Chapter 4
On with the story

Hinata

Naruto was absent from school today. I knew why. Last night was very eventful. He'd probably still be working on covering up the evidence and cleaning up the mess. Still not having him in class made me feel lonelier than I can ever remember. Even just one day away completely soured my mood. A few people noticed but they didn't say anything. I'm glad they didn't. I would have been too distracted to talk much anyway.

When class was over I sprinted to Naruto's apartment as fast as I could. I got there really fast. I guess all that training was paying off at least a little bit.

I opened the door to Naruto's empty apartment. I never knocked. I did in the beginning but Naruto insisted that the apartment was as much my home as it was his. I swooned when he said it. But without Naruto the apartment didn't feel like home. It was just a place. Where was he?

To my surprise the holes in the walls and floors from all the shuriken and kunai were gone. Well, not completely. But they were filled in. An observant eye would be able to spot them but Naruto could explain the visible damage by saying he was practicing with Kunai and fixed the damage he made. At least that's the answer I'd give.

I left the apartment soon after I arrived. If he wasn't here then he must be at the clearing. When I got to the bottom of the stairs I heard a door open behind me. I was curious. I didn't think anyone lived in the entire building but Naruto. When I turned around my heart fluttered like it usually did when laying eyes on My Love. There he was.

"Hey Hinata-chan. I thought that was you. School out already?" Naruto asked in a casual manner.

He was poking his head out of the doorway. I sprinted his way and engulfed him in a hug, jumping into his arms. He had no problem catching me as he closed the door behind us.

"I missed you Naruto-kun."

I sounded more needy then I wanted. He didn't seem to mind. He gave me that big beautiful smile of his.

"I was only absent for one day." He said with a playful chuckle.

I laid my head along his shoulder.

"Too long."

We stayed that way for a few moments before I finally noticed just how dark it was around us. Behind Naruto was a stairwell leading down to a poorly lit room.

"Oh yea. This door leads to the basement of the apartment building. It's actually pretty big. I'm still taking care of some business." Naruto explained.

I nodded in understanding.

"Ok Naruto-kun. Should I wait upstairs?"

He shook his head.

"Nah. I'd much rather you be with me. You smell really nice today."

My face burned bright as he took my hand and led me down the stairs.

"Thank you Naruto-kun. After last night I wanted to do something special for you. I'm trying a new shampoo. I wanted to know what you thought."

Naruto leaned over and placed a kiss on my cheek as we neared the bottom of the stairs.

"Makes me want to eat you all up."

Somehow I managed not to pass out despite all the blood in my body rushing to my face. I clung to his arm and leaned my head against his shoulder. He was so romantic.

A foul smell snapped me out of my fantasies. The bottom of the basement had a lot of empty space. It smelled old and musty. On the far side of the room there was another door. Naruto led us right to it.

"Sorry about the smell. This place hasn't been cleaned in a while and I haven't gotten around to it. I'll have one of my clones take care of it tonight." Naruto stated nonchalantly.

I nodded as Naruto got to the door. He took out a ring full of keys from a pouch along his leg and unlocked it. I'd never seen him with those keys before. The sight on the other side of the door gave me pause.

It was a large room. Maybe it was a storage closet. It was a bit larger than any storage closet I'd seen but I couldn't think of another use for it. But more importantly were the three women who were chained to the far wall, their wrists bound above their head. Naruto flicked a switch to turn on the ceiling light, startling the women.

They looked up and immediately let out muffled whimpers. Naruto released my hand and approached them. Naruto maintained a casual stride, his arms placed lazily behind his head. He watched them for a little while.

"Ah you must be thirsty. Hinata-chan can you bring me that bucket?" Naruto questioned while pointing to a table right next to me.

I tried to avoid their gaze. The three women were looking at me with clear panic in their eyes, the same as the other two naruto had kidnapped before. I bowed my head and silently moved over to the table.

The table was riddled with various knives, kunai, screwdrivers, hammers, and some other objects I couldn't name. The bucket was resting on the center of the table. It was half filled with water. It didn't look very clean. I picked it up by the handle and carried it over to Naruto just like he asked.

"Thanks Babe." Naruto said casually while taking the bucket from me and giving me a kiss on the cheek.

Despite the terrible situation I still couldn't help blushing. The women kept their eyes on me. I refused to look at them.

Naruto squatted down in front of the one in the center. She was a middle aged woman with bright blonde and grey hair.

"You first." Naruto said while removing the gag from her mouth.

"Please let me go! I'm sorry I glared at you. I'll never do it again. Just pleas...mmmmm."

