Disclaimer:-All characters used from Naruto belong to M. Kishimoto.

Shinobi Passions

Chapter 2

Uncertainty and longing...

Present time...

With Hinata...

Hinata was lying wide awake within her tent. She had been tossing and turning with her mind filled by what occurred with Naruto from the night in the cave. She can hardly believe that it had happened. It felt more like a dream than the reality. The venom gave her a lack of inhibition and a boldness. The memory of their unfettered passion still made her cheeks burn and her heart beat faster.

But she couldn't help but to immerse herself in such a delicious memory that she hoped she would remain with her, for the rest of her life.

That night between them was something precious and she couldn't help herself but to yearn for more. Hinata sighed and turned to her side. She relished in the silence of her surroundings, apart from the faint snores coming from Kiba and the sounds of nature. Hinata herself couldn't help but look back on what had occurred that night two weeks prior and of course the morning after.

Flashback...

Her eyes fluttered open finding herself staring at a hard yet firm chest.

Her eyes widened until flashes of her memories of the night prior came to the surface. With each scene played out in great detail did her cheeks burn like fire at the end of it. Hinata bit her lip as she looked around seeing with her own eyes that she was completely naked with strong arms secured possessively around her.

Her heart rate quickened as she dared to look up at the face of the man she cared deeply for. Seeing his calm, yet peaceful sleeping face awed her. She so badly wanted to touch his whisker line marks upon his cheeks with her finger tips. It was something she had always wanted to do and yet contrary to how she acted last night, she was once again too shy to do so.

Carefully she looked around knowing from memory that they had taken shelter within a cave. The fire pit that Naruto had made was slowly dying out. The moist scent of the fallen rain filled the cavern around them. She saw that their clothes hung up. Looking down, she realized that she was very much naked beside a similarly naked Naruto.

Just the thought of it made her lightheaded, she fought within herself to be steady. She didn't want to end up fainting, especially since this morning could become very awkward between them.

Well, truthfully, just herself.

The consequences of their actions which she had decided to set aside last night without a care, had returned with a vengeance. She removed herself gingerly from his arms. Still feeling the slight effects of the venom, She inwardly hoped it would not fade. Looking up at the morning skies, she knew that they would need to get a move on if they would get to the meeting point with the others on time.

She just hoped what happened between them would not change their current friendship.

The ache between her legs was evident and served as a reminder that she was made officially into a woman by the very man she had wanted. Her heart was soaring at the fact. She would never regret it. Still feeling a bit sticky from their joined essence, she activated her bloodline to find a water source to cleanse herself.

Luckily, there was a stream not too far away. She scanned the room quickly to locate her bag. It was leaning lightly against the firepit, she quickly got to it. She dug into her bag quickly, pulling out some dry clothes to change into and unsealed a towel along with her cleansing supplies. She looked longingly back at the empty spot next to her sleeping Naruto who was snoring lightly. It only endeared him to her more and she giggled softly as she smiled at him sadly.

She realised that she loved him even more so if that was even possible.

Hinata quickly shook her head from her inner thoughts and made her way to the water source. She needed to clean herself of Naruto's scent so that Kiba would not be able to smell last night's activities. She was not ashamed of what happened but was extremely grateful it was with Naruto. If it was with anyone else… She shivered at the very thought.

Once she had finished bathing, she dried off and got dressed. She returned to the cave seeing Naruto wide awake and fully dressed and he was talking to himself or probably Kurama. When they locked eyes with each other the atmosphere became uncomfortable, but uncertainty and embarrassment had win over for the both of them before they broke it immediately.

"A-Are you alright, Hinata-chan?" Naruto stuttered out his cheeks tinted a faint pink.

"Y-Yes. Thank you, N-Naruto-kun" Hinata replied shyly.

The silence was deafening as they made sure that everything was packed away and the fire was put out fully. They ate the fish that was prepared last night by one of Naruto's clones and then made their way to the meeting point. The journey was in silence as they kept their guards up for any sign of attack.

Within a few hours, they reached the meeting point seeing that the others in their team was already there waiting for them.

"Finally, we have been waiting a while for you two to show up!?" Kiba announced as Akamaru barked and headed off to greet Hinata.

