This is a fanfic I've been meaning to write for quite some time now...

I had originally planned to write this after I had completed "Konoha Hiden - The Wedding". But then Sasaki-NH asked me if I wanted to have some fanart drawn as thanks for translating her work into English. I told her that I always had an image of Hinata holding an umbrella over an amputee Naruto and walking with him under the rain. She drew it for me and it turned out so well, that I just had to write this right now.

So, what is this fanfic about?

In "Kakashi Hiden" ("Kakashi's Story" in the US) we find out that Naruto spent a considerable amount of time as an amputee -he is still one armed when the book starts, set one year after the end of the 4th Shinobi War- and in "Shikamaru Hiden" we find out that Naruto and Hinata spent a lot of time together after the end of the war.

In my mind, the two are connected. Hinata helped Naruto deal with losing his hand and the two grew closer as a result… Until Naruto got his prosthetic at least.

This fanfic attempts to tell the story of that one year. How Naruto and Hinata strengthened their friendship after the war... and why they didn't up together before the events of "The Last".

It doesn't rain very often in Konoha, but when it rains, it pours.

Naruto looked at the young woman that was currently holding an umbrella over his head. Her clothes were slowly getting more soaked and her long black hair were slowly getting more wet as she did her very best to weather him from the storm. She carefully held the umbrella against the wind's direction, making sure that most of the rain didn't reach him. For some strange reason it seemed that her priority was to protect him rather than keep herself dry.

She had a bright smile on her lips. As if she didn't mind getting wet. As if she didn't mind the droplets of rain that were slowly accumulating on her face. As if being with him like this was something she genuinely cherished.

Naruto thought it was the most beautiful thing he had even seen...

It was like a small piece of sunshine, warming his heart, and easing his worries...

Come to think of it, "Hinata", her name, meant "Sunshine" didn't it?

Sunshine under the rain… For some reason this seemed to describe her perfectly.

"Why are you smiling like this, Naruto-kun?"

The blonde ninja used his left intact arm to absent-mindedly ruffle his hair and grinned.

"I just thought of something funny."

The young woman leaned closer to him. For a very brief moment her shoulder touched the stump that once was his right hand…

...Jolts of electricity passed through his entire body, as if he was suddenly struck by lightning.

"Is there something wrong, Naruto-kun?"

"No-nothing!"

Why was he stuttering? Why was he reacting this way?

What was that strange thing he was feeling?

He couldn't quite describe it. The closest thing he could compare it with was with what he was feeling whenever he ate ramen. Whenever he ate ramen he felt happy, he felt content. He felt fulfilled.

Being with Hinata felt similar to what he felt when he ate ramen. Whenever she was by his side he also felt happy and content. But while with ramen those feelings subsided when he finished eating it (probably why he ate so much of the stuff, now that he thought about it), with Hinata those feelings kept going.

Whenever he was with her, he didn't just feel happy and content. He felt strong. He felt confident. He felt complete.

A wide grin formed once more on his face, following this train of thought.

It had all started with ramen...

Ten Months Ago…

"Dammit! Dammit! DAMMIT!"

Ichiraku Teuchi looked at his best client with a look of concern on his face as he struggled for what had to be the tenth time to bring some of the food to his mouth. Naruto had just gotten an exit pass from the Konoha Hospital, and, after experiencing the utter horror that was hospital food (which is apparently bad in all known multiverses), he had a huge craving for ramen…

...the problem was that he couldn't quite eat it.

Naruto was right-handed. He was used to handling the majority of his everyday tasks with his right hand. He didn't think much about losing it at first, but now that he was out of the hospital and expected to fend for himself, he found out that he couldn't do many of the menial tasks that he used to do without much thought before. The simple act of putting his apartment keys on his keyhole and turning them around to open the door was extremely difficult…

...and properly holding a pair of chopsticks was near freaking impossible!

"Can't you summon some clones to help you out?"

"It wouldn't help much… They won't be better at holding chopsticks…" explained Naruto "And they will probably try to eat my ramen themselves, those selfish bastards!"

The restaurant owner nodded in understanding. Naruto used his shadow clones so frequently, it was easy to forget that each clone had a mind of its own.

"I will bring you some gyoza. It will be easier for you to pick up." he said as he patted his best client's back and went inside the kitchen to prepare them. "Don't worry, it's on the house."

"Thanks old man, I appreciate it." he said as he sported one of his trademarked smiles.

But as soon as Teuchi went back in the Kitchen, the smile disappeared and a bitter expression replaced it. His recent discussion with Tsunade came back to the front of his mind.

"What do you mean, it's not ready yet?"

"I am sorry Naruto, but making a fully functional hand out of a bunch of cells, especially one that is compatible with your genetic makeup, is going to take time."

"How much 'time' are we talking about here?"

