CHAPTER 20 – THE ATTACK

I promise I'll tell you one day.

His alarm had gone off fifteen minutes ago, but still he laid in bed, staring at the yellowing paint on his ceiling that used to be white once. He didn't know what time he managed to get to bed the night before, having stared into the night from the top of that post for what seemed like hours before nearly falling off from exhaustion. He had had a restless sleep, his heart still fluttering madly as he tried to remember exactly how her lips had felt on his skin, so so close to his own mouth but not quite there. It wasn't a true kiss but it hadn't been just a friendly one either. He felt the deliberateness in her action, he had seen the look in her eye. She meant to kiss him there for a reason.

Who was the guy she said she'd rather marry? Did she still have feelings for him? Could it be possible that she was starting to see him that way instead? Despite all his resolutions to stay away from her and remain friendly, he couldn't stop hypothesizing ways to get her to talk, to maybe kiss him again. Last night he learned he was in way deeper than he could have ever imagined, and the thought of ignoring the situation just seemed incomprehensible.

BEEP BEEP BEEP. The snooze alarm suddenly went off. Naruto growled in annoyance as he jerked to the side to smash at the buttons until the damn thing turned off. Fuck, he was going to be late for training with Jiraiya.

"Class…class! Please settle down now!"

"But, Hinata-sensei, can you please please show us how you created the water dragon yesterday? Just once!"

"Yeah please show us Sensei!"

"Please Sensei?"

Hinata sighed and chuckled softly. She had been hoping for an easy last day before the winter school break began, but her students seemed bent on ignoring her requests for order as they tried to make her recreate her water dance from the night before.

In any case, the most she remembered from the night before was what happened after her dance, during a magical walk with one of the most special persons in her life. She bit her tongue to stop herself from groaning at the bold move she made just before they parted. What had she been thinking? How was she even going to look at him the next time she saw him?

Oh but how wonderful it felt to be held in his strong arms. Just the thought of it sent butterflies coursing through her system like mad.

"Children, I am flattered that you are so interested in my performance from yesterday. However, we do have to go through today's lesson plan. It is crucial for the exam that you will take after the break."

The class groaned in despair. Hinata smiled sheepishly and fiddled with her hair as she considered the plan for the day. They had been good up until now, perhaps she could incentivize them to get through the lesson quickly to make time for some fun later.

"Okay, how about this? If you are all very good and we can finish the lesson early, I will show you my water dragon jutsu today after class ends."

The students immediately perked up and cheered. "Alright!" Konohamaru yelled excitedly while Moegi and Udon giggled and chattered with other students.

Hinata smiled and nodded her consent. "Sounds like a plan. Let's get started then!"

She made her way to her desk to pick up the paper handouts that she intended to distribute to the class, glancing out the window as she did so. She suddenly paused and stepped a little closer to the window, her lavender eyes looking up into the sky. There, in the middle of the day, was the moon. While it wasn't completely unnatural to see the moon during the day, what made Hinata pause was the size of the moon. It looked positively huge! Hinata had never seen it look that huge in the day or the night time. Perhaps it is some sort of special alignment? she thought to herself, frowning at the sky slightly before shrugging mentally and turning back to the class.

It was most likely nothing.

"Boy! Focus! What in Kami's name was that!" roared Jiraiya in frustration, waving his hands in anger at Naruto, who had failed to concentrate heavily enough to conjure his Rasenshiruken. He was barely maintaining Sage Mode in his state, eyes still heavy from lack of sleep, and mind still foggy with thoughts of a girl with lavender eyes and the softest lips.

"Err, sorry Ero-sennin…" Naruto mumbled, snapping to attention at the sound of Jiraiya's voice, itching the back of his head sheepishly. Jiraiya simply threw his hands in the air in exasperation and stalked away, muttering about how he could have been at a bathhouse instead.

Naruto plopped to the grass with a weary sigh, rubbing his temples before staring at the beautiful landscape that was the Land of the Toads. His eyes lingered on a rather large male toad who was snuggling peacefully against his mate, and he sighed yet again.

A water bottle was suddenly shoved in his face, and Naruto blinked in surprise before slowly taking the offering from his sensei. Jiraiya groaned in effort as he sank down next to the blonde ninja, shifting to get comfortable before sighing in content as he leaned against a tree trunk, chewing absentmindedly on a long piece of grass.

They were quiet for a while. Naruto fiddled with the water bottle, rolling his eyes inwardly as he waited for the inevitable long monologue from his sensei.

"So what's her name?"

Naruto frowned and glanced at Jiraiya, who was still gazing up at the fluffy clouds sailing by.

"What?" he asked crudely.

Jiraiya waved at him lazily. "The girl you're thinking about. What's her name?"

Naruto's eyes widened. Had he been that obvious?

"G-girl? There is no girl, old man! I don't know what you're talking about." Naruto quickly retorted.

Jiraiya simply chuckled. "Come now boy, I'm not stupid. I can spot those puppy love eyes anywhere. She must be something because you've been googly-eyed all day."

Naruto flushed and whipped his head to stare at the grass. His stomach clenched as he tried to think of what to say. He desperately wanted to voice his thoughts but at the same time couldn't bear to address them.

