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I think most people can relate to me. Everyone can point back to a moment when they were kids and clearly say... yeah that was messed up. I was a messed up kid.
I grew up in a house full of brothers, and a dad that got up in my face and smacked me around. A little rough words, some punches thrown, being held down and spit on--that was a day-to-day thing. They assured me it was affection. I grew up with it, it’s not like I knew it was bad. And nobody got really hurt.
What people need to realize about these kid-mistakes...are that...they aren't a big deal.
Kids fight a lot, and we were in a hidden village of ninjas. Fighting is in our blood. If I beat you up once or twice, don’t take offense...just get stronger.
So when I’d get in trouble for ‘bullying’... I couldn't take the adults seriously. The teachers at the Academy barely put in measures to really stop me. So I took that as a sign that they didn’t mind me either.
Dad used to say whoever couldn’t face the music of real life, needed a couple whacks over their heads to get them used to the pressure.
I thought it was honestly good advice. My friends also came from the same place. They were raised by no-nonsense parents, and knew that if we didn’t take things with a harsher approach as kids, people were just going to walk all over us as adults.
In a way, we did those kids a favor. We toughened them up for life.
I am two years senior to some of those kids that ended up becoming famous or whatever after the Fourth Shinobi War. Honestly those people left my mind the second I graduated and was assigned to a specialist team for torture. It’s like they could tell that I had a talent to put pressure on people for information...and it paid good money.
I was assigned to barracks and silos. Places that got very little sun. We bunkered underground for weeks at a time, slicing and dicing information from our prisoners of war.
The times I’d come out to party with old friends, we’d catch me up with news from all the other kids we used to beat up. But we didn’t really think about them, if you catch my drift.
Remember that twerp we used to beat on? He graduated the Academy! Yeah the loser orphan. Can you believe it?
Remember that hot girl? The girl two years younger than us, the one with the long blonde hair? I asked her out, she turned me down but I’ll try again, she looks like she likes the attention…
Remember that loser that couldn’t use Chakra? The kid with the eyebrows? Landed a few blows with him, he’s got the head of a rock...maybe that’s where his parents got the idea for his name!
We’d laugh, and we’d smoke, and drink, and party. We didn’t talk about our work--it was too classified, but we insinuated what we could and gross each other out.
Years passed, and that crazy war killed two of my buddies. I lost the feeling in three of my fingers during the fight, making it impossible to hold onto torture devices for hours at a time. Plus the new Hokage they put in charge wanted to completely wipe away all the torture chambers to just one. I had to be assigned a new specialty.
“This is team 8.” The sixth Hokage said to me and a couple other men from the torture division. “They specialize in tracking, hunting, and detective work.”
He gestured toward the team. One guy looked like we could hang--red marks on his face and a giant monster of a dog...he looked familiar. The other guy barely noticeable, practically blended to the wall with his clothes covering most of his face.
Then there was the girl. Long, shiny black hair--reached her hips. Small face. Long eye-lashes. Pink lips. The kind of face that would look great on a porno-mag.
This was going to be fun.
I glanced at my friends and we nodded in appreciation.
“Where’s the Jounin.” I had asked the sixth, looking at their forms and noticing they were all still Chuunin.
“They’re a specialized team, no Jounin necessary for them. But Shino tends to lead the group.” Kakashi gestured to one of the people, we didn’t care to put a name to any of their faces though, we kept checking out the girl.
She glanced at us, her eyes that weird…
Oh.
And that’s when I recognized something…
She looked familiar too. She must have been the same year as that dog-master-dude. Now that I properly thought it over, team 8 must have been the same year team 7 was formed--the famous team 7. Must have been the same year as the Hero of the Fourth Shinobi War. We must have attended the Academy together at some point.
I searched my memory for a girl with white eyes...and it slowly came petering back into my mind. Oh I even made her cry a couple times...
I used to pick on a lot of clan-kids with weird abilities and looks. Those eyes--that look foxy and cool and sexy now. They used to look weird, and bug-like, and gross on a smaller face… a kid’s face.
She probably didn’t recognize me, but the more I studied her face, the more I remembered.
I never hit her...if I remember correctly. I might have shoved her down on her butt a couple times. Just told her she looked funny. It was playful stuff. One could even say I might have picked on her because I liked her or something.
