"How are you feeling Hinata?"
"I'm fine. Thank you . Umm…how does it feel to be a hero?"
"Sweet. Bittersweet actually. Plus I almost lost you."
Naruto and Hinata found themselves alone in Hinata's recovery tent. He sat on the ground near her cot while she laid down recovering, looking up at the roof. Both content because they were finally alone with one another again.
Hinata disobeying direct orders from Danzo and being out of commission temporarily put a pretty big bulls eye on her at the moment. It was odd really. How everyone from team 7, her former team 8, team 10 and even Team Guy all came together to make this make shift protection over her so Danzo couldn't get his hands on her.
She numbed herself from feeling such love a long time ago, but recently it was starting to have an effect on her. Hinata was beginning to feel like people cared, she didn't know how to take these new emotions.
Even with all this going on Hinata still had this morphed perception of Danzo. No one could talk ill of the man, even though Hinata knew he was scum, she refused anyone to bad talk Danzo's name. Even Naruto.
It was driving Naruto insane. He was going to break and end up saying something sooner or later on the 'Danzo-sama' subject. He understood that mentally Hinata suffered a great deal while in ROOT, that was why he was going to go about this as smooth and gentle as possible.
As smooth and gentle as Naruto could do.
He could only hope that Hinata could be as patient with him and his possible short temper as he was with her and her subtle stubbornness. Especially considering everything the two had just been through just now with the invasion against the village. Naruto battled against Pain from the Akatsuki and managed to defeat him. He was a village hero. That wasn't to say that it did not come at a cost.
Ero-sensei was gone.
The village was destroyed.
Hinata risked her life for him and almost died right before his eyes.
The scene wouldn't play out of his head. He kept seeing her fight. Kept seeing her being defeated and he kept seeing her being stabbed. Over and over again. It wouldn't leave out his mind. He almost lost his village, almost lost his mind and most of all he almost lost Hinata. He never wanted to feel that horrified again.
The village was half in shambles, people lost their homes and businesses. Still everyone was doing their part in rebuilding the village and helping everyone get back on their feet. Everyone was coming together, and they were treating him like a human being finally! Naruto was so proud to hear how Hinata disobeyed Danzo's orders and went out to save as many people as possible.
Kiba and Shino were the first to volunteer to take watch of Hinata's recovery tent while she healed, and Naruto was away. They missed her, they wanted to see her. She sought out Kurenai to help her during the invasion and that was more than enough to show that Hinata never had truly left them.
Meanwhile Tsunade was in a medically induced coma, and to top it all off the very man that was a bane to Naruto's existence was appointed acting Hokage. Danzo. They appointed that EVIL man. That horrible human being to be acting Hokage.
He was sure Hinata was secretly ecstatic about this.
Naruto spoke to Shikamaru when the young Nara stopped by to check on Hinata. Shikamaru tried to give the excuse it was because Kurenai kept badgering him to see if Hinata was okay, but Naruto was sure Shikamaru was more concerned then he let on. Shikamaru also shared that his father argued against Danzo being given the position, but some of the elder higher ups have the 'fighter' mentality that Danzo has and believed he was a good fit.
Plus Danzo was good at convincing people to see things his way when people were in a time of need.
Naruto was convinced the man could talk his way out of a direct crime that everyone saw him commit. He had to be good at changing people's mind. He changed Hinata's.
Just thinking about Hinata being trained by someone like Danzo made his blood boil. Especially for so many years, not months, YEARS. Hinata was never like this before. She was never so cut throat, bitter and unaffectionate. She was always determined to be better, to do better. Hinata always wanted to be useful and help.
A little of her old personality would creep through when Naruto was alone with her. Before the invasion when she would be in his room and lay on his bed she would look at him with the most innocent eyes. She was vulnerable around him and Naruto cherished that. He wanted to treat it with the utmost respect and care.
During the Pain invasion, Hinata had also showed her determination and spark for righteousness. Other than that Hinata was short answering, monotonous and could be downright rude if Naruto brought up a subject she didn't want to talk about.