"It's nothing. I promise I'll focus more this time." he growled, beginning to rise to his feet, but stopped in surprise when Jiraiya tugged him back to the ground none too gently.

"Aw that's not true. Why don't you tell Old Man Jiraiya what's on your mind? I want the juicy details! I can even give you some advice with your girl troubles." said the Sage with a devilish grin.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "Your advice would just make it worse!"

"Oh! But you don't deny having girl troubles then?" asked Jiraiya gleefully. Naruto blinked and then glared at the ground.

"Maybe. But it doesn't matter whether you give me advice or not. Nothing is going to happen anyways."

Jiraiya clucked his tongue. "Now now Naruto, those are not the kinds of words I want to be hearing from my student! I have barely even taught you the language of love, the art of romance! Once I show you my tricks she simply won't be able to get enough of you!"

"I don't want to know your pervy tricks, old man! I'm telling you none of that stuff matters! It's pointless for me to even try anything so let's just forget it, okay?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at the despair in his voice. "Why do you say pointless? You may be a brat but there is still hope for you yet. We just have to do something about your wardrobe…"

"It's pointless because it is!" Naruto snarled, pounding a fist into the earth. "It wouldn't matter if I changed my clothes or what I said! At the end of the day I am still who I am, and I can't hide it behind words or clothes forever. And no one in their right mind would want that."

Jiraiya's smile had faded. "Want…what?"

Naruto glared at him before grabbing the hem of his shirt and lifting roughly. "That."he growled angrily, pointing to the black tattoo on his stomach. "Remember, stupid old man? The monster inside of me!" he yelled, his emotions, still raw from the night before, driving him to shout.

Jiraiya simply stared at him calmly, glancing at the seal. Naruto's blue eyes bore into the Toad Sage before he huffed and suddenly rose to his feet, stalking over to the nearby stream before squatting to throw water on his face. The cold water felt good as it ran down his neck, helping him breathe and take in his surroundings before splashing some more. He finally stopped, peering down at the water's crystalline surface to take in his reflection. He remained quiet when Jiraiya's reflection appeared beside his own.

"What do you see?"

Naruto inhaled through his nose. "Just me."

"Really? Are you sure you don't see a monster? Maybe with red fur, pointy ears and sharp teeth?"

Naruto snorted softly. "No."

"Not even any bloodlust in the eyes?"

"No! But Sensei…he is inside me. I can't take him out. Everyone…everyone has hated me for having the Kyuubi. A-and I get why! What if I lost control and hurt people and destroyed things? And how can I explain that I hear the voice of a demon in my head? No one would ever be able to see past that."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Well, I can definitely see where you're coming from but, first things first, not everyone has hated you." Jiraiya winked at Naruto's stare.

"Second, if a person really loves you they will embrace all parts of you, even the less agreeable parts, and especially those that you have had no control over. Did you ask for the Kyuubi to be encased in your body?"

"No…but-"

"Have you ever lost control and destroyed the entire village?"

"No! But-"

"If it were the other way around, and the girl was the one hiding the Kyuubi inside of her, would you hold it against her when you found out? Would you shun her and run away screaming?"

Naruto opened his mouth but no words came out. If Hinata was the one with the Kyuubi would he stay away from her because of it?

"No…" he breathed. "It…it wouldn't be her fault, what happened to her. I couldn't blame her for it. I would…just be upset that she didn't tell me sooner, so I could help her through it…" he trailed off, his mind racing.

"But, even still! Even if she did accept me, that doesn't mean she'd want to be in a relationship with me. Her clan would never accept me as her boyfriend. I'm not marriage-material." said Naruto, spitting out the last couple of words.

"Just so we are clear, we are talking about the Hyuuga girl correct?"

Naruto snapped his head to gape at the Toad Sage, who simply grinned at the fierce blush on the blonde's face.

"Fantastic! The…older Hyuuga girl, right?"

Naruto sputtered. "Y-yes the older one, you damn perv!"

"Love finds a way."

The blonde ninja frowned. "Love finds a way?"

Jiraiya nodded, gazing at the fish swimming by in the stream. "Love is more powerful than any jutsu. It can cause entire villages to follow a single person into battle. It can start wars, and it can end them. It will make a mother sacrifice her life for her child's safety." Jiraiya glanced at Naruto with a small smile. "If you find real love boy, and I'm talking the real unconditional "til death do us part" love, not that flimsy trivial crap, then understand this: clans don't matter, rules don't matter, expectations don't matter. If you both love each other that deeply, then together you can overcome anything."

Naruto blinked before lifting his head slowly to meet Jiraiya's face, surprised at the depth of his gaze and the smile on his face.

"And if it's really the Hyuuga girl then, you really don't need my advice." Jiraiya finished with a deep laugh. Naruto cocked his head in confusion.

"Hey, what do you mean-"

"Jiraiya!" a deep voice suddenly boomed across the field, sending birds flying up into the sky in surprise. Naruto and Jiraiya snapped their heads up at the sound of something huge bounding their way. It wasn't hard to spot Gamabunta leaping towards them at a speed Naruto didn't know the enormous toad was capable of.

Jiraiya frowned and got to his feet. "Gama? What is it?" he called as the toad lord approached.

"There is a problem. Konoha is under attack at this moment." Gamabunta announced, eying the ninjas with his reptilian eyes.