Naruto gagged her again.

"Such a shame. You wasted your chance to drink with useless words. When I want you to speak I'll tell you to speak. We'll see how you do in another 8 hours." Naruto stated heartlessly.

What made me shiver was Naruto's tone. He was still so chipper, so upbeat. He moved to the women to the right. She had a striking resemblance to the first women. They could have been sisters.

"Your turn."

Naruto said while engaging the other blonde haired women. This one wasted no time in drinking desperately from the pale that Naruto held to her lips. He let her drink her fill until she pulled back.

"Please…" She began.

Naruto gagged her before she could continue. He moved to the last woman. That woman had pitch black hair. I noticed that she wore a marriage ring. Naruto didn't speak to her this time as he undid her gag. She drank her fill and stayed silent when she pulled back. She was notably more calm than the other two. Naruto patted her on the head.

"Smart girl. I'll only give you half time." Naruto said while securing her gag.

Naruto stood up and handed the bucket to me. I wordlessly returned it to the table. When I turned around I saw a dark ball of blue fire forming in Naruto's palm. The women began to release muffled cries of protest. Tears were streaming down their eyes. I didn't know what Naruto was going to do but I had a pretty good idea.

The ball of fire split into three separate, smaller balls. One was distinctively smaller than the other two. Then the flames shot out towards the girls and set their entire bodies ablaze in blue flame. Their muffled screams were sickening.

Naruto clapped his hands together as if finishing a long day's work. He turned his back to their suffering and reached a hand out towards me. I hurried to his side, leaving the women to burn. Naruto closed the door behind us as we exited. I couldn't help looking back. The last thing I saw was the black haired woman's eyes barring down on me as if to say "How could you allow this?"

The trip to the clearing was especially quiet today. I kept my head down, lost in my own thoughts.

"That really bothered you huh?" Naruto questioned while glancing over to me.

I turned my head away.

"Is all that really necessary Naruto-kun?"

I was hesitant to ask. Naruto shrugged carelessly.

"Necessary. No, not really. I do it because I like it. And because they deserve it."

I began to poke my fingers together. Naruto's gaze lingered on me but I didn't question him further. He released a soft sigh.

"I know that may not be the answer you want to hear but I can't say it any other way without lying. And I will never lie to you."

Naruto's voice was gentle. I stole glances up to him.

"I-I understand Naruto-kun."

He nodded as we finally arrived at our clearing. There were a few signs of the battle that went on last night. Well, it was less of a battle and more of a slaughter. But there was no blood and no bodies. Just broken branches and dented trees. Naruto walked out in front of me and looked up into the sky. He closed his eyes and let the warm rays wash over his face. I watched him silently. Admittedly I was still a bit nervous. I didn't want to be. I wanted to support Naruto no matter what but...then I thought back to that woman's eyes. Those judgemental eyes.

I wrapped my arms around myself in a vulnerable manner.

"It's time I let you in Hinata. Then you can make your final decision." Naruto spoke up, snapping me out of my dark thoughts.

"What do you mean Naruto-kun?"

Naruto walked in front of me and raised a single finger directly between my eyes.

"Do you trust me?"

I hate that I hesitated this time.

"Y...yes Naruto-kun."

I could see the sadness in his eyes. It broke my heart. I wish I could reverse time for just a second so I could answer him more confidently. Naruto placed his finger against my forehead and my world immediately went black.

I blinked my eyes open to stare into what looked like a sewer. Pipes ran along the walls. The floor was covered in water but my feet didn't feel wet. A squeeze to my hand drew my attention. Naruto was standing at my side.

"Before I tell you everything you should finally meet him." Naruto said while turning us around.

My head craned back as I looked at a huge steel cage. I couldn't even see the top. Behind the bars two large, feral eyes looked down at me. I nearly jumped out of my skin and clung closely to Naruto. He wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me tight. He still made me feel safe. I was extremely happy to realize that.

The large creature moved forward until it's entire figure was revealed. The gigantic red fox must have been over 50 feet tall. He had this sinister grin along his muzzle.

"It's so nice to finally meet you Little One."

It's voice was deep and booming. If possible I clung even closer to Naruto.

"Ok ok, she gets it. You're big and bad. Cut the act Furball!" Naruto spoke up while pointing an accusatory finger at Kyuubi.

Kyuubi released an annoyed growl.

"I told you to stop calling me that boy."

Naruto waved a hand dismissively.

"Yea yea."

The fox grumbled before suddenly shrinking dramatically in size. Naruto moved forward with me remaining close at his side. We walked to the edge of the cage and watched as Kyuubi shrunk down to the size of an actual fox. He was tiny now.

