NARUTO IS PROPERTY OF MASASHI KISHIMOTO
"Kyuubi talking"
'Kyuubi thinking'
"Normal speech"
'Characters thinking'
Author's note:
It's been like a year. So sorry. Super writer's block on the middle of the chapter. But once I overcame it (Just 2 days ago) I couldn't stop writing.
For those of you who are still with me after all these years of occasional updates, thank you very much. Life happens, you know? But I'm not about to abandon this story, even if it takes me a while to write the chapter.
Enjoy
And if you do, review!
Generation Lost
Chapter 13: When I Come Around
"Cause you've been searching for that someone
And it's me out on the prowl"
Shizune walked briskly through the dirt with an empty mug of coffee hanging from her hand. It was still dark, but the birds were already chirping, so she knew the sun would come up in no time.
She entered one of the many tents that housed the wounded. Her visit obeyed a call from a guard that informed her that Sakura had woken up and started to call for Tsunade.
Entering the big tent labeled "23", she tiptoed among the futons scattered neatly on the floor, each one holding a sleeping villager on them. There were faint grunts every minute or so, but she was sure they didn't come from the tent she was in. Everyone in tent 23 was sleeping. Even the pink-haired medic who the guard assured had woken up seemed to fall asleep again.
Shizune kneeled over her peer to make sure she was indeed asleep.
"Sakura." The dark-haired woman whispered on her ear. Apparently Sakura was in a very light sleep, because she navigated towards Shizune's voice with very tired eyes.
"Hmm." She mumbled something, but the soldier pill she had ingested while healing villagers prevented her strength to come back to her.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like shit." Sakura confessed in a low voice. The girl strained her eyes to open and looked behind Shizune. Seeing no one else she asked, "Tsunade-sama?"
The older woman pursed her lips. She didn't want to lie to Sakura but she also didn't want to worry her. "Resting."
Sakura's eyelids were already closing again, but she tried to stay conscious and keep talking. "She okay?"
Shizune didn't dare answer. After a few seconds of debating internally, she noticed Sakura had completely closed her eyes again.
"I'd rather not answer." She murmured, even though she was sure Sakura either couldn't hear her anymore or wouldn't remember her words.
In three days, approximately, when Sakura restored her energy she would tell her the truth.
For all she knew, Tsunade could be dead by then.
She knocked harder this time, and waited.
Still nothing.
"Naruto-kun?" The girl called loudly. It was eleven past nine in the morning, and Hinata waited long enough so the Uzumaki could have plenty of rest, but now it was time to tell him he needed to go before her father knew he was in their house.
Tired of waiting, the girl announced she was coming in before twisting the door knob and peering inside.
Her eyes widened at the sight of the room all tidied up. The bed had been made, and the bathroom door was wide open.
She wanted to call him one last time but knew he had already left.
"Huh?" She approached the night table and grabbed a piece of paper she was sure didn't belong in the room. The paper was in fact toilet paper and, scribbled on top of it, were a few lines written by Naruto's stark handwriting:
I'm sorry I left early but I needed to be somewhere else. You should come too, if you want.
It's a house in the corner of Senju Street, next to Satsuki's scroll shop. – UN
'A house?' Hinata thought, walking back to her room with a confused frown on her face. She didn't notice there was someone waiting for her at her bedroom's door.
"Hinata." Her father's stern voice greeted her coldly. The girl jumped unceremoniously at the sight of her father.
"'Tousan." She gulped, forgetting to bow at him.
Her hands suddenly became very cold. Hiashi was glaring down at her. "We have to talk."
Hinata was very close to having a heart attack, not only because he scared the living hell out of her, but also because she knew she was in A LOT of trouble.
"Get in." He said with pursed lips, walking into her room.
'Oh God.' She squeezed her hands, but managed to stop herself once she got inside her big bedroom. Hinata could tell he was furious. He couldn't even wait for someone to summon her to his home office; he looked for her personally. 'At least Naruto-kun is safe away from here.'
"Sit." He ordered, motioning to her bed. She could feel her father's glare follow her every step as she made her way to the bed.
"F-Father-"
"I've heard a lot from you." Hiashi started, narrowing his eyes at her resurrected stuttering. "It seems you were quite busy during the invasion."
Hiashi stared at her hunched shoulders. Hinata knew he knew everything. All the Hyuugas were on active duty yesterday, and that meant everyone had their Byakugan activated at all times.
"Let's start from the beginning." Hiashi raised his hand and stretched one finger. "One: Hyuuga Hinata orders every clan member to spring to action and help the wounded during Pain's Divine Push. Two: Hyuuga Hinata confronts one of the Six Paths of Pain and manages to get out alive. By this point I suppose I should be satisfied by my daughter's actions, but here is where I start to see red."
"Father-"
"Three." Hiashi raises his voice, thing which is never a good sign. "Hyuuga Hinata abandons the shelters and rushes to face Pain alone, getting badly injured. If it weren't for team 10 I wouldn't have you sitting here in front of me."
"I…"
"Don't interrupt me while I'm talking." There's a vein that starts showing on his pale forehead. Hinata seems even paler than him. "Four: while still badly injured, Hyuuga Hinata goes back and faces Pain again, getting a life threatening injury. Now this time, if it weren't for your…" Hiashi takes a moment to get in check before continuing. "… your boyfriend, you and every other person in this village would be dead."
Hinata breathes in to calm her nerves a bit. "He is not my boyfriend." She says evenly, knowing full well she was threading in dangerous territory.
"I don't care what the two of you are!" Hiashi finally snaps. Taking his hand to this temple, he starts pacing back and forth on what used to be Hinata's safe haven. "What really gets to me, Hinata, is that you two engaged in a very public,very indecent act of affection in front of every single person in this village."
Hinata was looking pointedly at the ground while her father shouted at her. The knot on her stomach was so strong she could vomit.
"Have you no decency?" Hiashi asked, feeling exhausted.
"I'm sorry father, I wasn't thinking." The girl said lamely. She was at the edge of tears. What would become of her relationship with Naruto now that they had screw it even before it could flourish?
"Obviously, you weren't." The man said tiredly.
"Please don't hold it against him." The girl pleaded, her eyes shining with tears that threatened to fall.
Hiashi looked down at her gravely, ignoring her plead. "You are the heiress to the clan. I raised you better than this, Hinata."
The girl bowed her head again, hiding her tears from her father. "Father, please, don't do anything to Naruto-kun."
Even in his unsurmountable anger, Hiashi couldn't help feel conflicted at both the good and bad consequences of the Uzumaki's influence on his daughter. On one hand Naruto helped Hinata live up to her potential, thing he once thought impossible. On the other, he was clearly the weak spot of her daughter.
"My honor prevents me from harming the boy." Hiashi answered in a calm tone. "He's a public figure now. And I lost count of the times he's saved your life."
Hinata's sniffles subsided at his response. The man closed his eyes and meditated for long seconds on his next words.
"You are also a public figure, Hinata, remember that well. And if I ever hear that the two of you are being indecent in front of a crowd again, I will disown you."
Even in his harsh tone, Hinata started feeling hopeful at his words.
"Does that mean it's okay for me to keep seeing him?" Her eyes were timid as she asked carefully.
Hiashi's eyes hardened. "That's not remotely close to what I said, Hinata." He turned his body to face her fully. "Although you are to see him today only to tell him he needs to come and talk to me."
"Talk to you? About what?" Hinata's nervousness started to rise again.
Hiashi's intent glare was enough to discourage her questions. "You don't need to know. I will be waiting for him."
Naruto had a big day planned out for today. He was branded as incapacitated, so he wouldn't be called to action any time soon. His wound was still tender. Shizune didn't heal him all the way through, as she wanted him to rest as much as possible. It was the same technique Tsunade used sometimes to try and force him to stay in the hospital, but pain did very little to stop Naruto.
