Surprise and Happy Sunday! Another chapter. The world is going crazy and writing has been a good distraction so enjoy!

Chapter 7
On with the story

Hinata

"You keep pushing me away yet we've spared for over a month now. I know you feel something for me." Sasuke's voice drawled out.

He's cornered me, backing me up against a tree. He rested a hand against the bark right next to my head. He was taller, his shadow engulfing my shorter frame.

I turned my head away and cast my gaze off to the side. He placed a hand under my chin to direct my eyes towards him, his face was barely an inch away.

I frowned and pushed his hand away.

"We haven't been sparring. You just keep attacking me after school. All I'm doing is defending myself." I insisted in a huff.

Sasuke smirked, he was pressing his body closer and closer to mine. As close as he could get without actually touching me.

"Is that what you're telling yourself?"

He was so confident, no, arrogant! It annoyed me. His hot breath was berating against my face. My blush was involuntary. He somehow saw that as a sign to continue his advances.

"Stop Sasuke." I whispered under my breath.

He pretended like he didn't hear me, his lips getting closer and closer to mine.

"I've been around girls fawning over me for years now. I know when your body wants something more. Tell me how you really feel..after this."

Sasuke dipped his head forward. He was going to kiss me! I panicked.

"I said stop!"

I hit him harder than I wanted. Both my hands landed clean on his chest, chakra erupting from my palms. I barely managed not to make my blow lethal.

Sasuke slid back on his feet, the boy dropping to one knee and coughing violently. I flared my Byakugan but not as a threat, I just needed to make sure he was ok. His internal organs were fine. I'd just deflated his lungs a bit, effectively knocking the wind out of him.

My entire body was shaking as I watched him. He looked up at me after a moment still wearing that smug smirk. God, it's like he enjoyed the punishment.

"A girl after my own heart. Sometimes I think that sentiment is more literal than figurative." Sasuke joked.

I held my hands to my heart and bit into my bottom lip. Wordlessly I turned heel and took off into the trees. Thankfully Sasuke didn't follow.

"I can't do this anymore Naruto-kun! Please don't make me."

I was crying into Naruto's chest. He was shirtless and in the middle of a work out when I frantically sprinted into the clearing. Despite him doing pushups with a large boulder on his back I ran straight for him. He immediately noticed my alarm and stood up just as I launched myself towards him.

"Shhh, it's ok Hinata-chan. Tell me what happened."

I told him and Naruto's eyes narrowed. Naruto was sweating heavily from his workout. His scent served to calm me. He held me close and rubbed circles in my back. He nodded as I finished my story.

"Alright my love. It's over now. I'm ready to move forward anyway. I just need you to do one more thing for me. This time I think you'll like it."

I looked up at him curiously. Naruto grew a devilish grin.

The next day Sasuke followed me after school again. After getting about a mile away from the school he started to attack me like he usually did.

"I hope I didn't freak you out too much yesterday. I'll back off for a while. I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Sasuke spoke out as he charged me.

I turned around and held out a hand. I knew he would stop when he saw my face and he did. I cast a stern glance towards him. He stopped right in his tracks.

"Follow me." I stated simply while hopping onto a nearby tree branch.

He raised a brow in curiosity but followed along. I stared straight forward as we moved swiftly through the trees.

"Where are we going?" He finally questioned after a few minutes of travel.

"You'll see Sasuke." I responded shortly.

Sasuke was clearly thrown off by my coldness. He didn't ask any more questions until we arrived at Naruto's clearing.

Naruto was waiting for us there fully dressed. He stood in a casual manner with his hands behind his head carelessly. I walked straight up to Naruto and rose up on my tippy toes to give him a kiss, to Sasuke's great surprise.

"Heyo Sasuke." Naruto called out with a lazy wave.

Sasuke walked up to us with his gaze narrowed.

"What is this?"

Sasuke was clearly not pleased. I leaned against Naruto and rested my head on my Emperor's shoulders. Sasuke looked at me in disbelief.

"You're with the Dobe?" Sasuke accused.

That made me mad. I frowned but was interrupted by Naruto's playful laughter.

"Totally, I get to do whatever I want with her." Naruto taunted while reaching down and squeezing my butt.

