become so much more annoying, and it is us that have to deal with her later." The blond was impressed at how Shikamaru's voice had changed, since it didn't sound anything at all like he remembered. It was deep and steady, but still covered with a tinge of his usual drawl that denoted his lazy nature.
The Uzumaki smirked once he saw him lying on top of a chair in the kitchen. "Is that why you escape to Suna? So you don't have to deal with her nagging?"
"Trust me, going there isn't an escape in any way." Shikamaru found the energy to stand up and shake Naruto's hand warmly. "There's work, and there's an even more annoying woman that bosses me around."
"And no clouds." Added Chouji, with a drink in both his hands coming their way from the fridge.
"And no clouds." Shikamaru agreed with distaste.
"If you're complaining about me again, I swear to Kami I'll-"
"We're not complaining about you." Chouji said quickly, before Ino's temper exploded. "He's talking about Temari."
"You shouldn't complain about your girlfriend either." Ino said, entering the kitchen and looking at the Nara disapprovingly.
"She's not my girlfriend." Sighed Shikamaru. He told them the same thing at least ten times in a week. "We're just co-workers. What's up Hinata?"
"Hello, Shikamaru-kun." She said, smiling politely. "Chouji-kun." The Akimichi showed her a smile of his own.
"Look at you, Chouji." Naruto said as the tallest of them all approached him. The blond offered his hand but Chouji decided to go for a bear hug which knocked Naruto's wind out of his lungs. "You're a freaking tank." The whiskered chuunin managed to say against Chouji's armor.
Chouji wasn't only almost a head taller than the blond, but given that he had grown also in size, his figure casted an intimidating shadow everywhere he went. "Good to see you again, Naruto. You look almost the same."
"Well, I'm the same person I was before so…" The blond said, stepping away from him so he could breath. Chouji offered him a soda can which he gladly took.
Shikamaru ushered them towards the garden. He told them that his mother was upstairs watching a tv show and if they got too loud she will positively banish him to Sunagakure. They reached the end of the garden's fence and passed through a small doorway, which led them to the vast woods that surrounded the Village of the Leaf. The group of young shinobi walked for fifteen minutes into the forest and finally managed to hit a wide river.
"You're telling me your family owns the whole forest?" The blond asked, looking at the big rocks that littered the bank of the river. He noticed that the water was very still, and made almost no sound at all.
"We guard it, not own it." Shikamaru shook his head at the blond. He made it sound more important than it really was. "It goes back a few generations. It was in the Academy books."
"Oh yeah." Naruto said with a smirk. "I never opened any of those."
Ino shook her head in annoyance. "Don't tell me you don't know anything about Konoha clans."
"Sure I do! I now know the blood limit of all the clans in the village. And that's because at least one of each clan is my friend." The chuunin proclaimed proudly.
"There's much more than a blood limit to a clan, Naruto." Chouji said, a big towel hanging from his shoulder. "Each clan has a duty with the village, apart from feeding ninja for war."
Naruto had the feeling that a lecture was about to occur, but he couldn't say he wasn't interested. "Huh?"
"My family is in charge of the flower trade from all over the country." Ino said importantly. "We even have customers in other nations."
"The Akimichis are specialist in the development of shinobi pills for continuous fighting." Announced Chouji with a big smile that could be seen in the dark night.
"And Shikamaru takes care of deers…" the blond continued, unenthusiastically.
"They're considered sacred creatures in many cultures." The pony-tailed man explained, almost exasperated. "We protect the village and other cities with hidden traps."
Hinata felt how everyone's eyes turned to her. She sighed. "The Hyuugas manage various treaties with other nations and city officials. The Hokage sends us in her stead to find new allies to Konoha."
"Oh." The blond said, a little bit disappointed. "No offense Hinata, but that sounds kinda boring." He was expecting a lot more from Konoha's oldest family.
"It's not that bad." The Hyuuga said defensively. "We travel a lot and meet a lot of new people."