It could be a funny story. Something we can laugh about later.
“I’ll be the leader.” I offered, “I’m Jounin.”
I glance over at team 8 and smirk when I finally get the girl to glance at my face.
Did I catch a little look of recognition? I’m not sure. But I doubt it--she always kept to herself as a kid, always kept her freaky eyes downward as not to catch more attention...if I remember correctly.
“Actually.” the Sixth said. “You may be ranked higher, but this mission is specifically to give you guys a chance to see if you’d be a good fit for tracking. You’ll be following Shino’s lead.”
A Jounin following a Chuunin’s orders? The sixth could tell I wasn’t happy about this, and he patiently nodded while I argued back with him.
“Well if it’s that important to you, I could have their original Jounin instructor come back from leave for this mission.”
“That won’t be necessary.” The guy that blended to the wall piped up. “The reason? It’ll be a quick mission, and she will have to find someone to watch her daughter.”
I tsk under my breath when it becomes apparent that their Jounin instructor was a woman. More women the better, I suddenly wish we got her too.
“Can we all behave nicely? Remember this is more just a research mission. We’d like to see you all in new positions as quickly as possible.”
Turns out her name was Hyuuga Hinata.
The girl on team 8.
She was soft spoken, and avoided our more rambunctious questions. Not like some kunoichi who got in your face and shook their fist if you got too forward.
She let us openly check her out with nary a warning.
But her team. Her lousy team.
They butted in, bared fangs, and shook fists for her.
What were they after? It wasn’t that uncommon for teammates to start dating after a while. Did they want to mark their territory?
We joked that the kid from the Inuzuka clan probably must have pissed on her already.
The creeper from the Aburame clan, well, he must have laid eggs in her already.
We didn’t keep our voices down, we deliberately let the Hyuuga girl know we didn’t think that highly of her. Yeah it wasn’t nice. But they could have lightened up and realized it was all in good fun.
Before we could keep it up and get rowdier though, Hyuuga piped up with just one comment.
“Well, you certainly haven’t changed.”
Surprised at her bold statement, I stared at her and scoffed.
“Ohhhhhh!” my torture-group buddies immediately caught on to what she was saying and started playfully hitting me.
“She remembers you!”
“You guys were at the Academy together, right? You’re the young one.” one guy even pinched my cheek. It was true, out of the other torture-guys, I was the youngest. I was the one that had possible history with some of the heroes of the fourth shinobi war.
I hadn’t had someone from that year remember me before, and it made me instantly defensive.
“Whatever I did back then--I was a kid.” I tell her in a firm voice. “We were just messing around.”
She looked me over, her face pinched with dislike.
“‘Just messing around’...huh.” she didn’t look impressed.
She seemed so soft and fuzzy...and even acted like a doormat with how she willfully ignored our ugly teasing earlier. But her eyes were cold as she looked me over.
It was with such a look, I was instantly filled with rage...and also...well, couldn’t help but think she looked even hotter.
She remembered me? I couldn’t help but feel...delighted.
Me and this hottie had a history together...and I remembered it right away, and she did too.
I thought of those memories more fondly, perhaps.
She was still bitter about it. It was clear with the way she turned her face away from me and continued on the mission.
I realized I could poke and prod and tease her. She wasn’t the violent type. She was more political. If I recall correctly from memory, her clan was a tad bit hoity-toity and it would be frowned upon if she raised her ‘gentle-fist’ at me.
“Was it because I teased your eyes? You know I didn’t know you’d look like this, later…”
“Please.” she held up a hand. “We’re on a mission. No goofing off.”
“Pfft. This mission is just a formality. Come on, let’s catch up.”
“She said no.” Inuzuka, the boy with the red marks on his face cut in and shoved me a bit. “No means no.”
“Is he your boyfriend, Hyuuga?” I scoffed, looking between them, but that’s when the Aburame guy also stepped in.
“Enough. You are being unprofessional.”
We finished the dumb mission, with terrible scores. Team 8 bid us farewell and let the sixth Hokage know we weren’t suited for tracking.
Which was fine, because it had very little action, and got way too technical for our tastes.
But unfortunately, Team 8 must have fibbed to the sixth that we were a little chatty when all of us torture-division guys were together. So we got split up afterwards. They also tattled that we didn’t listen to clear instructions, and that we might have dabbled in sexual harassment.
