It was a silent process spreading out the blanket onto the low, green grass. Hinata watched Naruto inconspicuously as she laid out all the boxed lunches she made with the help of Kuwashima. All the while, his face was devoid of emotion, only softening with delight at the vast selection of appetizing foods placed before him.

But his show of emotion was brief, a whimsical byproduct of courtesy, the girl noted. She understood that he was dreadfully exhausted, but was he so exhausted that he couldn't control the features of his face, or spare a word of appreciation? This wasn't her usual carefree Naruto...

Something else was wrong. Hinata could feel the undercurrent, like a wicked midnight draft against defenseless skin. But how would she extract the details from him without jeopardizing the sexual thrills that lie ahead?

She blushed, a bittersweet brush of libido.

Time passed, and still not a single utterance escaped her prince's perfect lips. Hinata was even more concerned when he began eating without saying his grace, which was totally unorthodox.

The gleam in her eyes was of a combination of things — shyness, sympathy, wonder... but overall they were patient. If only for a while.

She scrutinized his charming profile from her comfortable spot next to him, flinging her gaze back onto her meal whenever his eyes shifted to grab a hold of her own.

It was certain now, Hinata thought to herself as she secured a cube of carefully fried fish into her mouth. She waited a while before she started chewing, collecting her thoughts. The chopsticks pressed almost seductively on her pink lips, but neither one of them was aware enough to notice.

Now that she was sober — well, to some extent — it was once again embarrassing to face Naruto openly. If anything, it had gotten even more embarrassing since they had been so intimate the previous day.

But her realization of this wasn't helping any, so she tried to clear her mind and focus on more pressing issues. Indeed. For unless Naruto's mood changed soon, she suspected there would be little moments of embarrassment, and lots of sadness.

He may have been eating now, but she could note a shimmer of melancholy in his eyes. The suspicious gleam kept reminding her there was something more than exhaustion. Something he was reluctant to share. It started to become a constant worry, like a dripping faucet in the back of her head that couldn't be shut off or ignored.

But she bit back her lip against the flood of questions and turned her sights to their surroundings. She wouldn't interrogate him just yet, not until he had ate to his fill.

The trees swayed ever so slightly that their movement almost seemed invisible to the naked eye. Their leaves rustled against the whisper of the wind, lulling her with their soothing melody.

Hinata had never known the hours and minutes to pass so slowly while she waited for the sun to rise earlier in the morning. It was ironic that Naruto's face was all she saw in the gloom of her room, even with her eyes open. Yet, at this very moment, she could not hold his gaze.

The princess could have eased into unconsciousness right now — to compensate for her sleep-deprivation — but it was impossible with the frenzied state of her hormones. Unconsciously, Naruto did so much to her, but she craved his attention and desperately so.

Naruto couldn't help but notice that most of the food was his personal favorites. And there were more pastries, too, with less decorations of his face this time. Hinata had gotten even more considerate of him. He could feel the natural affinity they shared — it comforted him, and he wanted it to be everlasting. He wanted a permanent and official bond between them...

"Delicious... your cooking is so delicious," he said suddenly, catching Hinata off guard, a solemn edge to his tone.

Her majesty's eyes went wide in her surprise, and she thanked god there was no food in her mouth that could have possibly choked her to death.

"I can't wait for the village to be completely rebuilt, so that everyone can sit around their table to a wonderful meal like this." His smile slowly faded, his brows pulling together.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata said with concern, putting aside her chopsticks so that she could turn and concentrate on him.

"Maybe if I didn't exist... maybe if I wasn't the Jinchuuriki, then none of this would have happened. Everyone would still have a home."

A swell of quiet sadness crashed over Hinata, enclosing her like a steel cage. She started to panic, her heart accelerating as she thought about the lapping waves of pain that plagued her beloved prince. Her throat tightened as she noted the grief that settled in his face, but she knew she had to say something. She knew she had to break his chain of thought.

Shifting the weight of her body closer to him, onto her hands, Hinata searched for the right words. "No, Naruto-kun... you're wrong."

Surprised, he swiveled his head to the side, meeting her fiery eyes."H-Hinata..."

Never pausing, her words desperate but rich with vigor and truth, she told him that the five great shinobi nations all had a host for their Bijuu; they all had a weapon that made each country a force to be reckoned with. There was balance.

Clinging to his shoulder now, her eyes watery, she continued to explain to him that if he didn't exist, then more than likely Konoha would have already been destroyed; he was the reason why most threats were kept at bay. Konohanguke was not only feared because of the nine-tailed Jinchuuriki, but because of the village's history and the power of all the different clans.

Naruto smiled with mixed emotions as his beautiful princess buried her face in his bicep and began sobbing. His eyes shone with affection and appreciation when she started pounding his chest gently with an adorable fist.

"Gaara-san was also a Jinchuuriki, but he was consumed by evil. Your kind heart is where your strength lies."

Cupping her face with both hands, Naruto raised her head so that he could look into her eyes. "Hinata," his voice was soft, smooth, mended. "Thank you."

In precious moments like this, the couple was afraid to move, to breath, worried that everything was just an illusion — one that would be distorted and forever lost with the slightest of movement. But Naruto did move. He swept a tear away with a curved index finger, and Hinata's cheeks brightened with color at the light brush of that long, beautiful finger.

Their hearts danced at a furious pace, a waltz that no dancing duet could ever replicate. She stared at his exquisitely sculptured mouth, mesmerized. He was looking down at her, his gaze hooded, his eyes darkening. He was breathing harder than usual, and Hinata stopped breathing altogether.

But soon she pulled in a jagged breath. "If you didn't exist… then what would I do," she asked in an undertone, as if she didn't want the very wind to hear.

"But I do exist," Naruto clarified in an equally low tone.

His skin prickled with a sudden wash of heat and a different form of hunger that made his desire stoke even hotter.

His fingers were light in her hair, tender as they brushed her brow. Then he homed in closer to partake of her tempting lips. They were soft, sweet, and perfect. The weight of them triggered something within her, a heat that burned underneath her skin with a driving force. Unconsciously, she curled her hands around his neck and pulled him closer to her. She wanted to bury herself against his body, to mold her flesh into his, joining them as one forever.

The sage hadn't forgotten what it felt like to hold her, to lay claim to her unpainted lips. To want her with a need that scorched as hot as lava in his belly. His body remembered all the ways his princess would make him burn. Arousal surged through him, turning his blood to fire and his lean length to hard-forged steel.

Effortlessly retrieving her arms from around his nape, Naruto whispered against her lips. "Let's continue once we get to the hotel," he said with repentance and promise.

Hinata's cheeks were flushed dark rose, her breath swaying through her parted lips. She stared at him sheepishly with her fingers pressed to her kiss-swollen mouth, her eyes shimmering with a silent demand for more.

Naruto heaved a half-grin. Then Hinata averted her eyes shyly, and yet she licked her lips, tasting him again.

She smiled when he kissed atop her head. "We'll leave once we're through with lunch."

"H-Hn!"She inclined her head tentatively, disoriented by the heat of her desire.

Hinata was a tad disappointed with Naruto's unwillingness to have and please her at that given moment. But she was rational enough to know that the time and place wasn't appropriate to lose themselves in fierce and unrelenting wave of sensual love.

She could at the very least, establish some measure of physical contact with him for the time being. While Naruto continued to partake of the lunch she so lovingly prepared for him, Hinata leaned herself against his back from behind, as if pouring her life force into him.

She had enough to eat, but even if it were otherwise, her desire for him wouldn't have allowed her to eat another bite... unless it was a certain part of him.

She may have been rational enough to know that making love in one amongst the few open areas in the forest with a water source wasn't a wise idea, but that didn't prevent her from yearning to feel the part of him she missed the most.

Her brows pulled together in her state of lustful torment. She wondered if he would have disapproved of her touching him there, but even as she considered that, Hinata's hands were already sliding over his torso and settling onto his stomach. Her lips parted as she thought about the few centimeters that separated his pride from her fingers. And the more she thought about it, the more her rationality dwindled.

"Are you ready to go," Naruto asked suddenly, snapping the hopeless goddess from her trance.

Her eyes popped open in her shock, and she restrained a hand that had begun to slither down to his loin. Just a few more inches and she would have realized he was sporting a fierce erection.

"Sh-sure," Hinata stuttered. When she looked over his shoulder, she noted that he had eaten everything. What an appetite.

"Thanks again for preparing lunch, Hinata," Naruto turned and said, intoxicating her even further.

"I-It was nothing," she averted her eyes embarrassingly, a fist resting innocently upon her chest.

Naruto sighed musically. "That was great! Now I'm back to a hundred percent," he flexed his fingers, as if measuring the truth of it.

Even when he rose, towering over her like a god, Hinata sat still on her heels. She was still a bit dizzy from the heat running rampant throughout her body. Perhaps it was a good idea to wait a while before risking to stand.

"Is something a matter?"

"Err... umm... it-it's nothing," she struggled. "I just decided to take a few more minute's rest."

"Mmm..." Naruto took a wild guess, his smile almost smug.

Without a word, he created a shadow clone, and then abruptly pulled Hinata up to her feet, securing her against his chest. "Na... Na-Naruto-kun," she uttered frantically in question, her cheeks crimson red in mortification.

