Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Twice Shy - Story Completion ❯ Rebirth ( Chapter 10 )

Twice Shy - A Continuation
By eternalshiva

DameWren has given permission to anyone that wants to continue her wonderful fic Two Halves which I intend to do. I greatly appreciate any feedback / comments.

AN - “Rebirth: To deal with issues that have been avoided or, alternatively, to give another chance to recover what was previously thought to be lost.” Something to ponder while you rage on Hiashi for his dastardly deeds.

Oh and Mature Warning - Lemon-ish behavior ahead. If you don't like heavy sexual behaviour gtfo I originally intended to put the first lime here but 437 happened and my original plans came second. :P

If you don't like lemon / lime just skip the part where the * * * changes to * - * - *. You won't miss anything story wise, just stickiness, fluff and cavities. Where's my toothbrush?

Thank you Hinata's Husband for the beta, I appreciate all the hard work you do.

Disclaimer -
I do not make any monies off this fanfic. Naruto is copyright of Masashi Kishimoto. Sora, Yasu, Miki, Nori, Dango, Kaze Clan, and Shivani are all copyright of DameWren.

Chapter 10
Rebirth

Tsunade exploded through the doors of the critical care unit. She was furious, outraged and utterly scared to death. Naruto was barely hanging on as red chakra seeped out of the seal, attempting to heal the internal damage to no avail. The watery mud from the conjured landslide had filled his lungs and he was literally drowning in front of her.

`How can he be in such bad shape? He's Naruto!' She was confused at how much damage the boy had taken, it didn't make sense.

“We need to get oxygen to him somehow, he's dying!” she shouted at the nurses who were startled at her sudden outburst. “Get me Sakura and Shizune, NOW!”

Naruto twitched in his state as he tried to take a breath, causing bubbling sounds to be emitted from his mouth. Her brain went into overdrive as she looked around the area through which they were running. Without a second thought she grabbed a pen from a nearby desk, took out the ink tube from it, and stabbed him between the ribs near the bottom of the ribcage and, enveloping the pen tube with chakra, she began to carefully pull at the foreign water inside. Almost immediately brown sludge began to seep out and the boy gurgled again, his face losing the greyness of death to a less than reassuring white.

“Where are my assistants!” she roared, things weren't moving fast enough. As the bed they were pushing slammed into the treatment room, Tsunade immediately began to scan him quickly with a diagnostic jutsu. Although her eyes were closed in concentration, she could see that his chakra coils were out of whack and he couldn't heal properly. The wound on his side was festering with a huge amount of paralysis poison and from what she could tell, the mud had a special property in it that absorbed natural chakra.  

`Don't you dare die! I've got no one else willing to take this god-forsaken job.' She thought, angry at how out of control the current situation was. Sakura was the first to arrive, her green eyes locked on Naruto and she bit her lower lip in worry. Tsunade opened her eyes as the girl rushed in and shook her head before she could even ask anything.

“He's not in good shape. We need to clear out that mud from his system, it's preventing him from healing.” She spoke quickly. The urgency in her tone brought Sakura back to reality.

“Because of that, the poison in his wound is seeping into the circulatory system and if it makes it to his brain before we can stimulate his natural healing chakra, he's as good as dead.” She sighed in frustration.

“Wh-What, how could that be, it was just an earth jutsu!” Sakura said in disbelief.

“That's what I would like to know.” Tsunade said in a low threatening voice, her mind taking a turn to darker matters as she wondered who could be behind this vicious attack on the young shinobi.

Sakura threw on her medical garbs and grabbed a sample of the mud leaking out of the makeshift tube. She observed that the set up was crude but effective, only her master would have thought of this on the fly. Shizune joined them several minutes later, having already been briefed. She set to work on an antidote while Sakura pulled out the mud from her best friend's lungs and stomach as quickly as possible.

* * *

Hinata woke several hours later in the hospital, her body ached and she subconsciously reached to her left, where Naruto would naturally be. Her hand touched the cold steel of the bed bars and she was confused for a moment, her addled brain having forgotten the events of the exam.

“Hinata-sama, shush. Go back to sleep.” She heard Neji's voice in the darkness and she frowned.

“Where's Naruto?” she tried to say but her throat wouldn't work. An odd rasp escaped her lips instead as she felt her cousin's hand on her forehead. She felt the tingle of his chakra against her skin before darkness swallowed her again.

Neji sighed as he pushed her dark indigo hair from her tear stained face as he thought back on the day. He had followed Tsunade when she realized that Naruto was in trouble, throwing her kage garbs aside at the arena, Gaara was in the middle of doing the same when she had ordered him to stay there and watch over the rest of the exams.

The Hyuuga genius wasn't sure how one Kage ordered another around but Gaara hadn't argued with her. Maybe it was the frightened look on her face or Hinata's cry of rage but Neji hadn't thought twice about jumping over the fence of the arena, ignoring his uncle's cry of objection, racing to his collapsed cousin in Sakura's arms. Taking the still-breathing burden onto himself, he was disgusted at the scene before him, knowing full well his uncle had instigated this.