Naruto jumped to his feet. "Under attack? What do you mean? By who?"

"My messengers state it appears to be dark hooded figures. Hundreds of them, potentially, attacking the entire village. It is unclear who is leading them. But that is not the biggest problem…" Gamabunta looked up at the blue sky.

"The moon is…falling."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "Falling?"

Naruto began to breathe heavily, his eyes flashing between Gamabunta and the sky, which was moonless due to the distance they traveled by going to Mount Myoboku.

Hinata

~An hour earlier~

"Okay, now watch me!"

Hinata released a short breath before raising her hands out in front of her before the small pool of water she had placed in the center of the Academy's training field, her water bending fans in her grasp. Her students stood at a safe distance around her.

Making sweeping motions similar to those she made during the water dance, Hinata began to mold the water with chakra.

"See how the water fans are crucial in weaving the chakra with the water? It allows me to be much more accurate than what I can do with my hands." Hinata commented as she worked on developing a smaller version of the water dragon.

"Ooooo" her class exclaimed in excitement. They laughed and pointed as a shadow of a shape began to form under the water's surface. Soon Hinata had gathered the water in a way she was satisfied with, and she lifted the jutsu into the air to the students' delight.

Hinata made the dragon travel in the air above the children's heads, smiling as they tried to jump and grab at it.

There was a spark of light in the corner of her eye, and she reflexively glanced towards it and did a double take. The smile on her face faded, and a sharp gasp released from her mouth.

A deafening siren began to sound. The Hokage's tower had spotted it too. Hinata had never heard that siren before but she immediately knew what it meant: it was the Level Five threat signal.

The water dragon suddenly dispersed and rained down on the startled students, all of them gaping up at the sky, surprise giving way to confusion and fear.

"S-sensei?" croaked Konohamaru.

Frozen, Hinata and her students stared at the enormous, house-sized rock falling from the sky right towards the village.

Somewhere in the forest surrounding Konoha, Naruto and Jiraiya jumped out of Gamabunta's mouth at the same time and immediately took off for Konoha's main gates. Gamabunta and a number of his children were behind them, prepared for a fight. Naruto clenched his teeth as he pushed himself faster, his heart pounding as he began to rev up his chakra for Sage Mode. The contingent came up a small hill and slowed to a sudden halt as they took in the scene.

Konoha was in chaos. Naruto could hear screams from terrified villagers that were scrambling in the streets, taking cover as Konoha ninja of all levels were fighting with the same hooded puppets that they had been searching for over the last few months. They were everywhere. Every shinobi was facing multiple puppets at once, leaping from the rooftops to evade chakra bombs that exploded on contact with buildings and the ground. A siren was sounding from the Hokage tower, droning in a bone-chilling way.

Shouts suddenly sprang up to the left, and Naruto looked around frantically for the source. A number of shinobi were evacuating the southern part of the village, yelling and pointing to the sky. Naruto heard Jiraiya swear, and he looked up to where the ninja were pointing. His heart slammed into his throat.

An enormous fiery boulder was racing to the ground right where the ninja were evacuating. It was too late to try and deflect it. Naruto's group could only watch in horror as it slammed into the southern Konoha wall, demolishing a handful of houses and sending up a plume of smoke and debris in its wake. Fresh screams wailed into the air. Further up in the sky, the moon loomed. It was huge, the biggest moon Naruto's ever seen, and far in the distance he could see another piece of it entering the atmosphere.

"Naruto." Naruto whipped around at Jiraiya's sharp, no-nonsense tone. "Clones."

Naruto blinked and then nodded quickly, putting his hands together. How many did he even need?

Hinata.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Jiraiya's eyebrows raised at the army of Narutos that appeared instantly. There were more than a hundred of them.

"Have them enter and engage the puppets. Gama, can you hold the southern wall? Naruto and I will join the Hokage." Jiraiya said quickly but calmly. The giant toad hummed in response, seeming intrigued by the commotion. With some booming orders, the toads began to move out.

"Wait, I need to see if my friends are alright!" Naruto protested, anxious to get moving. Jiraiya shook his head.

"No. Hokage first to assess and receive orders, then you act! Let's go."

Naruto growled viciously, dread filling his stomach as he imagined how his friends were faring, but he knew not to mess with Jiraiya when he gave that voice. He quickly sent out a mental message to his clones.

Go and fight those assholes!

The clones shouted in confirmation and began to stampede towards the village.

"Naruto, let's move."

Naruto leaped away with his sensei, the adrenaline from the promise of battle surging through him.

They rushed to the Hokage tower. The puppets began to take notice of the two significant chakra signatures entering the village and advanced towards them, readying new chakra attacks. Naruto summoned yet another clone and began to create a Rasengan. Together, him and Jiraiya began to fight. Naruto's senses were assaulted with the smell of burning buildings as he shoved his Rasengan into the puppet's chest, then kicked at another one coming from his right. Jiraiya blew a spout of fire from his mouth, eliminating four at once.

They continued to race to the Hokage, picking up on Tsunade's chakra signature, and stopped periodically to fight off incoming puppets. Another huge boom was heard as a chunk of moon fell just outside the city wall, luckily not hitting anything in its wake. Naruto sped up as he spotted Tsunade standing on the roof of the Hokage tower with a squad of ANBU.

