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Finally awake, and able to take solid food; Naruto's recovery hastened. The next morning, Naruto was feeling somewhat better, and tried to leave. But Tsunade put him in his place, pinning him to the bed and insisting he stay at least three more days. When he tried to protest, she offered to give him a reason to remain in the hospital longer. Seeing her face, he acquiesced.
Choji came to visit him that morning, bearing a box of snack foods. Of course, before he left, the chubby Chunin had consumed almost a quarter of the box himself. After lunch, Hinata had arrived with Shino and Kiba. After a few minutes of conversation, her teammates left Hinata alone with Naruto. Hinata was back to her usual self, and Naruto was not sure if he was more relieved or disappointed that she had not continued, or even acknowledged, their romantic interlude from the previous afternoon. Naruto, however, was uncomfortable, he felt guilty for keeping his secret from Hinata, and worried she knew. And even worse, how would she react when she knew?
When Naruto's dinner arrived, Hinata gracefully fled from the prospect of hospital food, promising to return the next day. For the first time since that fateful misunderstanding, Naruto was happy to see her go. With Hinata gone, the weight of his omission was lessened. When he finished eating, the teen found he was exhausted; and realized why the Hokage had insisted he remain.
Naruto awoke bored and full of energy again; but the Sannin's threat loomed in his mind and he stayed in bed. Sakura appeared in the middle of the morning, accompanied by Sai. The newest member of team 7 presented Naruto with his own odd version of a get well card; a highly detailed painting of a deathly pale Naruto being carried into the Hidden Leaf Village by Neji Hyuga. Naruto's dismay and embarrassment were tempered by another pang of guilt when he saw how distraught Hinata looked in the picture. He decided to tell Hinata the truth that very day.
Hinata arrived just before lunchtime, bearing food, a deck of cards, and Hanabi. His plans dashed, Naruto tried to act normal while the sisters entertained him.
Later that afternoon, Iruka and Anko came to check on Naruto, and the Hyuga girls left.
"Sister, Naruto was acting strangely, don't you think?" Hanabi asked shortly after they exited the hospital, "I don't think he wanted me there."
"No," Hinata sighed, "It wasn't you. He was the same yesterday. I fear I made a terrible mistake."
Hanabi gazed intently at her older sibling, waiting for her to elaborate.
"After Naruto woke up," Hinata continued after a few long moments, "I... I told him I love him. And then I tried to kiss him."
The young Genin's eyes went wide, and then she laughed, "Sister, I did not think you had it in you."
"But I promised Naruto I would not pressure him."
"You both promised to accept the other's feelings," Hanabi reminded her.
"But I still tried to kiss him. I was too forward, and now he feels uncomfortable."
"If that is true," the younger kunoichi sounded dubious, "Then talk to him about it, and try to go back to the way things were before."
Hinata simply nodded. She already knew that, but still had fears.
His weapons teachers had taken turns berating him. By the time they left, Naruto was ready to sleep. Which also had the added benefit of making the day of his release come quicker.
Before Naruto had finished breakfast on his third morning, Hinata had arrived, looking worried. She walked over to his bed without speaking, and sat down in the chair, staring at him.
"Naruto, I..."
"Hinata, what..."
Both started speaking at the same time and stopped at the same time, from embarrassment and to allow the other to continue. But neither continued, and the anxious silence returned. After almost a minute, Hinata opened her mouth again, but she was interrupted when the door opened again.
Kakashi walked in the room, then paused when the palpable tension hit him.
"Hi, Hinata," the Jonin greeted her, "I should have guessed you would be here. Umm... I need to talk to Naruto, alone. Could you maybe come back after lunch? That's when the Hokage said Naruto will be released."
She nodded, and hurried from the room, glad for the excuse.
"That was awkward," Kakashi noted, "Did something happen between you two?"
"No... But I've been feeling bad that I haven't told Hinata about the Kyubi. I think she's noticed, and is worried."
"Anyway," Naruto's eyes narrowed, "Are you here to lecture me too?"
"No," the Copy Ninja grinned, "I think you probably got enough of that from Iruka, Anko, and Tsunade, and unless I miss my guess, Hinata and Sakura."
Kakashi set down, and explained, "Lady Tsunade asked me to interview the five of you about your little adventure. You're the last. And as your teacher, I'm curious about some of the things the others have said. So let's hear your version."
Naruto recounted the tale as he remembered it. In this version, he destroyed a few more zombies, and managed to avoid all of Sasuke's attack, but Kakashi let the minor embellishments slide. He was after more important information.
The blond Genin faltered when he described the attack that nearly killed Hinata.
"You can skip that, if you wish," the teacher offered, "I already got a detailed description from Sakura. I want to know what happened next. Neji said your chakra and the fox's chakra mixed."
