Naruto Uzumaki: Future Hokage!

I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I will become the Hokage! The Hidden Leaf, all it's ninja, all it's villagers, they're my precious comrades and I won't let anyone hurt them!

[gentleninja]

She knew there had to be a catch.  It was all too goo to be true.  With his question about her family, everything feels like it comes crashing down.  Hinata knows that there will be opposition from her family.  Her father ruled things with an iron fist. It wasn’t that he disliked Naruto persay, her father would be angry at the fact that this wasn’t something that he choose for her. 

Stepping back from him, she hugs her arms around her and rubs her arms as she looks off into the distance.  It’s almost as if she’s baring herself for what was to follow.  

"He is…..tough. I suppose that’s a good enough word for it as any." Even she feels that her voice is small, far away as she imagines what the conversation will be like. 

Lifting her chin, she squares her shoulders and shakes her head.  ”But it doesn’t matter.  I don’t care what he says. I’m not a child anymore and I can make my own decisions.” 

She turns to face him, her pale eyes flashing with defiance. “Let him be angry. I don’t care.” 

[jinchurikihero]

Naruto nods at her words. In a reversal of their usual natures, her confidence fills him with his own. His lips form an assured smirk.

"He won't get in-between us. We'll kick his ass if he tries, right?"

Truthfully, he had never worried that Hinata would back off at the thought of her father's displeasure. Even if it had taken him too long, he had seen how strong she has grown, compared to how she was in the academy. Not just in confidence, but in determination. No matter how quiet that will of her is, she knows what she wants, and he believes that, now that she has it, she won't let anyone wrest it from her. Not even her own family.

Naruto quite likes that about her.

He was more worried about her father hurting her. He has no idea how the man perceives him in terms of his... status as a jinchuriki. She could defend herself. Hell, it wouldn't surprise him if she could kick her father's ass by now, but the worry still niggled at him.

He could handle people taking shots at him. Been there, done that. But if someone tried to hurt Hinata... He finds himself muttering darkly before he can keep the words from coming out.

"If he even thinks of hurting you over this, I'll kick his ass."

[gentleninja]

Her eyes nervously flick up to his face, searching his face as she blushes deeply. She couldn’t help it, she felt like all the breath in her body had been sucked from her lungs. The world felt like it was spinning too fast, and Hinata feels herself getting a little light headed.  Maybe it was his touch, maybe it was his kiss, maybe it was how he kept looking at her. Part of her is screaming at herself to run, that this all can’t be real.  But another part of her is urging her to give in to him.  Even if it just lasted a minute, this is all she’d ever wanted for so long. 

She runs a hand down his back and lets out a small sigh.  ”Yes.” 

The answer surprises even herself. All her life, she’d played it safe.  She’d done what was expected of her, done what others expected of her.  But right here, right now, she needs to be true to herself.  She wanted this. She wanted him. 

Her hands runs down both his arms and take his hands in hers. “If you want to, that is.”

[jinchurikihero]

He smiles at her, not his usual exaggerated smile, but a completely genuine one that reaches his eyes. Squeezing her hands, he nods enthusiastically.

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I want to, Hinata?"

He lets go of her hands and pulls her into a tight hug, smiling wider as he feels her body press against his. He blushes slightly as he realises just what kind of figure those baggy clothes hide, but manages to control the heat on his cheeks after a few moments. Taking a deep breath, he pulls back slightly.

His thoughts turn to her family, and his previous suspicions that they were less than kind to her. How would they react? Neji would be all right with it, he imagines, considering their friendship. But what about her father?

"Heh, can't wait to see the expression on Neji's face when he finds out."

He's unsure of whether to express his concern about her father, not wanting to rock the boat of his all too new relationship with her. Still, he had to ask the question that had burned into his mind earlier in the day.

"So, hey, everything going okay with your family? I mean, your dad sounds pretty tough, from what Neji has said before.."

[gentleninja]

Hinata’s eyes grow wide at the kiss, and she holds her breath thinking that the whole things would suddenly vanish and she’d wake up from a dream.  Digging her nails into her palm gives her a little assurance that it isn’t, but she still couldn’t believe what is happening.  

