Chapter 21

Going on the Attack

Tenten's home was sleek and modern. Her weapons store did very well, enough to fund a nice two bedroom home with all the latest fixtures. Hinata sat on her couch, sipping tea that Tenten had served, while Tenten herself sat beside her on the couch.

"Let me get this straight," Tenten said. "I've hardly seen you for weeks. I was starting to get worried. And now you show up and say — let's see if I can remember it all — you've been meeting Naruto in secret to 'see how he lives,' had your unbreakable seal broken, taken sealing lessons from Naruto who you hate, decided you don't hate him and actually love him, and cut off an engagement with him… in order to try dating him."

Hinata sipped her tea. "That would cover most of it."

Tenten opened her mouth. Then she shut it again. She frowned. Finally, she huffed.

"Whatever. It's fine. But despite having done all of this, you're only telling me about it now?"

"I believe it slipped my mind."

"But you're willing to come over now. To use my stuff."

Tenten gestured toward the door to her bedroom, which Sakura had disappeared through ten minutes earlier. They could hear the pink-haired girl humming to herself as she picked things out. She'd been ready to take Hinata shopping in order to prepare for tonight, but Hinata told her that wasn't necessary, bringing her here instead. Hinata faced Tenten.

"It's your fault," she said.

"Oh, is it?"

Hinata nodded. "Your closet is too big."

"Finished!" Sakura stepped into the room with fabric tossed over her arm and a big grin on her face. "That place is amazing!"

Something few people knew was that Tenten wasn't only a weapons collector. The girl stockpiled anything she loved. This included, but was not limited to: sharp objects (of course), snacks, and in this case, clothes.

Tenten's closet was as big as a bedroom with all sorts of exotic outfits. Sakura swore she knew exactly how to press Naruto's buttons. If she had an outfit in mind, Tenten was almost guaranteed to own it.

Sakura tossed the pile of clothes she picked out in front of Hinata. "Get changed. I'll set up the rest of the lesson while you do."

Hinata listened after finishing the rest of her tea. She took the clothes Sakura had chosen to the bathroom. Getting them on was a bit more of a challenge than expected, but she made it work.

"I'm back," Hinata announced.

The outfit in question was a red chinese dress. The silk was soft and went all the way up to Hinata's neck, with a slit that allowed one of her legs to slide out as she walked. Beneath the collar was an opening intended to show off the wearer's collarbone. But this was Tenten's dress, meaning that the chest area was more stretched than intended. Rather than her collar bone, the window ended up being over Hinata's cleavage.

"It is a bit tight," she confessed.

Tenten looked down at her chest, then over to Hinata. "I wonder why."

"You look great!" Sakura said. "Now, pay attention…"

The lesson that followed was, if anything, more grueling than Sasuke's mock spars. Sakura was as strict as an ANBU captain, and she came prepared.

"Lower!" "Aim for the neck!" "Brush your hair behind your ear just like this."

By the end, Hinata was exhausted. But at the same time, she felt more prepared than ever. She had never been a genius. It was in an environment like the academy, with lessons followed by a test, that she thrived. Not that her father or clan would ever count something like that as an accomplishment…

Sakura's teaching method was a smash hit. When the time for her appointment with Naruto was imminent — a run-of-the-mill seals lesson that Hinata was determined to transform into something more — Sakura helped her do her hair.

"You'll do great," Sakura said, pulling Hinata's hair into a loose ponytail. She finished, patting Hinata's shoulders. "Just remember what I taught you, and don't be afraid to go for it!"

Hinata nodded gratefully. She rose, stopping by Tenten's bedroom to check her appearance in a full-body mirror. It was quite the makeover. Hinata turned, swishing the dress that clung to her figure.

"Hinata."

Tenten had entered the room behind her. Hinata's best friend was leaning on the door, her arms crossed.

"Naruto is obsessed with seals, right?"

"Yes," Hinata said. "It's half of what he talks about. Perhaps a bit more."

"He's really good at them too, isn't he? To the point that he invents his own designs. Ones that do things you wouldn't believe were possible."

"Yes," Hinata said again, wondering where this was going.

"Have you ever considered that—" Tenten hesitated "— he might be Fox?"

Hinata laughed.

"I'm serious!" Tenten said. "I did a little bit of work for the Den! It wasn't much, but my shop provided them with some chakra chains. I don't think they're going to be used for their usual purpose… But that's not the point! Fox was the one who paid me. And he paid me with this."

Tenten thumped her hand on the large scroll she fought with, which was leaning against the wall right beside her bed. Hinata recalled the last time they sparred. Tenten's storage seal had been upgraded, adding a function to reabsorb weapons the weapons it released like a vacuum.

It was true that Naruto and Fox both used seals. They were both accomplished men in bed. But…

"Come on," Hinata said. "I hated Naruto while I was chasing Fox. There's just no way. What would the Hokage's son need the Den for?"

She could see where Tenten was coming from. But there was no way. Right?

Tenten sighed. "It was just a thought. Are you ready for tonight."

"Readier than I thought I would be," Hinata said.

"Then go get him."

Tenten offered her a fist bump on the way out. Hinata could hardly think of a less Hyuuga gesture.

She returned it happily

O-O-O

The door to Naruto's seal workshop swung open.

"Hey there! You're early!"

Naruto leaned through the door with his hand on the handle, grinning broadly. When he saw Hinata, he blinked.

"May I come in?" Hinata asked.

Naruto remained frozen for three whole seconds before he jolted back to life.

"Where else would you be going?" he said. "C'mon!"

