Our Will Of Fire – A NaruHina Fanfic – Chapter 1 – Homecoming

The lean muscular figure leaped through the trees, his clothing drenched from the heavy downpour that assaulted the land of fire. The gusts of wind and the mighty deluge assaulted him from every conceivable angle, but through it all the blond, blue eyed teen only smiled.

It had been three long, long years, made to seem all the longer from the excruciating training his perverted sensei, the toad sage, had put him through. The young man’s smile faltered slightly at thoughts of his painful training. However as quickly as it had appeared it was replaced with an even bigger grin; the training may have been difficult, but he had to admit he was stronger now than he would have thought possible.

Unfortunately… no thoughts of strength could rid him of the memories of Ero-sannin’s “investigations”, or his Itcha Itcha series.

The young blonds’ thoughts were interrupted before they could head further down that path by a call before him. “Oi Naruto! You head into the village and tell Tsunade that I’ll be there shortly.” Naruto turned to regard the white haired sannin wondering what could possibly cause his sensei to delay in this weather. However he saw immediately the cause of the old man’s distraction; there, walking on the path were three good looking women, all of which were wearing white shirts which now soaked through, clearly provided the stupid pervert a good view.

Anger welled up within Naruto at his sensei’s ridiculous antics when it came to women, and he was about to shout profanities at his teacher when a more clever idea came to mind. I wonder what Tsunade will think of this. Without protest Naruto began anew his efforts to reach the village; though this time he knew he was moving a little faster than before.

It wasn’t long before Naruto could make out the top of the protective wall that surrounded Konoha…home. Thoughts whirled through is mind as he approached the gates, I wonder how much everyone’s changed? I wonder how much stronger they all are now. Thoughts of seeing his friends again after so long had him feeling happier than he had in a long time.

The two shinobi guards watched the lone figure approach, seemingly fine to walk in the dark of night, feeling apprehensive. Who would be out in this weather? As the figure approached and they could make out the distinct shape of his spiked hair their eyes nearly popped out of their skulls.

Naruto could hardly stifle a laugh as he witnessed the expressions of the two sentries, unlike the two men Naruto could easily make out the details of each one regardless of the darkness and bad weather, and so he saw their dumbfounded expressions quite clearly; it seemed they still recognized him.

A goofy grin on his face Naruto walked comfortably to the gates finding it quite amusing to watch the sentries try, and fail, to compose themselves. “H-Hokage-samma i-is… will w-wish to see y-you

immediately.” The first one mumbled finally able to control himself. Naruto simply smiled and nodded before sprinted through the gates toward the Hokage building.

The large open area gave a sense of loneliness and sadness as the rain felted the ground, trying to punish it for some past offence. The gust blew the leaves from the trees before sending then spinning around the training grounds like little sharp needles. And there, despite the weather, one feminine figure stood unleashing her fury upon a training dummy.

“TWO! FOUR! EIGHT! SIXTEEN! THIRTY-TWO! SIXTY-FOUR! ONE HUNDRED TWENTY EIGHT!”

The young eggplant haired Hyuga’s arms moved in a blur as she lashed out with beams of concentrated chakra, before finally falling limp at her sides at the end of her assault. Byakugan active, the Kunoichi turned to regard what remained of the training dummy…nothing but wooden splinters remained, the space the dummy had occupied now replaced with a small crater.

NO! It’s not good enough! I have to be stronger than this, so he can see how strong I have become. Maybe…just maybe, if I become strong enough the mark might not matter. With these thoughts in her mind Hinata Hyuga resumed her relentless attacks on dummy after dummy, post after post; the person who drove her would return soon, she wanted to be ready.

However eventually Hinata felt her balance start to go as exhaustion finally took hold of her weakened body and she collapsed against the nearest tree, feeling the rain continue to pour as it ran down her already soaked clothing. After her strength returned to the point where she could walk she slowly made her way back inside the Hyuga complex, deliberately avoiding her father on the way to her room. He hadn’t changed at all over the last couple of years, still cold, cruel, and even more ruthless; he’d proved that with his decision only a month ago.

Currently her team-mates Shino and Kiba were her only friends. Neji her cousin was nicer to her now, they were friends, but Hiashi would also keep Neji away from her. He was apparently, better suited to wield the Byakugan then she was. She and her sister were still great friends and cared for each other, but Hiashi kept Hanabi away from Hinata as much as possible, she didn’t need the “influence of a failure” in her training. Hinata made a brisk pace as she made her way towards her bed room where she could change from her soaked outfit, wanting nothing more than to change and crawl into bed and bask in the comfort of the covers. And when she finally snuggled up against her pillow she promptly drifted off to sleep her thoughts on one very special blond haired ninja.

Tsunade stared, her jaw opening and closing of its own accord, her eyes still unable to accept one profound change Naruto had undergone during his three year absence. He still had his untidy spiked blond hair, his bright striking blue eyes, and his goofy grin. The medical sannin could still remember how short Naruto had been, the shortest in fact, in his graduating class. What struck her now was that

Tsunade found she had to crane her neck to look up into his whisker marked face…he was so tall.

Naruto couldn’t hold it any longer as he looked at Tsunade’s flabbergasted expression and he burst out laughing. “No longer the short one eh Oba-Chan?” he asked, his eyes tearing. “Glad to see me?”

Tsunade couldn’t decide to laugh at how his antics hadn’t changed, or punch him for his reference to her age. “Baka, as if I wanted to have to put up with your pranks again” her words were cold but her tone and the way she said them conveyed her true meaning to the orange and black clad ninja. Truth be told she was glad to see him, she was quite fond of the youth; well young man now, she cared for him like an older sister or a mother might, and she was truly happy that he was back home. At least…the only thing he could consider home.