The healthy warrior grinned, wide and exuberant. "He'll go ahead and take the stuff to the hotel room. Meanwhile, we'll take our time to get there."

Without a word, Hinata watched in fascination as her knight's counterpart did quick work to round up the empty containers into the hamper. Then he dusted the blanket and folded it neatly, tucking it to the side of everything else. Once he was through, he took off into the forest with their luggage.

"Shall we?"

"Hn! Let's go," Hinata agreed, simply loving the feel of his hand around her waist.

Time seemed to skip over layers sporadically for the jovial princess as they both proceeded along the winding path back onto the main road. Being so close to him had her high with sexual energy. She would often find herself emerging from a trance that she didn't recall falling into, and feeling insecure due to her inability to pinpoint their exact location.

Hinata's core was pulsating so much that her loins had begun to ache due to the pressure. Frustration dawned before long, and she could feel her energy depleting — both physically and emotionally.

She may have still been unsteady on her feet, but Hinata regrettably unfastened herself from his side, and then cast him a playful grin. Clinging to him was nice, but it was also counterproductive if she ever hoped to regain any strength in her legs.

The girl frolicked ahead cheerfully then twirled around so that she could offer him a blissful smile, her fingers laced innocently behind her back. Instead of a shinobi, she looked like a beautiful celestial spirit that was only now exploring this fascinating world. And he was fortunate enough to be her personal guide, and more...

"Hurry up, slowpoke... we're going to be late," Hinata teased after a light giggle.

"Hey, I'm not a Pokémon," Naruto retorted with a grin. "And what exactly are we going to be late for?"

Hinata couldn't find her tongue. She cupped the sides of her face and blushed suggestively, her stance awkward but endearing. It was nothing short of a miracle that she didn't keel over.

Naruto raised one brow in question. His sincere curiosity disarmed her, shattering the little composure she gathered only moments ago. "I-I can't say..." she utterly coyly, scrambling for coherency while his gaze unintentionally scattered her thoughts.

All of a sudden — before Naruto or Hinata could ascertain what had fallen to the ground mere inches away from her feet — eight smoke bombs exploded, engulfing the princess in a cloud of purple mist.

She gasped in her shock, accidentally inhaling the unknown fumes. She coughed repeatedly as it filled her lungs. But the moment she attempted a hasty retreat, two silhouettes sporting tacky masks apprehended her from behind, their arms coiling around her body likes snakes.

Naruto was veiled by the thick clouds of gas, too, but he hadn't inhale as much as Hinata did.

"Na-Naruto-kun," she screamed his name while trying to wrench her arm out of the bruising grasp, inhaling even more of the powerful toxin.

The girl reached a free hand out for him, her eyes squinted in her desperation. But despite how much she hoped, the distance between them would not disappear.

She tried to summon her power, but her mind went blank as fear's icy hand tightened around her insides and the sedative took effect.

"Hinata!" Naruto shouted heartily, his hand outstretched, too. Anger carved his face into hard, unyielding lines. He covered his nose and mouth with his free hand, backing away from the lethal gases. "Who are those bastards, and what do they want with Hinata?!"

With what little strength she had left, the princess tried to free herself from the oppressive grasp of her assailants. Her expression was that of mortification, her lips quivering in her growing dread.

She unfurled her hand again, like a desperate mother reaching out to her child that had been taken away from her. The traumatized look in her eyes felt like a serpent coiling around Naruto's heart, squeezing the very life out of him.

Fed up with the girl's pointless resistance, one of the masked men jabbed her in the stomach, depriving her of the little stamina she had in reserves. The princess fell unconscious, and Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief.

Inside, our hero churned with the heat of his anger. His bones felt like hot iron rods beneath his skin. His blood hurried through his body, liquid fire that seared high from scalp to heels. Every muscle and vein within him screamed for retribution — screamed it with a fury that burned on nuclear meltdown.

Calm down, boy, the Kyuubi's voice echoed domineeringly in Naruto's mind. You've inhaled a bit of the sedative. If you pursue them now, under the influence of the drug and your rage, you may jeopardize any chances of rescuing the girl. You may just end up getting yourself killed, instead.

Without a word — though he snarled relentlessly — Naruto heeded the fox's command. He shook with the urge to bellow in wild rage, but he clamped his molars together and bit back his fury.

His fists were so tightly clenched it felt as though the bones in his fingers would shatter under the reckless pressure. It took everything he had to subdue his urge to charge forward and chase after his princess's kidnappers, snapping them both in two, like chopsticks, once he got a hold of them.

Fall back. The gas is rapidly expanding throughout this entire area. You'll have to make your way around it. I'll use my chakra to nullify the effects of the drug. Meanwhile, formulate a plan.

"Like hell I will! While I'm standing around coming up with a plan, those bastards—"

If they were planning to kill her right away, then why go through all the trouble of using a sedative drug to haul her away?

As much as Naruto hated taking advice from the Kyuubi, he knew that the beast was right. Hinata should be safe, at least for the time being. As for him, he wasn't in the right frame of mind to do anything at the moment. Before anything else, collecting himself would have to be priority. Maybe washing his face would help.

Retracing his steps at one-hundredth times the speed of their amble pace before, Naruto made his way back to where they had their picnic. Where Hinata had still been safely tucked away in his arms, her eyes freed of the cold dread he had spied within them.

His heart clenched.

Sinking to his knees before the narrow creek, he splashed a handful of water to his face, and then took a deep breath... centering himself, cooling the inferno that tried to control him.

Looking forward now — the nonchalance that once lingered in his eyes rendered to vengeful malice — reality slowly blurred and Naruto found himself before the Kyuubi's prison in his self-conscious mind. The eerie environment had gotten so blasé over the years that he hadn't even realize that the damp, creepy dungeon wasn't as dark and ominous as usual. And indeed, this dimension — characteristically — was also a part of the fox's emotions.

"Why didn't you just allow me to go through the gas," Naruto asked quietly, his eyes bright with deadly seriousness under his dark frown.

In the pitch-black darkness of the cage, the Kyuubi's eyes half-opened, providing a rough estimate of the creature's ginormous size. "If the host of a Bijuu dies, then ultimately the Bijuu dies, as well," the beast growled — a deep, dark gurgling sound in its throat. "Don't be rash, brat!"

"Hmph," Naruto cocked his head to the side."I won't let those bastards take Hinata."

"The sedative has been removed from your body," the best prompt, as if with malicious remorse. "You can now make your move."

With that said, Naruto was suddenly back in reality, his senses expanding to better assimilate all that was around him. When he opened his eyes, he had already transformed into Sage Mode. His eyes were calm and resolute — portraying his newly found composure.

But as soon as he closed his eyes once more, he remembered the despair in Hinata's. How frightened she was, desperate for him to take her hand and shield her against the presence of evil.

Then they rendered her unconscious with a punch to the stomach, sealing her away in the darkness along with the beast that was horror. How dare them! HOW DARE THEM!

Naruto was livid. His hope and joy was taken away from his steely grasp. His emotions swirled inside of him, a preternatural hurricane that sent his blood thundering in his veins. His anger rose, like the broiling lava in the crater of an active volcano preparing to erupt.

Hinata was always there for him — watching him grow, believing in him when no one else did, and smiling happily, as he forged his initial bonds. But she was sad that he hadn't recognized her in turn. He made her wait so long. But now she was the most important thing to him — more important than becoming Hokage, more important than... saving Sasuke.

How dare they take her away from him! How dare they hurt her!

Naruto's eyes snapped open eerily. The horizontal line in his eyes (Sage Mode) were intersected by a vertically line depicting the Kyuubi's chakra. But no sooner had it came than Naruto suppressed it, be ridding the menacing pupil from his eyes.

I'm lending you my power... why do you refuse it, boy, the Kyuubi demanded, the vicious edge to his voice potent enough to give any senior citizen a fatal heart attack.

"I'll rescue Hinata using my own power," Naruto enlightened, his rage simmering.

Amused, the beast chuckled. It was like an avalanche in Naruto's mind. How ambitious,he complimented with a tinge of wry, but then his voice got serious.Naruto... don't let anything happen to the girl.

Naruto was more surprised than his face illustrated. "Why do you care so much about Hinata?"

There was a moment of prolonged silence, awkward but curious. It's strange... but it would seem that I have taken a liking to the girl, the beast confessed openly, though his voice still sounded like the beginning of Armageddon.Her beauty is celestial, and even more so by her shyness. The fox chucked.You've found yourself a good woman, boy.

"I still find it hard to believe that you actually like a human being. Who would have ever thought that you and I would ever be having this kinda conversation."

Even the most evil and malicious entity will eventually find one thing it likes in this world, especially one that is fragile and easily destroyed. Something deemed beautiful and worthy to protect...

"Mmm... I don't really get it."

Get going.

"You don't have to tell me that." Naruto formed a seal with his fingers. "Tajuu... Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

Out of the fleecy balls of white smoke, three clones appeared, two of which sat in meditation and gathered Senju Energy, while the other one transformed into a coat that Naruto secured over his shoulders. The material hung below his calves, like the breath of liberty and justice.

He looked like his father.

"Well, this is it. I'm on my way, Hinata.

