Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ After a Midnight Meeting ❯ After a Midnight Meeting ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Note: These characters are not my own. if you are familiar with the characters, this short story can go just about anywhere in Naruto. Preferably after the Genin exams. (also note, that perhaps this story may have actually happened, with Naruto and Hinata never revealing to the audience their love for one another). But it goes best after the chuunin exams.
This is also a test to see how long I can go without putting a fight in the story. Though later installments will have fights.
Oh yeah! I love reviews. Remember, be critical, not mean.

The new moon shined upon the Konoha village. The village was quiet with little activity, and even then only among animals. But in front of the local ninja academy, two people gather to converse.
The first woman, in her late twenties, is still very beautiful. Her rose colored eyes shone in the moonlight. The second was considerably younger, and smaller than the first. they shared the same raven colored hair but the young girl’s eyes lacked luster, and pupils.
“You wanted to see me, Hinata?” asked the older woman.
“Yes Kurenai-sensei, its about…” Hinata paused, unsure of what she would say to the older woman.
“Its about him isn’t it?” asked Kurenai, the older woman.
Hinata blushed and lowered her head “Yes”
“You have no need to lower your head, love is nothing to be ashamed of” Kurenai placed a finger under Hinata’s chin and lifted it gently, “I was once in love when I was your age”
Hinata smiled “Then…maybe you can help me?”
“I can, but I can only bring him to you, you have to do the rest” replied the woman, smiling slyly.
“How will I know he will come?” frowned Hinata.
“You forget one thing dear, about being a woman” answered Kurenai.
“What’s that?” replied Hinata.
“That a woman’s plan always comes together” smiled Kurenai.

The sun shined upon the Konoha village, and a youth dressed in bright orange walked outside. He stretched and continued as a leisurely pace down the road. Looking at what there is to see, including his favorite ramen stand, and several pretty girls, most of which much older than he.
He crossed a bridge and entered a small area outside the village where the trees had been cleared, a river flowed gently alongside it. He saw three people standing there, and as soon as he entered, they glared at him.
The largest and oldest, his teacher. Had white hair despite his young age, he wore a facemask and held a book entitled “come to paradise” in his hand, a book Naruto would never be caught reading.
The second, a girl, had pink hair, her eyes were as sharp as daggers and they pierced his veins and his blood ran cold. She was pretty, but on the inside…well…
The third, a boy his age, with raven black hair and red eyes looked at him with disdain, almost expecting him to arrive at this time.
Which it came to his mind that, the boy in orange was extremely late to his class.
“Naruto” The girl with pink hair called to him “you’re even more late than Kakashi-sensei” she nearly screamed at him, and pointed at the masked man.
“Don’t worry Sakura” he wont be joining us today, he has been commissioned by a friend of mine” the teacher, Kakashi, spoke to Sakura without lifting his eyes from the book, he turned a page.
“Commissioned?” Naruto, the boy in orange asked.
“Yes, it seems that another Jonin, Yuhi Kurenai, has asked for your assistance, I have no clue what she wanted you for…” Kakashi handed Naruto a letter. Who opened it quickly.

Naruto
You’ll have to excuse my handwriting, Cursive is difficult to read. I need you for a mission that I’m afraid I simply can’t send my Genin on, nor any ninja for that matter, not even the Hokage Herself…

Naruto smiled, knowing that he could do one mission that even a Hokage was not capable of made him even more confident…and incredibly cocky.

It would be most convenient for you and I to meet in front of the ninja academy, I cant include details on the mission. But I can tell you it is the mission of a lifetime.
Naruto Grinned so big that his eyes closed, he cheered and jumped high into the air, and dashed off for the ninja academy.
“What was his rush?” asked Sakura.

In front of the academy the Jonin Kurenai stood, waiting for Naruto just like the letter said.
“Hello Naruto” Kurenai greeted him, she held a small bit of paper in her hand.
“Hey, what is it you want? I’m an important ninja and I got a lot of stuff to take care of” said Naruto.
“Oh…then maybe you are too busy to take care of this all-important, beyond Hokage-level mission? Hmm?” Kurenai teased him and smiled.
“Naw, if a Hokage cant do it, you can count on Naruto Uzumaki, Believe it!” Naruto gestured a thumbs-up with his hand.
Kurenai smiled, “Very well then, this note has on it an address, I want you to travel there and protect the person living there, she’s in a lot of danger”
“She eh?” Naruto was hoping for a pretty young woman.
“Yes she, now go, if you don’t arrive in time, I fear the worst for her” Kurenai looked into his eyes and smiled “And tell her, you’re welcome”
“huh?” this left Naruto confused, but it was something between Kurenai and whoever he was protecting that day. He walked, then slowly began to run, to his destination.