Forcing herself from her current train of thought she quickly changed the subject to something that would keep both her and her companion interested. “So how was training Naruto?” She knew what was coming before she even finished posing the question, but still could hardly contain her laugh when Naruto began shouting before going into great detail his accomplishments over the last few years.

“So all and all Ero-sannin was a tough sensei, but in the end I suppose it was worth it.” He finished, practically out of breath after somehow retelling the last three years in under ten minutes. Naruto’s mention of her former team-mate reminded her immediately of what was wrong with the current picture. “Naruto where is Jiraiya?”

She watched as a smirk flickered across the blonde’s face before he responded. “Well you see…there were some girls on the road on the way to the village, it’s raining pretty hard out there and they were wearing white. You can guess the rest.”

Naruto watched barely able to contain his laughter as he saw the rage upon Tsunade’s face. Ha ha Ero-sannin if I can’t get my revenge personally…I’ll just get Oba-Chan to do it for me. As ironic as it may have been, Jiraiya chose precisely this moment to burst through the door with a dopey grin on his face.

Naruto burst out laughing as he watched Jiraya’s grin turn to a look of horror just before Tsunade’s fist connected with his jaw, sending him flying across the room to collide with, and dent, the wall. “Damn you Jiraiya, you pervert! If in anyway Naruto starts to show signs that your behavior has been rubbing off on him you will wish you had never been born.” Staring up into female death… who was still pretty, Jiraiya didn’t doubt a word.

Her rage played out for the moment Tsunade turned to regard Naruto who to her annoyance, now sat in her chair watching the spectacle from its comfy vantage point. “Naruto you will remove yourself from my chair immediately or you will share your sensei’s punishment.” Now sooner had she finished then had Naruto complied; he didn’t want to be in the same hole Jiraiya had been for so long.

After seating herself back down on the chair, Tsunade turned to regard the teenage ninja frowning, deep

in thought. “Naruto it’s a good thing you chose to return when you did, your timing is impeccable, you’ve arrived two days before this upcoming chunin exam. I have already signed you up seen as how your one of the only ones still a genin out of the nine rookies.

WHAT? They had all become chunin before him!? Wait she said ‘one’ of the only ones left, so there has got to be some other people who haven’t passed yet. “Well who else is left Oba-Chan?”

“Well Naruto there are only three genin left of the nine rookies, you, Hyuga Hinata, and Lee. Neither Lee nor Hinata have participated in a chunin exam since you left. Lee was waiting for you to return as he wanted to enter the same time you did, as for Hinata her reasons are unknown to me.

Naruto stood wondering what this meant, Lee’s actions he could understand, but Hinata’s he could not say. She’s strong, both inside and out, she just needs a little encouragement sometimes. Why wouldn’t she have taken the exam again after I left? She definitely would have made chunin level.

Tsunade looked on confused at Naruto’s actions…she’d expected him to rant and rave until she was brought to the point where she had to forcefully shut him up. But all that she’d been rewarded with was one outburst before the youth gained a glazed look and seemed to be daydreaming.

When he finally looked up Tsunade wondered what on earth he’d been thinking about; his bright smile was back and he seemed even more exuberant then he’d been as a kid. Whatever he’d been thinking about had cheered him up, and he was rapidly becoming a nuisance.

“Alright Naruto I have work I need to do so you need to get out of here. First off your old place was a fest hole so I moved all your belongings to another apartment” she handed him the keys and a piece of paper with the address quietly whispering something in his ear as he reached forward for the keys. “Don’t worry about rent or anything, I’ve paid all the expenses, after all I know what Jiraiya does when he gets a hold of money.” She finished sending a baleful glare at her old team-mate.

Naruto accepted the keys and paper and after listening to Tsunade’s message bolted out the door on the way to his new apartment. It wasn’t until he was in the middle of town standing in rain, that he realized he didn’t know where the street his place was on actually ‘was’. It was going to be a long day.

Hinata stared lovingly up into his clear cerulean orbs wanting nothing more than to sink into them. He’d changed so much over the last few years, and yet there still remained everything about him that she had first fallen in love with, though the new changes were quickly being added to that list. He stared down into her eyes gently placing his arms around her. He felt so warm to the touch and Hinata only barely managed to prevent herself from feinting, though the warm glow in her face signified that she wasn’t far off.

“Hinata I have something I need to tell you, I really need to get this off my chest.” His voice was deeper

then she remembered it but it still sounded lively and warming.

“What is it Naruto-kun?” she wasn’t sure how she managed to keep herself from stuttering. She was feeling anxious now, after all Naruto had come to her to talk to her.

“Well it’s just that, I-I can’t stop thinking about you. Whenever I think about you I can’t concentrate and I can’t get you out of my head, that and whenever I picture your face I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.” Hinata’s heart nearly stopped before it accelerated causing her heart to beat so hard she was sure Naruto could hear it. He was thinking about her! He was thinking about her a lot!

“N-Na-r-r-u-to-k-un, w-hat d-do you m-mean?” her stutter was back and she was fairly sure that her entire body was as red as a tomato, taking after her face of course.

“Well I went to Tsunade and had her check me out to see if I was sick or anything, but there wasn’t anything wrong with me. No illness, no disease, I have always been immune to getting sick so I doubted that possibility anyways. Next I went to Sakura-Chan but she was no help at all. All she said is that I should go talk to you, and muttered something like ‘about time’. Finally I talked to Ero-sannin and he explained what this feeling is and why I’m feeling it.”

Hinata felt herself on the edge of fainting, she felt the exact same way, and suffered from the same symptoms. However unlike Naruto, she had figured out exactly what the feeling was and where it stemmed from. And so with the knowledge of what he was about to say she stood waiting patiently dreading and hoping that what she believed was the case would come to pass.

