Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Hidden Tactics ❯ On the Road ( Chapter 3 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Thanks to Dero-chan and Sakuradesasuke for your comments. ^_^ they are always appreciated. And yes, if i dont post more of this soon, people will start having to poke me everyday. lol. ok. onwards!


Hinata retained a shade of red through the rest of the voyage. Naruto kept giving her looks and he started worrying about her. I hope she isn’t sick. He assumed it would be all his fault if she became sick. He did make her go swimming.
“Uh, Hinata-chan?” He prodded. She hadn’t said a word to him since Kiba and Shino left them.
“Hai?” She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. In the first place, Kiba and Shino showing up while they were swimming, giving her all those knowing looks, made her regret her decision to join him. In the second, Naruto was still walking around in his boxers. They were nice boxers though, a light blue with orange foxes. Hinata shook her head. She shouldn’t let her mind wander.
“Are you feeling ok? You’re not sick are you?” he immediately approached and placed one of his hands on her forehead.
She blushed deeper before everything went black.

“It seems Hinata has already passed out.” Shino stated.
“Ha! I won the bet! I told you she wouldn’t make it to the next village.” Kiba replied.
“…” Shino gave him a look. “You’re right, she made it to the one after the one when we made that bet. It is a tossup.”
“I still won.” Kiba replied quietly. “Hey Shino, what is the color of your boxers?”
“I refuse to answer that.”
“What? Mine are white and green and well, Naruto’s are visual. Come on Shino, tell me please?”
“No.”
“Akamaru, get him!”
“Akamaru, do not make me hurt you.” Shino gave the dog such a look that Akamaru, the huge white dog that he was, shivered and backed down.
“SHINO! WHAT DID YOU DO TO AKAMARU!”
“You shouldn’t have gotten him involved. And don’t ask silly questions like that.”
Kiba turned away from the argument. “So, should we go help Naruto? He really is having a hard time with Hinata.”
Shino turned to watch the pair. Hinata apparently woke up in Naruto’s arms and now Naruto was a shade of red. Not as bright as Hinata’s beat red one, but still, it was noticeably bright. “What happened?”
“Naruto was carrying her and she woke up.”
“I see that, but why is Naruto red?”
“Oh, well, you see Hinata woke up when Naruto’s hand was in a awkward place.”
“…” Shino stared at Kiba. “Kiba, don’t tell me anymore.” He shook his head before turning back to the pair. All of a sudden he felt Kiba move.
“AH HA! Plaid! Shino, I’d never expect you to wear plaid boxers.”
“Kiba, there are two things you never do, one disagree with me, and two pull down my pants to see my boxers.” Light gleamed off Shino’s sunglasses and bugs covered Kiba’s face.
“Shino! Get them off of me! NOW!” Kiba stated before everything went dark.
Shino shook his head and cleared away his bugs. “Now Kiba, do you remember not to mess with me?”

Things started to look up for Naruto. When his hand slipped onto Hinata’s behind she didn’t notice. The fact that Kiba and Shino did not show up when Hinata fainted was also a plus. It meant he didn’t have to deal with the two of them giving him a hard time and stating that he wasn’t taking good care of their team mate.
Hinata was doing better. Naruto refused to let her down after she fainted claiming that she was overworking herself. It let him hold her for at least a couple of hours. Her face lost some of the redness that was present before. It looked like it was returning to its normal color.
Naruto was also surprise that she didn’t try to pull away from him after he wouldn’t let her down the first time. She seemed content to let him carry her the rest of the way. She worried about him though.
“Naruto-kun… are you sure you are ok? I can walk. I swear to you I am fine,” She stated again, each time though her voice seemed to lose its conviction.
“Hinata-chan, for the hundredth time, I’m fine. Let me carry you. I’m not letting you become sick,” His voice never lost its conviction though. He wasn’t annoyed with the girl, he just didn’t want to let her go.
She sighed then resigned herself to resting her head against his shoulder. “Naruto-kun.. This is a tad bit uncomfortable.” She smiled and Naruto shook his head and let her have the last comment.

“Ugh, next time you put one of your bugs on me, I swear, I will kill you Shino.” Kiba groaned. Shino eyes looked at Kiba who was still trying to get all the bugs out of his hair. He could have easily called them off, but after Kiba pulled his pants down, he thought it would be going too easy on him if he did.
“Glad to hear that Kiba, next time you will not anger me so,” Shino replied. For the remainder of the journey all Shino heard was Kiba’s complaints and threats. He knew his teammate better than that though. While Kiba might do something like pulling someone else’s pants down, he would never hurt a fellow teammate. Shino looked back at Naruto and Hinata. “Hey Kiba, can Akamaru hear what they are saying?”
“Hai, they are going into the same argument they have been having this entire time. Hinata keeps asking if Naruto is ok carrying her, and Naruto is being stubborn about letting her down, you know Shino, it will be good to tease Hinata about this later.” Kiba’s mind obviously forgot its revenge on Shino and was planning on new ways to embarrass Hinata.
Shino sighed and let the subject drop. At least Kiba wouldn’t be planning something too horrible for getting back at me if he already forgotten it.

