It was brought to my attention that the whole "let's make fun of Naruto" is way overdone this fandom, and frankly, I agree. I know in the beginning I have some "Let's make fun of Naruto" moments, but as the story continues, and gets more serious, those moments will decrease. Though, honestly, they were just for comedic relief and plus Naruto deserves to be punched for not replying to Hinata's confession!

Sorry for the extremely long wait, but to make up for it this chapter was a monstrous 8,000 words! The rest of the chapter of this story will be about this size as well. NOTE! There is a song in this story. It's a translation of one of my favorite Hindi songs. I can't force you to read it, but it is beautiful so please do read it. If you'd like to hear the song plus translation check out my profile!

"NaruHina" Normal talking

"NaruHina" Biju/angry/ Jutsu

Disclaimer: I hold no ownership over the Naruto or any affiliated characteristics, nor do I take credit for the translated song.

Love Across the Ages

Chapter 4: The Sage of Six Paths Part 1

It didn't take long for the Konoha nin (minus the bakas) to realize that they were in the Hyuuga Kingdom. The memory seemed to guide them in a straight path so that they couldn't break off and explore the castle or anything, but from what they did manage to see of the village surrounding the crystal castle, the civilians all seemed restless. It looked like the kingdom was preparing for a war or an attack of some sort.

"Strange, it appears the villagers are preparing to leave the kingdom," Sai said thoughtfully, as he ran beside Sakura and Naruto. His comment made the others watch the villagers more closely, and sure enough, there was a sense of panic emitting from the villagers, like they were fleeing from something.

They didn't get to investigate though, the memory was moving in only one direction: to the castle. As much as Lee or Kiba wanted to scope out the castle, they quickly realized the memory only allowed you to see certain parts. Speaking of the memory, the Konoha eleven and the Hokage were all guided into what looked like a large meeting room. It was empty save for the long table stretching down the long hall and the walls that were covered in jade and bamboo yellow tapestries. There were two figures sitting in the far end of the room, both respectfully seated on their knees with their legs folded beneath them.

"Look! It's Naruto!" Choji cried out.

"Huh…wouldn't have recognized him if it wasn't for the hair." Tenten murmured aloud. Naruto gritted his teeth. This was getting ridiculous! Clearly, in his past life, he had no sense of style what so ever! If the outfit in the earlier memory irked him, this one downright pissed him off. HE WAS WEARING ALL BLACK!

"You know…I think the color suits you, Naruto," Sakura slyly whispered in his ear.

"Take that back!" Naruto gasped in disgust. Sakura chuckled, and rolled her eyes at her loveable teammate. The man that memory-Naruto was sitting across from had his back facing the Konoha Nin so they couldn't see his face; all they could make out was Naruto's expressionless face.

"Are you really the samurai Master Jiraya sent forth?" A deep stern sounding voice asked in a doubtfully. Memory-Naruto's eyes twitched, ever so slightly, it was hardly visible to the lesser trained eyes.

"That's Hiashi's voice." Tsunade was the first to realize, Neji and Tenten's eyes widened in recognition. Lee however, looked puzzled. The memory then shifted so that 'Hiashi' came into a view.

"Kami! It is Hiashi-sama!" Ino exclaimed. "But…" Ino didn't have to finish the statement. Everyone saw what was different about memory-Hiashi, even the baka-four saw the difference.

"Hey! Where's his by-ku-gan?" Naruto frowned.

"Byakugan Naruto!" Sakura corrected exasperatedly and was rewarded with a sheepish grin. She rolled her eyes, really, why on earth did she still deal with that baka? But then again at least he realized what was missing. That was big step up for Naruto. But what did Hiashi's lack of the Byakugan mean?"

The Konoha Nin shifted their attention to memory- Naruto, whose face had transformed into a confident smirk. With movements so fast that the ninja could barely catch it, memory-Naruto pulled the katana out of his holster and held it before the Hyuuga as though he were challenging him.

"Would you like demonstration, your majesty?" Memory-Naruto asked in a bold voice.

Ino and Sakura twitched at memory-Naruto's behavior. The baka still doesn't think before he acts, they both thought together. Kiba, Neji and Sai thought something along the same lines as well. Tsunade and Shikamaru however were intrigued by the confidence in memory- Naruto's eyes. It wasn't arrogance but the look of a man who knew his own ability, of man who could back his words. Intriguing, indeed.

"No. I see the confidence in your eyes so I shall take your word for it, Samurai. Tell me young one, what do they call you?"

"Naruto." Memory- Naruto replied evenly. This time the Hyuuga King twitched, his patience being tested.

"Your surname kozo?" The King asked through gritted teeth. Memory-Naruto flashed the king a wide smile.

"I have none, your highness. My parents abandoned me at Master Jiriaya's dojo when I was an infant. Naruto is the name that I have chosen for myself." Memory-Naruto replied with a fond smile on his face. Naruto felt his heart go out to his past-self. It seemed that even in his past lives he was cursed to never grow up with a family. He felt like he understood his past-self a bit more now. It explained his calm mannerisms—though growing up with Jiriaya those seemed like a miracle.

There was also something about his past-self that irked him. His past-self was too…polite. Sort of an ass-kisser like Sasuke-teme used to be. It made his stomach twist painfully as he watched himself converse in small meaningless talks with Hiashi-teme. What the hell were they beating around the bush for anyway?

Then there was a sudden change in the atmosphere and memory seemed to grow a bit colder.

