Hinata woke up groggily to a dark room with the only light coming from a street lamp right outside their window. She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes before massaging her temple, hoping to rid it of the throbbing. Then she gasped when she remembered that Naruto needed his next dose of medication, quickly moving to her feet and rushing to her desk.
She saw a note from Naruto and relaxed when she read it. He found the instructions she wrote down and took the capsules so he didn't have to wake her.
Come get me when you wake up! I'm sure we'll both be starving -Naruto
As if on cue, her stomach growled loudly and she giggled to herself before quickly taking a shower to start getting ready. It would be nice to just sit down, relax, and eat food with one of her best friends after all the anxiety she had the last few days.
With freshly washed hair, clean clothes, and brushed teeth, she left the inn in search of Naruto. She knew he would be training somewhere just outside of the village, and a quick observation with her doujutsu confirmed it. She decided to take her time.
"So I hear the brat is up and well. You cured him," she heard from behind her, catching her by surprise. Because it was Tsunade, the shock wore off quickly and she turned to face the Sannin before bowing respectfully.
"He's resumed his training," she replied, ignoring the name she called him even though it rubbed her wrong.
"Tell me what you did."
"I gathered the ingredients used for many common poisons, ground them up together, added rosemary extract, and turned them into oral capsules," she explained.
"Why did you assume I would use a common poison? I could've easily used something more advanced and deadly, and you could've killed him." Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest, staring down at her sternly.
Hinata refused to back down. "I made deductions that led me to that conclusion. You don't truly want to kill a child just to test if someone is worthy enough to be your student. Had it been someone deemed an enemy, it would be different."
The Sannin stared at her for a long moment before smirking. "You made the right choice given the information you had. I respect that." Then she tilted her head, looking at her up and down. "I think you'd make a decent student. If your friend wins the bet, consider me your teacher from now on."
Hinata, though part of her wanted to be stubborn and refuse, knew she was never going to get another opportunity to train under someone so talented. And with Naruto being trained by a Sannin and Sasuke training under Kakashi, she didn't want to get left behind. "I'm in your care," she said confidently, bowing her head again.
Tsunade smirked. "Already expecting me to lose?"
"Yes," she replied promptly, causing the older woman to laugh. "Naruto will win and bring you back to Konoha."
"Why so positive?"
Hinata looked directly into her eyes, unwavering. "Because he doesn't go back on his word. It is our team's ninja way," she stated.
Tsunade got a faraway look in her eyes as she responded. "Your team, huh? Then it's not just him…" It seemed more as though she was talking to herself and Hinata decided not to pry. She knew how private the woman was. The Sannin had no more to say and turned to leave, but stopped when Hinata called out to her.
"Tsunade-sama?"
"What is it?" She questioned, not unkindly.
"When you saw Orochimaru, how did he look?" From what she was told, sealing away his arms was said to have caused him immense pain, but she wanted to know for sure.
"In pain, clammy, irritable," the woman replied easily. "Why?"
Skillfully holding back a smirk, she nodded. "I just wanted to know more about his condition. Thank you." She bowed her head again and didn't stop Tsunade again when she turned to leave. Hinata also turned back around and continued on her way to Naruto.
It didn't take her long before she heard Naruto's grunts of effort and harsh panting. She wished she could help, but she needed to let him do it on his own.
"Naruto," she called out to him.
At the sound of her voice, Naruto dropped what he was doing and ran to her. He opened his arms and all but slammed into her, wrapping his arms around her and picking her up off the ground to spin her.
"Hinata! You're awake!" He exclaimed happily.
She giggled, leaning into the hug. "Yes, I got some much-needed rest. Have you been remembering to take the antidote?"
Naruto set her down but kept his hands on her waist as he nodded proudly. "Yep! I finished them earlier today."
She thought for a moment. "But it was supposed to be used within two days," she said. "How much did you take at a time?" She asked worriedly.
Naruto chuckled. "I took them as directed, by you. You've been asleep for over twenty-four hours."
"Wh-what?!" She exclaimed. "But I—I missed out on so much training time!"
He waved his hand. "You were tired, and you earned all that rest. Don't worry about that! You just gotta work twice as hard."
Hinata finally settled and pointed back toward the town. "Let's get some dinner. We have to make sure you're getting enough protein," she said. "I'll get to training later or tomorrow."
As they walked back into town, Naruto reached over and squeezed her hand. "Thank you, Hinata, for saving my life."