Total bogus, if you ask me.
It turned out, later, that we regretted not taking Team 8 seriously, for we all got shoved on the wall-guard duty on different shifts while they tried to find better spots for us on more complex missions. We weren’t shoved in a silo anymore, so it was better in that aspect...but we still had to stay in one spot and one spot only. We watched a ton of other shinobi, who had way less skill than us, come back from exciting missions--faces flushed from a good workout, while we dug our nails in our clipboards and grit our teeth with menial tasks.
At least if we behaved ourselves, one of us could have tagged along with Team 8...and who knows, got closer to Hyuuga.
Despite being stuck on the wall for a while, there were clear perks.
I got to keep track of when Hyuuga was in Konoha. I scanned the sheets of all the Konoha shinobi that came into and out of the gates.
I finally approached her on a warm sunny day--her team was about to head on out to another tracking mission no doubt, and I was able to break through the pesky barrier of her male teammates by using my other guard-buddies to distract them with some sign-off papers that we deliberately kept from them for a while.
This was my chance.
“Hyuuga.” I greeted with a grin, stepping up toward her. She still had that dog around her. I saw how she was patting the dog’s neck reassuringly, telling it not to bite as it bared its fangs at me.
She didn’t answer me back--she remembered my face, but clearly my name left her mind. I can’t help but feel annoyed.
“Tendou Daigoro.” I reminded her.
Sure enough, once she figured it out, she tacked on a respectable title “...Tendou-Jounin.” she nodded in polite greeting. She wouldn’t even call me ‘senpai’...which would have been cute too.
“You can just call me Daigoro.” I smirked, hinting that we should be way less formal. “You look...real nice today, Hyuuga.”
She was so polite, and she always seemed like she wanted to be friendly to those around her. I was anticipating her correcting me. Inviting me to call her by her first name.
The invitation never came. She looked nervous, and a little lost on how to act. She looked absolutely adorable…. I watched as she stroked the dog’s neck to keep him from growling too loudly. I can hear her teammates argue with some other guards about the paperwork that was shoved in their face, several paces ahead of us.
“You forgot your paperwork too.” I say, noticing her finally casting a glance up ahead at her teammates--probably wondering why they weren’t swooping in to play shining white knight or whatever. “You have to sign...right here.” I closed the space between us, and showed her the clipboard I had prepared in advance.
She reaches into her pouch to fetch her own pen. She is about to rest her hand on the paper to write down her name, when I move the board.
“Woops.” I teased. She blinked back up at me in shock. “My bad.”
She clicked her pen closed in a sign that she didn’t want to play this game. She even moved her arm away from the dog--letting it take a step forward to push some space between us. A low rumble in it’s throat told me that it wasn’t in a playful mood either.
“Hey, I’m only playing.” I said in a low voice. “I want to be...friends.”
“Please, could I see the form?” she asked, gesturing the clipboard.
I do so. A simple offering.
She takes the clipboard, runs her eyes through the paperwork in a quick read, and then hands the board back--unsigned.
“There’s...been a mistake. I signed this yesterday. At the tower.”
I tsk under my breath, pretending it must have been a pesky over-look. “Sorry about that, didn’t mean to waste your time…”
“Well, if that’s all…” she took a step toward leaving.
“Could I just apologize...for how I acted earlier?” I said, cutting her off from leaving right away by stepping in front of the dog, aware that if I got bit--it wont just tickle. I knew the risks. “When we were kids...and even how I acted back when we were on that mission together.”
She lifted a single brow. I have to push the dog’s face away from me--it’s jaws getting too close to my arm. Her arm looped around its neck again, silently telling the dog to calm down.
“I’m realizing I wasn’t cool. I said things...and did things I regret. I’m sorry.” I had practiced this line in the mirror for days. I know I sound extra pathetic. I probably look like a dog with its tail tucked between his legs.
“Hm.” she nodded in acknowledgement.
“I know this apology is pretty late.” I said boldly. “But I...was a dick. I’m sorry.”
She glanced back at her team, and I could feel their eyes on me--they probably caught on that this was a distraction. I could hear their footsteps come near us.
“Ok.” she only says in a soft voice, clearly shocked by my apology. “I’ll forgive you...for the things you said and done to me.” she said pointedly.
