Chapter 6: Confession?


In the evening two days after he woke up, Naruto was allowed to go home. He had covered his tail under his shirt and wore a hat to cover his ears. But walking around in the village made him feel a bit uncomfortable. He saw their eyes, still filled with hatred and disgust, even more than before. Some of them ran away, others just stood there, looking at him with fear as if he was about to attack them. Not believing he was back and still a human.

But Naruto ignored those eyes. He was looking for Hinata; she hadn’t been in the hospital since he woke up. Naruto had searched all over in Konoha; the only place where he hasn’t been yet, was the Hyuga residence. He wanted to go there, but was hungry and went to Ichiraku first. “Hello, old man,” he said, while entering. “Hey, Naruto. I haven’t seen you in a while. I already wondered when you would come again,” Teuchi said.

Naruto smiled a bit and sat down. “The usual, I guess?” the man asked. Naruto nodded. He didn’t have to wait long, because he was the only one there. After dinner, what wasn’t as much as he normally eats, he went to the Hyuga residence. Before he could even knock, Neji opened the door and looked at him. It made Naruto nervous. “N-Neji, is-is Hinata home?” ‘Why did I stutter?!’ Neji looked at him for several seconds before he answered. “No, she’s out alone. Hiashi sent a corps after her, because that blood limit hunter is still around, she isn’t save alone.” “Blood limit hunter?” Naruto repeated slowly. “You haven’t heard about it?”

Naruto shook his head. Nobody told him about a blood limit hunter. “That man with the wolf is the blood limit hunter.” Naruto was frozen for a second. He knew exactly what that man wanted to do to Hinata. Make her an animal like he tried with him and hunt her down with that damn wolf of his. “Anyway, I’m gonna look for her.” Without saying goodbye, Neji left. Naruto watched him.

I’m gonna look for her too, Naruto thought. He was worried and hoped she was alright. He dashed off and jumped on the roofs to have a better view. But he couldn’t find her. It didn’t really surprise him; he had searched for her in the village already. He stopped and started to think. To concentrate better he closed his eyes and then smelled something.

‘What’s this smell?’

“Don’t you recognize it, brat. It’s the purple eyed.”

‘What? But… how come I can smell it?’

“I guess it’s your new ability.”

‘You mean because of that poison?’

“Yes. Now smell where it comes from and you will find your girlfriend.”

‘She isn’t my girlfriend!’ Naruto yelled to the Kyubi, with a blush on his face, and followed his nose. To his surprise it led him to the training ground. But Hinata wasn’t training; she was sitting on the ground watching the little flowers in the grass. “Hinata?”

Hinata was suddenly unable to move. That was Naruto’s voice. “What are you doing here, all alone?” he asked. He sounded worried and Hinata turned her head a little to see his face. “How…how did you find me?” she asked almost whispering. “I followed my nose,” he said with an embarrassed blush on his face. Hinata saw he had placed one hand on his head, to prevent the wind from blowing away his bonnet that covered his ears. She wondered how he hid his tail. Thinking about the possibilities, made her blush and she turned her head away from his gaze.

Awkwardly Naruto sat down beside Hinata, not looking at her. “You’re not safe alone, you know. With that blood limit hunter after you. I know you’re strong, but…” he paused and turned red.

Hinata was watching him from the corners of his eyes. He said she was strong and it made her flush more than she already did. “But… well,” Naruto started again, “I was worried.” Hinata was glowing and looked at the ground, afraid to look up and faint after seeing his face.

They didn’t say a word for several minutes, until Naruto couldn’t bear the silence. “Why are you here anyway?” “I-I just wanted to be away from home. I had to stay at home after they found out about the blood limit hunter and that he was after me. It’s… kinda boring to stay in my room for the whole day.” Naruto started to laugh and that made Hinata look up. She didn’t understand why he was laughing, but you could tell she liked it. “S-sorry, I was just thinking… I had to stay in my apartment for five days. After two of them, I was already bored to death and started do really weird stuff,” Naruto said while still laughing. “Like what?” Hinata asked carefully. “Like sorting out my trash and cleaning the ceiling.”

Hinata was imagining Naruto cleaning his ceiling and burst into laughter. Knowing he hates cleaning up.

Naruto was surprised to see her laughing, he never saw her laughing before, but he liked it and smiled. He knew he hadn’t told her the whole truth. He also did those things so he hadn’t to think about the dreams that drove him crazy. The ones about Hinata.

The wind carried a scent to his nose. He sniffed and found out it was the Hyuga corps that was sent after Hinata. He stood up and looked down to her. “What’s wrong, Naruto-kun?” she asked, no longer laughing. “The Hyuga corps that your father sent after you is coming this way. They’re still far away, so if we’re fast, they won’t see us with Byakugan,” he said, knowing that using the Byakugan on long range was eating chakra. They wouldn’t use it, if it wasn’t necessary.