"Jiraiya!" called Tsunade as they approached. "Where have you been?"

"Myoboku. Gama was able to notify us about what was happening. What's the latest?" replied Jiraiya.

Tsunade set her angry hazel eyes on the scene in front of her. "They came out of nowhere. Hundreds of these puppets. The moon too, I don't understand at all how it got like this, it is as if it transformed overnight! My scientists have been absolutely useless. We are on the defensive trying to prevent loss of life and eliminate as many of the puppets as possible. My ANBU are looking for the source. It's like they are dropping from the sky! We have dispatched messengers to get backup from Suna and Kiri. There is a huge group of puppets attacking the Hyuuga estate, but it has been a struggle to get past their defenses to help the Hyuuga."

Naruto's heart froze. "The Hyuuga estate?" His eyes flew widely around until he focused in the direction of the estate towards the east. There was definitely a greater battle occurring there as he saw shinobi and puppets clashing violently.

"No!" He impulsively made to run but was jerked back by the collar by Jiraiya. "Wait, boy!" the sage hissed.

Tsunade looked at Naruto strangely but then nodded curtly. "No, let him go, we need his manpower there. But Naruto! Find Kakashi and wait to receive orders from him!" Tsunade yelled as Naruto already began to make a beeline for the Hyuuga estate.

Naruto willed himself to go faster as he raced to the Hyuuga mansion on the rooftops, choosing to evade puppets rather than stop to fight them on his way. He dropped onto a tree branch just above where he had once dropped off Hinata from an ink bird and looked around anxiously. The Hyuuga mansion was already quite damaged with broken windows, roofs, and small fires burning around the building and the gardens. He could see Hinata's family members fighting the enemies, but he couldn't spot her unique indigo hair amongst the brunette Hyuugas.

"Naruto." Kakashi appeared to his right. "I assume the Hokage sent you."

"Kakashi-sensei, is Hinata here? Is she alright? Why are they attacking the Hyuuga?" Naruto asked vehemently, his eyes still searching in vain.

"No idea. But I am assuming they are looking for Main family members. We have located Hyuuga Hiashi but his daughters are still missing. I need you to-"

Naruto tuned out Kakashi as he summoned natural energy. He had officially had enough of this disaster. His body began to glow with yellow chakra and his eyes changed color while his senses multiplied. He began to scan the Hyuuga mansion, flicking his eyes at all of the chakra signatures running around. He was not practiced at identifying individual people just by their chakra, but somehow he knew.

"She isn't there." he said harshly. Kakashi frowned at him as Naruto swiveled and began to look around the village.

Come on, come on… he thought fiercely. Where the hell…he paused, stopping in the direction of the Academy. It was late, technically, she shouldn't have still been at the school but…

He felt it. He felt her.

"There!" he snarled, ending his Sage Mode and leaping from the tree.

"Wait, Naruto!" Kakashi called, taking off after him.

They jumped across the rooftops, dodging attacks from puppets as well as debris from falling asteroids. Naruto felt his clones dispelling and summoned new ones to replace them. And then suddenly they were across the street from the Academy, in the same tree where Naruto once watched Hinata train the students.

The place was crawling with puppets. It seemed they had also realized that the Hyuuga heiress was not in fact at home, and they were amassing in dizzying numbers above the Academy, which had lost a big chunk of its roof from the violence. Naruto strained his eyes to see past the black robes as he heard Kakashi shouting orders to surrounding ANBU to help contain the situation. His stomach flopped when he caught sight of movement inside the Academy through the open roof.

"Hinata!" he cried, locking his sight onto the indigo-haired girl in the center of the exposed classroom. He gritted his teeth when he saw all of her students huddled close to her in fear. The puppets were blocking all possible exits, trapping Hinata and her young charges.

More ANBU and shinobi forces were answering Kakashi's call, engaging the puppets in an attempt to subdue them and get closer to Hinata, but it seemed the puppets were also increasing their numbers as they zeroed in on the Hyuuga heiress.

Naruto growled in anger and prepared to run for Hinata but Kakashi suddenly yanked him to the side. "Watch it!"

A chakra bomb hit the tree and exploded right where him and Kakashi had been standing. An ANBU quickly descended on the puppet and dispatched it from behind before flickering away to continue fighting.

"We need to get in there!" said Naruto angrily. Kakashi shook his head once. "Wait Naruto, we need to find an entry point, otherwise you will just get swarmed by those puppets!" he said as he watched the puppets accumulating in shocking numbers. "They seem to be using their numbers as defense so we cannot get to Hinata."

Naruto was about to scream at Kakashi when the cloud of puppets suddenly began to descend towards Hinata.

"What the…Hinata!" Naruto shouted in fear as they closed in on the girl and her students.

He could see Hinata look up at her attackers as the children became frantic. She raised one arm into the air and seemed to concentrate heavily. Naruto and Kakashi could only watch as water began to collect rapidly in a huge bubble above her hand, getting larger and larger. Then, Hinata's chakra surged upward like a blue beam of light, and the water bubble quickly ballooned into a dome-like shape.