He woke up early and rushed out of the Hyuuga manor swiftly, then headed to what used to be the apartment complex he lived in. He couldn't help feel sad about the rubble that hid his broken belongings; he was even tempted to cry as he found the broken photo of Jiraiya and him under two heavy steel beams, but reminded himself that the outcome of the invasion couldn't have been better. Thousands of people had lost everything, just as him, but they were all alive. Even on his way over he encountered several families going through their own messed up houses and shops. Several were crying, their clothes filthy and torn apart.
There was hope still. Konoha villagers would get up from their feet and start again, just like they've done before. They lived in a ninja village after all.
"Oh man…" The blond lamented out loud. His TV was shattered, as well as his fridge and other appliances. Even the sofa was broken in half. He stopped looking for furniture and started digging for clothes. He had a feeling they were his only possessions that could have survived.
Naruto salvaged almost all of his clothes. His old orange jumpsuit was torn on the back, but for old times' sake he took it with him, along with a black and blue jacket that didn't fit him anymore. It was the one Hinata had given him four years ago. His newest backpack was torn apart by glass pieces that belonged to his window, but his old one he found among the remains of his closet.
Taking a dusty but otherwise intact black hoody, the blond placed it on his back and covered his hair. He didn't want people recognizing and approaching him, just like it happened on his way here.
'Next stop…' The Uzumaki stood in front of the wooden door that poses as entrance to his parents' house.
He had been standing there with the keys firmly held against his palm for more than ten minutes, and he still couldn't find the impulse to intrude in the stranger's house.
His foot was the first thing that reacted. It began to turn around, but Naruto stopped it in midair. 'Don't be stupid, you need a place to live.' But as he thought about it, he realized he could never live in a house that belonged to strangers. The grip on the keys relaxed.
'I'll just take a look then.' That thought served better to make him enter the house. The resolve to live there was nonexistent, but the curiosity about what he might find was real.
"Please excuse me!" Came Hinata's nervous apology, as she bowed down low enough to show just how embarrassed she was.
The octogenarian woman sneered at her and closed the door quickly. She was too old to care about insulting a Hyuuga.
'Was it really Naruto who left that note?' The Hyuuga started to wonder, as it was the second time she knocked on the wrong house. The shop the note mentioned was in the corner of a four way crossroad, where the other three corners that made up the crossroads had houses in it.
'But it was signed by him, so this must be it.' Hinata told herself as she gazed upon the short stairs that led to the door of the nice house. As she approached she noticed not only that the flowers on the vases scattered around the porch had died long ago, but also that the door was slightly opened, but no sound came from inside the house.
Hinata knocked gently on the surface, trying not to swing open the door but it moved slightly forward.
"Naruto-kun, are you there?"
No answer, very much like earlier this morning. This time, though, she could feel his presence inside the house. Pushing the door quietly, she tried calling him again, harder this time.
"Naruto-kun, I'm here."
A small noise, coming from the far end of the house, answered her.
Looking inside, Hinata thought someone must have lived there a long time ago but not anymore. It seemed like an abandoned house. Every furniture piece was placed where it was supposed to be, but the colors were almost hidden under an obvious layer of dust.
"Hinata, hey." The blond said, his footsteps approaching the entrance. He was no longer wearing his filthy hoodie, but instead the clothes Hinata lent him the night before. She assured him they belonged to Neji.
"Good morning!" The girl said, for an instant forgetting the distressing meeting she had with her father not an hour ago and solely focusing on the wonderful person in front of her.
The blond, without hesitation, went straight for a hug that swept her off her feet and left her standing on her tippy toes. Hinata, elated, returned his deep hug. "How's your chest? Does it hurt?"
"Hmm." Naruto seemed to think about it, but in all honesty he was just glad she'd arrived and he had another chance to see her again. Alive. And smiling for him. "No, I can barely feel it."
Hinata placed her palms on his chest, careful not to touch his wound spot, and pressed a bit so she was looking up at his eyes. "Are you ok? Your eyes are red."
Naruto took a few moments to answer, in part because he was still surprised Hinata could be so comfortable in his arms. "Yeah, it's the dust. There's quite a bit in here." He lied, but he was sure the girl would buy it.
Hinata nodded, finally breaking their embrace and looking around. "Why is it so dusty? Why did you bring me here?"
Right now, they were standing in the designated area where it was common sense to take off one's shoes. The area had a small step that led formally to the house. A little bit further, to the left, was the kitchen. The tiles covering it were white, but the girl couldn't be sure given that the dust almost made it impossible to guess what color the surface was. It was a decent sized kitchen, as far as she could see, with the dining room on the space right across it. The dining table had exactly place for four persons, and it still had two plates placed on top of the tablecloth.
"What is this place?" She wondered out loud again, as she strained her eyes to see beyond the darkness of the rooms at the end of the hallway.
"This was my parents' house." The blond said simply, just as he had practiced, but every word on that sentenced left his mouth tasting weird. The Hyuuga stopped looking inside so she could place her widened eyes on him.
"Pardon me?"
The blond smiled. He wondered how someone could be so polite. "My parents. Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. They lived here."
Hinata's awe just kept expanding. "Namikaze Minato." She repeated, slowly, making sure he wasn't tricking her, but his face told her he was serious. "The Fourth?"
The blond nodded, and proceeded to explain that the Fourth Hokage wouldn't sacrifice someone else's child to the Kyuubi, so he used his own son with the help of his wife, that was the current Jinchuriki at the time. Then he waited for her to take it all in.
Carefully, the girl asked. "Naruto-kun, how do you feel, uhm, knowing all of these?"
As always, she was worrying about him. But now he knew the exact reason behind her concern. This was what being genuinely loved felt like. "I've had some time to come with terms with my origins, so I guess I'm okay. It's not as much of a shock anymore."
"Still weird, though." He added as an afterthought.
The girl smiled sympathetically. The blond couldn't take it anymore, so he bent down and trapped her lips in his. He didn't give her any warning, but she obviously enjoy it. Naruto, however, cut it short.
"I'm sorry, I should've asked for permission." He said awkwardly.
The Hyuuga, although completely red-faced, looked at him in the eye to answer him. "No, you don't."
Naruto widened his eyes a bit and stayed quiet. Even if she said so, he still didn't feel entitled. This was all so new to him, and he still didn't know if it was time to ask her to be his girlfriend.
"I'm still looking around, wanna join me?" He asked, motioning to the hallway.
Hinata considered telling him the troubling news of the meeting he had pending with his father. But Naruto looked somewhat tired, in a way she'd never seen before. When he smiled, his lips didn't manage to get all the way up to this eyes like it was usual in him. Exploring his parent's house might be taking a toll on him. She decided to humor him for a bit longer before telling him the news.
With a delightful smile, the woman answered, "Of course."
"There's no electricity or water. Someone pulled the switches a long time ago."
They stepped past the kitchen and dining room area. "Here's a living room." Naruto said matter-of-factly. It was just behind the dining area, with a light green, antique looking sofa facing the window that looked to the street. In the middle of the room and flanked by a couple of comfy looking chairs was a small wooden table, with an empty base on top of it. Hinata was sure a couple of flowers were meant to be put there, but Naruto kept walking deeper into the house.
"It looks smaller from outside." The girl commented.
"Yeah, but it's huge." Naruto answered. "Well, at least for me." He remembered Hinata lived in a mansion.
Hinata didn't catch on the meaning of his words, as the master room was the focus of her attention.
"They used to sleep here." The blond said, his eyes empty of emotion. He watched as Hinata walked slowly inside, trying to be respectful of the people that used to own the room.
It was a big room, all right. There was a king-sized bed with dust littering its covers, and a night table at each side of the bed. At one side of the room was the closet, big enough to hold the clothes of a married pair. At one end of the room was the entrance to the main bathroom.