Once Hinata had been taken from her, Sakura had punched the ground near their friend who was still partially trapped in the hardened mud, loosening the debris carefully, avoiding as much added injury as possible. Neji could see with his Byakugan the demon's chakra taking over the shinobi, trying to help him but there was something keeping it from acting normally. Naruto's chakra was nowhere in the mix of the Kyuubi's. Naruto had one eye half open in his unconscious state and to Neji's shock it was no longer blue but shimmering red with a single slit. He realized that there was a good chance Naruto wasn't going to make it.

His thoughts turned to his uncle. The last time he had seen his face with such a drastic unreadable emotion was when his father had died. He wasn't sure what to make of that look nor was he able to really describe what it meant. The man had a lot of explaining to do once Hinata was well enough to deal with him. His eyes lingered a moment longer on Hinata's sleeping form.

Neji had to admit that he was more than impressed with Shina-to-Be and he had been mesmerized when she had summoned a large silver falcon to swoop her down in an attack that had disposed of the unknown branch member. It was then he realized that Hinata had many secrets and he wondered if she thought of him as trustworthy enough to share them with him someday.

* * *

Sweat poured off Shizune's brow while she performed the seal around their charge. They had managed to slow the poison enough to give them time to figure out what was going on with the strange mud. Sakura had determined that this jutsu's effects would last until the victim ran out of chakra.

Sakura had let out a bitter laugh after she said the last words. Naruto had infinite chakra, no thanks to the demon. They had to stop his chakra somehow so they could begin healing him but they couldn't figure out how to stop the Kyuubi's chakra without killing him.

“Damn it!” Tsunade yelled out, her fist connecting with the wall, cracking it.

Sakura looked away from her master and thought about the problem. Naruto did not have any of his own chakra active, it was completely absorbed by the mud's properties. The layer of mud inside his system was attached to him, like glue, sticking to the active chakra. If the just cut the chakra off, the poison would go into full force inside the circulatory system. They needed to cut off the chakra, then cut off the poison from the circulatory system. It was complicated.

The seal that started from the wound on his side and spread out to the floor in a diamond formation was slowing it down but she couldn't figure out what was wrong with the correct antidote. It was a relatively simple poison that should turn into proteins after initial treatment but everything they had tried was useless. The poison kept overwhelming the antidote.

`Is it because the chakra absorption is refuelling the poison proteins? Could this be a chakra poison?' she wondered. It suddenly became clear: this poison was fuelled by the mud's ability.

“What if the poison is directly connected to the mud's properties?” she said aloud without really meaning to. Tsunade glanced at her with a curious look.

“What?” The hokage looked down at Naruto again. His skin was clammy and grey, his breathing erratic. She pushed a lid upwards to check on his eyes and they were still red, still feral.

“Look! The mud has the component that absorbs the natural chakra, correct?” Sakura's mind started working a mile a minute. Tsunade raised an eyebrow in thought.

“Correct.”

“It's storing the chakra, which is confusing. But when we try to counter the poison, nothing is working. I think there's something in the poison that utilises the stored chakra and counters the antidote.”

“That doesn't make sense, are you saying that the chakra is the poison itself?”

“Sort of, the more the mud absorbs the more powerful the poison becomes, that's probably why shizune's having such a hard time controlling the spread. The Kyuubi is fuelling, unintentionally, the spread of the poison.” She wasn't sure if she was making sense but she could see it clearly in her mind, words were failing her in simplifying it.

Tsunade eyes widen in understanding. “Get me Neji and Hinata.”

* * *

-You little shit, how long are you going to sit there?-

“Huh?” Naruto blinked in confusion as a voice in the darkness stirred him from his lulled stupor. What was he doing again? He couldn't remember.

-How much longer are you going to sit there? I'm getting pretty sick of keeping our ass alive.- the voice hissed, a low rumble made his skin crawl and his senses screamed “Danger! Danger!” Naruto narrowed his eyes in the direction of the voice, it was too dark. He began to walk ahead and could hear his feet sloshing through water until he saw one large red eye stare at him behind bars, white teeth flashed a moment as Naruto approached.

“What do you want?” he gave the Kyuubi an annoyed glare, wondering how had landed inside the sewer of his mind. The sealed bijuu was the last thing he wanted to see or talk to.

- They're going to shut my chakra down to save your sorry insignificant ass so you better have some of your own left or we're both going to die.- he spat out, Naruto recoiled a little from the sting of the venomous reply, the rumble from the kyuubi's growl was loud enough that he could feel it in his own chest.

What he didn't know was that he had made the exact same rumble on the operating mat, startling the three women trying to save him out of their conversation, Sakura let out a nervous laugh while Tsunade frowned in concern.

`Why would they shut down his chakra? What is he talking about?' he wondered before unknowingly slipping back into the previous stupor from which the fox had just dragged him.

* * *

Neji carried his cousin bridal style through the operating room after the Hokage had requested their presence. Hinata had been roughly awoken and after the short briefing by Sakura she had demanded to go, leaving no room for discussion.