"Yeah," Naruto turned thoughtful, "Back then, the fox offered to let me use her power for free. She seemed as angry as I was. I ignored it at the time, but now it seems odd to me. Why would the Kyubi be angry over Doraku attacking Hinata?"
'She... her...' Kakashi considered that change in nomenclature a moment, before answering, "You said the Fox Spirit already knew this vampire, Doraku, and did not like him. And the Kyubi is not known to have a calm personality. I suspect... she... was already enraged, and you only noticed when you became angry too."
Naruto's eyes narrowed in thought, and he frowned, but he finally nodded, "That makes sense."
"And then you used a new transformation jutsu. Neji also noticed you used a different hand sign in that jutsu."
"Yeah," Naruto suddenly became anxious. He configured his hands to show his mentor.
At first glance, it resembled the dragon seal. Unlike the dragon, only Naruto's first two fingers were laced, with both of the bottom digits extended. And instead of curled and together, his thumbs were separated, and sticking straight up. After a moment of examination, Kakashi understood.
"Naruto, is that..."
"Yeah," Naruto admitted, "It's the 'fox' hand sign. But I haven't been able to use the Ascendant Fox Jutsu since. I've tried. And I can't do the Fuuton or Raiton Rasengan alone, either. I need clones again."
"And that other new jutsu," Kakashi masked his relief carefully.
"The Blood Clone Jutsu?" Naruto clarified, "I guess it's new, but that wasn't the first time I used it. Only the first time I used it in front of other people. I've been working on it like you suggested. Using blood for the base makes the clones more stable, and almost as tough as the original. And thanks to the link between blood and chakra, I always get all my energy back from the clones. Unfortunately, it does take more chakra to form the blood clones."
'A jutsu only someone with your regenerative powers and high level of chakra could use effectively,' Kakashi thought to himself, "Well, what happened next?"
Naruto finished the tale of his one sided battle with the demon, and healing Hinata. Kakashi asked him a few more questions, and then stood up to leave.
"I hope the Hokage releases you," the Jonin offered, "We have a mission tomorrow, and it won't be the same without you."
Then just before he exited, he stopped.
"Oh, one more minor thing," Kakashi pretended to remember a minor detail, "When Hinata defeated the Tsukiyomi, did you notice anything unusual?"
"Oh, I had forgotten that," Naruto nodded, his lips pursed, "Her eyes turned silver. Like real metal, not just grey. And then Doraku said something about truth eyes reflecting illusions."
"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, Naruto."
Just after noon, Tsunade stopped in, and pronounced Naruto fit to leave. His excitement was tempered by the fact Hinata had not returned. He dressed slowly, still hoping she would appear. Finally, he left the hospital alone.
"Naruto."
Just outside the medical building, the voice he had wanted to hear stopped him. Hinata emerged from the hospital behind him, slightly out of breath.
"I thought I was too late," she said, "I... I need to talk to you. Will you come with me?"
He nodded, and followed her. His unease grew, if he truly meant to tell her, he was out of excuses. She led him back to the park were they had commiserated after becoming Tsunade's students. She found a bench in the wooded area, and sat. Naruto followed suit.
"I'm sorry, Naruto," she began to talk quickly, "I broke out agreement. I said 'I love you', and tried to kiss you. And now you're angry and uncomfortable. So please, forget it happened. Can we just go back to the way things were before?"
Her misunderstanding eased his burden slightly, enough for him to reassure her.
"Hinata, I'm not mad, and I don't want you to take it back. I might be unsure of my own feelings, but you don't have to hide yours. I may be trying to be a nice guy here, but I'm still a 15-year old, who spent way too much time around Jiraiya. There's no way I'd be upset about a hot girl trying to make out with me."
She blushed a little, and for a moment looked happy. But then she remembered the source of her fears.
"But the way you've been acting. This distance..."
"Is all me," he finished for her, "There's something I've kept from you, and its been weighing on me the last few days. But I've decided to tell you, no matter how you might react."
She stared at him with a different kind of apprehension. Naruto took a deep breath, and started to explain.
"I know why I was shunned and hated most of my life," he told her, "Though I only found out a few years ago, just before I became a Genin. I know why when you look at me through the Byakugan, you see two different colors of chakra. And I know why my mom apologized to me before she died."
Naruto lifted his shirt, and as a testament to both the gravity of the situation and her own personal growth, Hinata did not even blush. Naruto focused his chakra, and the 8 Trigram Divination Seal became visible across his stomach.
"The Nine-Tailed Fox, the calamity made flesh, the beast that killed my mother," Naruto felt a tremor from the demon at that, but ignored it, "is sealed inside me."
"I am still not comfortable with you knowing this," Hiashi Hyuga addressed Kakashi Hatake roughly, "No one in the Konohagakure is supposed to know this, outside of the Hyuga clan leaders and the Hokage. Even the Fourth Hokage was never informed, because the Third was still alive."