"There's a photograph." The indigo-haired beauty noticed, pointing at it. Her eyes turned questioningly at him. "May I?"
Naruto pursed his lips, clearly uncomfortable with the picture at the room. He looked momentaneously at it, then nodded.
The girl looked at him strangely, but didn't comment on his long pause. She approached the picture ceremoniously. There she focused on the dust-littered surface. It was so filthy the picture didn't reveal anything. She used the back of her hand to clean some of the dust, while she thought that it was weird that Naruto hadn't done it earlier.
The first thing that caught her eye was the Fourth Hokage's bright yellow hair. The Fourth's resemblance to Naruto was uncanny. She even turned back to look at her love interest to confirm it was the same shade of yellow. She didn't miss the nervous look the blond was giving her.
Namikaze Minato was wearing the official blue uniform. He had an arm around a red-haired woman. Unlike Minato's gentle and sober smile, Naruto's mom was wearing a lively grin that gave away who Naruto really took after.
"She's beautiful." Hinata said in a low breath, loud enough for Naruto to hear. Furrowing his brow and swallowing decidedly, the blond walked up to her.
Noticing Naruto now right beside her, Hinata lifted her eyes at him. He took the picture from her fingers without saying anything. Placing his blue eyes on the photograph, the blond felt his heart contract.
He'd seen a picture of her before. One that Tsunade had shown him only yesterday. It was the first time he saw her, but she wasn't smiling back then. It was just a formal shinobi photograph from her archives. But now Naruto was looking at her in a whole new light. Her eyes looked so happy, and her grin made him want to smile.
"She really is." The blond admitted, breathless. He hovered his thumb over the picture, clearing any dust particles that remained, just to see her better.
His heart rate had accelerated, and he knew Hinata noticed. Nothing about him ever escaped her. "Let's go to the other room." He said finally, taking Hinata from her forearm and leading her gently out the bedroom. Hinata kept quiet.
"Wow." The girl said, admiring the scrolls that littered the wooden desk and shelves.
"The Fourth… My father was very good creating seals." Naruto explained, his eyes then softened. "Jiraiya told me."
"You're going to like it here, then." Hinata said happily, turning back to him but apparently he didn't agree with her words.
"There's… one last room." The blond said, dismissing what she just said. His somber tone made Hinata frown out of concern. What could possibly be in that house that made Naruto act like that?
"Ok." Hinata turned around and followed him. Naruto guided her to the door just besides his father's home office. It was a room next to another bathroom. Hinata looked at Naruto strangely, because he didn't make the motion to open the door for her, unlike the other ones.
Wanting to ask him if something was wrong but containing herself, she looked down at the unpolished doorknob. Bracing herself for whatever was behind the door, she twisted it, and stepped to the dark room.
It was darker than the other rooms, given that it didn't have a window, but the big object at the center of the room had a distinct form so Hinata knew what it was immediately.
"Oh, dear." Naruto heard her mutter on a low tone. Her surprise and sadness was evident. He went in after her. Their eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness.
"That's…" Hinata started, but Naruto beat her to it.
"A crib." The blond said, standing next to her and looking down at the new, yet ancient, wooden crib. It's covers were unused.
"Your crib." She whispered, looking up at him.
Naruto placed a hand on it, feeling the smooth surface, not minding the dust that was surely under his fingers.
"I never used it." He answered with a hollow voice. "No one did."
Hinata swept her eyes through the rest of the room. There was a nursery station just three steps away from the centerpiece of the room. She walked up to it and opened the first drawer. Unsurprisingly to her, it was stocked with diapers. She guessed each of the four drawers where full of baby supplies.
"It's so weird." The blond spoke, looking away from her. At first she thought he was crying and hiding his tears, but she took a step closer just to find him looking down at another table.
"Naruto-kun?"
"I mean… this was supposed to be my life." He said evenly. He was holding one of the three empty picture frames placed neatly on top of the table. Hinata looked at them and supposed they were all meant for Naruto's baby photos.
"I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun." The blond shook his head once, then placed the frame face down with resolution.
"It's fine." He said, walking out purposely. "I was never meant to have any of this. Kyuubi made sure of it."
Hinata stood on the spot, perplexed at Naruto's sudden change of attitude.
"Naruto-kun." She called as she followed him to the bright kitchen. "You are planning to live here, aren't you?"
"How could I?" The blond said, turning back to her. "This is a house of strangers. I never knew my parents and I've lived my whole life used to the idea of empty faces."
"But didn't you want to know who they were? Ever?" The girl asked, taking his hand and preventing him from leaving the house.
"It's been a long time since I stopped wondering." The blond said seriously, turning fully to her. "But now that I have… it's a huge step back."
"Are you saying… that you regret knowing what your mother looked like?" Hinata asked, astonished.
The blond opened his mouth once, then shut it. He tried again, but it was hard answering that question. The house filled him with bitter feelings as he thought about what could have been, but seeing his mother smiling just like him was the only positive surprise he had experienced in there.
"Maybe." He answered, looking away from Hinata. Unfortunately, she was still staring at him when he looked back. "I don't know."
"Naruto-kun, I can't imagine how hard this must be for you. But, after losing your house and your belongings, I would've hoped you saw this house as a blessing and not a burden."
Naruto pursed his lips. He wanted to argue but Hinata was still going.
"This place was meant for you, Naruto-kun. You may have drifted away but you made it back to what was supposed to be your home. I can't speak for your parents, but I would bet my life that they wanted you to live here."
The blond noticed how Hinata was gripping his hand tightly. She was looking at him so intently she wasn't even blinking.
Naruto was conflicted big time. If it weren't for the discovery of his room, he would've walked away easily. He knew he was tied to that place with an invisible cord. No matter how many years passed, that bond could never be severed. And it killed Naruto to accept it.
"I need time to think about it." The blond conceded, lowering his eyes and showing just how confused he was. "It's just too much."
"Of course." The girl said, relaxing the grip on his hand and chastising herself for being so pushy without noticing.
"We can't stay. There's a lot of dust in here." Not that it bothered him. He just wanted to get away from the unfamiliar aura of the house and take some fresh air.
The girl nodded. When she saw him approach his bag, she stopped him.
"Maybe you should leave your stuff here." She announced nervously.
"Why?"
"Uhm… something happened earlier this morning." Strangely, her fingers started to navigate to each other. Hinata managed to suppress the habit she thought was dead.
Naruto didn't miss her strange behavior. He could tell she was extremely nervous, it was almost palpable.
"What happened? Is everything okay?"
The girl bit her lip before answering. Naruto, although worried about whatever she was going to say, couldn't help but stare at her mouth while she held her lower lip below her perfect teeth.
"My father wants to meet with you."
"Danzo-sama." The ROOT member said but corrected himself rapidly. "I mean… Hokage-sama."
The old, bandaged man smiled to himself at his new title.
He had ordered Yamato to produce a three-story building that could serve as the temporary Hokage headquarter. The lack of furniture in the room made it look huge.
"Report."
"I have news on Lady Tsunade's health." The Aburame, personal bodyguard of the ROOT leader and now temporary Hokage, knelt on the wooden floor.
"Is she dead yet?" The new Hokage asked with distaste. He fully trusted his soldier with his darkest secrets. The shinobi had been serving him for two decades.
"Negative, my lord." The Aburame adjusted his shades as he shook his head. "She shows no signs of improvement, but is still hanging to live."
"Hmm…" The Hokage mused darkly. He was clearly disappointed.
"Her guard has doubled since last night." The shinobi continued.
"Of course." Danzo said, matter-of-factly. "That apprentice of hers doesn't trusts me. What about the jinchuriki?
"The last report locates him at the Hyuuga Manor. No updates since last night."
Danzo made a distasteful sound. 'Now he's favored by the Hyuuga Clan. Hiashi can really be stubborn.'