Hinata had not been prepared for what she saw nor did she mean to let out her small cry of shock. She felt Neji give her a gentle squeeze in response as they both stood before the sprawled out form of Naruto. She wasn't used to seeing him so vulnerable. His skin had a wet, ashen look, and his hair seemed to have lost the vibrant yellow color, seemingly having been replaced with dried out rotten straw. The buoyancy was gone and it laid flat and lifeless against his skin and the table. His cheek's whisker marks were dark and his breathing unnaturally laboured.

“What's do we need to do?” Neji asked watching Hinata absorbing the dire condition of the man she loved.

“I need you two to shut down all the chakra in his system, including the ...foreign sources.” Tsunade spoke softly. The two Hyuuga stared at her unblinking. Neji frowned and Hinata's mouth opened slightly in disbelief.

“That's -“ Hinata started, her looked down to Naruto, worried.

“Yes I know but we need to stop three serious problems with Naruto. The first is the Kyuubi chakra. It's feeding the other two problems - The lethal paralysis poison and the natural chakra absorption jutsu preventing him from being able to recover.” Neji looked down onto Naruto in deep thought while Hinata twitched in his arms, her thoughts turning dark.

“W-Wh-what do you w-want us t-to do?” she stuttered out, fear of failing her boyfriend's need of her was slipping in and Neji was taken aback by her receding confidence. Tsunade gave her a calculated look as she considered the meaning behind her stutter. She couldn't afford to have the heiress doubt herself.

Tsunade walked over to the kunoichi and met her almost nose to nose, her eyes hard. Hinata blinked in surprise but did not move.

“Do you wish to save him?” Tsunade asked. The weight of the words could have easily been a slap in the face to Hinata. Her six simple words had the desired effect, and Hinata wasted no time in nodding.

“Does Naruto have complete and total trust in your abilities?” she asked her again. Hinata nodded again, feeling slight shame at doubting herself. Tsunade walked away from her, crossing her arms as she watched the boy she considered her own grandson continue his struggle.

“Put me down Neji, please.” Hinata asked timidly. Complying, her put her down and held her elbow as she stood up, her legs shaky. Tsunade began to assign each person's role.

“Hinata, since you are the most familiar with Naruto, I need you to keep an eye on the two chakra and let me know when they are mixing together again naturally. I need you to hit the chakra points here-“ Tsunade pointed at several reachable areas for her to hit.

“Neji you will flood the active foreign matter insider his stomach and lungs.” Neji nodded and activated his Byakugan, searching the areas mentioned. He could see the mass inside his friend and how it was disturbing the natural flow of chakra. Hinata had already had activated hers quietly and watched the swirls of the Kyuubi chakra escaping his body.

“Beautiful.” She whispered to herself as her fingers reached out to touch the invisible swirls, they looked like flames licking his skin.  

“Sakura, you will have exactly fifteen seconds to remove the rest of the inactive mud from inside the lungs.” Sakura nodded, already pushing the chakra into her fists.

“Shizune, do what you can to stop the poison from moving.” She looked at the woman on the floor who was deep in concentration.

“I will administer the antidote the second Sakura pulls the remaining mud out. Hinata you are in charge to seek out Naruto's natural chakra and yank it back out to the surface. Kyuubi's chakra should mix in gradually.” She sighed, worn out from anxiety over what they were about to do. They only had a few seconds to do this before Shizune lost control of the chakra fuelling the poison.

“On the count of three. One. Two. Three.” Tsunade was the first to move, cutting the chakra to Naruto's heart.

Uzumaki Naruto had officially died at 11:59 pm on October 9.

Hinata and Neji's followed through with their hands quickly hitting all the required points, Neji flooded the mud with his chakra, neutralizing it. Hinata felt a little alarmed when the firery glow of the kyuubi's chakra disappeared but tried not to dwell on it as Sakura's green medical chakra glowed over Naruto's chest.

The pink haired kunoichi grunted in effort as she slowly moved from his stomach, passing the bottom of his rib cage up towards the throat. The bubbling sound coming from his mouth was unnerving. She had to suppress a gag when she pulled out a large amount of black goo from his mouth. Shizune began to sweat even more as she felt the progression of the chakra-fuelled poison push against the makeshift seal on the boy, exhaustion was setting in.

“Out!” Sakura yelled as she threw the sludge away from them, panting. Tsunade quickly moved her hands near Naruto's neck and released the antidote into the artery. She gave Hinata a nod, indicating it was her turn.

Hinata focused her Byakugan onto the seal and refined her focus, expanded the net of her Byakugan but she could not get a pull on the feel of his chakra. There was nothing there.

* * *

The insatiable rumble from the Kyuubi suddenly stopped and the overwhelming presence of the demon disappeared. Almost immediately Naruto shivered as a coldness started to seep into the space he was in and it confused him.

“Hey, where did you go?” his voice echoed in the sewer. His face scrunched up, annoyed at being left alone in the one place he knew with one hundred percent certainty he would never be alone. He was starting to feel numb from the cold seeping in from… well he wasn't sure where it was coming from.