"Very well Naruto-san, you have earned my confidence. Before I proceed with your mission, I must ask you…are you willing to risk your life for this young samurai?" Hiashi asked in a somber tone. Memory- Naruto made a sour face at the king. "Forgive me, I do not mean to insult your pride. But I must test your dedication, you see, there is an unprecedented level of danger with the mission I am about to give. It is not only your life that you must risk Naruto-san but the lives of those around you!"

"What sort of danger are we talking about, your highness?" Memory-Naruto coolly interrupted. Hiashi flushed, realizing he was getting excited on his own, and cleared his throat.

"Anything from petty bandit attacks to foes capable of leveling mountains. Understand me very clearly Naruto-san, you are not to fight unless it is unavoidable. At all times, your first-most priority is protecting my daughter and getting her to safety!"

"Naruhodo," Shikamaru yawned. His friends shot him a questioning look. Really, how did some of them make past genins? "This is obviously how Hinata and Naruto met in the past." Naruto, Kiba, Lee, and surprisingly even Sakura and Ino all made an "ooh" expression as an imaginary light bulb went on over their heads. Shikamaru merely rolled his eyes.

"Hai Hiashi-sama!" Naruto responded dutifully.

"Good man, the maps and locations of the safe houses will be provided to you shortly. You are free to familiarize yourself with the castle but your caution is advised." Hiashi dismissed him without another look. Memory-Naruto had a strange expression on his face, it looked almost petulant. But nonetheless he bowed and stood up swiftly and seemed to make his way out. Then they saw memory-Naruto freeze by the exit. His head slowly turned, revealing his irritated expression.

"Blehh!" Memory-Naruto stuck his tongue out at the Hyuuga King and made a quick getaway. "Che! Stupid mightier-than-thou attitude pisses me off!" Memory Naruto muttered under his breath but looked brighter than he did a few minutes ago. The real Naruto let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank Kami the past me was not an ass kisser!" Naruto shouted pride fully with his fists raised to the skies.

"I don't know. I kinda liked ass-kissing Naruto. He was less of a baka." Sakura replied nonchalantly, a teasing look in her emerald eyes.

"S-sakura-chan…" Naruto whispered quite deflatedly. The old team seven's interactions made the rest of the Nin laugh fondly. They followed memory-Naruto closely. Somehow, Naruto wasn't the only one to feel relieved that the memory-Naruto was still similar to their Naruto. Memory-Naruto silently grazed the hallways but touched every interesting looking object in his path and studied it with a wicked smile on his face. Sakura dubbed it as Naruto's "I'm secretly-not-so-secretly planning something stupid" face.

But then something suddenly perked memory-Naruto's attention and his ears twitched in response. He frowned but picked up his pace and began walking faster. At first, no one understood why memory-Naruto was acting so strangely, but as they moved further they began to hear the sound that perked memory-Naruto's interest. It was the sound of a woman singing.

Destiny is angry
My path is lost
But someone come take me away
This is my only small wish
This is my surety that you are mine

Memory-Naruto followed the gentle voice like he was enchanted. The Konoha-nin didn't fare any better though. They may be highly skilled ninjas but it was hard to resist a voice that exuberated such innocence and gentleness. It felt like they were walking towards sunshine, or the very least, a much, much brighter path.

The voice lead them to a courtyard in the center of the palace, a garden of beautiful roses of every color decorated the place. Tall vines covered the buildings, and in the center of the courtyard was an ancient sakura tree, fluttering in the breeze sending its soft pink petals drifting with the wind. The petals danced around the woman sitting under the tree who was singing to an audience of eager children.

Give me your intentions
Give me your promises, give me your vows
Show me the signs of my prayers
Give shelter to my heart
Give me new excuses,

Give me the rains of dreams

A measure of seasons
Do your gracious deeds

Sometimes take a look here too

Her voice was so pure. In the dark shinobi words full of lies and deceit, that woman's voice alone sung clear with the voice of truth. She sang her true feelings, her raw unblemished feelings sat on her face. Really, that woman was such an open book, with eyes wide and soft lavender orbs glowing with life, a pinkish flush on her cheeks, and lips that were a soft petal pink color.

"Wow…"Memory-Naruto breathed at the sight of her. The woman then stood up, her long dark violet hair spilling down her shoulders like a waterfall, and began dancing with her song. The children jumped to their feet, giggling, and cheering and dancing with the woman.

The Konoha-Nin had a very similar reaction to memory-Naruto, because unlike the samurai, they immediately recognized the beautiful dancing woman. It was none other than Hinata Hyuuga.

"Is that really…"Ino began.

"Yeah…" Tenten replied in a daze.

You're listening, right?
I am weeping here
You're listening to me right?
Why else am I crying here?

Hinata leapt down from her perch on the stone bench and sat among the children. They swarmed to her side almost immediately, putting their heads down in the princess's lap, and burrowing themselves in her lovely violet kimono. The younger ones reached for the princesses long flow hair with their stubby fingers, giggling in delight as the silk hair just slipped between them.

Though Hinata's entire being seemed to glow as she poured her emotions into the song, there was an empty look in her eyes. As though she really was crying, and desperately reaching out for any that would heed her prayers. Such an expression, such lonely eyes, they seemed misplaced on the delicate princess—at least, that's what Naruto thought. He'd never paid much attention to the Hyuuga Princess back in Konoha, but there was an undeniable resembles to her eyes from now and then. Wait! Her eyes…

"S-she has the Byakugan." Someone whispered. She did indeed. Her eyes were pale lavender, almost white, like she was blind. But the Konoha Nin knew the Byakugan when they saw one. Why did Hinata have the Byakugan, but not her father?