Whenever Naruto wanted to talk about her past or Danzo, Hinata would clamped up to the world. Again portraying the perfect ROOT soldier. Which made no fucking sense to Naruto honestly. The man that she works under is OBVIOUSLY trying to end her life in the most discreet way possible to not cause conflict with the Hyuga clan.
Hinata's father may be a lot of things, but from what Naruto gathered he would not hesitate taking someone's life. Naruto didn't think Hinata understood that her father killed someone because they took her from him. Where was that man now and when Hinata needed him the most? Naruto had no clue.
Was her mind that far gone?
Going back to Hinata and this abnormal hold Danzo has on her. Naruto wished that Hinata could see it from at least a leadership perspective. She has disobeyed Danzo's orders twice now, any leader would have you face some type of consequence, and Danzo was no honorable, respectable leader. Danzo was a brutal, no tolerance leader. He was going to get to Hinata sooner or later and have her killed for her disobedience.
Naruto wouldn't give that old bastard the time of day to even try.
People like Danzo live long to meet a demise. Their past sins always catches up to them as they age. Naruto didn't see Danzo dying of old age, maybe from a slit throat. His own dark demon in the back of his conscience that had nothing to do with the nine tails was telling him he should be the one with the knife in his hand against Danzo's neck.
Either way Hinata was going to have to move past it. She was going to have to accept it. She was going to have to be okay with a world without her ROOT leader.
He didn't think she was in the right mind frame to do so.
"We are all expendable. Are we not Naruto? You should not grieve too long if I die. This is what we signed up for."
Naruto almost laughed at the hypocrite before him. "Yet you went through such great lengths to make sure I lived Hinata. You went through the same emotions as I did to ensure I survived. Why?"
Hinata closed her eyes, "You are needed in this world Naruto. You finally see that people DO need you. They just didn't know how special you really were until now. Now they see what some of us have always seen in you. They see that you are their light."
"You speak as if you are not needed Hinata. As if some people do not need you too."
"I believe my usefulness has ran its course."
Naruto cupped the side of her face and made her face him. His hands were slightly shaking from trying to be calm with her irrational words. His thumb caressed her cheeks and she opened her eyes to look into dark blue steel orbs burning holes into her vanishing soul.
"To who?! To Danzo?! Who fucking CARES about that man. Let him GO. What can I do? What can we do to get that man's SICK hold off of you? It's not doing you any good Hinata. You're fading away because of this."
Naruto knew she was shutting down again. She had this lost and cloudy look in her eyes. He wouldn't let Hinata fall back into the darkness. He made a promise to himself and to her that from now on he would be there for her to pull her out of her path of self-destruction.
"Tell me why you went out there to fight Pain. Tell me why you risked your life Hinata."
Hinata could think for herself. Naruto knew this. She was pulling the perfect soldier card for some reason and he didn't like it. He knew Hinata knew how to think, how to feel, how to be free. She could if she just stood up for herself and stopped letting people take advantage of her.
"I just told you why Naruto."
"Tell me what you told me out there with Pain, when we were surrounded by rubble and damn near dead. Tell me what you told me when you looked me in the eyes while we were both covered in blood and bruises."
Hinata eyes widened slightly, she was sure he lost his memory of what happened. She was sure that was what Sakura had told her. "Naruto?"
Naruto closed his eye and leaned over to place his forehead on hers. He needed her to know that he needed her. She was so fucking important to him. "Tell me right now. Don't play with my feelings like this Hinata."
She would never.
Naruto pulled away slightly and watched as Hinata's jaw became firm and she gave him a fiery look, "I said that I love you."
Naruto continued to caress her cheek while looking at her with a saddened grin, "You almost died because you love me. You wanted to protect me. You didn't want me to die. I was soscaredwhen I saw what he did to you. Ilostit. I know that I transformed, and I almost gave into the nine tails and was ready to kill and destroy any and everything because I thought I lost you Hinata. I love you. We are one in the same Hinata. You would die for me and I would kill for you."
One of Hinata's hands went to hold Naruto's hand that was on her face. He watched as her eyes became glossy and he leaned in towards her so she could bury her face in his chest and sob. It was okay to cry. It was okay to have a moment. He believed she probably hasn't had a moment for a very long time.