'Yeah, and the fact that they get paid ten times more than any other family isn't so bad either.' Ino thought but guessed best not to say out loud. Instead the long, yellow haired kunoichi grabbed her friend by the arm and dragged her away from the group of young men, telling them they'd go change into their bathing suits.
The boys ignored Ino's harsh promises of pain if one of them decided to take a peek while they undressed.
"Doesn't it look to you guys that Ino has something against me?" Naruto asked as they calmly strode towards the edge of the clear water and started to drop all of their things in top of a plain rock that was safe from water's reach. "Or is it just my impression?"
Shikamaru shrugged, but Chouji decided to add, "Maybe you caught her in one of her bad days."
The Uzumaki dropped his black and green jacket on top of his small bag. "What? You mean like her period or something?"
Chouji's face grimaced as he turned around, making sure Ino didn't hear that. "Oh no, nothing like that. And don't you say that stuff to her face, it makes her go mad."
"Her father is making her go through special training." Shikamaru said, taking his black trunks and heading over to a nearby tree to change. "It exhausts her and flares up her temper."
The blond nodded to himself, thinking that maybe there was something about blonds and a strained temper. Old Tsunade, Ino, and even himself. They all had a problem keeping their feelings on check, and more often than not, they'd rather let it out on strangers than try to calm it down.
Clashing noises of steel against rock reached Naruto's ears. Chouji was taking the last of his armor pieces and proceeded to take off his red vest. The big boy already had his swimsuit on, just like Naruto. They only needed to dispose of their clothes.
"How's Gaara doing, Shikamaru?" The blond asked, approaching barefoot to Chouji's belongings and taking another soda can.
"I couldn't see much of him. He was still under observation when I visited." The Nara came back with his Nara vest on top of his bare chest and the rest of his clothing on his arm. "But Temari's letters say he's already taken over his usual duties."
Temari's worries about the Uzumaki's behavior resonated through Shikamaru's mind. He remembered she'd told him Naruto had become very dangerous, even for his allies, but as he watched as Naruto gulped down an entire soda can, with nothing more than a pair of ramen trousers on, the Nara couldn't help but to doubt Temari's claims. 'He's just the usual Naruto I befriended three years ago. He even seems more mature than before. How could his eyes change colors?
"Oh! You look very nice! I haven't seen that one before." Chouji's voice made Naruto and Shikamaru turn to look at the approaching girls.
"Sakura gave me this for my birthday, but I didn't have a chance to wear it until now." The girl replied with a charming smile, as she looked down at her yellow and black bikini. Chouji had his eyes glued to his teammates exposed hips and chest, while Naruto was thinking that if he were a girl, he wouldn't be able to walk around showing 96% of his body.
"Just looking at you makes me cold." The Nara drawled, looking away uninterestedly.
"It's not that cold." Replied Ino. The Yamanaka noticed how Naruto's eyes seemed to be glued on her, which she was about to point out in a manner that would make him guilty about staring at her. She took a bold step forward and opened her mouth ready to yell at him, but his eyes didn't follow her. Ino looked confused as she turned around.
Both girls had finished changing at the same time, but Hinata scurried a little behind her, trying to shield her body with Ino's. Now, Hinata was standing frozen in front of the whole group, looking away from everyone's eyes and specially Naruto's.
The blond felt a sharp pain in his ribs as Shikamaru dug his elbow deep at his side. Naruto jumped and looked at him dumbfounded, so the Nara sent him a meaningful look with a disapproving shake of his head. 'Get a hold of yourself' his eyes seemed to say.
Before Ino could yell at him, Naruto turned his head harshly to the side as he scratched the back of his neck, hoping that she could let this one go. Chouji hurried to change the subject before Naruto could get scolded.
"Everyone ready? Who's going in first?" the obese shinobi asked loudly with a big smile.
"Why don't you go, Naruto?" Ino said with a smirk. He was clearly flustered, and she didn't remember seeing that part of him when he was younger. Her eyes had already analyzed the sickening scar that marked the spot on top of his heart, but they were also prone to climb down towards his toned abs and flexed arms. "The water might help you cool down."
