Generation Lost Chapter 10: 10 Tragedy Time, a naruto fanfic

NARUTO IS PROPERTY OF MASASHI KISHIMOTO

"Kyuubi talking"

'Kyuubi thinking'

"Normal speech"

'Characters thinking'

Author's note:

I honestly wanted to post this yesterday in honor of Naruto's birthday but I had a few problems with the ending so I had to do some editing.

Expect A LOT of NaruHina in this one.

You've been warned.

Generation Lost

Chapter 10: Tragedy + Time

"Always knew that I would find you here
In a puddle of the bravest tears."

She was probably asleep, Karin thought from her spot in the idiotic flying painting. But still he kept muttering things to her, although she didn't manage to hear exactly what he was saying. The red-haired kunoichi was fixated on the Uzumaki's behavior. Every single thing he did amazed her.

Her first impression of him was of an extremely powerful foe, who could rival Sasuke's abilities (even surpass them) and could be easily provoked. Not only did he broke down Susanoo, but he managed to dismiss his lightning techniques like it was nothing.

But in the blink of an eye, he transformed into the most helpless child when it came to that woman. It seemed he was extremely susceptible to the people around him.

How could he change from a killing machine into a smiling, stupid boy, in just a second?

"Thank you."

Karin clicked her tongue in annoyance. It wasn't as if she'd wanted to help them. He made her lend the Hyuuga her healing powers and there was nothing she could do about it. How can you smile to an enemy like that?

She tried to imagine Sasuke acting the same way towards her; caressing her cheek and whispering comforting things to her ear so she wouldn't be scared… 'Like he'd ever treat me as anything else than a tool.' She lamented yet again, as she recalled Sasuke's red eyes flashed with mad victory as he struck both women down.

Now that the sun was peering at them as a new day arose, Karin could see that the Hyuuga was actually awake, although her half-lidded eyes threatened to close again. Any idiot could see that she was suffering from critical chakra depletion, since Karin was weak herself when Naruto forced her to heal her.

After Kakashi returned empty-handed, which Karin and Naruto knew would happen, Sakura urged them to get back to Konoha as soon as possible. Sai managed to produce three misshapen falcon-like drawings, large enough to hold two persons at a time. Taking advantage of the moonless night, team 7 and co took off with Sakura guarding Karin in one bird, Naruto carrying Hinata in the second, and Kakashi and Sai riding the third one.

They'd been flying for two nights and a day, when they were finally entering familiar territory. Karin continued to look at Naruto's back, whose bird was flying a little bit ahead of her own. He whispered something to the girl, as she replied with a tired smile and a nod. Immediately after she closed her eyes again.

"Fuck!"

Smashing another piece of furniture, Sasuke walked around the borrowed cabin spewing curses and breaking windows. Some of the shattered glass fell on the lifeless bodies of the couple that hours ago had owned the place. A small puddle of blood was drying beneath their cold bodies.

"Those useless bastards!" The Uchiha bristled under his breath. His clothes were a bloody mess, but he knew he could scout the small closet for more inconspicuous clothes. 'Thanks to Suigetsu's fuck up, I lost the nine-tailed fox AND the Byakugan.'

Sprawling heavily onto an old, red couch, Sasuke clenched his teeth as he continued to count his losses. 'That lab had everything we needed for Konoha's invasion…' He leaned back looking at the ceiling and took a calming breath. "At least they won't find the bodies there." He added as a reminder that it was just a minor setup. Kabuto was the only one who could summon the bodies from wherever they were hidden. Not even he knew.

As his rage subsided, his mind began to get clearer. He'd have to pick out another lab and fill it with whatever Kabuto needed for his tactics.

"Naruto might've won this round…" Sasuke said bitterly to his dead audience. "But I broke your soul." A cruel smile started to spread as he remembered the unbelieving face of the Hyuuga as she realized she was already a dead woman.

Oh and how he had wept! He might have lost quite a lot but watching Naruto's helpless face was just priceless. It almost made up for having to kill his best healer.

Their next encounter would be rather interesting.

Noticing a rather large puddle of dark water on a corner of the destroyed room, Juugo limped his way around the big hole adorning the floor. There was a round gap on his shoulder, courtesy of the Copy Cat Kakashi. If it weren't for the extra protection his cursed seal placed on his arm and shoulder, the wound would've been much larger and it may have reached his heart.

His leg left a trail of blood as he walked. There were four deep bite marks in his right lower leg, where one of that man's lion drawings managed to get a good bite at him.

Even through all that pain, the orange-haired giant didn't emit any whine or groan. He only spoke once he approached the liquid.

"Suigetsu." He called softly. His shattered ribs made it hard to talk. "Suigetsu, are you alive?"

Silence.

Juugo frowned slightly as he stepped on the puddle and tapped it twice with the sole of his sandal. "Are you alive?" He repeated.

A small wave rippled from the center of the puddle. "Barely." Answered Suigetsu's voice. Juugo turned his head to the left, where the silhouette of a mouth was moving. "He got me pretty hard."

"Hmm." Juugo concurred, satisfied that at least one of his comrades was still alive.

"I'm trying to mold my eyes, but I lost all consistency." Suigetsu whined, remembering the three terrible discharges of electricity that followed a Chidori that went through his chest.

"I'm just as bad as you."

The water user took fifteen minutes to summon a single eyeball that looked up from the puddle. "Whoa! Did he do all that?"

Juugo turned calmly to his shoulder. "Only this. The other man got my leg, but I manage to crush his arm. The girl did this…" He pointed to the malformed ribs under his skin. "And this…" Juugo then lowered his head so Suigetsu's perspective could see a depression on the right part of his skull. A single blow had connected and smashed that part of the cranium, but the skin had remained.

Suigetsu chuckled. "Man… Sasuke's gonna kill us."

"Regardless…" Juugo said, sitting down next to the puddle that was Suigetsu. "We need to go back to him after we've recovered."

"You and your unwavering loyalty." Suigetsu lamented out loud. The eye had disappeared. "Fine, I'll go back with you. But it might take a while until I can walk again."

"That's fine." Juugo agreed, closing his eyes and resting his head against the wall. "I might need a day or two."

Kakashi had arranged for Sakura to be Naruto's doctor so the three of them could speak amongst themselves without worrying about anyone else knowing about their mission. Sai was in another part of the hospital, having his wounds revisited and a proper treatment applied. He might've been behaving better than before, but Kakashi didn't trust ROOT to pass the information they were about to discuss with Danzo.

"Black fire did this to you?" Sakura asked, slightly horrified as she took off Naruto's bloody bandage from his outer arm.

"No. Hinata did." The blond said, sweeping his eyes over the blood-covered muscle tissue that could be clearly seen. "The black flames were so intense, the only way to survive was to cut the burning surface." If it weren't for Hinata's quick response, Naruto might've lose his whole arm. Or worse.

"That girl is sharp." The gray-haired jounin conceded with a nod. "You work well with her."

"Yeah, well, that's about as far as our teamwork went." Naruto said, trying to ignore the sudden pain on his injury. The pink-haired girl was placing a cold, jelly-like mass all over the wound. According to her recent explanations, the material was supposed to be very much like human skin. It'd take her at least an hour to manipulate it with her chakra so it could assimilate Naruto's unique skin. "After that she took the woman hostage and…"

They were all aware what had happened next. And Naruto wasn't eager to tell them a second time.

"He enjoyed watching them die." Sakura noticed how Naruto's arm was flexing under her hands. "That bastard."

"I never imagined he could go to such lengths." Kakashi said gravely after a moment of silence. "But he's been committing crimes against humanity for some time… Even in Yugakure, he planned to kill the whole population by poisoning the water."

No one spoke for a few minutes, but they were all thinking along the same lines: Are we too late to save Uchiha Sasuke?

Once Kakashi left the room to debrief the mission to the Hokage, Naruto decided to stay quiet as Sakura finished the procedure.

He didn't comment on the tears in her eyes.

"I know it's not quite your skin color…" Sakura said, as she worked on a bandage around his arm. "But in time it will mimic the pigments of the surrounding skin."

Naruto looked down to the gray-ish surface that contrasted with his tanned skin. It looked like the skin of an alien. "How long?"

"It could be six months, maybe a year." Sakura answered, ordering him to put on his shirt. "Be patient. And don't let it get sunlight for at least three months."

He tried flexing his muscles and still noticed a slight throb on the once injured area. His chest wound had also been checked, and all that remained was a gauze covering both ends. "Thanks, Sakura. Do you know how long will it take for Hinata to accept visitors?"

