Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Faith of the Heart ❯ Chapter 4: Shelter from the Storm ( Chapter 5 )

Faith of the Heart

 

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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters created by Masashi Kishimoto.

 

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Chapter 4: Shelter from the Storm

 

The Next Morning

 

Hinata woke up in her new bedroom and let out a long, loud sigh. She was use to waking up to the noise of Naruto banging around in the kitchen or by the campfire, half-awake, trying to fix his morning ramen and Jiraiya's snoring, which could be heard echoing throughout whatever building they happened to be staying in. A few days ago the sounds would have annoyed her to no end, but now she missed them. It was too quiet, too lonely. The silence and the sight of moving boxes she woke up to in her empty apartment were depressing, especially when she had been expecting to wake up at home this morning.

 

After two and a half years on the road, Hinata had been unsure of how she felt about returning to Konoha, or more specifically returning to the Hyuuga clan. While she had been traveling and training with Naruto and Jiraiya she'd been free of the strict lifestyle and pressures involved with being heiress to Konoha's most powerful clan. It had been liberating not having to worry about being the `proper Hyuuga' that everyone in the clan expected her to be. For once, she'd been allowed to be a teenage girl instead of a “mini-adult” heiress.

 

Still, there were good things about her old home that she missed. After never spending more than a few weeks in the same place for the last two and a half years, she had dreamed of sleeping in her warm, fluffy bed in her own room. She also looked forward to sitting in her favorite spot under the willow tree in the garden where her mother use to read to her when she was little and seeing the kindly old cook in the main house kitchen who always kept a supply of her favorite cookies on hand, just for when Hinata got back from a long mission. More than that Hinata missed her other friends. She loved Naruto dearly and wouldn't trade a second of the time they'd spent together for anything, but she missed spending time with the rest of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai, especially her old teammates. Hinata even missed her little sister, despite the fact Hanabi had officially entered her `pest' stage shortly before their departure from Konoha.

 

What made it worse was that her homesickness was the one thing that she couldn't really talk to Naruto about. He was more than willing to listen when she tried, but Naruto had never had a real home before, so homesickness was a foreign concept to him. Sure, he missed the village, Ichiraku's Ramen Bar, and, especially, his friends, but he'd never experienced what it was like to have a real family to come home to. That thought made Hinata even sadder, and she'd vowed that one day she'd change that for her Naruto-kun. One day, they'd have a real family and home together. But, in the meantime, that goal did little to make her feel any better.

 

So when her father had told her she'd have to live outside the Hyuuga estate, at least for the time being, Hinata broke down in tears. She understood it was for her own good. She even agreed with her father's reasoning on the matter. The risk of discovery was too great if she lived at the estate, and they were going to have a hard enough time keeping the rest of the clan in the dark as it was. But she had wanted to go home, and, emotionally, it brought back too many memories of the time her father had pawned her off on Kurenai-sensei right after she became a genin. To Hinata's surprise, her father seemed to realize why the news had been so distressing to his eldest daughter and looked genuinely understanding and remorseful as he let her cry on his shoulder. The whole episode had an element of surrealism to it for Hinata, as she had trouble believing her father could be so supportive.

 

After she'd had a chance to collect herself, the Hyuuga patriarch walked Hinata to the two-bedroom apartment he had leased for her to live in. The apartment had a wonderful balcony, huge rooms, a giant whirlpool bathtub, and an incredible view of the Hokage Monument. The apartment was even close to Naruto's apartment and the Sarutobi estate, where her former jonin-sensei, Kurenai, now lived. All in all, it was a very nice place to live; it just wasn't home.

 

This is what occupied Hinata's thoughts as she woke up in her new apartment for the first time. She rolled over in bed with the intention of doing nothing more than closing the curtains, pulling the covers over her head, and going back to sleep. However, when she reached up to close the curtains she found herself staring into a pair of familiar blue eyes. She blinked a couple times in surprise. There, hanging upside down outside the window next to her bed, was Naruto with his face pressed up against the glass making funny faces. Hinata burst into laughter. Naruto pulled his face away from the windowpane and grinned. “Oi, sleeping beauty, I come bearing sticky buns,” he said as he held up a bag from one of the village bakeries.

 

Hinata opened the window, and Naruto hopped down to the windowsill and crawled inside onto Hinata's bed. She pulled Naruto into a hug and kissed him as soon as he was all the way inside.

