Insight into the Heart

By

Chad 'Graeystone' Harger

Author's Note – Just an one shot story. Please review after reading! Thank you! Story takes place at the same time Sai talks to Sakura in Chapter 459

Naruto, Hinata, and related character are copyright Kishimoto.

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Hinata gathered her courage and walked into Naruto's tent. After confessing to Naruto all the old shyness and doubt started to melt away. With a clear mind she was able to use the famous Hyuuga insight without the hindrance of her old fainting self. To properly use insight to its fullest one had to become an observer or sorts. All preconceptions and emotion had to be put aside. She was taught that using the insight on herself came with the risk of discovering something an individual does not want to know about what is buried deep within their being. She did it anyway and what she discovered made her ashamed. She also used the insight to gauge Naruto. Using the insight on her memories of past encounters, observations, and what she knew about Naruto. It was a shocking truth but as clear as a summer day. Now with the truth Hinata walked into the tent. Naruto was laying down with his back to the tent entrance.

Hinata sat down beside him and said, "Hello Naruto."

Naruto did not reply.

"I came by to talk to you and to apologize," she said.

"It's alright. Not exactly how I wanted you to come out of your shell," he said with a weak laugh.

"I am not talking about what happened with Pein. I am apologizing for making you fight Neji," said Hinata.

Naruto snapped out of his depression and sat up. He looked at Hinata whose face was very calm and her eyes more piercing than ever. She was not using Byakugan but Naruto still felt she was looking straight through him.

"Hey, I was the one who chose to fight Neji," said Naruto. "'sides, I won."

"I put you in that dangerous situation," said Hinata. "I was only thinking about myself. I did not take your feelings and welfare into consideration. Whether I lived or died it was my responsibility and I should not have put the burden on anyone else let alone the person I cared about the most."

"If it wasn't me it would've been someone else," said Naruto. "If I didn't beat some sense into him he might have turned into another Itachi."

"It does not change the truth," said Hinata. In a rare moment she became angry. "It is just not me. It is the whole village who has done this to you."

"That's going too far," said Naruto.

"I am not," said Hinata. "The plan to fight Pein was you doing it alone."

"And it worked," said Naruto.

"It did not," said Hinata. "What do you think would have happened if I had not interfered?"

Naruto went cold. He came awfully close to being in the clutches of the village's worst enemy. There was no Chiyo in the village to bring him back to life and Kyuubi would be in the hands of the enemy. Still he had to say something. "I would have found a way. It's what I do."

"I do not believe that and neither do you," said Hinata.

"I had the choice to fight or run and I chose to fight," said Naruto.

"That is not a choice," said Hinata. "People used your own feelings for wanting to be Hokage and to be accepted by the village against you. They did not do it on purpose which made it worse. Good people doing the wrong thing without knowing it. That is the major problem. People always ask of you what they want but never ask what you want."

Naruto recalled the argument with Inoichi and Shikaku. He told Hinata and how Shikaku sided with him.

"It is still the same," said Hinata. "They could have gone with you a little further just in case something went wrong. Again you were put into harm's way for the benefit of others. I am happy that the village has finally accepted as Naruto the Ninja but without knowing it they still treat you as Naruto the Weapon."

"That's where your argument is wrong," said Naruto. "I am a ninja. We both know that when we go out on a mission we risk our lives not for ourselves but for the benefit of the village."

"Then why didn't the ninjas in this village fight as one against Pein," said Hinata.

"They did," said Naruto.

"You were not there for most of the fight," pointed out Hinata. "People were not fighting to protect the village or others. They were stalling for time while hoping you would return. It was another selfish burden that was put on you for no reason. You have seen Shino's power."

"Yeah," said Naruto. "It's frightening."

"Then how come he and his clan was not on the front line?" asked Hinata. "I am not smart like Shikamaru but even I could see the advantage of having someone like Shino or members of his clan there. I doubt they would have won but it would have been enough to rally the village to fight and survive for the right reasons."

"And what were the right reasons?" asked Naruto.

"The same reason why you fight," said Hinata. "For the benefit of others and not yourself. You want to be Hokage. I am being groomed to be leader of the Hyuuga Clan. One of the things I learned is that I cannot do it all. Kages are made up of some of the most powerful people in the world but they are still human."