Even if the whole Sasuke incident had left her depressed, Sakura couldn't help but to grin at Naruto's plain concern about the girl. The sight of those two had been endearing, and she couldn't be happier for the Hyuuga. "You should come by tomorrow morning, once she'd had a full night's rest."

The blond made a face, thinking that a whole day without her was unbearable. He gave a nod as he waited for Sakura to finish scribbling something in a note pad.

"Maybe you should get her some flowers." The pink-haired girl commented lightly, knowing that if she started to tease him too fast, he might retract on his new discovered feelings. "Ino could help you…"

Naruto snorted. "Yeah, right! Like I want her knowing I'm buying flowers for anybody. The whole village would know in a second."

"Hmm… Maybe you're right." Sakura replied thoughtfully. Ino not only liked to tease but also bully to the point that anyone could get embarrassed by their own actions.

"I don't need flowers. Or anything you're writing down." He looked spitefully at Sakura's notes, which promised at least five different medicines.

Sakura rolled her eyes before pressing the note against his chest. "I don't care if you don't get your painkillers, but you have to go get more bandages. You need to take care of your arm."

Taking the already wrinkled paper in his fist, Naruto exited the door with a grunt.

"Oh, you set eyes on that one." The old lady said, watching closely the small bouquet the young man had in his hands. "That'd be 8 yen, my boy."

Running his eyes above the few persons on the street for the sixth time since he got to the stand, Naruto took out a few coins from his pocket. "Here's 15. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Don't worry, lad. I'm sure she's worth it." The lady smiled knowingly at him, even though he hadn't told her anything about the recipient.

He had spent half an hour looking through the two different carts carrying different colored flowers. He'd gone to the lady to check out several times, before deciding it wasn't the best choice and going back to browse again. At first he thought he'd grab a few different flowers together into a single bouquet, but the result was a bulky handful that he thought seemed too much. The lady suggested to only take one kind, as it would be simpler, but then the blond had to decide which one would be the correct type.

It was hard finding a flower sale in the village. After all, the Yamanaka's held the majority of the clients.

He knew nothing of flowers, and Hinata was one of the most knowledgeable persons in the subject. He cursed himself for taking Sakura's advice but he needed to get her something so he wouldn't get empty handed to her hospital room, and the idea of flowers stuck . At last he went for a simple choice: A small arrangement of Baby's Breath.

"Thank you for your patience." He said as a goodbye, getting lost in the streets and carrying the flowers almost behind his back; a watchful eye surrounding the perimeter.

Visitation started at 9:00 AM on Saturdays.

He was fifteen minutes too early, but he could hardly sleep. The only thing that Hinata's death-like experience helped him with was brusquely switching his Kyuubi-related nightmares to a set of dark memories where she died in his arms time and time again. They started the very same night after the happening, and he could only find solace by her side.

"C'mon…" He groaned softly, glancing repeatedly to the clock hanging at the entrance of the waiting room. He'd already made sure no one he knew was nearby. He was dead set on being the first one to see her. The thought of arriving with the tiny flowers with others in the room mortified him.

His legs moved restlessly under his jeans, and his usual jacket was left discarded back in his apartment. The morning was sunny even though they were nearing the middle of October, so he chose to wear a black shirt with sleeves that reached a little bellow his elbows.

"Uzumaki-san?" The nurse he had registered to earlier walked up to him and with a smile continued. "You may go in."

Turning to the clock, Naruto found that there were still five minutes to go, so he turned with a questioning look to the woman.

Her smile turned wider. "You seem in a hurry to enter. No one will blame me if I let one of Konoha's heroes pass five minutes earlier."

The blond's eyes widened for a fraction of second. It had been a while since someone remembered the acts he did years ago in service of the village.

"Thanks." He replied, gratefully. The smaller woman guided him to a corridor to their right.

"Room 322."

"Come in?" She answered a little hesitant after a few knocks on the thin door. 'Another check up?' Hinata thought, confused at the thought of two nurses checking her vital signs in less than twenty minutes.

Naruto's unmistakable hair appeared from behind the door, an unsure look in his eyes rested in his face, but immediately morphed into delighted surprise.

"You can walk already!" The young man exclaimed, making the girl jump from her spot in between her bed and the bathroom.

"Naruto-kun." The words wavered away from her mouth, still finding it hard to believe that he was there this early in the morning.

He honestly fully expected her to be lying on the bed, with the same sickly aura she'd had around her throughout the whole journey back home. But instead she was standing in the middle of a sunny square in front of her window, pants already beneath her gown and a refreshed look on her face.

It took him a few seconds to notice he was grinning at her like an idiot, so he tried to greet her like a normal person would. "I mean… hey!" A disobeying hand went to the back of his head. He couldn't get rid of the habit no matter how much he tried.

Shock finally leaving her system, Hinata returned his grin with a beaming smile.

It was like a magnet.

Naruto found himself gliding up to her and wrapping the woman in his arms. He decided he'd get embarrassed later. It was just so good knowing that she was looking well again.

"Oh man, it's so good to see you on your feet." Naruto said past her ear, giving her a final squeeze and finally holding her at arms length.

Whatever she was going to respond, it had to buffer for a while. He had literally taken her breath away, not only because of the act of hugging, but also because the strength of it.

"Thank you… I…" She gathered her breath while a bashful smile adorned her face. "I'm feeling much better."

Naruto couldn't help to laugh at the sight of her cheeks again fully red. 'Oh, thank God you're back.'

"I didn't think I'll see you so soon." Hinata admitted. She thanked her lucky stars she'd decided to put on her underwear and pants earlier in the morning.

"Well, I needed to see for myself they were treating you well." Naruto replied, looking nervously at the flowers hanging just behind the girl's ear. He still had both his hands on her shoulders and the girl was clueless to his next surprise. "I know just how maddening the nurses can be."

"They've been very kind."

"Of course you'd think that." He said, his voice a little more serious now. 'Well… time to look like an idiot.' "Wanna see a magic trick?"

Hinata seemed taken aback by his comment. It was totally out of the blue. "Uh…"

Not waiting for her response, he opened his mouth. "What's that behind your ear?" Naruto was already cringing at his own words, but forced himself to finish his foolish attempt to not seem awkward.

Placing the delicate blossoms in her line of sight, Naruto held his breath.

Hinata stared at the delicate gift like she'd never seen flowers before. The distinguished scent of the fresh blossoms gently tickled her face.

"They're to make you feel better." He felt the need to say something, so she could just take them from his somewhat moist hands. "But you're already looking good, so they might not be that useful."

Why did he let Sakura get into his mind? What a stupid suggestion. He must look so pathetic offering such a small bouquet to someone who was used to splendor and riches like Hinata.

After what seemed like an eternity, Hinata's smaller hands accepted Naruto's offering. They wrapped around his fingers for an instant, so Naruto let go of the stems immediately.

Ready to apologize, the blond inhaled, only to have his brain forget how to breathe out after Hinata's right hand held the left half of his jaw gently and lowered him so she could kiss his cheek. An involuntary tingle went through his spine thanks to his whiskers' extra sensitiveness. Also, he felt he might've developed a sudden fever starting from his ears and going all the way down to his neck.

Placing again her heels on solid ground, Hinata looked carefully at Naruto through a heavy blush. "Thank you Naruto-kun. They're beautiful."

'Oh God, did she say something?' The Uzumaki's mind was all over the place. And unlike many of their close encounters, there was no one around to interrupt them and kill the awkwardness.

Noticing he was still petrified, the girl forced herself to speak again. "Naruto-"

"They'recalledbabiesbreath." He blurted out, speaking faster than he'd ever spoken before. Noticing how she was starting to look at him like he had some kind of mental disorder, the blond tried to tone down his heartbeat. "I mean… they're Baby's Breath."

Understanding filling her beating features, Hinata started to nod. "Yes. I've heard of them."

He needed to get away to compose himself. Thank goodness he was good at making up excuses. "Do you want me to fetch some water for them?"

She nodded, delighted. "There's a cup in the bathroom." Now that Naruto was giving her his back, Hinata could squeal the tiniest bit as she pressed the flowers close to her face.

"Hinata?"

Jumping at the thought he might've caught sight of her, the girl replied. "Yes?"

The blond came walking towards her, with an almost full glass of water in his hand. She noticed that his left hand was wet; he might've spill some of it. "Why is there a bathtub in there?"

Looking at her, then running his eyes through the big room, things started to look even more suspicious. "And a sofa in the room? Your bed actually looks like a real bed!"

"Oh, that." The girl said, embarrassed. "My father ordered the hospital to place me in one of the VIP rooms after he got the news I was hurt."