 

“Mmm, I'm definitely going to have to do this again,” Naruto sighed as their lips parted.

 

“I love you so much, Naruto-kun,” said Hinata, still slightly breathless from the kiss. It completely baffled her sometimes how Naruto could have been so oblivious to her feelings for him for so long, yet now be so sweet and supportive whenever she needed him most.

 

“I love you, too. I figured after how upset you were last night you could use a little pick-me-up,” Naruto replied, happy that he'd been able to snap his girlfriend out of the funk she'd been in.

 

Naruto smiled as he gently moved a strand of hair that was hanging in front of Hinata's face behind one of her ears. She looked so cute first thing in the morning with her hair going every-which-way, especially when she had one of those warm, gentle smiles on her face like she did now. It made him wonder for the millionth time why it took him so long to notice her. Hinata began pulling him down into bed with her, before Naruto reluctantly interrupted. “You know, as much as I like where this is headed, and I reeeeaaallly like where it's headed, we've got to meet Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan at the mission room in a little over an hour. So, why don't you get showered and dressed, and I'll have breakfast ready by the time you're through.”

 

Hinata pouted in protest, but her stomach, which let out an extremely loud growl when the smell of the freshly baked cinnamon buns finally reached her nose, betrayed her.

 

“Or we could eat first, and then you can get ready,” Naruto said with an amused smirk as Hinata blushed in embarrassment and buried her face in his shoulder.

 

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The Hokage Tower Mission Room

 

`So much for the more mature Naruto,' Tsunade thought before she leaned back in her chair to watch the three teens standing before her. To her right, Iruka was banging his head against the table, while, to her left, Kakashi wore a look that could only be described as, `why me?'

 

“Sakura, please let Naruto-kun out of the headlock,” Hinata begged.

 

“Not until he promises to shut up,” Sakura replied. “I'm not going to deal with a pissed-off Hokage just because your Naruto-kun wants a better mission.”

 

“Besides, I know Naruto wants to promise me he'll be quiet. Don't you Naruto?” Sakura said as she lifted Naruto's head up slightly so he could look her in the face.

 

Naruto shook his head no and stuck his tongue out. Sakura pushed Naruto's head back down and tightened her grip around his neck eliciting a squeak of pain from the blonde.

 

“But he's turning blue! How is he suppose to promise you anything if he can't even breathe?” Hinata asked in astonishment.

 

“Him passing out will work, too,” Sakura shrugged.

 

The two girls were interrupted when a chunin burst into the room.

 

“AIR!” Naruto gasped as he managed to break free when Sakura momentarily loosened her grip in surprise. Hinata quickly yanked her boyfriend out of Sakura's reach, while shooting an angry glare at the other girl.

 

“Hokage-sama! Emergency message from Sunagakure!” The chunin said as she tried to catch her breath after running all the way from the aviary.

 

“Well, let's have it.”

 

“The Kazekage has been captured by two members of the organization Akatsuki! Suna is requesting any and all aid we can send!”

 

“Gaara,” Naruto quietly said to himself.

 

Tsunade looked at the clipboard in front of her while she tried to decide what to do. The smart thing to do would be to recall another team, and send them after Akatsuki instead of Team Kakashi. She looked up at Naruto for a moment and sighed when she saw the determined look in his eyes. `He will try to rescue Gaara, orders or no orders, and Hinata will probably follow him. More importantly, Suna needs help now, and they're the best team I have available. Recalling another team will take at least one or two days, and by then it may be too late.' Tsunade stood, she really only had one option.

 

“Team Kakashi, you have a new mission. You are to travel to Sunagakure, assess the situation, and send a report back to Konoha. After that, follow any orders from the Sand and back them up. Dismissed!”

 

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The Land of Wind Desert, 65 Hours Later

 

“I can't stand it any longer! We're so close!” Naruto said as he stood up to leave the cave they'd taken shelter in after encountering a sandstorm an hour earlier.

 

“Naruto-kun, please don't,” Hinata asked.