I lifted a brow. But then I remembered I was also rude to her team.
“I’ll apologize to your team--” I started to say, when she cut me off.
“What about the children you’d beat up so badly they could barely walk home?” she asked softly, looking away. “Why am I, of all people, worthy of your apology?”
I jerked back.
I guess those eyes were observant even before she became a tracker.
She knew I picked on multiple kids. Beat them up to a pulp too.
She knew I was only apologizing to her because...well, I wanted her.
I can’t help but feel fed up with that revelation. What am I supposed to do, track down every person I’ve ever offended? There was absolutely no way.
I don’t remember her ever defending anybody.
But apparently she remembered. I couldn’t help but scoff out loud. She noticed, and she must have been feeling bad bringing it up--but any pity she had toward me was instantly gone once I casually shrugged and tried to look unconcerned.
She shot me that same, disgusted look she did back on our mission.
That cold, hard look. With those normally gentle eyes. I realized I messed up again.
“That was… I was dumb.” I said plainly. “Sorry, I guess.” I know I sounded way more insincere this time around.
“You shouldn’t apologize to me.” she shrugged. “Come on, Akamaru.”
I couldn’t help but curse a bit as she walked past me. She doesn’t flinch, or acknowledge me anymore.
I take note of the mean glares her team sends my way as she joins them.
I’m still technically her senpai. She should respect me more.
What a bitch.
I didn’t realize when I started to obsess over her. But it got hard ignoring her after a while.
She even upgraded to new mission gear that really showed off her goods. It was like a big fat taunt. The spirits must have loved to watch me squirm. I guess this is what ‘karma’ is...for picking on her as a child. Now she’s the one picking on me.
We’d see Team 8 coming toward the gate, and immediately the Inuzuka and the Aburame would cover for her--stepping in front of her so that they could be this annoying, valiant wall to hide her beauty.
Even that damn dog would be by her side, and bark loudly if we tried to call out to her.
On days she’d give us a side-ways glance, we’d beam and wave cheekily. She’d turn away--pretending she didn’t notice.
Little slut.
She was gorgeous though, we’d forgive her for taunting us. We’d jab each other and whoop loudly. We knew we were distracting, but it was rare we could get a kunoichi to give us such a delicate reaction.
Then finally...finally the day came where I was assigned to a non-guard duty mission. I was assigned to none other than team 7. The legendary team 7. With the ‘hero of the fourth shinobi war’, and that super-hot medic-ninja, and another weirdo I don’t even remember his name.
I was Jounin, so I was clearly the leader. But the Sixth, again, tried to insult me by saying I should follow the young hero’s orders. Despite the fact that the medic-nin was technically Jounin too… they were letting the lowest rank lead.
“Nice to meet you, man.” the young blond said, holding out his bandaged hand. “This is the first mission I’m leading.”
“We’ve met before.” I tell him, shaking his fake hand. “We used to go to the Academy together.”
I pummeled the hero’s face a couple times. Really well too. I remember wiping his blood on my shorts before heading home, and boasting about it to my brothers. They all had chances to kick down the orphan kid that our parents hated.
But he didn’t need to know that. He clearly was searching my face trying to discern whether he’d seen me.
But I could tell he was pulling blanks.
Yeah, I wouldn’t want to remember me either.
“Sorry, don’t remember you.” he simply said.
“Not important.” I grinned despite myself. It’s going to be a blast telling whatever kids I have later on that I was one of the kids that used to make this man cry. Rumor was that he was going to be the next in line for Hokage--so I can say that I punched a Hokage in the face. Score.
“It’s an honor to be teamed with you.” I make sure to wink at the pretty pink girl. She wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms.
“Well? Don’t stand around all day, Go.” Kakashi shooed us out of the office, and we headed out to gather our detailed mission report from the secretary outside.
My eyes crossed a bit as I read a more detailed synopsis of the mission, and realized I hadn’t been handed a Jounin-level mission report in a while. The complex characters, the number of risks, the complicated maps. I was totally rusty.
But I couldn’t have them knowing that. I could see they’re unworried looks as they yank open their scrolls and casually scan the contents.
“Looks like a treasure-hunt mission.” the hero of the forth shinobi war, commented.
I snorted. “To you, maybe. It’s not that simple.”