Hinata looked at his face. She was startled. Did he want to spend more time with her? Why? What was going on? She didn’t understand at all.

He stretched out his right hand to help her stand up. “Why?” Hinata asked, “Why? I thought it wasn’t safe for me.” “It’s not safe for you to be alone, but you’re not alone, are you.” No she wasn’t. Naruto was with her. Slowly she grabbed his hand and he pulled her up very gently. “This way,” he said and guided Hinata.

They jolted into a tree and jumped from branch to branch to the lake with a little detour, because the corps was coming from that way. Naruto told her they wouldn’t search at the same place twice in a short time.

Naruto was still holding Hinata’s hands, frequently checking if she could keep up with his speed. Then his bonnet flew off and he let Hinata’s hand go. The blonde stopped, turned, grabbed the hat in midair and then went on his way to the lake again. Hinata next to him. He wanted to grab her hand, but wondered if that was such a good idea. He decided it wasn’t and just jumped to the next tree.

When they reached the lake, both of them jumped to the ground. Naruto put on his hat and sat down. Hinata was thinking what she had to do and finally sat down beside him. She stared at his bonnet. “You don’t have to hide the ears from me,” she said before knowing. She shocked herself so much, that she wasn’t able to move. Not even when Naruto gazed at her with a surprised expression on his face.

As he stared at her he started to blush a bit. Hinata hesitated over something, he wondered about what, but found out soon after that. Her hand slowly went to his bonnet. Naruto was glowing, while Hinata took it of and laid it on the ground. He was trying to keep his tail, under his clothes, under control what took a lot of concentration. “Your ears…,” she whispered, “they’re pretty cute.” His ears went up, he realized that and he placed his hands on them. “You-you think so?” Hinata smiled and nodded. Then she looked to Naruto’s back. “Your tail also.” Naruto looked over his shoulder and his tail swiping in the air. When did it come out from under his shirt?!

He wanted it to stop swinging around like that, though he was unable to control it. Hinata was close to the tail and then it touched her face. In instinct she grabbed it and kept it away from her face. Naruto could feel the touch and immediately found out the tail was pretty sensitive. He was flushing fiercely.

When Ino and Tenten hold it two days ago, he practically felt nothing, but that was because he didn’t feel anything back then. He just woke up and his senses weren’t working well. That’s why Sakura hit him on the head to bring him back to the world. She told him Hinata had hugged him, but he couldn’t remember that it happened. Now, fully recovered, he felt the touch very much.

Hinata let the tail go and was a bit shocked. She just grabbed it like in those times when Akamaru’s tail was swiping in her face. She looked at the ground again, not knowing what to do or say.

‘Why… did she… let go? I kinda… liked…it.’

Naruto closed his eyes to get control over himself and the tail again.

“You haven’t told her, have you?” Kyubi said, teasing him again.

‘Shut up, I have a tail problem!’

“A… tail… problem? What the heck does that mean?”

‘It’s swiping around like hell.’

“So you’re happy.”

‘Well, yeah I am happy she… wait a minute! That’s off the point! I want it to stop swinging around, it’s such a give away of my emotions, but I can’t control it!’

“You can’t control your tail. That’s pretty sad.”

‘You’re not really helpful, Kyubi!’

“I’m not in the mood for helping you, brat. Help yourself.”

‘But you’re a fox, how do you control your tail? I mean tails.’

“I just can.”

Naruto was crying inside himself. How must he solve this problem? Also his ears were such a give away. And he still didn’t know how to tell her he…

“Why don’t you tell her? You know she loves you. What are you afraid of, brat?”

‘She said that before she knew about you, maybe it has changed.’

But Naruto knew it was just a mere excuse. He just never felt like this before, not even with Sakura. And love was something he never really got, so he didn’t know how to act in a situation like this.

While Naruto was discussing with the Kyubi, Hinata was watching him. She wondered why he hadn’t reacted when she said his name and crawled a bit closer.

“Idiot. She’s still blushing when she sees you.”

‘O, shut up Kyubi. Can’t you give me some privacy?!’

Naruto ignored what the Kyubi said further and opened his eyes. When he saw Hinata sitting so close, he started to blush intensely. From panic he ran away.

Hinata watched Naruto, not understanding what was going on.

He stopped a bit further away, near the lake, at a place where Hinata couldn’t see him. Naruto splashed some water in his face. “That was awkward,” he said to himself. He heard the Kyubi laughing at him. Slowly he walked back, but was afraid to show his face again after running away so suddenly. Though he forced himself and walked up to her. “Uhm…sorry for running away like that.” Hinata looked up and smiled slightly. “No problem,” she said softly.