“Hinata’, his strong but soft voice caused her to squeak slightly in delight despite herself. ‘I think that I-I-I…I’m in love with you.”

Hinata’s head felt like a boiling kettle as it heated up to drastic levels. He’d said it! He’d actually said it! She felt like doing back flips on the spot, but she still had something she had to get out too.

“Naruto-kun I~” the rest of her sentence was cut off as her surroundings faded and she found herself standing in a lush forest. To add to the mysterious aura of the place there seemed to be no immediate wild life, where was she? It was dusk but the moon bathed the area in a soft glow, all the light she needed. Hinata looked around becoming more and more nervous…there was something strange about this place, and yet it was also oddly familiar.

Sweet drrreams little one, I’ll watch overrr you. If it finally comes to the point wherrre the seal is imminent I’ll prrrotect you. The soft feminine voice filled the clearing, seeming to originate from nowhere and yet everywhere at the same time. Despite its feline qualities and the fact that it seemed to cause the whole place to rumble it still soothed Hinata’s thoughts, she wasn’t sure why but she knew that whoever this person was, they were telling the truth.

Quickly she drifted back to her dreams of a certain blond ninja.

“Four bowls of miso-pork ramen please!” Naruto began licking his lips in anticipation, this was the first time he’d been back to taste Ichiraku’s famous ramen and he sympathized with his stomach when it let out a low demanding growl.

“Here you are Naruto-san” Ayame said placing the warm bowel of ramen before his greedy eyes.

Naruto took a small taste and immediately smiled a big bright smile. “As always Oji-san you and Ayame-Chan make the best ramen on the face of the earth.” With that he went at his meal gobbling down ramen at an alarming rate, having to stop and order another eight or so bowels to satisfy his hunger.

Naruto stretched and lay back in his seat, he was feeling tired and bloated after ingesting enough ramen to fill the rest of the rookie nine, excluding Choji, combined. He slowly closed his eyes and quickly drifted off in thought. Why hadn’t Hinata gone on to take the chunin exams again? She could manage, she was strong and when combined with the Byakugan, the gentle fist style she used was one of the most devastating tai-jutsu styles one could employ. He wasn’t sure why, but the more he thought about Hinata the harder he found it to stop. It wasn’t long before he found himself thinking of the few moments they had shared over the years, regardless of the fact that very few had anything at all to do with her current situation.

“Naruto? Naruto anyone awake in that hollow head of yours!?” Naruto swung up and found himself face to face with a smiling pink-haired Kunoichi. It couldn’t be… “Sakura-Chan is that you?” He knew there was no way that was possible when he felt her wrap her arms around him in a welcoming hug. It wasn’t intimate or passionate, just a hug shared between brother and sister so to speak…Naruto knew now that he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“It’s been a long time Naruto” she said her voice a sounded more melodic and less high pitched then it had before he’d left with Jiraiya.

“Sakura-Chan!” he yelled enthusiastically bolting upright to a standing position, which strangely caused Sakura to gasp in surprise.

Sakura found herself at a loss for words as she looked upon the figure of her old team-mate. Since when did he get so tall, and he definitely wasn’t ripped like this before, not too much, but he is definitely…hard. He stood several inches taller then she, at least six foot she thought. “You’re t-taller than me now.” She stated more then asked.

“Ya, I grew a lot during the time I was gone”, he replied with his goofy grin.

Ya that’s for sure. She flushed as she struggled to keep her eyes on his face. She thought of him as a

great friend, her brother…her really hot brother. I wonder how Hinata will take this. The mischievous thought was enough to focus her attention somewhere other than Naruto.

“So Sakura-Chan, do you know why Hinata hasn’t taken the chunin exams again since before I left?” The question caught her off guard. Since when has Naruto even noticed Hinata? Oh I can’t wait to see his face once he sees how much she’s changed, physically at least.

“Actually I’m not sure. She’s been training really hard since you left but after being beaten by Neji so bad I’m not sure her father will let her participate again.” Naruto just gave her a quizzical look in return for her words. “Well even before you left Hinata was having some…family trouble.” Naruto frowned deeply. Wow it seems he’s not as oblivious as we thought. “After you left the problems got a little worse.” Sakura sighed, she felt truly sorry for her friend and she hoped that telling Naruto this would perhaps spark a relationship between the two. “Her father treated her worse and worse until eventually he declared that Hinata would no longer be the heir of the main household. She was replaced by her younger sister.”

Naruto’s expression went from shocked to angry before she even finished her sentence. Sakura took a step back involuntarily as she watched his clear blue eyes flash crimson before returning to their regular state. What was that? I’m scared to tell him the rest…after that, he might not be able to control himself. But…I owe it to him to tell him the truth, for his sake as well as Hinata’s. “On top of that…the Hyuga elder council along with Hiashi decided that Hinata belonged in the branch family…she is to receive the caged bird seal tomorrow just before midnight.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she finished.

Her depressive thoughts were forced away however when a sudden burst of chakra washed over her. “Hiashi that bastard, treating Hinata like that!” she looked weakly up at her blond friend and was shocked by what she saw. He a red mantle of chakra enveloped his body making it seem as if he was ablaze, his eyes took on a more canine resemblance appearing as blood red slits.

“Naruto…” Sakura’s weak voice reminded Naruto of where he was and what was happening, so he immediately dismissed all the Kyubii’s power.

“Sakura-Chan I’m sorry you had to see that” he felt ashamed and a little scared of what had just happened, after all none of them knew yet. “It’s just that even though I don’t have a family I know that Hiashi does not act like a father should. He mistreats her, puts her down no matter how hard she tries. It’s because of him that she has no confidence, and I will be damned if I let him put the caged bird seal on her!” He was shouting at the end but he managed to keep himself relatively under control.