"About a year or so…"

A year? A year?! He couldn't take another minute of this, never mind a freaking year!

The ramen looked so appetizing. The smell of Miso Pork tickled his nostrils. But you needed dexterity in order to handle a pair of chopsticks and you needed another arm in order to put the ramen bowl on your mouth and start drinking the broth…

He was half-tempted to just slam in head inside the bowl and just start eating with his mouth like a dog. But people were actually looking at him now, admiring him and praising him. Kids on the street kept telling him how much he inspired them and that they hoped to become as strong as him. He wasn't the pint-shaped brat that struggled for attention anymore. He was a world renowned hero…

And world renowned heroes didn't put their heads inside ramen bowls like dogs.

He envied Sasuke in this regard.

People weren't looking up to him. He could behave as bad as he wanted, as long as he didn't hurt anybody. Plus, he had lost his left arm, which meant he could still somehow handle things like eating with chopsticks and opening doors with relative ease.

A sense of gloom surrounded him… He was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly didn't notice the two familiar figures that entered the ramen stand. Or rather one familiar figure and his faithful canine companion.

"Oh, Naruto, you're here?"

"Oh, hey Kiba." said the blonde ninja trying to make light conversation. "Are you about to go on a mission?"

"Nah, we just came back from one actually. We just finished reporting to the hokage."

The tracker sat on a chair, taking extra care to let a vacant chair between him and Naruto, as his ninken rested his head on his lap.

"We were about to pay you a visit at the hospital, to tell you the truth, but Akamaru picked up your scent here and we thought we would greet you and have a snack before heading home."

Naruto couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks man, I appreciate it. Why don't you seat here right next to me? It will be easier to talk to you this way."

"Oh, no! I can't! This seat is taken."

"Really? By whom?"

Kiba let out one of his biggest grins.

"You know who."

He heard the flap on the restaurant sign lift and he turned around to see a womanly figure enter. She bowed gently towards him.

"Hallo Naruto."

"Hallo Hinata."

He hadn't seen her in over a month. She came to visit him in the hospital almost daily, for the first few days he was in there, but then she went on a long mission and he hadn't seen her since. It was clear that she had just returned from it: her hair was all tangled and her clothes were dusty and in disarray. And yet she still maintained an air of grace and elegance.

Naruto winced as the kunoichi sat right next to him…

...now he really couldn't put his face inside the ramen bowl.

"Come on! Talk to him!" whispered Kiba "You haven't seen him in like a month!"

"I don't know Kiba, he doesn't seem very happy to see me here."

Naruto held the chopsticks on his left hand and smiled as he finally managed to grab some of that sweet, sweet ramen and bought it close to his mouth. He opened his mouth widely in order to finally taste it…

And then the chopsticks slipped down from his hand again and fell down on the floor, taking the noodles with them.

He looked down at his lost food dejectedly and kneeled down to pick up his chopsticks again. He felt like crying. At this rate he would starve or drive himself crazy before his hand was ready!

.

.

.

...It was then he felt her palm on his cheek...

"So that's what the problem was…" she whispered softly as she smiled at him.

And that's all it took for all his problems to melt away.

"Allow me, Naruto-kun."

She lifted up his chopsticks from the floor and laid them down on the table. She then collected a new pair from near the counter, split them open, and picked up some of the noodles in Naruto's ramen bowl.

Naruto was so astonished from her act of kindness that he could only stare at her.

Was Hinata actually going to do this?

"Ah! We got some of the broth on the floor!"

She lifted up Naruto's ramen bowl and held it directly below his face. She picked up some of the ramen again and blew on the noodles so that they wouldn't be too hot. Her breath breezed against his skin, the smell of her mixing in with the smell of freshly cooked ramen. For a brief moment he thought she was an angel.

She put the noodles right in front of his mouth.

"Now say 'Aaaah'."

Yes, she was actually going to do this.

She didn't need to ask twice. Heck, at this very moment the way she was standing, smiling, with the ramen right in front of him, she could have asked him for his immortal soul and he would have gladly given it to her.

Naruto eagerly opened up his mouth and savoured the taste of freshly cooked ramen. He sucked the noodles eagerly allowing as much of the broth as he could to enter his mouth without choking. He closed his eyes to fully appreciate their flavor and their texture as his palate was having sensations that it hadn't felt in a long time.

But when he opened his eyes again he noticed that he had splashed broth all over Hinata's face…In his eagerness to eat ramen again he had forgotten how close she was to him.

"Am shorry Hin…"

"Sssh! Don't talk with your mouth full. It's alright."

When she saw that he had finally swallowed his mouthful she picked some more noodles, blew on them and brought them to his mouth once more.

He was hesitant to open his mouth. He didn't want to get broth all over her again.

