Naruto and Sasuke were the first ones to arrive at the bridge near training ground forty-four. Naruto typically wasn't one to arrive so early, but he needed to talk to the Uchiha.
"So, what was that on the bridge?"
Naruto opted to ask first.
"I'm still not exactly sure. I believe it to be what you mentioned as aninnate technique. I do know one thing, though. Its name is,Infinity."
Naruto raised a lone blonde eyebrow. This was interesting. No longer was Naruto the only one with two innate techniques. Sasuke… rivaled him now.
Sealing Chains
"Well, that's certainly a development. Wanna spar?"
A wide grin that didn't quite belong stretched the dark haired boy's lips. "I thought you'd never ask, Uzumaki."
Hatake had decided that the mission to Wave was a good wake up call, and that he was going to drive his team into hell. If his training from before was intense, this was nearly indescribable. Where before they had lifted boulders, worn weights and seals, and practiced with chakra, now all of those things were applied at once. Sakura was balancing with chakra on top of kunai point first, on top of water, while healing dead fish, while dodging incoming senbon. Sasuke was using technique after technique, one handed, while carrying a boulder, while running in water, while being attacked by Kakashi. Naruto, being the most physically gifted, was specifically put through hell. Climbing up cliffs with huge weights and gravity seals, while carrying huge rocks, while under intense paralysis poison, while dodging incoming kunai.
All that is to say that Team Seven had unprecedented growth. An already strong team being pushed to their limits, in all the right ways, tutored in all the possible manners that could be useful, and going through team bonding. Truly, Team Seven was becoming a well oiled machine used to dole out death to enemies of the leaf.
So, it was a great surprise when Kakashi showed up to the bridge on time, carrying with him a small bundle of papers. He flicked his pointer finger, seemingly channeling chakra, and the top-most sheet flew accurately in Sakura's direction. The girl's eyes flitted towards the rapidly approaching object, and she stuck out a hand of her own to catch it.
The masked Jonin nodded, satisfied. He flicked his finger twice more, sending two more sheets spiraling towards his other little , I suppose one of them is little… Naruto is… kind of huge.
It was true. The blond had always been decently tall, but he was always lanky. Recently however, he had begun to broaden out at an astonishing rate. Kakashi had reason to believe that the Nine Tailed Fox being sealed in Naruto sped up his body's healing, and thus allowed for an increase in muscle building pace. He was still shorter than Kakashi's towering stature, but Naruto obviously had more muscle mass. He was broad, and his chest was not in the least obscured by his tight white shirt.
"The Chunin exams, sensei?" It was Sakura who snapped the masked man out of his reverie. His visible eye slipped into an easy curve. "Yes, that's right. I have trained my cute little Genin into the ground and I believe all of your skills are up to par with most Chunin."
He shook his head.
"Frankly, I expect you three to roll through the competition with little to no issues. Don't get cocky of course, but I highly doubt any Genin could stand up to you three."
Sakura preened at the praise, and Sasuke allowed a little smirk. Even the typically socially reserved Naruto let a feral grin slip onto his face. This would be exciting.
Naruto was lazing around in his apartment. There wasn't much to do besides train while waiting for the exams, but being the day before he figured it'd be better to get some rest. The downside to this was that he was left to his thoughts. He reflected on his current situation. He had no friends he could talk to, only teammates. While he was on good terms with them, he was certain it would be a long time before they could call each other friends.I am so lonely.
It was a pathetic thought, and Naruto kicked himself mentally.I can't focus on that. I just have to get stronger.
The world waited for no one. While he was sitting on his ass someone out there was becoming the person must be me. I refuse to allow my dream to be taken from me.
A knock on the door interrupted his thought process. A flare of Naruto's chakra quickly deduced the perpetrator, the Mail man.
The blond stood up, stretched leisurely, then meandered to the door. By the time he got there, the mail man was long gone. He glanced down. Sitting on the doormat, was a lone letter. He reached down and slid it between his fingers. It had a thick, durable envelope. A deep red, with white lettering addressing it to one "Uzumaki Naruto".
Huh. I think this may be the first time that I've ever received mail…
Naruto extended his forefinger, then channeled wind chakra through the tenketsu there. Sliding his finger at the opening of the envelope, he opened it with ease. A tanned hand reached in and retrieved the contents. It was another red slip of paper, this time of a lighter hue. The black inking inscribed on it read:
Dear Naruto Uzumaki,
I request your help with a matter of utmost importance to me. We have met before, but briefly. I will owe you a favor of whatever you choose if you assist me. Please meet me at the waterfall near training ground thirty seven, I beseech you.
Whoever this person is, they're laying it on pretty thick… But I can't say that I'm not intrigued… Well, whatever. Let's go see what they want.
It took only a few minutes to throw on some more appropriate clothing, consisting of baggy black pants, and a tight white undershirt. He covered that up with a loose, casual red haori. Kicking his chakra through his limbs once again, he leapt to the nearest rooftop to kickstart his journey. He could use forcing to speed up his pace, however he still wasn't quite controlled enough with it when using forcing on his legs. The excess chakra would expel from his feet, and causing mass amounts of property damage to houses wasn't exactly in the cards at the moment. Maybe some other time.