"Don't lose sight of him." The veteran ordered. "He's a potential enemy of my government. If he does something suspicious I must be informed immediately."
"Yes, my lord."
"Dismissed!" Danzo claimed curtly. The presence disappeared in an instant.
'If Tsunade doesn't dies quickly, I'll be forced to take matter into my own hands.'
Naruto's restless leg was jumping up and down nonstop. Sitting at the waiting chairs made him even more nervous than the walk from his parents' house. Not even Hinata's presence was helpful. She had been so quiet that he guessed she must be as nervous as him.
But he doubted it. He was so afraid he made himself lightheaded. He should've had some breakfast. What if he fainted in front of her father? That would be either very bad or very good. Maybe the only way to get out of that meeting alive was playing dead.
"Hin, how do you fake a stroke?" He turned to her. Her pale face made him snap a little bit from his daze. It started to look like she was bleeding to death all over again. The shock was such that his leg stopped moving. "Are you okay?" He took her hand only to find it freezing.
'Holy shit.'
At his touch, Hinata finally snapped to attention. She turned to look at him. "Yes?"
"Never mind." He cupped her cheek on his palm. "Just… try to hold it together, 'kay?"
The heiress gave him a weak nod, but she was far gone now.
The sound of a door opening made Hinata jump out of her skin. Naruto turned to meet Hiashi's eyes looking not at him, but at their linked hands. 'Oh, man…' The blond unlinked his hand from Hinata's slowly. Trying not to offend any of them.
"Uzumaki Naruto." The clan leader said, wearing a very serious, very stern frown. "You may step inside."
Naruto's throat had suddenly gone dry, so he just nodded and went in with one last look at Hinata's worried face.
Hiashi entered after him. The sound of the door closing behind him made him gulp in place.
"Sit." The Hyuuga commanded. He then remembered that, no matter how angry he was, he was now addressing Konoha's hero. "Please."
The blond did as told. "Thank you."
Hiashi rounded the big wooden table. It was even bigger than the one Tsunade had at her office. He sat down and looked at him.
"First thing's first. The Hyuuga clan thanks you for your services to the village and all its inhabitants."
Naruto was caught off guard by his statement. Especially since the man was still glaring at him.
"No problem." The blond replied.
"And for the third time, if I recall correctly, saving my daughter from certain death." The man said, this time in an annoyed tone.
"Technically, she saved me first." Naruto piped up, feeling this meeting was going nowhere how he expected.
"Now," Hiashi said, dismissing his comment. "As per the Hokage's orders, we will proceed with the inheritance process."
His words were so out of topic that the blond only caught up at the middle of his reading.
"-Seeing as you, Uzumaki Naruto, are the only son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, by Konoha's law you are proclaimed the sole heir of all the assets left behind by the aforementioned."
"Excuse me, what-"
"Don't interrupt me." Hiashi said for the second time that morning. Clearing his throat, he continue. "Such assets are: one bank account and all its contents from Konoha's First Bank under the code 2315059, all the profits generate by the hedge fund investment under Hyuuga Capital Management Group along with the initial investment, Namikaze's main house located on Senju Street, Namikaze's hidden headquarters located north of the Hokage Monument and Namikaze's safe house (location will only be revealed to the appointed heir). Every asset inside each and every one of the estates will also be transferred to the heir's holdings." Hiashi took his sharp eyes off the paper and looked up front. "Any question?"
Naruto took one moment to close his mouth, then answered. "Oh, I have many questions! First of all: what the hell?! Where did all of these come from?"
"Watch your mouth." Hiashi threatened darkly, but Naruto was too shaken to care. The Hyuuga took an exasperated breath. "As I said previously, everything on this paper is your inheritance. The Third Hokage made me the custodian of your father's testament. Here."
The older man extended his hand with a thick envelope at the end of it. Still confused, Naruto took it in his hand and started looking at the different papers on it.
"You can't mean three houses belong to me now!" The blond exclaimed, his eyes widening as he read more and more. "This CAN'T be what's in the bank!" Now Naruto was screaming, his eyes almost popping out of his head. The Uzumaki had never seen eight digits so close together.
Hiashi glared at him some more, before reading what was on top of the paper.
"It's not." Hiashi replied tiredly. "That's the profit generated out of twenty years of reinvesting."
"But… how?!" Naruto's head was getting hotter by the second trying to understand how the numbers add up.
"That hedge fund is one of our most successful ones. The Fourth came to us before becoming Hokage."
The blond kept running through the papers, reading the value of every house over and over.
"This must be a mistake. I can't accept this." It was the only conclusion Naruto took out of the whole situation.
"What do you mean you can't? It's your right! Minato and Kushina left it specifically to you. You can even read their will."
He took an old looking envelope and handed it to Naruto. The seal had been broken many years ago. It was the first time Naruto read his father's handwriting. It was a formal notice of what to do in case the Hokage and his wife died. It said it would all belong to their "son or daughter". The signature of his mom was next to his dad's.
"This is crazy." The blond said as he ran a hand through his spiked hair tiredly.
"In a sense." The Hyuuga clan head agreed. "Now you're an important and wealthy young man." The following word came out very strained. "Congratulations."
The boy seemed so shaken that Hiashi guessed he wouldn't pay the attention the next topic deserved. But he still wasn't going to let him off the hook.
"Now for the real matter I brought you in for." Hiashi stood up, gaining Naruto's thin attention.
At first the young man didn't know what he meant. The last minutes had been so wild they left him drained. He was also starving. But then he remembered what the source of worry was when he came to see him. 'Oh, right. He's gonna murder me.'
"Uzumaki, the Hyuuga are the proudest, most important family not only in this village but in the whole country. When you deal with Hyuugas you must be prudent and thoughtful. And that was exactly what you failed to do when you made my daughter a spectacle for all the village to watch!"
'Yup.'
The blond hadn't notice just how his voice got a little louder by the word. He thought he knew what it was like to be at the end of Hiashi's glaring, icy eyes, but he had no idea just how targeted it made you feel.
Especially when he was wearing the infamous Byakugan.
"Have you any idea how ashamed it made me feel? No, not only me, but the whole Hyuuga household!"
"I know it probably won't do any good now, but I must say this at least once: I am really sorry my actions affected your clan." The blond wasn't feeling quite as shaken by Hiashi's reprimand as he expected to be. It must be that the first shock was so much greater than this one. But he still needed to try and untangle this mess.
"Your apology fixes nothing." Hiashi said, glaring at him from his elevated stature.
"Whatever you're gonna do, do it to me alright? It was my fault, Hinata didn't have anything to do with that. I acted on instinct, and I didn't think it all the way through honestly. If I must be sincere, I had severe blood loss and I remember half of what happened-"
"-Stop your blabbering." The Hyuuga said, now more annoyed than angry.
Naruto did stop, but his words made Hiashi wonder how could two people share the same concern for each other. After a millisecond's thought, the answer came to him like a bullet. Feeling heavy all of a sudden, the Hyuuga clan head fell to his chair with a hand gripping his temples.
"Are you alright, sir?" The Uzumaki asked, concerned. He left the papers on top of the desk and made a motion to stand up and go aide the older man, but Hiashi reacted before he could stand up.
"Don't. I'm… having a headache." He gripped his temples a bit tighter, then started to draw small circles to relieve the tension.
"It must've been all that screaming." The whiskered young hero concluded. The blond's oblivious words only served to strengthen Hiashi's head throb. He grinded his teeth.
"Listen, Uzumaki." He didn't bother to add a suffix. Naruto turned his full attention to him. "Your lack of parenting may have excused most of your actions and behavior in the past, but you're now a full-grown man, a chuunin, and a public figure in the village. That means that you need to start thinking hard on what you are going to do next; allow me to advice you on your next action."
"Okay?" The blond answered, hesitantly. Hiashi looked at him threateningly.
"Don't embarrass the Hyuuga family. Ever."