The princess's fate was hanging in the balance. Every second was crucial. Without a moment's more delay, Naruto took off, like a bullet, leaving an orange blur in his wake.

It took less than half the time for our valiant warrior to get back onto the main road, and then disappeared up into the thick canopy of the trees. Becoming one with the forest at the lightening speed at which he traveled, he followed the trace of spiritual energy to its source — Hinata.

Naruto didn't know where she was being taken, and he didn't know whether or not the bandits had reinforcements waiting for them somewhere. This could well turn out into an all out war, and he'd rather err on the side of caution just in case. Two more rounds of Senju Energy should be enough for whatever obstacles that lay ahead.

---

"FUUK-fuk-fuk-fuk-fuk," a man guffawed triumphantly, his belly giggling up and down as he cackled. "That went better than expected."

The man sported more than a few extra pounds, far more than what was ideal for a ninja specializing in reconnaissance or kidnapping. He had a mask pulled atop his head, covering short, mahogany hair. His cheeks were plump, his nose obviously packing a few extra pounds, as well.

"Fuul — what're yuh talkin' about," the other man scoffed. "Tha' original plan wuz to invade tha' hidden leaf 'an finish what the Akatsuki started. With Konoha out of tha' picture, we cud rise as tha' next great shinobi nation with all tha' ninja techniques we would've stolen."

This man was not fat. He was of an average build — tall, long arms, broad shoulders. With short-cropped hair and sharp, dark eyes... he almost looked too good to be a fiend. But a book can never always be judged by its cover.

"FUUK-fuk-fuk! It's a great ambition," the fat one agreed. "But despite how much we brag, you know we can't come to confide in our abilities; we're cowards."

"Auggh," the other man grumbled in frustration, an edge of exasperation clear in his tone. "A shinobi that can't help but tell tha' truth... how tha' hell are yuh still alive?"

"On my last assignment as an official ninja of the hidden mist village, I ended up disclosing top secret Intel to the enemy about my comrades and our village. It was a reconnaissance mission," he admitted dryly. "Those comrades, as a result, ended up getting slaughtered mercilessly, but I was spared. Nevertheless, I was exiled from my village and hunted for many months by ninjas that bore a grudge about the deaths of their family and friends."

The other man sighed. "Every time yuh remind me of this story, I ask myself why I'm partners with you."

"Because we're both rogue ninjas... sharing the same dreams and philosophies." He grinned, folding his arms across his chest. "We have to stick together."

"Shut up," the other man retorted, as though he was offended by his accomplice's words. "Tha' girl's tied up nice 'an tie, right?"

"FUK-fuk-fuk-fuk," Mr. Pancake Nose chortled, ignoring his companion's curt remark. "She won't be going anywhere," he reassured with a grin. "So, what's the plan? The secrets of the Hyuga clan would fetch a good price. I heard the Lightening country has been after it for a while. Or will we take it for ourselves?"

"None of the above," a husky, familiar voice came intruding from a few feet away.

Golden hair. Orange beneath the eyes. Lips pressed into a thin line. Konoha's emblem perfectly engraved in polished iron. The hero had arrived!

The two men flinched in surprise. They were garbed like ANBU warriors, equipped with three ninja pouches and swords as if they were going to an all out war by themselves.

"Who tha' hell are you?"

Naruto's answering scoff was as sharp as a blade."You bastards! You'll pay! I swear I'll make you both pay," he snapped, full of venom.

"It's the boy that was traveling with the Hyuga girl," tubby informed, ignoring the threat.

Naruto snarled, his eyes set in a dark scowl.So they were after the Hyuga's secret, after all.

"I-I knew that, yuh idiot... I wuz askin' his name."

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto." The warrior's voice held no courtesy.

"Neva heard of yah."

"That's alright," Naruto replied curtly. "There's really no point knowing or remembering."

"Uzumaki Naruto... my name is Mitarashi, and this is my comrade and close personal friend, Hakkaku. We're rouge ninjas… seeking to build our own empire."

"Are yuh sure yuh did'n leave anything out," Hakkaku shouted, slapping his naive comrade upside the head.

Naruto frowned in wonder, his eyes still solemn. What's with these guys?

Hakkaku's eyes narrowed suddenly, his malevolent gaze burning into the sage's, and he squared his shoulders to emphasize what he was about to say. "We're not handin' tha' gurl over. That is, unless you're willin' to pay a handsome ransom."

Naruto completely ignored the man's suggestion and his brilliant rhyme. They found his composure infuriating… and a bit unnerving. "Before I get rid of you two. Answer me this: why Hinata?" His question sounded more like a threat.

Hakkaku snarled. "Insolent brat!"

"Actually, capturing the Hyuga girl was merely settling for a compromise."

"What do you mean," Naruto's fists clenched.

"Initially, our intention was to attack Konoha in its crippled state. We heard that a member of Akatsuki called Pain destroyed the hidden leaf village and about nine-two percent of its population. Our plan was to comb through the village and finish off everyone else. The bodies of Konoha's elite shinobis are like treasure chests. We wanted them all."

"Once he starts talkin', yuh can't shut him up," the other man murmured, his expression impassive. But he didn't mind; this imprudent brat was going to die moments from now, anyway.

"But after spending a few hours to study the village's populace, we realized that everyone was still alive and busy at work reconstructing village. However, just when we were about to give up hope and move on, we saw that you were preparing to leave the village. We waited, and to our delight, you were later joined by a member of the Hyuga clan." The man guffawed in that high-pitched voice he loved so much. "But as thrilled as we were, we knew we needed an elaborate plan to secure the girl."

Hakkaku chuckled sinisterly. "Juss when we're about to pack it all up 'an shove on, a member of tha' Hyuga clan decides to walk right into our hands. How wonderful."

"Everyone knows it's not wise to face a Hyuga in close combat; we need a plan."

Hakkaku couldn't contain himself; his grin continued to stretch. "Yuh know what to do."

Leaping from the tree onto the ground, Hakkaku sat on a knee-tall tree stump hidden behind some ferns. He allowed his shoulders to sag and shifted his butt from side-to-side, making himself comfortable for whatever his trusted comrade was obviously preparing to do.

"Transform," Mitarashi uttered when his fingers had made the appropriate seals.

From the fluffy, seemingly shimmering clouds came a young woman with flowing bronze hair who, looked as though she could charm the very heat from the sun — subjecting the planet to another ice age.

The size of her bust and the enticing curves of her lean frame made it seem as though the word "perfection" did exist, after all. Her eyes were seductively bright beneath thickly lashed lids, her cherry lips, full, and her perfectly tanned skin seem to gleam behind her silky Greek attire that coiled around only the most erotic parts of her body.

With only a few slow, sensual, and suggestive strokes of Hakkaku's shoulders by the Greek goddess, the man's eyes flashed open with a sexual flair. His facial features... his expression, was so different that his entire body seemed to have undergone some peculiar and radical change.

His lips drooped and his eyes slitted as the goddess's breasts pressed softly against his nape. It felt like her cleavage would envelope him whole, and he wouldn't resist.

"Aphrodite, my love... it's been a while," he said as he rested a hand over hers. His voice had clearly changed, too, another characteristic portraying the shift in his persona.

"Yokotsue, my prince... it has indeed been a while," the woman replied softly, her beautiful voice befitting one with such a gorgeous figure. "I am in need of your help."

Without a word, Yokotsue suddenly pushed to his feet. Then he turned around and pushed the woman against a nearby tree.

Before she could recover from the impact, the man cupped her breast over slightly transparent linen and began flicking his thumb back and forth across her pink-tipped nipple. "What is it that you need help with," the man asked with a quirk of a smile, though he seemed much more interested in what her puny loin cloth was concealing from his hungry eyes.

For the next few minutes — under the relentless torture of her hardened peaks — Aphrodite breathlessly explained the situation to the man in hopes of him formulating a promising plan, a broken gasp here and there.

Naruto's eyes were a combination of disgust and disbelief. Though, secretly, he had to admit that he was interested in that level of Sexy Jutsu. "You had to draw out your friend's perverted split personality to conjure up a simple plan as this?"

"FUUK-fuk-fuk-fuk! This plan is more sophisticated than you think. Merely judging by your youth and appearance, Yokotsue was able to predict your every move." He grinned wickedly, resting his fists comfortably to his hips as though both the battle and war had already been won. "Aside from the fact that it was evident only two of us were responsible for kidnapping your friend, he knew you'd underestimate us since we cowardly used a smoke screen to conceal ourselves and to make our getaway. And because of your naive, childish pride, he also knew you'd chase after us to rectify the issue without notifying your village. We thought you'd charge right through the drug and get yourself intoxicated, but you were smart enough to avoid it. Nevertheless, you came here alone, and for that mistake... you're going to lose your life."

"Enough talk," Naruto snapped. "I'll be taking Hinata back!"

"Who's Hinata," Hakkaku asked with a blank expression.

"Our hostage you punched in the gut," the other man clarified.

Naruto's frown morphed into a sneer, his brows pressing down like ominous clouds over his sky-like eyes. And be began walking forward, his strides slow and resolute.

"Assumin' that you'll be a challenge, we'll show yuh the rest of Yokotsue's plan."

"Battle tactics..."

Before tubby could foster another mocking grin, he found his nose sinking in, as if a concrete wall moving at over a hundred miles per hour were colliding with his face.