“Hinata-chan, we’re here,” Naruto stated as he grudgingly let the girl down.
“Hai. Arigato”
“Where are we supposed to go again?” Naruto felt awkward without her warm body in his arms. She looked fine on her feet he had to admit, but something about her presence next to him was starting to worry him. He found himself looking at everyone in their immediate vicinity to determine who was a threat to Hinata.
“Uh… This way.” She said as she started to walk off. Naruto walked behind her quietly still staring around.
They walked around in silence for about twenty minutes. Finally Naruto started becoming agitated. He wanted ramen. “Hinata-chan, where are we going? Can we get some ramen first? Please, please, please?”
“Uh.. We should be there shortly” Hinata responded paying more attention to where they were headed than Naruto’s tone. “I think we’re lost…” She looked over her shoulder at him.
“Ramen, I smell ramen! Let’s get some ramen!” Naruto grabbed Hinata by the wrist and dragged her off. They came to a stop in front of the ramen shop. “RAMEN!” He flopped himself into the chair and ordered his first bowl.
Hinata smiled and sat opposite of him. “Shouldn’t we find the hotel before it gets too dark?”
“Nah, Hinata-chan, order some ramen. Its on me so order as much as you like!” He smiled up at her through another mouth full of ramen.
“Arigato Naruto-kun.”

“Woah, Naruto is sharing his ramen with Hinata?” Kiba stated blatantly.
Shino shrugged, “where is this hotel again?”
“Right there.” Kiba’s finger pointed to the building next door to the ramen shop. “Poor Hinata, she is going to be sick of ramen by the end of this trip.”
Shino glanced at him, “I don’t think so.”
“You want to bet? I think she will be. How about $10?”
“…” Shino looked at the duo before he nodded slightly to Kiba’s bet.
“You know I’m going to win this one too!”
“Kiba, we’ve been over this, you did not win the last bet. It was a toss up.”
“Awe, you’re just jealous Shino since I have all the luck.”
“…” Shino glance again at Kiba, “Do you think we should help Hinata? She did seem a little torn up about not finding the hotel.”
“Hai, let’s go.”
Shino shook his head at his furry teammate and the two of them headed into the shop.

Hinata saw her old teammates walk into the ramen shop. She wanted to go ask them where the hotel was but they weren’t supposed to know one another. “Naruto-kun, do you want me to get you another bowl?”
“Ai!” his mouth was still stuffed full of ramen. Hinata closed her eyes slightly to keep the image from burning into her mind. She could barely keep from laughing as it was. “Um.. Excuse me, can I get another bowl please?” She didn’t even meet the man’s eyes when she asked. Then she walked purposely by Shino and Kiba. “Awe! What a cute dog! What’s his name?” Hinata was very good at pretending she didn’t recognize her own teammates.
“Akamaru” Kiba answered. He bent down slightly and patted Akamaru’s head while his head closed the distance to Hinata’s ear. “That hotel you are looking for is next door.”
“Arigato,” she whispered. “Bye Akamaru!” She patted the dog one more time before she took off with Naruto’s ramen.

“ARGH!”
“Kiba, if you are going to have those type of reactions, you do realize that we could have had a nice bed right?”
“WHAT?!?! AND LEAVE AKAMARU OUTSIDE BY HIMSELF?”
“…You need a girlfriend.”
“What about you Shino? I haven’t seen any girls around you either.”
“Truth be told, I have a girlfriend, she’s not a ninja, but it doesn’t matter.”
“Wait, I never knew this.. Who is she? Do I know her? Does she have a sister?”
“…” Shino turned slightly onto his side. “Night Kiba.”
“WAIT! Shino! Tell me! Does she have a sister?”
“… Will that make you quiet?”
“Hai!”
“Yes, she does have a sister, but I’m not setting you up with her.”
“Why not? I’m a good guy.”
“… Her sister is two.”
“… oh” Kiba thought of waiting for this mysterious sister but that thought was stomped out of his mind immediately. “Night”

“Hinata-chan? Can I come in?” Naruto asked quietly at the door.
“Hai.”
Naruto entered the room and looked at the girl. She was something to look at when she wore his pajama shirt with the clouds and little seals, but in her own pale purple pajamas with small moons on them all he wanted to do was look at her. “Hinata-chan, you look really great.” His eyes traveled quickly up her pajamas to rest on her face. “What did you do to your hair?”
“Braid so it will not be a problem tomorrow. Night Naruto-kun.”
“Night… hey Hinata, what is your family like? I heard a little from Neji”
“Hmm.. Well, I don’t know how to describe them. Neji and I are two different parts, he’s in the branch house and I’m in the main. It’s strict I guess. My dad and I don’t really see eye to eye. I… I don’t really know.” her head turned towards him. “What about you? I know you do not have a family, but what is it like on your own?”
He looked at her, her white eyes barely visible in the dark. But he knew she was there and she was giving him all her attention. “uh.. Well, you know. Lonely.” He blinked. He didn’t mean to say that. If it was anyone else then he would never have admitted it, but with Hinata… It was different.
She inched over to him and grabbed his hand. “You are never alone Naruto-kun. You have your friends, your teachers, and your teammates.”
“Arigato Hinata-chan. Night.”
“Night…” She whispered. Her hand still clenched in his fist when he fell asleep yet her eyes remained open for a while after his snores could be heard. lonely, she never imagined Naruto as feeling lonely but since he said it she could not believe how she could have missed that. Her thoughts raced and when she did sleep she imagined what it would be like to be in Naruto’s position.