Hinata smiled back at him so brightly and lovingly that he had to avert his gaze, instead focusing on any restaurants around. He loved being on this mission with her, but it was also making it difficult to move on. It wasn't fair to her if he continued harboring these feelings for her while she was engaged, especially since he had already been rejected. But he didn't know how to move on, and he didn't know who to seek advice from.
Jiraiya was definitely out of the question. He didn't trust that pervert. Sasuke was obviously a no-go, especially due to his insane jealousy—though he had gotten better about it lately. His parents… they were dealing with enough, he didn't need to add his heartache on top of it. Should he discuss it with Hinata, after all? She wouldn't get angry at him or try to distance herself in a way he didn't want, but the thought of bringing it up again frightened him.
He didn't want to risk the slim chance of ruining what they had.
He just couldn't.
"How about this place? I see ramen on the menu," she said, looking over the menu stand outside of the establishment. She smiled back at him. "I know how much you love your ramen."
"I love you," he blurted out, his heart nearly stopping when he realized what he'd done.
Hinata's eyes went slightly wide, similar to when he first confessed and his breath caught. "I love you, too," she replied easily, her smile moving back onto her face.
He clenched his fist and forced a smile back. "This place sounds great!" He agreed, moving on.
Hinata nodded and went into the building, while he stayed behind just a second longer to let out a sigh of relief. He quickly followed after her, and they were seated at a booth. They were given menus and a glass of water each.
"Aww, are you two on a date? That's so sweet!" The server cooed, causing their faces to heat up. Hinata tried to correct her, but she quickly moved away.
Noticing her discomfort, Naruto played with the condensation on his cup." Sorry about that," he said.
"About what?" She asked, confusion covering her face.
"Well, you don't think of me in that way, so I'm sure it must be uncomfortable for you," he explained, his eyes still paying attention to his glass.
"I don't find it uncomfortable. I just…" she hesitated before just going for it. "I don't know if you still hold those feelings for me and I don't want to be insensitive. I want to properly cherish those feelings you had for me."
Naruto was silent for a minute. "Would it bother you if I still did?" He hadn't planned on talking to her about it, but if she was giving him the option then he was going to take it. He needed to be open and honest.
She shook her head. "No, it wouldn't. But you have to know…about Sasuke." Her voice went quiet and it sounded a bit remorseful to him.
"You love him, don't you?"
"Yes," she replied softly. "I don't know exactly when it happened, but I only realized when we last saw him."
Naruto finally looked up at her and into her eyes. Her gaze was now on her hands in her lap. She looked distraught, as though loving Sasuke was somehow wrong. He didn't understand. Sasuke so clearly loved her and now that she returned his feelings, they could genuinely start dating—not just fulfilling a contract.
"Hinata," he said, causing her to look up at him. "I'm happy for you, truly. If you're happy, then I am, too. It will take me a while to move on, but I promise I won't cause any problems for you."
Hinata reached over, holding her hand out to him. He hesitantly took it. "You could never cause any problems or be a bother to me. I promise you."
He finally smiled at her brightly and squeezed her hand back, feeling a weight off of his chest. Then, the server returned and gave them a cupcake for "being the cutest couple". At the free food, neither decided to correct her and instead ate their sweets with a knowing smile.
The next day, when Hinata was fully rested and Naruto was off training, she decided to put what she saw Tsunade do to the test. She wanted to see if she could achieve that monstrous strength herself by applying the technique she saw.
"I'm sure I can do it," she muttered to herself. She planned to use just her bare fist and then move on to her gauntlets when she had that down. She didn't want to get dependent on her weapons, as there was always a risk of losing them.
She got into a fighting stance facing a large boulder she found when wandering just a bit deeper into the surrounding forest. She pulled her fist back and punched forward. Just before her fist made contact, she forced her chakra out, subconsciously doing what she had been previously. She sighed softly and pulled her hand out of the small hole she made in the rock before preparing herself again.
"Don't be afraid of breaking your hand," she urged herself. That was the main thing stopping her. If she didn't release her chakra correctly at the right second, she would break her hand. The experience of having her arm broken twice had jarred her more than she would like to admit. It was different when you were letting someone else do it, as what happened with Sakura the second time, than it was when you were actively doing it to yourself.
It took her a few more tries and dislocated knuckles before she finally got it just right. The large rock cracked all around and fell to the ground in pieces. She couldn't quite believe what she had just accomplished and stood there in disbelief before breaking out into excited laughter and barely stopping herself from bouncing around.
"Holy shit!" Naruto exclaimed behind her. Hinata turned around to face him with a huge smile on her face. "Seriously, remind me to never piss you off again." Just one look from her and a scolding tone was enough to shut him up, but adding monstrous strength to it had him getting comfortable in a coffin of his choosing.