The blond scowled at her through a heavily blushed face. Ino smiled triumphantly, but an annoying thought crept to her head. 'Why can't any of my teammates sport a hot body like him?' Shikamaru's taijutsu practice was minimal, and his specialty was diplomacy and ninjutsu, hence his lean complexion. And Chouji…
Hinata looked nervously at Ino's and Naruto's glare exchange. She didn't know what to think of his embarrassed face combined with his silly swimsuit. But since the attention was on Naruto now, she could breathe more easily.
The blond took a discrete breath and straightened himself. 'I'm a chuunin for god's sake.'
"Fine." the whiskered chuunin said with as much dignity as he could manage in that moment. He walked slowly to the edge of the river, where the moonlight made the water shine bright.
Everyone saw clearly Naruto's scar, first on his chest and then adorning his back as he turned from them. The memory from Sasuke's retrieval mission made Chouji shudder and Shikamaru to gulp.
Splash
It wasn't as cold as he'd imagined, and the river was deeper than he thought.
As he remained submerged with his eyes closed, Hinata's captivating image came back. It was like she had been imprinted in the back of his eyelids. Her bikini was bright orange, and it hugged her body oh so well, he could hardly believe it. He knew she had big breasts, but he'd never dare look into her cleavage, no matter how rarely she managed to show some. The swimsuit hid nothing, and it was like a punch to his gut.
Why… could he look at girls in bikinis casually in a magazine, not even paying attention to them as he turned the page, but just seeing her walking up to him made his brain shut down? Even he could look at Ino casually in the eye, but when Hinata entered the scene he couldn't remember what he was talking about the second before.
"Stop being such and idiot." The blond actually spoke to himself, releasing bubbles of air as he spoke. "You're Ero-sennin's apprentice. You've seen women in bikinis before, you co-wrote a porn novel for the love of-"
His air ran out. As he returned to the surface he promised himself to act like nothing had happened.
"Whoa! I thought we had to go down there to get you." The plump chuunin said, looking at him from the edge, along with the rest. Naruto's eyes encountered Hinata's, which were looking relieved.
"C'mon." The blond said, standing on what felt like a medium sized rock, pushing his hair back and running a hand down his soaked face. 'Play it cool. You're good at that.' "Who's next?"
"Hmm…" Shikamaru mused, as he placed both hands on his teammate's backs and pushed slightly.
"No!"
"Gah-"
SPLASH
Naruto had to dive once again if he wanted to avoid Chouji's ass breaking his nose. Even underwater, he could hear Ino's voice screaming abuse at Shikamaru.
"Nice one." Naruto congratulated with a hearty laugh. Shikamaru was clearly pleased with himself, as his big smile was testament. Suddenly his eyes widened and he was very still.
"Hinata…" The pony-tailed man said carefully, afraid to turn around. "Don't."
Naruto, Chouji and Ino smiled in anticipation at Hinata's finger poised on the middle of Shikamaru's still clothed back.
"Shikamaru-kun…" The girl said almost innocently. Her eyes shifted towards Naruto's blue ones for a second, then back to the back of Shikamaru's head. She smiled. "It's only fair."
With only her extended finger and a minimum of force, Shikamaru was sent rolling his eyes into the river, followed by everyone else's laugh.
The Nara took off the excess of water from his face after emerging, just to get his face splashed by Ino. "That's what you get, dumbass." She turned to face her friend. "You go girl!"
Hinata hid a giggle with one hand, as she stood looming over them. "Do you want to see something cool?"
The four other shinobi grew quiet, as they looked at her confusedly. Not only Naruto, but the other two male shinobi tried hard not to stare at her mostly exposed chest.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
"You have a bad feeling about everything." Ino replied, frowning at him. Unlike the guys, she couldn't reach the bottom of the river. "Let's see it then."
Hinata smiled even more, but then she closed her eyes and extended her arms in front of her. Team 10 and Naruto stared at her confusedly. They all frowned when they felt she was molding chakra.