"It's okay Naruto-kun. I am going to go home and clean up afterwards. So don't hold back for my sake."

He opened his mouth again but this time he took in his food much more slowly. He had his eyes fully open this time.

He didn't just savor his ramen.

He savored her presence...

He savored her smile...

He savored her kindness…

He savored her...

"Naruto-kun, are you crying?"

"It's nothing! It's just that I haven't had ramen in such a long time and right now it tastes so good it brings a tear to my eye, ya' know?"

Hinata let the bowl down on the table and picked up a napkin. She wiped up his tears and the broth that was starting to crust on his chin.

How could hands that fought so many battles feel so soft and delicate?

Guess her fighting style was called "Gentle Fist" for a reason.

"Now then… Shall we continue where we left off?"

"Yes, lets!"

She lifted the ramen bowl again and placed it between them. She picked up another portion of ramen and fed it to him.

The two of them were in their own separate world now. Nothing else was there, except soft touches, bright smiles, light blushes… and a bowl of Miso Pork Ramen.

A voice was heard from the background.

"Heeere's your gyoza!" said the elder restaurant owner as he came back from the kitchen.

He paused and looked at the young not-yet-couple.

"And… It looks like you won't need them after all."

"I'll have them! Want not, waste not!" grinned Kiba "Say, Teuchi, am I allowed to eat here with Akamaru?"

"You know that you and Akamaru are always welcome here…"

He saw Kiba wink and he realized the true purpose of his question.

"... But the health inspectors have been breathing down my neck lately. I am going to have to ask you to eat outside."

"Will do! Bring me some udon to go with my gyoza, and a plate of Kake-soba for my other partner. And some meat for Akamaru. Oh, and get Hinata a bowl of Miso Pork ramen. It's on me!"

The dog-nin took the gyoza and stepped outside leaving his two friends alone. He sat down on the outside table and breathed in the scents of his village. He couldn't wipe that grin off his face.

He spotted a lone hooded figure in the distance that he knew belonged to the fourth member of Team 8.

"Yo! Shino! Over here!"

He gestured for him to sit down on the opposite side of the table.

"I ordered some Kake-soba for you! Sit down!"

The hooded figure did so. He didn't say a word.

"Come on man! Say something!"

"You and me are sitting outside. Why? Because Naruto and Hinata are having a personal moment inside the restaurant."

"Dude! How do you know this? Have you received a report from one of your bugs?"

The hooded figure winced in disapproval.

"We have been partners for more than 10 years. I would appreciate if you didn't call my beetles 'bugs' as if they are an annoyance. Why? Because I live with them, I fight with them and they are my precious comrades."

"OK, man! Don't get your panties in a twist. It was a slip of the tongue. You don't have to be so uptight about this. Sheesh!"

The hooded figure adjusted his black glasses.

"Earlier,you inquired how I knew Hinata and Naruto were inside the restaurant. I knew this because I saw their legs standing next to each other."

"You are familiar with Hinata's and Naruto's legs?"

"The way they look in uniform, yes. Why? Because a good shinobi should be able to distinguish his fighting partner from the enemy at all times, especially at times when looking at their face is not an option such as…"

"OK! OK! I get it! Let's just enjoy our food! Here! Have some gyoza! It's on the house."

"You know I don't like them... Too strong taste for me."

"All the more for me then!"

The dog-nin smirked as he grabbed a gyoza and dipped it in soy sauce. He took one bite and gave the rest to it to his faithful canine companion who was staring at him with those "puppy dog eyes".

Shino could only shake his head. Kiba and Akamaru always shared everything. They had a special bond that was far stronger than that of a dog and its owner. Akamaru was essentialy a part of Kiba. As long as he knew them, the two of them lived together, walked together, fought together... And at one point he even caught them uri...

He banished the thought from him mind. He was about to eat. Still he couldn't help but feel somewhat sentimental and nostalgic about his days with Team 8.

"By the way, Kiba…"

"Yeah?"

"How did you know to order Kake-Soba for me?"

"Man, we've been partners for more than 10 years. And in all that time, I've never seen you order anything else."

A faint smile appeared on Shino's face.

"Kiba?"

"Yeah?"

"You, Akamaru and Hinata are also my precious comrades."

As soon as the order arrived they sat out and ate with each other in comfortable silence. After all this time, despite all their different personalities, Team 8 was still one of the closest-knit shinobi teams in Konoha.

"Do you think Hinata is going to be OK in there on her own?"

"I think she is going to be just fine. Why? Because there are four empty ramen bowls on the table and it seems like she hasn't fainted yet."

"Yeah… You'd think we would be picking her off the floor right about now." said the dog-nin as he let out a short chuckle.

"She seems to have gotten a lot more comfortable being around Naruto after the war, hasn't she?"