`I don't see any windows.' He thought, scratching his cheek absently. He yawned, feeling sleepy and he laid down on top of the receding water.

`What was I doing again?'

“Nar..t…” he heard a small feminine voice. Intrigued, he sat up and turned towards it but was met with the endless darkness. He frowned, wanting to hear her again. He called out in curiosity.

No answer, not even an echo.

“Yo… chak… release…” There. Again. He perked up and strained to hear; it was so broken and faint he could barely make out who it was. A fleeting memory of a girl with dark hair and creamy lilac eyes flashed before him, her smile jogged something in him.

“Hinata?”

He could feel the warmth of her chakra prod him and he wondered absentmindedly why she was doing that. He pushed with his own in response and smiled as she pushed back. Their little game of tug-and-war kept him interested and he continued to pull and push, determine to win the game. Gradually, the feeling of warmth returned to the inner sewers of Naruto's mind and he didn't even mind when the large red eye of the Kyuubi opened slowly, safely behind the sealed cage.

* * *

“Got it!” she shouted excitedly as she coaxed the chakra out of the seal on his belly with the use of her own as a guide. The kyuubi chakra followed soon behind it, mixing together as usual and she sighed in relief.

Tsunade reached down over Naruto's chest, a green glow fizzed in the tense air as she reconnected the chakra threads to the shinobi's heart. Everyone held their breath as they waited, seconds seems to drag on for hours. Hinata watched the chakra coils flare as they reached the heart and it gave a solid beat. Naruto took his first full breath without the rattling hollow sound of the mud and everyone let out a cheer.

Hinata smiled as she quickly glanced around, thinking no one was looking her way that moment, leaned over and kissed the seal on his stomach, relieved. Neji looked away from the intimate display of affection, a bit embarrassed but he let out a small smiled glad to see her spark back. Tsunade was overwhelmed with emotion and could only laugh while Sakura and Shizune collapsed panting, exhausted from the extensive use of chakra. Sakura, who had long ago shed her reputation as the girl who was always quick to cry, had tears in her eyes, relieved that they had succeeded.

“This calls for a drink.” Tsunade announced, pleased with herself. Hinata let out a small laugh in response, she wasn't sure if she wanted to cry or scream in glee. With her byakugan still active, watched carefully as the chakra coils filled again with his essence, it was almost as bright as the sun.  She reached out with her fingers, following the swirl of the disappearing seal.

Uzumaki Naruto was reborn at 12:01 am on October 10.

* * *

The elders from the Hyuuga house were in an uproar as the night carried on, Hiashi pinched his nose in frustration as he listen the drabbles of old men and women arguing over the pride of the Gentle Fist and the vessel. Hinata's display of skill today had been more than he would have ever expected, she even killed the hired hand in the process of protecting what was precious to her. Her chakra control had increased by leaps and bounds, her fighting style was deadly and he was beyond pleased when she summoned the noble animal.

“The heir must be a master in the Gentle Fist, she has dirtied the doctrines!” an old man from the left shouted, enraged at the thought of the young woman's battle.

“But she has mastered the fist skilfully, she's embellished the doctrines by utilising a quick assassin-like taijutsu.” Hiashi countered the claim. He stared at the small crowd before him, his stare unwavering. The room grew silent as they couldn't counter his argument, he was right. Hinata had definitely enhanced the art.

“Her choice for a partner is unacceptable. The Kyuubi vessel will bring disgrace to the clan.”

Hiashi let out a small sigh and had to remind them again who had been the one to brutally destroy the elite ninja in the arena and throw the heiress out of harm way before they had both been affected by the conjured jutsu.

Silence again was his answer.

“I have done as you requested, tested the skill of both Hinata and her chosen partner.” He narrowed his eyes at the man before him, the leader of the elders.

“You did not however, inform me that this would include a man that could very well kill the heiress and could potentially endanger the village by releasing the Kyuubi with a jutsu that repressed Naruto's control over the bijuu.” The older man looked away, a hard line forming on his jaw from clenching his teeth. He refused to admit his mistake and he knew full well what this could mean to their clan.

“I do hope that the council of elders will be forward with the truth when I am questioned by the Hokage on why I would do a traitorous act such as attempting to murder my daughter, her lover and releasing the Kyuubi on the village.” He calmly spoke the words but his killing intent was suffocating, several elders in the room shifted uncomfortably. Hiashi would not be a victim of their decision again.

The elders reluctantly nodded and Hiashi felt some relief sink into him. The Hyuuga needed a change and he knew exactly what it was but getting there was going to be more than complicated. He was already a wanted man.

* * *

The village was bustling with energy that morning, the buzz of exam's results was a hot topic. The other battles that day had paled in excitement compared to the Uzumaki/Hyuuga battle.  Most of the adults were struck by a torn emotion since this was the day Naruto was hated the most but they were celebrating him for his recent accomplishments. Had Naruto been conscious, he would have been embarrassed by the display of outward affection by the villagers, maybe even confused.