Time slowed to the explosive impact, as Naruto's fist sank into the man's flabby face. When time righted itself again, the rough ninja flew backwards, like a falling meteorite, crashing through the trunk of a nearby tree, and then slamming into the face of a rock. At least he came to an alt.

"What tha' fack," Hakkaku exclaimed, veering his head to the side. He was only now realizing that Naruto had moved. He only noted a blur as his friend whooshed pasted him. Hell, the man must be dead after that. "Hey, Lordass, are yah still alive?"

That's right, kill them both, the Kyuubi suggested maliciously, its tone dripping with undisguised contempt.

"Stay out of this," Naruto instructed coldly. "This is my fight."

It won't be your fight anymore, should harm come to the girl…

By the time Hakkaku made his way over to the crash site, his gravely wounded comrade had already started climbing out of what was intended to be his grave. Supposedly, his fat was what had saved him. Lucky bastard.

"I can't believe you're not dead," Hakkaku commented, scrutinizing the man who was barely on his feet with the aid of the rock he crashed into. He was covered in bruises, the biggest being a deep gash over his right brow.

"That kid," Mitarashi spat a tooth to the side, eying his adversary like a hawk in distress. "He's not normal. My nose is completely crushed, and yet I think he was holding back on that punch."

Hakkaku frowned and followed the man's gaze to their source of turmoil. "It's rumored that it was a kid who defeated tha' notorious Pain. Think he could be tha' one?"

Pulling yet another loose tooth from his mouth, Mitarashi spat, and then flicked away the blood from his shattered nose that sat above his lip. "In any case, I think it's best we use the formation."

"Let's avenge your fallen comrades," Hakkaku gestured to the bloodstained tooth between the man's index finger and thumb.

Looks like they're ready to get serious, Naruto thought as they pulled their mask over their faces. He looked to the left, feeling the power of his beloved's chakra emanating to the point where he could almost see her. Hinata must be in that old cabin. I have to lead these guys away from here.

Pivoting his head to the right, Naruto noticed a valley he deemed perfect for the imminent battle. He moved far enough away where he knew the cabin wouldn't be within range of any one of his attacks... or theirs. He wondered what they had in their arsenal — how they would go about erasing him, the thorn in their side that insisted on thwarting their plans.

Like Naruto predicted, the two men followed him onto the plain and began their vengeful onslaught. Mitarashi quickly made his way over to a flowing river separating the open field from the forestry. He stood atop the unruly torrent in a familiar stance that grabbed a hold of Naruto's attention.

That stance... It's just like what Zabuza did when he tried to kill, old man Tazuna.

"Ninpou: Hidden Mist no Jutsu,"Mitarashi uttered sinisterly as he activated his technique. He shared a malicious grin with his comrade, as though this ninjutsu would prove fatal to their adversary — absolutely guaranteeing them victory of this little skirmish.

With the help of the abundance of water present, Mitarashi's mist quickly enveloped the battlefield. But Naruto was not deterred, nor did he move. He stood still, composure practically radiating from his body as the ominously thick clouds veiled him in what seemed like a blanket of doom.

Hakkaku chuckled derisively. "I hope yah haven't started shittin' yourself yet, kid... tha' fun's only just begun."

"Through the mist—" Mitarashi began —"I can sense everything that it touches. It's almost as if it weren't there all at; I can see everything and everyone." His voice hardened. "I'm going to pay you back tenfold for my nose and every tooth you knocked out."

Hakkaku laughed aloud. There was wry humor in his tone toward his friend. "Hey, Mitarashi, be sure to leave some for me, okay. I may 'ave all my teeth, but I hate that brat just the same!"

"I won't make any promises," the man returned sourly.

There was telling tension in his tone, and Naruto put his guard up, holding a kunai firm in his hand. He frowned. Within seconds, there was the ringing sound of steel clashing from all throughout the battle zone. The mist went alight with sparks of fire as the two warriors drove their weapons together.

"How tha' fack is that kid able to see much less to keep up with Mitarashi," Hakkaku fumed. "He should almost be omnipresent in this mist." We can't allow this to drag out any further, the man frowned in thought. If he gets more accustomed to the mist, this kidnapping could take a sudden turn for the worst.

Closing his eyes, Hakkaku took in a deep breath. When he exhaled, his eyes snapped open and sparks of electricity flickered on his shoulders. Like highly venomous pythons, the bolts of current skipped down his body, multiplied, and then skimmed throughout the humid war zone, riding the mist. They acted like receptive radars, mapping out the entire field.

With this, Hakkaku could also navigate throughout the thick screen, and he quickly retrieved a few shurikens from his pouches. Charging them with high voltages of electricity, he sent them flying toward our hero. But with the special sensory attributes of Sage Mode, Naruto identified the threat almost immediately. He quickly distanced himself from Mitarashi so that he could decisively dodge the lethal blades. Lethal, indeed — Naruto had made the mistake of trying to deflect one of the shurikens with his kunai, only to have it cut right through, almost taking his head off as a bonus.

"That was close," he muttered, quickly regaining his footing. He looked around anxiously, always alert. "This is getting dangerous and it's getting late. I need to end this."

"What is this kid," Mitarashi panted, his expression strained as he looked to his comrade, as if for an answer.

"Tha' hero who defeated Pain..."

The man grunted in frustration. "Even with the mist as a mask, he was still able to get a punch in. I think two of my ribs are broken." As if to confirm for a second time, he applied pressure to the sharp pain in his torso. He groaned in pain.

"If he's truly tha' one who defeated Pain, then we should be dead right now. He's probably toyin' with us. We 'ave to take this opportunity to turn tha' tables in our favor."

"Let's teach this punk never to mess with Discharge!"

Hakkaku sighed. "I don't recall ever agreeing to that cheesy name."

"Let's just finish the kid off."

Naruto flinched, his eyes piercing the thick mist. "He's molding chakra for an attack."

"Raiton: Lightening Burst," Hakkaku uttered, and suddenly the mist was illuminated with a large column of blinding bright light, which crackled like a dancing flame.

Naruto had to wonder if the sun had fallen from the sky. He winced, covering his eyes in retaliation. But although they had deprived him of his sight, his sensory capabilities was still very much intact. He had never been able to see since the mist was implemented in the first place.

Hakkaku guffawed, his eyes closed, too. He was entirely dependent upon the low volts of electricity discharging from his body for navigation, as Mitarashi was dependent upon the mist. "Hey, kid, you can start shittin' your pants now."

"This tactic was also orchestrated by Yokotsue. It was originally meant for the legendary copycat ninja of the hidden leaf village — the man said to have copied over a thousand jutsus with his Sharingan." Mitarashi grinned. "But I guess you'll be the first to experience this great combination of ours."

"Any field of vision you had should be gone now," Hakkaku bellowed as he charged toward his apprehensive prey, Mitarashi close at his side.

Naruto snarled with evident determination as he braced himself for the imminent attack. For a split second, his body seemed to blur under the sharp light. Without a second to spare, he pulled two kunai from his pouch, which he used to guard against the rogue's double assault.

Effortlessly overwhelming them with his god-like strength — pushing them back — Naruto dropped the weapons to the ground, freeing his hands to create a shadow clone.

Equipping themselves with another kunai, Naruto and his counterpart continued to defend against the enemy's consistent series of brutal attacks. With nimble steps and awesome aerial dynamics, they evaded and guarded against heavy kicks and fierce punches.

But suddenly, Naruto's skilled performance to stave off attacks took a turn for the worse. While being driven back by the tremendous force behind Mitarashi's simultaneous assaults, the clone toppled over a jagged rock and fell to the ground, his defense shattered.

Immediately taking advantage of this grand opportunity, Mitarashi unsheathed two of the swords from his back and mercilessly drove them through the chest of the counterfeit. When the clone dispersed, the man cast his partner a telling grin, and then joined in their ruthless endeavor to cut down their provocative foe.

Instantaneously, Naruto switched from blocking against attacks to dodging them. Features of distress quickly engulfed his face, and the warrior's breaths came faster and faster after every impressively coordinated attack by the collaborating duo.

Subsequent to throwing a fairly charged kunai toward Naruto, which missed, Hakkaku forged his seals and uttered the phrase "Raiton: Lightening Fang!"

Sharp strings of high-voltage current emanated from the man's body, flashing like a bolt of lightning toward a flustered Naruto. While the sage was busy evading the lethal attack, Hakkaku withdrew two of his blades, knelt on one knee, and then drove the gleaming blades into the earth. "Lightening Blade Technique: Thunderbolt!"

Streaks of lightening — like lapping waves — skimmed along the ground toward Naruto, leaving utter destruction in its wake. But before the incisive warrior could leap into the air — distancing himself from the man's range of attack — the ground shifted beneath his feet, rendering him unbalanced.

It only took one simple mistake for a shinobi to lose his or her life in the heat of battle, Naruto thought as four steely blades pierced his flesh, staving deeper through him. Reality seemed to slow, and Naruto could almost hear as his heartbeat slowed to a stop.

….

The shadow clone dispersed, leaving both Hakkaku and Mitarashi in abject shock, their eyes wide with incredulity.