All her life she had wondered what this moment would be like, and knowing it would probably never come. 

She gingerly presses her lips back against his, afraid of doing it wrong but desperately wanting more. More of him, more of the kiss, more of the feeling of adrenaline that flowed through her veins at the spark of his touch on her skin.

Pulling away after a few minutes, she runs her fingers over her lips; they still tingled from the kiss. Hinata doesn’t know what to say, but felt like she should say everything, yet nothing came out. Her forehead crinkles as she thinks, knowing that the silence hung in the air and seemed to grow larger by the second.  He’d come to her and poured out his heart and now it was all up to her to respond. 

"I…I…I think your heart wants what it wants. Sometimes it knows the truth before you know it in your head. I know what my heart has always desired…." 

Her voice trails off as she hazards a glance at him, reaching out to take his hand in hers hesitantly. 

"My heart has always desired you, Naruto." 

[jinchurikihero]

He blinks at her words, even though she had confessed her love for him previous. It's still new and surprising for him, a girl actually being into him. Looking at their hands, he intertwines his fingers with hers and squeezes slightly.

"I'm sorry to have kept it waiting so long."

His other hand slowly touches the small of her back, his arm around her waist as he moves his eyes to her and smiles softly. This was better than he had ever imagined before, about Sakura or her, and he decided he couldn't go without this from now on.

"So, uh.. are we.. are we together now?"

He blinks again, tilting his head as he pulls her a little closer to him.

"'Cause, I kinda hope we are."

He leans into her a little, his smile widening.

"'Cause I kinda want more of this."

His lips touch hers, a little more confident this time, and he finds himself once again lost in her softness and warmth, and he finds that, once again, he doesn't want to leave it.

[gentleninja]

At first, she’s not sure if Naruto is trying to make her feel better…or worse. But as he reaches out and takes her arm, she lets out an audible sign: partly of disbelief, partly of happiness.  Her eyes close as he continues, wondering if this is all just a dream.  If it was, she never wanted it to end. 

She turns around to look at him, her demeanor totally changed from a few moments ago.

"Naruto…I…..I……I………."

Hinata’s at a loss for words as his outpouring and expressions. All she ever wanted was for him to see her as a friend, someone who wasn’t weak or invisible. She smiles softly at him, a slow blush spreading across her cheeks.  Normally she tries to stop blushing around him, but she couldn’t right now.  His words are too sweet, too meaningful.

"I had no idea you felt that way."  

[jinchurikihero]

"Neither did I, honestly."

Naruto looks her in the eye, trying to control the fluttering in his stomach as he does. His lips pull into a small, honest smile as his hands move down her arms to her hands.

"I don't get things like this. No one ever... ever explained it to me. Jiraiya gave me the talk, but never told me about this. Maybe he sucked at it, too..."

His expression falls at the thought of his late teacher and godfather. It was true, though. By the man's admission, he was as hopeless as Naruto.

"He fell for one woman, and his feelings stayed there for the rest of his life, even though it never worked out, and I thought that was how these things work, but...

"But it isn't and I don't understand. Hinata, you're pretty smart. I bet you do."

He shakes his head, annoyed with himself for getting distracted.

"Ugh, I'm getting distracted. I'm sorry, Hinata, I didn't know I hurt you. I didn't know I gave the impression I thought about Sakura all the time, or that I didn't notice you. And I'm sorry I didn't wake up to you years ago. I think you've been waiting a while for this, right? For me to stop being a knucklehead? And maybe for this.."

Naruto's smile becomes shy as he leans in. His lips tentatively brush against hers in a soft kiss. It's clear he doesn't know much about what to do. It's also clear that he's enjoying the contact, as shy and limited as it is.

[gentleninja]

Even though he’s quiet, she’s still surprised, letting out a small yelp and falling backwards to the ground. 

"Oh, hello Naruto." 

Climbing back to her feet, she brushes herself off, turning away from him.  She couldn’t look at him right now. Not now.  After the day on the mountain, she’d thought things would be different.  She thought he’d finally seen her for her. She thought she finally meant something to him, besides just being the weird girl he’d grown up with. But nothing had changed.  All Naruto could see was Sakura, yet another person she’d never measure up against. 