"I know that much," said Naruto.

"You do not," said Hinata. "When you went after the people who killed Asuma you attacked without warning. You took the burden of trying to avenge Asuma onto yourself. It was dumb and selfish."

Naruto had been told off before but it something to hear it from Hinata. It caused him to be ashamed. He would have to apologize to Shikamaru's team later. "I got it now. Thank you Hinata." He looked at Hinata and choked down a shiver. The same feeling of being looked straight through was still there. "Oh no, there's more," he groaned.

Hinata smiled and said, "Why do you chase after Sasuke?"

"He's my friend, teammate, and brother. I don't want him to be damned like so many others. Everybody knows that," answered Naruto. "Pein must have hit you harder than I thought if you forgot that."

"Is that the only reason?" asked Hinata.

Naruto became defensive and in his typical fashion overreacted. "Hey, hey, I love Sasuke but only as a brother! Man that's sick!"

Hinata laughed out loud. "I did not mean it like that. . .there is hole in your heart that you keep trying to fill and you want Sasuke to be the one who does it."

Naruto knew that much about himself. "No matter how many friends I make I can't seem to fill it. It hurts whenever I think about it." Naruto looked within himself. His mental image of that hole existed. It was smaller now. "It's not as big. Is it because of what you said when you risked your life for me?"

"I cannot fill that hole," said Hinata. "Nobody can. Not teammates or friends." Hinata's face turned red. "Or the one who wants to spend the rest of their life with you."

"Hinata you-

"Now is not the time for that," interrupted Hinata. "I am here to help you. Some other time we can talk about what I did and said. I have the same hole. It was not as large as your own but for a while it was. I miss her kind voice and gentle touch. Father banished me for a lot of reason besides being weak. Uncle Hizashi's death affected father more than he let on and I became the constant reminder of his previous loss."

Naruto was confused. He knew nobody close to her died recently or during Nagato's attack. All the villagers were alive and accounted for after the dust settled.

Hinata could not outright tell Naruto what she knew through the insight. It was best to have people discover it own their own. The most she could do is nudge Naruto in the right direction. "Do you discover something that would fill that hole in recent days."

Naruto thought back to the past few days. All the horrible things that happened in such a short time but there was one bright spot. The answer to a life long unanswered question. "My father," said Naruto in a cracked voice. "I. . .I found out who he is."

"The hole I am talking about is losing one's parents," said Hinata. "I was fortunate that I was able to fill and shrink the hole with memories of mother. When father banished me, I felt as though he died and the hole grew."

Naruto saw the truth about himself and everything he did. Tears welled in his eyes and started to fall. "Deep down I hoped to find my parents every time I went on a mission or chased after Sasuke. It was never recognition from the village that I desired. I wanted it from father and mother. Everything I've done was for selfish reasons and a lie."

Hinata reached out and put and squeezed Naruto hand in a gentle manner. "Change in the right way Naruto. Fulfill your dreams and desires with honesty. Do what you want to do because you want to and not because of others expectations."

Naruto wiped his face with a sleeve. A lot of the burden he had been carrying the past few months lightened. He look at Hinata's kind and gentle face. The feeling of being an open book before her was gone. Naruto bowed with respect. "Thank you. Still fill miserable but I am feeling a bit better."

"You are welcome," smiled Hinata. "Just give it some time and do not overburden yourself."

"I have to leave. There is a clan meeting that I cannot miss," said Hinata.

Hinata opened the tent flap. "Uh, wait a second," said Naruto. "Just out of curiosity say we got together and had an argument would I win?"

Hinata activated Byakugan. The feeling being transparent returned to Naruto and it was worse. Now he felt like he was being dissected. Hinata released Byakugan and Naruto realized he could not even think straight.

"You would win if I let you," teased Hinata.

Naruto took a deep breath to get rid of the feeling. After Hinata left Naruto laid back down. He thought about his father and regretted not asking about mother. Naruto found renewed optimism. No matter what he did or where he went he would always seek out his mother regardless of whether he was looking for Sasuke or hunting down the remnants of Akatsuki and he also promised himself that he would all the things he set out to do because he chose to.

Naruto fell asleep and as he did he felt the cage in his heart open up and he found a new freedom.

The End

Author's Note – Threw that last bit about 'arguing with Hinata' on a whim.