"Whoa…" Naruto murmured as he and Kakashi watched the dome grow and slam into the puppets above, shoving them away roughly. Some puppets attempted to throw chakra bombs at the dome, but the attacks simply exploded or even ricocheted off the jutsu. A water net, Naruto suddenly realized as the effects reminded him of that day at the beach.

The dome continued to rise and expand until it was larger than the Academy roof, and then it dissipated into thousands of water droplets. Many puppets had been battered to the ground, but still more came to replace them, slowly gathering back above the Academy.

"Hn, a strong jutsu, but not quite enough to eliminate them all. There are too many." Kakashi said.

"We have to help her!" Naruto said furiously as he saw Hinata prepare a second net. He could tell that with the amount of chakra she was pouring out for the jutsu that she couldn't keep it up for long. Hinata could have just attacked each puppet directly with Gentle Fist, but he knew she didn't want to leave her students to fend for themselves.

"Call more clones. If we can dispatch enough of them we can find a way to evacuate the students." said Kakashi.

But Naruto was already thinking of something else entirely as he watched the second net cast away the puppets temporarily. It just needs more power.

Seeing Hinata stagger to her knees as she strained to maintain the jutsu was the final straw.

"I have a better idea." he said with gritted teeth before suddenly launching himself from the tree, ignoring Kakashi's alarmed calls.

"Sensei!" Konohamaru cried out in concern as Hinata slumped to her knees, panting heavily as she let go of the water net jutsu. She had never casted such large nets before, and the exertion was already draining her to dangerously low chakra levels.

"I-It's okay…" Hinata struggled to speak, sweat running down the side of her face. Her body felt shaky, she knew she couldn't do this for long. The puppets had come out of nowhere, and for some reason they weren't leaving her class alone, like they wanted something from her. She could break away from the class and battle her way out, but she knew that she couldn't leave her young students to an A-rank level confrontation. The best strategy she could come up with was to eliminate them all at once so the kids could make a run for it, but it was becoming impossible. For every puppet she blew away, two more came back to replace it.

She heard some of the students whimpering and picked up her head to see the puppets amassing once more. Dread filled her stomach as she shakily raised up her arm again, taking deep breaths as she tried to remain calm. She couldn't see how she could do this again. She was so tired. A lump began to form in her throat as she felt herself beginning to panic.

"Rasengan!"

The students gasped in shock as an explosion occurred to the right of the building, and a number of puppets were blasted away by a black and orange blur. Suddenly, Hinata felt strong arms wrap around her as she came face to face with electric blue eyes.

She heard his deep voice murmur in her ear. "Hiya, Sensei."

Her heart fluttered madly and she threw her arms around his neck in great relief. "N-Naruto-kun!" she breathed, and they held each other tightly for a moment, both kneeling on the classroom floor.

"Please Naruto-kun, help the students get away, I…I can't…" Hinata began when they pulled away, but Naruto shook his head quickly.

"Don't worry, I got a better idea." He smiled at her confused face before directing his attention over her shoulder to look at Konohamaru, who had been standing there gaping at his sudden appearance.

"Konohamaru." The young boy stood ramrod straight. Never had he heard Naruto sound so authoritative in his life. "When we attack I want you to get everybody out of here. Get as far away as possible. Do you understand me?"

Konohamaru's eyes widened at Naruto's serious tone and the hard look in his stormy ocean eyes.

"H-Hai…" he responded shakily, to which Naruto just nodded curtly before he turned his head to murmur in Hinata's ear some more. The boy watched as Naruto softly encouraged Hinata as he held her securely in his arms. Hinata nodded at his words and allowed him to guide her arm with one of his own back to pointing to the puppets above, which were closing in by the second. Konohamaru was mesmerized by how Naruto had taken control of the situation and put his sensei at ease, and despite the circumstances a rush of intense respect and pride overtook the young man. Nii-san…

He suddenly snapped out of it and faced his peers with newfound energy. "Guys, get ready to run on my signal!" he shouted.

"I'm going to give you my chakra. Just focus on channeling it into the jutsu, okay?" said Naruto, firmly holding up Hinata's arm by the wrist while he soothingly rubbed her back with his other hand. Hinata let out a short breath before nodding resolutely and glaring at their enemies above. Naruto felt her begin to charge up and he quickly did the same, holding her close as he willed his chakra to be absorbed by her body. Hinata felt his energy and began to breathe heavily as the adrenaline kickstarted her system and enabled her to initiate the jutsu. Naruto and Hinata both looked upwards as their combined chakra was funneling into the growing water dome above.

Naruto looked down briefly at Konohamaru. "Go!" he shouted.

Konohamaru nodded and waved at his class. "Come on!"

Naruto turned back to Hinata, their hair whipping back and forth from the wind kicked up by the jutsu's intensity. "Just a bit more, you're doing great." he said into her ear as he saw her eyes flutter closed for a moment.

Hinata clenched her teeth and nodded before looking up stubbornly at her attackers. The dome was getting bigger and bigger. Naruto held Hinata tightly as he focused on feeding her his chakra without overwhelming her, burying his face into her neck and inhaling her sweet smell. Hinata shivered even while casting her jutsu and turned her head towards Naruto, who picked his head up as well. High off adrenaline, they pressed their foreheads together. A gentle warmth filled Hinata's core as Naruto's chakra infused with her own, and her lavender eyes fluttered, giving his nose a butterfly kiss. Naruto let out a breath, and he gripped her wrist a little tighter. The flow of chakra seemed to be drawing them together like magnets, and both were struggling to keep clear heads. Naruto gazed at Hinata through lidded eyes and gently rubbed his nose against hers. An aura of chakra had surrounded the two ninja, so bright it was blinding them from everything else but each other.