“No.” the other Jounin on the team, the medic-nin, corrected with a lifted brow. “It really is that simple. Why do you think we got assigned a new team member for such a mission?”
I glared back. This bitch was harsh.
I can respect that.
“Should only last three days.” The hero stated again, ignoring the glares that the chick and I were exchanging toward each other. “Let’s go.”
They took off with that as a warning--literally zipping past me at such a speed, that I had to scramble like an idiot to match them. I was still several steps behind them when we reached the wall of Konoha. I was going to pause for just a moment to wave to some of my old coworkers, when I saw how quickly they were only picking up more speed.
They were always the team that zoomed past us guards, flashing their forehead protectors as a quick greeting. They had busy missions to squash.
But that’s when I saw her.
She was coming into Konoha from a mission.
And I never miss when Hyuuga Hinata came back from a mission.
I slow my steps, excited to be able to be out of the guard’s desk and to be able to approach her so closely…
When that idiotic hero cut in my way.
“Hey, Hinata.” he said. He exchanged small nods and a wave to the two men on her team, and even reached over to scratch the ear of the monster-dog.
“Naruto-kun.” she breathed out. The look she sent him...well...even a blind man could feel the intensity of that look.
Shit.
Kun? She called him Naruto-kun.
She tacked on the honorific ‘kun’ on her teammates too...I thought it was because they were close in age and they spent so much time together...it’s normal for teammates to be close…
But the hero? She called him such an affectionate name.
Something about that was a huge slap to the face.
I thought the look of disgust she sent me was hot. That look got my heart hammering and my blood pumping.
But the look she sent the Hero? That look?
I’d die if I was him. I’d simply sink down on my knees and ask her to...step on me or something.
Glaring, I watched her cheeks bloom a beautiful pink color as she looked up at the hero, and bit her lower lip. She was positively welcoming him to take her right then and there. The hero acted like he didn’t notice. Just brightly talked to her about needing to go on his mission.
He touches her arm.
“Aren’t you cold?” he asked her, and rubbed at her arm.
“N-no. I’m ok. Thank you.” she smiled.
“I feel cold around my neck lately, but at least I have sleeves. I dunno how you kunoichi do the no-sleeve look.” the hero continued, he kept touching her.
“It’s not so bad. I have chakra regulating my temperature-- You’re cold around your neck?”
The hero shrugged. “I used to have pretty snug collars--remember my old genin uniform? That was nice and cozy around my neck.”
“You’re right.” she said and tentatively reached out and touched his collar. He stilled. Letting her simply brush a few fingers along his neck.
I saw it. I saw him shiver.
“Maybe...you’d like a scarf…” I heard her say, softly. But the guy who’s name I forgot called out to the hero a few yards ahead, drowning out her gentle suggestion.
“Naruto! You said you wanted this mission done in three days!” he reminded both of us.
“Gah, sorry.” The hero apologized to Hyuuga. “See you later?”
“Please be safe.” she said kindly.
They shoot tender smiles at each other, and the hero shoots off like an arrow.
I stand stunned, digesting that exchange. Something I hadn’t expected to see...or hadn’t expected to feel so...disgusted by.
That’s when I realized I didn’t just like catcalling the Hyuuga girl.
I had been thinking about her a lot more than that.
She’d been in my dreams. In my fantasy. She’d softly say my name in my thoughts.
She called him ‘Naruto-kun’? Like as if they were still children. It was way more affectionate than the honorific she’d tack onto my name if she ever said my name out loud...
It was...infuriating.
With the bubble of rage in my gut, I took off after team 7 and jumped head-first into this stupid mission.
That’s when I vowed I’d become a bit kinder. I’d talk a bit softer toward her like I saw the Hero do.
I needed to reach out and boldly touch her arm next time. And ask her out.
I didn’t want to ask him outright if he was dating Hyuuga, I just casually mentioned Team 8 on our last night before we headed back to Konoha.
“Oh yeah,” Uzumaki said. “We all went to the Academy together--except Sai. You were under Ibiki’s team a lot, right? Sai, you worked with him sometimes right? You probably know each other.” he gestured toward the teammate I kept forgetting. The guy looked eerie, with a fake smile on his face.
“I do remember you.” the man quipped. “You’ve aged horribly.”