"Better?"

"Thanks!" Naruto called out in a pleased tone while taking a step into the cage.

I hesitated. Naruto looked back at me with a gentle smile.

"Remember what I said before?"

I looked away and began to fidget. I took a deep breath before looking up to Naruto with renewed faith.

"You'll always protect us."

His grinned brightened.

"Believe it."

I stepped through the cage without hesitation now. As long as Naruto was by my side I could endure anything.

Kyuubi kept his eyes on me as we moved in. Him being so small did a lot to calm my nerves.

"We should have proper introductions." Kyuubi suggested.

I went wide eyed before bowing over at the waist.

"It's nice to meet you Kyuubi-sama!"

I blurted out to show as much respect as I could. To my surprise Kyuubi bowed his head and closed his eyes.

"The pleasure is all mine."

I was quite surprised by his politeness. I lifted my head as Naruto walked up to Kyuubi. Kyuubi met Naruto half way before jumping in Naruto's arms. Naruto cradled the fox like a pet. Kyuubi maintained a stoic expression. Kind of like a cat.

"See, Kyuubi-sensei is harmless." Naruto blurted out.

"Sensei? Oh, I guess that makes sense."

"I'm more of a mentor but I suppose that term is an accurate enough characterization of our relationship."

It was strange seeing Kyuubi speak while Naruto held him. It was especially strange how Kyuubi kept it's stoic expression while speaking. He didn't purr or rub against Naruto or anything like that. If anything Naruto acted more like a pet.

"Well now that you've met Kyuubi I think it's time I told you about our plans. It was mostly my idea but Kyuubi helped me figure out most of the details of how things will actually work." Naruto explained.

Kyuubi jumped out of Naruto's arms and began to walk further into the cage.

"I'll leave you to it then." The fox called out.

My eyes lingered on Kyuubi until it disappeared into the darkness. I then turned my attention to Naruto. He was staring at me intensely. It made me shiver.

"Come here." Naruto beckoned.

I stepped forward thoughtlessly and fell into his arms. There was something about the way he spoke that compelled my compliance. He stole a kiss from my lips. My body responded like it normally did. I rose up on my tippy toes and arched my back. A swooning sigh escaped my lips. He pulled away slightly in order to gaze off to the side into the darkness. I followed his gaze. Within the water along the ground images began to form. Naruto's expression hardened. I picked up on his mood shift right away.

"This world is disgusting. There is a reason that I had the terrible childhood that I did, that I was treated so badly. It's because people are shit." Naruto began.

As Naruto spoke a sea of images played out, like moving art which illustrated various acts of people and civilizations. The art was like caveman drawings.

"They are selfish, petty, greedy, murderous, war-like. All they care about is themselves and their families. People rape each other, steal from each other, torture each other, lie to each other constantly. A thousand people will step over just one in need because it's too inconvenient to help." Naruto ranted.

He was seething. I just listened. I HAD to fully understand Naruto's perspective even if it was dark.

"But there is hope."

That admission drew my attention.

"You really think so Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded with a gentle smile.

"I do. I've also seen the good in people. Iruka-sensei is a perfect example of that. He supports me and is kind to me despite knowing that I am the demon child. He didn't let the hate of the villagers taint his morals. Even despite being a chunin he has never taken a life. He's always found a peaceful path forward and shunned tainting his hands with blood as so many others have done."

It was clear to me how much admiration Naruto had for Iruka. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"People like him deserve better. People like the boy I used to be, the girl you used to be, deserve better. I want to make a world where everyone is like Iruka. The world I envision will be a good world where lives like mine, and even lives of neglect like yours are made impossible. A world filled with only good people, kind people. I want to make a world where if one person falls everyone reaches out a hand to help them."

I marveled at Naruto.

"That's so beautiful Naruto."

He didn't look at me. He grew a sad smile.

"It will be but first, in order to make that dream come true, I have to break this world." Naruto hissed.

My attention shifted down to the water again. I watched images of a lone figure passing judgement over a crowd of people.

"The world I envision can't exist as long as there are people with black hearts. That's where Kyuubi comes in."

I was a bit lost after that.

"What do you mean Naruto-kun?"

Kyuubi reappeared in the distance still in it's small fox form. It just sat in the darkness staring at us.

"In order to gain the power to rule this world I made a pact with Kyuubi. He will teach me, help me grow stronger. For as long as I live I will be able to draw from his power and knowledge. In exchange those I deem unworthy of life, those who break my laws and those who I decide kill along the path, Kyuubi will have first claim on them. Kyuubi will devour them."