His words were harsh. They really showed just how offended Hiashi really was about the whole celebration thing. Naruto pursed his lips.
"I understand, Hiashi-san."
Letting a tired breath out, the Hyuuga leader replied. "Good."
"May I ask you something important? It has something to do with my next actions."
What Hiashi wanted the most was for Naruto to get the hell away from his house so that he could look for some aspirin. Talking with teenagers really drained him.
"Yes." He answered with a heavy sigh, as he sat straight in his comfy chair.
"It has to do with Hinata, actually… You see, she's a dear friend to me and I kinda want to keep hanging out with her but… this time is a little different, you know what I mean?" Naruto had never felt so awkward talking to an adult. He couldn't find the right words to ask Hiashi what he really wanted to say; mostly because there was a very big chance he wouldn't concede.
"You're asking me if you can court my daughter." Apparently Hiashi knew exactly what he meant.
"Something like that, I guess." Naruto had started to massage his own neck nervously, showing exactly how vulnerable he felt to Hiashi.
Hiashi looked at Naruto intently for about a minute or so. His Hyuuga eyes could take everything in: from his nervous tic to his humble honesty.
He had some guts, Hiashi admitted. Asking for the right to be involved with his daughter romantically when just minutes earlier he was being heavily scolded for manhandling Hinata's reputation in front of hundreds of people.
"This meeting is over." Hiashi declared, motioning Naruto to the door behind him.
"But-"
"I shall send you an answer to your requirement with Neji in due time." The Hyuuga promised, closing the files in front of him. "Remember. You will not repeat your mistake in public."
Hinata jumped as soon as she heard Naruto's steps coming up to her.
Her movements were so sudden that Naruto also jumped out of his skin.
"Oh my God…" The blond whispered, appalled at Hinata's pale face.
"What did he-"
"Stop." Naruto hurriedly stepped to her and took her by the arm. "You don't look well at all, Hinata. You gotta calm down."
Only now did he fully understand just how scared Hinata is of her father. She was pale as a ghost and slightly trembling.
"But I need to know what happened in there." The girl pleaded, unaware that she was so cold it gave Naruto goosebumps.
"I'll tell you but we're eating first. I'm starving and you sure look you could use a bite." Naruto kept a watchful eye on her. He had the feeling she might faint at any second.
"We can eat here." The girl offered. Her nervousness was subsiding slowly. Seeing Naruto alive and well soothed her some.
The blond scoffed nervously. "No." He shook his head vigorously. "I'd rather get as far as I can from your dad."
This only served to alarm Hinata yet again. "Why?! Did something bad happen? What did he tell you?"
Naruto chastised himself for speaking his worries out loud for Hinata to hear. He didn't want to add heat to the fire when it was already so goddamn hot. Hiashi was a very scary man, but what scared him the most was not knowing the answer to his request.
He guided Hinata to a convenience store. The girl was still showering him with questions but he refused to answer until he found a quiet place to talk to Hinata. The blond told the girl to stay outside while he bought a few sandwiches, then guided her (this time letting go of her hand since they were in the open) to a lonely spot on an untouched side of Hashirama's park.
"This is far enough. You can talk to me now." The girl insisted. Her appearance had improved, but her eyes showed she was frightened as to what Naruto might tell her.
Naruto ignored her as he munched savagely on his food. His first sandwich was gone in two bites.
"Naruto-kun!" Her voice, this time firm and strong, startled him enough so he could look up at her.
"Fine!" The blond let up, holding his hands in the air. "It's… not as bad as you think."
Hinata looked at him for ten long seconds, then decided she couldn't believe him. "What did he tell you?"
"In a few words: I shouldn't make out with you in public or else. He didn't specify on the 'or else' part, but I'm pretty sure it could be life-threatening." The blond shivered as he dare imagine what could Hiashi do to him. He took three large gulps of his drink to make the gory images on his mind disappear.
"Was that it?" The girl asked, feeling pretty much put out because she surely thought it would be more than that.
"Pretty much. I told you it wasn't as bad as you thought, but that's not the worst part of the whole meeting." Naruto said, eating his second sandwich, this time more calmly.
The girl had to sit down beside him, trying to get her nerves to subside. Turns out she had been worrying a whole lot for something not that bad. Her father basically told him the same thing he told her. "What's the worst part, then?"
The blond kept silent for a while, looking right in front of him before finally deciding to take out the papers from his back pocket and handing them to the girl. "These."
Hinata looked at him and the papers cautiously. "What are these?" She asked, carefully unfolding the bundle.
"Your dad gave them to me." The Uzumaki answered. He seemed slightly upset. Hinata was more interested in analyzing him than reading the documents, so he prodded her. "Go on."
With a halfcocked eyebrow, Hinata started to run her eyes through the titles of each document, then to the full content.
Naruto witnessed the exact moment when her brain made the connection.
Her eyes opened as wide as they could. She looked from the documents to her crush, then back again. Her mouth suddenly spread into a large smile.
"Congratulations, Naruto-kun!" She hugged him without a warning. Naruto would've like to enjoy it but he couldn't. The girl immediately felt his unwillingness to enjoy the moment. "What's wrong?"
"Everything." Naruto answered simply, unable to hide his angst.
"What? Aren't you happy about it?"
"No! It's scary as hell!" The blond couldn't help it anymore so he stood up and started pacing back and forth, waving his hands as he explained his worries to Hinata. "Just a week ago I was the same poor, orphan boy I was used to be. And I was fine with that! I was kind of happy because it somehow worked out; I mean, I didn't have that much money but I could manage with my earnings in the past three years. And I never gave a thought of who my parents were or how did they die. Fast forward to this day…"
Naruto was so distressed that he was tugging at his golden locks. Hinata could tell it was too much for him to handle.
"I not only have one house but three! I've NEVER had that much cash on my account. I mean, what could anybody do with so much money?" He turned to Hinata with an inquisitive expression. The girl, instead of answering, stood up and cupped her hands on his sensitive cheeks.
"It's okay, Naruto-kun." She said endearingly.
"It's not! It's just too fucking much!" He exclaimed yet again, forgetting he was now ensnared in her calming aura and her beautiful lilac eyes.
"Only if you take it upon yourself." The girl continued in her soothing tone. "I'm here, I'll help you."
"Yeah, but-"
"And not only me." She continued, stepping up to him so she could embrace him fully. "Everyone else will be there for you and they will help you in everything they can." Hinata knew he was calming down because his arms had stopped waving erratically and now were poised on her waist loosely.
"You are enough." The blond finally said, holding her tighter against him. Hinata felt her stomach almost bursting with butterflies.
"I can help you settle down on your parent's house while you figure out what you really want to do." She spoke with eyes half-lidded. The rush of emotions from just that morning were enough to leave her drained, but at least she could survive it so she could spend time with him exactly as she had imagined it.
"Thanks." He spoke, feeling as if all the worries in his world were miniscule. With his left hand he gently pushed her chin up to him, then closed the distance between their faces and let himself be consumed in the sweetness of her fresh lips. The girl enjoyed the kiss for just a moment, before pushing a palm against his chest before looking around worriedly.
"This is exactly what my father doesn't want us to do." She said huskily, feeling weak at the look his eyes were giving her.
"It's okay, look." Not losing their closeness, he grabbed her hoodie and placed it neatly on top of her head. Then he did the same with his. "See? We could be anyone." He commented with a smirk.
Hinata shook her head but smiled despite herself. It was a very silly attempt of a solution, but she knew there was no one else around so she went with his idea.
Grabbing him by the sides of his hood, she pulled his head down to her, this time with the confidence that there wasn't anything in the world that could stop her from enjoying him.
She felt his ample grin under her lips, and it only made her smile herself.