“...Fuck you too, man.” I scoffed back, but I couldn’t help but respect that too. I was used to that kind of brash talk. It felt way more comforting than a kinder approach… an approach I really should be looking into more, if I could get closer to Hyuuga.
“Have you worked with Team 8 before?” Uzumaki asked.
“Once.” I nodded, “Tried to see if tracking was for us. We didn’t jive with the field.”
“Hm.” Uzumaki shrugged. “Not for everybody.”
“But Hyuuga...she’s something else.” I tested the waters and saw the hero’s eyes shoot back up toward mine. He looked giddy at the thought of talking about her.
“She’s really strong, right?” he beamed. “I always keep telling her--she’s got amazing skill--”
I frowned openly, and glanced over at the medic nin, and even at the guy who supposedly was familiar with the torture-division for a while.
Is this guy serious?
Her shinobi skill? Was he trying to play dumb?
“She’s got an amazing rack.” I corrected him.
Immediately he saw where I was going. He shot me a furious look.
“Oh, that’s what you see when you look at her, huh?” his voice was suddenly very cold.
“Ignore him.” the medic nin, Haruno, slapped the hero’s arm but she was glaring at me too with the same intensity. She was clearly trying to calm her own nerves as her knuckles loudly popped.
I could feel the shift in his character. I could feel the spike in prickly, hot chakra that I had unwittingly invited.
I realized this was the time to retreat. If torture-division taught me anything...it’s to know when you’ve reached the limit with anybody.
I hadn’t realized I even crossed such a dramatic line. I try to play it off, laughing it off--and even apologizing.
I knew I shouldn’t tell him I wanted to ask her out.
He wouldn’t talk to me for the remainder of our mission anyway.
It was my mistake to bring up Hyuuga...because he wrote a terrible report on me, and I was never teamed with him again.
I logged her comings and goings for a while. Kept track of how many missions she’d be in. Noticed when she and her team were gone longer than normal.
I used to catcall and keep track of a lot of hot kunoichi that came and went, but slowly my focus zeroed in on just her.
She latched onto my brain.
This was the first time I was into such a weird girl. All the other women I dated, were quick and fast, and just blips in my timeline. I either liked their body or their bitchy attitude. I didn’t even have a crush on a girl for longer than a month.
This one was different. She...was here to stay. I was surprised I thought about her so much. I was surprised how my heart jumped when I saw even one member of her team, hoping to catch sight of her. When I’d see her, I’d study the way her hair swayed, how she’d adjust her kunai-pouch quickly before leaving. Her smallest gestures were so enticing. She once bent down to fix the zipper on her boot--the way her hair dripped off her shoulder, and the profile of her super long eyelashes...it made me sigh.
You don’t sigh while looking at a girl...unless you think she’s the real deal, right?
I stopped catcalling her. It only seemed to make her duck her head and look away. I had to remember my approach with this one was all wrong. I remembered what that Uzumaki-brat did. Reach out and speak to her as a friend.
She clearly didn’t like the rough approach that I had been using.
“Hyuuga.” I catch her on the way back from a mission.
Her team is in the way again, but I addressed her directly and I caught her eye.
“It’s ok.” she said gently to her team, pressing a hand on their backs. She comes out from behind them and nodded toward them reassuringly.
They crossed their arms, unimpressed, and deliberately stayed close behind her as she looked up at me.
“Could we talk in private?” I asked, reaching up toward her. She angled away. I have to bite back a frustrated hiss--my finger almost brushed up against the soft-looking skin of her forearm.
She had a hard time saying ‘no’ pretty directly. I noticed that about her. Even now, she’s clearly struggling to reject this simple request.
“You can talk right here.” one of her teammates answered for her.
“She can answer for herself.” I snapped back. I turn toward her and narrow my eyes. “You’re a big girl. Speak up.”
I immediately regretted my tone. I had to remember--Uzumaki’s approach. The way he got the girls to fawn over him now...he clearly knew his stuff.
“Whatever you need to say to me, you can say in front of my team.” she said.
“Fine.” I said, I shove my hands in my pockets. “I thought about what you said last time. About how...I hurt other kids a long time ago. I want to make amends.”
“...I see...”
“I’ve apologized to several kids I beat up. They forgave me.” I told her--which was a little bit true. I ran into a buddy of mine that I once beat to a pulp on a dare. He told me he didn’t take offense. I didn’t track down everybody I wronged, but I did feel better after properly apologizing to him. That really wasn’t cool of me.