My eyes widened in shock.

"D-devour them?"

Kyuubi grew a twisted grin along his muzzle.

"When a human commits a sinful act it changes their heart. Makes them less pure. When a person lies, cheats, steals, kills, rapes, those actions taint their heart. Not every action is equally tainting. The worse the sin, the blacker their hearts and the more delicious they are to Kyuubi."

I was mortified. Naruto seemed nonchalant about those details.

"Even a seemingly justifice action like killing or maiming someone who is a direct threat to someone you love is tainting. An action like that destroys a person's innocence no matter how justified."

Naruto's eyes settled on me now. Oh gods. I covered my mouth in horror. Is that what Naruto thought of me? I...had a black heart?

Naruto chuckled.

"It's ok Hinata. In a world as messed up as this it's nearly impossible to maintain a pure heart. Especially when it comes to defending someone you love. That's what I want to change. When I conquer the world and create my empire, one by one I will kill those who represent the worst aspects of human nature. Even a crime as petty as lying or cheating will be punishable by death. I'll give this tainted society the punishment it deserves. And hopefully by the time you and I die we will be the last people with black hearts. Our deaths will usher in a new era of peace and love that our children can thrive in."

My mind was racing as I listened.

"But...all that death. How can you be sure that your efforts won't be in vain after you die? If you do this, if you kill so many people and then the world just becomes the same after you die then what would have been the point?"

If I made a good enough point maybe I could change Naruto's mind. He grinned at me.

"That's also where my pact with Kyuubi comes in. As Kyuubi consumes people and absorbs their chakra his power will grow. Eventually he will become so powerful that no one will ever be able to challenge him again. When I die he'll even absorb my chakra. He will use his eternal life to be the ever villigilent judge, jury and executioner that watches over the society I create. He will keep people in check and hunt down those with black hearts until all that remains are the good, innocent, loving, self-sacrificing people like Iruka-sensei. No one will ever need to kill again, there will be no war, there will be no rape or slavery, none of it! That is our pact. Kyuubi will forever shepard the innocent world. And I will be it's harbinger."

I fell on my butt now. It was all too much to take in. Naruto stepped closer and stood above me, his intense gaze barring down on me.

"As Emperor I will bring this world to its knees. I will find pleasure in punishing the people of this vile civilization for the pile of shit they created and continue to perpetuate. I will make them ALL pay! Hokage, who was too much of a coward to challenge the ignorance of his own people. He stood by and let them hate me, allowing me to live alone and malnourished in the worst part of the village. Danzo, who played a key role in Kyuubi being sealed in me in the first place. All the other shinobi who stood idly by and did nothing to defend me but break their back to defend every other shitty person in this damnable village. The civilians of this village who stepped over me when I needed help and tormented me for crimes I did not commit. They will all feel my wrath!"

I was trembling uncontrollably. Naruto no longer held his nonchalant demeanor. He looked like...well...a demon.

"You will be one of the few who are immune to my ire and Kyuubi's hunger. Right now I'm giving you the chance to return to your family and get as far away from me as possible. I told you that I would never hurt you and I meant it. You are special. But I won't stop and I won't feel guilty about teaching this world the lesson it deserves."

Naruto ended his sentence by turning away and staring down at the water. The image of a lone figure occupying a throne with a crowd of people bowing below him formed in the ripples.

I stayed silent for a long while. My mind was going a mile a minute. I could barely think. I had to calm down. I closed my eyes and held my hands to my chest and began to breathe deeply while exhaling through my nose. Mother taught me this calming technique before she passed.

I stopped focusing on my thoughts and instead focused on what I felt. What I truly felt. I reflected on the events of the last few months. The way I killed that man in defense of My Love, how I felt when Naruto first used his power to kill those who attacked us. The words I spoke to the shinobi who attempted to stop me from returning to Naruto. Even how I felt when watching Naruto torture those people. It was horrifying but beneath that there was a feeling I didn't recognize. It was obvious now. Through all of it, the good, the bad, the terrible, one feeling stood out. A particular set of words Naruto kept repeating.

I was special.

Naruto was sharing his life with me, trusting me. He showed me all his vulnerabilities, his strengths, his dreams, his fears. He shared with me his pain, his best and worst sides. Only me. I didn't even think Kyuubi held the bond that Naruto and I had. No, no one did. Just me. He picked me.