Naruto somehow felt like he was falling. Their mouths were so close to each other, he could feel her breathy gasps against his lips. The battle was momentarily forgotten as he dipped his head even closer to hers.

"Hina…" he murmured, his lips brushing featherlike ever so faintly against hers with each syllable he spoke.

"Naru…" she whispered, her lips doing the same, sending electric shocks through his body and making him lose focus. His chakra surged forward a bit more, and the aura of energy around them intensified, roaring in their ears. But all the two ninja could see was each other within the blinding light, and their heads inched towards each other.

Then they were pitching forward. Total, complete blackness. Naruto stuck his hands out blindly as he fell to his knees with a splash, registering belatedly that his hands and knees were submerged in shallow water.

A splash and feminine cry a few feet in front of him brought him back to alertness. "Hinata?" he cried out, his voice echoing loudly. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he made out Hinata's outline, she was similarly on her hands and knees, looking around in pure confusion.

"Naruto-kun! What…what happened…"

Still on all fours, Naruto slowly took in his surroundings. It was so dark he couldn't see any walls, for all he knew the space stretched on infinitely. He looked down at the water his hands were submerged in. Something about this felt intimately familiar, he had a strong sense of déjà vu, it was as if he was….

Oh…oh no.

He looked up slowly, staring past Hinata, and saw the unmistakable outline of huge metal bars, and up higher there was a piece of parchment with ancient writing on it. A seal.

His insides ran ice cold. "Hinata-"

HMMM, HOW INTERESTING…

Hinata jumped at the deep, inhuman voice that seemed to be coming from all directions. The hairs on the back of her neck pricked up as she sensed a presence behind her. Whatever it was, it was the single most powerful chakra presence she had ever felt in her life.

She heard some splashing, and a wet hand grabbed her chin before she could turn her head around. She looked at Naruto and was alarmed by the look in his eyes. They were dark with an emotion she couldn't identify.

"Hinata, d-don't look." he rasped, his tone low with a fear Hinata had never heard in Naruto's voice before. Enormous footsteps began to shake the ground beneath them, making the water ripple violently.

HYUUGA HIII-NAAA-TAAA… Hinata felt goosebumps all over her body as she heard the terrible voice call her directly.

"DON'T!" roared Naruto. "Don't you DARE TALK TO HER! Hinata, listen, I'll get us out of here, just don't look okay?"

The voice chuckled tauntingly. WHY NOT?

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered. For some reason she could see that they weren't in immediate danger as Naruto wasn't attempting to run or attack the thing behind them, but his frenzied state wasn't putting her at ease. "What…is going on?"

I CAN TELL YOU…

Naruto flinched and shut his eyes briefly as his mind raced. Never in his life had someone been transported into his mindscape with the Kyuubi before.

Hinata frowned at Naruto's distressed appearance. Somehow, she felt there was something more complicated going on.

"Naruto, please…" she got his attention with her soft voice and lack of honorific. "There is a fight still going on. I see we were transported somewhere…and we need to go back. Maybe if I turn around…it'll help."

Naruto dragged his eyes slowly to hers, looking at her face as if committing it to his memory.

Finally, he swallowed and looked down in defeat. He let his hand fall from her face.

Hinata took a shaky breath and rose to her feet. She clenched her fists as she tried to brace herself for whatever she was about to face. Turning slowly, her pale eyes took in the sight of an enormous cage, bigger than the Hokage Tower.

Her blood ran cold as she saw movement just beyond the stretch of dim light that reached into the cage. The sheer power emanating from the cell made her body shake, but she forced herself to take a few steps forward.

"Who are you?" she called, forcing herself not to stutter.

She froze as a huge eye flicked open, hovering in the darkness beyond the bars. The eye was blood red and slitted like an animal. And it was looking right at her.

REALLY?

The eye moved, and she felt more ground shaking footsteps. She gasped as the huge creature slowly came into view. Blood red fur, pointed ears, long whiskers, enormous fangs, vicious claws.

And tails. So many of them.

YOU SHOULD KNOW WHO I AM, the voice said imperiously.

Hinata stared wide eyed at the gigantic animal gazing at her from behind the bars. Immediately on sight she did in fact know who, or what, it was. But it seemed inconceivable. Could it be a genjutsu?

"Fox demon…" she whispered.

A deep, sinister chuckle followed. SHES A SMART ONE, the demon replied, baring its fangs in a horrible smile. It brought its head even closer to the bars and inhaled deeply.

Hinata swallowed. It seemed the cage was holding the demon back. She couldn't recognize the seal on the bars but it looked extremely complex, so perhaps while it was there she was safe.

"Are you the one behind the attacks?" she pressed, trying to hold onto a sliver of courage.

Its laughter rattled her skeleton. I HAVEN'T ATTACKED ANYTHING IN A LONG TIME. JUST ASK THE BOY. HE WOULD KNOW.