"Rasen Rengan!" Naruto roared, bursting through the mist before them with a large Rasengan in both hands, loud and intimidating.

Having absolutely no time to react, the hopeless rouges bellowed in pain as the rotating sphere of destructive power broke through their swords and ran amuck through their skin and flesh. Like rotating missiles, both men were flung over sixty feet away, crashing with a loud explosion into the river.

Both the mist and pillar of light slowly disappeared.

"I... I don't understand," Hakkaku muttered when Naruto approached them. Both men were covered in cuts and scrapes, a crimson red crater centering their stomach.

Mitarashi coughed, blood running from the side of his mouth. "I... I think the rest of my ribs are broken now."

"I know somewhere along the line, you guys assumed I was a sensory ninja. I am, but my abilities aren't limited to only people. I can sense nature on a whole." Naruto's expression was passive, almost cold. "The moment you created that bright light, I substituted with a shadow clone. I sensed powerful chakra in both the mist and electricity, so I knew that's what you guys were using to see and to locate me."

Mitarashi frowned, in pain, disgust, and confusion. "But even if you substituted... you were still in the mist," he took a breath through the blood clogging his lungs."I should have been able to—"

"With Sage Mode, I can manipulate natural energy. I simply used this energy to erect a barrier around myself, which made me invisible to both the mist and electricity. I hid myself at the border of the mist, where the light shines the weakest."

"You. Arrogant. Little. Fack!" Hakkaku fumed despite the sharp series of pain erupting all over his body.

"Both my shadow clones being overwhelmed was just a sham to give you the impression that you were in control." The mark of the sage faded.

"Well played, Uzumaki Naruto," Mitarashi looked to the sky, as if in relief. "You were in command of the fight since the very beginning. I shall remember your name."

"I've seen Hinata bleed..." Naruto remembered the unpleasant memory, when she crawled across the desolated battlefield toward him, trying to pull Pain's iron rod from the ground that had pierced both his hands. "From that day, I vowed to myself that I would never allow that to happen again. Ever."

Hakkaku shot Naruto a bitter sneer, and then roared like a frustrated lion. "If I knew this would be tha' result of our little operation, I would've killed tha' girl tha' moment we had her!" The man heaved a bloody grin, hoping his ugly words would hurt — hurt more than the pain he felt flickering throughout every cell of his being.

"You bastard," Naruto snapped. His face had fallen into hard, rigid lines, his teeth bare, his eyes burning.

Kill them, the Kyuubi ordered, his voice thick with paralyzing evil. These fools are scum! They deserve it!

Naruto grunted, closing his eyes shut, averting his face in his reluctance to comply.

Kill them, the sinister fiend urged through gritted teeth once more, ushering, coaxing the flames of Naruto's subdued rage. But his attempt to nurture our hero's dark will was futile.

"No!" Naruto announced mentally, his eyes radiant with renewed resolve —a light that drove the animalistic substitute of his subconsciousness back into a passive state. "I'm better than that. As much as I want these guys to suffer for what they've done. For what they wanted to do to the village, I'm no heartless killer."

"How—" Hakkaku coughed, and then chuckled, his lips curving up in mock humor. It was obvious talking wasn't having a good effect on him. "How admirable. Is everyone from your village a pxssy, like are you?"

The insult didn't achieve the desired effect.

Naruto turned his back, but he didn't move, not yet. He drove his fist into his palm, clasping it with a smug and triumphant grin, his eyes serious. "You guys chose the wrong shinobi to mess with and the wrong girl to kidnap." His eyes burned fiercely, his grasp tightening. "Should we ever cross paths again — under similar circumstances — I won't let you off so easily."

He walked off.

"The forbidden technique..." Hakkaku uttered low under his breath, his voice flat.

Mitarashi gasped, his eyes popped open."If we use that technique now with our current chakra—" he took a good look at the broken man beside him.

He was like a melancholic sculpture — doomed never to move from the spot on which he was made. His face was pale and expressionless, his eyes growing cold and lifeless. It was the image of a man who hadn't much time to live. Mitarashi hadn't sustained as much damage due to his excessive weight, but he, too, would eventually succumb to his wounds.

"Okay… let's do it," Mitarashi agreed."The final act of Discharge!"

"The final act…" Hakkaku reiterated with a grin.

While walking toward the slopes of the valley leading back to the old cabin, Naruto heard the high-pitched whistle of something animalistic and hostile. His instincts — those of a well-seasoned shinobi — told him that he'd suddenly become the target of this heinous creature.

Turning around to face the looming threat, Naruto raised his trademark fingers before his lips and dismissed a shadow clone that sat gathering Natural Energy a few miles away. Within mere moments, the mark of the sage returned around the corner of his eyes, and his senses went acute to his surroundings. Apparently, there would be no future meetings with Hakkaku and Mitarashi, after all.

No sooner had Naruto distinguished what the elemental beast was than the creature began accumulating a ball of destructive energy at the tip of its fully dilated snout.

As a means of defense and offense, the sage quickly summoned two clones and began developing his most powerful and devastating attack. The massive shuriken rotated at such a remarkable velocity that it emanated the sound of a flaring jet engine.

Naruto examined the beast before him — a gigantic serpent that was the embodiment of water and lightening, with long whiskers and neon blue eyes that sparked with power. It wasn't a summoning technique, but rather, the most advanced form of shape manipulation. This was the rogue's trump card.

The entity was made with enormous amounts of chakra — more than what the two rouges were capable of mustering. But before Naruto could solve the mystery at hand, the creature unleashed its powerful projectile — a mass of condensed energy comprised of lightening and water-natured chakra.

Naruto retaliated by submitting his own technique.

With catastrophic force that echoed along the landscapes and through the defenseless trees, both masses of awesome power clashed, with Naruto's Rasenshuriken effortlessly slicing through the opposition, like a hot knife through butter.

Just before the attack expanded and engulfed the serpent along with the lifeless rouges, Naruto felt both their chakra and life's energy combined together to forge a single orb of tremendous power. This was embedded in the creature's forehead — the entire essence of their being. Sacrificed.

Everything was all but disintegrated in the blast. The explosive repercussions were of the likes that the valley had never seen before.

---

Submerged in thought, Naruto opened the door to the cabin and smiled in both relief and distress when he saw his beloved princess unconscious upon the hard, cold floor.

In Sage Mode, he could sense the disturbances in her flow of chakra, especially that which circulated in her brain. The smoke bomb the rouges used was obviously infused with a very strong sedative drug. Their plan was flawless, but then they had to face off against a vengeful sage.

Naruto stooped down before Hinata, and she suddenly submerged from beneath the depths of unconsciousness — as if to savor his presence — barely being able to keep her eyes open. But she held his dark gaze, her lips curving into a lazy V under his bright stare.

Naruto's eyes seemed intent on having her there. Hinata's heart lurched at the prospect, but it's a short-lived joy. The dreary, disappointing reality was that he would have never made love to her in such a broken place, nor at this time, what with her being kidnapped and drugged. Her knight was more sensitive than that, but every fiber of her being yearned for him.

Hinata sank below the lapping waves once more, and Naruto's eyes dimmed morosely.

Quickly cutting her restraints, he chivalrously rescued her from the dust bunnies and proceeded out onto the ridge overlooking the valley. He held her securely in his arms, as though she were a child — his first daughter, his delicate flower.

He looked down onto her peaceful face, wondering what he would do should anything were to befall her. His eyes narrowed gloomily.

Nagato: War brings death, wounds, and pain to both sides. There's nothing harder than accepting the death of a loved one. And so, we convince ourselves that they cannot die. Especially your generation, who do not know war. You look for meaning in death. But there is only pain and hatred, which you do not understand, that consumes you. People die like trash. An everlasting hatred accompanied by pain that cannot be healed. This is war.

Naruto, that is what you must go against.

The trouble in his eyes never fading, our hero looked over onto the battlefield — the tomb that was now the grave of Hinata's kidnappers.

They, too, were victims of the chain of emotions that came with the title "shinobi". Like most, they fell prone to a bitter end after succumbing to the evil intertwined with this harsh path. Nagato proclaimed it was a never-ending cycle — it was true.

Naruto frowned dejectedly. How was he — a sixteen-year-old — to find the right answer, the right solution to such an ancient predicament? As Hinata pressed her face into his chest, snuggling ever closer, he knew he wasn't alone and that the answer would come in time. Until then, he would continue growing — continue owning his skills so that he could protect everyone that was dear to him.

Sensing that Hinata was coming around again, Naruto stepped back a tad, not wanting her to witness the aftermath of his fight that was vivid upon the plains of the valley.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," Hinata heard a quiet and beautiful voice impelling her from her stupor. She was incapacitated no longer.

Her eyes were still closed as she clawed her way back to consciousness, but she could smell him... her beloved savior. He held her up firm in his strong arms, the princess's hand and cheek fast against the hard wall of his chest. The steady beats of his heart sang in her ears, reassuring her that he had not been hurt in battle.

Thank goodness.

Gradually, Hinata blinked her eyes open so that she could look at him. He was wearing a light smile as he stared off into the distance. His handsome face was imbued a soft, saffron glow. He almost looked divine — too good to be true... too wonderful to be hers.

"Beautiful, isn't it," he gestured with unswerving eyes.