Now that he was a good distance away from her, Naruto could now pay attention to other things in the room that weren't Hinata herself.

The sofa wasn't the only thing in the improvised living room. Two other leather chairs were standing beside a small, wooden table. There was even a decent sized TV facing the bed.

"No wonder you don't hate it here." The blond concluded, turning back to Hinata who was taking the glass from him.

The Hyuuga shook her head. "I'd be just as fine in an ordinary room."

"No you wouldn't. They're depressing." He saw how she wanted to keep defending her simple nature, so he hurried to say. "More importantly, what did the doctors say? Are you ready to get out?"

"Not yet." She turned on her heel to place the cup and flowers just by her night table. With a last smile to Naruto's first gift to her, she turned back to him. "Shizune-san wants to keep me in observation for a couple more days."

"That sucks." The whiskered chuunin sympathized, sitting in the middle of the light colored couch. "Maybe we should do something after you get out…" He commented, not quite as loud as he was used to talk.

"Pardon me?" The girl inquired, not quite catching his meaning. She sat down on one of the lonely chairs.

He was tempted to let go of the subject, to tell her to just forget it, or to talk about something else. But that kiss had fired him up. And if that didn't inspire him, then nothing else would.

Wringing his hands together, then remembering she was watching him and letting go of them, Naruto straightened his back. "I would like to take you out… after they release you. To celebrate, you know? If… that's okay with you-."

"Okay."

Her answer came so quickly that it made Naruto's head snap to the side to look at her. Widening his eyes, he repeated. "Okay?"

"Okay." She replied back with a nod. Her lavender eyes looked down twice, but at the end she managed to level her stare with his. Her smile started to rise once she saw how he was starting to grin.

"All right!" He laughed, noticing how his shoulders felt more relaxed. There was a long pause, where the two shinobi were just too pleased with themselves to continue the conversation. Hinata was the one to shatter the silence, as there was something she genuinely wanted to know.

"Is your arm all right now?"

"Hmm?" Naruto took a couple of seconds to understand, as he was still on his own little world. "My arm?"

"The one where…" She feared to say Sasuke's name out loud, thinking it might evoke a gloomy mood on Naruto. So she just took one of her hands and motioned to her upper arm.

The blond finally understood. "Ah! This one. Sakura took her time placing some gooey stuff on it…" He tried moving the shirt's collar to the side but the cut was too tight to let her see anything. "I'd show you, but I'd have to remove my shirt and I don't think you'll be able to handle all this."

Her incredulous face suddenly looked down on him. She was actually more offended than anything else. "Are you really saying that? To me? Do I have to remind you the-"

"Fine!" The blond showed her a nervous smile, as he held his hands up to appease the girl. Kami, when was she going to let go of that? "I'll show you, just… don't faint or anything all right? I mean, you're still pretty delicate."

Now she looked positively offended, but how good he felt having the same old Hinata to tease endlessly. Before she could berate on him, Naruto pulled his black shirt from behind his head until his back and chest were bear, and his shoulders were naked.

Despite Naruto's annoying (and untruthful) statements, Hinata did approach the blond closer, until she sat on the couch next to the strange taint that Naruto was wearing on his arm. "Does it hurt?"

"Nah." It felt weird looking at the green patch of skin. And he didn't feel like bandaging it this morning, but he might as well start doing it. After the long time under the sun while he searched for the flowers, his arm began to throb under the hot fabric.

Not even bothering to ask permission, Hinata placed a delicate hand on top of the artificial skin. She noticed the blond was frowning at her hand. "What is it?"

"I can't feel anything." Even if he could see Hinata's fingers spreading on the affected area, there was no sensation of pressure in the artificial skin. "Pinch me."

"I don't think I will." The girl said, covering his arm with both palms so he wouldn't do it himself. "It just underwent treatment. You should give it some time."

Rolling his eyes, the blond retrieved his arm from her hands and put his shirt back on. "6 months is a long time for one of my wounds to heal." He lamented out loud, hanging his head.

"It could be worse, Naruto-kun." She said good-humoredly.

Naruto took a few seconds after he placed his shirt back on, then glanced longingly at her and agreed. "A lot worse." She noticed how his eyes had softened, and then realized he was thinking about her near-death experience. Just about as she was about to try and convince him not to think about that anymore, he opened his mouth. "Kurenai's coming."

Hinata turned her head to the half-opened door, just in time to see it swing open carefully. A grey stroller made its way inside, and afterwards Kurenai made her appearance. The jounin's face broke out into a big smile as she saw Hinata standing up from her spot.

"Hinata, hey!" Walking past the stationary baby carriage, the black-haired teacher embraced her student vigorously, letting a small sigh escape her lips. "I couldn't believe it when Tsunade told me. But thank god you're alive!"

Hinata bit her cheek, in an attempt not to cry too fast. It was really hard when her role model already had a few tears on the corner of her eyes. "I'm glad to see you, sensei."

After a long minute of motherly hugging, Kurenai opened her eyes to see a smiling Naruto looking their way. "And you!"

The blond, alarmed by the pending accusation, jumped out of his skin. He wore a worried face as Kurenai approached him just as fast as she did Hinata. She enveloped him in her arms, and Naruto seemed more scared than ever. "You saved her, didn't you? I couldn't thank you enough!"

No one had ever hugged him so tight. His whole body was tense and his eyes screamed for help to Hinata, who was just placing a hand in front of her mouth and smiling endearing at them.

"No need to thank me." He managed to say through his constricted lungs. "Better yet, you should blame me for letting her get in harm's way."

At his words, both women sent chastising looks at him. No matter how intimidating they seemed, Naruto was more comfortable being blamed than praised.

"Nonsense! A ninja will always be in peril, not even you can change that." The black-haired woman pressed a sharp finger in his chest that made Naruto back away slightly. "You need to get used to take a bow, Naruto."

The blond made a face, but it was time for someone else to take the spotlight.

"Hi, Mirai-chan!" the reproachful gurgling of the baby suddenly became squeals of joy as Hinata finally took her in her arms and started bouncing her up and down. "I'm happy to see you too!"

The majestic feeling of being allowed to watch Hinata be so affectionate grabbed hold of Naruto yet again. This time team 8's sensei joined him as she too witnessed how the baby was trying her best to breath in between the laughs Hinata was getting out of her.

'To think that she wouldn't be here right now…' The terrible thought invaded his mind, along with flashes of the incident, but it all disappeared when a pair of red, shining eyes were openly looking at him.

"You remember Naruto-kun, don't you Mirai-chan?" At the mention of her name, the toddler turned back again to look at Hinata, but the Hyuuga stepped closer yet to Naruto so he could greet her.

"Heeey…" The blond answered, feeling a little bit awkward as he forgot how to approach such a young creature. "You must remember my whiskers, right?"

Her eyes switched again, and became locked with his blue irises. She gave a short chuckle as she acknowledged the blond. Naruto felt his grin widen. "Sure you do!" He waved his fingers in front of her, forgetting just how his shoulder was pressing against Hinata's own. The baby waved her arms clumsily as she tried to grab hold of Naruto's fast fingers. Feeling sorry for the little thing, he placed one unmoving finger right in front of her nose so she could take it with two chubby hands.

"There you go."

For two little hands, the grip felt tight enough; like Mirai's sole goal in life was to hang on to him.

"It'd be a while before she lets go voluntarily." Kurenai said, moving the stroller to a corner. "You might as well hold her."

"Hold her?" The blond made a fearful face. The thought always scared him. "She's so happy with Hinata…"

"She'll be happy either way." The Hyuuga interceded, placing herself right in front of the blond and pressing the baby close to his chest. Once again, Kurenai noticed how Naruto was looking only at Hinata. "Just place your arm around her."

"Er… shouldn't I use two arms? They do it like that on magazines." He said, still hesitant.

"You're strong enough, Naruto-kun." Hinata added playfully.

Since Mirai was still solely focus on his finger, she remained still as she got accommodated in his arms.

"We were determined on being the first ones to visit you today." The black-haired Yuuhi said, approaching Hinata and placing a hand on her shoulder. "But you won by a longshot, Naruto."

Her words bounced off the blond's ears, as he was busy trying not to move too much with the content baby in his arms.

"Second place is not that bad." Hinata smiled at her teacher.

"Hmm." Kurenai mused, while she looked at the fresh looking flowers adorning Hinata's stand. "I guess I'll have to get used to it from now on."

Hinata didn't know what to make of her knowing grin, but she did get embarrassed for good measure.