"I finally got it!" She cheered, practically hopping to Naruto in all her excitement. She fist-bumped him when he held out his fist before hissing in pain and pulling her hand back to her chest. She held it tightly to ease it.
"Let me see," he said, gently pulling her hand away from her grip and looking at her bruised and noticeably crooked knuckles. "I can set them back for you."
She nodded wordlessly, clenching her teeth to get ready for the pain. She grunted each time Naruto pulled on her fingers to set them back in place, but it didn't hurt as much as she expected it to.
"I'm glad you didn't break anything," he said when he was done. "Just make sure you don't overdo it with that hand, okay?"
Hinata pulled out a jar of her salve and applied it to the bruising on her hand. Next, she took a painkiller before pulling out a roll of bandages and carefully wrapping her hand up. "You know, it's quite odd to see my hands this way. Because of my doujutsu, the Gentle Fist style has always kept our hands relatively smooth and clean, with only callouses. But I think I also like this kind of noticeable hard work."
"I don't think there's anyone I know who takes on as much work and studying aside from you," Naruto laughed. "Seriously, everything you do is noticeable, including your hard work."
Hinata blushed softly. "Thank you," she said with a bright smile. "How is your training going?"
Naruto deflated and his shoulders slumped. "I just can't seem to get it down! I understand what I need to do in my head and can even envision it, but I just can't get my body to apply it. It's frustrating and I can barely feel my arms at this point."
Hinata frowned as she thought to herself. "What exactly is it that's been holding you back?" She asked.
"Keeping its spherical shape when it makes contact with an object."
"Maybe you're focusing too hard on that part, and maybe you're envisioning the wrong thing."
"What do you mean?" He asked, tilting his head in a manner Hinata thought was adorable.
"Well, maybe thinking too much about it is holding you back and any slight mistake stemming from that will only frustrate you more because that's all you're thinking about. What if you imagine yourself in a certain scenario? Maybe there's an enemy, like Kabuto or Orochimaru, and they're targeting one or more of your loved ones. You're out of all your weapons and in an environment where your strongest elemental jutsu will not work. This rasengan is the only move you have left," she explained.
Thinking of herself in a predicament where she has to do something has helped her plenty of times in the past. Perhaps it could help Naruto.
"That's a great idea! I'm definitely gonna try that! Wanna come watch me?"
"Of course. It's best if I take a break anyway."
"How's your archery going?" He asked as they began walking to his training spot.
"It's been going very well! I even decided to store all of my archery supplies in this seal here," she said, holding her wrist out. She had created a fabric seal in a wristband she purchased just earlier that day.
"Damn, that's genius," Naruto noted seriously. "You're getting much better at fuinjutsu! At this rate, you're gonna pass me up in no time."
"I also have another trick up my sleeve but I'll keep that one to myself for now," she giggled. "I think you'll really like it."
Naruto grinned at her. "You're coming a long way, despite being on your own. Once Tsunade starts training you, you're gonna get even stronger!"
"Thank you. You're going to master this jutsu. I know you are."
"Keep cheering me on like that and there's no way I'm gonna fail! After this, do you want to walk around town for a bit?"
"I'd love that. I need to get a birthday gift for Shikamaru, too," she said, thinking to herself. "I'm not sure what though."
"Didn't Sasuke's pass recently? In July?"
"Yes. We celebrated a little later since we were both in the middle of our training. We went on a date," she explained. "I didn't mention it though. I didn't want to upset him."
Naruto agreed. Ever since Itachi left, Sasuke hated even acknowledging the day. The older Uchiha used to spend the day with them, spoiling Sasuke as much as he could. It was the only day Itachi would absolutely make sure he wasn't scheduled for anything, and spend it however Sasuke wanted to. It became a sore day for all of them. Especially after the first birthday since Hinata wanted to celebrate, and Sasuke brushed it off.
"Yeah, I totally get it. Maybe when he brings Itachi back, he'll accept it again. Do you have any ideas on what to get Shikamaru?"
"I was thinking about adding to the handkerchief I got him."
"I bet he'd like that! He hardly ever takes it off."
"It means a lot to me that he cherishes it so much," Hinata said with a smile. "He did a lot for me when he didn't have to."
Naruto prefers not to remember that issue, but he won't deny that Hinata developed a strong friendship with the Nara, and how much it meant to her. He couldn't be upset about that in the long run. He hated the situation, but there was good that came out of it.