Hinata’s a fool to have thought anything else. And she refused to be one for a moment longer. 

"Did you forget something?" 

[jinchurikihero]

"Yeah, I guess you could say I did."

Naruto places the bowl down on the grass and starts slowly stepping towards her.

"It's confusing, you know? I used to have all these dreams about dating Sakura. She was all I could think about. Just her eyes would make me feel butterflies.

"It's confusing, 'cause, her eyes don't do that any more. I don't think about her like that any more, and I should, but I haven't in so long. What is this? Why is it whenever I try to think of her, I end up thinking of you?"

By now, he's standing behind her, his voice still a quiet murmur. He tentatively puts his hands on her arms, hoping to the Gods she doesn't pull away.

"It's.. You. You're all I think about. If I'm not with you, then I try to find reasons to spend time with you."

He smiles softly behind her.

"Your smile makes me shake a little, and your eyes make the butterflies come again. You're.. You're beautiful, Hinata. You're kind, and you're smart. I've been so happy since we started spending time together. Happier than before. I'm so sorry."

[gentleninja]

"Oh, of course. I…I’m sorry." 

Hinata frowns a bit, wondering why she just apologized for Naruto having a fight with Sakura, but she figured it is probably force of habit. She’d spent all her childhood watching Naruto from the sidelines, watching him chase after Sakura, to no avail. Perhaps she is a fool for thinking that perhaps, for once, he wanted to spend time with her instead of Sakura. Or that he ever would. She had thought that after their day yesterday, that perhaps he would see things differently. 

Placing her chopsticks down, she pays for her meal and slides off the stool.  

"I-I-I should get back to my training. Good bye Naruto. I hope things work out with Sakura." 

She leaves the Ramen house with her head down, thinking herself to be so foolish.  Here she’d been waiting for him since the place opened and all his thoughts were with Sakura. Stuffing her hands deep into her pockets, she makes her way down the street and out of the front gates.  At least in the forest, she could be alone with her thoughts. 

Making her way to a small glade, she steps through the opening of the tree line.  Taking a deep breath, she starts to practice.  If nothing else, it would help focus her mind. 

[jinchurikihero]

Naruto stands, eyes wide as she leaves the stand. Confusion wells up in as he calls out to her.

"Hinata? Hey!"

He blinks, her bowl catching his eye. Ramen isn't particularly noteworthy in a ramen stall usually, but this was. No steam is rising from the bowl, the noodles look overly soggy. It's cold.

"She had been waiting here all day, y'know."

Naruto starts at the old man's voice, looking back over at him in shock.

"Now, I reckon you didn't mean it, but it probably hurt her feelings that you didn't notice. And that you made it seem like all your think about is your pink haired friend."

Naruto's mouth falls open, then almost immediately slams shut. Confusion is replaced by shame and regret. He looks to the ground, lips tugging into a frown.

"But old man.. All I've been thinking about all day is getting to spend time with Hinata. The only reason Sakura has been on my mind at all is..."

He snaps his head up.

"Wait, I need to say this to Hinata instead! Old man, I'll take another of Hinata's order to go!"

Figuring he had talked enough sense into the knuckleheaded ninja, the old man grinned and nodded, getting to work.

"Comin' right up!"

Within a few minutes, Naruto left the stall with a fresh bowl of ramen and dashed to the rooftops. A few minutes after that, and several shadow clones later, he dropped down into the glade Hinata was training in, his usually loud and proud voice instead quiet.

"Hey."

[gentleninja]

As soon as Hinata saw him coming, she felt like an idiot for waiting there for him.  It is so obvious, too eager.  She wouldn’t have blamed him if he took one look at her and ran. 

But as soon as he sees her and smiles, she can’t help but smile back and relax a little bit.  As long as he didn’t notice her ramen was cold and as long as the cook didn’t out her for being there for hours, she is probably safe. 

"H-Hello Naruto." 

In truth, her day had already been busy.  She’d been up at dawn training, sparred with her father, lost, been told she’d never amount to anything, saddled with more chores than her sister, and directed to do more training. 