"Don't laugh, this is serious." Naruto said against her lips, which only served to make her giggle into his kiss. He stressed the meaning of his words by sucking lightly onto her lower lip. Hinata seemed to get the message because as soon as he did that she stopped smiling, and Naruto felt her face get warmer. 'Too much?' He thought inwardly, but there wasn't a hint of remorse.
Hinata answered by angling her face better so they could deepen the kiss. It felt delightful, but apparently for Hinata it wasn't enough. She placed a hand on the back of his head so that there was no wasted space between their hot lips.
Delightful indeed.
Their bodies also needed to get closer, and there was barely any space left between their clothes. Naruto was feeling hectic, and he couldn't keep his tongue still even if he wanted to. Feeling her mouth was absolutely exquisite, but when he crashed with her own tongue, the world may have shaken underneath his feet.
In fact something did stir under his pants.
He froze out of pure terror and embarrassment, thing which made Hinata also stop on her actions.
"Is… Is something wrong?" The girl asked, looking up at him with eyes glazed and lips slightly redder than normal. Looking down at her made Naruto feel like keep making out, but he just couldn't let her know what just happened.
"I thought I heard someone." He said hurriedly, clearing his throat.
Hinata turned her head to look around with a strange face. "Really?" The blond took advantage of her distraction and stepped away from her. "I don't see anyone."
"Weird. Hey, I think I'll go back to the house and start cleaning up."
Although disappointed at their interrupted session, the Hyuuga cheered internally. "Did you decide to live there?"
"I'll give it a try." The only thing he knew right now, was that he needed a private place. Naruto turned away from her and started cleaning up their stuff from the bench. He was decided to only let her see his back. "I think you should go back to your place for now."
Put out, Hinata low key agreed with his judgment. She didn't want to give her father more reasons to consider demoting her from her position as heir.
"Okay. Maybe we could see each other later?" The girl offered, still feeling his heated lips over hers.
"I don't know. I was planning on visiting Tsunade to talk to her about my parent's inheritance."
"Oh, Naruto-kun, don't you know?" How could he? He was barely recuperating from Pain's fight. Naruto turned his head to look at her strangely, clearly oblivious. "Tsunade-sama is still in a comma."
"Halt." A jounin, wearing dark robes and a brightly polished Konoha headband ordered, extending his hand in front of the unknown visitor. Three other jounin and an ANBU officer, heard their partner's words, and approached him hurriedly.
"What is it?" The monkey-masked ANBU asked the jounin. Through the mask's eye openings, he could see his fellow shinobi was standing in front of a hooded figure. "Who is this?"
"Uzumaki Naruto." The blond revealed, taking away his hood and staring up at the group of heavily muscled shinobi. There were a few ninjas who raised their eyebrows in surprise at the revelation. "I need to see the Hokage."
The ANBU member stepped closer so he could make sure he really was who he claimed to be. "Uzumaki-san, the Hokage is in no shape to take in visitors."
"I need to see her." The blond prodded. "Is Shizune with her?"
"She is." The ANBU nodded. "Ever since…"
"Then take me to her."
"Naruto-kun!" Shizune exclaimed as soon as she exit wooden house. "So glad to see you healthy!"
She embraced him in a tight hug, thing which made him wince inwardly. "Shizune-san, how's she?" Naruto immediately said, ignoring the pain that sprouted from his chest.
"Tsunade-sama is…" Her black eyes traveled to the floor. Naruto felt his heart constrict painfully. "She hasn't responded to the treatment. But… she's hanging in there, still fighting. She's very tough, you know?"
He knew, of course. But that still didn't make him feel any better. He thought that by talking with Shizune his fears could ease some, but apparently Shizune didn't have much hope either
"Can I see her, Shizune-san?" His tone, unlike with the guards, was that of a plead. For all he knew, and for what Hinata had told him, Tsunade could die at any moment.
"Naruto…" The older woman started. If it were anyone else, she would've said no. But Naruto was like a son to her teacher, and she was sure the blond saw her as a mother figure as well. "Come."
Quietly, the young hero followed Tsunade's first apprentice through the dirt path that lead directly in front of the house.
"He's with me." Shizune claimed to the two armed ANBU men that were poised at either side of the door. They both turned to look at Naruto through their uncomfortable masks.
"Not without a pat-down." Stated the bird-masked ANBU.
"Sure." The blond said almost immediately, raising both his arms. He just wanted to get to the Hokage as soon as possible.
Rough hands squeezed at his shoulders and torso. Regrettably, there wasn't a woman guard around, so that same man had to go through Naruto's privates.
Needless to say, that made him most uncomfortable.
"I'm keeping these until you come out." Said the guard, pocketing his keys and wallet. Naruto nodded, not caring at all.
"Okay, let's go." Shizune whispered to him, once he crossed the entrance.
The house was furniture-less. Only the main room counted with light coming out of it.
"I gotta warn you, Naruto-kun." Shizune said, tensely. "She doesn't look good. Her genjutsu has stopped working and now her real age shows."
The blond halted his steps. He wished Shizune had said that earlier. Now he didn't know if he wanted to see her.
Shizune stared at him while his mind was struggling to decide on crossing the door-less room. With a hesitant step, the blond stood in the frame, where the whole view of the room was in front of him.
He saw Shizune, standing left from the fallen form of Tsunade on the floor. His breath hitched in his throat at the sight of her discolored skin. Whatever image of Tsunade as an old woman he had imagined in the previous seconds were nothing like the real thing. Even from his standing spot, he could see how her skin clung to her face like a skeleton. Her lips were so wrinkled, and her hands seemed so fragile.
It felt like a kick to his stomach. Now he was positively unable to take a step forward. The Uzumaki ripped his eyes from Tsunade and turned them to Shizune with the intention of letting her know this was as far as he could manage. But the look she was giving him woke him from his stupor. She was looking intently, not at him, but right at the side of his face. Naruto frowned deeply as he tried to look behind, but as soon as he started to move his head, he saw how a small bug was starting to fly towards Shizune and Tsunade.
A red light started to flash in Naruto's head, because that sole image woke his senses up, and immediately he felt how many more little legs were scurrying from his neck.
"Kiken*!" The blond screamed, as he turned on his heel as fast as he could. Regrettably, the house was designed to have no windows except for the sole entrance, so the blond placed his whole weight in his shoulder so he could break through the wood.
Shizune didn't stay still either. She didn't know what was about to happen, but she knew that Tsunade was the target.
She placed her whole body on top of her master, just before the bugs started to detonate.
The lone bug was first. But it started a chain explosion on all the other bugs that followed, until they reached Naruto's body.
The safe house was blown to bits. The guards were thrown away by the force of the explosion. Shizune was flying through the air with the body of her master firmly gripped against her own.
And Naruto was engulfed in a ball of fire.
"How the hell could this happen?!" Sakura exclaimed, almost in tears, as she got to the location of the incident.
Shikamaru gasped for air behind her. They were on duty a few miles away from the safehouse, and Sakura was the first to know that the explosives had something to do with the Hokage.
"Sakura-san, the Hokage is stable now, but she won't last long without her oxygen." The bird-masked ANBU said quickly. The lower part of his mask was cracked open, so half his lips could be seen moving above a three-day beard. "My partner is still trying to extinguish the flames covering the Uzumaki, but I think he's not aliv-"
"Uzumaki?!" Sakura exclaimed, her head spinning in place.
"Naruto is here too? What the fuck?!" The Nara asked, not being used to being confused.
"He came in to visit the Hokage. Next thing we know is that he became a human fireball just after screaming a warning all over his lungs."
'Naruto was the one who exploded? How in the world does that make sense?' The Nara's mind was racing.
"This was clearly an attempt on the Hokage's life." The other ANBU said as he arrived. "We should take the Hokage somewhere safe. The jounin are assessing Uzumaki-san on the spot. He doesn't look alive."
"Oh my god." Sakura exclaimed, color leaving her face.
