Without Warning (Naruto Fanfiction)

Chapter 6: Homecoming

"You can trust him, Karin," Naruto said, turning fully to face her with a sheepish grin. "Although, I'm not sure that's entirely possible in your case, but he won't hurt you. Really." He smiled then, a reassuring smile that didn't stretch too wide like his grins and made him look like a child... No, this smile was more mature, and it brought out the manly features on his face. The angle to his jaw that started showing itself, the slope of his nose, and the sparkle in his cerulean eyes that hinted at both knowledge beyond years and a fondness for mischief. He had grown into a very handsome man. 

And Karin froze with the thought that she had noticed this.

"Well, I'm off," Naruto turned once more to follow the two men already a distance quite far from him. "See ya!" And with that he suddenly vanished, only to appear next to the black-haired genius.

"Hmm, been so long since I last saw that technique. The Fourth Hokage would be proud." Ibiki suddenly muttered, mostly to himself, but Karin caught it and she started to wonder if it was his way of making her feel comfortable around him. He shouldn't bother anyway, I didn't like him the moment I saw him.

"Come on," Ibiki said and turned as well, heading off to the east, deviating from the path of the gates. He didn't look back and Karin was surprised to find she following after him. Maybe Naruto's innocent trust rubbed off on me.

-----------------------------------------

Ino's hand was cold in Hinata's, whether because she was physically cold or nervous the heiress couldn't pinpoint. But both women had stayed quiet in the time it took for them to reach the village's temporary hospital. Ino had been quiet with her thoughts, she wasn't sure how to take in the idea that she was...she gulped. I'm pregnant?

Ino couldn't imagine it. She didn't feel anything different, apart from a few fainting spells recently and her getting dizzy from time to time. But she didn't have a baby bump, nor was she gaining weight and she wasn't even experiencing any cravings. She knew Hinata wouldn't joke around about something so serious, but she couldn't believe her friend.

Hinata was also left to her thoughts. She had been trying to guess who could have impregnated her friend. She knew Ino had been a little boy-crazy but she wasn't one with loose morals. She had probably only been with this one guy.

"Ino-chan," Hinata looked at her friend as they neared the doors. "Are you okay?"

Ino took a moment to collect herself and push back her thoughts. "Hai! I'm okay Hinata."

"Ino, Hinata-chan!" Sakura greeted the two as they walked in the glass doors. "What are you two doing here?"

"A-ano, Sakura-chan, Ino-she, a-ano," Hinata stammered, unusual for her since she had lost her stutter after the war. But her stammer was a result of uncertainty whether or not she should mention what she saw. It wasn't her story to tell and she didn't want to precede Ino in speaking about her own story.

"Actually Sakura," Ino cut in and saved her friend from her own timidity at speaking for another. "I'm feeling a little dizzy and I've been getting fainting spells for a few days now. Nothing serious, but Hinata persuaded me to get myself checked out."

Hinata smiled gratefully at her friend. Sakura stared at Ino and looked at her from head to toe. "Are you sure it's not just those diets you usually practice? Lack of food can cause dizziness and fainting spells, you know."

"I haven't been dieting, forehead!" Hinata was surprised at the outburst. Mood swings? She thought to herself, smiling inwardly at the unnoticed change in her friend's behavior. Her mind flitted back to the image of her small belly containing a tiny blue flame of chakra. She was sure of it... Ino Yamanaka was pregnant.

"Oh yeah, well I think you're in dire need of it Ino-pig!"

With just a few words of insult exchanged, the childhood friends were at each other's throats. They were like girl versions of Naruto and Sasuke when the two bickered. Hinata remembered being summoned by Tsunade and proceeded to get in between the two kunoichi now attempting to rip each other's hairs out. "Sakura-chan, please take care of Ino-chan while I'm gone. I can't stay here any longer and watch over her myself."

That stopped the pink-haired female's retracted fist as she realized how quickly Hinata spoke without a single stutter. She raised her hand for a thumbs-up and matched it with a wink at Hinata. "Sure thing Hina-chan!"

"Sorry for keeping you Hinata." Ino apologized sullenly. Hinata fought the urge to mention another change of her friend's mood. Surely she would want to keep her pregnancy a secret for a while. "Please come find me again when you're finished with Tsunade-sama so we can talk about that thing."

"What thing?" Sakura asked in.

"Sure, Ino-chan!" Hinata replied with a smile before turning to leave. "Please take care of her Sakura-chan!" She gave one last wave at the two before running toward the Hokage tower.

-------------------------------------

Her long, midnight blue hair was a dead giveaway. Especially to someone with the Sharingan. The Uchiha thought disapprovingly as the kunoichi made no attempt to be discreet as she ran for... She's headed to the Hokage tower too?

"Oii!!! Hinata!!!" The silence that enveloped the three men was suddenly broken when Naruto called out loudly to the heiress. She stopped running and turned, her pale cheeks graced with a dusting to pink and Sasuke quietly mused how the girl had been one of the worst possible females to become ninja.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata stopped in front of the doors to the tower and waited for the three to reach her. And Naruto, suddenly impatient, ran ahead of the two men and proceeded to standing albeit really close in front of Hinata. "N-naruto-kun?"

"Ne, you off to the Hokage tower too?"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama called for me."

"That's great! We can go together!"

The other two finally reached them and the group entered the tower's premises. Naruto walked beside Hinata, a small smile gracing his lips as he took quick glances at the lady beside him. Directly behind them, at the space left between them was Sasuke who still maintained his neutral face but was watching the scene before him unfold.

Tch. They're acting like lovesick teenagers.

Kakashi had fallen back a little farther from the group as he was already immersed in reading his Icha Icha book.

And that one's acting like a 40-year-old horny virgin... Or he probably is one.

He noticed the heiress' lack of stutters and the more noticeable lack of tomato-red blushes she used to have around Naruto. The future Hokage and the future Hyuuga Head started small talk and he tuned them out just as they neared the door to the office.

"Finally," Tsunade's voice thundered as the four entered. "It took you long enough. All right, let's get to it." She leaned back in her chair and Sasuke strode forward without hesitation, and without looking at anyone else in the room - namely Hiashi Hyuuga and his younger daughter, Hanabi. He placed a scroll on the desk in front of Tsunade, the report he had written regarding his and Naruto's mission prior to their arrival.

Tsunade reached out and immediately scanned the contents of the scroll, taking only a few seconds, as the report was brief and concise. As expected of the Uchiha.

Among the four newcomers, only Hinata had stood on the left side near her father and sister while the three men of Team 7 stayed on the right side. Tsunade waved the idea of whether or not they were conscious of their positions.

"It's good that you're all here right now. It saves me precious time from setting up another conference." She started, leaning forward once again. "There is a possible threat looming in our temporary peace and I believe that the three most prominent clans of Konoha must work together in order to increase our chances of assuring the security and safety of the Allied Shinobi Forces and the rest of the world."

"Three?" Naruto echoed, unsure of which clans Tsunade was talking about.

"Yes, three," Tsunade restated. "The Hyuuga, the Uchiha, and..." Tsunade trailed off as everyone in the room looked at Naruto. "The Uzumaki,"