"Oh, I haven’t been up to anything much. Just some training, nothing exciting." 

She notices he’s not devouring his ramen with his usual gusto but instead is looking at it thoughtfully.

"Is there something wrong with your food?"

[jinchurikihero]

"Huh? No, it's great, I.."

Naruto's face scrunches up, his thoughts turning away from what they could do after eating and back to the fight with Sakura. He then looks to Hinata and smiles confidently.

"I had a fight with Sakura earlier. But it doesn't matter, I'm already feeling better!"

He turns back to his ramen and begins eating again. If she had been training so much, then training was out. Maybe they could find somewhere to relax? What was there to do in the evenings now?

Slowly, he realised that if she had been training all day, perhaps her day hadn't been great. He had learned from Neji years ago that her family wasn't all that great to be in. Concern slithered into his gut and nested there, weighing it down like a rock.

"How about you? You doing alright?"

He didn't want to ask specifically about her family; he had learned at least some tact after all these years.

"Maybe we should find some way to relax after this, huh?"

He decided relaxing with Hinata would be far from the worst thing in the world, just like a lot of things. It was a thought that shook him a little. He looks at Hinata from the corner of his eyes and his face reddens ever so slightly.

'Am I starting to like Hinata? But what about Sakura?! ...What about her?'

Hinata never got mad at him over stupid stuff, she listened to him. She was nice to him and accepting of him. She hadn't smacked him one yet, either.

Torn between old feelings for Sakura and new ones for Hinata, he begins to realise he'll have to make a choice. Hinata had already stated her position; she loved him. Sakura had too; she didn't.

'Why is this such a hard choice?!'

[gentleninja]

Hinata had been sitting in the Ramen stall since it had opened, having made a beeline for it as soon as she could. It is the once place she knows she will be guaranteed to find Naruto, eventually.  They wouldn’t just let her sit there though, so she’d been nursing the same bowl of ramen for hours, waiting. 

Everything felt so surreal. She’d gotten used to being invisible, underestimated, counted out. She’d even gotten used to the fact that Naruto would never feel the same way about her as she felt towards him. And that was okay.  Still, he seems genuinely interested in spending time with her now, and she didn’t want to miss a moment of that - just in case that feeling faded for him.  Perhaps he’d come into the ramen house and not even notice her, perhaps the other day had just been an apparition.  If that was the case, Hinata has made her peace with that.  Even so, she had to try.

[jinchurikihero]

Naruto was shocked to find her already there. His lips tugging into a small smile, he grabs a stool and sits down, shuffling a little bit closer to her.

"Hey Hinata!"

He orders his ramen, then turns to her, his eyes closing and his smile widening as it usually does.

"So, how's your day been?"

After his ramen arrived, he dug into it, already wondering what they could do together later. Already he was starting to feel better about what had happened earlier. So what if Sakura was so hung up on Sasuke? Hinata was way cooler!

'Where did that thought come from?'

Opening his eyes, he looks down at his ramen in contemplation.

[jinchurikihero]

Naruto was doing his best to keep his bad mood under control, a rather difficult task this day. The heavy lifting and work had been a relief after the morning meeting he had. Sasuke, naturally, came up and that lead to a fresh argument (and a nice punch from Sakura). "How come we haven't had any news on Sasuke?" Sakura had asked.

"Well, we aren't able to have many ninja out of the village right now, and those that are have more important tasks."

"More important than finding Sasuke?"

Naruto decided to jump in.

"We'll find him, but we gotta protect the village first. Can't bring him home if there isn't a home any more."

Sakura calmed down at that, at least for a while. After their tasks had been allotted, she let slip about how much she still wanted Sasuke.

"Sakura.. Why do you want him more than me? I mean, I didn't leave like he did..."

"Naruto, don't ask stupid questions."

"What's so stupid about it? He left us, so why are you still so in love with him?"

A loud cry followed and he was sent flying. After he landed, he avoided her for the rest of the day.

Sighing, Naruto walked into the ramen stall and hoped Hinata would be available today. He was beginning to become dependant on her support, even if he didn't realise it.