My destiny was angry
For the path has been lost
Come and take me away
This is all I wish for
This is my path to freedom
Yes. You belong to me

Hinata's lavender eyes watched the endless horizon where the morning sun had risen and was now beating down on the Hyuuga garden with vigor. Memory-Naruto was completely transfixed by the Hyuuga Princess; he seemed to realize who she was. She was his next mission. He casually leaned back against the walls, and watched Hinata Hyuuga with intelligent eyes. Well…that or he was just gawking. The Princess seemed to sense his gaze, and her lavender eyes met his sea blue eyes, they didn't waver as she finished her song.

Even time has stopped
How and why has this happened?
Wish you would come my way
Just like some blessing
You are the solace to my soul
You are my prayer

You're listening, right?
I am weeping here
You're listening to me right?
Why else am I crying here?

Memory-Naruto kicked off the wall and took slow confident strides towards the princess. The children went silent and watched in wonder as the Samurai took the princess's hand in his own and whispered to her,

"Never fear princess, you're prayers have been answered." He kissed the princess's hand and chuckled when her face colored a bright lovely pink. "I will take you away from here."

Thus ocean blue and pale lavender eyes met for the first time. There was nothing particularly extravagant or monumental about this moment itself, Tsunade noted, but she'd be a fool to not see how significant this first meeting would hold for the future and every generation after that.

"A-ano w-who a-are y-you?" The pink-faced princess stuttered terribly. A mischievous grin stretched across memory-Naruto's face, and he responded with cool, suave voice:

"You're knight in shining armor, Naruto, my princess."

And just like that, the memory crumbled.

"OH MY GOD!" Three Kunoichi all screamed in unison, Tenten, Sakura, and Ino watched the scene with hearts in their eyes and Sai pulled out a notebook he hid in his back pocket and started to take notes, muttering under his breath. Neji and Kiba were holding Naruto in a death grip. The three Kunoichi suddenly snapped out of their trance. Sensing the aura change around them, Neji and Kiba gulped and took a step back.

Poor Naruto had finally got his breath back when he felt a ridiculous spike in KIcoming from above him. He tried to swallow, he tried to breathe, but inevitably he was forced to look up.

On the plus side, he wasn't forced to bear their murderous glares and pee himself because Sakura had pulled her fist back and smashed his head into the cement. Oh well, pain over pride right?

"Na-nande?" Naruto cried out allowed, the poor Jinchuriki had absolutely no idea what he'd done wrong this time. Sakura and Ino stared down at the blond, cracking their knuckles as the evil purple aura enveloped them again.

"You baka! Why did you have to change?" Sakura cried.

"Ehh? Is that what you're worried about Sakura-chan?"

"Of course she is!" Ino was the one to reply. "Why couldn't you be more like you're past self? He's more charming and handsome then you'll ever be!"

"Oi oi, you realize we're the same person right?" Naruto deadpanned.

"I don't see it." All three kunoichi responded in unison once more.

"Give up Naruto, you can't win this one." Shikamaru patted the blonde unsympathetically; Choji and Lee nodded in agreement. Naruto sighed in defeat, but he remained on the ground on his crouched position.

So in his past life, he was a Samurai and Hinata was a princess. Hiashi-teme asked him to protect Hinata for some reason, and Naruto accepted. Oh and then there was that thing with the Byakugan. Hinata's eyes were pale and Byakugan-like but Hiashi-teme's were not. Chiksho, why did everything have to be so damn complicated?

"Oi, look! The memory is changing again."

This time, they saw memory-Naruto garbed in a midnight blue kimono with green sandals and a large katana strapped to his back as he leaned back against what appeared to be the gates of the Hyuuga Castle. There were some villagers around Naruto, whispering too softly for the Konoha Nin to hear, but the pity in their eyes was clearly visible. Memory-Naruto didn't seem to have any trouble hearing the sympathetic whispers, but ignored them, opting to stare at the clouds. He stayed still for another moment longer, before he finally rolled of his heels and pumped his fists in the air.

"DAMN IT WHERE THE HELL IS SHE-she-she-she!" Naruto screamed, his voice echoing across the empty streets. Memory- Naruto groaned impatiently began kicking rocks childishly.

"You know… looking at him like this…he's still a baka."

"Aren't you getting tired of calling me that yet?" Naruto sulked.

"Nope," Several voices answered back.

"A-ano…Naruto-sama?" A hesitant voice asked, Memory-Naruto quickly ceased his kicking, and like the flip of a switch, his face smoothened over with a professional countenance. Hinata stood behind him, two faceless maids at her side. She was dressed in simple light green kimono with wide open sleeves meant for traveling, but the clothes couldn't hide the princess's regality. She was a natural head turner, the sort of women you would stand out in any crowd.

"Naruto is fine, Hime-sama. Are you ready to go?" Naruto replied, and held out his hand to take her bags. Hinata nodded, and quickly turned to say good bye to her maids. "Shall we?" Naruto said, gesturing to the gates.

The princesses nodded and slowly walked forward. Memory-Naruto seemed a bit irked by their pace, but he was content to keep silent. Instead, the pair watched the villagers, few brave souls who wished the princess a safe journey, and others still who seemed to have a strangely smug expression on their faces. Naruto (The real one) couldn't help but notice that the villagers looked at Hinata differently. The look in their eyes was…cold. It made his heart clench a bit. He knew those eyes better than anyone else. But why…why did it seem like the Hyuuga Princess was hated?

"Strange…the coincidence simply is too uncanny to dismiss…" Neji muttered cryptically under his breath. Naruto and Kiba seemed to groan in defeat.