She cried. She cursed her father and her clan. She cried and mourned the relationship she lost with her sensei and teammates. She cried about giving up, about taking innocent lives, about being a quitter and a failure. She screamed that she didn't know why she didn't hate Danzo. That she wanted to hate him. She cried because this was all her fault for being weak.
Naruto let her get her frustrations out. Her anger, remorse and sorrow. He made a mental note for the future to continue this conversation and not let what Hinata has cried about slide. This was NOT her fault. It even took Naruto some time to understand and he was a fool for not understanding soon enough, but this was not Hinata's fault and would never be her fault.
Right now, he let her feel all the emotions he knew she was denied of for years. Hinata deserved to feel, she deserved to live. She had to get it out now because challenging times were coming, and he needed her to be strong. He needed her to survive.
He sensed Neji approaching and he didn't move when he heard the flap to the tent open and Neji peak in. He was sure Neji sensed Hinata was in distress and had to check up on her. When the older Hyuga saw the scene in front of him he quietly left the two alone coming to the conclusion that Naruto and Hinata no longer 'hated' one another.
It had to have been about 20 minutes that they stayed in that position. Finally Hinata mumbled something liken to 'What am I supposed to do now.'
Naruto smiled at this and started to run his fingers through her hair. "Live Hinata. Do what YOU want. You avoided so hard from being caged in by your family that you didn't notice you were being caged in by that asshole Danzo."
Hinata nodded in understanding. She felt her absolute lowest. The weakest she's ever been in her life. "He wants me dead. Danzo-sama…I knew about it. It was before Uchiha Itachi even came back to the village."
Naruto pulled away to give Hinata his full attention. On a side note he took in her appearance at how open, vulnerable and absolutely beautiful she looked at the moment and permanently placed that image in his mind.
"I felt the moment he put me on assignment with Sasuke was the moment he was planning on having me killed off. I am who I am. I am a spy and I am an assassin. What I do requires a lot of investigation. Months or even longer I've spent gathering intel. I have to know EVERYTHING about the person I am assigned to kill. I have to know them, their past and their present and everyone involved in their life. I had to understand to the fullest Sasuke, Itachi, Kakashi, Sai, Sakura and you Naruto. I had to understand many people and many things. I am sure Danzo-sama knew his involvement with things within the village would occur in my findings."
Naruto sat on his knees and stared at Hinata with his mouth slightly open, "Wha? What are you saying Hinata? What did you find out?"
He watched as she looked down at her fingers and fiddled with them before catching herself and huffing in annoyance. Another cute trait that he stored for later memories.
"I believe Sasuke's brother is more innocent then is let on. From my research and investigation, Lord Danzo played a major key in the Uchiha clan massacre and Itachi was more so used as a 'pawn' following orders."
Naruto sat in silence for a moment staring off in deep thought, "So he knew you were going to uncover this? Are people really that disposable to that scum?"
He immediately wanted to take back his words because it wasn't worth the back and forward argument with Hinata while she was recovering. He could see the switch going off in her head to slight anger at the insult to Danzo. It was like Danzo put a chip or SOMETHING in her mind that triggered every time someone said something bad about him.
Just when Hinata was going to speak Naruto beat her to it, already knowing what she was going to say. "I take back the scum part okay. Also, don't say it either Hinata. We all have our calling to deaths door, but we are not just DISPOSABLE. We as ninja have the right to care, to feel, to MOURN over someone. Danzo takes away that right."
Hinata tightened her lips in surrender and looked off to the side. "Lord Danzo…trained me. He has trained me for four years straight. He has taught me many things and had taken me under his wing, because of him I do not hold the curse seal. He is the reason I am free. That being said, he is the reason that I am the broken person that I am today as well. He's betrayed me, but for the life of me I cannot hold ill will towards him or hurt him. I could not see myself doing that."
Naruto frowned at this, he didn't want to point out that the years Danzo spent 'training' and 'taking her under his wing' was really just his method of brainwashing and controlling her. He didn't want to push her too much too soon. "If something happened to him. You'd be able to move on though. Right?"