[gentleninja]

Finding Hinata

[gentleninja]

Hinata can’t help but smile when he does, it is a happy reflex that she couldn’t stop.  Not just because his smile is infectious, but because she felt noticed by him for the first time.  And it is a feeling she enjoyed. 

She nods happily and gets to her feet with a resigned sigh.  It’s getting late and she know that she is expected back at her home.  Much later and her father would be displeased.  

"Maybe we can. I’d like that. Very much." 

Bowing formally towards him, she smiles apologetically.  ”My father will be angry if I don’t come back soon.  He….worries.”  She knows that’s not the full truth.  It is more out of a need to control her than worry for her safety, but there’s not point spelling it out more than it needed to be. 

She lingers a few minutes, not wanting to go, but knowing she must.  It’s finally with a slow resignation that she turns from him to make her way down. 

[jinchurikihero]

Naruto thinks on her words, somewhat aware of how the Hyuga clan is thanks to his fight with her cousin years ago. While he doesn't know much, he knows enough to be sceptical about her father being 'worried'. As she turns, he steps forward.

"Hinata!"

He wraps his arms around her from behind, unaware of how intimate it may look to anyone else, and gives her a tight squeeze.

"Thank you for being here for me."

He pulls back and grins happily, ignoring the ever so slight sadness at saying good bye for now. He scratches his head as he speaks, his expression excited and cheerful.

"I'll come find you tomorrow, if that's okay? Enjoy your evening!"

The only other plans he had involved Sakura, and for once, he honestly didn't want to spend more time with her, a fact that would keep him up for hours later.

[gentleninja]

Finding Hinata

[gentleninja]

A warm blush starts from the center of her nose and creeps across her cheeks as if it was a wildfire spreading out of control.  Hinata breaks her gaze with his and drops her head down to her chest, suddenly becoming focused on the sight of the city laid out at their feet.  Her voice is a whisper, but clear and firm.  

"He didn’t curse you.  He knew.  He knew that you were strong enough to live with it.  He knew that you were the only one that could.  Even though you were just a baby, he knew this about you.  Your father had that much faith in you."

Hinata’s voice picks up in volume as she turns to him with a warm smile.  ”And he was right. He choose the right person.  No one else could be the person you are, Naruto.  No one could be you.  And who you are is just who you are supposed to be.”  

[jinchurikihero]

Naruto’s nose turns slightly red at her words, blushing ever so faintly at her unending praise of him. He stares at her silently for a few moments, his mouth slightly open as his brain processes all her words and her warm smile. He blinks and before long, his lips stretch into his trademark foxy grin as the blush fades away completely, his voice happy and loud as he speaks.

“You know, I think I really like you, Hinata!”

His interactions with Hinata have been gloriously confusing for him. It’s as if he is being awakened to the fact that, yes, girls other than Sakura exist. Of course, he has always logically known that, but not emotionally.

“How come I didn’t hang out with you more often when we were younger? Man, I was dumb.”

All of the recent events; losing Jiraiya, confronting Pain, being saved by Hinata, it has inspired a spurt in maturity. It was confusing, empowering, frustrating and pleasing all at the same time, and he’s beginning to realise he wasted so much time chasing someone who didn’t believe in him for a long time while someone who always had, was always there, waiting for him. He had ignored someone who cared so much, for someone who cared most for someone who had left them.

Sasuke…

His thoughts on his rival have changed so much, too, and he isn’t sure if it was for the better. Those thoughts are put aside, however, in favour of thoughts of the beautiful girl sitting beside him.

His grin shrinks into a small smile as he looks her in the eyes.

“Well, we’ll just have to make up for lost time, won’t we?”

[gentleninja]

Finding Hinata

[gentleninja]

Suffice to say, this is not the conversation that Hinata had thought she’d be having with Naruto right now. She blinks a few times as she nods slowly – trying to figure out where he was going with this.  Of course she knew about the Nine Tails. 

In fact, the Nine Tails had been the subject of whispered stories in school yard corners, becoming more myth than fact.  Before she’d know the truth, it had been nothing more than legend. Still, she didn’t know how it all related to Naruto’s father. Nor, how he had even found out who his father was.