"Yeah. Well, we are here now, dog breath!" Naruto retorted watching Hinata scuffing Akamaru behind his ear.

"Good. Now that we are all here, let's consolidate what we found." Shino announced calmly.

Everyone gathered around him and started to report from left to right in pairs.

Sakura and Kiba did not encounter anything, neither had Shino and Sasuke. They only found additional rumours confirming what was going around. After everyone else had given their reports, Shino and the others turned towards Naruto and Hinata expecting the same reports.

"Well, we did encounter some hostile nins." Naruto started

"Y-Yes...Naruto-kun and I encountered two men. They were cooking their dinner at their camp." Hinata answered.

"Yeah, they acted strange from what I could see. I just had a feeling that they were hiding something. Kurama told me that they were being untruthful and knew something about our questions we was asking them"

"Such as?" Sasuke asked intrigued.

Both Naruto and Hinata had then told the rest of them what had happened during the encounter and the fight. Naruto had to disclose about Hinata being bitten but left out what had happened in the cave. Hinata was surprised but grateful to him for doing so. Sakura immediately checked her over for any.

Naruto had also managed to pick up one of the many small needles that was within the sand storm for analysis on what sort of venom was used, so they could get a better idea on the enemies they were facing.

"I see. Well, I think we should head back to the village and give our findings to this case." Shino announced evenly.

"But, it has only been three days Shino!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Yes, I am aware. We are investigating the matter and trying to look at this with a fresh respective. Naruto and Hinata may have encountered people who could be part of this group. Since Suna was also investigating, from a discretion point of view, it is only logical that our hands could have already been tipped. This other group may have already taken precautions because of it." Shino pointed out.

"Very well, I agree with Shino we should head back and give over our findings and await further instructions until then." Sasuke pipped up as he kicked off from the tree he was leaning against and getting ready to head back.

"Yes, it will also give me time to analyse these needles to determine the agent used on them. I will also need to examine your bite Hinata" Sakura added turning towards Hinata.

"How are you feeling?" Naruto asked in a hushed whisper, leaning towards Hinata.

Hinata flushed at his concern and how comfortably he was with her now. She smiled gently at him.

"I-I'm fine Naruto-kun"

The blonde let out a small chuckle that had her heart thumping wildly within her and had her inner thighs rubbing together feeling herself grew warm.

"Well we had better make a head start back to Konoha and report our findings on this mission" Shino stated leading the team towards home.

They travelled back in silence back each of them deep in their thoughts to what had occurred on the mission with minimal small talks between everyone except Naruto and Hinata. They had much to think about it especially the budding relationship between them.

Flashback ends...

Hinata broke from her memories, her mind was focused on how she felt being within Naruto's arms. He was so unsure like she was at first. From the tightening of his arms around her she felt the uncertainty of their situation melted away into raw passion. Although she was under the effects of the venom, she could not deny the fact that she became a willing and happy participant to the intimacy with the normally hyperactive blonde of her dreams.

She had dreamed of being with him in the past couple of years, months, even weeks. The reality of their passionate night together far surpassed her imaginations. Just the memory of those darkened blue eyes looking into her own smoky lilac ones filled her body with such a heat that she became highly aroused from them.

Her body was demanding to be touched that she could no longer ignore it

Activating her 'Byakugan', she was relieved to see that her two teammates were still asleep in their tents for the night. Biting her lower lip, her hand trailed down her flat stomach towards her nether region that was slightly damp from her arousal. Her fingers brushed against her damp panty lines, just the touch alone sent her whole body trembling.

Her breathing had already quickened, as nervous fingers went to work against her moistened folds. She felt the instant shock of electricity when her fingers brushed against her clit. She bit her lip and released a muffled pleasurable moan that quickly brought her back to her senses. Her cheeks grew redder from not only the arousal but the embarrassment of possibly being caught by either Shino or Kiba.

Yet...

She couldn't stop her fingers from exploring her heat, feeling for herself how incredibly wet and hot she felt within her. Her juices were coating her fingers, her hips were moving on their own accord. Her other hand eagerly sought out one of her large breasts, pinching her pebbled nipple that was so hard and erect from arousal. Licking her lips, she closed her eyes and her imagination took over driving her completely wild.