"I don't think that's only it. Hinata is always the strongest both physically and mentally when she is helping the ones she cares about. Right now she isn't letting her shyness take over. Why? Because she feels like Naruto needs her support, and she pushes herself to overcome her fears and stand by his side."

The two shinobi sighed in unison.

"I am so proud of her.'

"So am I. But she still has a long way to go. Why? Because eventually she will have to be able to stand by Naruto as an equal, at a time when he doesn't need her help."

The dog-nin pondered this for a moment. His partner had a point.

"Do you think she will be able to do it?"

"I don't have the slightest doubt."

"We still have that contingency plan to ambush Naruto and brutally kick his ass in case he hurts her, right?"

"Of course."

The two of them nodded in silent agreement.

Inside the restaurant Naruto and Hinata had just finished their ramen and they were having a friendly conversation.

"From the bottom of my heart, Hinata, thank you! I thought I was going to drive myself crazy with this."

"You are welcome Naruto-kun. It was my pleasure."

He smiled at her and she began to blush. Now that she had finished feeding him, her natural shyness was beginning to take over again…

Their faces were so close just moments before. She could practically see her reflection inside his bright blue eyes. She could still feel his breath on her lips…

It took all the willpower she had to keep herself from going dizzy.

Kiba's voice reverberated inside her.

'Come on! Talk to him!'

"Uhm… Naruto…"

"Yeah?"

"So… you really can't use chopsticks very well right now?"

For a brief moment, a dark-expression formed on the blonde ninja's face. It got immediately replaced by one of his patented grins but Hinata could clearly see that it was a fake one.

"I can still do one-handed seals and summon clones! I can still punch and kick some major ass! I am still a good fighter! I can still…"

Hinata held his face once more and looked at him with concern.

"You didn't answer my question, Naruto-kun."

Naruto always put up a strong face in front of people. He was always good at hiding his vulnerabilities and his problems. Always good at hiding his fears and his insecurities…

...but in front of Hinata that facade always seemed to crumble. She could always see through this mask of overconfidence and bravado and look straight at the man he always was.

She was the only one he could trust with his pain.

He looked dejectedly at the ground. His expression darkened once more.

"I can barely hold my apartment keys, let alone a pair of chopsticks. I used to do almost everything with my right hand and now that it's gone I can't do a lot of the things I used to do before. I can hardly eat, I can hardly dress, I can hardly wipe my own…"

He stopped himself just in time, right before he completed his last sentence.

"I'm sorry! I did mean to be so ass…crass! I MEANT CRASS! I MEANT CRASS!"

The lavender eyed kunoichi let out a light chuckle. It sounded like music to his ears lifting his spirits and soothing his soul.

"It's all right Naruto-kun! There aren't any children present, so express yourself freely when you are with me."

"Well… I am still sorry…"

"It's OK. And… how long before your prosthetic is finished?"

"Tsunade said it would take a year or so…"

"A...a year?"

"Yeah…"

"And how are you going to get by until then?"

"To tell you the truth…" the blonde ninja sighed "I don't have the slightest idea."

"I see…"

Hinata looked at the man she was in love with, the right sleeve of his shirt dangling where his hand used to be. It pained her to see him like this, and she knew that there wasn't anything that she could say to Naruto at this moment that would make him feel any better.

They both sat in silence for a while.

"Well, Hinata, It was nice talking to you. Thank you for helping me today."

He got up from his chair and got ready to leave.

"I'll catch you later."

It was then he felt a light tug on his empty sleeve pulling him back. He looked behind him to see Hinata still holding it.

"Uhm… Hinata? What is it?"

The lavender-eyed kunoichi looked at him intently. Maybe she couldn't say anything to Naruto that would make him feel better. But right now Naruto didn't need words. He needed actions.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yes, Hinata?"

"Until your prosthetic is finished, please let me be your right hand."

At this point Naruto could come up with only one appropriate intelligent response.

"Say what?!"

And that's how everything started...

For those of you not familiar with Japanese cuisine Gyoza are dumplings filled with ground meat and vegetables and wrapped in a thin dough and Kake-Soba are plain noodles without any flavorings. Since Shino's bio says that he despises foods with strong scents and, as far as I know Ichiraku Ramen doesn't serve his favorite one (Green Salad) it makes sense that this is what he usually orders when he goes there.

(Yes, I actually took time to research this stuff, I really have no life)

Anyway, back to the fanfic.

I intend for this fanfic to show how Naruto and Hinata interacted back when Naruto was an amputee, before he got his prosthetic arm. It will feature a series of moments that involve the Hinata helping Naruto deal with living with only his left arm, giving the strength to be more self-sufficient and doing various things for him. I even have lemon chapter planned...

...How can there be a NaruHina lemon if the fic is set before "The Last" and is canon compliant? Let's just say I found a really good way to make it happen!

Watch this space!