"Neji please. If you're gonna speak, then speak in Japanese." The two idiot's tisked, shaking their heads simultaneously. A tick formed on Neji's head.

"I am speaking Japanese you fools!"

"Putting that aside…" Shikamaru smartly, intervened. "What is this coincidence, Neji?"

"You've noticed the way the villager's look at Hinata-chan, right Shikamaru-san?" Tenten answered for her teammate, a frown forming on her face. "Well…when Lee and I used to go to the Hyuuga Compound to pick up Neji for missions we, err, noticed that the clan member well…they sort of looked at Hinata-chan like the villagers looked at Naruto when he was younger." She answered carefully, her eyes flickering to Naruto's to gauge his reaction. She mentally let out a sigh of relief when Naruto's expression didn't change.

But Sakura and Sai knew better, they knew it was taking Naruto everything he had to school his expressions. The Hokage sent Naruto an apologetic look as well.

Truth was—Naruto was too shocked to react to Tenten's words. In his mind, Hinata-chan had always been a clan princess, a future leader of sorts. She was one of the strongest people he knew. So naturally he'd assumed that Hinata must be respected among her clan. He never once would have guessed that his Hinata had experienced those horrible eyes as he did. It felt like a knife to the heart to watch the Memory-Hinata cringe at those eyes that looked at her with scorn, with a smug grin of victory of having rid the princess.

It made Naruto's blood boil. Till he felt a calming hand on his shoulder and met the eyes of his other Hyuuga friend.

"It's true Naruto. I believe it's fair to say that Hinata-sama understood your pain better than anyone. Maybe even your team mates. Her childhood wasn't that different from yours." Neji explained slowly.

"I-I don't understand…they're her family right?" Naruto asked the genuine confusion in his voice made all their hearts twist a little on the inside. After all, Neji, Kiba, Sakura, Tenten, Ino, Choji, Shino, and Shikamaru never truly experienced growing up without anyone at all. Even Lee and Sai had some memories of their birth parents.

Neji seemed to take it upon himself to explain. "I won't sugar coat it Naruto-kun, Hinata-sama has been ostracized in our clan for her timid and shy personality. The Hyuuga viewed such behavior as weakness, and Hiashi-sama had no choice but to be harsher with Hinata-sama in hopes that she would no longer be viewed as weak. But his treatment had the opposite effect.

"Hinata-sama lost confidence in herself. Her fear of failing her father froze up her movements and ceased her ability to grow stronger. Her training grew harsher and Hinata-sama continued to suffocate under the clansmen's pressure and the distrustful looks in their eyes." Neji felt like a slimy bastard for revealing Hinata-sama's history like this, but he knew Naruto needed to hear.

Though he didn't like it, at this point, Neji had no choice but to admit that Naruto and Hinata's fate were indisputably tied together. He knew it was hard for Naruto to hear all this—all his life he'd wished for someone to love him wholly and unconditionally, and that person had been right next to him without him ever knowing. Neji understood that feeling better than anyone. He spent a lifetime hating his uncle for a misunderstanding. His life in the Hyuuga compound became ten times more bearable after reconciling with his father's death and his uncle's role in it.

He wanted to the same for Naruto. So for that purpose, he had to continue speaking.

"But you know, despite all that, Hinata-sama found her hope, her beacon of light, when she first met you."

"Me?" Naruto said his voice barely a whisper. Neji nodded, and looked to Kiba to continue explaining. The Inu-nin's face reddened a bit, bashfully sticking his hands in his pockets he conceded to continue the story.

"Yeah man, I mean you were oblivious as a dobe but we all knew that Hinata liked you since the Academy days. Even when she became a part of team 8, she was always thinking about you when she was training or doin' missions. She was always like 'What would that idiot Naruto do if he were here?'"

"I doubt Hinata would call Naruto an idiot," Ino rolled her eyes, but then said under her breath. "Probably the only one who didn't…"Naruto shot her a dark glare, at least Ino had the decency to look bashful.

"I-I never knew." Naruto finally mumbled regretfully. Seeing the expression on Naruto's face made Kiba wince with guilt. He patted his friend's back awkwardly.

"Well, it's not your fault really. Hinata wasn't ready to tell you. I…I think she was happy just watching you for inspiration." Kiba's face turned beet red with that last comment. Beside him, Tenten and Ino giggled.

"Whatd'ya know? Kiba-kun can actually say something smart." Ino laughed. Kiba growled at her, but was blushing behind the façade. Naruto shook his head at the pair of them, but silently thanked Ino and Kiba in his head.

"Neji." Naruto began, his voice sounding different from before. Neji watched Naruto curiously and he could have sworn that he practically saw a halo of light as Naruto seemed to have an epiphany. "When this is all over, you have my word that I'll pay better attention to Hinata-chan."

Neji blinked dumbfound, but smiled approvingly. He then felt his ribcage being poked incessantly by his bun-headed teammate.

"Playing matchmaker are we Neji~kyuuun," Tenten teased playfully. Neji coughed to hide his blush and replied "Of course not!" as indignantly as he could. His friends looked at him doubtfully, obviously not believing his lie.

"Only for Hinata-sama." Neji finally admitted causing the Konoha Nin to burst out laughing. Naruto watched them confusedly; he'd been busy watching the memory and missed the entire conversation. Shikamaru on the other hand was carefully committing Neji's words to memory. He had a feeling the topic would resurface soon.

"When you Chibi-domos are finished flirting, I suggest you start watching the memory. Things are about to get interesting." Tsunade-sama cut in with a wicked smile on her face. They did indeed turn back to the memory.