Yet before Hinata could pivot her head to gaze in the direction his eyes locked, he suddenly repositioned her into a piggyback position with a virility that stirred her hormones in the process. Automatically, her arms loosely bounded around his neck, his hands cupping her thighs. Luckily, the sensitivity had yet to return to her body else, his touch would have been more lethal.

Hinata's eyes widened and gleamed in awe at the picturesque landscape before them. From atop the ridge they stood — centered in the ethereal glow of the twilight — the young couple gazed into the magnificent sunset. Its deep crimson light almost made it seem like a blistering ball of fire beyond the horizon. The trees and verdant field below was tinted a rich hue of honey, and, for a moment, the spectacle almost seemed like an otherworldly paradise.

"It's very beautiful," agreed Hinata, her eyes half-lidded now.

Naruto grinned, nonchalant. "But not as beautiful as you..."

He felt as her arms tightened around his neck, and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment at his compliment.

Just before she drifted back into unconsciousness, the princess rested her cheek upon the crest of his shoulder so that she could whisper "thank you" to his ears.

Her eyes fluttered close.

"Baka," the warrior drawled ruefully. "Why are you thanking me? It's only natural that I would come for you — you're my princess now, remember? Or have you forgotten?"

Hinata's eyes widened, all the words she wanted to share clogging her throat.

"I'll always protect you... always."

He felt as her cheeks stretched and a smile touched her lips. Just before the sun disappeared behind the mountains, far in the distance, the triumphant sage continued upon his journey.

---

Hinata felt the wind whipping across her face and flinging her hair back behind her with enough force that it felt like someone was tugging on it.

The trees raced past them, blurring into a wall of green and brown. The light of the moon brightened the clouds in the black ocean that was the sky. As her eyes adjusted, she could see the defused glow highlighting the tops of trees, and glinting off a small slice of river. Hinata watched the silver light, waiting for her eyes to get heavy again.

She hugged herself internally with quiet glee as her lids flickered close, knowing that the next time they opened, he may willingly be ready to explore her without having to make her coax him into it.

Naruto felt as Hinata's chin rested back into place. She was fast asleep again. Although he would have covered more ground in the trees — for her sake — he decided to stick to the ground, where there would be less turbulence on her body. Nevertheless, he needed to move quickly. It was overcast, and he was entirely dependent upon the moon's glow to traverse this unfamiliar land.

If he had read the map accurately — which was little over ten minutes ago — then they should now be on the outskirts of their town.

The hot spring country comprised of a small population residing upon the fire country's northern peninsula. But as minute as the country was, it was rich on tourism — each town thrived on the patronage of foreigners. And since the country was relatively remote, it was rarely caught up in the crossfire of skirmishes.

The corners of Naruto's mouth quirked up into a delightful smile. Even without the extremely acute senses granted by Sage Mode, he could see the town's lights glinting off the clouds far in the distance. And the blare of music rang in his ears, restoring energy to his legs. The bass of the disco rhythm dug deep into his core, making him want to dance and jump, but not with an unconscious Hinata on his back.

Stopping beside the trunk of a middle age tree, moonlight and the shadow of leaves dancing over their features, Naruto admired the town beautifully nestled by forestry and enclosed by a ring of uniquely jagged mountains.

Down in the valley, from a top the summit he stood, the haven sparkled with many amazing lights that made it look like a paradise only meant for him and his beloved angel — a sanctuary exclusive to them. Somewhere, amongst all that activity, Naruto knew there was a room with a bed awaiting them, calling, coaxing. There, he would have his complete way with Hinata — over and over again, until they were both sore. He wanted to make her well aware to whom she belonged.

Just before our hero took off again, toward his delicious fate, he felt the import of something familiar — something belonging, a force that completed him. It was the hundreds of shadow clones he had conjured in the village before departing.

Naruto felt their exhaustion — it added to that of his own — and his breaths came faster as she struggled to remain upright. He also knew their memories. Knew of the many compliments they received and of the wonderful conversations they had.

Wow. There was a lot of progress in the village today — the reconstruction was coming along nicely! He grinned with uncontrolled excitement at the knowledge that the Ichiraku had fully been restored. Naruto knew exactly what he was going to have the moment he got home — another date between he and Hinata.

There was one memory, however, that had the young sage at a loss for words.

Naruto had just finished adding the final touches to the Ichiraku, when he had an unexpected visitor. She waited patiently while the owner for the shop — Naruto's personal ramen-hero — thanked him effusively for his contribution toward the stall's speedy renovation.

But instead of dramatic handshakes and relentless waves of appreciation through words, Naruto would much prefer to have a bowl of his favorite ramen. Unfortunately — taking into account the disaster that befell the village — it was going to take a while to gather all the right ingredients necessary to make the "miracle-soup".

Worst-case scenario, these ingredients would have had to be ordered from a neighboring country, which would take time.

Naruto sighed in disappointment, but made his way over to his unexpected guest. Was she perhaps here to deliver a message? Whatever the case, why was she behaving so uncharacteristic, as if they were strangers, as if she had suddenly turned into Hinata?

"Hey, Ino... what's up," Naruto asked the moment he came to a halt before her. His expression was perfectly smooth, breathtaking.

Ino shook her head to gather her wits. Her heart was pounding a frantic tattoo, and for some reason, she was blushing furiously under his steady scrutiny. She was utterly thrown by the sight of him standing before her, his lips luscious and tempting.

Where did this sudden attraction stem from?

With her heart suffocating her — because it was in her throat, trying to escape from her mouth — Ino tried to articulate her thoughts. Her mouth opened, but closed again as soon as it did.

Sai was cute and all, but the boy was just not sensitive enough for her taste. He couldn't read between the delicate lines of her femininity, to note her desires. There were no surprises, and there was no passion.

Is Naruto passionate enough? Her subconscious asked her, the chibi's eyebrow figuratively raised. Ino slapped her down. But she looked up at the village's hero and rising celebrity, considering it.

He seemed... changed, especially since he fought Pain — but even more so since yesterday. Had he undergone some miraculous sprout in maturity? His masculinity seemed to roar now, rendering her femininity submissive and docile.

For the first time, Ino could feel energy between them. She felt the rippling chemistry and the dark breath of lust. It made her self-conscious — and more conscious of him — his hair, his eyes, his lips... everything affected her now.

Ino's stomach twisted as his sensual lips puckered up and eased into a curious smile. Hers parted on an amorous sigh as she openly appraised his lean figure. His chest appeared so much bigger now. Naruto Uzumaki had become a man overnight — and his irresistible aura pulled her toward him.

He frowned in surprise when Ino placed her hand upon his chest in an intimate fashion.

Naruto cringed.

With no one around — and being fairly concealed by the darkness of the night — Ino tipped on her toes, determined on having a taste of the hero's lips this night.

"Ino," Naruto murmured, trying to inject rationality into his intoxicated comrade but to no avail.

Just before her lips brushed his — sullying the many oaths to his lovely princess — the shadow clone dismissed himself in her arms. Ino was dumbfounded, but as her disbelief diminished, she bowed her head — not in regret but in disappointment.

Why had he eluded her kiss?

Naruto didn't spend much time processing Ino's actions. These two and a half days in the hot spring country was his and Hinata's private getaway/vacation/date/sex-marathon. It was a paradise through which to relax and strengthen their bond, and he wouldn't allow anything to jeopardize that.

High above the open gates, craved in a thick, rectangular plate of timeworn mahogany wood, was the appellation: "Fuugetsu". The name sounded unusual, but Naruto was certain that this town would hold promise.

Just a few minutes within its borders and he was already feeling welcome. All the flashing neon lights, music, chatter and laughter of the people were lovely. Everyone wore a polite smile — all their tension and aggression dissolving through the excitement radiating from lively town of Fuugetsu.

When Naruto couldn't readily pinpoint the exact location of the hotel, he dismissed the shadow clone that had gone ahead with their luggage, his eyes darkening with sudden enlightenment.

He now knew where the hotel was, and he made his way through the busy streets, ignoring the many eyes that glanced his way. Apparently, bringing an unconscious girl on your back meant something had obviously gone awry.

After minutes of bumping and pushing through large crowds of people that retaliated with friendly smiles and dancing, Naruto was effortlessly leaping onto the roof of a four-story building and entering the edifice through a conveniently open window.

The clone had played his part well.

---

Arrival. Sensual Explosion!

Gradually, Hinata was aware of herself climbing up the ladder of her once elusive consciousness. In her stupor, she realized that her body was no longer in motion. She was stationary, and in the background was the constrained sound of upbeat music.

Beneath her was a plush surface, much softer than where she previously rested. But the therapeutic-like chakra that soaked into her body, soothing her, was no longer present.

Hinata opened her eyes as they adjusted to the bright lightening. Before she could see past the blur, the princess could smell him. His lovely scent was mixed in with the fragrance of fresh laundry and a collection of other unfamiliar aromas.

"I see you're finally awake," Naruto muttered warmly.

The need to hold her close right now was nearly overwhelming. He knew she was basically all right, but just the idea of her being shoved around by those rouge ninjas — sedated by them — made his blood boil with fury.

Sitting attentively on a chair beside the bed, he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, which had worked its way free from the neighboring party. Hinata's breath hitched at the unexpected contact, but she leaned her head slightly into his fingers.