The journey was short, and he slowed down as he neared his destination. He strolled through training ground thirty seven on his way to the waterfall. Upon entering the clearing his eyes flitted around, looking for the person so interested in him. He spotted her instantly, and her name fell from his lips in shock.
"Hinata Hyuga?"
The blue haired girl in question flushed slightly, but inclined her head in greeting. "Hello, Naruto."
A tanned hand rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. "Hi. What did you need me for?"
He got straight to the point. He really was very curious.
She smiled faintly, then replied. "I need you to train me."
The young man frowned. "That's all? What on earth do you need me to train you for? You do have a Jonin sensei, no?"
She grimaced. "Kurenai Yuhi is very kind, but not the teacher that I need. I want someone powerful and driven. I want someone to help me become like you. Totally absorbed in becoming the strongest."
Naruto frowned. He didn't think that he had ever communicated his goals so transparently. Hinata, noticing his hesitance, smiled disarmingly. "No one else really knows about it, I've been um, watching you? For a while?" Her confident face slid into bashful embarrassment towards the end of her sentence.
Well… That came as a surprise. It would seem he possessed a secret admirer. While unexpected, it could be used to his benefit. Certainly a girl with all seeing eyes would come in handy at some point. He opened his mouth to respond. "Huh. Alright then. I'll help train you. But I'd like to know what you are going to do with this strength, and what I am going to get out of this."
The Hyuga's eyes lidded slightly. "Isn't helping a fellow Shinobi of the Leaf more than enough of a reward?"
Naruto wasn't impressed. "No. And besides, you already said in your letter that you would owe me a favor of whatever I wished."
The pale eyed girl pouted slightly, but acquiesced. "Yes, well. I suppose I did say that. To answer your question, I need to become strong enough to unite the Hyuga clan."
Naruto raised a lone blond brow. "Unite the Hyuga, eh? I don't really follow…"
Hinata looked down, seemingly in shame. "It's okay. I didn't expect you to know. Not many do." She cleared her throat. "The Hyuga uses a seal, calledThe Caged Bird. It was originally conceived with preventing theByakuganfrom being harvested post death in mind… but it has been perverted into a slave seal, used by the main branch to exert control over the branch house."
Hinata looked the most defeated Nartuto had ever seen her, not that he had seen her that much. "Things used to be better, but then my mother died and father stopped caring. I need your help, Naruto. I'll do anything."
The boy in question was surprised, to say the least. He shifted uncomfortably and rubbed his neck. "A-alright, I'll help you train. But I don't know what I want yet. I feel bad hanging it over your head but I guess I'll just cash in on that favor at some point?"
Purple-Blue hair bobbed enthusiastically as she nodded. "Yes that's fine, that's great!" She coughed and shook her head, attempting to compose herself. "Is there anything small you want now? I don't really know how to make the exchange equal so I suppose if you find yourself feeling behind in this situation you can stop training me, and if I get taken advantage of then I'll stop granting favors…?"
Naruto pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Sounds fine." He trailed off, do I want from her…?
"Motherly affection!" The words were blurted out before he could stop them. He stared at her, then slowly began backing away as his face rapidly heated up.
Hinata, for her part, took it pretty well. She blinked, shocked for a moment, then a slightly coy smile flitted across her pale countenance. She stepped towards the reddening blond. "Is that so?"
Naruto wanted to sink into a puddle and die. He may have been the strongest Genin in Konoha. He had stared down Zabuza and his apprentice. He had slaughtered a hundred bandits. He was strong physically, had strong chakra, could lift boulders and climb cliffs. But this was too much for him. He tried to compose himself, but it was hard to take him seriously when he was as red as an apple. "Y-you see… I was just thinking about how l-lonely I was in my apartment, and it just slipped out… This never happened? Please?"
Hinata strode towards him. "Hey, hey. It's alright. It's okay. I can do that for you." She grabbed him by the hand, tugging him towards one of the impressively large trees. He put up token resistance. The tree was facing the waterfall, and she pulled him gently down onto the ground, placing his head into her lap. "Shhhh Shh Shhhh. Everything is alright. It's okay. It's okay, baby. You don't mind if I call you that, right?"
The blond gazed up at her, eyes confused, but shook his head. "Good. I'm glad, baby. It's okay to want some affection." She looked into his blue eyes, her pale orbs filled with compassion. "It must have been so hard. Being alone for so long." He nodded, feeling so very overwhelmed. "I'm here now. Mama's here. I know I'll never replace your parents, or make up the time you spent alone, but let me give you this."
It was becoming too much for the blond. She was warm, so warm. Her thighs were soft, her hands smooth in his hair. It wasn't just physically, either. She felt like a campfire, comforting and toasty. He gazed into her eyes and began to feel a sense of peace that he had never managed to reach before. She was what he needed. He nodded, content to let her do as she wished. After all, it had worked up to this point pretty well. "There, there, baby. I'm here. You're not alone anymore."