Sakura wanted to know what had just happened, even Tsunade the Hokage and one of the legendary Sanin didn’t have as much chakra as Naruto had just released. However she’d seen something akin to this over the years and new it was a very sensitive issue for Naruto, one of the few, and so she didn’t press the matter. “What are you going to do?” she asked instead.

“Well what is there left to do; I’m going to rescue her of course.” He replied, his typically fervent expression hard and determined.

Sakura scoffed at the notion. “Naruto are you insane?! I’d like to do nothing more then get her out of there but the Hyuga complex is the most heavily guarded area of the village aside from the anbu headquarters and the Hokage building. How on earth do you plan to get in rescue her and get out?!

“I’ll definitely be able to rescue her believe it! Sakura-Chan I can’t blame you for doubting me, but you hasn’t seen the new Naruto in action.

Sakura couldn’t help but wonder if he really could do it, after only a few moments ago he’d shown he had more chakra then anyone in the entire village, only the fourth or perhaps the late third possessed that much chakra. “Do you promise?” she asked already knowing the answer.

“Of course I do Sakura-Chan, and I never break my promises.” he said throwing his fist in the air.

Sakura couldn’t help but smile; he was still the same Naruto, a bit a stronger and seemingly more insightful one. “Alright I’m with you, Neji will also help us; he doesn’t want to see his cousin suffer like he has to.”

“Alright you said they were going to do it at midnight right? So let’s all meet here tomorrow at around nine, which gives us plenty of time to prepare.”

“Prepare for what? Last time I checked we didn’t have a plan” she still seemed a little nervous about what they were going to do. Then again she’s Tsunade’s apprentice and we’ll be breaking at least a few of the village’s laws to do this.

“No worries Sakura-Chan! I’ve already got a plan, just meet me here tomorrow and I’ll explain everything. The plan will work with or without Neji so don’t worry about it if you can’t convince him.” Naruto laughed at himself, in truth he didn’t really have a plan it was all for show to try to reassure Sakura. Well I can’t have her all anxious or else she won’t be able to concentrate.

He’s got a plan? Wow this Naruto is something else. Normally he would have just stormed in there angry and try to take her by force. Hinata’s going to like this new Naruto quite a bit I expect. After all he’s still so much like before, just…better. “Alright I’ll meet you here on time, and don’t worry I’m sure Neji will be here even if he has to sneak out of the compound to do it.” And with those words the pink haired Kunoichi ran off leaving Naruto to his thoughts.

This is going to be tough…the Hyuga are all well trained ninja and on top of that they have the Byakugan. If they notice anything at all out of sorts when we try this then…we are all going to be in deep, deep shit.

So kit, it seems you have feelings for this young Hyuga. If she is to be your future mate, then I supports your decision, she may need a confidence boost but she is strong of will not to mention body.

Shut up Kyubii It’s nothing like that! We’re a just friend that’s it, nothing more than that.

Ku ku ku…you know I live in this body of yours right? Unlike you I’m not dense and almost completely oblivious, true you’ve been getting better in that department, but you’re still denser than most. You can keep lying to yourself about your feelings all you want, but truth is you like her and you know it.

With those last words Naruto felt the Kyubi recede from his mind leaving him again to dwell on the nights events.

I don’t like Hinata as anything more than a friend…right? Naruto swore he could hear the Kyubii’s echoing laughter from within him.

“Bah I have more important things to worry about” he whispered to himself. With those last words he disappeared from outside Ichiraku in a puff of smoke. He had to get to work if their plan was going to succeed.

Hinata lay in bed tears streaking down her face. Today was the day; the day she’d feared ever since her father had forsaken her for her sister. Tonight she would receive the caged bird seal on her forehead, indicating that she no longer belonged to the main house but rather the branch family. Am I really that weak…did I really do that badly? Why does he hate me so much? Even before he chose Hanabi as his preference they still all treated me differently. Like there was something wrong with me…like I wasn’t supposed to be here…like Naruto.

Silently she damned the powerful voice she’d felt in the night, it had gotten her hopes up even if she didn’t realize it. And now all the false hope came crashing down leaving her to her sorrow.

Another torrent of tears poured from her light shaded eyes. What will he think of me now? She pulled her face into her damp pillow and continued to weep. She feared what Naruto would think of her after this, but she also feared the seal itself. It wasn’t supposed to be used on Hyuga once they hit puberty, and Hinata knew she was heading towards the end of that stage.

The reason for this was that in a young child the chakra paths behind the eyes that fed chakra to the Byakugan were still developing allowing the seal to develop with the child’s chakra system rather than force the seal to overpower the system to take precedence.

There was a chance that not only would she be unable to see for the next few days, but that she would lose the Byakugan and her eyesight entirely. If that happens, Naruto will never look at me again, and I’ll

never be able to see those striking blue eyes again. Then again…at least then I wouldn’t have to see those glares from father.

She wanted nothing more than to die at this moment. She’d even contemplated taking her own life, but her will held the stronger… she wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of proving to them her weakness. But that didn’t bring her any reconciliation; it just proved to her that even she had accepted the upcoming event as inevitable.

As she drifted into sorrowful sleep she prayed that somehow, in some way, that Naruto would come to her rescue.

…if only she knew.

Three lone ninja stood in trees outside the Hyuga compound, blending with the shadows as they made they made their way to their destination. As they came within sight of the complex the lead figure halted the company.

“Alright you guys know the plan right?” The speaker was a peculiar looking blond haired ninja.

“I rendezvous with you at the exit point to provide support and healing should you require it.” Answered at pink Kunoichi with dark green eyes

“And as leader of the team sent out to capture you I will lead the patrol teams away, giving you time to escape.” The third speaker was fairly tall, nearly as tall as the leader, he wore his brown hair tied back in a ponytail, but most his notable trait was his…white eyes.