Memory-Naruto and Hinata walked in a comfortable silence, only stopping when Naruto bought some supplies. The Hyuuga Princess walked behind the Samurai diligently, but seemed to always be standing at least seven feet behind him. Naruto didn't seem to care as he was busy memorizing a map he'd just picked up. However, when they reached the Kingdom's outer gates though, the princess froze on the threshold.

"Is something the matter princess?" Memory- Naruto asks. The Hyuuga princess continued to stare at her feet, and memory-Naruto muttered under his breath something along the lines of "Come to think of it, I haven't heard her speak since yesterday." He watched the Hyuuga Princess fiddle with her fingers, a soft blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Ano, it's just that…I've never been outside the city walls." She whispered so softly, the Konoha Nin had to strain to hear it. ("Huh, is that what she sounds like when she doesn't stutter?" Some baka said, and was promptly elbowed in gut. It was probably Sai.)

A wide grin spread across Naruto's face. "Well Hime-sama, there's a first time for everything," He said, patiently. The Hyuuga Princess finally looked over at her Samurai guardian and for a moment she was dazzled by his smile. The man was practically a stranger to her but she could tell that, despite the shadows under his eyes that showed he'd faced a lifetime of hardships, his smile was genuine. It was a long time since the Princess had seen a genuine, from the bottom of the heart, smile. It made her smile back softly.

"Hai." And with that, the Hyuuga Princess took her first step out of the walls of her confinement. Memory-Naruto continued to grin at her as they walked through the empty grassy plains, just outside the Kingdom's gates.

"See, I kept my promise didn't I?"

"Eh?" Hinata blinked.

"I told you I'd take you away from here, didn't I?" He replied with an easy smile, running his fingers through the tall grasses. Hinata blushed.

"Ano, Naruto-san that was only a song," she whispered back shyly. Naruto frowned at her.

"Well I suppose it's an improvement from –sama" He muttered under his breath, but then got back to the question at hand. "Somehow I got the feeling that Hime-sama was singing her true feelings." To this, Hinata had no reply. But Naruto, being Naruto, thought he'd offended her somehow.

"I—err I apologize if I was being to forward princess…I tend to forget my etiquette at times." Naruto apologized, a blush creeping up his neck. "Master Jiriaya always said that if it wasn't for my obnoxious attitude, I might actually be a successful samurai." He continued to babble, clearly still embarrassed for his earlier comment. Hinata giggled at the Samurai's discomfort. The sun seemed to shine a bit brighter at the moment and a soft gale swept past the pair causing Hinata's hair to break out of its bun and fly out behind her. Memory-Naruto's steps faltered when he saw this.

"I don't think your attitude is obnoxious at all Samurai-san." She told him politely, tucking a dark lock of hair behind her ear. She then caught the samurai staring at her and quickly looked away.

"If you don't mind me saying, you should smile more often Hime-sama. It suits you." Memory-Naruto told her flippantly causing her to blush some more.

"Sai…why are you writing down everything Naruto says?" Sakura asked, her eye twitching.

"Hmm? So I know how to avoid abusive ugly hags like you, ugly." Sai smiled a clearly fake smile. Sakura punched him into oblivion, while the rest of the males in the group could only watch their comrade die sorrowfully.

"He was a good man."Naruto sniffled, giving Sai his condolences.

"Here here," Kiba chipped in, crying anime tears along with Lee and Choji.

The kunoichi rolled their eyes and turned back to the memories. There was something different about this next one. The scene was moving much faster, and they couldn't make out Naruto and Hinata's words but they could see their lips moving and make out their expressions. They watched Naruto insistently trying to engage the Princess in a conversation, and Hinata was blush terrible and answer as best as she could. Once in a while she was say something particularly innocent, and cause Samurai Naruto to hunch over in laughter.

It was rather nice to see the two them travel in such amiable company. From what they could tell, Princess Hinata had an insatiable curiosity about the world around her. They could see Naruto enthusiastically answering her questions (sometimes making stuff he didn't know, which Hinata went along with naïve as she was).

A particular memory that stood out was when Naruto began walking backwards trying to gauge Hinata's expression as he asked her something. It made Hinata blush and do that weird finger poking thing their Hinata did as well. Then they saw it, the bushes behind them stirring abnormally. There was something there. But Naruto wasn't paying attention at all, his eyes were on Hinata.

"Naruto you idiot!" Kiba shouted. Not a moment later, a towering tiger beast lunged from its cover baring its sharp fangs and powerful jaw at the unseeing samurai. Hinata's eyes widened in the last minute, and Naruto…Naruto was still smiling.

"No!" The group shouted. Sakura closed her eyes. Even if this was a memory she couldn't bare the sight of a wild beast sinking its jaws into her teammate. Her stupid, stupid teammate was about to die by becoming some dumb beast's dinner. Where was the glory or honor in dying that way? No, she didn't want to see Naruto die a meaningless death. Sakura heard gasps from all around her. Did it happen? Was memory Naruto being hurt? She had to look; she had to see it for herself.

She opened one eye, and gasped. The tiger was frozen beside Naruto, it's jaw still open as if to bite his head off, but there was no life in that tiger's eyes. Sakura opened her other eye. There was a sleek black katana impaled through its chest. Naruto was still smiling…

"Ha, I think that one was my favorite story yet, Hime-sama." Memory-Naruto replied nonchalantly. Hinata's jaw dropped and she pointed a shaky finger at the beast. If the Konoha-nin weren't in such shock, they'd laugh at the comical expression on Hinata's face. Naruto didn't even react! He was just carrying his conversation like nothing had happened. Memory-Naruto finally looked at what Hinata was pointing. "Hmm, oh this guy? I saw him coming from a mile away." Naruto snorted.