"Okay… why don't you play with this and leave my hair alone?" Naruto was commenting softly to Mirai. He had taken the Hokage necklace from under his shirt and it was now in the baby's expert hands. Hinata felt like swooning at Naruto's innocent interaction with the girl. "You like that, don't you? Only future Hokages can wear them."

Mirai answered in gibberish, seeming to marvel at the shiny blue specks that glistened as she moved the gem around. "If you train hard enough, I'll let you wear it someday." With a loud squeal, the baby agreed to Naruto's proposition.

It might have been his imagination, but he thought the arm holding the toddler was getting uncharacteristically warm.

His smile started to falter as he focused on the sensation, and realized that it was indeed a slight scorching pain adorning the lower part of his forearm. 'Right now?' Naruto questioned mentally, a slight annoyance starting to rise within him.

"Naruto?" Kurenai called immediately. She felt the quick transition on Naruto's mood. Even Mirai had stopped laughing.

Trying hard to unknit his eyebrows together and failing miserably, the blond took a few steps towards the mother. "I'm sorry, I just need to check something." As soon as the baby was on her mother's arms, Naruto twisted his left arm to look at angry red letters made up of his burnt skin. He drew his sleeve higher to read the whole message.

Hinata and her master noticed the redness that hadn't been there minutes before, and turned to look at Naruto before figuring out what the words said.

"Find the Hokage at once. Summon me only then."

Only the elder toad could use the jutsu that linked them. Normally Naruto would be the one to call upon the toads given his need of them, but right now it seemed the toad wanted to talk with him urgently. And not only him, but also the Hokage. "Jiraiya…"

"Is everything okay?" Hinata's voice made him rip his sight from his aching skin to her eyes. The Hyuuga could see how deeply troubled his eyes had turned, and how his whole face was starting to twist with worry.

"I need to see the Hokage." He said hurriedly, not even trying to mask his feelings. "I'm sorry." He first looked at Kurenai then at Hinata. She knew something was up, but he couldn't waste any second.

He placed a gentle hand on her forearm. "I'll try to come some other day."

Without looking back, he trotted out of the room. Hinata and Kurenai heard how his footsteps fell into a run.

"What do you reckon?" the taller woman asked to her student. The baby started to wiggle in her arms again.

"I'm not sure." Hinata said thoughtfully. "But he seemed really scared." Only a slight tingle on her shoulder remained.

Not even bothering to listen to Hirumi's greeting or words of caution, the blond slammed the doors open.

His heart was hammering in his chest and he felt out of breath for only jumping on a handful of buildings. There was the same red-haired chuunin he had interrupted when he first arrived back to the village. The man stood up abruptly and looked threateningly at him.

"Out!" The blond commanded the stranger, walking purposefully towards Tsunade's desk and pointing at the open door behind him.

"What the-"

"Naruto, you can't just barge in anytime you like." Tsunade said disapprovingly.

"I got a message just two minutes ago." Naruto stated seriously, looking intently at Tsunade so she could just get in the same page with him.

"Who is it from?"

Instead of answering, the whiskered chuunin looked accusingly at the unwelcomed man that was seething at him.

"Kumane…" the Hokage started.

"But Hokage-sama!"

"You can come back later." She ordered. "I have to deal with this first."

Unbelieving, Kumane looked from Tsunade to Naruto. Inhaling shakily to try to get his temper in check, the chuunin threw Naruto a dirty look before walking out and closing the doors behind him.

Naruto had no idea who the guy was.

"Is it from Jiraiya?" she asked tensely. She'd been waiting for any news concerning him for months, just as eager as Naruto.

"It's from the head toad." The jinchuriki answered, already on one knee. He bit his thumb open and slammed it in the floor. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu." The chakra needed to summon one of the elders was twice as much as what he needed to call Gamabunta.

A tiny form appeared in the middle of the room, and it quickly became clearer as the smoke dispersed.

"Naruto-chan." Fukasaku greeted dearly. "It's been a while since I last saw you."

"Pops." The blond nodded, not even trying to smile back. "Here's the Hokage."

"Indeed." The bearded toad turned to look at the desk and, noticing it was impossible to see her from his place in the floor, leapt to the table. "Tsunade-chan. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Tsunade said formally, hardly able to hide the impatience she had for what he had to say.

"As I am aware you're both wondering why I'm here, I'll just come out and say it." The creature took a few seconds to compose himself, seconds in which Naruto and Tsunade held their breaths in anticipation. "My Jiraiya-chan… he's dead."

Tsunade's eyes widened for a second, while she noticed just how slow her heartbeat was pounding. She stared at the toad for a while, not being able to formulate any words. Then her eyes turned to the blond, who was standing in front of her but his head was pointing to the ground and his eyes were hidden under his blond hair.

Taking a calming breath before she dare speak, the Hokage asked carefully. "How long has he been dead?"

"For three days." Fukasaku answered in a heartbeat. His abnormally big mouth was hanging low as he spoke. "My wife and I were there to see him fall."

The large-breasted leader swallowed as she racked her brain for something else to say. But then came Naruto's voice.

"How did he die?"

If Tsunade wasn't looking directly at him, she wouldn't believe the voice coming out of his mouth was his. It was so deep and tense you could expect it from an older man, not a sixteen-year-old boy. Feeling uneasy at the thought that he wouldn't look solace in her, she pressed the receiver button on her desk.

"Hirumi, call Kakashi and Sakura at once. Don't reply." She said in a hush tone. "Please, continue."

"Jiraiya-chan was killed by the six paths of pain." The toad said solemnly. Tsunade tightened her jaw.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The blond snapped, glaring at the toad.

"If you would please just listen, Naruto-chan." Fukasaku said patiently. He knew just how hotheaded Naruto could be. And right now he was still analyzing his reaction to his master's death. The Kyuubi container didn't reply, but he kept staring darkly at the creature. "Jiraiya-chan went inside the Rain Village once he thought he had enough information on Pain so he could take him on. Unfortunately, Pain was so careful with his secret that Jiraiya-chan didn't count on his five other allies."

"Allies?" Tsunade asked worriedly. The information was proving to be so convoluted that she could actually manage to keep her tears away.

"Individuals, each one with rinnegan eyes and a special ability, key to making them almost immortal."

"Did they keep his body?" Naruto asked hoarsely, each second feeling weaker than the last. But his insurmountable anger kept him going.

At the memory of Jiraiya's torn throat and weakened smile, Fukasaku smiled sadly. "No. He sunk deep into the Hidden Mist."

'At least…' Naruto mused. 'They couldn't get to him at the end.' Turning away abruptly, the blond started to walk slowly towards the exit. "Send my regards to Shima, pops."

"My boy, I still have valuable information!" The elder toad said hurriedly, taking off his cloak and showing his bare and scarred body to Tsunade. "He encoded the secret to-"

The blond raised a tired hand. "I can't do this right now." Tsunade watched his broad back retreat with sad eyes.

"Naruto, your teammates are about to arrive. Why don't you wait for them?" As soon as she started to speak, the blond's aura turned dark and threatening. She bit her lower lip in distress.

"Tsunade, I know that I can't blame it all on you…" The blond said, not even looking back at her. "But I would sure fucking like to."

Naruto had been racking his brain desperately to look for the last words Jiraiya said to him, but he couldn't quite bring them forth.

"I'll give Pain your regards."

He did remember that quite well. As soon as Jiraiya told him that, he didn't feel as confident as he always did when Jiraiya promised him something.

'He knew he was going to die.' The blond thought angrily, as he wandered aimlessly through the streets. His fists tightened as he gave it more thought. 'He knew, and Tsunade knew that he knew. That's why he didn't want me to tag along.'

Walking felt like a struggle as his feet became heavier with each step. He had already bumped into a couple of strangers but he didn't even bother to apologize.

'That bastard!' Naruto cursed mentally, his face the image of betrayal. 'We could've done it. You just needed to trust me.'

An image of Jiraiya wearing a goofy smile with a thumps up appeared in his mind, only to make Naruto even angrier.

"Why couldn't you trust me?"

It had been a full hour since he had spoken. He didn't even care that there were trees surrounding him in every direction. A sudden urge to snap everything in half engulfed him, but speaking to his dead master seemed way more important.

"I couldn't even say goodbye properly!"

How long had his eyes been leaking? Hell if he knew. Even his voice was breaking in all the right places. He wouldn't care if anyone saw him or heard him right now. 'Ero-sennin…'

"I only wanted!" He found himself screaming at the birds above, but the air was leaving him. It came in hitches, and he found it harder to breath. "I only…"

Finally his right knee gave up, followed by his left one. He fell softly on the dry grass, the sunny sky shinning unmercifully on him.