"I'm glad he was there for you. Maybe you should get him a new one instead. It seems like it's starting to get worn out," he noted, thinking back to when he last saw him. It was beginning to fray and become translucent.
"I think you're right. I'll buy some supplies to start working on it now. It'll probably take me a while," she sighed. She swore to never embroider again, but she couldn't let Shikamaru think that she didn't care about their friendship by letting the current handkerchief wither. Perhaps she'd add something new. His initials, but maybe his favorite flower? That might be too feminine for him. Maybe his clan symbol? That could work.
Naruto laughed. "I remember how much you hated it the first time!" Hinata pouted but soon laughed as well.
"Well, if it's for Shikamaru," she sighed. "He did a lot for me. It's the least I can do." The blonde tilted his head at this but then shook the ridiculous thought out of his head. What were the odds that Shikamaru was someone Sasuke also had to worry about? They were just good friends.
When they got to his training spot, she stood back and waited patiently for him to show her how far she'd gotten. She watched in awe as the ball of chakra formed in his hand and how he shook to keep it that shape. She could see the exhaustion in his features and felt bad for what she was about to do but knew it would only help them.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she put up a tiger seal, triggering a genjutsu she had conjured up in her mind. She watched as it hit him and his body went from shaking with exhaustion and struggle to steeling and the anger crossing over his entire body.
She had put him in a genjutsu that was only slightly different from where they were now. They were still standing here, except now Kabuto had managed to knock her out and take her captive. She couldn't bring herself to use Orochimaru's image. When she saw how worn out Naruto was, she knew he wouldn't think that he was caught in a genjutsu too quickly or be able to summon up any other weapons than the one he had in his hand.
It was only a few moments later when Naruto was rushing toward her with the rasengan held powerfully in his hand. She turned to watch as it connected with the tree next to her. This time, it kept its shape and she watched with excitement as Naruto's hand pushed further and further through the tree until it was cut in half. He didn't stop and she gasped in amazement as the top half of the tree was blown into thousands of pieces.
"You did it!" She cheered, releasing the genjutsu.
Naruto stood still as he assessed what he'd done before turning to her. "Hinata! You're okay!" He said. He ran the short distance to her and hugged her tightly.
She returned his hug. "I'm sorry for doing that to you, but I thought it was the best time to do it. I hope you're not mad."
Naruto shook his head, pulling away from the hug to look at her face closely. "I'm just relieved you're okay. And how can I be mad when your trick worked?!" He planted a huge, wet kiss on her cheek in all his excitement, causing her to blush profusely before laughing.
"Try doing it again! You remember how it felt, right?" She asked.
He nodded enthusiastically and went for it again. This time, he only had a little bit of trouble before he was able to successfully pull it off. "I got it!"
"And you still have a couple of days left until the week is up."
"Let's go celebrate or something!" Naruto said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the town. "I can't wait to wipe that smirk off of that grandma's face."
They didn't know that Tsunade had been watching over their training in the shadows.
Hinata grinned, shaking her head at the grudge he wasn't going to let go of anytime soon. "You'll be bringing her back to the village and winning a valuable necklace," she said, and then suddenly remembered the warning Shizune had given her.
She pulled him to a stop, confusing the Uzumaki. "What's wrong?"
"Actually, I forgot to tell you. But that night you tried fighting Tsunade-sama, her student, Shizune-san, came to our room. She told me that Tsunade-sama had given that necklace to people before. Her younger brother and the man she loved…and they both died the very next day. They're convinced the necklace is cursed and can only be worn by Tsunade-sama."
Naruto looked at her, shocked. "Cursed? What the hell? Then why the hell would she bet it?" He asked.
"I'm not sure either. The thing is, they both also wanted to be Hokage, and her younger brother also shared our nindou."
At this, he grew serious. "So it's because of them that she spits all over the Hokage's position," he stated. Hinata smiled, proud at the fact that he was able to understand her feelings. "I think…saying a necklace caused their deaths is the same as saying they died for nothing, and I don't like that. I'm gonna die when I'm gonna die; a necklace's got nothing to do with it!"
She giggled. "You know, I told Shizune-san the same thing," she laughed.
"Well, you know me almost better than anyone else, Hinata. I don't mind you ever speaking for me, you know!" When Naruto started pulling her again, she let him, feeling lighter now that she had told him what Shizune had said. "You think we'll get more free things if we go back to that same place as last time?"
"I don't think so. We could always try another place?" She suggested.
Naruto looked back at her with a toothy smile. "You're just using me to get free dessert," he teased.