Hinata watched him sleep that morning, whispering “happy birthday” in his ear before leaving his room for a while. Tsunade had forced him into a comatose state to allow his body to recover. She already missed him, but she couldn't stand around all day waiting for him to wake up, she had something important to do today.

She pushed the door and blinked quickly as the sun blinded her a moment, she took a deep breath trying to calm herself and set out towards her home. Neji had told her earlier that morning that her father had gone to the Hokage's office after a full squad of ANBU appeared at the compound and taken him away.  

* * *

“You've put the village in a precarious diplomatic situation Hiashi.” Tsunade spoke with an edge in her voice that made the clan leader wince. She leaned against her elbows on the desk, her fingers linked in front of her face, just below the eyes and continued to stare at him, trying to peel the layers of secrecy.

“Where is the Rock ninja?”

“At my estates.” He answered. “Very much alive, enjoying himself in the hot baths, rich foods, and various delicacies we can offer him in trade for the agreement he signed.”

“He agreed to trade places with the man Hinata killed?”

“Yes. This was not supposed to happen.”

“Who was the man in the arena?”

“A very talented branch member named Suko, chosen by the elders for this clan mission. I was not aware of his abilities as the elders kept that information for themselves. From what I understand after this ordeal, his capability was near ANBU level.”

Tsunade snorted in disbelief and slammed her hands down onto the desk. “You mean to tell me this was some elaborate scheme to see if your daughter was good enough to be clan leader? You allowed her to fight a man like that? Are you serious?” Hiashi gave her a quick nervous glance and frowned slightly.

“Yes. They wanted to see if she was capable of utilising the skills of a clan leader properly and they also wanted to test Naruto as her partner.” He spoke carefully then realized once he'd described the plan out loud, it seemed ridiculous.

“That's utterly foolish Hiashi. Are you really a clan leader or just the elder's pawn?” she laughed bitterly at the question, thinking on her own situation with the elder's council for the village. Hiashi shifted uncomfortably under her glare. She looked away from him, got up from her desk and looked outside her window, deep in thought.

“Since the exam was not a complete failure, the Rock ninja are safe and the only death was from inside the village, I will agree to promote the two Rock ninja as an apologetic sign and avoid a possible war.” She looked over her shoulder, her lips pressed together as she thought of the next bit, Hiashi had opened a door for her here.

“Was Hinata successful in convincing the clan she has earned her place as heir?” Hiashi sighed, this is what he had been waiting for.

“Yes, she has met and gone beyond the expectations of the clan elders.” Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the thought of that council. She had the power to stop this insanity and she would.

“As for you Hiashi. You will step down as the Hyuuga clan leader and I am ordering your clan to disband the current group of elders, after yesterday and the documentation provided by you, they are no longer recognized by the Leaf as a council that seeks to keep the villagers safe. Choose the next generation of elders carefully.” She gave him a hard look, his silence confirmed his agreement.

“You are to choose Neji as regent for your clan until Hinata is old enough to take on the responsibility to lead.” He blinked in response.

“Neji, as regent and ambassador, will report to me every single meeting that happens within your clan. He will be my eyes and ears until Hinata takes full control, no decisions shall be made without her final consent. Take this as your clan's last warning about their traitorous behaviour Hiashi. I will not tolerate this any longer.” Tsunade spat out the last bit of her warning.

“As of today you are dismissed as a recognized clan leader in the village and removed from the village council. I formally request that Neji and Hinata replace you as the Hyuuga clan representatives.” She turned away, disgusted with him. Hiashi bowed deeply behind her before leaving the office.

He was shocked, no words could express his relief. He had expected to be executed or to be banished from the village. He did not expect this generous act from Tsunade. It dawned on him that she had understood in the end what he had initiated, what he had subtly said in reports to her regarding this event.

She had understood that the current council of elders in the Hyuuga compound had the power to refuse his chosen heir as leader, refuse her chosen partner and take away everything she worked hard to obtain. Tsunade had seen through it all and given him the window of opportunity he needed to make sure his daughter was properly taken care of, her future secured as leader and Naruto was beyond their manipulative reach.

`This was for the good of the clan.' He thought with sadness.

* * *

Hinata put her chin on her knees as she stared into the family garden pond, her bare feet squishing in the grass. She had her right hand dangling over the edge, playing with the ripples of water the fish produced as they swam by. She didn't know how to take her father's role in Naruto's current state. When Neji had told her earlier this afternoon that her father had been dismissed as clan leader she had been shocked but once her cousin had gone into the details as to why, she shut down everything inside her. Her mind had gone blank and a strange void had formed inside her abdomen.

She felt nothing inside her, she was drained, betrayed. Neji had unwillingly left her here, saying he would return later to join her for the festival since he was now regent and had to sort out the mess caused by the council of elders. She had said nothing and sat down, feeling numb.

The fish in the pond suddenly scampered as a shadow appeared behind her. She stiffened and felt an unwanted lump in her throat form, recognizing the footsteps she had always feared, the footsteps that had always intimidated her in the past. Right now they disgusted her.