His face was twisted in agony, and his mouth kept tasting the hot, salty tears that rained down upon it.

Oh god, is this how it felt to loose someone dear to him? No wonder the villagers hated him. Who couldn't hate that feeling? The feeling that you've had one of the most important things in your life ripped away from you to never see it again. You can't say goodbye, you can't breathe or laugh.

Even Pain seemed irrelevant at that point. How could he think of the most evil person in the world when his mind was full of flashes of Jiraiya embracing him as he pointed to a pretty lady or Jiraiya ruffling his hair with a toothy grin while he complained?

With the last strength he had he forced his head back to look at the sky.

'I only wanted to spend more time with you.'

"He revived her?!" Kiba exclaimed loudly, his heart suddenly tightening with concern. "Does that mean she actually died?"

"The details are unimportant, Kiba." Kurenai said soberly. Her baby was on one of the rooms upstairs, save from Kiba's outburst. It was Sunday and she had decided to tell Kiba about his teammate's misfortune. "The important thing is that she's fine now."

"I need to see her!" He said suddenly, taking a hand to his forehead and trying to make sense of the whole thing. "It's unbelievable!"

"I'm sure she would greet your visit anytime under normal circumstances, but…" She looked at him carefully. Kurenai wanted to be as clear as possible. "There's the issue about your last encounter."

The Inuzuka knitted his eyebrows at first, but then the horrible memories swallowed him. "I want to apologize to her, but it's…" He faltered. The guilt was bigger than his will to show his face again to her.

"You hurt her feelings and you need to make up for it." Kurenai said severely. The lengths her student went still astonished her. "You and I know that she will forgive you rapidly, but you genuinely need to confront your feelings of jealousy."

"I'm trying but it's so hard." The brunette said childishly.

"Kiba." His teacher called seriously. She stood in front of him and seized his eyes. "She could've died and that nasty brawl would've been the last memory you had with her."

Kiba's mouth fell shut.

"Don't forget that."

"Everything seems to be in check." Shizune said happily, as she signed Hinata's release form. "Just try to take it easy for a couple of days."

Neji was waiting patiently under the door frame so he could escort her back to the mansion.

Hinata smiled at the medic. Even though she'd had to spend almost all Sunday in the hospital, Shizune had found it in her heart to let her finish the week on her own home. Additionally, Kiba's heartfelt apology from this morning had really put her on a good mood. One less worry out of her heart.

But still…

"Shizune-san, I don't mean to intrude..." The Hyuuga beauty started. The older woman levelled her eyes to hers. "It's just… last time I saw Naruto-kun he seemed really worried about something, and since he was heading to the Hokage's office I thought you'd know something about that."

Shizune's mouth quickly turned upside down, the smile on her face disappearing. That was all Hinata needed to confirm that something was terribly wrong. Neji's all-seeing eyes were poised on the medic patiently.

"Tsunade-sama is supposed to give the public announcement tomorrow morning." She stared, her shoulders lowering tiredly. "But I guess I can tell you. You see…"

The pause seemed to last forever to Hinata. The Hyuuga tried to guess what was making her look so defeated but no situation adjusted to the present predicament.

"Jiraiya-sama was killed during combat." Shizune said, looking at both Hyuuga's in the eye. "Naruto summoned the frog that told the terrible news."

Hinata couldn't explain why her body seemed to bend on its own. Maybe it was from the sudden feeling that someone had punched her gut mercilessly. Even though she was seated, the girl placed both hands on her knees for support, as she digested the information.

"Who was he fighting?" Neji ventured to ask, his face stoic as usual.

Shizune raised her head to him and shook her head.

The jounin's calm eyes traveled to his cousin. "Hinata-sama, you-"

"Neji-ni…" She spoke quickly, already on her feet and walking towards him. "I know they're expecting me at home, but I need to make sure he's doing okay."

The man looked at her coolly. "He's not." The sureness of his voice made the knot on Hinata's stomach feel much tighter.

"Then-"

"Hinata-sama." Neji held up a polite hand. "Why don't you give me your bag and I'll take it to the house?"

Confused at his words, the girl stared at him for further explanation. "You go see to him. I'll express him my condolences tomorrow."

Hinata was rendered speechless by Neji's show of comprehension. Giving him a quick hug, she ran out of the room, much like Naruto had done the day before.

'Oh god.' Hinata couldn't help but fear the pain the blond must be feeling right now. 'Why do you have to suffer so much?' A disquieting thought ran through her mind. What if he didn't want to be bothered by anyone? She knew him well enough. The Uzumaki was an expert on shutting people out of his life if things got too complicated. That was one of the key reasons their friendship had transpired so slowly. He had learned to accept help little by little, but in extreme circumstances no one knew how he would react.

In just under ten minutes she reached his front door. Not waiting to gather her breath, Hinata knocked on the door repeatedly. After two minutes of no kind of answer, she knocked again. This time much louder.

"Naruto-kun?" The idea then occurred to her that he might not be home right now. As she tried to look for a presence inside the apartment, she confirmed her theory.

'Where on Earth might he be?' People were used to be in their homes in times of grief. But she guessed Naruto wasn't one to follow the crowd.

The woman stood still, debating internally if she should look for him or not. 'What if he doesn't want to see anyone?' The question was stupid. Of course he wanted to be alone. But she doubted that's what he really needs.

Shaking her head and wearing a determined smile on her pretty face, Hinata summoned her Byakugan without using hand sings and scanned her immediate surroundings.

The sun had already set, and the streets were starting to fill with the faint glow of the high lamps. There existed a huge amount of places he might be, but on a Sunday night the streets weren't as crowded as any other day. Villagers had to prepare for Monday work or studies. If she patrolled the main streets she might-

Her heart skipped a beat as she thought he saw a characteristic chakra form only a few hundred meters away from her. Focusing better on the figure, she confirmed that it was indeed him. Not believing her luck, Hinata climbed down the five flights of stairs and ran to a nearby park a few blocks behind the building.

The surprise of finding him so soon had been such that she was just reflecting on what his figure was doing. But why think about what she saw when she was already seeing the real thing?

As she neared the lonely young man sitting on the wooden chair almost at the center of the park, she slowed her steps. It wouldn't be a good idea to startle him.

As she walked closer, her heart fell when she saw his sitting stance. He seemed utterly defeated. She couldn't see his face since he was resting his forehead on his left hand, and his elbow was propped on top of his leg.

"Naruto-kun…" She said loud enough for him to hear.

"Yeah?" he answered after a few seconds. His voice sounded weak and detached.

"Are you…" 'Stupid question. Of course you're not okay.' Inhaling some air, she tried again. "I just heard from Shizune-san about Jiraiya-san. I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun."

He gave an almost imperceptible nod, still looking downwards. "Yeah. I know."

"Is there anything I can do to make this easier in anyway?" He was clearly tired but somehow seemed calm about it all. Although he might just be faking it.

He shrugged, sighed and waited a few seconds to respond. "I don't know." Finally summoning the courage to lift his face, he showed Hinata his reddened eyes. "I guess there isn't."

"I'm really sorry, Naruto-kun." She emphasized. The Hyuuga took a seat beside him without losing eye contact. "I hope he didn't suffer."

His empty eyes looked straight ahead, not really focusing on anything. "I'm sure he did."

The fact that there was no emotion whatsoever in those words made Hinata hurt even more. Wanting desperately to offer him some kind of comfort, she ventured to ask, "May I hug you?"

A second after she spoke, Naruto was already leaning on her. Hinata tightly wrapped her arms around Naruto's bigger frame. Her eyes suddenly widened.

"Naruto-kun, you're freezing." She exclaimed. But Naruto didn't react. He had his eyes closed and felt how the last of his energy was fading away. "How long have you been out here?"

It didn't matter that he didn't answer, because now that she was as close as she could be, she noticed the black shirt he had been wearing yesterday. "Why don't you go back to your apartment?"

"I don't know." He grunted in response. Hinata pushed him away gently yet firmly. Naruto felt like complaining about the lack of warmth but remembered he didn't have energy to do so.

"You can't spend another night in the streets." The alarm on her voice was evident. Hinata tried to catch his eye but he kept them glued to the ground.

"I'm not hurting anyone." He replied in a low voice. "No one's waiting for me anyway."

Understanding now why Naruto didn't go back home, she prodded. "C'mon. I'll go with you." She stood up and grabbed his hand, but Naruto wasn't budging. "Naruto-kun…"

Her plead only made Naruto look to the side. He didn't fancy going back to an apartment that felt emptier than before.