"B-but…" Hinata stuttered, still in shock. Naruto smirked and smoothly removed his blade and hoisted the enlarged cat over his shoulder, muttering something under his breath about "tiger stew."

"Hime-sama, I was the samurai entrusted with guarding the Hyuuga Princess on this mission, do you really believe I couldn't deal with the beast on this level? Do you think your father would have only sent you with one guard if he didn't believe I was worth an army?" Memory-Naruto asked smoothly, a sad undertone in his voice. It was like he was used to being underestimated. The Konoha-nin (the ones who were surprised) put their heads down in shame. This was Naruto they were talking about, of course he wouldn't be dumb enough to fall to some simply tiger's prey. They sent apologetic looks towards their Naruto….which was a waste since their Naruto was in awe with his past self.

"DID YOU SEE THAT? I was so badass! Ha! Dumb beast didn't know it had it comin!" Naruto exclaimed, with stars in his eyes. His friends deadpanned.

"Have some faith in me, Hime-sama." Memory-Naruto whispered, almost to himself. But Hinata had heard him, and began frowning. She watched her guardian walk without looking back, his smiles and laughter drained from her face, and bit her lip as the guilt ate her on the inside.

Before she realized what she was doing, she was running to catch up to Naruto. She grabbed his unoccupied hand and tugged him to halt. Naruto had been so surprised he nearly dropped the beast. His jaw however did drop in surprise.

"Hime?" He exclaimed in surprise. Hinata had unshed tears in her pearl colored eyes and her lips were quivering. Her eyes stared into his like daggers, so straightforward, so honest, so open and pure; it was like nothing Naruto had ever seen before. Her eyes became literal windows to her thoughts.

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto-san. I-I do trust you; I have absolute faith in your abilities. Forgive me for being so insensa-" Hinata began to blab. She was cut off by Naruto's rambunctious laughter.

"Hime, I have never heard of a princess apologizing to a samurai. Besides, we've just met. I don't blame you for not knowing my strength." Naruto shook his head, amusedly. He pulled his hand out of the hime's and wiped away the tears that escaped her. He then flashed her his brightest smile and declared. "Yosh! Let's have tiger stew!"

Hinata giggled and sped up to catch up to Naruto. They walked side by side, a mysterious glow following in their wake. Godaime-Hokage watched this scene with particular interest. It was a small and seemingly insignificant scene, but that's what made it all the more significant in Tsunade's mind. They had a glimpse at Naruto's true strength, and it was rather frightening. She knew that this took place before the Sage of Six Path's time, meaning that the memory Naruto had no idea of the existence of chakra yet. That just made his strength all the more frightening, for he hadn't even bothered turning away from his conversation with the Hyuuga princess to take that beast down. Just how powerful would he be if he fought with the intent to defeat?

The memory of the rest of that night went quickly. Naruto skillfully skinned and prepared the beast. The Princess took the time to gather any edible herbs she could find in the forest and use it for their meal. Hinata surprised Naruto with her knowledge of herbs and medicine, and she told him of the countless hours she had spent in the castle pouring over any book she could get her hands on. Naruto in return told her about his childhood training with his shishou, Jiriaya.

The following two weeks flashed in a matter of moments as there were glimpses of the memory but not the whole thing. There were images of Naruto and Hinata walking through all sorts of paths, dense forests with towering coniferous trees, and wide grass hills with rolling grasses. There were times when Hinata and Naruto were strolling amicably, there were times where they had to run for their lives being chased by some wild beast (Naruto didn't want to fight it if he wasn't planning on eating it), or there were some more peaceful times; like the memory they were watching now.

"Eeeh? Naruto-san, you do not know how to read?" The princess gasped in shock. Naruto flushed red, and looked away with a pouty expression. Hinata would have giggled at it if she still wasn't so shocked.

"W-well shishou never bother to teach me that kind of stuff." Then he snorted. "Now that I think about it, he never actually taught me anything. Everything I am and know now I learned by watching the others in the dojo. Shishou didn't even know that I wanted to be a samurai until three years ago…" He began rambling again, rubbing the back of his flushed neck. Hinata giggled in response. She then glanced at the book in her lap and back at Naruto, and frowned. She looked like she was hesitating about something. But one look at Naruto's face, and Hinata had stood up and decidedly dropped down next to the samurai.

"Hi-Hime-sama?" Naruto asked in confusion, his blush now travelling up to his face as he felt Hinata's shoulders pressing against his. Hinata smiled softly and placed the book between their laps and began to read in her silky smooth almost singing voice. It wasn't hard to see that memory-Naruto was absolutely mesmerized.

"Ah man, you are so whipped." Kiba shook his head.

"Agreed." Neji nodded.

"Totally and completely." Sai added his two cents.

"Like meringue?" Lee asked, and was promptly flicked.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Naruto asked densely. The group sighed collectively, causing Naruto to scrunch his nose in confusion. His friends sure were being weird lately. He decided to ignore them, opting to watch the memory of Hinata and his past self reading under the stars and the warmth of a hot fire. The whole scene was making his insides feel all warm in fluttery. And also a bit anxious, but it was a good kind of anxious.

"Hey Ino-chan, were you speeding up the memories?" Choji asked her confusedly. Ino shook her head.