Her delicate, soft fingers became his rough, calloused ones, exploring her inner tunnel vigorously. Her thumb circled her sensitive clit, as long thick fingers entered inside her feeling her walls immediately clamped down around them. His deep chuckle made her look at him seeing his blonde spikes of hair and gorgeous eyes look at her with such hunger, that it made her toes curl.

His head lowered to hers claiming her lips, feeling his fingers quicken its penetration within her. Her hips welcomed them by moving along with them. His other hand greedily groped her breast, twirling her erect nipple between his fingers that made her arch her back feeling her own climax coming closer. His soft, warm breath caressing softly against her neck. He whispered her name so intimately, it sent her over the edge gushing out her climax. It jarred her awake from the spell she was under.

Her hand between her legs was completely soaked, her heart was racing and her breathing was thin and laboured. After she came down from her orgasmic high, she remembered where she was and looked around with a deep red blush hoping she did not wake her teammates. Luckily it was still quiet outside of her tent, Hinata quickly removed her wet panties and quickly changed into a clean pair and took deep breathes to regain her composure.

Hinata exhaled a long sigh with her mind exhausted from lack of sleep. She was looking forward to be returning back to the village later that day.

As soon as they arrived back from the previous mission with Team 7 and gave their findings over to Kakashi. They would be deployed out on another mission of importance right after. Hinata needed to talk with Naruto, so she could see that smile of his and hoped it would not fade for her.

Drifting away from her thoughts and worries on the situation at hand, she lulled herself to sleep with the post-orgasmic glow.

oOoOo

Konoha

The morning sun hanged in the blue sky with batches of clouds across the vast expanse. A gentle breeze brought a distinctive chill in the autumn air. The villagers were starting their daily routines, a blonde Uzumaki yawned repeatedly as he looked outside his window.

Under the last Uzumaki's eyes were distinct bagginess and dark circles from lack of sleep in the past two weeks. Ever since that mission his mind kept reminded him of the softness of Hinata's skin against his. The gentle, yet passionate response to his touches that had set his loins on fire. The visage of her face contorted with her need of him was burnt into his mind. It also did not help, Kurama reminded of his night with her on a constant basis.

After dragging himself out of bed and cleaned up with a quick shower, he decided to head towards the Hokage Tower to find out when Team 8 would return from their mission. His sole purpose was to find Hinata and have that much needed talk with her.

That morning after their intimacy, there was an air of awkward quietness between them. When they decided to head off to the meeting place, they travelled in complete silence while sneaking glances at each other without either noticing. They met up with the others later that morning and returned to Konoha. Shino reported what they had found to Kakashi.

Naruto wanted to talk to Hinata alone, but her team got sent out to another mission immediately after. The Kyuubi Jinchuriki hoped their team was alright, especially Hinata. He had asked his former team lead to send him out as back up for their mission when a missive for assistance arrived while he was reminiscing with Kakashi. However, the masked Hokage declined because he wanted to send out his team if Gaara needed further assistance to follow up on their investigation mission.

After he stepped out of the shower, he dried himself off and changed into his casual clothes consisting his beloved colour of orange. Grabbing his keys and locking up his apartment, he shunshined to the bottom of the tower. He wasn't in the mood to be stopped by the many fan girls he had accumulated since the war ended.

Looking up and saw a window open to the Hokage's office, Naruto took a page out of Jiraiya's book and walked up the side of the tower. He hoped Kakashi would divulge when Team 8 would return.

oOoOo

With Team 8

"Man, I can't wait to finally be back home" Kiba remarked as Akamaru barked his agreement.

"I have to agree with you, Kiba.", Shino replied stoically, "We have been on missions constantly."

"What about you Hinata?" Kiba asked their female team mate.

"O-Oh! Um, sorry Kiba-kun...Shino-kun, what were you talking about?" Hinata nervously asked embarrassed that she had been distracted.

"Gosh Hinata we have been talking about the fact that we will be back home in the village!" Kiba exhuded excitedly, but then asked with concern "Is something wrong?".

Hinata blushed waving her hands dismissively with a bit of nerves.

"N-No of course not Kiba-kun. I am just tired. Is all." Hinata protested

"Are you sure Hinata? Why? Because you have been very distant since we left on this mission." Shino questioned as Kiba nodded in agreement.