She draws her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them, pulling them to her tightly as she nods, encouraging him to continue.   There’s something in his gaze that tugs at her emotions.  She knew what a difficult childhood Naruto had, she’d heard the villagers whispering about him – avoiding him and shunning him.   Despite it all, he’d still kept his sunny disposition and a positive attitude.  And become the man that she’d always admired.

Reaching out, she puts her palm on his knee gently. 

“…Whatever it is Naruto, you can tell me.” 

(I’ll always be here for you.)

[jinchurikihero]

Without thinking, his head tilts onto her shoulder as he continues speaking, his voice slowly going monotone as his feels continue to overwhelm him; now that he's opened this box, he can't go back. May as well say it all.

"I just can't get my head around it, and I can't figure out what to do, what to feel. All my life, the Fourth Hokage was my idol, even after I learned he put the Nine Tails in me. He was everything I wanted to be! But now he's my father, and he put this thing in me, cursed me with this life. I want to keep thinking he's all I want to be, to keep striving to be like him, to be even better! But..."

His head rolls of her shoulder as he looks at her, his face cracking into a sad smile.

"But it feels so different, now that I look at it from this point of view. I don't know what to think. Kakashi-sensei knew, and I know if I told him, he'd just say that my father was a hero. I don't really have anyone else I can talk to about this stuff."

His sad smile gains some warmth as his eyes twinkle with a tiny bit of happiness.

"Except for you, that is. Thanks Hinata."

[gentleninja]

Finding Hinata

[gentleninja]

Hinata is deep in though as she climbs up the steep rock, to the top of the cliff overlooking their village - the very same spot, they’d had their first day the previous day. What could he want to tell her? What could be so important that he needed to tell her right this moment? 

The wind brushes her hair forward and she pauses and looks over her shoulder at the village below.  It’s amazing how the sun seems a little bright, the sky a little bluer, and the smiling faces of the villagers, a little happier.  Could it be because of Naruto? Of spending time with him? Nothing else had changed… 

Of course, that’s not true.  Hinata herself had changed. Not all in one night, but certainly since she’d meet him. He’d always been the standard to which she held both herself and others. The pinnacle that she strove to be.  She’s no longer the scared child that had been considered the failure within her family. She’s strong within her own right, and in her own way. 

And whatever Naruto had to tell her, she isn’t going to be scared of it. 

Turning her gaze back from the village, she climbs the last few steps up to their spot, smiling brightly and waving as she spots him already sitting there and takes a seat besides him. 

"Hello again Naruto."  She smiles encouragingly, waiting for him to speak and set the tone of the conversation. Hinata doesn’t want to push him, so let’s him set the pace.  

[jinchurikihero]

"Hey hey!"

Naruto's face splits into a grin which is mostly genuine; a small part of it is to cover up his nervousness.

'Have to tell her, have to tell her, have to tell her!'

"So..."

The words get stuck in his throat, a situation somewhat alien to someone as talkative and gregarious as he is. Swallowing lightly, he forces himself to continue, his voice somewhat quieter than his usual tone, but still easily audible.

"So... You know about the Nine Tails, right? I mean, did anyone tell you the truth? That it wasn't really killed? 'Cause, you know, he was sealed into me and I thought you should know and.. and this is a lot harder than I thought!"

His face scrunches into a large frown as he tries to continue and hopefully make more sense from now onwards.

"I mean, I figured you probably knew about that! Heheh, you're a smart one after all! I guess I just really want to talk about my father. I found out who he is.. He's the guy who sealed the fox into me.."

His expression switches between pride, shame and anger; pride at his heritage, shame leftover from a childhood as a pariah, and anger that his own father set him on the path to be that pariah, even if he reasons were good. Finally, all those emotions shift and are replaced by a vulnerability he never shows willingly, staring at Hinata with a light frown.

"I really don't know how to take it..."

[gentleninja]

Finding Hinata

[gentleninja]

Hinata’s eyes widen as she wonders what he could have to possibly tell her and her breath quickens as her mind races with possibilities.  She can’t even respond to his previous question about her squad, not that he ever gave her much time to reply to any of his questions until he was onto another thing.  All she can do is manage to nod a few times quickly and try to swallow the lump down in her throat.  