Naruto grinned and sat down again. “Anyway, I wanted to thank you,” he said and tried not to blush. “Thank me what for?” “That you took care of me when I ran away and was ill.”

Hinata blushed and wanted to say she did that because she loves him. But somehow wasn’t able to open her mouth.

“There… there is something else I want to tell you…” Naruto started. He noticed the Kyubi had stopped laughing and was listening curiously. That made him even more nervous. “I…I…” Hinata was looking at him. He looked to the ground and blushed. Unable to say it. He tried it once more. “I…lo…,” quickly he turned his head, “They’re coming back.” He grabbed Hinata’s hand with his right hand and with his other hand the bonnet, then they both stood up and ran away from the Hyugas who were searching Hinata.

Far away of them they stopped. Hinata was leaning against a tree, to get some breath. Naruto had his hands on his knees. He put his hat back on and walked over to Hinata, but fell over a stone and lost his balance. He almost fell against Hinata, but was able to place his hands on the tree to prevent that from happening.

Hinata face became red and she was trying not to faint, because he was so close. She saw him blushing too and he leaned closer. ‘What…is…he…doing?’ Then his lips touched hers. She was not able to move and couldn’t believe what was happening. Naruto was kissing her!

Naruto felt like he was in heaven, but then suddenly let go. What was he doing?! He hadn’t even told her. He saw Hinata’s surprised face and was getting scared. He fled, with a face as red as a tomato.

Hinata felt like she was stuck to the tree. She was still trying to process all this when the Hyuga corps stopped in front of her. “Hinata-sama, we finally found you. Are you alright?” one of them asked. Then Hinata passed out.

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When Hinata woke up, she was in her room. Slowly she got up and saw Sakura standing beside her bed. “What… happened?” Hinata asked her. “Don’t worry, you’re fine. You passed out when they found you. Your father thought you got some poison in you, but you haven’t. So I wonder, why did you pass out?” Hinata looked at Sakura and got some pink on her face. “N-Naruto he…” Sakura sighed, “He surprised you again. I get it.” Hinata wanted to say ‘no’, but decided to let it be. She wanted to keep the kiss a secret, at least for while, until she found out why he had kissed her.

‘Maybe it was just a thank you kiss,’ she thought, thinking about what he said before they were interrupted.

“Get some sleep,” Sakura said. Hinata nodded, without really hearing what Sakura had said. Sakura left, while Hinata was reliving the kiss in her imagination.

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Naruto closed his door and let his head fell against it.

‘Why? Why did I do that?’ He thought confused.

He hit his head against the wood several times, until it started to hurt. Then he walked to his bed, while taking of his bonnet. He threw it on the ground and started to change. While putting on his pyjama pants, he looked at his tail.

‘Damn you, stupid tail.’

He let himself fall on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Still confused about what he did. Somebody entered the room, but Naruto didn’t move a muscle. Then he saw Sakura’s angry face looking down at him and got scared.

“S-S-Sakura! What is it?” He got up and looked at her. “Did you scare Hinata again?” Naruto looked at the blankets. How come Sakura knows? “You did approach her suddenly again, didn’t you. Can’t you be a bit more careful?” This was one of those rare times Naruto didn’t know what to say. “She passed out and we thought it was because she got some of the poison in her, but it was because of you.” She passed out, Naruto thought, why? “I-I didn’t mean to scare her…” “But you certainly did, I don’t know what you did exactly, but don’t scare again.” Sakura said angrily.

‘She doesn’t know…then Hinata-chan hadn’t told her I…’ Naruto started to get red again and turned his head away so Sakura couldn’t see. “I’ll be more careful next time, can I go to sleep now,” he tried to sound annoyed. “Humph,” Sakura said and left Naruto alone. Naruto sighed and fell on his pillow.

He closed his eyes and was going over the events that occurred. Hinata finds his ears and tail cute. Naruto smiled. Thinking about how surprised she looked when he had kissed her, made him even smile more. He started to like the girl even more than before. And it was deeper, far deeper than his childish love for Sakura. Slowly he fell asleep.

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The next morning he woke up, with a blush on his face. “Why…why did I have to dream such a thing…” he asked himself. But nobody answered that question, not even the Kyubi, because he was still sleeping. Slowly he got up and started to change. Skipping breakfast he walked to the Hokage building. He knocked on the door, what was odd for him to do, and waited for a ‘come in’ from Tsunade. “Yes?” Naruto opened the door and Tsunade looked surprised. “Naruto?” “O-baa-chan, do you know something more about the poison already?” Naruto asked.

Tsunade had been searching for some more information about the poison. “No, I’m sorry Naruto.” Naruto sighed. Tsunade had still a confused expression on her face, because Naruto had knocked.