He had arrived, this was a rich place, with a courtyard and sand garden. He approached the door. And knocked three times. The door slowly opened. A girl with jet black hair stepper out from behind it, she saw Naruto and blushed deeply.
“Hello Naruto, what are you doing here?” she asked, her voice quivering furiously.
“Well, I got this mission to come here and protect some girl, but you’re the only girl here I think” Replied Naruto.
“Well…what does the note say?” asked Hinata.
“Its from Kurenai, hey, that’s your teacher right?” asked Naruto.
“Yes…she is…maybe that girl isn’t here yet, would you like to come in and have some breakfast?” asked Hinata, her voice had begun to calm down but it still contained a tiny warble. She knew now that Kurenai had set her plan into motion.
“I sure would!” said Naruto. Hinata moved herself from the doorway, letting Naruto in, she led him to the dining hall. They sat down on soft pillows on opposite sides of the table and began to eat.
Hinata was surprised at the rapid rate at which Naruto ate, he Devoured the food she cooked as if it were the food of the gods, he swallowed and paused to speak.
“Hinata, did you cook this?” Naruto asked.
“Yes, I did, do you like it? Hinata replied, already knowing the answer.
“I do! Believe it!” Naruto swallowed another massive mouthful and said “You think it would be alright if you could start packing my lunches for me? I could just come by and pick them up”
Hinata gasped and blushed to a radishy red color. “Well, I do end up cooking more than I really need to eat” she was flattered.
“Thanks a lot Hinata, this stuff is a lot better than what I usually eat” Naruto half ate and half talked “its usually spoiled”
“You poor thing!” for the first time in her life, Hinata felt sorry for Naruto, eating spoiled food, no wonder he was so crazy, he was malnourished. Hinata laughed at this thought.
“What’s so funny?” Naruto paused from eating, a piece of rice clinging to his lip.
“You made…a mess of your face” Hinata took out a handkerchief and handed it to Naruto “On your chin”
“Here?” asked Naruto, placing the handkerchief on his cheek.
“No”
“Here?”
“No” Hinata, took the handkerchief from him and wiped his face, she could not help from stroking his cheek.
The food had disappeared. With Naruto cleaning several plates of food, and Hinata only one.
“I suppose a grand tour is in order?” asked Hinata.
“Sure, your place is huge though! I don’t know if we’ll ever get done with it!” Naruto replied, Hinata giggled at the joke.
She led him down several halls, showing them a long hall with several doors.
“This is where my family lives” said Hinata, lowering her head.
“No one seems to be here” said Naruto.
“one person is” replied Hinata.
A door opened and Hinata’s cousin, Neji, walked out, he glared at Hinata, then at Naruto, then at Hinata again, and whispered something to himself.
“Hey! Who do you think you are! Say something to my face if you’re gonna say it at all!” Naruto yelled at Neji, who ignored him and walked into the bathroom.
“Lets go to my room Naruto” Hinata suggested.
“Yeah, you can skip the entire tour, as long as he is wandering around” Naruto looked at the bathroom door, hoping Neji would come out.