“Alright then commence mission lavender flower.” The team broke off immediately do deal with their separate tasks, this was a mission after all, one with more at stake than most others.

Hinata took a bath and washed her face, she wouldn’t let them see how distraught their decision had made her. She dressed herself in her shinobi garb, a baggy hoody, with baggy pants that ended halfway down her calf.

And so with these preparations she was ready when her escorts – two Hyuga elite squad commanders – appeared at her door to lead her to the sanctum; the area where all caged bird seals were performed.

The party then met up with another six Hyuga foot soldiers that wasted no time splitting into groups and flanking Hinata’s group of three on either side. So this is it then…the last time I’ll ever even be considered part of the main house, last time I’ll ever be considered Hanabi’s sister.

She didn’t really care if she belonged to the main house anymore, what really mattered was that it was now obvious that her father held no love for her, rather that he hated her. He’d never shown much love for her even before her mother died, and no matter how hard she’d tried he’d never so much as acknowledged her. What’s wrong with me that I deserve this treatment, the elders of the council are even worse, they look at me like I’m a monster…a lot like how everyone looks at Naruto. It’s no wonder half those reassuring smiles he gave us were fake…he had to deal with this everyday of his life.

The company crossed the courtyard and made their way past the library. Few people were outside, and those that were simply gave her that same cold glare the Hyuga were so capable of.

Finally they approached the center of the Hyuga community, the location if the sanctum as well as the temple. The sanctum was far different on the inside then outside she knew. According to Neji the inside was akin to a burial chamber confining and dark; all the better to scare those within. However this was in stark contrast to which now stood before her.

The whole of the outside was carved form a white marble which greatly resembled the white shade of every Hyuga’s eyes. It was a domed structure with numerous effigies carved into the sides leaving the Hyuga crest alone carved dead center of the massive dome. However it wasn’t these which caught Hinata’s attention, but rather the engraved sculpture of what appeared to be a woman, albeit one with feline features, standing in the center of a maelstrom of water which she seemed to be controlling.

Despite her current circumstances she couldn’t help but find the statuette beautiful, it then proceeded to bring back one of her most pleasant yet embarrassing memories. She’d been practicing her chakra control by manipulating the water of a small lake and waterfall, when Naruto unknowingly walked approached the lake wondering who she was. He hadn’t realized that she’d been completely naked at the time, and she was lucky she’d managed to flee before he could recognize her. That was so embarrassing… but I’m actually glad after what he said the next morning. The next morning he’d gone on to tell his tale of the water maiden, the “Ultra-pretty girl.” Upon hearing this Hinata remembered blushing like never before. He thought I was pretty and even though he didn’t know it was me, I still consider that as one of my happier memories.

Any more memories that might have followed were forced away when suddenly kunai flew out of nowhere embedding themselves in the flanking guards. Hinata gasped unable to tell what was happening as all six of the junior escorts fell, unable to combat. Trying to come to terms with the situation she activated her Byakugan, while the two commanders of the squad did the same. However even with her heightened vision she was unable to locate any enemy within three-hundred meters. Then where did those kunai come from? Hinata gasped as one of the elite guards clapped her wrists together with a binding.

“You be a good little girl now or we’ll be subjected to using force to control you.” His tone implied that to disagree would bring death…not that Hinata was listening. She was sitting there astounded as she looked upon the down guards, every one of them was downed but not a single one had been hit in any

vital point; in fact it seemed as if the kunai had been thrown so as to down while causing as little damage as possible. But no one who would want to rescue her had that kind of skill, not even Neji. What’s going on?

Once again however any attempts at in depth thought were denied as several smoke bombs detonated around her and her two captors. The smoke spiraled out and quickly encompassed the entire area. Who could this be? Surely they know that smoke will hardly do anything against the Byakugan. What!? Hinata couldn’t help but take sharp intake of breath at what she saw; somehow the smoke had been infused with chakra, enough of it that it made it as difficult to see through with the Byakugan as it was with normal eyes.

“Gods Dammit! What the hell is going on!” Hinata couldn’t answer the question even if she wanted to. Few people knew that she was going to receive the caged bird seal tonight, even fewer knew that it was to occur tonight, and none of them were this skilled.

“Ugh!” the sudden noise to her side brought her gaze to bear where a few moments ago she was sure one of her captors had been. She tried to focus her gaze through the chakra smoke but could make out nothing. Suddenly a strange yet familiar presence appeared behind her. Alarmed Hinata spun around to confront whoever her savior was and found she was unable to respond.

… Her prayers had been answered.

Naruto sprinted through the smoke towards the two guards and his bound target, all the while complimenting his own genius. He’d been the one to design the chakra infused smoke after Neji had given him some inspiration. “They’ll see you coming a mile away Naruto, you have so much chakra you’re like miniature sun.” That had brought up the idea of blinding his opponents with smoke infused with enough of his chakra to make it opaque.

And to make things even better it didn’t deter him in the least. He had the fox’s eyesight and so he could see as well in the dark as in the day, maybe better. He easily made out the figures standing in the thick black smoke, it was slightly more difficult to make them out but not much and he quickly dispatched of the guard guarding Hinata, the other guard however was clearly more intelligent and fled to sound the alarm…he had to hurry.

Using speed born of his training with Jiraiya Naruto crossed the distance from the body of the commander to Hinata. He stopped behind her in order to undo the shackles and was slightly surprised when Hinata whirled on him before he could begin to remove them. Wow she’s more aware and focused then either of her captors; she really has gotten a lot stronger.

However Naruto’s smile fell from his mouth as his jaw dropped when he gazed upon the new Hinata Hyuga.