That should have been good enough. I did right at least one wrong.
So I embellished my apology-parade. She didn’t need to know the full details.
“That’s wonderful.” she said gently, her eyes...even softened for me. For the first time, I saw her offer me...a smile, even.
Wow. Her smile.
I smiled back, feeling taken in by her whole...presence.
I looked away, suddenly feeling super embarrassed--we were still in front of her team, and I could tell I was blushing.
Blushing, like a fucking virgin.
I cough into my hand to save face and decide this is the best time to ask her out.
“So… I’m a changed man.” I said to her. “I want to prove it to you. Why don’t we go out for some--”
“Hey! Hinata!” someone shouted, drowning out my voice.
Suddenly a blur of black cut in front of me. And I’m practically shoved backwards as someone takes my place.
“Naruto-kun!” I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep my cool as Hyuuga turned to the village hero. Her eyes lit up, and a blush tinted her cheeks almost immediately.
“You just got back from a mission? I’m heading toward Ichiraku right now, come with me!” he boldly took her arm and tugged at it--she willingly started to follow.
“Oh! O-ok!” she agreed readily, a bright smile on her lips. “Um.” she turned toward her team.
“You guys are welcome to come, too!” the hero waved his hand flippantly toward the two guys.
“Why do you have to invite us as an after-thought?!” Inuzuka barked, the dog barked as well.
“Hurtful.” the bug-user mumbled.
“I’m terribly sorry, Tendou-Jounin.” Hyuuga looked up at me quickly, sounding properly apologetic. “Perhaps we can talk...another time.”
“Right.” I glared at the Hero, who is now ushering the girl away.
That’s when I caught his cold look he sent my way. It was no coincidence he barged in on our time.
The rinne festival was just around the corner, so I had bought Hyuuga a gift. A simple pendant necklace and kept it by my guard duty desk for days, hoping to catch her at a good time to hand her the gift and confess to her.
It was my first time planning a confession. The first time I even bought such a gift for a girl.
But I knew I had to go this far with her. I couldn’t just half-ass this part. Not with bothersome teammates, and even that annoying hero constantly getting in my way.
But then someone from the Hyuuga clan...got kidnapped.
It wasn’t Hyuuga Hinata, and because it wasn’t her--I didn’t think much of the incident. Everyone on shift that night was all immediately suspended for the time being due to the break-in. It isn’t fair...supposedly the opposing enemy-nin used advanced shit to cross into our borders. I was thankfully on the next shift and wasn’t penalized… but it meant I was on duty when I saw her...
Hyuuga Hinata, leaving on a mission to save her clan-member, with Uzumaki.
Team 7 was always called upon for these types of high-stake rescue missions. I couldn’t help but feel jealous about the mission and especially jealous that Uzumaki would get to spend more time with Hyuuga.
Immediately after they leave, we get news that we’re in danger from asteroids and moon fragments coming down over our heads. Weird end-of-the-world type shit.
It meant four straight days of action as we had to escort ridiculous amounts of civilians to and from the village to some out-skirt safe-haven. I had to act as a mule, helping people pack all their things and bordering up doorways and windows. It was a miserable time, and of course when we found out that the twerp, Uzumaki, made things right again (by stopping the MOON? Still don’t know the whole story there), he was crowned a hero for the second time.
I didn’t think I could hate him any more than I already did. But that dirty orphan had a knack for getting under my skin.
I collapsed in my apartment--which was thankfully still standing after the whole ordeal, and slept for two whole days after we were given time off.
I remember coming out of the apartment dazed and still groggy after the second day, and being tackled by a buddy to catch me up on the news--team 7 made it back to Earth unscathed.
“Is she ok? Did she survive?” I found myself asking, shocked. There was only one person I cared about on that mission.
“She’s alive alright.” my buddy said, knowing exactly who I was asking about. But he sounded miffed. “She’s alive...and engaged.”
My heart...dropped.
He didn’t have to say anymore. I remember how she looked over at Uzumaki, her eyes lidded and her lips inviting. I remember how he swooped in and ushered her on his own date after getting in my way.
Uzumaki had all the girls he could ever want, but of course he had to go after her.
I told myself that it was just a crush.