"We shouldn't be trying to get free things, especially since we can afford it," she laughed. It felt nice to laugh again. Being with one of her best friends, she was able to push Sasuke to the back of her mind and just enjoy herself. She knew she would have to face reality when they returned, that she would have to endure his wrath and hatred. She felt cowardly for thinking this way, but Sasuke had been nothing but amazing to her since they were five, and she had betrayed him in such a way…she understood. But she still couldn't bring herself to want to go back yet.
However, he was stuck in a nightmare the longer they stayed away, and that brought her more pain than the idea of him hating her.
"Sure, but free things are nice!" Naruto argued. "Let's try another place and say it's our anniversary or something."
Hinata was brought out of her thoughts at his statement and she giggled. "We don't look old enough to have an anniversary like that," she countered.
"What if I propose?!" Now, Naruto was just saying things to make her laugh. He'd seen the way her eyes turned sad and guilty. He couldn't have that. He only wished she would open up to him and tell him everything that was on his mind, but he could wait.
"You'd have to get a ring for that," she said, playing along.
"I can totally come up with a story on the spot if asked!"
They continued going back and forth before just deciding to pick up food and return to their shared room to eat.
That night, Jiraiya stumbled across Tsunade and Shizune sitting at a ramen like that of Konoha's Ichiraku and decided it was time to see what she knew.
"Excuse me," he said, putting his hand on Shizune's shoulder. "I'd like to speak with Tsunade alone for a moment if you don't mind."
Shizune got to her feet and bowed. "Of course, Jiraiya-sama," she said politely. She gave her mistress one last glance before leaving them, putting all her hopes into Jiraiya being able to talk Tsunade out of making that deal with Orochimaru.
Jiraiya took a seat. "It surprises me that you haven't gambled that necklace away already. It makes me curious about why you'd do it now, especially since it's the only thing you have to remember them by," he said, breaking the short silence. Both Sannin were a bit drunk by this point, their faces slightly red from the alcohol.
Tsunade said nothing, choosing to remain silent.
"Are you thinking about him?"
This just barely caught her attention. "Who?" She asked with a quiet sigh.
"Naruto."
"Not really," she replied, though it didn't sound convincing. Jiraiya decided not to comment on that.
"Challenging a kid to an impossible bet seems childish, doesn't it? You know there's no way he can master it in five days. Well, two days now, after tonight."
Tsunade tilted her head. "The brat is lucky that girl is skilled enough. Kushina taught her well."
"Kushina wasn't the one who taught her how to make medication. She did that herself. She'd make a great student."
She scoffed. "I agreed to teach her if he won the bet, but now I'm reconsidering. You called me childish, after all," she snapped, though there was no real anger behind it. More sadness.
"Why so depressed?"
"I've got no idea what you're talking about."
He took another shot, sighing as the alcohol stung his throat. "When are you seeing Orochimaru again?" Tsunade couldn't hide the shock and guilt as well as her shaking head. "You're still so easy to read, and Shizune is practically an open book. I don't know what deal he offered, but you shouldn't rush to a decision. Think of the village and the Hokage who all gave their lives to protect it and the people in it. You can very much understand the feelings of all of them, can't you?"
She looked at him with an expression he couldn't decipher.
"Besides, should you betray the village, I'll kill you myself," he warned, his voice hard and his eyes just a bit crazed. It would hurt him to kill the woman he's loved all of his life, but he would do it for the sake of the village.
"I have nothing to do with Konoha now," she said simply.
"You're different from Orochimaru. You always cared for the welfare of the village. After all, you were the one who proposed having at least one medic on every three-man cell. And then—"
"All right, that's enough! Don't lecture me, Jiraiya!" She yelled, finally having enough of him trying to sway her.
"Then don't put me in a position to do it," he swiftly retorted.
She gripped her cup dangerously tight. "Why'd you have to bring that damn kid with you?"
Every time she saw him and thought of him, the image of her brother appeared. It hurt to think of him, even after all these years later.
Jiraiya smiled. "He does resemble him, doesn't he? The same age, too, I think."
"Not just that…" Even their goals and dreams are the same as well as their cockiness. They were so alike that it frightened her.
When Jiraiya left her, she was still shaking and that worried him. For her to be so shaken up and noticeably racked with guilt, something extreme must have happened. He didn't even like the one-week deadline she'd given them. He knew something serious was going to happen on that last day; he feared what.
Hi! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I didn't even realize the day of the week and I'm very sorry for uploading so late. After this chapter, there are two more in the arc before we hit the last one. I'm very excited! :))
-hina
NEXT UPDATE: 03/30/24