He sniffled, pushing his face into her stomach to hide his teary eyes. "Mama…"
"Yes dear. Mama is here. I'm here for you, baby."
Naruto cried.
It started soft, he was clearly attempting to hold himself together. She stroked his head again, whispering. "Don't hold back, sweetie. I'm here. Let it all out. Let it all out for me."
The floodgates opened, and Naruto sobbed.
They were gut wrenching, painful cries that shook his entire body. His vision blurred, and Hinata's beautiful face distorted. He pressed himself to her like a limpet. His chest hurt from crying, the knot of loneliness from the course of his entire life, when he forbade himself from showing weakness, began to unravel. All the years of crippling isolation, all the stifling, judgmental gazes of his peers, all the whispers of the adults. They had taken a toll on the blonde. As much as he liked to be strong, the strongest, as much as he wanted to rise to new heights, to push himself where no human had gone before, he was still just that. A human. A human who had never known parental affection, barely known friendship, and rarely even known human interaction. A human who wanted those things. To finally receive those things made everything he had built begin to crumble.
Naruto didn't know how long it had been since he had come here, but what he did know is that he wasn't going home like this. "W-would… Would you sleep with me?"
Hinata grinned impishly. "So forward! Shouldn't you take me out on a few dates first?"
Naruto, unable to see his tomenter, began to flush and stumbled on his words in an attempt to fix things. "No! Wait no.. I mean like.. Sleeping!"
She laughed, raking her fingers through his messy blond hair again. "I know, baby. I was just messing with you. Of course we can sleep together. I couldn't leave my baby all alone when he needs his Mama, could I?"
Naruto didn't reply. He tried his best not to think about the exceedingly strange situation, opting instead to enjoy it while it lasted. Naruto drifted off into the most sound sleep of his life.
The blond drifted into consciousness, very unlike his typical morning ritual of leaping into the day. The first thing he became aware of was the fingers gently probing through his hair. The second thing tickling his awareness was the course yet comforting jacket laid over his prone form. He still lay on someone's soft thighs, and they were awake, judging by the soft humming and the fingers massaging his senses. He brought a hand to his eyes and rubbed them blearily. A warm laugh, chimes in the breeze, tickled his ears.
"Good morning baby. Did you sleep well?"
Naruto was exceedingly confused. Who on earth called him 'baby?' Not the orphanage mother, and besides, he lived alone now. He had for years. This was strange.
The blond rubbed his eyes again, looking up. There was a… girl. A pretty one, to be sure. She had regal features, but there was a certain roundness to her face that made her feel much more welcoming. Soft eyes gazed down at him, framed by indigo hair that gleamed in the morning sun.
"Hi-Hinata?" He croaked out the question, voice still crunchy from sleep. He was met by a soft smile.
"That's right sweetie."
The young man still looked confused. "Why am I down here then?"
This time, her eyes took on a mischievous glint. "I took care of you last night, then we slept together."
His mind froze for a moment. Then it all came rushing back, and Naruto, in that moment, wanted to die. Seeing as he couldn't exactly do that, he settled for getting up in a hurry, smacking into poor Hinata's face in his rush to leave. She clutched her face as a block of muscle wacked her, obviously not expecting this. Naruto glanced down guiltily at her from his now standing position. "Fuck, I'm sorry Hinata."
She glanced up, hand already glowing green. "Oh baby. It's alright. I understand that this is all very new for you." She smiled ruefully. "And besides, I'm alright now."
Naruto was too busy feeling bad about hurting her to register that she used medical techniques to great effect. "Oh, well… I suppose."
He was unsure what to do. Luckily, the young woman seemed to notice this, and saved him from his frozen mindstate. "Would you like to get breakfast with me, Naruto?"
The boy in question shook his head, unfogging it. He then cleared his throat before responding. "Sure, that sounds good. What time is it anyways?"
The indigo haired girl glanced at her wristwatch. "A few minutes passed nine."
"A bit later than I usually wake up…" The blond mumbled to himself. He thought for a moment, then spoke up. "Do you mind if we get ramen?"
The girl giggled, then giggles turned into full blown laughter. Naruto had never felt so insecure in his entire life, and interpreted it poorly. He glanced at the ground. "Sorry.. It was a stupid suggestion…" He kicked himself eats ramen for breakfast anyways?
The laughter ceased immediately, and he felt his face being shoved into something soft. "I would love to eat ramen with you, Naruto."
The sheer sincerity in her words left him floored. She said it in a way that made him think that it was something she had wanted to do since she was first conceived.
"What? You do?"
He couldn't physically see her face from his position in her bosom, wrapped in the hug as he was, but he could practically see the honestly in her eyes.
"I do sweetie. I think it would be wonderful."
He croaked out a laugh. "This has been the best day since… ever… I think."
Something wrenched in Hinata's heart. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm here now."
And that was all that mattered.