Hinata glanced back at Naruto, who was glaring murderously at the demon.

"W-why would he know?" Hinata asked softly, still looking at Naruto.

BECAUSE, THE BOY IS MY JAILER. MY KEEPER. MY CONTAINER. MY JINCHUURIIKIIIII, the fox continued to laugh. HE HAS HELD ME HERE IN HIS BODY FOR TWENTY YEARS AND SEVENTY DAYS.

Hinata stood still as she processed what she had just heard. "Jinchuuriki…" she repeated as she looked at Naruto in shock.

Naruto cringed at the look Hinata was giving him while the damned fox continued to laugh its head off, and he lowered his head in abject shame again.

Hinata's mind was in turmoil. Images of Naruto as a poor orphan, beaten by bullies, chased by villagers, hated for no reason, filled with endless amounts of chakra, swirled in her head. It was unbelievable, and yet…

"Oh, Naruto…" she breathed.

"I…I'm sorry, Hina…" Naruto mumbled, his voice cracking at her words. Hinata's heart shattered at how vulnerable he was, and within seconds she had run back over to him and fell to her knees with a splash, throwing her arms around him protectively. Naruto took a shuddering breath and clutched at her sides before burying his face into her shoulder.

The Kyuubi finally quieted down and watched the pair with vague interest.

"I-I swear I can explain…I wanted to tell you for so l-long, but…I just c-couldn't and…I promise when we get out of here I'll tell you everything, if you just give me a ch-chance. Please?" Naruto spoke in jilted speech as he struggled not to break down, holding onto her like a lifeboat while he hid his face in her neck.

He felt her fingers tangle in his hair as she squeezed him tighter. "It's okay Naruto-kun, you don't have to explain anything. It doesn't matter. I don't need to know. It doesn't matter." she murmured softly, caressing his hair before forcing him to look at her. She was saddened by the tears tumbling down his face and she brushed at them gently with her thumbs.

"H-how could you say it doesn't matter?" Naruto asked lowly, gaining back a bit of strength in his voice, not wanting to believe she could accept the situation so easily.

"Because it doesn't." she said simply, smiling at him faintly. "You are you, and the demon is a demon. Two separate things, right?"

Naruto looked at her uncertainly. "Well, yeah…"

"Then it doesn't matter."

Naruto stared at the Hyuuga, taking in her resolute expression and soft eyes. There were so many things, so many things he wanted to fight back with, to challenge her, ask questions, but her words repeated over and over in his mind and everything else dissipated.

Her hand cupped his cheek, and he naturally nuzzled his face into it and took a shuddering breath, his eyes beginning to dry. The most wonderful feeling was pooling deep in his chest. He was relieved. Amazed. Humbled by her acceptance. Ashamed he doubted her. Angry for doubting himself. But above all, so so relieved.

He finally gave a sheepish smile, to which she smiled back and teasingly pinched his cheek, making him grin. He suddenly grabbed her hand and kissed her palm deeply.

"Thank you." he said, looking into her lavender eyes meaningfully. Despite the presence of a literal demon only a few meters away, Hinata still blushed heavily.

HOW TOUCHING.

A vein pulsed on Naruto's forehead, but he had finally regained his composure. He gently took her hands in his and pulled her up so they were both standing.

"Excuse me for a moment." he said with a small smile, rolling his eyes towards the cage. Hinata giggled.

Naruto turned towards the cage and his expression hardened. "Show's over, Fox! Now tell me how to get out of here right now!"

The Kyuubi eyed him. WHY? I WAS HOPING TO MAKE SOME TEA AND CONTINUE CHATTING.

Naruto growled fiercely, but was cut off by Hinata suddenly losing her balance and dropping to her knees.

Naruto crouched down next to her instantly. "Hinata? What's wrong?" he said worriedly, watching her blink rapidly in concern.

"I…I just feel weak…" she murmured, slumping to the side. Naruto grabbed her in alarm and held her against him.

"Kyuubi, what's wrong with her?" he asked in mounting panic at her sudden change in health.

The fox demon grunted, eyeing the girl with narrowed eyes. SHE IS LOSING CHAKRA. YOU ARE BOTH HERE BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON THE MERGING OF YOUR CHAKRAS CAUSED YOU TO WITHDRAW INTO YOUR MINDSCAPE AND BRING HER CONSCIOUS WITH YOU. IT'S RARE BUT CAN HAPPEN. The Kyuubi mused as Naruto listened carefully.

YOUR ACTUAL BODIES ARE STILL ON THE OUTSIDE ENGAGING IN THE JUTSU SHE IS CASTING. TIME IN THE MINDSCAPE PASSES MUCH FASTER THAN TIME OUTSIDE, SO A SECOND OUT THERE IS A FEW MINUTES IN HERE. BECAUSE SHE IS LOSING ENERGY OUTSIDE, HER CONSCIOUS HERE IS FADING AS WELL.

Naruto's worry doubled at the demon's words. "Then we gotta leave! Please, Kyuubi, I beg you. I can't let her get hurt." he pleaded with the monster, looking deep into its red eyes.

"I-I…I'm okay." Hinata finally murmured, struggling to sit up. Naruto looked at her anxiously and looked back at the demon, which sighed.