"The information is out there," the Sharingan user shrugged, "For those who want to put it together. Though I still don't have the whole story. I just know that there is a link between sealed demons and Kekkei Genkai."
"And you won't leave it alone, will you?" Tsunade observed Minato's apprentice.
"Not when it could impact my student," Kakashi's previous humor had faded.
"If we are going to tell him, I will have a blood oath of silence," Hiashi demanded.
"I thought I was done with blood oaths when I left the ANBU Black Ops," Kakashi groused.
"Unfortunately, I am inclined to agree with Hiashi," Tsunade answered, "This secret is too dangerous."
"Alright," the Jonin agreed. Kakashi removed his vest and shirt. He split his right thumb, and drew the kanji for Honor over his heart in blood.
"I, Kakashi Hatake, swear not to discuss, reveal, or use anything I know about the origins of Kekkei Genkai or the link between demons and bloodline traits; except with Hiashi Hyuga or the Hokage, or Naruto Uzumaki, should be coming necessary for him to know. Should I attempt to break this oath, I will lose all knowledge and memory of the taboo subjects."
The blood started to glow, and faded into his chest.
"Satisfied?" the Copy Ninja asked, dressing.
"I suppose that will do," Hiashi sighed. Tsunade smirked at his attitude.
"Then tell me all of it."
"First, tell us what you know," the Hokage instructed.
"Only the basics. That most, if not all, Kekkei Genkai were born out of demons sealed within humans. I don't know if there are other special circumstances, limitations, or the precise mechanics."
"Not all," Hinata's father muttered.
Tsunade turned back to the lord of the Hyuga, who sighed.
"During the First Ninja wars, some two hundred fifty years ago," he started at the beginning, "it was a common tactic to summon demons. Though many of the monsters could not be controlled, simply summoning one in the midst of the enemy could kill hundreds. The tactic was difficult to counter, because humans cannot kill demons, and summoning a second demon to battle to first was worse than suicide."
"Which is why after the war, demon summoning techniques were forbidden," Kakashi was familiar with the history.
"The only way to stop the demons was to seal them," Hiashi continued, "And humans were the vessels of choice. Humans were ideal for two reasons. The demon's host always gained at least a measure of the spirit's power, and when the human died, there was a chance the demon would die too."
"Not a large chance," Tsunade added, "and the longer the demon was trapped the better."
"So during the war, thousands of demons were confined in human bodies. And that was when they started to notice."
Hiashi stared at the floor, "Most of those with demon essences were taken over, or went completely insane. One in 30 remained more or less stable. And of those, less than one in twenty were as in control and mentally sound as Naruto is."
"And with the stable ones a few dozen melded completely. In time, the demon simply faded away, leaving the host's DNA permanently imprinted with the spirit's power and essence. That is the original of most Kekkei Genkai."
"Not all of them, there are those that can't be traced to a demon possession. Like the Sharingan. Madaras Uchiha was born into the Hyuga Clan, but was abandoned because he did not have the Byakugan. But somehow, he developed the Sharingan later."
"So that is why you are so worried about Naruto's chakra truly mixing with the Kyubi's, and the demon helping him," Kakashi concluded, "Just carrying the demon isn't enough, they have to truly join. But why would that be so bad?"
"After the First Ninja War, there was a demonic arms race," the Hokage explained, "The various clans and villages continued to seal away demons, hoping to give birth to another blood-line trait."
"Eventually the elders of the various groups came together," Hiashi noted, "and crafted a jutsu to erase this knowledge from the minds of all other ninja. They retained the information themselves, so they could prevent any future abuse."
"And then the Council of Shadows was convened," Tsunade concluded, "and the five Kage, along with three leaders of Kekkei Genkai clans became the guardians of the secret."
"The Fourth Hokage just wanted everyone to treat me normally. And the Third forbid anyone to talk about the demon. But people didn't see me, only the fox. Or they were afraid the Kyubi would break free. Though no one told their kids, the hatred rubbed off anyways. Even now, more people have accepted me; but there will always be those who hate me, and most others have a certain level of mistrust. And it isn't unearned; I have lost control before. When my normal chakra runs out, I tap the fox's power, and sometimes she has gained control of me."
"That's what your dad meant. If you are with me, they will probably view you the same way. And if the Kyubi takes over while I'm around you..."
Naruto almost told her he would understand if she did not want to spend time with him, he realized he would just be pressuring, taunting her to stay.
Hinata just looked at him, not saying anything. Then she took his hand, allowing his shirt to fall back into place.
"You are Naruto Uzumaki, ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village. No monster inside you will change that."
Then she hugged him, not in romance, but in comfort.
"You trusted me not to hurt you while in the control of a demon. I believe the same of you."
"Thank you, Hinata," Naruto whispered, returning her embrace.