At that moment Iruka entered the office with a pile of papers in his arms. He laid the papers on the desks. “The new ge-nin, Hokage-sama.” This time it was Tsunade’s turn to sigh. Naruto grinned after seeing her face. This made Iruka to turn to Naruto. “Well, if you don’t know anything yet, I’m off.” Naruto said to Tsunade and walked to the door. “Naruto,” it was Iruka. Naruto turned his face to his old sensei with a questioned look.

Tsunade drank some of the sake she had ordered Shizune to bring. “Do you want to eat some ramen with me, my treat,” Iruka asked Naruto. Naruto turned his face to the door again. “No thanks, I’m not hungry,” he said and left. Tsunade coughed. ‘Naruto not hungry? Not in the mood for a free ramen? What is going on?’

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Hinata watched the little children playing with a ball. She sighed, still brooding over the events from yesterday. ‘Why did he kiss me? Was it only a thank you kiss? If it was, why on my mouth?’ She hadn’t been paying attention to were she was walking and suddenly bumped into someone. As reflex she grabbed the person, so she wouldn’t fall. Then she recognized the orange and black clothing and looked up, suddenly blushing. She saw his astounded face, with slight pink on it.

‘N-Naruto, o no. What should I say? I don’t know, after what happened yesterday… I’m not ready for this yet. Why…’

Naruto looked down at the girl, not knowing what to say. He felt her grip loosened, she was fainting. He quickly grabbed her and held her in his arms. If it wasn’t for Kyubi or the fact he doesn’t faint that fast, he would have passed out as well. This shock was almost too much for him. He didn’t know how to handle in such a situation. Why did he have to meet her? After yesterday he doesn’t know what to say to her. ‘Now what?’

“Bring her to your home, brat.”

‘What?! But…’

“You’re getting attention.”

Naruto looked around and saw some kids staring at him. He blushed and then dashed away. ‘Great, I promised Sakura I would be more careful, if she finds out, I’ll be in a lot of trouble.’

When he finally reached his home, he laid Hinata on his bed. Feeling self-conscious he sat down on a chair. He was wondering how long it would take before she wakes. He laid his head on his arms on the table and looked sideways. A slight smile on his face.

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Hinata slowly opened her eyes. What had happened? She then noticed she was lying in a bed and got up. “I scared you again, didn’t I?” Hinata stared to the blond haired boy and immediately recognized the room. It was Naruto’s apartment. How did she end up here?! “You-you didn’t scare me…you sur-surprised me,” Hinata stuttered. Naruto grinned, with a blush on his face, “it’s the same.”

Hinata shove to the side of the bed and looked down to the floor. Naruto was thinking how he should tell her the words he wanted to say yesterday, but was leaking the courage to open his mouth.

‘What’s wrong with me, normally I jump to conclusions and say the first thing that comes to my mind, but seeing her makes me shut up.’ He wanted to slam himself, but resisted the urge and looked depressed and confused to table-top.

“N-N-Naruto…”

Naruto looked up to Hinata. She was still sitting on his bed. “A-about y-yesterday.” She started to blush and Naruto did the same. “It was just a thank you kiss, right?”

Naruto’s ears went up, he noticed it, but didn’t mind. ‘Thank-you-kiss?’ He repeated the words in his mind. He could understand why Hinata thought such a thing. Thinking about how she acted when he was around. Stuttering, blushing, fainting. Even when they were younger, she was like that.

‘That I never noticed it back then. I was always searching for someone who respected me for me, who didn’t see me as a monster. All that time you did. You liked me for who I was, without me noticing. Right, Hinata-chan?’

Naruto stood up and slowly walked to her.

‘Why…’

He was standing in front of her. Her purple eyes were surprised. Focused on him.

‘Why didn’t I…’

He picked her hand and pulled her up gently.

‘Why didn’t I notice it back then?’

He embraced her. Hinata was shocked, but didn’t faint this time. “It wasn’t.” Naruto said in her ear. Hinata grabbed Naruto’s shirt, still looking astonished. ‘What?’ She thought slowly. “It wasn’t a thank you kiss. I did it because…” Naruto looked her in the face, with pink on his cheeks. Hinata started to blush fiercely. “Because I love you Hinata-chan,” he uttered.

Hinata almost couldn’t believe what she just heard. The boy she loved for so long, who never noticed her, now said he loved her. It was too good to be true. But it was. The way he held her, the way he was running his hand through her hair, those things told her it was true.

She started to cry from happiness and let herself fall against Naruto.

Naruto pulled Hinata closer to him. He still had the blush on his face, his tail was swiping a bit, but all that didn’t care him. He was glad he was finally able to say it. That he found someone that liked him.

He didn’t know how to comfort her; he never did such a thing before. So he kept his mouth shut and let his hand go through her dark blue hair.

Hinata felt save in the boys arms and want him to never let her go. Then she was finally able to say the words she wanted to tell him for so long. “Naruto-kun, I love you too.”