Her finger on the table draws absent minded circles on the wooden table top as she wonders what he could have to tell her. Whatever it could be, it’s seems to be heavily weighing on his mind.  

If she was seen walking off with  Naruto all around town or into a private place, she’d never live down the teasing of their friends. Nevermind what would happen if her Father caught wind of it before she had a chance to talk to him about it.  She stands up quickly, knocking down the stool she’d been sitting on and then clumsily bends down to pick it back up again only to have it topple over again. 

Her cheeks blush a deep crimson as she draws more attention to them, even from people passing outside the ramen shop.  She takes a step to the door before stopping and forcing a calm breath and a shy smile. 

"How about we meet up at our spot? We can talk more then." 

She reaches out, giving his shoulder a squeeze, pausing for a few seconds as she gazes at his handsome face.  Realizing she’s staring, she gasps softly, blinking as she blushes even more and rushes out of the shop and into the crowd - eager to get to a more secluded spot so she could put to rest the curiosity of what he wanted to tell her.

[jinchurikihero]

As she stares, he stares back at her, tilting his head curiously. Is this how he's been with Sakura? Why didn't she like it? It's nice to have someone look at you with such affection.

He wouldn't mind looking at Hinata like that, himself, if he's honest.

As she leaves, he blinks, then finishes his ramen, puts some money down and dashes out of the stall. Jumping up onto the few roofs left in the village, he makes a dash for their spot.

He almost hesitates as he lands on the Fourth Hokage's head. This is a major secret he's about to share, even he understands that. Still, he can't help but feel that this is the right course of action. Hinata can be trusted, and he needs to talk about these feelings with someone. Before, he would have hunted down Jiraiya, but...

Naruto shakes his head. That old pervert wouldn't want him to keep getting down about his death. In fact, he'd probably laugh if he could see how Naruto would act when simply thinking of him.

No, it's time to think about the future, and to tell someone he wants in his future about the past. With that thought, he waits for Hinata's arrival.

[gentleninja]

Finding Hinata

[gentleninja]

Her eyes flick downwards and she murmurs softly something incoherent, shrugging her shoulders, like it’s no big deal.  In truth, it isn’t. She isn’t telling him anything that she didn’t believe, nothing that she wouldn’t have told him otherwise. 

Hinata shrugs off his words - choosing not to focus on the memories or the times that he had ignored her. That too is in the past. Right now, perhaps her very future is sitting in front of her, smiling happily and slurping away on his noodles. She would do whatever she could - whatever is needed to convince him that he is good enough.  Even if that meant finding Sasuke herself and letting him tell Naruto. 

Still, there is much that is unknown of right now and what is to come next. The village is still ripe with uncertainty, but there is one thing that Hinata is certain of -perhaps now more than ever.  She didn’t want to be anywhere else besides with the cheerful, future hokage beside her.  

Even if he has the table manners of a pig. 

[jinchurikihero]

Unaware of her thoughts, and her opinion of his table manners, he turns to her with a grin, voice gaining some of it's natural energy.

"So, how has your day been, Hinata? How are Kiba and Shino?"

He turns himself to her fully, completely receptive to whatever tale she might tell him, and utterly interested in the happenings of her day. The fact that his ramen was to his side, rather than still in front of him, is a subtle clue that he's more interested in her than eating.

So subtle that he, himself, hasn't noticed it yet.

Sasuke still possesses a corner of his thoughts, but he's ignoring that issue for now. He can't bore Hinata with that stuff, and anyway, she's right. The only person responsible for Sasuke's choices is Sasuke. No matter how he might feel it's his fault, he didn't force the Uchiha to leave, or do anything that he's done.

"Hey, do you have to do anything after this? If not, do you think we could go somewhere private to talk? I got some stuff I need to talk to someone about."

Even someone as dull as he is shocked at his own rush to tell his secrets to Hinata, someone he's only become really close to recently. But he's telling the truth; he really needs to talk about these things with someone, and Hinata has shown herself to not only be a good listener, but someone who can give him a new perspective on things, make him see things in a new light.