A bark resounded from the trees behind them. Shikamaru thanked his lucky stars it was someone he knew.
"Kiba." Shikamaru greeted.
"What the fuck hap-"
"No time for that." Shikamaru intervened quickly. "Sakura!" He shouted, knowing she was feeling all but good. "You and I are going to take Tsunade and Shizune to a safe place, okay? Without you they'll die."
Shizune had a concussion and mild to severe burns on her scalp, back and arms. Fortunately, Tsunade was looking old and weak, but not burned.
The pink-haired girl had to breathe twice so she could answer. "Okay, but what about Naruto… He's… Oh my god we have to tell Hinata…"
"Shit." Kiba said under his breath. "SHIT!" The sight of the house burning, Tsunade looking like a corpse, and hearing Naruto might be dead were all too much for him.
"Kiba calm down!" Shikamaru said. "You too Sakura. If he knew he was in danger maybe he found a way to protect himself."
"We'll take him to the hospital tents." Bird-masked said.
"No. We are all going to Hyuuga Manor."
"What?! Why there, Shikamaru!?"
Shikamaru's mind was racing, and it looked all too shady. "Because right now two of Konoha's finest have been compromised, and there's few people we can trust."
"Shit, shit, shit, shit." The Inuzuka's heart was racing, and he was now starting to hyperventilate.
SMACK
"Kiba." Shikamaru said just after his eyes were now poised on him. "You're taking Naruto to Hinata's alone, Okay? And you're going to protect him with your life!"
"He's in no shape to be moved anywhere." Warned bird-guy.
"I don't care. If they got to him once, they could do it again."
Akamaru gave a big bark in response. It helped his master get some focus. "Done!" And Kiba was gone with the biggest dog in Konoha besides him.
"What about us? The Hokage is our responsibility." The other ANBU said, not pleased that a kid half his age was giving orders.
"And you failed tonight. You and all of the other jounin guarding Tsunade are going to bring as much medical equipment as you can to the Hyuuga's. But you won't enter. Except you." Shikamaru pointed to the bird ANBU.
"You're going to bring the following shinobi."
"Chouji, what's happening?" Ino asked one of her best friends, as she arrived at the place the shady shinobi had told her to go.
The enormous ninja turned around and embraced her tightly but carefully. "There was an attack against the Hokage. And Naruto was involved." Chouji said tensely. He was standing outside the Hyuuga Mansion, along with Sai and a few more Hyuuga guards.
"Naruto? How was he involved?"
"We don't know yet." Sai answered. "But Shikamaru started calling all of us. Apparently the Hokage's personal was compromised so he couldn't trust them."
Ino was left speechless by the amount of information and the implications that were left hanging.
"You need to go inside, Ino. Shikamaru has work for all of us." Chouji told her with a worried face.
A high, chilling scream was heard very clearly even from where they were standing.
It obviously came from a woman.
And they all recognized it as Hinata's.
"Mission status?" Danzo requested, sitting silently from his newly appointed house.
The dark-clad shinobi kneeled in front of him, not making a single noise. "Unsuccessful."
A long moment of silence elapsed between the two. Suddenly, a displeased groan came from Danzo's throat.
"Explain." He ordered sourly.
"The Uzumaki managed to notice in time and devised a route away from the Hokage."
"Is he at least dead?" Demanded to know the current leader of Konoha.
"Uncertain."
Another long moment of silence.
"Fuck."
"It is my fault the plan didn't go as planned."
"No. It is mine. I underestimated the bastard." Danzo clicked his tongue in annoyance. "We may still be able to use him in our favor."
"What should I do, Danzo-sama?"
"Lay low for now."
Ino tried to rush past the other Hyuuga guards that were standing in her way to the hall that lead to the main guest's room. She could only go through after allowing the Hyuuga's a complete pat-down. Fortunately for her, there was a female guard on the crowd.
'This is bad' Ino told herself yet again. Not only because the place was filled with maybe with sixty guards, but because with each step she took she got closer to Hinata's cries. 'That could only mean he's dead.' The tight knot haunting stomach finally reached its peak when she arrived to the well lit guest room.
There was Akamaru firmly placed right outside the door that obviously led to Naruto's location. Outside was Tenten, holding a grievous Hinata.
"Hinata!" Ino broke into a sprint to get to her friend as fast as she could.
The Hyuuga didn't even seemed to hear her coming. Only when she was embraced by the Yamanaka, did she react.
"Ino-san…" Looking at Hinata's face made Ino's shoulders slump. Her usually placid and lilac eyes were red-rimmed. The obvious cause were the fresh tears that continued to slide down her cheeks. "Please talk to Shikamaru-kun."
"Oh, Hinata." She hugged her hard. Trying to imagine the kind of pain she was going through. As she hugged her she raised her eyes to Tenten. The older woman looked at her hopelessly. It made Ino's heart sink. "Everything's going to be okay." She knew her words were lame and, to the extent of her knowledge, false. For all she knew, Naruto was dead.
"Please." Hinata repeated with a breaking voice. "Talk to him."
"Where's he?" Ino asked. She couldn't watch her friend break down like that.
"In there. Along with Neji, Kiba, Sakura, Shino and… Naruto." Tenten said quietly.
Ino turned to the offending door. She straightened her back and knocked hard three times. Then she exclaimed. "Shika! Come out! I'm here!"
Hinata halted her weeping as they all waited for Shikamaru to answer.
After just a few seconds, Neji appeared. He exited the room, followed by Shikamaru, who closed the door quickly before Hinata could give it another attempt to break in.
"Shikamar-"
"Ino, you have an intermediate knowledge of medical care. Follow Neji to Shizune and the Hokage's room. They need your attention, but they're finally out of danger." Shikamaru looked tired, but his eyes were sharp. His father was in a meeting with Hiashi and Kakashi, so he could be spared the stressing big-boy talks.
"Don't you ignore her! She's having a meltdown, for fuck's sake!" The girl snapped at his friend, ticked off by his cold attitude.
"No time to argue. Let's go, Yamanaka-san." Neji spoke politely, but took her by the arm and guided her away from her girlfriends.
"Don't! Hey!" She could do little against Neji's strength. "What about her? She's your cousin! Aren't you worried?"
"Of course I am." Neji answered soberly, not looking down at her. "But crying isn't going to solve anything."
"But it's her boyfriend!" she protested, looking back at Hinata's broken form.
"That's why I don't blame her." He replied silently, recalling Naruto's half deformed body.
Tenten had to restrain Hinata yet again from breaking in to Naruto's room.
"Shikamaru! I need to get to him!" Hinata yelled yet again. She was proving to be stronger than Tenten given her ability to scurry away from her grip.
"Not yet." Shikamaru said seriously, looking down at the Hyuuga heiress. Her sister, Hanabi, hadn't been able to see her in that state, so she decided not to stay with her, less she wanted the whole image of her big sister ruined. "You don't need to see him in his present state."
"I do!" The girl retorted hotly.
"Believe me, Hinata. If I were you, I wouldn't want to see him like he is now." Even the great Nara heir had some difficulty staring down at the burned down body of his friend. "I'm trying to protect you."
"But what if he d-dies before I have a chance of seeing him again?" The sole thought weakened her legs. Tenten was there to hold her in place.
"Hinata." Shikamaru said, and he took two steps towards her, making sure she was paying attention. "He received the full impact of several explosive rounds, point blank. Believe me, he did something to protect himself because otherwise we would be busy finding his remains in the forest."
"Stop it." Tenten said through greeted teeth. There was no need to say such things to her.
Hinata was trying to control her sobs as he talked.
"Sakura is in there trying to save his life and she will be the one to authorize visits when she sees it fit, alright?"
Hinata didn't answer, she only swallowed.
"And I would prefer if you could be of some use, because right now, you are the only one in this place that isn't doing something useful." He knew he was being harsh, but it was the only way to snap her out of her grief.
