Chapter 17: Tsunade's Truth Bombs
He shouldn't have lashed out at Takuto like a maniac. Naruto sighed. He was going to have to apologize to the boy next time he saw him. He didn't know what had come over him, but the thought of introducing Hinata to Takuto had triggered something in him.
His steps slowed as he walked up the stairs to the hospital entrance. He could see them through the glass doors. Hinata and her sister were sitting on the chairs in the waiting room. There were a couple of small bandages on Hanabi's cheeks.
Naruto entered the doors, but they were in deep conversation so they hadn't spotted him yet. He quickly ducked behind a wall, one of those glass ones that wasn't completely clear. He could only see their hazy images, but he could clearly make out Hinata's hands picking at the leaves and small twigs stuck in her sister's hair.
They were talking about the recent chuunin exams that had been postponed because Konoha and the stadium had to be rebuilt. Naruto had forgotten that it was around this time that the tests were usually held. He strained to hear their conversation. His heart gave a happy leap when he heard the clear tones of her voice.
"...good news! I'm so proud of you! You guys were the third team to come in with the scrolls," Hinata was saying. "Shino said you were great during the second round. Lots of smart decisions and very quick thinking when faced with obstacles. Do you know who you're facing in the third round?"
"Konohamaru," Hanabi said with relish, making her opinion of the boy clear.
"Konohamaru!" Hinata repeated with dismay. Her voice turned teasing. "He's such a sweet boy! I've always liked him. Now I don't know who to root for."
"Onee-sama!" yelled Hanabi. "Now you've just made me more determined to beat him to a bloody pulp!"
"That's what I'm afraid of. You never know how to hold back because you're so bloodthirsty! Poor Konohamaru."
Hanabi giggled.
Hinata laughed then brushed at the lock of hair that had fallen over her sister's eyes. She gave her sister a squeeze. "But Hanabi, do your best. That's all that matters."
"I know! And I'm going to win! I'll show you."
Somebody else then came to talk to them, but he couldn't hear what the other person said. Naruto then heard chairs scraping as they stood up. He realized that they were done at the hospital and were going home.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay here at the hospital tonight, Hanabi? The doctors can monitor you longer and I'll stay with you."
"No! I'm fine. It's just scratches. I'm itching to train."
He could hear them getting closer to where he was hiding so he finally stepped out of his hiding place and showed himself, almost bumping into Hinata.
"When we get home—Ah, Naruto!" she said with a startled squeak.
"Hinata," he said, his voice unconsciously warm, which made her blush. He looked at her and realized that he'd missed her all these months he hadn't seen her. He missed their conversations.
Her face was flushed, but her eyes were gently smiling at him. All he wanted to do was gaze at her face, but he turned to her sister and said, "Hi, Hanabi."
She looked at him with suspicion, then she did something that forever endeared her to him. Hanabi stepped in front of her sister as if to defend and protect her from him, one arm holding her sister back. Instead of feeling insulted, Naruto was oddly touched by the gesture. It had been an instinctive action and it spoke of the love and respect she had for her older sister.
He grinned at her but looked back at Hinata. "Chuunin exams, huh? Brings back a lot of memories."
She laughed, too, remembering the first time they had all grown closer, him, her, and the rest of their classmates. "Yes, it does."
They continued smiling at each other without saying a word until Hanabi grew impatient.
She folded her arms. "So you heard then? I made it through the third round. I know Konohamaru's your protege and everything, but I'm going to crush him."
Naruto chuckled. "You can try. But he might surprise you."
Hanabi only gazed at him. Her lavender eyes, so similar to her sister's, were cool and assessing. He squirmed under her scrutiny. Damn, Naruto thought, as he finally understood why the Hyuugas were waiting for her to be clan leader.
She glanced at her older sister then back at his face. There was a slight widening in her eyes but she humphed.
Naruto kept the smile on his face. Hanabi. So young, but there was the same fierce expression on her face that he'd seen on all of the Hyuugas. It reminded him a lot of Neji.
"I'm expecting both of you to give it your all," he told her. "I know first hand how you Hyugas fight. The chuunin exams was where I proved myself. You guys probably will, too. This match between you and Konohamaru will be amazing to watch. I can't wait to see it."
Hanabi's eyes gleamed with sudden appreciation. He didn't know it, but he'd just given her the best compliment by acknowledging her worth as a warrior. It earned him her undying respect.
She turned back to her sister and declared, "Onee-sama, if he's really the one you want, he'll do."
"Hanabi!" Hinata said with a shriek and an apologetic glance at him.
There was confusion on his face. Want him?
But Hinata quickly said, "Are you here to have your arm checked? I saw Tsunade-sama earlier today. She said you were in town and she's expecting you."
He nodded and held out the bandaged arm. It was dirty and it needed some changing. "She's going to give me hell for this."
She smiled in sympathy. "Yes, she will."
Hinata glanced at her sister, who was staring at her face with a gleam in her eyes. Before Hanabi could say anything, she placed her hand over her younger sister's mouth then said, "I'm taking Hanabi home, so I'll see you around?"
Naruto grinned at both of them. "Yeah, I'll see you guys around. Bye, Hanabi!"
Hanabi stepped away and stood back a little away from her sister's reach. She inclined her head regally into a little bow.
"Naruto-sama," she said coolly.
His grin widened.
The sisters headed for the entrance. He watched both of them leave, still a smile on his lips. As they were about to step out, he saw Hinata reach out and tuck a stray lock of her sister's hair behind her ears and cup her on the cheek with the scratches. Hinata said something that made Hanabi beam and look up at her older sister with adoration. They walked down the steps toward home.