It was silent for a moment as Hinata looked to be in thought, slowly she started to nod her head and looked at Naruto. "I believe I can do that. With you with me."
Naruto grinned at her playfully, "Are you flirting with me Hinata?"
His heart almost burst out his chest when he saw her blush and look off to the side in an almost shy and embarrassed manner. "Oh my gosh you ARE trying to flirt with me!"
"Naruto!"
Hinata made her way towards the gates to leave out of Konoha. While she was on a very thin line with Danzo and she was sure he wanted nothing more, but to find a justifiable way to end her, she also acknowledged that he still needed her.
Some ROOT members were dispatched to find Kabuto, some were dispatched as guards for Lord Danzo. Hinata was dispatched as doing what she did best. Staying in the shadows and acting as the guard for Danzo that stayed hidden. She was to attack from the shadows and keep everyone in the loop of any danger coming near during the journey to the Kage Summit.
Another method for Danzo to have a strong hold on her.
Hinata was not shocked when she saw Naruto at the gates waiting for her. She was a little taken back when she saw with Naruto her older cousin Neji.
Naruto didn't understand why she still stayed loyal to Danzo. Hinata knew the man wanted her dead to keep his dirty secrets in the dark. Why was she HELPING him still? What if he was planning on having her killed off during this mission?
Naruto didn't want to listen to the fact that Danzo was basically acting Hokage and it would be unlawful for Hinata and even himself to disobey an order. He didn't care. If that limp biscuit tried to harm Hinata he would snap every bone in his frail body.
"Naruto. You are here. With Neji..."
Hinata said this with a low voice, but the two males picked up on the aggravation there. Naruto ignored the slight annoyance coming from Hinata and rolled his eyes with his arms crossed over his chest.
His mind still drifting on the fact he couldn't believe she was going out to GUARD this fucking psycho. "I want to say you don't have to go, but I understand that you kind of have to since he's 'acting' Hokage. I'm just…ANNOYED Nata."
Hinata's face immediately became beat red and she looked off to the side to collect herself. He called her little pet names in private, the fact he did it among their peers made her embarrassed, but at the same time she felt comforted and she dared to even say she felt loved. Still, she especially couldn't believe Naruto did this in front of NEJI.
"I will take care of myself Naruto. I will be fine. I will do what I was trained to do."
Neji frowned at this with his arms crossed and sent a glare to the ground at Hinata's foot. "Hinata-sama?"
Hinata's lips thinned at the formality and looked at Neji, "Yes."
"Let that ruthless man fend for himself. Danzo, those Uchiha's, all of that chaos going on has nothing to do with you. You do not owe that man anything else. Please think about what I am saying to you. You are not Hinata of ROOT. You are not a nobody. You're not a castaway. You are Hyuga Hinata."
Neji looked at her and made eye contact with his cousin and saw the anger in her eyes. He didn't look away and even challenged her to tell him otherwise. Hinata bit back bitter words and settled to just speak her mind, "I am the nobody of the Hyuga's, their castaway. I have no home there…brother."
Neji ignored the condescending remark and quickly made a rebuttal, "The same way you can defy Danzo and basically show him you're not going to do what he wants you can do the same thing with the Hyuga clan. At home. Your home Hinata."
Hinata's jaw clenched and the heavy respect and love she had for Neji stopped her from falling back into her old habits and saying something cold and shallow. At 13 years old, no she couldn't stand up to her family. "Neji."
"If not for the Hyuga clan. Then think about it for me. Let this man go. For me. For Naruto, your former teammates, that ask about you all the time by the way, and for your heavily pregnant sensei. Let this…connection with this man go."
The two-pale eyed Hyuga's just stared at one another for a moment before Hinata looked back at the wood line and took a deep breath. "I can only promise that I will make sure I am safe Neji. I cannot promise you anything else."
Neji sighed at this but soon smiled at her, "That is a start."
Hinata would not tell them that Danzo told her to track down Sasuke days prior. She would not tell them that she knew where Sasuke was. She would not tell them that she was ordered to finish out her original mission to kill the young Uchiha.
Little did she know that tracking her every movement the whole time was a recovering Uchiha Itachi.