"I'll stay with you for as long as you need me to, okay?" He didn't answer, but when she pulled again, the blond slowly stood up. With his fallen eyes, he didn't seem that much taller than her. The blond followed blindly the gentle tug Hinata had on his cold hand. Hinata was very much pleased that he was complying with her. Even so, she couldn't help to notice that Naruto had the aura of a bull headed to slaughter.

She didn't need to ask for the keys. Naruto was slowly reaching for them in his pocket.

As they entered silently, Naruto turned his eyes away from the television. He wanted to avoid at all costs the picture standing next to it.

"Go take a shower." The girl turned to face him. Her hand was still gripping his. "I'll make you something to eat."

He obviously didn't like the idea, but Hinata was clearly the person in charge right now. Even in his own home. Sighing loudly, the blond walked to his room and let his fingers slip away from Hinata's.

'Right.' The girl took her time looking through the fridge and all the cabinets before deciding on what to make him. She didn't want to boil water for the generic ramen. Hinata was dead set on making him something from scratch, so that he would be really eating homemade food for the first time in god knew how long. She might not be a glutton, but the Hyuuga knew just how good home-cooked food tasted compared to others.

She heard slight knocking sounds of what she guessed should be his shoes hitting the floor, followed by the water running coming from his bathroom. He hadn't bothered to close his bedroom door but did swing the bathroom door closed. Thankfully for Hinata. She might end up burning up the rice and eggs if her sharp eyes caught a glimpse of him without any clothes on.

She was surprised she had enough time to cook the rice omelet to completion even before he got out of the bathroom. With a curious look to the clock above the fridge, her eyes widened as she noticed that a whole forty-five minutes had passed.

"Are you okay, Naruto-kun?" Placing the wooden spoon in the sink, the girl took two steps towards Naruto's room.

Without answering, the blond opened the bathroom door slowly and emerged wearing only a pair of dark-green sweatpants. He apparently didn't have the energy to don a shirt. His hair was hanging low and still dripping a few droplets of water, but Hinata wasn't going to comment on that. "Dinner's ready." Was all she said, as she watched Naruto march towards the dining table.

Immediately his head perked up a bit at the smell of fresh cooked eggs. It smelled a whole lot different, though.

"I made you rice omelet. I don't know if you like it or not but…" Her head was suddenly feeling very hot. She wondered if he was wearing boxers underneath his pants, but her question was answered by the swinging motion of something solid that could be seen slightly protruding from the fabric.

"I've eaten it before." Naruto answered stoically. He took the chair in front of the steaming hot plate. There was already a stroke of ketchup adorning the top of the meal, but he didn't comment on that.

Hinata watched him place an elbow in the table so his head could rest in his hand as he started to eat. His abundant hair blocked her view of his face, so she decided to just sit in front of him and wait for him to finish.

As soon as he took the first bite, Hinata saw how his whole body froze for over a second. Keeping from speaking, Hinata wondered what she might have done wrong with the dish. His hand shook the tiniest bit as he dug his fork for another bite.

"Is it any good?" She found her confidence lacking as she spoke, but Naruto's hand and hair shook as he nodded vehemently.

"Yeah." Suddenly Naruto didn't sound like himself. After three other bites his shoulders were shaking, and Naruto found himself crying quietly as he bitterly enjoyed the uncanny plate placed before him.

"I-It's really good." He sniffed, and tried to finish the omelet without breaking down completely. The wavering on his voice stung Hinata's heart, and she had to force herself to keep sitting until just after he took the last of the orange rice into his mouth. She stood up abruptly, chair skidding on the floor, and went directly to hug him just as hard as she could.

Naruto's body navigated towards hers. His forehead was tightly pressed against her breasts but neither cared at the moment. This time Naruto did hug her back, and Hinata felt that if he hugged any harder he might crush her ribs. The young woman caressed his hair and naked back as he wept into her chest. After five whole minutes of pure misery, Naruto started to calm down and let go of her until they were just sharing a loose hug.

"Naruto-kun." She called softly, still running her delicate hands through his locks. He breathed deeply in between her breasts in response. "Go to sleep."

The Uzumaki shook his head, and the foreign motion on her breasts sent a tingle through Hinata. "Y-You." Shaking her head sternly, she took Naruto's head on her hands and guided it a little bit away from her body, just so she could stare at Naruto's half-lidded, puffy eyes. "You need to rest."

"I can't." He replied tiredly. Somehow he now had the strength to meet her gaze. He felt he could stare at her eyes endlessly. "I still have nightmares."

"You can't blame yourself about Kyuubi's rampage forever." Her voice was pleading for him to let go of his guilt.

"No." He whispered. His arms fell slowly to his sides. The energy he found before to cry his eyes out was evaporating. "I dream about you… and how you died in front of me."

She wished he was standing so she could hug him without worrying about her breasts getting in the way. "But you saved me, and now I'm here with you." She sighed as her hands pressed the sides of his face reassuringly. "You needto try and get some rest." The girl repeated and pulled gently on his face so he stood up from his chair.

She was sure he would follow her to his bedroom. His footsteps echoed hers in the silent apartment. "Stay with me."

Halting dead on her tracks, the Hyuuga had to play that over on her mind again before turning around. The whiskered boy was looking down at her with expectant, scared eyes. Those blue eyes lacked the intensity he usually had when looking at her, but she still felt hostage being target of his sight.

She opened her mouth and croaked and illegible response until her mouth remained open with nothing else to say. And still Naruto was looking expectantly at her, waiting for her to say something. After a long, pregnant pause, Hinata found her voice again.

"I can't, Naruto-kun." She said sincerely. Not only she promised Neji she would come back to the mansion, but she also needed to greet her family after her fatal encounter with Sasuke. Naruto's face constricted into a scowl as the reality of being completely alone again crashed over him, but he didn't dare say anything else. Hinata's heart hurt with regret, but she couldn't bring herself to change her mind. "You don't need me, Naruto-kun. You need to get some sleep."

A minute before she was completely set on guiding him to his bed and wait for him to fall asleep, but now she couldn't take one more step towards his room. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun." She had never meant her words more than in that sentence.

The blond looked at her tiredly, but didn't thought of anything else to say.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the funeral, okay?" Naruto didn't seem open to any more human contact, so Hinata turned for the door and only glanced behind once before closing it shut.

"Jiraiya-sama was an inspiration to us all. I only had the chance to see him once but that was enough for me to believe in all the stories I've read of him. My heart goes out to you." Sai had said evenly, before placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. Naruto was sure he had read something about how to deal with people who'd suffered a loss, but ignored that thought. Nodding once, he let Sai go on his way along with the black-clothed people who were starting to climb up the stage and give their last goodbye to the fallen legend.

He didn't know how his friends and acquaintances kept finding him, since he chose a not so crowded place at the back to watch from afar. So far he'd been visited by the whole Akimichi, Nara and Yamanaka family, Tenten and her father (who brought a kunai engraved with Jiraiya's name along the blade and gave it to him), Iruka, Lee and even Shino. It was the first time he'd seen those two since he left for his training, and couldn't help to think that they had stayed exactly the same.

That day was also the first time he saw old man Ichiraku and his daughter in a place different than the ramen stand. With a tight and quick hug both gave him simultaneously, the shop owner gifted him a week's worth of ramen on the house.

As he read the engraved name again, the blond noticed that remembering his dead master didn't cause his eyes to water anymore. It was only when he found himself alone that the really grieving thoughts came back at him.

Oddly enough he'd never felt so relaxed before. Or at least he didn't remember feeling that way. The truth was that he'd slept like a baby, and even woke up late for the ceremony. There hadn't been any dreams or nightmares. He didn't know why or how, and really didn't think it was because of Hinata's intermission yesterday. But feeling so refreshed made him able to cope patiently with all the people that had interacted with him today.

The only stressful part of the day was watching Tsunade give her speech. The Hokage had managed to find his eyes amongst the thousand pairs in the crowd, and asking out loud who'd like to approach the stage and say something about Jiraiya. The perverted sennin had always hated speaking to a crowd, and Naruto had taken after him. After a few tense seconds locking stares, the blond dropped his eyes and looked elsewhere, letting Sarutobi's teammates take the stage.

"Hey."

Lifting his eyes away from the knife, the blond encountered the slitted pupils of Kiba.

So much had happened in the last week that he had managed to forget their last encounter. But even when he'd felt so frustrated with him, the blond couldn't summon energy to decide how to feel about Kiba now, so he chose to stay quiet.

"It really sucks when family dies, doesn't it?" The spiked-hair brunette said as he looked downwards, hands shoved deep in his pockets.