Her hair looked silky and soft while possessed of a radiance of its own as it reflected the soft glow of the moonlight, it was no longer cropped the sides in a duck cut, she’d grown it long and it reminded Naruto of a goddess so perfectly did it cascade across her slim shoulders.

Her hair was not the only thing that changed however, her body had definitely developed in the last three years. She was tall, only a few inches shorter than him, slightly taller than Sakura. She had a slim waist with firm hips which were definitely more developed. She had long shapely legs and…a really nice butt. She had also grown in the… chest cavity. Even with her hoody on Naruto could tell her breasts were quite a bit larger then Sakura’s, in fact they were larger than everyone he knew but Tsunade’s. But unlike Tsunade’s who’s chest looked almost too large, Hinata’s rack suited her perfectly, at least Naruto thought so.

However as attractive as her voluptuous figure was, Naruto found himself drawn to her face more than the rest of her body. Any trace of baby fat was gone; her lips were large and attractive to say the least. He found himself lost, hardly able to come to terms with the incredible change that had overcome his friend. He felt even more helpless as he gazed into her gorgeous eyes. Eyes which he realized weren’t white like those of most Hyuga’s but rather pale lavender purple.

Wow she’s so pretty… I can’t believe how much she’s changed over the last few years.

Hinata was too shocked by the change in Naruto to notice him staring at her. She knew her mouth must have been hanging open despite her best efforts, but it was impossible to ignore. Naruto previously one of the shortest ninja was now undoubtedly one of the tallest, he stood a good few inches taller than she did and she was taller than any of the girls and the majority of the boys. He was more muscular than before, each of his muscles fine toned from years of physical training. His face was no longer boyish having lost all baby fat. The three whisker-like birthmarks he sported on each cheek had developed becoming slightly thicker and quite a bit more noticeable. They look so cute…and my god has he changed.

He’d most certainly changed quite a bit for both good and bad in Hinata’s opinion. He had definitely become what the other girls would call attractive and Hinata couldn’t help but enjoy the change. But how on earth am I supposed to keep my eyes off him now! It was hard enough before but now… the dreams are going to get much, much worse…The dream served as a reminder to the fact that Naruto now stood only a foot away from her and he was staring into eyes with his azure gaze. Her cheeks began to glow; becoming a dark crimson as she realized that the man she loved stood so close to her and was staring right at her, she knew she was blushing profusely but she refused to turn away; she would look him in the eye and prove that she was stronger than before he’d left.

Naruto noticed the fierce blush the made its way onto Hinata’s face and expected her to turn away from

him, if not the worst which resulted in her fainting, and so he was quite surprised when she held his gaze with her own. You really have changed, I can already tell you’re stronger than before, and even if he wouldn’t admit it to himself he really liked the change, the physical and the mental.

It was then that the entirety of their situation crashed back down on his shoulders. They had to get out of there before the guard returned with reinforcements.

“Hinata spin around so I can undo those binds on your wrists. Quickly before that guard comes back, I don’t have any more of that smoke so we have to get out of here before then.”

Hinata immediately complied, she wasn’t sure what exactly was happening, but Naruto had come to rescue her and she would do her best to make his efforts succeed. As soon as she had halted her rotation she felt her wrists come free. She brought them up before her wondering how Naruto had removed them and was astounded to see the metal had been sheared down the center, and whatever had cut it had done so with precision any human forged tool could not attain.

At her questioning look Naruto explained what he’d done. “It’s just chakra” he said pointing his finger in the air, and causing the chakra to intensify until it was visible giving him what could only be described as, a glowing blue chakra claw extending from his finger. “It’s kinda like those lasers you use except mines not as cool, you can shoot yours and they are a lot thinner because of your control, this is the thinnest I can make mine.”

Hinata blushed and looked at the ground after receiving this compliment from her crush; it felt really good if only because it came from him rather than someone else.

Suddenly a loud siren went off and shouts could be heard from all over the compound; the alarm had gone off.

“Shit Hinata we gotta get moving before they find us.” Hinata then made a slight squeak as Naruto swept her off her feet and began running while carrying her bridal style. She blushed even more at this, and regardless of how much she didn’t want to she was about to suggest that she could run on her own. That was however before Naruto put on a sudden burst of speed, Hinata knew that she wouldn’t have been able to keep up, and she also knew that she didn’t have the endurance to so like Naruto, he was moving nearly as fast as Lee had without his weights back at the last chunin exams, not to mention that he was carrying her.

They continued running even once out of sight of the compound, or rather Naruto kept running, Hinata found herself quite willing to stay snuggled up against his chest while she lay in his arms.

They continued their crazed run into the forest and continued in for a good few hours before Naruto pulled to a halt. “N-Naruto-K-kun where are w-we going, as soon as we r-return to the village my f-f-father will just have Tsunade get you to t-turn me over to them to f-finish the s-s-sealing.”

“As if I would let anyone take you back to that monster, and besides Tsunade’s on my side, that’s in fact where we’re gonna head right after this.”

Hinata flushed at his first comment, before asking how they planned to escape the search patrols. “H-how do you p-plan to escape the H-H-Hyuga search patrols, they all have the B-Byakugan and it w-won’t take them l-long to spot us?”

Naruto turned to her and gave her one of his reassuring grins. “Don’t worry we won’t have any trouble with patrols of any kind thanks to your cousin Neji.”

“Neji!” she gasped, HE was involved in this? If he was caught there would be serious repercussions.

“Ya Neji, he’s the leader of the search party division and even as we speak he’s leading them all on a wild goose chase, following false tracks I set up earlier.” Hinata was astounded, the whole thing seemed to be planned to perfection and she could only guess that Shikamaru was the brains behind this operation.