“Hinata I...” her father began to speak, wanting her forgiveness.

“Go away.” She whispered, her throat tight. She wasn't ready to talk to him yet. Her voice shook under the emotion and Hiashi's shoulders dropped in resignation.

“As you wish.”

It was several minutes before Hiashi heard Hinata's mournful cry in the garden, her heavy heart on his conscience and for the first time in several years since his wife had passed away, he felt like a broken man.

* * *

Hanabi walked ahead of her sister and cousin, losing herself in the crowd at the village festival, she laughed as several fox masks were worn by the villagers, she was in awe at the shadow puppet show depicting the great Yondaime's defeat of the Kyuubi. Hinata smiled as her sister won a goldfish, ate dango, and met with her classmates from the ninja school.

Hinata wore a light orange silk Kimono with black lotus flowers, her long Hair was pulled up with the very first pair of hair sticks Naruto had given her, it was his birthday today but most of the villagers would not know that. She had wanted to spend the day with him, his first birthday back in the village. This was supposed to be a happy occasion for them now but he was still deeply asleep.

“Neji.” Hinata looked up to her cousin, he looked down at her, his eyes attentive.

“I can do as I please?” she spoke softly, her eyes seeming far away, her heart still raw from the betrayal of her father. Neji gave her a soft smile that she did not see, she was focused on Hanabi. Her sister had arrived at a shrine, celebrating the lives of those who had died in the attack. Her younger sister had put her hands together in prayer.

“You can do as you please.” He spoke barely above a whisper in the crowd but she still heard him. Her heart beat a little quicker as she made up her mind.

“I need time... to think things through. To forgive the Hyuuga for what they have done.” Neji nodded in understanding as she continued. “I will be finding my own place as of tomorrow.”

“Are you running away?” He asked her, doubtful. She shook her head and smiled bitterly.

“You cannot run from your destiny, you must grab it with both your hands and take it by the horn.” She answered. Neji gave her a quizzical look. “But my hands are bleeding and I do not have the strength or the power to forgive my destiny at the moment.” She looked at him while walking towards the shrine, preparing her own prayer in her mind.

“Although you have explained to me why father did what he has done, I am not strong enough to forgive him, not strong enough to believe in my forgiveness. I do not want to be around him or the elders until I can feel pride again in our clan.” She tied a ribbon to the shrine, her eyes closed as her hands met, and bowed her head before the dead and whispered one last thing to him as she prepared to pray.

“Pray for my father Neji, he will need it more than me.” Her eyes held the promise of leadership, of change and Neji's doubt of resolve vanished.

Hanabi's small clap at the end of her prayer echoed as she giggled, her wish made. It broke the heavy air between the two older siblings, Hinata smiled as she watched Hanabi skip away towards more dango treats, Neji frowned when his younger cousin stopped to tease a dark haired boy wearing a fox mask.

“Hmm.” he said, weary of the similarity between the boy's antics and a certain blond.

“Isn't that Konohamaru?” she asked, light laughter slipping through. Neji grunted.

“The apple doesn't seem to fall far from the tree.” He replied. Hinata hit him playfully on the arm as they walked in the crowd. He chuckled as they let themselves be swallowed up by the festivities.

* * *

Hinata made her way to the hospital, cutting through the smaller alleys, relishing the feel of the wind on her overheated skin. She was exhausted, having spent the day signing papers, writing reports for the hokage, and most importantly, finding a new place that she and Naruto would like.

Thankfully Neji had taken control of everything after a while and nearly shoved her out the door telling her that she was not the full clan leader yet and he would take care of the details, giving her a report later before she signed off on anything. She had been grateful since the arguing was still ongoing.

The elders had taken their dismissal very hard. They were offended, claiming that they would get this reversed by the council. She had snorted in response reminding them of who represented the village council and what their crime was. They had remained silent after that.

The village was on its second day of celebrations, and preparations were underway for the fireworks display that night. She hoped Naruto would wake up and maybe watch them with her from his hospital room. She smiled as villagers congratulated her on her exam win, and those who had heard of her father's dismissal gave her their condolences and congratulations for her own rise in power in the same breath. She didn't really know how to react to their praises so she merely smiled and thanked them.

She pushed the entry door open and stepped inside the hospital, making her way to Naruto's room. She came across Tsunade on her way up.

“Ah Hinata, just the girl I was looking for.” The hokage smiled at her.

“How can I be of service?” she answered politely, not sure what she wanted.

“Nothing my dear, just letting you know that we took Naruto off the drug regimen, he's doing a lot better now.” She winked at the kunoichi before walking away, giving her a small wave.

Hinata smiled as she pressed on to his room, closing the door behind her. She watched his chest rise slowly and soundlessly, reassured he was still well and alive. She sat down near the window and watched the village life below, waiting for him to wake up.

* - * - *
Naruto stirred in the dark room, he could feel a hand on his and he twitched under it. He felt the smaller hand squeeze his.

“Hey.” Hinata leaned closer to him, her smile visible even in the dark.