"I-I'm fine Shino-kun...Kiba-kun...Honestly I'm just tired." Hinata lied convincingly to her teammates, but she wasn't sure if she was trying to convince her teammates or herself.

Hinata sighed in relief as they dropped the subject. She followed somewhat demurely behind them with increasing nervousness as she spotted out the familiar paths and markings that signaled they were almost back home. Hinata tried to keep herself calm and not alert her two team mates to her inner battles.

Her mind once more seeing the soft blue eyes staring down at her with so much need and passion. She could not shake the soft quaking between her legs and the light dampness that gathered from their joining that night in the cave in River Country.

When Naruto and she left cave, they somehow came to an unspoken agreement to leave what had happened within it. Hinata was surprised and extremely grateful that Naruto did not divulge the effects of the toxin that was introduced into her system by the nuke-nins. She was embarrassed and frightened by the possibility of being kidnapped while under that effect. She was not sure how she would have responded if she had lost her virginity while being broken down to become a sex slave. Naruto was her saviour and love. Naruto had protected her from a possible destitute fate and what happened in the cave had only confirmed her feelings for him which originated from when he protected her from bullies the first time from bullies when she was younger.

Since their first encounter from when they were mere children, he had certainly gained her interest from admiration to his actions and beliefs of never giving up even with the prejudice he received from his peers and the villagers around him.

That admiration had only grown to a crush and then evolved into love.

She had confessed to him during the battle with Pain, after she sacrificed herself to save him. She was willing to die for him that faith in him lasted until even now. He did not mention anything regarding her confession and feelings at the time. The Fourth Shinobi War had started not long after. The confession and her feelings towards him had to be pushed aside, whilst they went to war against the last remaining members of Akatsuki and the fallen shinobi's from the past who got raised from the dead with the forbidden jutsu 'Edo Tensei.'

Many had fallen during that war including her cousin Neji, who she saw as an older brother.

She was prepared to give her life freely to protect Naruto from the Ten-tails, but her cousin made the sacrifice in her stead to protect her love. She remembered the shock and horror as Neji's body crumbled in front of them. Once the realization hit, that she had lost Neji she could not stop the tears from cascading down her face as she watched stood next to Naruto who cradled the body of her dying cousin in his arms while crying in desperation for medics.

Neji knew that it was too late to save him and imparted his final words to the blonde. Naruto could not understand why Neji would sacrifice his life for his when he had explicitly promised that he refused to lose his friends on the battlefield. Only Hinata knew how close he was to giving in to Obito's words that day after Neji's passing because he was unable to keep his promise. It incensed her that he was about to give up and give up on his Nindo. The same Nindo that had encouraged her. The very Nindo that enforced his spirit and had her hopelessly falling for him. That was what caused her to slap him, It jarred him from his downward spiral and conveyed her belief in his vision of the Ninja world. After that, it didn't take much to voice her belief in him and encouraged him to steel his resolve against Obito.

After that battle, the Fourth Shinobi World War was finally won. All the major villages entered peace talks and was now heading into a new era of tranquility.

Herself and Naruto had been growing closer since. They had spent more time with one another and cherished those private times, wholeheartedly. Her love for him had only grown. She admitted to herself that she had only admired him from afar, but now she could say that she had indeed fallen for the blonde Jinchuriki. The mission and what had happened to her against the unknown Shinobi only brought her closer to him. The way her body felt when she had awoken inside the cave, making her shy nature mostly evaporate into thin air.

She had boldly went for what she always wanted, her blonde hero Naruto-kun.

The blunette sighed as her cheeks heated at the images of that night within the cave emerged from within her mind. The way he looked at her, how his body felt when she touched him. Hinata never regretted a thing that night, In fact, she was relieved that it was Naruto who she was intimate with. Never would she regret her time with Naruto, every precious moment she was with him made her so very happy.

She was surprised by how bold she had been, instantly touching the blonde with her own unsure hands, doing what she had only ever dreamed of doing but it was all reality. The way he had looked at her surprised, then shocked. The way his own body shivered under her own unsure advances. His blue eyes were ablaze with lust and confusion while looking into her own murky lilac ones.