 

“I'd listen to her,” Temari calmly said from where she sat further back in the cave. “Whenever there's a sandstorm, the best course of action is to sit it out. It's easy to lose your way once you head into one. That's usually what happens when you hear about people dying in this desert. They end up fighting against the storms and wear themselves out while getting more and more lost.” Temari, who had been acting as Sand's liaison to Konoha for the upcoming Chunin exam, left Konoha for her home village just hours before news of the Akatsuki attack reached the Leaf. Fortunately, Team Kakashi had caught up to the Sand kunochi less than a day into their journey.

 

“But we've got Hinata-chan! You can see through the sandstorm just like you did with that blizzard in the Land of Snow last year, right?”

 

“Naruto-kun, I had landmarks to go by when we got caught in the snowstorm, but there's nothing to see here but sand dunes. We could end up wandering in circles and I'd never be able to tell,” Hinata answered gently. She was as anxious to get to Suna as Naruto but getting lost would only slow them down.

 

“Damn it, Naruto, just deal with it, okay!” Sakura yelled.

 

Hinata frowned at her teammate. She'd about had it with Sakura. She'd been on Naruto's case since they left Konoha. `Why does she always have to be so mean to Naruto-kun? Can't she see how worried he is? Doesn't she wonder why he's acting like this? Does she even care?'

 

“I don't know why you're getting so worked up, anyway! Temari's the one who should be the most upset! It's her brother! There is no reason at all for you to be acting like this!” Sakura ranted, completely missing the growing anger visible on Hinata's face. Sakura got up fully intent on hitting Naruto to make him sit back down. “Quit being such a dumbass!”

 

Sakura reared her fist back to hit Naruto from behind when, in a flash of purple chakra, she found herself thrown up against the wall of the cave by an enraged Hinata. The Hyuuga girl had caught Sakura's punch in mid-throw with her left hand and had a tight grip on the pink-haired girl's throat with her right.

 

“DON'T YOU DARE HIT NARUTO-KUN!” Hinata yelled in the other kunochi's face.

 

Sakura trembled in fear at the sheer power of the killing intent rolling off Hinata. What's more, when Hinata's anger caused her to unconsciously activate her Byakugan, instead of the barely visible pupils that normally appeared, cat-like slitted pupils that had a slight yellowish glow to them became visible. Hinata's canine teeth also seemed to grow slightly before Sakura's eyes. The combination of the teeth, glowing eyes, and the bulging veins of her activated Byakugan gave the normally kind-faced Hinata a terrifying appearance in the darkness of the cave.

 

Naruto was so surprised by the his girlfriend's outburst that he fell flat on his butt, while Kakashi and Temari could do nothing but stare with their mouths hanging open.

 

Sakura tried to strike back with her free arm, but before she could react Hinata lightly stuck a single spot on her stomach. When Sakura attempted to mold her chakra in order to use her strength technique she found her chakra system was going haywire.

 

“Don't bother, I created an imbalance in your chakra system. You'll have worse chakra control than a third year academy student for the next fifteen minutes,” Hinata growled.

 

“Why?” Sakura gasped.

 

“Because you keep trying to hurt Naruto-kun, that's why! All he has ever tried to do was love you and be your friend, and all you ever do is yell at him and abuse him in return! How many times has Naruto-kun saved your life? Five times? Ten times? A hundred? Don't you think the very least you could do is be a little patient with him? Of course not! You'd rather spend three days bitching about why he is so anxious to help Gaara-san! Did you even stop for one second to ask him why instead of yelling at him or trying to hit him? For that matter, did you even wonder why Akatsuki is after Naruto-kun and Gaara-san in the first place?” Hinata continued in a voice that dripped with venom as she shoved Sakura against the wall, again. “I'll tell you why. Naruto-kun has the demon fox, Kyuubi, sealed within him, and Gaara-san has the Shukaku sealed within him.”

 

Hinata paused for a moment to take a deep breath. “…just like I have the Nibi sealed within me. That's why Akatsuki is after Naruto-kun and Gaara-san, and that's why they'll be after me too as soon as they figure out I'm a jinchuriki. We aren't even human to them; we're just monsters whose power they can steal. Monsters or weapons, that's are all we are to a lot of people. Naruto-kun and Gaara-san both had to grow up hated and feared by their villages. It drove Gaara-san insane; it's a miracle it didn't do the same to Naruto-kun. You try living with the fact that people fear and hate you because of something that you had no choice in. You try living in fear because you are being hunted by an organization that has every intention of killing you just so they can use the power sealed inside you to harm others. That's why Naruto-kun is so anxious to save Gaara-san, because he doesn't want Gaara-san to have to suffer anymore than he already has! HOW'S THAT FOR A REASON?” Hinata yelled as tears began to run down her face.