"No I'm not…but I think I have theory about it." Ino mumbled softly, a slight blush on her cheeks when everyone began looking at her expectantly. Damn this, being the smart one was supposed to be Shikamaru's job. She had no choice about this huh. "I think Hinata-san is subconsciously controlling what she wants to show us. Well it's either Hinata, or that weird ring that got us into this whole mess."

"Considering Naruto got it from the battle field, it's quite possible that he received it from Hinata-chan." Sakura added. A few heads nodded in agreement.

"Oh phew…so Hinata wanted us to see this!" Kiba let out a huge sigh of relief. "Damn, I've been imagining how pissed she'd be when she found we went through her memories later."

"Does Hinata-chan even get pissed off?"

"Worse. She sulks." Kiba shuddered with a comically traumatized look on his face. "She gives you this kicked puppy kinda feelin…and I hate bastards who kick puppies!" Shino patted his teammate sympathetically, though he hadn't been on the receiving end of those looks often, he knew the power of Hinata's puppy eyes.

The memories skipped once more, this time they saw the Hyuuga Princess sleeping comfortable with her blanket-jacket clutched tightly to her. The Konoha-nin had long since realized that tents didn't exist in this time period. The Princess and the Samurai spent many of the nights sleeping under thin blankets with a warm fire between them. When they were close enough to villages Naruto would take watch, but when they absolutely certain they wouldn't be attacked, the two slept under the stars. This night in particular seemed to be chilly as Hinata kept snuggling into her jacket. A cold breeze touched her cheek and the sudden chill woke her up.

Hinata's eyes fluttered open sleepily. She pulled her blanket closer, but then she gasped and sprung up right. She fingered the jacket draped over her like a blanket and bit her lip in confusion. She then took a peek at Naruto, sleeping by the fire, and then back at the jacket and blushed.

"Awww!" Tenten and Ino squealed, and threw their arms around the real Naruto. "You are so cute!" They cried.

"Ack! Let me go you beasts!" Naruto cried and batted away the vicious cooing beasts he called his friends. Tenten and Ino pulled away giggling but not before pinching Naruto's cheeks numb. They are evil, Naruto cried mentally. His friends snickered away in the background, of course.

Smiling to herself, Hinata slipped the coat off and walked over the other end of the campsite to drape Naruto's coat back over the sleeping samurai. She softly chuckled when the samurai curled into the blanket, then she stretched and began walking further into the forest. The forest cleared to reveal a dark oblong pond. Hunching over on her knees, Hinata carefully scooped the midnight blue water and splashed her face, shivering from the cold's touch.

"Uhhh... won't she get a cold from doing that?" Choji asked innocently. Neji frowned in agreement.

"Indeed, whatever is Hinata-sama doing?" He asked as an afterthought.

"I think the real question is why we are watching this memory." Shikamaru said, speaking for the first time in a while.

"Indeed, from what've seen so far, it is difficult to discern the importance of this memory." Sai added.

"Shut up! The rest of us are trying to watch this!" Naruto grumbled irritably. Good thing they listened to him too, he might have Rasengan-ed them otherwise. Naruto was on edge. He had a bad feeling about this moment—like something big was about to happen.

Hinata was blissfully unaware of anything being out of place. But then she heard rustling, followed the sound of heavy footfalls. Having journeyed through the wilderness for weeks now, Hinata could now distinguish the difference between an animal's footsteps and a human. And these were definitely not human.

"Oh no! Hinata! Get out of there!" Ino screamed, grasping her cheeks in terror.

"Ino it's just a memory, she can't hear you!" Sakura told her irritably, though her palms were sweating badly.

"B-but it's like watching a horror film! The maiden strays from her friend in the middle of the night, and then she hears rustling and the next thing you know she's being chased by a psychopath!" Ino exclaimed hotly.

"I think you've been watching too many movies, Ino-chan." Choji told her softly. Ino glared at her big-boned teammate.

"Perhaps I've been allowing Team 10 too much free time." Tsunade added teasingly. Said members of team 10 paled considerably.

Hinata was slowly backing away from the pond, taking small soundless steps. But then her leg got caught in root and she was going to fall over. The Konoha-nin tensed for the moment, knowing that the moment Hinata made a noise her perpetrators would find her. But in the blink of an eye, Naruto appeared behind her, catching her by her waist and quickly placing a hand over her mouth. He slowly urged her to step back into the shadows as Hinata's assailants became visible in the clearing.

"Ahiko! Where is she! You told me that wench would be here!" A gruff voice screamed, clearly he wasn't worried about giving his presence away.

"F-forgive me Riksho-sama…the soothsayer's predictions are rarely wrong. Th-there must have been some unforeseeable circumstance that lady did not predict." The one called Ahiko, a short red-head villager with a katana strapped to his back, stuttered in fear.

"Damn it all!" Riksho shouted and drove his katana deep in the earth in his blind fury. He then turned his meaty hands to his companion's neck. "We cannot afford any mistakes or delays you buffoon! We must take the princess's life before she dooms us all!"

Neji and Naruto flinched. Shikamaru, Sai, Shino, and Tsunade all narrowed their eyes. They knew from the moment the memories began that Naruto and Hinata's journey wasn't going to be a pleasant one. Especially with Naruto thrown into the mix, danger was bound to show up soon or later. Shikamaru in particular was hoping to get some blank holes in his puzzle filled.

"I-I don't understand Master. Why so much trouble for one woman?"

Riksho snorted at in response, a crazed look appearing in his eyes. "I'll tell you why Ahiko. Not only was that woman born the devil's spawn with her demonic eyes and evil sorcery, but her becoming a curse to all mankind should be reason enough to put her to death. Every moment that demon-child breathes; she draws that beast closer to us all!" Riksho shouted savagely, a cold darkness seeping out of his being.