“Who p-planned all t-this?” she asked timidly her cheeks still red, after all they were only walking now but Naruto still hadn’t put her down.

Naruto gave her a wide grin before giving her an answer she most certainly did not expect. “None other than yours truly!” he said clearly proud that his plan had seemingly worked out so well.

“Y-you d-did?” her voice was a high pitched whisper. She was in shock at this new revelation for two reasons. First it meant that Naruto cared for her considering he’d been the one to plan the whole thing, and secondly it proved that immature Naruto, the one who always went into something headfirst, had finally shown some maturity. She took another look up at Naruto in wonder and he seemed about to say something when another voice entered the fray.

“Naruto, Hinata you made it!” the voice belonged to a pink haired Kunoichi who Hinata recognized and knew quite well.

“Sakura-san? You were a part of this too?” Hinata could hardly believe her friends would go this far for her.

“Of course Hinata, after Naruto said he was going to rescue you I couldn’t just sit by and do nothing, of course I would help you.”

Naruto and Hinata both looked about to speak but Sakura wasn’t finished yet. I might as well embarrass Hinata a little bit while I have the chance.

“So did something happen between you two that I should know about?” she asked innocently enough

though her intentions were nothing of the kind. Hinata blushed out of habit but they both looked at her questioningly. “Well ‘just’ friends don’t tend to travel around like that.”

Naruto looked down at the beautiful form in his arms and realized what Sakura had been getting at. “Oh sorry H-Hinata I wasn’t paying attention” he said gently setting her down on the ground, carefully avoiding any contact with specific places on her body. He wasn’t sure why he was so embarrassed, or why he’d stuttered something very rare for him.

Hinata couldn’t help but feel a little disappointment as she was forced to remove her head from its resting place against Naruto’s strong chest. She knew she was terribly red; Sakura had made that awkward for the both of them deliberately. “S-so-rry N-N-Naruto-k-kun I d-didn’t m-mean t-t-to.” Her voice trailed off as she looked up to see Naruto scratching the back of his head his goofy grin on his face AND, a red streak on his cheeks. Why is he blushing? He couldn’t possibly…could he?

Sakura did her best to hide her shock as well as her impish grin; she hadn’t missed Naruto’s blush and neither had Hinata. Maybe, just maybe Hinata will get what she’s always wanted. “We should head to see Tsunade immediately, I’m sure she’ll side with us on this one. And if by the off chance she doesn’t, well then we can always hide you Hinata until this whole thing blows over.”

Sakura’s voice woke him from his thoughts of his indigo haired companion. “Alright I’ll escort Hinata to see Tsunade; you get back to bed Sakura-chan. If you get caught out here people will easily make the connection.”

“B-but w-what a-about you N-Naruto-kun? They’ll notice you too and my father hates you. If any trace that linked you to this was found he’d do his best to lay this whole thing on your head. On top of that I’m pretty sure I can get to the Hokage building without being seen.” Hinata was surprised she’d managed to get almost the entire thing out without stuttering, must be because I’m concerned for his wellbeing.

“I’d never leave you to make the trip by yourself Hinata” she didn’t miss the fact that he was blushing again. “Besides, most people don’t even know I’m back yet, you’re father doesn’t even know that I’ve returned so it would be kinda hard for him to blame me. Like it or not Hinata I’m your bodyguard for now.”

Hinata definitely did like the way things were going and so she didn’t bother to throw up another argument. After all Naruto could handle himself, he’d already managed to steal her out of her own house and take down a small company of Hyuga soldiers doing it, and he didn’t even have a mark to show for it. “T-thank y-you Naruto-k-kun.”

“Hey don’t worry about it Hinata, I wanted to do it.” And indeed he had wanted to do it. He’d forced everyone to recheck all the preparations they’d made many more times than necessary, he’d wanted everything to go perfectly. Which for once in his life, it had. They’d gotten Hinata out safe and sound

and not a one of the guards was seriously injured.

“Alright lets go.” He said turning and heading towards the village. Hinata followed suit and Sakura found herself hoping that a little magic might spark between them on the road home.

Naruto walked along the path back to Konoha. He was the one who should have been alert and ready, but at the moment that was not the case. It was taking all his will power to prevent him from staring that the gorgeous body of the woman beside him, and thinking about how he’d been carrying her earlier left him feeling strangely warm.

Ugh! Stop it Naruto, you might like her but there’s no possible way she’d ever return the feeling. If you say something you’ll just make it really awkward for the both of you.

Kit as much as I’ve grown fond of you, I just can’t help but point out HOW INCREDIBLY STUPID YOU ARE!

Thanks a lot for the compliment fox, now seriously what the hell do you want?

Kit I’m doing you a favor and yet you blow me off, great way to make friends and influence people. The sarcastic tone was evident in the fox’s voice.

What the fuck do you want!? Can’t you tell I’m thinking of something important right now!?

Watch your tongue kit, I was merely going to point out that the young Hyuga would most certainly return your feelings for her.

And why of why mighty trapped fox would you do that. Naruto knew the remark regarding the fox’s strength and entrapment would raise his ire but he couldn’t help it regardless of how much he wanted his question answered.

SHE LIKES YOU BAKA! If you weren’t so dense you would have noticed it long ago, and I can’t help but wonder what it would have taken for you to realize it if I hadn’t just told you!

What do you mean she likes me? She’s a princess and I’m an orphan there’s no way she likes me.

Oh really? Then why does she blush every time you’re around. On top of that she’s one of the few people that have never regarded you with anything resembling hate or dislike; I doubt she could even if she wanted to.

Naruto was stunned, he’d never even thought about those things before, but now that they’d been laid bare by the Kyubi all the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fall into place.

Then that means that all those times when I touched her forehead and she fainted, the reason was because…

That’s right Kit. You’re learning, albeit slower then I’d like but its better slow then not all.