"Wha-AHHHHHHHHH" At the same time that Hinata flipped one of her hands, the water under Shikamaru threw him ten feet in the air, like a geyser just exploded from right under him.
The other three shinobi left in the river raised their heads as much as they could, their eyes following the trail of water that quickly washed over them. Just as Shikamaru was falling back to Earth, the trio scattered.
"What the hell was that?" Ino asked astonished, but couldn't help to laugh at Shikamaru's shocked face as he re-emerged as white as paper.
"That was not funny." The Nara stated seriously, coughing repeatedly.
"That was amazing!" Naruto exclaimed, turning his head to Hinata, who still had another hand extended in front of her. They looked at each other for a moment, then Naruto picked up a hint of mischief in her gaze. "Wait. I'm your friend, aren't I?"
"This one is for staring, Naruto-kun." She claimed sweetly.
Hyuuga Hinata raised her left hand, and off Naruto went. "HOLY FUCK!" The water came with such force that Naruto's head snapped back as he rose. For a moment he could see the lights of Konoha to his right.
He though he'd been falling for five minutes when in reality it was only four seconds. The shock was such that he couldn't angle his body before going back down, and his back took the whole hit.
The sound resonated throughout the forest and his friends' ears. Team 10 had swam away from him as he fell, and he did close to the edge where Hinata was standing. They were all grimacing at his pain.
"Ow." The blond groaned, floating on his back. He opened his eyes slowly.
"Are you okay, Naruto-kun?" The girl said, kneeling on the grass so she could look at him better.
"I think I broke something." The blond stood gingerly on his feet, and waded to the border where Hinata was expecting him. She was clearly horrified by her actions.
"I'm so sorry."
"Help me up, will you?" The blond said, holding up his hand. Hinata took his hand swiftly and started to pull, but Naruto wouldn't budge. Unlike team 10, the Hyuuga couldn't see the satisfied smirk the blond was wearing. The girl didn't know what happened until she was falling face first in front of Naruto.
"Are you serious?" Ino directed her words to the soaking wet Hyuuga. "That's the oldest trick in the book, I can't believe you fell for it."
"I thought…" The girl coughed once. "He was really convincing."
"That's because I'm the best." Claimed Naruto proudly, placing a hand on her almost naked shoulder. "But I gotta handed to you, that's the best thing I've seen today." 'Liar.' Naruto thought immediately. 'Just look at that body.'
"I didn't know you were a water type." Chouji said, sitting on the edge of the river.
"Nobody knew." The Hyuuga said with an embarrassed smile, while tucking a wet strand of her behind her ear.
After a couple of tournaments of holding their breath under water, which Hinata won every single time, the group decided it was time for a snack. As they all climbed back up to solid ground, Naruto had the fortune to be the last one to get out of the water. He witnessed clearly how Hinata's body emerged, almost in slow motion, and again couldn't help but stare at the phenomenon. Her hair was long enough to reach her back, but since she had it in a ponytail, he could see her dripping shoulders and smooth waist. The blond then thought that he could die happily after that sight, but then her butt emerged out of the water and he almost fainted.
She was turning around, and he couldn't let her see his glazed eyes watching her that way. He couldn't bear another accusation coming from her. God no. Just before anyone else could call him a pervert, he dived into the cold water and swam to the edge, hoping his ears weren't as red as he felt them. Luckily she didn't commented on that. Slapping himself a few times in the blue depths, the blond emerged with a clean jump and splashed her in the back.
"Sorry 'bout that." Naruto said casually, pulling his hair back and walking towards the others before she could comment on his reddened ears.
After eating Shikamaru's snacks and Hinata's onigiris, the Hyuuga started talking about their visit to Kurenai's house and how Naruto was just another victim to Mirai's cuteness. Although his urge to tell the rest that Hinata was surely slave for Mirai's attention, the blond took the chance to lead the conversation to a more somber tone.