Hinata led Naruto up the stairs, her room was surprisingly walled with plaster, making her room more impervious to sound. Naruto wondered what she needed to keep so quiet for.
A large bed with a bedside table rested in one corner of the room, and a wardrobe containing her clothes was set in another, aside from that, the room was rather sparse. Perhaps she spent more time outside. And Naruto did not blame her for a second.
“Wait here Naruto, I’ll get us some drinks” Hinata said, leaving promptly.
Naruto could not speak before she was gone. He sat on her very soft bed and observed the room, his eye caught the bedside table. Upon which rested a picture of him, and a picture of Hinata. He picked up the two pictures and examined them, why would Hinata have a picture of him?
Before he could continue Hinata rushed back into the room with two tall glasses of lemonade, she handed Naruto a glass and began to sip hers from a straw. She sat next to him on the bed. He blushed a little, Hinata was a pretty girl, but not like Sakura, she had a different sort of beauty.
“Hinata, I was assigned to protect someone, and the place I was supposed to go was here” Naruto broke the awkward silence.
Hinata’s heart skipped a beat “Well, I have no idea who you’re supposed to protect, but if you’re supposed to protect a girl, that is to say, I’m the only girl here…” said Hinata.
“Oh, so you’re saying that maybe you’re the person I’m trying to protect” said Naruto.
“Yes, but from whom I don’t know” Hinata knew there was no enemy, it was Kurenai’s womanly plan.
Naruto jumped up “Then Hinata! I swear to protect you from any threat. BELIEVE IT!” Naruto gave his signature thumb up. Hinata was taken by surprise by this and fell backwards on her bed, she was bright red in the face.
“Hinata, you okay? Hinata?” Naruto leaned over Hinata.
“I’m fine Naruto, you surprised me” replied Hinata. Her heart was racing,
“Oh, I’m sorry, ha-ha, I can’t protect you if I’m giving you heart attacks” Naruto grinned a big grin. Hinata giggled and sighed.
There was another awkward silence until Hinata asked Naruto “Naruto, would you like to play a game?”
“Sure! I love games!” Naruto piped up.
“Here” Hinata opened the drawer at her bedside table, she reached in and next to a brightly colored journal she got out two cups, she poured their contents out. Ten small dice. She handed five to Naruto and told him to put them in the cup. She shook her own cup and placed it face down on the ground.
“Do the same” said Hinata, she blushed again, she felt somewhat in control of him now that she was teaching him something.
Naruto cast the cup on the ground “Now what?”
“We guess what was rolled, I’ll guess three fours” Hinata answered.
“I’ll say…five fives” Naruto said.
Hinata giggled “that’s a dangerous play, you could lose, thankfully you get another chance”. Hinata picked up her cup to see what she rolled, but was careful not to show Naruto, her Byakugan could see through his cup, and she saw three fours, exactly what she needed.
“My second guess is six fours, now you see your dice and make another guess” Hinata put her cup back down.
“I’m going to say…five fives again” Replied Naruto.
Hinata lifted her cup, revealing two fives, and three fours. “Now its your turn”.
Naruto lifted his cup, revealing three fours, and three fives.
“Ha-ha, we both win!” said Hinata.
“That’s fun, its like a shinobi game of deception!” said Naruto “lets play again”
“All right” agreed Hinata.
They played several more rounds, Hinata looked at her clock.
“Oh no! it’s Lunchtime” said Hinata “Do you like ramen noodles?”
“I’m still hungry from breakfast Hinata, you bet I want some ramen!” replied Naruto. Hinata nodded and quickly walked downstairs to prepare the food.
“Now that I have some time, I can look at her stuff” Naruto whispered to himself.
The nosy Naruto opened the drawer in her bedside table. And removed the journal. On its cover was taped a picture of him.
This was seriously creepy. He opened the book, and found that on every single page he is mentioned, sometimes he took up the entire page, sometimes only one sentence, but he was in it. Neji was mentioned as well as Hinata’s father, but most notations about them were negative at best. He did not find one negative thing about himself.
A question came through Naruto’s mind. Did Hinata set this up to spend the day with him? He heard Hinata coming up the stairs and quickly shut the book in her drawer.
She held a small wooden plank with two piping hot bowls of homemade ramen soup.
Naruto feigned a grin, he was creeped out by Hinata before, now he was even more uneased by her.
She handed him a bowl of the ramen, he slurped the stuff up quickly, and laid back on her bed.
Hinata thought about this moment all her life, to lay down next to Naruto and place a hand on his chest, but she could not bring herself to do it before he sat back up. When he did she had begun to blush again at the thought, her heart fluttered.
He got up and looked at the blushing Hinata. He in turn blushed, now that he knew what she thought of him. They looked at each other, blushing.