As simple as that phrase was, Naruto felt how something stirred within him. Kiba had been the only one to acknowledge Jiraiya as part of his family, something that Naruto told himself quietly but couldn't quite tell anyone else.

"It does." He replied truthfully. He forgot how Kiba was the only guy that spoke like he did, and he often found himself thinking how alike they were. Too bad that he was now going to go out with the girl he loved.

"I've been there, so I kinda know how it feels."

Naruto nodded. Hinata once had told him that he'd lost his dad in the Kyuubi attack. But even after knowing of him as a jinchuriki, he never brought it up.

"Any advice?"

Kiba shrugged. "Friends and family always help." As an afterthought he added. "And dogs."

If it had been any other day, Naruto would laugh. "I'll stick with friends." Not like he had a choice. There was a pause in which Naruto waited for him to say something but he seemed to be struggling internally. 'C'mon man… I have to be someplace else.'

"Listen… Kurenai-sensei told me what you did for Hinata." At the mention of the woman a flash of guilt ran through Naruto's head painfully. He had almost managed to forget the embarrassing scene he did yesterday. "I just wanted to thank you for that, okay? Team 8 wouldn't be the same without her."

"No one would." The blond heard himself say quietly. But he could trust Kiba's ears heard him perfectly.

"Next time I'll try not to be such an asshole."

"Sure."

With a nod, Kiba dismissed himself. Naruto then heard the green-haired nurse calling for him as she approached, but from the corner of his eye he saw Kiba encountering with the Hyuuga main family and the main family's protégé. Half his mind was listening to what the older woman was telling him and the other half was watching Kiba exchange some words with Hinata. From the way they treated each other, it seemed the Inuzuka had also made peace with the girl. He barely registered Azumi pulling his head down so she could hug his neck as a very candid expression of sympathy.

"If there is anything I can do to make you feel better just call me, okay?" She said in his ear. Naruto came back to his senses after noticing how uncomfortable he was with the girl clinging on to him.

"Sure, sure." He hurried to say the last word that had been in his tongue as he felt he'd missed the rest of their interchange. Finally letting go of him, Azumi took his hand and placed a piece of paper on his palm.

"See you soon." She said as a farewell. As well as some of the villagers surrounding the blond, she too knew she'd have to make way for the Hyuugas.

Naruto didn't even had time to look at the piece of paper in his hand. Hiashi was already on him.

"Uzumaki Naruto, please acknowledge my words as the general wish of the entire Hyuuga clan to share our condolences." As Hiashi spoke, Neji, Hinata and Hanabi had bowed slightly at him, but Naruto didn't thought of bowing back. "I had the opportunity to share a few adventures with Jiraiya-san, and forever will hold him in high regard as a shinobi of the greatest talents. You must not only remember him as great teacher of young minds, like yourself and the Fourth Hokage, but also as a person who did everything to protect our dear village. It was his duty and his pride, and I'm sure he passed those feelings down to you."

'Are you hearing this?' Naruto hoped Jiraiya was somewhere chuckling to himself. There wasn't anyone that disliked highborn shinobi clans more than the toad hermit, and he was sure they all despised him.

"We sincerely hope he can rest in peace with the new generation he has left us with."

"Your words are greatly appreciated, Hiashi-san." Hinata's father might be the only man Naruto allowed himself to be polite to. The man nodded curtly.

"I shall leave the young ones to share their sympathies if they so wish. You'll be wise to listen carefully at my nephew, since he holds words that are relevant for all of us." Naruto felt like he was being ordered. Neji was the first one to take a step forward after Hiashi turned and went back with the rest of his clan.

Naruto had rarely seen someone around his age taller than he was, but Neji easily stood half a head over him. He was wearing the traditional black shirt and pants the village donned for funerals.

"Naruto, it's a shame that we are meeting after all these years in such a sad day." He wore even a more solemn aura than he did when he last saw him. "I never saw you two interact, but from what I've heard…" he made a slight pause as he turned to glance at Hinata, who was giving them a small smile. "I'm sure he cared for you and you him."

'Still the same old Neji.' "First of all, hi." The blond said, feeling his lips tug upwards at the taller boy. Neji didn't hide the smirk adorning his lips. "Second of all, thanks."

"This may not be the time nor place for my next words but the Hyuuga clan urges me to convey our feelings of gratitude for saving the Hyuuga heiress from certain death." Extending a large hand in front of him, Neji looked Naruto in the eyes. "We will never forget it."

Naruto didn't feel like receiving any more thanks for saving Hinata, but to be save, he took Neji's hand and shook it. "Fine." The older man turned to the youngest of the group.

"Hanabi-sama." The girl walked up to Naruto and took his hand hastily.

"Thanks for my sister." She said quickly. Naruto couldn't help but notice the hostility in her voice. "Don't forget our deal."

"Like you would ever let me." Naruto replied through gritted teeth. With one last warning glare, Hanabi escaped to Neji's side.

He guessed it was time for Hinata now, but she stood still on her spot looking at him. A few seconds after that, Neji understood. Whispering to Hanabi, he guided her away from them and into the crowd.

Naruto felt a knot form on his throat as the Hyuuga beauty took three steps towards him until she was right in front of him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked carefully, analyzing his features.

"Not so bad." Naruto replied at once. She might be an expert at small talk, but Naruto couldn't bear it. "Listen, Hinata, about yesterday I'm-"

"Let's not do that here." The girl said rapidly, holding a hand in front of her. The Uzumaki looked at her puzzled. "People are listening. And word travels fast."

The blond then turned his gaze to his surroundings, and noticed that once most of the Hyuuga members had dispersed, the crowd was already gaining in on them. People were glancing at Hinata curiously, and he even caught sight of Azumi watching him closely.

"That woman…" Naruto said in a frustrated tone. Hinata turned to look where he was looking and as soon as she connected eyes with her, the green-haired woman turned away. "Can we talk elsewhere?" Hinata nodded and they both started to made way to the east, away from most of the people.

"Wasn't she with you a while ago?" The Hyuuga couldn't hold her tongue for long. Kiba might've distracted her for a moment, but she clearly saw how she was hugging him rather vigorously. She even swore she whispered something to him.

"Yeah, that's Azumi. You've met her."

His words made the dark-haired girl stop speculating. She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Have I?"

Naruto looked at her. "She's a nurse. She was there when I messed up with Asuma's wind jutsus."

"Oh." Now that she had seen her face again, she could place it in the hospital room not long ago. "Azumi-san seems really fond of you." The girl glanced at Naruto as she said that.

He groaned. "Whatever." He brought up the crumpled paper he had in his hand, glanced quickly at it, then threw it away with an annoyed grunt. "Can we talk now?"

He had taken her almost to the east entrance of the woods. They were just a few blocks away from the wooden door. Her mind was urging her to ask what that paper contained, but if Naruto didn't pay mind to it, then she might as well ignore it.

"Yes."

He fully turned to her and looked her directly in the eye. "I'm so sorry I scared you off yesterday, even after all those things you did for me. I swear I didn't know what I was saying until after I spoke."

"Naruto-kun, you didn't scare me off I just-"

"Sure I did!" He couldn't let Hinata take the blame off him. "It was obvious. I clearly made you uncomfortable."

"I was caught off guard, maybe." Hinata conceded. "I just… I didn't know what to say…"

"I'm sorry if the implication offended you." His eyes were full of repent.

Her voice turned tender as she spoke to him further. "I was not, Naruto-kun. And it was perfectly understandable, I mean, you were grief-stricken. Of course you'd want someone by your side."

'Not just someone…' Naruto felt the magnetic hold she was starting to gain on him. He wanted to be closer, but she couldn't risk breaching her trust. It was bad enough that he had abused her gentle nature.

"And I'll always be here if you need me." Thankfully for Naruto, she opened her arms for him and he gladly wrapped his arms around her. He had been longing for this moment ever since they broke apart yesterday.

"I'll never ask that of you again." He spoke softly, but the proposition made Hinata open her eyes in mild alarm.

"Don't." She hurried to say. Her words confused Naruto greatly, so he broke away slightly to look at her in the face.

"Why not?"

"Just… don't." She buried her face in his chest before he could look at her anymore. Even though Naruto racked his brain for an explanation, he concluded that Hinata was still someone out of his range of comprehension.

"Hin…" Naruto called, but the kunoichi was still latched to his body. "I didn't have any nightmares last night."

That finally got her attention. Releasing him completely, the girl looked at him with an open mouth. "Really?"

"Not a trace." Naruto felt the first real smile of the day covering his lips. "I slept for like eleven hours."