Naruto's eyes softened at her adorable response, and he ran his thumb across her cheek, as if to sweep away the color that glowed there. Hinata's blood seared quietly in her veins, and all too quickly, his touch was gone.

"Naruto-kun," she uttered, her voice strained and frustrated. She didn't know where to start — there were so many questions.

"It's okay now... you're safe," he reassured, soft and abrupt. "We're at Fuugetsu, inside our room."

Hinata seemed relieved, and her head swiveled from left to right as she sought to briefly appraise the room. But her curiosity was not yet satisfied. "And... the two men that took me hostage?" Her eyes were both inquisitive and apologetic.

Before Naruto addressed her question — his eyes hooded — he raised his hand again, reaching to cup the side of her face. In a daze, Hinata placed her hand in his. As their fingers touched, she felt an exhilarating shiver ran through her — sharp, dark, and provocative. She withdraw her hand hastily, embarrassed.

It was that dangerous static stemming from him again. She blinked rapidly, her eyelids matching her pulse.

Naruto smiled coolly, amused, and then he opt to serve the lady's curiosity. He began explaining what the ninjas' intentions were, but the princess wasn't paying much attention to the meaning behind his words. Just how he pronounced and tasted them on his lips and tongue. The soft, silky sound of his voice was captivating, and she yearned for him to whisper her name.

Take your clothes off... her subconscious teased, impersonating her knight's husky tone. Hinata's heart flailed so hard in her chest that she coughed when it rammed against her rib cage.

Her face ignited, combusting with pink flames.

"Are you okay?"

She tried to shake off the shock and answered his question a beat late. Naruto's eyes were suddenly shrewd, as though he could see the naughty thoughts portrayed as images and etched in her mind's eye. But he continued his explanation, letting her know that the rouges were essentially after the Hyuga's secret. He didn't tell her about the details of the fight.

Hinata kept her face composed as Naruto wrapped up the chain of events leading up to this moment, aware of his scrutiny as she listened. But wasn't she being counterproductive? Why hid the intricate clues that she was aroused and needy when, from the beginning, she was intent on figuring out a way to have him yield to her desires?

"Na-Naruto-kun," she averted her eyes, ashamed but thankful. "Thank you for rescuing me. I-If I was more vigilant... then we wouldn't have been ambushed. I'm glad you didn't get hurt."

Pain spread across her perfect face, squeezing his heart in turn.

Without a word, the young sage leaned over the bed. His fingers brushed hers very briefly, and the current was there again — zapping through her as if she had touched an exposed wire. The princess gasped involuntarily as she felt it, all the way down to somewhere dark and nostalgic, deep in her belly.

He kissed her forehead sweetly, pulling back just enough so that he could gaze into her gorgeous, wide eyes. "It's not your fault,"he whispered the truth. "I may not have the Byakugan, but I have ears and eyes, too. I'm well capable of detecting an enemy's approach."

"Naruto-kun..." she couldn't tear her eyes away from his lips, even as she desperately scrambled around for equilibrium.

His breath was sweet and tempting, promising an exquisite taste from his mouth. Like an aphrodisiac — a hormone-stirring virus — the perfume of his breath entered her veins, intoxicating her to no quarter.

"Getting kidnapped couldn't be helped. Like me, those rouges thought you were just too sexy to ignore. And while I was nothing but noodles by your beauty, they snatched you away from me."

"Naruto-kun,"she exclaimed on a broken chide, slapping her hands over her eyes in sheer embarrassment.

Naruto chuckled with glee, the merry sound of his voice adding fuel to the flames that glowed in Hinata's plump cheeks.

As desire hurtled like lightening through her veins, inducing violent contractions between her legs, the princess knew that she needed him — needed him this day, this hour, this minute, this second! Her sanity depended on it, and her nervous hummed in anticipation.

Please... touch me, she whispered mentally, translating the silent plead of her body.

"Are you hungry?" Naruto asked sweetly, once she had lowered her hands sheepishly, her eyes coy and elusive.

"Um." She blinked nervously, unsure whether to hold his gaze. "I am... just a little."

"Okay. In that case, I'll have our dinner brought up. Is there anything else you need?"

Hinata felt a prick of disappointment in her tummy, hot and heavy, as he neglected the telling gleam that lit her eyes."Umm... I suppose I could really use a shower," she whispered, but inside, her subconscious was screaming "you" — you're what I need!

Hinata slapped it down instantly, mortified that her desire had her behaving so desperate. But she was... she was desperate, so very desperate.

Heaving a light smile, she schooled her features into a placid, unreadable mask — a skill she'd perfected as the Hyuga's expected successor.

The pattern of her thrashing heart shifted, throbbing with more grief than desire now. The girl was shocked at her sudden mood swing, but she couldn't suppress the unwelcome flow of emotions. Instead, her chest tightened, and her throat went dry.

"Alright, so it's settled, then,"Naruto said standing up. "While you're taking a bath, I'll go down stairs to get our dinner."

"Okay," Hinata murmured quietly as she sat upright in bed, afraid to say anymore.

Her stomach was contorting and she thought her voice might crack. She was upset, but expressing anger and disapproval wasn't her best talent. And to Naruto, no less...

She tried for nonchalance as she eased the weight of her starving body to the edge of the bed, making her way to what she assumed was the bathroom door. But really she was just concentrating hard on not falling over her own feet — her legs are suddenly the consistency of Jell-O beneath her.

Naruto could feel the sexual tension between them as Hinata shuffled quietly across the room. He could smell her desire, old and new. It beckoned to him, teased him, and caressed him here and there. But the sadness in her eyes stole the vigor from his erection.

For his sake... and for hers, he would light the shadows on her face. It was his masculine duty.

---

The princess showed hardly any interest in the white and gold color scheme of the bathroom. Everything was spotless, but her judgmental receptor was currently disabled. It was necessary in her endeavor to suppress her thoughts, to suppress her urges and the bitter sting of disappointment.

The thoroughly polished dials of the shower squeaked into submission as she turned the two on the right anti-clockwise. Ice-cold water undulated down her body from atop her head, and Hinata shuttered as chills vibrated up and down her rickety structure.

The frigid cold seemed to freeze and then shatter the loops and knots that restrained her emotions. Vulnerable now, her legs went weak as sorrow infiltrated, and she surrendered quietly to the merciless assault.

The princess tilted her head in the bitter loneliness of the stall, closing her eyes as the downpour washed away her salty tears. She tried her best not to sob as she pondered if Naruto was cross with her about the kidnapping. Had she become a nuisance to him?

Naruto felt a surge of pleasure at the thought of Hinata laving her tiny fingers over his body in the shower, her palm smoothing over his pectoral muscles and stomach.

Of course, he would return the favor... just as slowly, just as carefully, just as sensually. He could hardly subdue the desire to join her, and to have her. To slowly take his time savoring every curve, slope, and crevice.

It was clear to him now that his assumption was wrong, and it was about time he fixed his error. The remedy was something they both would enjoy, of that he was certain.

Despite the bitter cold and the grief, Hinata's pulse hadn't slowed, and her temperature still idled just below meltdown. Water pelted her face like tiny needles, with consistent waves easing over her sensitive nipples and her aching tower farther down south.

She swayed back and forth on groggy feet, maintaining her balance as she swept her hands through her hair, creating a glorious dark waterfall down her back.

The princess could feel it — the proof of her arousal in that sacred place she still had yet to explore. She wondered what it looked like. Wondered what her body was giving her prince to savor, and why he seemed to enjoy it so much. She thought about her love-juices — its flavor, its texture, its color...

She flinched at a sharp import of pleasure — which really did interesting things to her breasts — when she probed the warm fissure and felt the thick, silky substance on her fingers.

It was clear, she noted with pink cheeks, just before the spraying water erased the evidence of her exploration. And not a moment too soon — because following a brief sound of the stall's door opening was a naked Naruto barging in on her. His eyes were dark, his gaze ever praising and appraising.

He may have not witnessed the act her curiosity dictated, but Hinata felt her heart short-circuit at his unexpected entry. And she swore he would have to scrape her up off the floor, like flattened pudding, when he pushed her up against the ceramic walls of the shower.

Erotic!

She caught her breath, but she did not exhale.

"I need you," Naruto twirled a strand of her hair on his forefinger, then, tugged, letting it come down in a long ringlet. "I know you need me, too... I can see it in your eyes," he whispered against her lips, turning the dial to change the water's temperature.

Hinata's breath was already becoming uneven, her eyes slitted and shimmering with desire. There was no room for shyness or embarrassment — only need!

Like an innocent child — fearing the darkness, fearing to be left alone — she coiled her arms around his waist, clutching him closer and even closer still.

She closed her eyes and bit back a moan at the weight of his lips pressing on her jaw. This atmosphere was different — it wasn't his room — and sensuality grew with the unfamiliarity of where he chose to inflame her. She was self-conscious, and it was becoming embarrassing. But as her fever grew, her embarrassment dissolved.

Naruto's hand curved around her elbow, moving slowly down her arm, across her ribs and over her waist, tracing along her hip and down her leg, around her knee. He paused there, his hand curling around her calf. He pulled her leg up suddenly, hitching it around his hip.