Sorry did you say something fox? Naruto chuckled slightly as he heard some of the Kyubii’s mumbled profanities as it receded leaving him to contemplate his thoughts alone.

If Hinata really did like him which he now believed to be the case, then it wouldn’t be so bad if they went on a date would it?

Slowly his mind wound its way back into reality as he felt something heavy on his shoulder. He glanced down and was surprised to see that it was the head of a groggy Hinata. “Hinata what’s wrong, why are you walking all funny?” as he watched Hinata stumble along leaning on him for support.

“N-Naruto-kun…they gave me a sedative earlier, it’s supposed to take affect only after the seal is placed, I didn’t feel the effects before so I thought that without receiving the seal it was meaningless, but now…” her voice was weak, just above a whisper and Naruto knew she couldn’t travel like this.

He gently hoisted her up onto his back thinking to run her to Tsunade’s when a sudden downpour started, much like the one he’d been forced to travel through on the way into Konoha. He would have continued on through the storm but it was crisply cold out and if Hinata got wet in this temperature she might freeze. “Alright we can’t travel in this weather so I’ll find us a cave and we can stay there for the rest of the night.”

“H-Hai…” the weak reply scared him. He knew what a sedative was and knew that it wouldn’t directly harm her, however sedated was not a good state to be in when one was soaked in cold weather.

Even though he employed the Kyubii’s power to boost his speed, Naruto found that both he and Hinata were soaked when he arrived at a cave large enough to fit them in that was uninhabited.

As he gently lifted Hinata from his back his hand brushed her face and the cold he felt there made him panic. She was cold and pale, her lips looked a little blue, and she was unconscious. She was not in good condition. Naruto quickly had a small smokeless fire going, he would have preferred a larger warmer fire, but anything else and the smoke would not only lure the search patrols to them, but would also cause them to suffocate.

Naruto once again checked on Hinata, only this time he found her shivering, her body was trying to keep warm but he knew that in those wet close it was never going to happen.

He gulped audibly as he knelt over her figure, well aware of what he had to do. This is only to save her

life I’m nothing like Ero-sannin. But despite his best efforts a felt the tell-tale glow in his cheeks indicating he was blushing quite a bit as he slowly unzipped her hoody. He did his best to keep the zipper and his fingers form touching her chest but even so his fingers still lightly brushed her large mounds. After another moment of so Naruto had managed to remove her hoody which he place stretched out by the fire; with luck it would be dry by the time they woke.

The next thing he had to remove was the pants, and these were going to give him considerably more trouble. He could hardly tear his eyes from the sight of her large breast clad only in a silk lavender bra, and he could imagine all too well what her panties might look like. Abruptly he felt a pressure growing in his loins, one with which he was all too familiar, and so he immediately began carefully pulling off her wet bottoms; he had to get this done soon or he knew he wouldn’t get any sleep.

Almost as soon as her wet clothes were removed she began shivering even more than before, her silky undergarments did little to protect her from the cold and the wind. He promptly placed the undone sleeping bag he’d been heating up near the fire, over her tucking in the edges so as to insulate the warmth. Strangely it wasn’t until after he’d dealt with Hinata that he’d even realized how cold HE felt.

He knew he wouldn’t freeze, or rather couldn’t freeze thanks to the Kyubi. But that didn’t stop him from being uncomfortable and he knew that if he didn’t find some warmth he wouldn’t sleep and he figured he’d need his strength when he woke up.

Reluctantly Naruto clad only in his boxers slipped underneath the makeshift blanket beside Hinata. He placed his little nightcap between them and propped Hinata’s head up on his pillow; she needed it more than he did.

Even though he was in somewhat of an awkward position it still took less than ten minutes for the blond ninja to fall prey to slumber.

Hmm, that feels nice. Hinata thought as she snuggled in closer to her warm pillow. She wasn’t sure why but she felt incredibly cold regardless of the fact that she lay in bed, and so in an attempt to find warmth she pressed herself up against the large warm pillow, happy to bask in its heat. It was then that she felt her pillow rise and fall, like the rise and fall of a person’s chest when they breathed.

Hinata ran one of her hands down her body to realize that she was wearing nothing but her bra and panties, Where am I, and what is the thing I’m lying against? She was afraid of the answers she might guess but none the less she opened her eyes to take in her surroundings.

It took her mere seconds to realize the ‘nice warm pillow’ she’d been snuggling up to was nothing short of Naruto’s muscled chest. This caused her to flush violently, glad that he wasn’t awake for what she’d been doing to him. It was then that she realized that neither of them had anything more than undergarments on and the thought was too much to take. She fainted.

She woke up a few minutes later only to nearly faint again when she opened her eyes to see Naruto’s face mere inches from her own.

“Hinata…you’re really pretty…” he mumbled somewhat incoherently. Hinata’s eyes widened and she thought she might go into shock. Did he just say what I think he said? Not only did he think she was pretty but he was dreaming about her! It was too much to hope for! “Oh Naruto if only you knew” she whispered staring at his handsome face so close to hers. She began to pull back only to receive a much unexpected surprise as Naruto’s face drifted closer and his lips swallowed hers. Her heart raced, he was kissing her. He may have been asleep but that didn’t matter, He’s kissing me! Oh my gods I’m kissing him! Instead of pulling back she gave herself over to him allowing his tongue to explore her mouth as they continued the sensual moment.

He seemed about to let off but Hinata wasn’t done yet, asleep or not she wasn’t letting him off after a kiss like that. She pressed her body up against him and gently laid her lips upon his and was quite pleased when he tenderly began kissing her again. It felt like she’d always dreamed it would, it felt magnificent.

…Little did she know, Naruto was now very much awake.