And he really could use a new light on the issue of his father and the Nine Tails.

[gentleninja]

Finding Hinata

[gentleninja]

Seeing the look on his face, tugs on her heartstrings and her heart physically aches for him.  At a time when everyone else is worried about themselves, here is Naruto worried about someone else.  Someone that many could rightly consider an enemy - of themselves and of the village. But of course, Naruto is too good for that. He’d only ever see Sasuke as a friend, a brother.  

She wanted to take him into her arms and assure him that Sasuke’s choices were not a reflection on him, that he’d done everything he could have done, and more. That he was good enough. That when he was Hokage, he’d be able to fix this - even if she’s not sure how. 

Hinata couldn’t help herself from reaching out and taking his hand in hers, giving it a hard squeeze with both of hers - holding it tightly to her chest. 

"Naruto, you listen to me. It was nothing that you did, or didn’t do. Sasuke is following his own path now. My eyes cannot see the future, but I know that Sasuke will come back to the leaf village. I know this in my heart.  Just as I know that none of this is your fault." 

She smiles reassuringly and keeps hold of his hand, enjoying the warmth of his skin on her own. Hesitating for just a moment, she reaches out with her hand and touches her cheek with her fingertips. 

"You’ve never failed anyone Naruto."

[jinchurikihero]

He slowly tilts his head as her fingertips press against his cheeks, her words slowly sinking in. He understands what she's saying, what she means, and a small part of him already knows she's right. Sasuke's choices have always only ever belonged to Sasuke.

But he still can't help but feel like he could have and should have stopped things from being like this. He can't help but feel like he had failed the Uchiha by not being the friend the boy had needed.

He slowly squeezes Hinata's hand, as though gaining strength through the act, and graces her with a smile; not a large grin that he usually plastered on, but a genuine smile filled with gratitude and affection.

"Thanks Hinata."

His voice becomes happier as he continues, his eyes gaining a friendly spark to them as he shifts a little closer to the beautiful girl in front of him.

"I need to keep you around me all the time to tell me things; seriously, it's like you have something I lack."

Still getting closer, and utterly unaware of how his statement could be taken, he continues with a self-deprecating chuckle.

"I think Kakashi-sensei calls it common sense. Heh. And I like hanging out with you. I never knew you were so good to be around, Hinata, or I would've hung out with you all the time before now!"

[gentleninja]

Finding Hinata

[gentleninja]

She turns her head to him as her hears his voice and a warm, happy smile spreads across her lips. But sensing his brooding mood, it doesn’t last long and quickly fades away into uncertainty and hesitation as she dips her head and fixes her gaze on the table in front of her.  There could be a million things that had soured his usual jovial mood, but she couldn’t shake the question if it had anything to do with her, with their first date the previous night.  Had things changed now that he’s had some time to think?  She couldn’t be sure, but she couldn’t loose herself to negative thinking now. 

Straightening up, she forces a smile and shakes her head.  ”Thank you, but no. I already had a bowl while I was waiting for you.” 

Hinata taps her two forefingers together and thinks things over. It had been less than twelve hours since their date, but yet, it felt that so much had changed. There were so many more questions and uncertainties than there had been yesterday.  That has to be the reason. 

She felt too forward reaching out to take his hand, but she wanted to let him know that she is here for him - whether he needed to talk or just to have a friend.  

"How…how are you?" 

[jinchurikihero]

"You sure?"

Naruto tilts his head, his smile becoming a bit warmer due to her presence as he opens his mouth to answer her question.

"I'm good. I... Well, I'm worried. About Sasuke, I mean."

He shuffles a little closer to her unconsciously, as though to draw comfort from her presence. Normally, it would be Sakura who would make him feel better about these things, but his first reaction and desire was to find Hinata. The date they had last night was one of the best times he had in a long time and he wants more.

"Can I ask you something personal, Hinata?"

He gives her a glance for a quick second before pressing on, genuinely wanting her honest opinion on the matter and trusting her to give it to him.

"Did I fail Sasuke? Was I just not a good enough friend for him?"

His smile stays warm but the rest of his expression adopts a heartbroken look.