Naruto growled under his breath, what the fuck was that? How dare they call Hinata all those foul names? He wanted to charge into the memory and rip their heads off, but Neji and Lee quickly held him back. Though they were no better at controlling their anger than Naruto at the moment, at least they had the sense to realize that they were in a memory and that there was nothing they could do to change anything. Naruto began to struggle a little harder, and without him knowing his blue pupils were flickering dangerous with red.

Tsunade immediately sensed the Kyuubi's chakra infusing with Naruto's and cursed under her breath. She pulled Neji and Lee aside and placed a hand under Naruto's chin, forcing him to look her in the eyes. The rest of the Konoha Eleven watched with guarded expression, their chakra ready to suppress the demon if it broke free.

"Naruto…if you release that chakra here even I cannot save Hinata from the damage." She whispered carefully, as Naruto's eyes had fully shifted red. But there was something strange about it….only his left eye had changed color. It couldn't mean anything could it? She didn't have a chance to examine because the reds quickly faded and returned to their normal blue. Naruto blinked in confusion.

"Ah…Tsunade-baasan, what are you doing?" Naruto asked. Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"Stopping you from going Kyuubi mode brat." She snapped at him, removing her hand from under his chin.

"What? That's crazy talk! I think I'd know if the fur ball was trying to take me over! Besides, I'm not dumb enough let that bastard out in Hinata's mind!" Naruto shouted indignantly. His friend exchanged worried looks and Shikamaru just groaned.

"I can't deal with any more troublesome surprises today. Can we just watch the damn memory?" The shadow ninja grunted tiredly. Naruto and the other frowned but did so anyway.

"W-what is this beast you speak of?" Ahiko stuttered poorly. His master gave him scrutinizing look and then scanned his surrounding as if to make sure he wouldn't be over heard. Then, in voice so soft the Konoha Nin had to put in a real strain to hear it, he whispered the dark words.

"The king of the demons… Juubi." A silence with the weight of a mountain sat upon the Konoha ninja. No one dared to neither breathe nor make an arbitrary comment. What was the use? They all knew the burdening implication laced with Riksho's words. What was there left to say?

Memory-Naruto's eyes widened in recognition and another unreadable emotion akin to pure terror—it lasted less than a second. His katana was out in seconds, and before Hinata's pursuers could utter another word, Naruto quickly slit their throats. True to his word, memory-Naruto skills with a blade were anything but rudimentary. He'd been as silent as the wind as he took them on from behind, and slit their throats before they could even realize they were being pursued.

The bodies collapsed with a thud and blood started to pool under the bodies. Hinata for her part watched the entire scene frozen. It was hard to decipher what she was thinking, even for one as proficient in reading others as the Hokage. They watched memory-Naruto silently clean his katana, re-sheathed it, and then hunch over to close Riksho and Ahiko's eyes.

"Na-naruto-san…" Hinata managed to whisper. Memory-Naruto's eyes flickered over to her, they were guarded and his reaction remained an enigma.

"We must go." He replied briskly and grabbed Hinata's arm, leading her back to their camp. Hinata bit her lip, desperate to ask him but unable to do so. Naruto's stoic face revealed no emotions, but he seemed to be calculating something in his mind. They returned to the camp and without a word, the two started packing up quickly.

As Hinata was hunched over packing the last of their goods, she looked like she was about to break down in tears. The Konoha-nin were baffled by memory-Naruto's indifference. Why was he being so cold? It was uncharacteristic of him, past Naruto or not.

Hinata finally sniffled and a stray tear rolled down her face. Naruto felt his heart crumble watching his memory self ignore her. Was that…was that really him? It was hard to believe, his memory-self was just so different. Naruto wanted to rip his hair out—was it even possible to hate a 'you' that's not really you? It was too complicated for him to worry about.

"Hime." Memory-Naruto whispered, placing a hand over Hinata's and knelt beside her. Hinata jumped and quickly whipped her tears. Memory- Naruto winced. "Is what they said true, Princess? You're being hunted by the beast?" He snarled the word like a curse.

Hinata nodded stiffly in response. Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "I've heard rumors of the Hyuuga curse but I never imagined…" He trailed off.

"I-it's not true Naruto-san." Hinata cried, and grasped both Naruto's hands in her own. "Y-you have to believe. I cannot do sorcery, I swear." She ended in a whisper, her voice breaking at the end. Hinata hung her head in response and her small frame shook with muffled sobs.

Memory-Naruto pulled his hands out of hers, and placed a soft kiss on the back side of her right hand. Hinata looked up in startle and saw a wide smile stretch across the samurai's face.

"Beast or no beast, I made a promise to protect you Hime, and I never go back on my promises."

Oh my goodness! There were so many super fun scenes to write in this chapter! I know I haven't revealed much plot in this chapter but the next one will progress much more!

So there will be three arcs in this story

The Sage of Six Paths arc will have 2-3 chapters including this one

The Uzumaki arc will have 1-2 chapters

The Child of Prophecy arc will have 1-2 chapters

Then we will head back to the main story time line, expect 1-2 chapters there as well. Expect faster updates once the summer holidays begin!

Baka- idiot, stupid

Kozo- brat

Naruhodo- now I get it/ I understand

Hai- yes

Che- onomatopoeia for making a sound contempt

Kami- goddess/god

Ano- excuse me

Nande- why

Oi oi- hey hey

Chiksho- damn it

Yosh- Alright/ Okay

Shishou- master

Juubi-ten tails

Review, review, review!

Kiki1770