I rose up to my feet and stepped calmly towards Naruto. He turned to face me, a wary gaze on his face. I could see the fear in his eyes. He feared that I would reject him. At this moment I may have been the only person in the world who could truly hurt him without fear of feeling his wrath. Others who glared at him would find themselves at his mercy. Those that attacked him would feel his claws, his teeth, his fire. But not me. Only I could hurt him and only I could accept him in that special way. Unconditionally, unfalteringly. Only I could have his heart.

"You can't get rid of me Naruto-kun. I'm here to stay." I spoke in a breathless voice while trailing my fingers through the hair on the side of his head and gently caressing his scalp.

I saw something in Naruto that I don't recall ever seeing. Doubt.

"Why? After everything I've shown you, after everything I've done you still want to be with me? I'm not going to change Hinata-chan, and I'm not going to stop. Making these people suffer for the things they've done makes me happy. And I only plan to do it more and more. How can you still stay with me when you so obviously disapprove of what I do, of what I will do?"

I smiled gently and rose up on my tippy toes to steal a kiss. We lingered on that tender exchange for several sweet moments. I pulled back with a contented and resolute expression.

"It's because I love you Naruto-kun. Admittedly the way you go about things aren't ideal but despite all that I still see the beauty in your dream. That's enough for me. All I ask is that you let me be a part of that dream, always by your side. I will always love you Naruto-kun, no matter what. Believe it."

Naruto did something I couldn't have predicted. He started to cry. He reached an arm up to wipe his tears. He tried to look away but I wouldn't let him. I rose back up to re-engage our loving kiss. I couldn't help tears falling down my cheeks as well.

"I love you Hinata-chan. Or should I say...Empress Hinata." Naruto spoke sweetly to me.

My smile brightened.

"I love you too Naruto-kun. Or should I say, Emperor Naruto-kun."

Naruto let out a jovial giggle. Probably more at the fact that I still put "kun" at the end of his name even when calling him Emperor. It was an improper way to speak but to me he would always be Naruto-kun.

"I like the sound of that!"

The image in the water which previously showed one lone figure on a throne now shifted to show two figures sitting next to each other on their respective thrones. A man and woman forever united, forever at each other's side.

Before we could kiss again our bodies were suddenly engulfed by two giant furry fox tails.

"Ok you two if you are going to be like that you can do so outside my home." Kyuubi's annoyed voice grumbled as he picked us up and set us on our feet outside the cage.

He was in his giant fox form now. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. I clung to him. My world went black again.

We were back in the clearing. Naruto's finger was still pressed against my forehead. Without missing a beat I sprang forward and engulfed him in a hug. He fell back into the grass and wrapped his arms around my waist securly. Naruto released a dominant growl and rolled us over so he was on top and I was the one on my back. I let out a squeal as he bent down to engage me.

We didn't train that night. He didn't complain.

Naruto let two of the women go a week later. Turns out the woman who was married had a darker heart than the others. She was cheating on her husband. Kyuubi devoured her. I choose not to watch but Naruto was honest about what happened. I didn't want to imagine what "devouring" looked like.

Within a few weeks Naruto had four more captives. He was developing a routine.

Every once in a while when I walked through the village with Naruto I'd recognize one of the victims living out their daily lives. They had no outward signs of the horrors Naruto put them through. No scars, no permanent physical damage. Naruto's blue fire was special in that it didn't leave a lasting mark. It just made them feel like they were being burned alive. That was another way to hide the evidence of what he had done. He's so smart.

I definitely noticed changes in how the general population regarded Naruto. I saw less and less hatred among the people. Those once heated glares were replaced by timid, fearful, respectful glances. Naruto was very pleased.

I started to notice something else as well. The people that Naruto victimized gave me similar glances. I was often seen assisting Naruto during his...sessions. I felt guilty for the longest time but slowly my guilt began to fade. Naruto never took someone who didn't deserve it. Now that I knew Naruto's motivations it was getting easier to help him, to stay by his side, to support him no matter what.

I didn't say it out loud but after a while I began to enjoy the respect they gave me. Naruto's delight was contagious. As long as it was towards people that deserved it then what we were doing wasn't so bad. Right?

I knew one thing for sure. Naruto was happy. Genuinely happy. The sadness that he hid behind his "dobe" mask was slowly but surely fading away. I could see every day how my love, loyalty, and unflinching devotion positively affected him.

I won't give this up for anything, for anyone. I'll do anything to make him happy, for I am his Empress.

Empress Hinata, wife of the great Emperor Naruto-kun. That sounds nice. Actually, I should say my FULL future name.

Empress Hinata Uzumaki.

Mmm, much better.

That's the end of the chapter. Please review. I really appreciate all the support. See you Sunday!