His touches to her body set her entire body aflame, each jolt of electricity from the touch of his fingers caused her whole entire body to come alive. It was something she craved to experience again and again. Tt was only Naruto that could produce such a feeling within her.

The only thing holding her back was the reality of the situation...

The worry she had was if Naruto regretted being with her himself...

She feared being rejected or even possibly hated by him...

If that happened...

It would break her heart completely

The possible scenarios of that had filled her mind with unease and worry to the point where she couldn't fully focus on her mission. Sleeping and eating were another issue. She did not have an appetite and her mind was filled with Naruto and their night together, but then with him turning his back on her. That repeated nightmare always caused her to wake abruptly, to pant breathlessly and to fill her eyes with unshed tears.

Shino and Kiba knew that there was something very wrong with their teammate. They also respected her privacy so decided not to interrogate their teammate further. Hinata was extremely grateful for her teammates to be so understanding. She also knew that she needed to talk to Naruto. If this becomes a common occurrence then when she teamed up with other Konoha teams, it would go up to Kakashi. Should that happen, it would affect her standing in the Shinobi force.

Hinata could only hope that Naruto would not avoid her completely, so that they could talk with him. She does not know what she would do if he avoided her.

"Look! We are almost home guys! I see the village gates!" Kiba shouted as Akamaru barked happily.

Hinata smiled even though she was worried about her talk with Naruto and hoped that he would not turn her away because of what happened in that cave.

oOoOo

"Naruto, tell me again, why you are so interested in when Team 8 will be returning?" Kakashi said exasperatedly.

Naruto had been by almost everyday and it had always the same question. He loves his old student like a little brother, but by Kami, the blonde knucklehead could be such a pest when he decided to put his mind to it. For the past few weeks, Naruto had put much effort into it.

"Nothing really, Kakashi-sensei. I just want to know that's all." Naruto replied, his left hand scratching the back of his head while fidgeting and looking down.

"They should be returning any day now and besides I am hoping to send a few teams out in regards to the mission you was all sent on two weeks ago." Kakashi answered.

"Did you find out anything more?"

"Yes, from what you gave us on your report we did find some leads. Although, we are still in the dark to whom all the members are. We may have uncovered some information as to why the group have had targeted certain villages."

"Well what is it?" Naruto asked interested

"I am not telling you, yet, Naruto. I will be summoning a few of you in a couple of days to head out on a joint mission with Suna. Team 8 will also be on that team, but they need a few days off to recuperate before I can send them on to another mission. I am sending out a team today to head to Suna, today."

"Shikamaru and the rest of team 10?"

"Yes, they will be meeting up with Gaara and his siblings to discuss the intelligence Suna has gathered." Kakashi answered.

"Will we be meeting up with Team 10?"

"Quite possibly, so enjoy the rest of your days off until then" Kakashi answered cryptically.

"Fine" Naruto answered about to turn to leave when there was a knock on the door.

"Enter" Kakashi ordered

The door opened with two members of Team 8 coming inside along with Akamaru.

"We have completed the mission Lord Hokage and here is our report" Shino answered.

"Hey, where is Hinata?" Naruto asked not seeing the female member of the team.

"We insisted for her to go home." Kiba replied, "She has been exhausted. Why?" .

"Oh um...Nothing" Naruto said calmly inwardly wanting to find her.

"Looks like Team 8 is now back in the village, you can leave my office now. Right, Naruto? Unless you want to help with the paperwork?" Kakashi offered with a knowing eye smile on his face.

Naruto chuckled nervously and quickly waved his goodbyes to the other two members of Team 8 and his former sensei.

Now that Hinata was back in the village, he had the time to have that much needed conversation about what had happened in the cave, undisturbed.

oOoOo

Elsewhere...

The sound of footsteps echoed as the person stood staring out into the vast surroundings was contemplating on his plans and his thoughts. The footsteps stopped a short distance away making him break out of his inward plans and focused on the person behind him.

"Well?"

"So far so good...It seems that they are still in the dark about us."

"That is good...Perhaps I will spare that idiot after all"

"We may still need his services."

"That is true. They are under us and are good for distracting Suna from our objectives. The Kazekage may have decided to bring Konoha Shinobi to help in their investigations, but It does not matter either way."

