The room was perfectly lit, soft music was heard in the background played majestically by the musicians of the event. Food and drink were not lacking. Everything screamed luxury, celebration…party.
Gaara hated everything from the bottom of his being.
Of course he was no longer that dark boy capable of killing the first poor soul he disliked, otherwise half of the attendees would no longer exist. However, all that ritual in honor of the poor achievement of turning 21 had him a little off limits. He didn't understand the moment he had allowed himself to be convinced by Temari, who of course was guilty of all that number.
When Sasuke Uchiha met with him to explain the dangers and the plan, he secretly thanked heaven. He had an excuse to get lost from time to time, to get out of all that circus, claiming that he would make his own vigil rounds. No one could ever say the Kazekage didn't care about his guests. Plus, just thinking about the adrenaline rush of catching a would-be assassin, or maybe having a battle, made him feel like a kid waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve. That was real entertainment!
But the night was just beginning, he was sure it was too obvious to do his first act of escape at that moment, so he consoled himself by analyzing in detail the people around him, trying to decipher suspicious behavior, or something worthwhile to be witnessed.
Despite being early, both Haruno and Uchiha were present. The first among a group of friends led by Temari, the second crouched in a corner, watchful but not socializing. OH what Gaara would give to be as lucky as Sasuke. The sharingan bearer was only visited by two people, Miss Haruno (was it his impression or those two have something?) and by a clone of Naruto that had transformed into a chubby mustachioed man.
All the other Naruto clones, twenty or so, were scattered around the room, some socializing with the guests, others just quiet, keeping an eye on their assigned diplomat. Gaara couldn't help but feel enormous curiosity when he noticed the real Naruto transformed into a spectacular blonde girl dressed in a suggestive red dress, and went directly to the table where the son of the chief Oz was.
Ok this was worth witnessing.
It's not he was a gossipy person, and he would never get involved in his best friend's personal life, however Naruto had shown some signs of not being at peace with himself in recent days, specially noticing the growing closeness between a beautiful princess Hyuga and the son of the leader of the Wind. The Kazekague was concerned about the interaction these two might have and convinced himself it was best to pay some attention.
He positioned himself near the table where Ronin had already struck up a conversation with the blonde. By the time he got close enough, he listened to Naruto telling a repertory of obscene phrases to the young man. What the hell was that knucklehead trying to do? (It was the first time Gaara agreed with Naruto's other friends in using that adjective). Was he trying to get Ronin to bed?
The Kazekage's eyes widened as he heard the series of obscenities the blonde detailed to Ronin. Even Gaara, who considered himself quite oblivious to having casual sex (well, once in a while to release stress, he allowed himself to visit a girl) felt very tempted to test the abilities the beautiful blonde claimed.
"God Im stupid. It's Naruto! At least Ronin has no idea he's being seduced by a man."
-I appreciate your interest in me madam, and believe me in other times I would have been very happy to enjoy your company. However, for a few months now I have been very much in love with a young lady, and my desire is to spend the whole night with her, as well as the rest of my life -
That was the signal for Gaara to approach the table.
-Good evening Ronin-san, I hope you're having a pleasant time with such…lovely company- Gaara greeted him as he looked directly at Naruto with his eyebrows raised, asking the silent question ?What the hell are you playing?
-An excellent night, indeed Kazekage-samma, I admire the greatness of the village of sand. I was just telling the lady I have plans to make this night even more special- he took out a small black box from his pocket, revealing its contents: an engagement ring.
-And may I know who is the lucky lady who stole my hopes with you?- commented the blonde, while taking the ring to look at it carefully. Naruto's heart was beating furiously, the presence of that object was making him extremely nervous.
-I can show her, she just arrived-
Naruto's gaze immediately went to the door and the image of the woman at the entrance plunged him into the worst of his nightmares...
"If only it was someone closer, like Ronin, maybe I could try to be happy" The memory of those words drilled into his heart, destroying even the smallest part of him.
Because at the entrance to the hall a woman shone with spectacular beauty. Her long silver dress reflected certain lavender tones, fitting the girl's figure perfectly. The v-neckline reached right at the beginning of her breasts, avoiding being vulgar, in fact the long sleeves she wore gave her an air of demure typical of the girl, but when she turned to greet one of the men who entered at the same time she exposed the back neckline, which allowed a wonderful view of her back, from her neck (thanks to the fact she wore her hair in a disheveled bun) to the base of her hips.
Naruto had never imagined Hinata wearing something so provocative. The sight of her allowed him to remember the time she had slept on top of him gloriously naked. The memory made his chakra unsteady, and the kyubi's predatory eyes took over the blue ones for a moment.
Such a fluctuation in power did not go unnoticed within the shinobi present. Hinata turned concerned in his direction, meeting the reddish eyes. Of course, his bimbo costume didn't fool her, she was clear that this was not only Naruto, but it was the original.
Naruto stared at the lilac orbs with a mix of emotions ranging from fascination to misery. Hinata certainly lived up to her name: a perfect warm place under a shiny sun. At the same time, the box he held in his hand reminded him of the determination Ronin spoke of making Hinata his woman and it made his blood boil. As he detailed her beautiful features he lowered his gaze a little and felt a slight relief. Shining on her chest, Hinata displayed the necklace he had given her, helping the blond control his anger and his chakra.
Hinata was looking at him carefully. What had caused Naruto's violent chakra shift?
Concentrating on her sensory abilities she was able to find Sakura's presence very close to Sasuke Uchiha. Of course, that was it! Apparently Naruto was going to have a difficult night seized by jealousy for the pink-haired girl. She directed her gaze for a split second from him to the medic-nin, she was indeed talking to Sasuke.
Hinata could read Sakura's expression very well, she was definitely a woman in love. She returned her attention to the blond, noticing the beloved blue eyes again. She felt enormously sorry for him.