Hinata's breathing stopped again. Her legs were apart and she felt exposed. She could feel his hardness throbbing with excitement on her thigh. It was so close, so very close...

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting again. Considering what happened today, I didn't think it was appropriate to have you."

Hinata couldn't find her tongue.

"Tell me what you want," he uttered softly, his breath intoxicatingly sweet. Droplets of water dripped from his drooping lips, his eyes smoldering.

But before she could answer, before she could even concentrate enough to make sense of his words, Naruto cupped her buttocks in his large hand and pulled her even closer to him. Hinata lost the wind in her lungs, and her face heated to a brighter pink.

Both his hands and erection were in close proximity now...

The princess could feel tingles in her nipples and breasts, and her center pulsated as much as his vessel did. She needed him, needed him more than the very air that she breathed.

Hinata couldn't help but recline her head when his lips hunted and found the hallow at the base of her throat. And he began rolling his hips gently, even as he squeezed and released her buttocks in combination to his sinuous movement. Her breathing was too loud — it was almost embarrassing, but she couldn't care quite enough to be ashamed.

"I-I want Naruto-kun's dick," she managed to gasp. The girl studied the boy's eyes carefully — when he ceased the journey about her neck with his lips — even though her intoxication made her vision a tad blurry. "Um — I..."

Her heart pounded almost painfully as she waited for his answer. Her eyes were desperate and needy as she gazed at him.

Naruto's brows pulled together in displeasure, and for a moment, the princess felt otherworldly pain. "Hinata, of course, you can. I'm yours..."

She smiled in relief and glee. Her beautiful countenance pulled him in, and he gracefully laid claim to her lips, leaning in for another taste again and again, each time he pulled inches away.

Blushing fiercely, Hinata smiled a wide, an almost uncharacteristic smile. She attempted to smother the ridiculous grin that threatened to split her face in two.

Try to calm down, Hinata, her subconscious implored her, but to no avail. The adorable chibi that was the goddess of nymphomania tapped her foot in impatience, but Hinata couldn't restrain her excitement. She had been waiting for this moment since the very moment she left Naruto's room the night before.

Instinctively, she looked down between them and the ardent glow in her eyes made him stiffen with sweet anticipation. Naruto knew of her mission, and he opted to keep her not a second longer.

Releasing her glorious butt cheeks, he reversed but an arms-length away, his steely rod silently aching for her sensual touch.

Water ran in rivulets between her cleavage in a fashion that could steal the breath from any man. There were so little words to describe Hinata's beauty when she was naked. Like always, her round face looked too pretty for that of a mortal. Her wide-eyed, full-lipped face would make an angel look like a gargoyle in comparison.

Without a word, she went on her knees before him, watching captivatingly as water trickled down the hard, lean curves and arches of his body. She wondered where her confidence fled a few microseconds ago. Her heart was like a chaotic hurricane in her chest, and breaths gusted through parted lips. But she knew what she wanted.

Down there, he looked much bigger somehow — but Hinata was not deterred. If anything, she was even more curious about how he would fit.

Her fingers twitched as she gawked at her knight's muscular pole. It curved very slightly to the right, with rigid veins standing firmly — like iron soldiers — on his shaft. In a very odd, very sexual way, it was incredibly beautiful. The most gorgeous thing she had ever seen.

Tentatively, her highness reached forward and made a semi-circle around his width with her tiny fingers. He was hot and hard in her hand, but she spared no more time to study him.

Slowly — far too slowly in Naruto's opinion — she took him into her mouth, little over his crest. He groaned deeply, closing his eyes, her warm mouth stirring the wild flames of his desire. She pumped him at an amble pace — even as she licked his tip — watching, assessing him as she replicated all the things he responded passionately to the last time... and more.

Confiding in her instincts — those induced by her sexual arousal — Hinata cupped his buttocks with both hands and pulled him closer, deepening his reach inside her mouth. He whispered something beneath his breath, which was masked by the spraying water. He wanted to clasp a fistful of her hair and dominate her mouth until he exploded, but he suppressed the urge, her ordeal with the rogues still haunting him.

Hinata kept pulling him closer and even closer still, determined on overwhelming him before she reached her limit. With each millimeter more he inched down her throat, her center convulsed, almost uncomfortably. Then she choked, coughing in defeat. But this was a loss that would bring glorious fortune in return. She rose slowly, bracing herself for what she was about to receive.

Naruto said nothing, but his eyes told of his adore and satisfaction. And his smile, however short, was warm and inviting. From her lips, down through her cleavage, he skimmed his fingers. He followed their path, bending his knees to return the favor. He could smell her — familiar, sweet, and intoxicating. He practically salivated at the welcoming scent of her desire.

But before his eyes could meet with her swollen cheeks, the desperate princess cupped either sides of his face, slowly guiding his curious eyes back to hers. Hinata knew she wouldn't be able to endure the torture of his finger and tongue.

The moment their eyes met — hers dangerous with need — she kissed him deeply and suckled hard on his bottom lip. Naruto understood, and a smirk tugged the corner of his lips. Her heart was hammering so loudly that it was hard to hear his quiet laughter.

Their bodies were flushed, sleek with water and sweat. And obscured by the mist generated by the warm water, but for some reason, that made the moment all the more arousing and erotic.

Without warning, Naruto spun Hinata around and whispered in that slow whisper, which engulfed her already hot body in flames. "I'm going to fack you now," he muttered, and suddenly her blood was pounding in her ears as her heartbeat accelerated, and adrenaline spiked through her system.

Before she could brace herself for what would come next, Naruto braced her fast against the glass stall and took a handful of her hair. Hinata gasped as fire seared through her veins, her hot breaths fogging up the glass.

The girl all but screamed in brilliant delight as he incorporated himself inside from behind, a pivot that locked in place perfectly. She closed tightly and moistly around him — nostalgia in a fiery form.

Naruto groaned with pleasure at the back of her neck, his exhale triggering goose bumps all over, but nothing could rank the gratification she felt between her legs. For a moment, Hinata was lost, consumed by the memory of what she felt then and what she was feeling now.

Rapture poured into her, like a broken damp merging with the receded tides of a dying river. Her breasts and hands printed on the foggy glass, pressing harder against the thick barrier as Naruto slammed inside of her — imperious, passionate, dynamic. His pace climbed by the second, as did the princess's panting and moaning.

Hinata knew this would not be the same slow, sweet love they made before. He was hungry, so very hungry, and she had an appetite to match his own. The flames raged between them, and their temperature grew until they could no longer feel the warm touch of the water.

With each delicious tug of her hair, the princess tightened around his rigid shaft, and Naruto met the challenge by pumping her faster and harder. Hinata's inner goddess was on the verge of nuclear meltdown. She was ecstatic and salivating. She couldn't get enough.

Hinata saw the line up ahead — her glorious finish. Her breath stopped when she crossed it. She trembled violently as her body went taut, and then turned to water. She screamed openly, welcoming the long desired sensations to echo through her.

But even when she lost the strength in her knees, even as her legs shook, Naruto continued to lash her with his length and width. Her inner goddess danced in ecstasy as he kept the flames of her rapture alive.

Supportively, he coiled his arms around her stomach as they continued their dangerous climb up the treacherous mountain face of pleasure. Hinata wondered if she would break through the glass of the shower stall as Naruto began to ram her, sending shockwaves throughout her entire core. But she didn't care — she couldn't. The stimulating hand of desire wouldn't let her.

Hoping to extend his duration date, Naruto withdrew suddenly. Hinata turned with a frown, curious, breathless, and he led her beside the ceramic wall away from the glass. Turning her around again, Naruto lifted her right foot atop the low shelf protruding from the wall. She blushed at his creativity.

Before the embers could falter, the sage penetrated her again, easing in deep, reigniting the once cracking inferno. Hinata moaned heartily and reclined her head in rippling delight as the sudden shift in fiction shook her already rickety world.

She could clearly feel his curve pushing deliciously against the highly sensitive walls of her constricting passage. Her panting couldn't get any louder, but Naruto gathered his energy, charging in and out like a bolt of lightning, pushing her to scream. Her inner goddess was always screaming.

Pivoting her head to look at him, as if to beg a moment to catch her sanity, the princess stared at her powerful prince, her eyes glazed with shock and delight. He kissed her deeply, his tongue in her mouth absorbing her cries. This had to be the most potent measure of pleasure she had ever felt.

Whirling her head back around, Hinata reached behind her to grip one of his hands firmly secured to her waist. Enraptured, her eyes began rolling back, and she smiled an open smile as an escalating growl bubbled up in Naruto's throat.

"Hinata," he exclaimed as his rhythm broke and his body quaked.

They both went up in a blaze, ensnared in a blistering tower of fiery flames. Even when his body stilled, Naruto's steely sword continued to wreak delicious havoc inside of her, triggering another overwhelming orgasm of her own.

His seed filled her while her tunnel caved in all around him, sucking him deeper, locking him securely in place. Hand-in-hand — in what seemed like the spiritual realm — Naruto and Hinata stood atop a colossal summit, gazing off into the distant sunset with satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment smothered across their lips.

Love. Affection. Appreciation. Praise — they needn't utter a single word, for in this dimension created by their joint consciousness, there were no barriers to restrict their flowing emotions.