“Hey.” Naruto responded in a raspy voice. She reached over to the small side table and brought a glass of water to his lips to which he greedily drank from. He sat up slowly, wincing at the stiffness of his limbs.

“How are you feeling?” She asked, her voice sounded like music again, it enthralled him, he always wanted to hear more of it.

“I'm ok. I just feel a little stiff from sleeping. How long was I out?” he stretched out his arms, trying to clear out the cramps.

“Almost three days.”

He blinked. Three days?

“Wow. Did we win?” he searched for her eyes in the dark and was a bit confused when she didn't answer him.

“Hina-chan, did we win?” he asked her again, he put his arms down and pulled her into him gently. The feel of him around her broke the very thin wall she had formed the last three days worrying about him, worrying about her clan. The unwanted lump came back to the surface and her eyes moistened. She dug her face in the crook of his neck and let out a pain filled sob.

“Hinata?”

She cried harder. The sound of his voice had brought so much relief to her she hadn't realized she had been holding her breath the moment she heard him stir. She was scared, so scared to lose him.

She climbed up on the bed, pulling at his hospital gown for leverage, she continued to whimper, her heart overflowing with insecurity, she felt vulnerable without him. She had no strength if he wasn't there.

She was too aware of his male scent, the promise of the sun still lingered on his skin and she wanted to be selfish, she wanted to take it inside her and fill the void that had formed there inside her chest. He gave her a confused look.

“Hinata? Are you ok?” he whispered in the darkness as she straddled his lap, her eyes meeting his in the pale moonlight slipping through the window.

“No. I'm not ok.” She whispered back before she leaned down and kissed him, a slight frown formed on his face as she tasted his lips, her hands slipped around to his back and she took in a deep breath, taking in his essence. He let her kiss him, her lips coaxing his own into the fierceness of it, there was a soft desperation there he didn't understand.

“You're not allowed to die.” She whispered when she broke the kiss a moment, her eyes looking deeply into his. The moonlight made them glow in the dark and her pale skin seemed almost like silk in contrast with her dark hair. He could see the melancholy in her eyes and he wondered what had happened to her, what had hurt her so deeply.

“Ok.” He answered her, she leaned her forehead against his and let out a wavy sigh as fresh tears slipped down her cheek. He brought his hand up to her face and wiped them away, his concern apparent.

“Shh” he whispered, he gave her a small smile, trying to reassure her. She leaned into his touch before her lips met with his again. This time he didn't resist and kissed her back, his hands traveling down her small back while her fingers made their way up through his hair. She deepened the kiss and heard him groan lightly as her tongue slipped inside his mouth. He took in a sharp breath as her fingers traveled down his neck lightly, gently almost scared to touch him.

“Don't worry,” he whispered as he was kissing her jaw line up to her ear, nibbled on her earlobe, “your touch won't hurt me.” She let out a soft moan as he bit her lightly, his nose sliding down her neck as he kissed down to her collarbone. His hands slipped under her shirt feeling her soft skin, she felt his lips curled against her when she quivered at his touch. He watched as she dropped her head back.  She hissed and arched her back when his nails scratched down her spine lightly.

She surprised him when she removed her own shirt.  The mesh camisole that remained on her barely covered her breasts and he couldn't help but to stare.  Naruto felt her smile as she stole another kiss, demanding access to his mouth by licking his lips.

She then pressed her chest against him and basked in the sounds he rewarded her with, especially the groan that escaped his throat when she tightened her hold on him and shifted her weight onto his lap. His hand tightened on her hips, warning her that his control was wavering.

“Careful.” He nearly strangled out. Her eyebrows raised in a curious fashion, wondering why he sounded like that. She shifted again, this time slowly, experimenting. He groaned again and leaned his forehead against her, his breathing strained. It didn't take much for the new clan leader to put two and two together and she moved her hips again, grinding him. His hands tighten on her hips, a warning that his control was scarce.

“Touch me.” She whispered close to his ear, the warmth of her breath against his skin heating it. His brain had trouble processing all the different things happening to him. He decided then that no, he was putty in her hands and he was more than happy to obey her.

One hand let go of her hip and slipped up towards her breast, squeezing it as he leaned into her, his lips seeking hers. She pulled away teasingly just before he reached her lips and he smiled and let out a little growl. She laughed and kissed him. He bit her lower lip playfully making her moan again. He wanted to hear her say his name in that low lustful voice she had right then when he moved his hips upwards, rubbing her slowly between the legs.

Her skin felt hot and cold simultaneously.  She was lost in the feel of his kisses and the way his breath cooled the wet trails his tongue left behind. Somehow her mesh tank top had been removed and her eyes had rolled inside her head when his mouth swallowed one nipple, one hand was on the small of her back while the other was sliding down her outer thigh. Her hands slipped behind his back and untied his robe. He awkwardly pulled out his arms from the restricting fabric.