I squeaked in surprise. Even despite knowing that he'd show his dominance in some way it was still super embarrassing.

Sasuke didn't like that one bit.

"It disappoints me to see you with this weakling." Sasuke spat out.

God, he knew how to get under my skin. Before I could respond Naruto gently moved me out of the way and walked forward.

"Is that so?" Naruto retorted while cocking his head to the side.

Sasuke reached for his kunai pouch, glaring heatedly at Naruto.

"She deserves better." Sasuke insisted in a dark tone.

"Correction, she deserves the best." Naruto insisted.

That made my heart flutter. I rested both my hands against my chest and stayed quiet. Naruto told me he would handle this so I did nothing to interfere.

"Then she deserves someone like me." Sasuke snapped back.

Naruto chuckled.

"Alright enough games. How about this Sasuke. If you are able to beat me in a fight then you can have her. Either kill me or make me give up. IF you can beat me then clearly you are better suited at protecting her." Naruto proposed.

Sasuke scoffed.

"You act like she's a thing to be given away."

Naruto saw right through him.

"So you decline my challenge?"

Sasuke took a kunai from his pouch and prepared to charge.

"Yea that's what I thought." Naruto commented.

"I'll at least prove that you aren't worthy of her." Sasuke said while speeding forward like I'd seen him do dozens of times.

Sasuke moved faster than he ever has. It was at this point I realized that Sasuke had been holding back when he fought me. It was fascinating but still…Naruto was on a totally different level.

Sasuke's first attack landed clean. He delivered an Ax kick to Naruto's head. Naruto didn't even bother blocking. Sasuke gritted his teeth when Naruto seemed unphased by the attack.

In a skillful maneuver Sasuke turned his body in the air and landed a punch to Naruto's cheek. Still, Naruto didn't move. In fact Sasuke winced from the pain of hitting Naruto. Naruto was like a brick wall.

Then came the kunai. Sasuke kicked away from Naruto and sent a half dozen towards Naruto. Naruto, in a very lazy fashion, caught each one out of the air.

That was just a distraction however. The next moment a huge plume of fire erupted from Sasuke's mouth and engulfed Naruto's body. I had to stop myself from screaming. I knew Naruto was strong but to take an attack like that without moving out of the way? I guess I didn't really understand just how strong Naruto was until today.

Sasuke froze when seeing his work. After how mad he was I don't think he truly intended to kill Naruto. His fear was gone a moment later as Naruto calmly walked forward, his entire body on fire.

Naruto's clothes were burned away, just leaving the completely naked and ash covered form of Naruto. My face was as red as a tomato. I could see...everything. I had to look away.

"Impressive Sasuke. Truly impressive. Now, let me show you who I am." Naruto stated in a haunting voice.

"Wha...gha!" Sasuke began before being silenced by a punch to the stomach.

My Byakugan was flared in order to better observe the fight but like usual I still couldn't keep up with Naruto's speed. One moment Naruto was standing a few feet away, the next he was right in front of Sasuke, delivering a crushing fist to the boy's gut.

Sasuke went wide eyed, the boy backing up and holding his stomach. He fell to his knees and spat out blood.

Naruto's shadow cast over the boy now. Then Naruto did something that scared even me. He flared his chakra.

The area around us trembled as Naruto's body oozed blue energy. Then out of that blue energy came red chakra which lashed out wildly. Sasuke was terrified and quite frankly, so was I.

As soon as that chakra flared it was gone. Naruto squatted down to eye level with Sasuke. The other boy was hunched over on all fours.

"What..are you?" Sasuke spoke in a shaky voice.

"The future emperor of this world." Naruto replied back without missing a beat.

"And this is my empress."

Hearing my cue I scampered over to Naruto and stood meekly by his side. Naruto was very intimidating when he wanted to be. Still I trusted him completely.

He stood up and wrapped an arm around my waist, hugging me to his naked body with a possessive grip. My face was red as a tomato. I buried my face in his chest, trying to hide my embarrassment. He was still naked!

"Rise Sasuke." Naruto commanded.

With shaky knees Sasuke managed to stand up. I watched the boy out the corner of my eye.