 

With that Hinata let go of the other teen's throat and ran off into another chamber of the cave.

 

“Hinata-chan, wait…” Naruto called out as he scrambled to his feet and chased after her. He didn't even stop to ask if Sakura was okay as he ran by.

 

Sakura slid down the cave wall until she ended up sitting on the ground, rubbing her throat.

 

“You know you had that coming, right?” Temari asked the still shocked Sakura.

 

“H-have I really been acting that bad?” Sakura asked in a trembling voice.

 

“Umm, yeah,” Temari responded in disdain. “If I was her, you'd have gotten a fan upside the head about two days ago, and you don't even want to know what I would have done if I was Naruto.”

 

“Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura asked still not wanting to believe, “Is what Hinata said about her and Naruto true? I thought the Kyuubi was killed by the Yondaime.”

 

Kakashi sighed. He should have anticipated this. Kurenai had warned him that the only times she had ever seen Hinata lose her temper, or even have one for that matter, had been when someone was insulting Naruto. Given that Sakura, despite the fact that Naruto was one of her closest friends, tended to insult, yell at, and/or hit the boy on a daily basis, something like what he'd just witnessed was almost inevitable. The best he could do now was try and explain things to Sakura and hope this didn't drive a wedge between the members of his team.

 

“Yes, Sakura, Hinata was telling the truth,” Kakashi finally answered. “Not even the Yondaime could kill the Kyuubi. It was simply too strong for any human to defeat. The only way to save the village was to seal the Kyuubi. The problem was a demon as powerful as the Kyuubi couldn't be sealed in an inanimate object. The only vessel that could hope to contain the Kyuubi was a newborn infant whose chakra system hadn't fully formed yet.”

 

“And Naruto was born on the day the Kyuubi attacked,” Sakura quietly said as the pieces began to fall into place in her mind.

 

“Yes, he was. The Yondaime's dying wish was for everyone to see Naruto as a hero for protecting the village from the Kyuubi, instead they treated him like he was the Kyuubi himself or at least possessed by it. The Sandaime Hokage ended up having to pass a law to make it illegal to reveal that the Kyuubi was sealed inside Naruto to your generation. He hoped it would allow Naruto to live a somewhat normal life. Unfortunately, the law didn't work, and the prejudices and hatred of those who were old enough to remember the Kyuubi's attack were passed on to their children,” Kakashi said with sadness evident in his voice.

 

By this point Sakura was beginning to feel horrible. She remembered how her own parents had warned her to keep away from Naruto, and she remembered hearing the parents of others in their academy class doing the same. But instead of hating or fearing Naruto, they had all interpreted their parents' words as meaning there was something wrong with him. As a result, they'd made fun of Naruto and ostracized him. Instead of correcting them, a lot of kids' parents encouraged the behavior. Sakura felt sick to her stomach. She'd never been so ashamed of herself or her village as she was at that moment. `Hinata is right, Naruto has shown me nothing but kindness, and I've treated him like dirt in return without even knowing why I was doing it. I'm just as bad as everyone else, if not worse.'

 

“W-what about Hinata?” Sakura asked. “How can she have a demon sealed in her? I know things weren't all that great for her at home, but no one ever treated her like they did Naruto.”

 

“Do you remember the story about what happened to Hinata's uncle that Neji told during his Chunin Exams match with Naruto?”

 

“I think so. The Cloud pretended to be interested in signing a peace treaty with Konoha, but they were really using the treaty as cover for an attempt to steal the Byakugan by kidnapping Hinata. Hinata's dad killed the kidnapper, who happened to be the Cloud representative to sign the treaty, and the Cloud threatened war if we didn't turn over their ninja's `murder.' Neji's father, who was Hinata's father's twin brother, took his place since his Byakugan would be sealed when he died. Right?” Sakura said.

 

“Pretty much,” Kakashi confirmed. “The reason I brought it up is that was not the first time Kumo shinobi tried to kidnapped Hinata…”

 

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Author's Note: Sorry for the cliffhanger. You'll get to hear the full story of Hinata and the Nibi in the next chapter.