"What are your orders?"

"Carry on as planned and keep a tight leash on our spies. Do you think they can handle that?"

"As you command"

oOoOo

Hyuga Estate...

Hinata was still exhausted not just physically but mentally as well. When she had returned to the village from the mission, Ko had greeted her at the estate gates and informed her that her father, Hiashi, and her sister, Hanabi were away on diplomatic issues outside of Hi no Kuni. Hinata was relieved as she didn't want to be questioned by either, especially by Hanabi. For the life of her, she just could not lie to her little sister for some reason, Hanabi always somehow got her to tell the truth.

Hinata headed straight to her bedroom in order to unpack her mission gears. Afterwards she headed into the bathroom to freshen herself up after her long trek back home. She was grateful to her two team mates for allowing her to head back home whilst they gave the Hokage their report. Even if she wasn't as useful as she normally was on missions.

Hinata knew that her two teammates were understanding of her sleeping problems, but she hoped it would be solved once her inner conflicts with a certain blonde Shinobi had been resolved. Sighing out her frustrations, she stepped into her shower and decided that she would sneak out of the Hyuga estate to seek out Naruto at his apartment.

She just hoped that he would not turn her away.

After a good ten minutes in the shower scrubbing away the dirt, sweat, and grime from the mission, she stepped out of her bathroom wearing her bath robe. She contemplated on what she should wear as she opened her wardrobe with many new clothes that she was gifted. These were unlike the conservative clothes she bought for herself. This wardrobe contains the clothes that are more risqué which she had never had the courage nor the confidence to wear. This set of clothes were the result of the many shopping trips with her fellow Kunoichi's who got tired of her declining to buy them. Which resorted with her friends buying the outfits for her, these friends also insisted that the more adventurous clothes would look good on her.

Hinata just didn't see it in herself. She hated being in the spotlight or drawing any attention to herself, especially if it was to attract the members of the opposite sex. She wasn't interested in any of them except for one person who had her attention since she was a young child.

Naruto Uzumaki.

Now he finally received the recognition that he strived for. Along with the acknowledgment was the fan girls that hung around him. Hinata was worried that he would fall for one of them and was surprised with seeing him showing up for the mission in disguise.

She decided to put those thoughts aside as she noticed the dim light of the setting sun came across her windows. She needed to search for him before he turned in for the night. The Hyuga heiress hoped that he would remain friends with her, even if she hoped for more.

oOoOo

Naruto expelled a long withering sigh. His mind had wondered if he should go to the Hyuga estate but decided against it. He could not face Hiashi after what happened in that cave with his eldest daughter, Hinata.

Still in disguise, the blonde knucklehead headed for his team's training grounds instead of getting his daily ramen fix. His craving for his beloved ramen had diminished for the past few weeks. Since his return from the mission he had not been able to frequent his favourite food establishment. It also did not help that his adoring fan girls usually pack that restaurant as well, knowing his addiction to the salty noodle goodness. The last Uzumaki was not in the mood to be surrounded by those girls.

When he reached the training grounds, he noticed Sasuke leaning against the tree stump staring at him with one of his insufferable Uchiha smirks directed at him.

"I see you finally decided to train, dobe" greeted Sasuke as he stepped away from the tree stump.

"Tch...I always train!" Naruto retorted.

"Hn" The last Uchiha responded in the usual Uchiha fashion.

"Up for a spar, teme?" Naruto asked hoping he would agree so he can work out his own frustration regarding a certain Hyuga heiress.

Sasuke just looked at him with a shrug of his shoulders and got into his modified Interceptor Fist stance with his Sharingan blazing. A rare grin for the past few weeks had split across his face, Naturto was grateful that Sasuke was willing to spar with him. He needed this to get his mind off Hinata and what happened between them.

He didn't want to talk about it with those closest to him, yet. He still needed to work through it by himself.

One the way back from the mission, he had really wanted to seek guidance from Iruka. However, Kurama had convinced him to at least wait until he had spoken to Hinata. He was in a state of confusion especially what he was feeling. It was something new for him and he does not know how to handle the whole situation. Naruto desperately wanted to confide to someone, but he didn't know who to approach or even how to go about it.