He seemed back to normal, but it was all Hinata could do not to pump her fist in celebration. She hadn't missed that pause. She hadn't seen anything break his casual demeanor before, even in his journal where he interacted with some of the biggest beauties in the village.

If Hinata were Hokage, she would've ordered Sakura's be added to the Monument by tonight.

Naruto walked to his seat at the messy table where he worked, plopping onto it. Hinata's seat, a stool facing on the opposite side of the table, had become a fixture of the workshop. As she sat down, she used her fingers to brush a strand of hair behind her ear.

Naruto was giving her a strange look.

"Shall we start?" Hinata asked.

He dove into an explanation of the seal they would be working on. Hinata nodded as he spoke. She wasn't shy about making eye contact. Soon they dove into practicing, Naruto showing her the characters she would need to recreate while Hinata grabbed ink and a brush.

She had lots of tools that helped her pick up seals fast. The biggest barrier had been Naruto's colorful teaching methods. He could only describe the way he thought about seals, and as Hinata learned early on, that was far from the normal way.

But once she understood the basic principles, Hinata learned quickly. She had supernaturally steady hands and a good head for memorization. With the Byakugan, she could see exactly how Naruto channeled his chakra to bring an array online. She was far from being able to design her own seals, but she could at least replicate the ones Naruto showed her.

Today the seal in question stored heat which it expelled when chakra was channeled through it. Simple enough. Hinata was confident she could have it mastered before the hour and a half was up.

"Can I see how you do it again?" she asked.

Naruto's brush froze. "Another demonstration? Sure, I can do that."

Hinata smiled. Then she stood up, walking around to Naruto's side of the table. As she walked she saw his eyes flicker down when her thigh slid through the slit in her dress. Her smile grew.

She stopped behind him as he pulled out a new paper, dipping his brush into the ink. He was only looking down at his work now, but Hinata didn't mind. She leaned in, her chin hovering just over his shoulder, repeating the motion of brushing hair strands behind her ear.

Naruto still hadn't started the seal.

"Aren't you going to show me?" Hinata asked.

"Huh," he said. "I guess my mind wandered for a sec."

Hinata barely kept from giggling. Who knew such a small mannerism could be a weakness? Sakura, apparently. It was almost frightening how accurate the girl's information had been.

"So you start with a squiggle like this. And then you do a swoosh, like that…"

Naruto's descriptions hadn't grown any more sensical, but once Hinata was aware of the basic components she could follow along by watching. The seal wasn't all that complicated. She was sure, with a few tips, she could get started on it now. So for the rest of the demonstration, she might as well amuse herself.

She leaned even further in. Her perfume had been hand-picked by Sakura. Her face was right next to Naruto's, but unlike the last time that happened, she didn't freeze. Maybe it was because she was doing it on purpose now, or maybe it was just because she'd learned to be honest about her feelings.

Hinata settled her chin on him, right where his shoulder curved up into his neck. Naruto missed a stroke.

It was a tiny mistake, but it was the only one Hinata had ever seen him make. She giggled.

"You missed a spot," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. There was no need to speak louder when her mouth was right next to his ear.

"...I guess I did," Naruto said. "I'll start over."

"That's fine." Hinata stood, pulling her body away from him. "I saw enough."

She walked back to her seat. As she did, she found herself hoping his eyes were on her again, watching her swaying hips the way he'd watched her legs on the way over.

Hinata was feeling proud as she picked up her brush. She couldn't help but smile. She'd finally seen his perfect composure crack, and she was the one to do it, not any of those people in his book. She thought that would make anybody a little big-headed.

As Hinata inked the first kanji, she heard a chair slide back.

"Let's see if you've really got it down."

Naruto's voice came from behind her. How? She hadn't seen him move. Was she that lost inside her own world?

But that wasn't all. Not only was he behind her, he was close. She could feel him. His chest was on her back. His head was hovering next to hers. If she turned, her nose would be touching his cheek.

A tremor entered her usually-steady hand.

Hinata bit her lip in order to focus. She carefully flicked her brush, doing everything in her power to copy the symbols that should have been easy, but suddenly felt extremely difficult. She could hear a heartbeat, but she couldn't tell if it was her own pounding in her ears, or Naruto was close enough to make out his pulse.

He was still leaning closer as he watched her work. Hinata's borrowed dress was thin silk, and it did little to hide the feeling of his muscles. For a shinobi that never took on missions, he was in remarkably good shape. There were his pecs, and there were his abs—

Hinata missed a character.

"Oops." Naruto's voice was barely more than a whisper; just like hers had been when the roles were reversed. "That was a mistake."

And he reached out, grabbing the back of his hand.

Hinata's hand wanted to shake harder than ever, but Naruto easily held it still. His soft palm was pressing on her wrist. He easily guided her back, slowly moving her hand through the proper pattern.

Hinata stifled a gasp. Her breasts were still stretching the material of the dress she borrowed. As Naruto guided her arm, his bicep pressed into the side of them, sinking into her skin. Hinata's toes curled under the table. She tried to look at the seal he was helping her work on, but it seemed very far away.

As quickly as it started, Naruto let go of her wrist. His arm retreated to his side. But he still didn't move away.

"That's better!" he said.

Hinata realized that this was going to be a very long lesson. Maybe, just possibly, she had bitten off more than she could chew.

She couldn't wait.

O-O-O

When she returned to Tenten's apartment just shy of two hours later, she found both girls waiting for her. They took in her appearance, slightly more bedraggled than when she left, with her ponytail askew and her cheeks a bright, almost permanent shade of pink.

"What happened?" Sakura asked eagerly, shooting to her feet. "Did you manage to take the lead?"

"I failed wonderfully," Hinata reported in a bright voice.

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