"W-What do you need me to do?"
Tenten and Shikamaru breathed in relief.
"Go to Chouji's house. Ask her mom for a soldier pill, maybe two. Sakura is going to need them if we want to see Naruto make the night."
Hinata was gone in a second. She even managed to escape the grip that Tenten still had on her shoulders.
"Shikamaru." Tenten spoke, as they both felt Hinata's presence vanish in the distance. "Is he really going to make it?"
Shikamaru chose not to answer.
"Tenten, you stay here, in case something happens. Kiba, Shino and I are going to see the grown-ups."
"Enter." Said Hiashi. The only two Councilmen and Team 7's leader raised their heads as they saw Shikamaru, Kiba and Shino enter the room.
"What do you have?" Shikaku, Shikamaru's father, asked immediately. There was obviously no time for small talk. If there was any chance of an inside job, then Konoha could turn into a civil war.
"Well-" Shikamaru started, but Kakashi intruded.
"First, of all…" The Hatake said carefully, sending a meaningful look at Shikaku. "How is he?"
The head of the Nara clan looked bewildered and somehow embarrassed. He cleared his throat. "Of course."
Shikamaru looked from his dad to Kakashi for a few moments, before regaining his speech. "He is alive but unconscious. Most bones on the upper part of his body are broken and/or dislocated. He is breathing thanks to a machine, given that four ribs are incrusted in his lungs. The burned skin, Sakura tells me, is the least of his problems."
Kakashi was visibly shaken by the news. He had come to believe that his student was invincible. He placed both hands on the table. "Is there any chance he can make it?"
"Sakura has something in mind, involving Ino's and (surprisingly) Naruto's help. But it'll have to wait until Ino wakes Shizune-san up." Informed the Nara who, at 2 in the morning, was starting to feel the beginning of sleep trying to catch up with him.
"Let's hope Sakura knows what she's doing. Right now, she's the most qualified medic in the village." Shikaku added.
The Hatake nodded tiredly.
"Now, regarding the attack, Kiba found pretty interesting stuff on Naruto's scent." The Nara stepped aside and signalized the Inuzuka to take the floor.
Visibly uncomfortable, the tall man said, "Apart from the usual ramen, he had traces of the Kyuubi's chakra all over him."
"That means he managed to coat himself with it before the explosion and thus, saving his own life." The Nara intervened.
'Clever boy.' Hiashi thought from his spot at the head of the table.
"Also, I didn't smell any of the usual chemicals used on explosives, but there was something weird in the air."
"Shino." Shikamaru said. He knew the Aburame needed to be asked to talk, otherwise, he would just brood in silence.
"Yes. There was an extremely high concentration of beetle pheromone. That leads me to think that the attacker is using techniques not unlike those of my clan." Shino said the last part as he adjusted his dark glasses.
"Are you saying that an Aburame could be behind the attack?" Hiashi asked gravely.
"It is not impossible, although a Kamizuru could also have access to this kind of beetle." Shino retorted quickly. He wasn't about to believe that someone from his family had hurt the Hokage and the Uzumaki.
"How come we've never seen this kind of ability in your bugs? I've seen your clan in action, but never had I seen exploding bugs." The scarred Nara asked, carefully absorbing all the facts that were being unraveled.
"For the jutsu to be successful, the bug master needs to have a fire inclination. Without it, the bugs are useless. No one in my clan has such affinity, that I know of." The Aburame spoke with conviction, but his words only made the adults even more uneasy. The fact that a clan outside Konoha might be behind the attacks was even more worrying because of the little knowledge they had on the enemy.
Hiashi was about to ask a question, but a Hyuuga member knocked on the door.
"Hiashi-sama, Lord Danzo is here requesting to see you."
The three adults looked at each other somberly.
"Send him in." The Hyuuga leader said in a monotone. The other Hyuuga nodded and left.
"That was fast." Commented Kakashi.
Two minutes passed, and Danzo walked into the studio calmly, regarding everyone there with his one visible eye
Shikamaru wasn't up to date with the political matters of the new administration, but judging by the tension that filled up the room, he guessed not everyone saw eye to eye with Danzo.
"Regrettable and disgusting." Were Danzo's first words. He didn't bother to look for a chair, he just stood in front of the edge of the table. "Is the Hokage all right?"
"Yes she is." Answered Shikaku curtly, watching Danzo's hidden arms warily.
"Thank the heavens." The older man in the room turned to the youngsters that were standing not too far from him. "Terrific job, I must say. Not only did you secure the lives of the Hokage and her assistant, but you also managed to capture the perpetrator."
Kiba almost choked on his spit. Everyone else gritted their teeth.
'So that's his play.' Shikaku said inwardly, tightening his fists.
Danzo was most amused.
"Perpetrator?! Naruto was a victim!" The Inuzuka finally snapped, taken a step to the acting Commander in Chief.
"Kiba." Shino warned. The Inuzuka was used to reacting to Shino's words, but his blood couldn't stop boiling.
"Uzumaki Naruto had been saying ever since he was a child, that his only wish in this world is to become Hokage." Danzo continued. "From what I can tell, he tried to take advantage of the fallen Tsunade, so he could take the title."
"That's just stupid." Shikamaru said, referring to the reason Danzo offered as a motive. "That's just-"
"Absurd!"
Everyone in the room widened their eyes at the new Hyuuga in the room. They were all too focused on Danzo's threatening aura to notice Hinata approaching the room.
"Hinata! You aren't allowed to be in this meeting!" Hiashi said lividly, unbelieving her daughter's nerve to crash a Council meeting.
"Naruto-kun was the fiercest follower of Tsunade-sama. How dare you accuse him of something as terrible as that?" The young woman ignored her father's words.
Everyone in the room was shocked beyond measure at the high concentration of venom coming from Hinata's usually kind tongue.
Danzo, instead, was having the time of his life.
"Hinata-sama, I understand where you come from. It is easy to be blinded by your feelings. But right now, Uzumaki Naruto is the only suspect we have." Danzo's eye danced with delight when he saw Hinata's Byakugan activating. Everyone else in the room became alarmed. Especially Hyuuga Hiashi, who couldn't believe the person standing up to Shimura Danzo was his own daughter. "I would be a bad leader if I didn't apprehend him until we can solve the case."
"Hinata…" Kiba ventured to call her name. His tone was uncertain, but he had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next.
"I assure you that we can get him a fair trial, to determine if he's the real murderer-" Danzo was savoring every word, but Hinata once again interrupted him.
"I found him." She said with determination.
There was silence all over the room. Even Danzo couldn't understand what she was talking about.
"What-"
"I'll bring you the real murderer." The girl said, turning to look at her comrades. Even with her reddened eyes and pale skin, the girl looked beautiful even if she was looking positively mad. "You can come too, if you want."
Shikamaru knew the question wasn't directed to him.
Once Kiba was over the initial shock and fear, he nodded his head and flashed his elongated fangs. "I'm ready." He turned to look at Shino.
"I will help you not only to clean Naruto's name, but also my family's name." The dark haired shinobi answered.
Danzo, feeling lost, wanted to speak for them to stop. But Hiashi beat him to it. "Wait! I do not allow-"
Team 8 didn't even look back. Kiba and Shino followed Hinata, since her eyes had her target locked in place.
The room was left in silence. Danzo didn't know what to do, but he reminded himself that Shikaku and Kakashi were watching him like hawks, so he managed to control his facial expression.
"Something wrong, Danzo-san?" Hatake asked playfully. He couldn't hide the smirk that was showing behind his mask.
"Surprised at that trio's energy, that's all." Replied Danzo, trying to sound calm. "Let's hope they can deliver."
'You better not fail me, Torune.' The old man thought tensely.
Author's section
(When I come around – Green Day)
* Kiken – Japanese for Danger.
Thanks for reading!
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- Paty