"Oi dobe are you going to start or what?!" Sasuke shouted breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Shut it, teme! Get ready, 'tebayo!" Naruto shouted back excitedly.

oOoOo

Hinata looked at the clock seeing that it was now late in the afternoon. Looking out of her bedroom window she could see the skies above darkening into various shades of purple, red, and blue. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she should try to eat something to settle the butterflies in her stomach.

Heading towards the kitchen she saw Natsu busily moving about and had turned towards the approaching footsteps, her smile bright as always and her eyes widened slightly in pleasant surprise.

"Hinata-sama, you look lovely tonight" Natsu complimented with a crinkle around her eyes

Hinata blushed at the compliment and found her feet suddenly very interesting.

"T-Thank you, I came to grab something light to eat, please?" Hinata asked demurely

"Of course, Hinata-sama would you like some onigiri? I made some earlier this afternoon."

"Yes please...Thank you" Hinata answered still hesitantly.

Natsu smiled and hummed as she went to the refrigerator to take out a plate of onigiri and placed it in front of Hinata.

"Would you be heading out tonight, Hinata-sama?" Natsu asked casually.

Hinata who had bit into the rice ball chewed slowly keeping her composure calm as she thought her answer carefully as she chewed and swallowed her bite before answering.

"I am visiting one of my friends for a much needed talk." Hinata answered vaguely.

"I see. A ladies's night out would be good for you, Hinata-sama. Shall I wait up for your return?"

"N-No that won't b-be necessary Natsu. I do not know what time I will return. You and Ko are free to do whatever you wish for the rest of the day" Hinata replied calmly with a gentle smile while keeping her serene demeanor.

Natsu nodded as she continued to clean the kitchen area.

Hinata had finished eating two of the onigiri on the plate. Her nerves were still fluttering in anticipation with what she would be doing later this night. She was chastising herself for picking one of the braver dresses. However, she wanted to look nice for Naruto.

She took a deep intake of breathe as she pushed open the huge Hyuga front gate.

The cool evening air was a welcomed blessing against her blushing cheeks. She had to focus on keeping calm and try not to become a stuttering, fainting mess in front of Naruto. She needed to be strong and make sure that she could convey her feelings to him, even if it would be the second time.

Taking a deep breath to fill herself up with determination, she walked out of the Hyuga estate. She greeted the two Hyuga guards who bowed their heads in greeting as she smiled back at them politely. Her feet guiding her towards the village streets. The vendors that were usually along the street were in the process of packing up to close for the day with only a few shops still open.

The Hyuga princess hadn't have time for herself these past few weeks because of the constant mission deployments. This was a welcomed change having lived through the Fourth Shinobi War. Now, most of the shinobis were put on standby from the uncertainty of this new peaceful era. She did miss her village while being out for missions for the past months. The small things like spending time with Hanabi on her day off when they would shop together.

Her wondering thoughts reminded her that she should visit Ino's flower shop to pick up some flowers to pay respect to her family that had passed. It's been a while since she had swept her mother, Hitomi's and Neji's graves.

The reminder of her cousin's death made her heart clench. She missed him terribly and wondered if he would be in a relationship with Tenten if he had not pass. She had seen the subtle looks that he had given his female teammate. It saddened her that it would never come to fruition. For a long time, she had blamed herself for his sacrifice. She had been willing to give her life that day only to have her life be spared and Neji's be taken in her place.

Hinata shook her head as she broke away from those thoughts. She made her way towards Naruto's apartment. She inwardly hoped he would be there alone.

oOoOo

Hokage's office...

Kakashi looked over Team 10 who had just arrived upon his summons. Shikamaru stepped forward as the Team lead; he was already informed of the mission details.

"You will be in charge Shikamaru, I need you and your team to head to Suna and meet up with Kazekage Gaara to look over the details of their investigations. Here is our own finding for the investigation from Team 8's and Team 7's joint mission from a fortnight ago."

"Troublesome, okay" Shikamaru sighed out causing Kakashi to smirk beneath his facemask.

"Well look on the bright side, Shikamaru. You would get to see the Kazeage's sister. I heard you became quite close." Kakashi teased.

Shikamaru stiffened and his cheeks held a slight tint as he tried to divert the conversation to something else as Ino and Chouji chuckled softly.