That I didn’t buy a necklace for her. That I was just trying to screw around. Nothing serious.
Soon all the guys at the guard station stopped teasing me about Hyuuga. She got married to a famous hot-head. You talked about her too loudly, who knew what heads would roll.
I was counting on moving on. To find another girl to obsess over.
But obsessing over a married woman...there was something forbidden and sexy about that too.
She was still visiting my dreams quite regularly during this time. Looking less scared about the things I’d do to her. She knew what I was going to do; she wasn’t a virgin anymore. So she’d fight me a bit for show...before she realized she liked being a little slut and take it any way I dished it. The dreams would get rudely cut off by her husband, but I’d run away just in time.
Something about that fantasy just kept me going. It was exciting, and fun, and daring.
I suddenly didn’t care if she was married. Next time I saw her--I’d tell her she should play around with other men. If she wants to keep her famous husband interested, she’ll have to learn new tricks in bed.
It would only be a matter of time before Uzumaki Naruto had a mistress.
She might as well get her socks off too.
...That’s what I told myself, at least.
Until I was assigned that mission. My last mission before I decided...fuck it--I’ll just work for a fucking company like all the other old washed-up ninjas.
The last away-mission I got assigned--was to study up on guard-duty work in Sunagakure. Due to the moon-incident, they heightened security around our borders again, and said that if we had more defenses like Suna...we wouldn’t have been in the situation that led to a kidnapping.
At the same time, it turned out someone from Sunagakure was going to marry into a Konohagakure clan...so a bunch of familiar faces joined us on the mission to Sunagakure.
Including the Uzumaki couple.
I had to watch and listen as they spoke to each other--as freshly married couples do. Light caresses, and soft kisses exchanged whenever they thought nobody was looking. They’d joke and laugh, and keep track of each other’s health and wellbeing.
I saw the way he hungered for her, and how she’d glance around before she led him off to a private clearing.
I saw the way they’d come back from a ‘lookout’ looking disheveled and flushed. Clearly having the time of their lives.
When I thought it couldn’t get any worse, the last night of the mission--while we were out in the desert and they were technically the ones on guard-duty to our whole camp...I overheard them talking.
“You don’t like that Tendou-guy, huh?”
“...He’s a little....” I heard her trail off, obviously not used to voicing negative opinions on people.
“He’s kinda crude.” Uzumaki finished for her.
“It’s not that.” Hyuuga laughed gently. “I can handle crude.”
“You always avoid him.” Uzumaki pressured her. “What did he do? Did he ask you out?”
“No.” she lied. She knew I was interested. I knew she knew. “But… it’s just...I know it’s silly but…”
“What?” Uzumaki asked in a hushed tone.
I had to really lean in to listen.
“He used to...hurt you.” she admitted. “He...used to beat you up...back at the Academy.”
“He did?”
“Shhh!”
“Pfft...I don’t even remember.”
“Well. I do.” huffed Hyuuga. “It was...awful.”
I could tell by the silence that they were looking over each other.
I felt like my heart couldn’t sink any lower.
“I’m sorry. I never was able to help you back then. I know I’m a hypocrite.”
“Stop that.”
“I even told him once, you know...he apologized for picking on me as children...and I couldn’t accept his apology.”
“...that doesn’t sound like you.”
“That’s because it isn’t!” she sighed. “I just couldn’t stand the thought that he apologized to me of all people...instead of you.”
“...Heh. You think if he apologized to me...you would have given him a chance?”
There’s a pause. I’m tempted to lift my gaze up from my hiding spot and see what her face looked like in the soft glow of the campfire.
“...No.” she finally said, squashing my heart into the sandy dirt beneath me. “...My heart has been taken a long time ago. It wouldn’t have been fair to him.”
“Heartbreaker!”
“Naruto-kun!!”
“Heh! I’m kidding… remember how you rejected me back on the moon--?”
“Are you going to bring that up all the time?”
“I’m just saying I probably know how he feels...getting rejected by you.” Uzumaki said in a kind, compassionate voice. “It's...torment.”
“You're so dramatic.”
“...So if he ever used to bully us...at least you got even.”
I'm suddenly very aware of the fact that Uzumaki might have known I was eavesdropping.
And that was it. That’s what sealed the deal to my fate.
I handed in my resignation letter the second we got back to Konoha.
The end.