Naruto looked down at his hand. He wondered how it would feel if Hinata touched him the way she'd just touched her sister's face...
Damn, he thought, what the hell was wrong with him today? He was frowning as he made his way towards Tsunade's office.
Unbidden, he recalled their earlier conversation four years ago, when they'd been sitting in front of Neji's grave.
Her asking, "How do you feel about me?"
I don't think I love you the way you want me to.
Naruto went red with embarrassment and disappointment as he remembered his answer to her question—and something else too.
Something just felt strange, made him feel like he was floundering, even though he was on solid ground.
In his mind's eye, he saw again Hinata's beautiful hands reaching out to fuss with the sunflowers on Neji's grave, then reaching out to brush a lock of Hanabi's hair, and finally reaching out to touch him on the arm in a friendly gesture.
He realized he'd never really touched her before, and he wondered what her skin would feel like under his fingers. Her skin, her arms and legs, so creamy-looking. It would probably be soft and delicate...
But he was jarred out of the daydream with his own words again:
I don't think I love you the way you want me to.
Naruto felt like clawing at the thought. He felt prickly, something just didn't seem to fit with the sentiment. It just seemed so dishonest and so unlike him. The words he'd said with his own mouth four years ago suddenly felt like a lie.
And then he recalled Shimaru saying, in a voice filled with wonder, gratitude, "I love her and she makes me happy."
Naruto suddenly felt hot and feverish. But he continued to walk up the stairs, his mind in a haze, thoughts swirling and mingling with confusing feelings.
Hinata...
And the warm, happy feeling that flooded him again, making him feel breathless, strangely making him ache because he somehow felt incomplete.
He opened the door to Tsunade's office and walked into the room, a dazed look on his face.
Tsunade glanced at him and saw the stunned look on his face, the unfocused gaze.
Hinata had stopped by earlier to say hello to her.
She smiled. Finally, she thought.
"What's the matter?" she asked him, although she already knew.
Still dazed, puzzled, he said, "I just saw Hinata."
He sat down with a plunk on the chair she indicated.
He held out his bandaged arm. She proceeded to examine him without saying anything until he said, "Granny, I think I'm in love?"
"Hah!" she said. Tsunade sat back with a smirk, dropping his arm.
His eyes were still unfocused and he was looking like his brains were scrambled.
Tsunade suddenly thought of Dan, with his long, pale blue hair and dark green eyes. He had been so sure of his feelings for her, so confident as they'd told each other they loved each other. In contrast, Naruto was looking so addled and screwy.
Poor Naruto, she thought with amusement. He was straining to make sense of everything and was desperately trying to figure it out.
But she was slowly losing patience. "Naruto, you're either in love or you're not. Well, are you?"
"I don't know?" he asked again, confusion still on his face.
She let out a sound of irritation. Shit, how dense can you get?
"Stop ending your sentences with a question mark! Are you in love or not? Which one is it?!" she growled, completely out of patience now.
Naruto was still looking lost. "How would I know?"
"Argh!" She felt like slapping him, but he seriously looked bewildered. She cocked her head to the side with a frown then said. "Okay. Think of her."
He did, and a smile formed on his face as he thought of the time he'd met Hinata at Suna, smiling up at him as she'd pressed her body so close to his. She'd looked so beautiful and he'd wanted to hold on to her that entire night. He'd wanted to melt into puddles at her feet.
Tsunade looked at Naruto, the smile on his face so goofy it reminded her of another man, his master with the long, white hair. She sighed. Jiraiya. Memories came flooding back. His dark eyes on her chest, his own goofy, perverted grin, underneath the forehead protector with the kanji for oil on it, smiling at her.
"Naruto," Tsunade called his name softly. He was still smiling as he looked at her with a clearer gaze, the image of Hinata helping to crystalize his thoughts.
"Now, think of a life without her."
The sudden sharp pain that sliced his insides made his heart drop. Naruto's breath left him with a whoosh as he fell off the chair and onto his knees. He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut, trying to deny the images that suddenly popped into his mind of Hinata bleeding before him in her attempt to fight Pain. She was crawling towards him, slowly, then her bleeding hands were gripping and desperately pulling at the rods that had pinned him to the ground.
Then nothing else was in his consciousness as he tried frantically to remember the way she always smiled at him, but her sweetness was gone from his life. He tried to hear her voice, but he couldn't hear it, the way she said his name in her clear, quiet tone. He tried to recall the feeling, the gentle way her hands would rest on his arm but nothing came to mind. The blackness, the blankness of it all penetrated, erased everything in his heart.
A life without Hinata...
He fell to the floor, hitting his head on the hard tiles, gasping uncontrollably.
"I guess that's a yes," Tsunade said with a smile of satisfaction. "Congratulations, Naruto. You're in love."
Naruto opened his eyes and blinked at her, but he couldn't see Tsunade.
Darkness was already claiming him.
Before he blacked out, he thought he heard another low rumble.
Finally, you dumbass, Kurama's voice echoing from somewhere.
For the first time in his life, Naruto fainted.
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Author's Notes:
This chapter was so satisfying to write! I racked my brains trying to figure out who had experience with love and Tsunade was it. If you think about it, besides his parents, who alive would be able to tell Naruto what love is? None of the men could. It had to be a woman. Kurenai was a possible candidate, but the two weren't close. Tsunade, who in the anime had her own backstory about the man she loved, was closer to Naruto and could pierce through his thick skull. What do you guys think?