"Will we be meeting any other teams, Hokage-sama?"

"I will be sending Team 8 along with Team 7 to rendezvous with you in a few days. Team 7 had just returned from a mission and need a few days to rest. I will be sending word by messenger hawk to alert you of their departure."

Team 10 nodded as they turned to leave his office. Kakashi sighed as he got up from his chair and stood by the window that looked out onto the village that was now illuminated by the villages street lamps. He wondered what this group was up to and what their real objective was about?

What they had uncovered so far were ominous at best. It created more questions than answer them.

oOoOo

Naruto had returned to his apartment from his spar with Sasuke. He was certain that his teammate was becoming suspicious of his behaviours. In typical Sasuke fashion, he did not pry for information from him as would Sakura. The blonde shivered imagining the pinkette flexing her fist at him to intimidate the information out of him.

Naruto didn't want to reveal the fact that he slept with Hinata on a mission. Granted it was to relieve her of the toxins, it was still a breach of protocol. Sakura would have easily beaten him senseless should she found out. This was from his own teammate, he shuddered to think what Hinata's teammates would have done.

"Still worrying about what happened between you two?" Kurama asked rhetorically.

Naruto stiffened and let out a deep sigh of frustration.

"Not really, Kurama. I just...I just don't know how to approach this with Hinata-chan, ya know" Naruto admitted.

"You need to talk to her, kit" the chakra creature consoled.

"I know I need to talk to her, but I just don't know how" Naruto responded

"Just go over to her house and ask to speak to her. It is that simple, kit" Kurama replied annoyance clearly in his tone.

There was a palpable silence between the host and the sealed creature. Kurama finally became fed up and pushed Naruto more into a state of action.

"Remember, I feel everything that's been going on with you for the past few weeks. I don't appreciate being an emotional mess. I know, damn well that she has been in your thoughts since that night in the cave. She has always been someone close to you, you idiot." The nine=tailed fox ranted.

"Huh!?...W-what do you mean?" came Naruto's intelligent reply.

Kurama facepalmed himself with one of his giant claws. He knew that Naruto had always thought highly of the blue haired beauty. Even as young children he cared for her to some extent but he has never realised just how much. Kurama suspected that Naruto loved the girl very much deep down. It was a public secret after the war ended that the two had major crushes on each other. The blonde was just too dense to realise that the bluenette liked him back as well

All this worrying from him was clearly felt by the nine tailed Fox as it kept him up all night seeing the memories of their night together being resurfaced daily so many times. Kurama tried to ignore them, but there was only so much he could do being sealed within the blonde Jinchuriki.

If Kurama could manifest in corporeal form, he would lock the Hyuga princess and the Uazumaki idiot into a room together, until they realize their feelings for each other or just fuck. The chakra mass is getting tired of seeing the two dancing around each other and the subject they need to discuss.

"The only way forward is to talk to her, kit" Kurama prodded

"I know, I know. I was hoping to speak with her when she came back from her mission. I saw Shino and Kiba. They told me she went back home because she was exhausted." Naruto replied calmly.

The Fox was about to answer back when there was a gentle rasp on his front door, disrupting their conversation.

'I wonder who that could be?" he groaned, "I hope it isn't one of my fan girls!" Naruto sighed and treaded repudiatingly towards the door.

Another knock much louder than before rang out through his empty apartment. The blonde Uzumaki shouted "Coming" and carefully opened the door to peak out to make sure it's not a fangirl. He stiffened with seeing the Hyuga Princess standing somewhat demurely at his front door steps and finding her feet very interesting.

"H-Hinata!?" Naruto stammered out.

"N-Naruto-kun, C-Can I come in, p-please?" Hinata asked with a slight stutter looking at anywhere but him.

oOoOo

A/N:- Hi I'm sorry for the long update but my beta had a lot on that took priority. Thank you for the reviews and those that have favourited and followed I'm glad that you enjoyed previous chapter and I hope you like this one too. I would also like to thank my beta Shinokaze for dedicating his time with my story.

I haven't updated as much as I usually do due to family issues, my health hasn't been to good either. I will update when I can and I appreciate your patience to all my stories.

Till next chapter