"I will tell you this once and only once. Don't ever touch what is mine again, in THAT way." Naruto warned.

Sasuke hesitated, looking over towards me.

"You speak as if she's your property."

"She IS my property. She belongs to me. She's all mine." Naruto growled possessively while tightening his grip around my waist.

I thought I was going to faint. God that was so...sexy. I wasn't even fazed by the implications of what he said. I was his and only his. I'd let him do anything he wanted to me. Anything.

To hammer home his point Naruto grabbed my butt again and forced me onto my tippy toes. He then crashed his lips into mine. I squealed and arched my back, completely giving in to his dominance.

I could see that even while he kissed me Naruto had his gaze trained on Sasuke. I looked out the corner of my eye towards the boy and Sasuke was actually looking away. He seemed just as embarrassed as I was.

We were still kids after all. Being trained to kill didn't exactly make us used to this kind of stuff. And Naruto was still naked!

"Is this why you brought me here? Just to rub it in my face." Sasuke spoke bitterly.

Naruto took a moment to indulge in that kiss before finally pulling away. A little string of spit connected our mouths. Naruto licks his lips. I was a swooning mess. I could hardly care about what they were talking about anymore. I just stared up at Naruto as if he were a god. In my eyes he was.

"As much fun as this is, I had another important matter to discuss."

"Yea, and what's that?"

"I want to offer you my power. I know you want to grow strong so you can one day get revenge on your brother. If you train under me then one day you will." Naruto explained.

This was new information to me. I was paying attention now, turning to look towards Sasuke as I clung to Naruto's side.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. The subject clearly upset him.

"How do you know about that?"

Naruto grinned.

"I have friends in high places. I know a lot of things. I know what Itachi and Danzo did."

"Danzo?" Sasuke questioned, not recognizing the name.

Naruto's grinned widened.

Sasuke hesitated. I could see the wheels turning in his head.

"What's the cost?" Sasuke spoke up after a moment of thought.

"Your loyalty." Naruto explained.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Loyalty huh? What do you want from me?" Sasuke questioned apprehensively.

Naruto shook his head.

"It's not about what I want, but what she needs." Naruto corrected, turning to me now.

"Naruto?" I was confused.

Judging by his face so was Sasuke.

"I told you I would be the emperor of this world and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to bring this world to its knees and crush anyone that gets in my way." Naruto proclaimed.

Just a few minutes ago I think Sasuke would have laughed if he heard Naruto speak like that. But after witnessing Naruto's power Sasuke just listened.

"Hinata will be my empress in the new world I will create. She is strong and will only grow stronger. However, still, I can't guarantee her safety at all times. Even when she becomes so strong that no one except me can challenge her, I will still worry."

Naruto's voice was softer now. He looked down at me with a gentle expression. I could see what he was getting at now.

"That's where you come in Sasuke. I offer to train you, to make you stronger than you can possibly imagine. Stronger than Itachi, stronger than the Hokage, stronger than anyone but Hinata and I. In exchange you must pledge your loyalty and your life to Hinata. Pledge to always protect her, even when I can't." Naruto proposed.

I gasped. So that was his plan. It made sense now. The reason Naruto allowed Sasuke to follow me around for months was so he could grow close to me. Close enough to consider Naruto's offer. I marveled at Naruto's brilliance. Still Sasuke had yet to agree. I returned my attention to the boy. He was staring me down, clearly conflicted about Naruto's offer.

"Did you know about this?" Sasuke questioned.

I shook my head.

"Not until just now." I stated honestly.

He scanned me and must have been satisfied by my answer. After a little more thought Sasuke nodded.

"Ok." He stated simply.

"Hinata, step forward." Naruto ordered.

I complied right away, stepping over to Sasuke. I bowed my head as we neared.

Naruto began to encircle us, watching us with an intense gaze.

"Sasuke, kneel." Naruto commanded

Sasuke got down on one knee, bowing his head.

"Sasuke Uchiha, do you swear to protect Hinata with your life, and give your life for her if need be?" Naruto questioned.

"I do."

Naruto nodded.

"Empress Hinata Uzumaki, do you accept Sasuke into your service?"