"I also learned today that Asuma was…" Team 10's shoulders fell to their sides at Naruto's inappropriate time to comment on their sensei's demise, but by judging from the Uzumaki's serious features, they could tell he really wanted to make it clear he was sorry. "I'm really sorry about his death."
Already being used to the same words by their family and friends, they all accepted his condolences. Shikamaru with a curt nod and Chouji with a sad smile.
Hinata looked at Naruto intently, knowing that this was the moment he was waiting for.
"Also…" The blond hesitated. He was wearing his jacket over his naked chest, just like the others. "I have to tell you something about me… that could be related about his murder."
His words made no sense to anyone in the group. Not even Hinata.
"Naruto-kun?" the girl asked in confusion, but the blond ignored her. He lifted his head to face team 10's members. His eyes fell on Shikamaru's.
"You know how Akatsuki is after the Jinchuriki, right?" As soon as he finished speaking, he could see how Shikamaru's eyes opened as wide as they could. Naruto knew he'd be the one to get it first, but he still had to explain to the other two. "I happen to be one, for the Kyuubi's spirit."
Chouji dropped his soda can to the grass soundlessly. Ino still had her eyebrows knitted together, as she still couldn't process the information.
"They were looking for you." The long-haired Nara stated gravely, staring at Naruto carefully.
Hinata directed her unbelieving eyes at the blond. 'You can't expect to take the blame for this too.'
"Wait a minute, that's impossible. That's…" Chouji started saying, as he turned to Shikamaru for confirmation. Ino also turned to him, and they both saw how he had already accepted what Naruto said to be true. They had no other choice but to do the same.
"They've been looking for me for three years. Maybe more." Naruto said, lowering his eyes to the grass in front of him. "They were looking for me when you encountered those bastards. I'm the one to-"
"Wrong." Shikamaru said matter-of-factly, before Naruto could finish. "We didn't encounter them, we were assign to eliminate them."
"This is not your fault." Hinata said hurriedly, annoyed that he always wanted to take everything on his shoulders.
"They deserve to know." Naruto raised his voice, now looking solely at Hinata. They stared at each other, neither one backing down.
"And now we do." Ino piped in, still confused as hell but feeling that Naruto didn't need to think like that.
"Thanks for telling us. Figuring you out was driving me crazy." Shikamaru said, sighing in relief.
"How does that work? I mean… you don't look scary at all." Chouji asked, genuinely interested.
"Wait. You're just going to let it go like that?" Now Naruto was the confused one. Hinata smiled at her friends. "Aren't you mad?"
"What for? You didn't do anything to us." Chouji answered simply.
"Well you do annoy us to no end but that's about it." Ino said with crossed arms. Shikamaru shared a smile with her.
"But Asuma..."
"Sensei died performing his duty to the village." Shikamaru interrupted again. He knew just how Naruto's brain worked. "I'm sure he knew it was to protect you. Stop apologizing. It's annoying."
"I wanna know more about the Kyuubi!" Chouji raised his hand like a child in class. Naruto definitively didn't understand how their brains worked. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an exasperated sigh.
"You're a bunch of idiots, you know? I'm like a ticking bomb ready to explode anytime."
"No, you're not." Hinata chastised.
"I don't understand why you want us to hate you so much." Ino was already annoyed. "I mean, I could hate you for a lot more than that."
"Besides, we trust Hinata." Shikamaru added, leaning against his rock. "Nothing can fool her eyes."
Hinata beamed at team 10, while Naruto was left speechless.
"What do you want to know, Chouji-kun?" Hinata said, noticing Naruto wasn't going along.
"Hmm… How do you hold it?"
The girl turned to Naruto, who was still wondering how his friends were so fresh about it all. He felt a hand on top of his forearm and knew it was Hinata begging him to stop being so dramatic. 'Fine.'
"With this seal right here." Naruto said, pushing some of Kyuubi's chakra to his navel and making the seal on top of his stomach glow black.
"Cool! Can I touch it?"
Author's section
(A Beautiful Indifference - Rise Against)
* Edo Tensei – Impure World Reincarnation.
Thanks for reading!
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- Paty