"Naruto-kun that's… that's amazing!" When had been the last time he'd seen her grin? Oh, but did it matter? Here she was and she was beautiful. "But why?"

"I don't know!" He felt himself laughing for the first time in days. She was grabbing hold of his shoulders as the excitement still acted upon her.

"Do you think that maybe they're gone for good?" She was as excited as he was, and her shining eyes just kept him drawing closer to her. Even though when he woke up it was just but a puzzling event, Hinata made it all more important.

"I don't know, really. But I sure hope so, can you imagin-umpf!"

Right were his smile had been, now Hinata's lips were covering the surface. Naruto took half a step back as he saw how Hinata's eyes were now closed, and how he couldn't speak because the girl's sweet lips were clashing with his. 'Are we really?'

Hinata pulled back just a second later. Naruto was still standing dumbstruck, not even able to blush, while Hinata was blushing in all the corners of her face. It ended just before Naruto could've time to start enjoying it. 'FUCK!'.

The Hyuuga heiress stared at him horrified, with a trembling hand in front of her offending mouth. 'How could I?' she kept repeating to herself. 'In Jiraiya's funeral!'

"I-I-I-I am SO sorry, I didn't-"

The boy held an open hand in front of her face, making her to stop speaking. Hinata held her breath as he took his time to open his mouth.

"I…" No. That wasn't it. "Why don't we…" It was so hard to put his mind to rest and form coherent sentences right now. He took a steadying breath. He then nodded. "Why don't we put a hold on this? Right now I can't enjoy it as much as I want to."

Thank God Naruto still could make use of his brain to stop this from being a disaster, because Hinata's mind was a wreck. Did he really wanted her to do that? What did he mean by that? Why wasn't he mad at her?

"Don't look at me like that." He pleaded, holding her by the shoulders. "I really want you to come with me, okay?"

After a twenty minute walk through the forest surrounding the village, Naruto had managed to draw Hinata to a safer state of mind. 'I really thought she'd be more mature in this than I.' Even despite his own embarrassment, the blond couldn't hide his joy at the girl's action.

"Can you please stop thinking about it?" Hinata snapped at him.

"Why? You're thinking about it too." The blond accused with a smile.

"Yes, but it clearly affects each of us differently." The Hyuuga seemed mildly annoyed, but her face retained the blush.

"It shouldn't. I honestly don't get why you're so flustered."

"Because it wasn't the time nor the place to do such a thing." Plus, she had always dreamt he would kiss back.

"I told you we could talk about it after we're through with this."

Hinata had already asked a few times what this was supposed to be, but Naruto wouldn't specify. "It's in the next clearing." The change of tone in his voice made Hinata turn to him and notice he was no longer smiling.

As they approached, Hinata could distinguish a tree with a big stone leaning on its bark. Once they were in front of it, Naruto knelt in front of the stone. The girl now could see it had the kanji for "master" engraved in it. There were other two much smaller rocks lying in front of the bigger one, each had a kunai inserted on the top of it and a string connecting the three kunai together.

Naruto took out the kunai with Jiraiya's name and replaced it with the one that belonged to the bigger rock.

"When did you do all this?" The girl asked softly, but Naruto chose not to answer. Instead he walked to the vast clearing behind them and bit his finger.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu." The large surge of chakra worried Hinata, but Naruto didn't seem to care about all the energy he just spent. Looking at the new creatures in front of her, the Hyuuga now knew what was happening.

"Pops. Gran." He greeted the two smallest toads.

"Naruto-chan." The female toad's voice almost broke as she looked at him. He extended his hand for her to hold as she greeted him. "How are you holding up?"

He smiled at the old pair. "Better."

"It's been so hard but we must be strong." Fukasaku declared, holding his wife close.

"A sad week indeed." Boomed Gamabunta, smoking from his giant pipe. "Who's the other human?"

"She's a friend of mine. So just chill, all right?" Naruto yelled up to the toad so he didn't think about being rude to her. Or eating her. "Did you bring it?"

"Yes, he always kept a spare in our home." Shima said as she took a headband from within her dark robe.

"And I brought the sake!" Proclaimed the largest of toads, holding an enormous bag filled liquid for all to see.

"Thanks Gamabunta-chan, but the rest of us are going to drink from the bottle!" Fukasaku hurried to say, as the toad was known for making sake rain from his drinking bag.

"Shall we?" Naruto motioned for all of them to approach the tree with the rock. Shima and Fukasaku placed Jiraiya's characteristic headband solemnly on front of the rock. They all looked at him and waited.

"Right…" Hinata watched him resist the urge to place his hands on his pockets. "So, I know that this wasn't exactly what Jiraiya had in mind when he requested a three-day funeral march with bikini models chanting his name and accomplishments, but it'll have to do."

"I…" He continued but felt the reality of it all falling on his shoulders again. He struggled with the words until he felt Hinata grabbing his hand and resting her arm next to his. "I know you don't like big ceremonies because you hate people in general, so it's just us: the people and toads you spent the most of your life with… and Hinata. I didn't tell Tsunade because I knew she would be too busy with the ceremony." His shoulders tensed as he thought of the actual Hokage. "… but I know that she would like to be here."

"All in all, you were a pretty good teacher, I guess." Naruto was looking fixatedly at the kunai with his name on it. "You died exactly how you wanted to, so I guess we shouldn't complain…"

His fingers tightened around Hinata's, so she squeezed harder. "At least you didn't die alone… but know that we will all miss you."

The blond remained silent after that, because he felt if he went on, he would become the same crying baby he was yesterday. Hinata looked around the other participants and noticed none of them seem they were going to speak. They might not even have the same customs when handling the dead. Taking a quick breath, Hinata opened her mouth.

"Jiraiya-san, I know that we spent but a small time together." The girl spoke clearly, and Naruto looked at her in surprise. "But I'm sure that the time you spent with Naruto-kun made him one of the greatest persons I know. I see your strengths in him. You must be proud of what you've created. I don't think there is anyone else that deserves more the title of your pupil as Naruto-kun. With every steps he takes he honors you. You have nothing to fear as you leave your teachings in good hands."

She might've get carried away a little bit when it came to her admiration for the Uzumaki, but she guessed she must have made an impact, in Naruto at least, because he couldn't stop staring at her.

"It's time, dear." Shima said as she offered Naruto the already opened bottle of sake and two cups. The pair of toads already had their cups filled to the rim, and Naruto did the same with his and Hinata's.

"Here's to you my friend." Toads often accustomed to speak only at the last part of the ceremony, when the sake was served. Gamabunta proceeded to take a chug out of his canteen.

"We will always love you, Jiraiya-chan" Shima said endearingly.

"Always." The elder toad agreed with his partner, and they both took the cups to their enlarged mouths.

'I'll watch over Naruto-kun, Jiraiya-san.' She considered her thoughts too private to share even with Naruto. The girl took the strong liquid to her mouth.

Naruto was the last one to drink from his cup. He stood a few moments looking directly at the clear liquid. Finally he drank it all. Clearing his throat soundly at the strange taste that remained, the blond poured a generous amount of sake right on top of the main stone.

The strange beings remained in the human realm only a few minutes more, saying their farewells to Naruto and Hinata before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Hin, can you give me a minute alone? I won't take long, I promise."

"As long as you need, Naruto-kun." She graced him with a smile and walked a bit further into the clearing, leaving Naruto standing alone looking down at the shining rock. The girl rested her eyes on top of his broad back, but not as a way to pry in on him. She just wanted to witness him as he was now. Growing up without even him noticing. 'Is he even aware of the date?'

Naruto spent just under ten minutes saying his last farewell to his late teacher. Hinata had caught him earlier moving his hand to his face. She knew why but didn't want to comment on it.

Without saying a word, he walked up straight to her. She, of course, received him with open arms. The Hyuuga noticed he wasn't holding her as strong as he'd done before. It was just the right amount of force. "You're going to be okay, Naruto-kun."

"Yeah." She heard him say, the deepness in his voice rumbling in his chest and reaching her ears. Hinata sensed how his previous energy had turned into a delicate calm that still needed nurturing.

"We don't have to talk today if you don't want to."

He breathed once. "Okay." It was a weight off his shoulders, because as soon as the private funeral started he knew he couldn't resume what they had pending. The pain was still so fresh.

"I know you don't want to hear this right now, but it wouldn't do good to ignore it." She peered at him with her beautiful lavender eyes. The blond waited.

"Happy birthday."

Without saying anything, he hugged her tighter.

Author's section

(Tragedy + Time – Rise Against)

Thanks for reading!

Leave a review if you liked it.

- Paty