My heart fluttered when Naruto said my name. We weren't officially married but it was music to my ears. I think Naruto was reading my mind. This little ritual of ours made me wish that I was marrying Naruto right now. But Naruto attaching his last name to mine assured me that I was still his.

"I do."

"Sasuke, give Hinata your kunai and raise your hand." Naruto continued to instruct.

Sasuke complied without hesitation, reaching into his pouch and twirling a kunai around his finger before presenting it to me.

"Hinata, take it and cut your name into his palm so he will never forget this oath."

My eyes widened in shock. I looked at Naruto with the mind to protest but seeing his serious gaze quelled my doubt. I nodded obediently while taking the Kunai from Sasuke.

Sasuke seemed even more resolute than I. He opened his palm and gave me an affirmative nod.

After a moment of hesitation I took Sasuke's palm and began to stab my name into it. I made sure to draw the Kanji for "Uzumaki" as well.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and bowed his head, his other hand balled into a fist to cope with the pain.

I felt a bit guilty but I drew from Sasuke's strength. He was the one that had to endure this and he did not speak one word of complaint.

After I finished I dropped the kunai. My hands were shaking.

Naruto nodded in satisfaction.

"Now you are forever bound. Never forget your oath." Naruto proclaimed.

Sasuke nodded and rose to his feet. He looked at his palm inquisitively before balling his fist and standing in a strong and upright fashion.

Naruto moved behind me now, wrapping both arms around my waist.

"Good. Usually this would be a moment to celebrate but I actually think that the most appropriate way to celebrate would be to start your training right away. What do you think Sasuke?" Naruto questioned.

Sasuke smirked.

"You read my mind."

I was amazed how strong Sasuke was. Even after all that he regained his cool, cocky attitude almost right away.

"Good. Sasuke, line up with the Empress. You will be training together from now on." Naruto instructed while swatting me on the butt.

I squeaked and jumped, stepping over to Sasuke. He walked to my side as I turned around to face Naruto.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. I knew exactly what Naruto was thinking.

"Sasuke, what do you say when your Emperor gives you a command?" I spoke up now.

Sasuke looked down at me in hesitation for a second.

"Forgive me Empress." Sasuke said with a slight bow of his head before turning his attention to Naruto.

"Yes Emperor Naruto."

Naruto grew a bright smile.

"Yea, I could get used to that." Naruto stated in a light hearted manner.

I couldn't help giggling. Naruto was so funny.

"Don't let it go to our head." Sasuke sassed.

"Yea yea." Naruto waved a hand dismissively.

I was glad Naruto wasn't taking everything too seriously.

After Naruto put on a backup pair of clothes we all trained until the sun went down. Sasuke was absolutely exhausted. I was a lot less tired, having been used to Naruto's training regimen.

"Holy Fuck." Sasuke commented in exasperation while staring up at the sky, splayed out on his back.

Naruto laid on his back right next to Sasuke. I was on the other side of Naruto clinging to my Emperor, the side of my head resting on his chest while I looked over to Sasuke.

"Yea, I remember feeling the same way when I first started training under Naruto-kun."

"Is it going to be like this every day?" Sasuke questioned in disbelief.

"Yep. It has to be or else you'll grow too slowly. I can't have a weakling protesting my Empress." Naruto declared in a chipper manner.

Sasuke smirked, the boy putting his hands behind his head.

"Good." Sasuke stated approvingly.

This day was one to remember. Naruto never failed to amaze me. As long as I was by his side I felt like nothing could stop us, nothing could tear us apart. He was so smart, so strong. Sometimes I felt a bit dumb in comparison to him but he wouldn't let me think that way. It was just nice to have someone with as much foresight as Naruto. I felt invincible, untouchable, safe.

But the best part was that I actually got to see him naked!

I had a very good dream that night. I usually tell Naruto everything but in this particular case I think I'll keep this dream to myself.

That's the end of the Chapter. Please review.

I have already written the next chapter. I just need to make sure it is thoroughly edited. It will be out next Sunday. Thanks for sticking with the story and engaging through comments and reviews. I really appreciate it. Hopefully this helps you through these crazy times. I still plan to continue this fanfiction. I have a lot of fun ideas IMO. I hope you enjoyed.