-If I may ask the imprudent question, how do you plan to marry Hyuga-samma, when she is less than two days away from her wedding? -Gaara commented while his eyes did not stop observing Naruto, of course he had noticed the change in the blond (OHH the delicious old days when the kazekage let himself explode in anger with the help of the Ichibi and destroy everything he could!)
-It may seem impossible, but Hinata-san and I have a plan. If she accepts me, I will travel to Konoha tomorrow. I am confident that plan will be enough to convince the Hyuga clan to let her free to marry me.
Naruto felt lost in a deepening pit. He had originally transformed into a woman to get the idiot away from the party, knock him out, and not have to worry about him making any inappropriate advances on Hinata so he could focus on his real mission. In addition, the fact of being able to take the young man to a private place using his female form would reaffirm his hypothesis that Ronin was not to be trusted.
He knew he was being fucking hypocritical when he had gotten lost tons of times with many many women, sometimes without having even an hour after he meet them. OK, he had to admit, he just didn't want the wimp spending any more time with Hinata.
But now, he had to see him differently:
Now Ronin was a man offering Hinata love and happiness. At that moment Ronin seemed much more of a man than he had ever been in his life, understanding his feelings for Hinata, and acting on them honorably. He wasn't offering the girl a few poor caresses…he was offering Hinata his life! And Naruto felt insignificant before that gesture.
The blond felt how Ronin took the box from his hands and put it in his pocket the moment Hinata arrived at their table..
"Good evening Gaara-samma, Ronin-kun…mmm miss" Hinata felt unsure about how to refer to Naruto in that way. She was sure his transformation had to do with the escort mission, and of course she wasn't going to expose him.
-Hinata-san, you look splendid- Ronin greeted her so absorbed in the girl's beauty that Naruto felt like vomiting.
-Oh Hinata-san, how wonderful to find you after so long- Naruto, taking advantage of her feminine condition, got between Ronin and Hinata, giving the lady a strong hug that made both girls blush. Naruto because the contact with Hinata reminded him of all that tangle of feelings that he still couldn't decipher for her. Hinata because of the awareness that whoever hugged so urgently was none other than Naruto, and no matter how determined she was to forget him, their closeness after everything that had happened between them produced an addictive electricity in her.
"I need to talk to you, alone," the young blonde whispered to the brunette in her ear.
They parted, staring into each other's eyes, but the blonde was pulled away by Sakura.
- Good evening, excuse me for interrupting, Miss Namikaze, I need you to come with me immediately- A vein stood out on the pink-haired girl's forehead, so Naruto did not dare to contradict her, however even following his teammate he did not take his gaze from the lavender eyes until he was several meters away.
Damn it, he was leaving her at the mercy of Ronin!
"What are you worrying about? The worst thing the wimp is going to do is propose to her, at least you don't have to worry anymore, his intentions with the Hyuga are not vile "
"I... I don't know what to think anymore" he allowed himself to tell his biju "I feel like I'm going crazy, I feel like everything I knew about me isn't true now"
He felt Sakura push him into a small private room, but before letting himself be swept away he looked back at the woman he left on the table inc the company of (what he felt was) a fucking predator. He saw her eyes fixed on him, with an immense air of sadness, but she reacted just when she noticed that he was watching her. Hinata smiled and raised her thumb up in support, in the best style of Gai Sensei.
Again she encouraged him in his encounters with Sakura.
-Naruto, please return to your real form and explain to me what kind of ridiculous thing you've been doing, transformed into such a…hore… and trying to seduce that man?! God, we need you to focus on this! This is not the time to get distracted by exploring your sexual preferences!-
-That man- the blond told him now in his real form -is about to propose to Hinata- he felt down, as if he had lost a huge battle
-Naruto please wake up, Hinata IS GETTING MARRIED. Either with that man over there or with the prince of the Moon, you already knew that marriage awaited her and it seems until now you were dealing very well with the idea. What difference does it make if it's one or the other?
-The difference is Ronin is going to steal her love from me!- Again, his chakra leveled up, alerting the surrounding ninjas.
Sakura was annoyed, it was not possible in addition to dealing with a gang of terrorists, they had to worry about an uncontrolled Kyubi attack.
-I know I'm being fucking selfish, but she's the only woman I know for sure that loves me, that she always had, and since Pain's attack when she confessed her feelings to me that love has made me feel special. , even when I have not been willing to reciprocate it-
Sakura's eyes filled with a fierceness Naruto had rarely seen, and for the first time he felt true terror of what she could do to him.
-So what hurts you is the ego? Does it bother you to lose your number one fan? If that's the only reason you can't stand Hinata getting married...if it's just a bloody act of vanity, YES Naruto, you're a selfish pig-
Sakura's words came out poisoned with contempt, because in the innocent Hinata she saw herself, sweetly giving her feelings to a man who was not able to recognize her. How much he had had to put up with, forgive and forget to try to rebuild her heart, and just when she was halfway there, next to Naruto, Sasuke had appeared again, guilt-ridden, begging for an opportunity he knew was almost lost. He had come risking everything for everything and put the dream of a life together on the table. He had learned his lesson and he was never going to do the slightest action that would take Sakura away from him again.
"Go talk to her, have closure on her, or steal her from the fucking party and marry her, but please MAKEUP YOURSELF. And if you really don't feel anything for her, Naruto LET HER GO, this is no time for games, it is her future that is being decided-
They went out into the main hall again, each heading in different directions. "This has to end at once, stop playing and behave like a man" was the last thing the pink-haired girl managed to say, before going directly to the place where Sasuke had been on guard all night.
XXXxxxXXX
Hey there! so I have been more in the mood to read than write. I really love Naruhina, so wanted to ask, any good story you would recommend?