BOY, STOP BEING SO STUPID. IT'S YOUR HEAD. YOU CAN EXERT AS MUCH CONTROL AS YOU WANT. IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE, LEAVE. it said boredly.

Naruto frowned at the Kyuubi. Just leave?

The demon yawned. WELL, I'LL BE GOING BACK TO NAP. GREAT CHAT. DO COME AGAIN SOON.

Hinata's eyes fluttered open. "Thank you, Kyuubi-sama…" she called tiredly, surprising Naruto and the demon both.

The Kyuubi turned back its head, eyeing the young woman for a moment.

KURAMA.

Hinata looked at the fox in slight confusion before smiling. "Kurama-sama." she corrected.

Naruto looked back and forth between Hinata and the demon, wondering about the weird understanding they seemed to suddenly have, when his brain caught up.

"Wait…Kurama? Like, that's your actual name? You have a name and you tell her before telling even me?" he shouted in disbelief.

The fox demon groaned and rolled its eyes. GET OVER IT.

He gaped at the giant fox as it receded into the void, finally turning his head at the sound of Hinata's soft giggles. He eyed her with an eyebrow raised and smirked slightly.

"Alright alright…ready to go?" he asked, bringing her closer when she nodded. He took a deep breath and concentrated, bringing his forehead to hers for good measure. He was scared of leaving her behind in here by herself.

Go back, go back, he thought hard. Go back-

He started when he felt the mindscape fading away. "Okay, stay with me, Hinata!" he said out loud.

"Always, Naruto." he heard her whisper. Blue eyes met lavender for a precious moment before he pulled her to his chest and shut his eyes, bracing himself for a potential impact.

A ringing noise got louder and louder in his ears, and he gritted his teeth until it suddenly stopped. His eyes snapped open just as the blinding light dispersed rapidly and him and Hinata fell to the ground.

Naruto's eyes fluttered and he looked up at the sky through the damaged roof of the Academy. It was clear, the jutsu must have worked.

He groaned as he picked himself up off of the ground. "Hinata!" he exclaimed as he saw her lying unresponsive next to him. He quickly pulled her into his arms, brushing the hair out of her face before scanning her in mounting panic.

CHAKRA EXHAUSTION, the Kyuubi, now known as Kurama, said in the same bored tone. SHE'LL BE FINE, JUST TAKE HER TO A HEALER. DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING TO YOU?

Naruto humphed and got to his feet quickly, holding Hinata's limp body bridal style. Once she felt secure in his arms, he took off for the hospital. Outside the Academy, puppet bodies littered the ground, and it seemed the Leaf shinobi were gaining the upper hand on the few that withstood Hinata's attack.

"Naruto!" Naruto saw Kakashi fall in step beside him.

"I see you recovered Hinata. Is she going to be alright?"

Naruto nodded quickly. "Yeah it's chakra exhaustion. I'm taking her to the hospital now."

Kakashi nodded. "Good. For some reason the moon has stopped breaking apart, and the puppets are retreating. However I just received word from Sai that Hyuuga Hanabi was taken."

Naruto clenched his teeth and looked down at Hinata worriedly. She was going to be distraught at the news.

"The Hokage is having us take some teams to begin an immediate search and rescue mission and she wants you on it. We need to leave as soon as possible so we can make it through one of the portals that the puppets are most likely using."

Naruto tensed. He didn't like the idea of leaving Hinata in her state at all, but he had to follow orders. Plus, he definitely wanted to help find Hinata's sister as he knew how insanely worried Hinata was going to be.

"Okay. I'll take her to the hospital and then will join you." he responded to Kakashi, who just nodded once before flickering out of sight.

Naruto made it in record time to the hospital, skipping the reception and the chaos in the hallways that had been created by the conflict and just jumped through the open window of one of the patient rooms. Luckily the bed was still empty, and Naruto gently deposited Hinata on the mattress. He ensured she was in a comfortable position before pausing to stare at her. So many things had happened in one day, and while it was insane and chaotic, his could only focus on what happened in the surreal scene with the Kyuubi.

In a few simple words, Hinata had erased all his doubts and fears, while staring down the greatest demon known to man. All he wanted to do in that moment was cuddle her, kiss her lips and neck and chest, spin her around, tickle her, chase her around, look deep into her eyes and tell her he loved her a thousand times. He hadn't even asked her yet but to him she was already his, she belonged to him. He felt Kurama rumble in agreement.

Brushing her face gently with his fingers, he vowed silently that when this latest crazy episode was over, he would make her his.

Standing up in resolution, he quickly made a clone. "Go find Sakura-chan and have her take a look at Hinata." he ordered.

When the clone ran out of the room Naruto gave Hinata one last look of longing before he forced himself to leave.

Launching himself out of the window, he zeroed in on Kakashi's chakra and made a beeline for it. He allowed himself to finally feel his anger.

Whoever this fucker who attacked Konoha and the Hyuuga is, I'm going to make his life a living hell!

Naruto smirked as he heard Kurama roar in bloodlust.

(A/N): Sorry guys. Went back to school, low on time etc etc. On summer break now, and I am back to writing every day. Aiming to wrap up the story in 3-4 more chapters, so we are close Thank you for the reviews in the meantime.

xx nineetaaaillled