He let out another hiss against her skin when she slipped her hands down his chest and had brushed his nipple, she smiled and pulled his face away from her breast, kissing his mouth hungrily, she grinded him again and he let out a moan. Her lips curled in satisfaction against his lips before she began to kiss his neck, licking and sucking the skin, tasting him. She worked her way down to his chest, curious as to how he would react when she nipped his own nipple. He pulled back quickly, his mouth shaped in a silent “ah”.

She giggled and he huffed, a little embarrassed.

“Oh? The great Uzumaki is embarrassed?” she whispered playfully between kisses.

“Shh, don't tell anyone.” He whispered back, smiling. She laughed again, softly but he swallowed each musical note with a deep kiss, losing each other in the feel of it. She discovered that she loved touching his skin, loved the feel of him under her, loved his sounds, loved his taste, loved the way he carefully touched her. She wanted more.

Her hands traveled down his chest, her fingers dancing across his muscles, down past his belly button. He stopped kissing her and looked at her, his eyes capturing hers, searching them. She bit her lip as her fingers stopped a moment, hovered over his erection between them. She was curious to know what it felt like under her touch. She looked away a split second, doubting her boldness but he leaned into her, kissing her. She was nervous and so was he but he was ok with her touching him.

Her fingertips grazed the tip of his manhood awkwardly as she had not expected to come in contact with it so soon.  She also did not have the opportunity to suppress the gasp that escaped her when she felt the dampness of the fabric that covered it. She gave him a quizzical look and he only grinned slightly, embarrassed again. She smiled as she touched a little bit more, it felt hot through the material and she rubbed the tip in a small circle, trying to picture what it looked like.

“Hinata.” Naruto moaned, he was in sensory overload. Encouraged by his obvious reaction she followed the length of it with her finger, he twitched and surprised her. She didn't expect that. He was panting slightly, trying hard to resist the urge to hump her. She was torturing him but he didn't object, in fact he didn't mind at all.

“Ano.. Naruto.” Her voice brought him back from the edge he was on and he looked at her, her eyes darting away in embarrassment. “Would it be ok if I... if I...” she couldn't finish the sentence. She was mortified.

“You want to see?” he finished it for her. She nodded quickly and he laughed. He brought his hands between them and pushed away the material that had lumped between them when she had pulled down the robe. He accidently pressed his fingers against her own excited sex and she drew in a sharp breath, not expecting the intimate touch and the tingle it brought. She was starting to feel flushed. Her eyes lingered on his exposed manhood between them. She was a bit intimidated, but fascinated at the same time. She reached down and touched the tip again. Naruto gripped her hips as she explored him, he had to resist grinding his teeth at his strained control.

She thought about how last time he had moved between her legs, rubbing back and forth and she tentatively grabbed him, wrapping her hand around his penis and he sucked in a breath. She moved her hand back and forth, watching his reaction, his head had lulled back, engrossed in the feel of her touch. She was getting excited, could feel her own dampness build as Naruto moaned again, his fingers digging into her hips forcing her to grind him. She let out her own hiss of pleasure as the tip of his shaft let out more dribbles of liquid.

He gave a powerful thrust in response to her ministrations while she basked in watching him, enthralled with how his brows knitted together and the way he bit his lower lip.  She relished the feeling of his muscles moving under her as well as the soft sighs and grunts that escaped his lips.  She wanted to swallow each and every one of them.

She noticed how all sorts of colors flashed on his face from the fireworks the burned brightly in the night sky.  The playful shadows that resulted from the colorful exhibition further defined his features.  Hinata loved to watch him get lost under her touch; it literally took her breath away.

She followed his lead as he thrust in her hand, she increased the speed as he breathed a little heavier, his fingers were digging almost painfully in her hips but she didn't mind, it excited her more. His constant back and forth movement was affecting her since her own sex was so tightly pressed against him, she could feel a familiar tingle and she let out a moan. At some point Naruto lost his careful control, pulled Hinata into a fierce kiss, biting her lip as he felt his release come close. Her touch was too much, and Naruto was not used to it.  In fact, it almost excited him beyond control.  She gasped when she felt his release land on her abdomen and heard the strangled cry of her name escaping his mouth.  However, she did not have much time to dwell on this as she was on the edge of her very own peak.

The final firework exploded outside of the hospital window. Had the two teens looked outside they would have seen how the explosions were a liquid orange and fell down like raining stars. Naruto would have laughed as the finale of showering fireworks shaped itself like the nine-tailed fox. But Naruto was busy listening to something else, thankful that the quick consecutive bangs drowned the sound of Hinata as she finally reached her climax.

* * *

Who needs a cold shower o.o/ Happy belated-birthday Naruto? RR please!

Perpetual159 made the lime so much better ^^; I used all of the suggestions, like you tapped into my brain and clarified the scene. Credit to them for making it even better :)

* * *

Oh - yes the pen stabbity stab is valid medical thing, I don't recommend you do it -ever- and only if you have the proper first aid training. Also - The sex is supposed to be awkward, explorative and a little uncomfortable. They're not porn stars, they're two lovers discovering each other. :P

*Sexmaster no Jutsu is not a valid jutsu and Naruto will never learn it in this fanfic!*