Neji called from the dining area “Cook dinner Hinata”
“Lets go, we can talk while I cook” said Hinata.
“Okay” said Naruto.
The two went downstairs to cook, Hinata began to take out various pots, pans and other cookware. Naruto sat at the table.
“I don’t feel like cooking for my family, I’ll just make them something instant” Hinata giggled at her act of rebellion.
“Yeah, they don’t deserve good food like yours, believe it!” Naruto said. His words seemed to give her strength. She got out the cheap instant ramen and placed it into a larger pot, and the more expensive exotic ramen into a smaller pot.
The water had begun to boil sooner on the smaller pot, so Hinata and Naruto ate first without even calling the rest of Hinata’s family.
Hinata’s father came to dinner and took from the larger pot with the cheap ramen, he tasted it and gave Hinata a disdainful look “so you fail at more than ninjutsu I suppose, cooking and choosing your men” he said and grinned.
Naruto stood up quickly “How DARE you talk about Hinata that way! How DARE YOU!” Naruto’s eyes burned with intense hatred.
“You stay out of this boy” said Hinata’s father “you would not understand, to understand requires you have a family” Hinata’s father smiled, that struck a chord in Naruto.
Naruto was about to leap across the room and rip her father’s throat out. The nine-tailed fox was releasing its pent up rage.
“Don’t Naruto!” Hinata held Naruto’s hand and that seemed to soothe the beast trapped inside him. Naruto sat down. Hinata’s father smirked.
Hinata slurped the last few drops of her soup and took Naruto back upstairs.
“Why do you let them treat you like that Hinata?” Naruto asked.
“Because I know they can belittle me all they want, but in the end, I’ll be better and stronger than any of them will ever be” Hinata clenched her fist.
“So you wanna be Hokage too?” asked Naruto.
“Yes…I do, very much” replied Hinata.
“Then you have some serious competition, believe it!” Naruto jumped and pointed his thumb at his face” cause I’m gonna be the next Hokage, and no one, Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, Shino, Neji, or even you will stand in my way.” Naruto boastfully added “BELIEVE IT”
“Well Naruto, even though we strive for the same goal, I’ll cheer you on” said Hinata.
“And I’ll do the same for you Hinata, believe it!” said Naruto.
The sun was setting and Naruto’s “mission” was going to end soon. Hinata remembered Kurenai’s words.
“I’ll get him to you, you have to do the rest” they echoed in her head.
“Naruto, there’s something I want to show you…”Hinata whispered, her voice quaking.
“Yeah? Where to?” Naruto replied. Hinata stripped the sheets off her bed and grabbed the journal out of her bedside table. She led him downstairs and into the courtyard, out into the forest to a rocky outcropping on the side of a mountain, the sun had just barely set.
“Naruto, this is what I want to show you” she showed him the book, but Naruto pushed it away.
“Hinata, I looked at that book while snooping around your room” he replied.
Hinata’s eyes welled up with tears, did he know too much? Would he reject her when she told him the truth. Hinata could only choke on her words.
“And I want to read the rest” Naruto took the book in hand and placed it on his knees.
“Hinata laughed, that was the only sound she could make, even if it was the wrong one…
“If I had known that you and only you believed in me, and for so long…I would have talked to you, I would have had a friend in this world” Naruto’s voice had changed, what was usually sounding like a school child trying to be gruff, was now very soothing to Hinata. “And I know you feel the same way”
Hinata cried out “Naruto! I love you!” her heart began to race.
Naruto took Hinata’s hand with such tenderness it would make even an ice princess like Sakura melt “I love you too”
The two laid back on the rocky outcropping, surrounded by a soft blanket, Hinata placed a hand on Naruto’s chest his heart was beating as fast as hers. Naruto quickly sat back up and said “Look!”
It was a sight that the tall buildings of Konoha village usually blocked, but the sun was setting slowly beyond the horizon as the last sliver of the sun was becoming hidden Hinata Turned Naruto’s head and kissed him.
Her soft lips were almost intoxicating to the touch, Naruto did not stand a chance, and he gave into her. They laid down, kissing tenderly.
“So, today, if it was you I was protecting, was it from your family?” asked Naruto.
A female voice sounded from the shadows “Actually, I thought her poor little heart would break if you didn’t know how she felt for you, so she was technically in danger, well done Naruto, your mission is a success”
Kurenai walked onto the outcropping. “Well done Hinata, mission successful”. Hinata blushed, she now had what she wanted, the love of her life, and the acceptance of her teacher.
“I’ll leave you two alone now, buh-bye” said Kurenai, leaping high into the trees and bounding into the night.
“Hinata, I’ve been thinking” said Naruto.
“Yes?” replied Hinata.
“Well, instead of just coming by your house to pick up the lunch you made, maybe we could just meet and have lunch together?”
“Yes, I would not have it any other way!” Hinata kissed Naruto again and they laid down on the cold rock, warmed by each other‘s bodies.

Not the end…