AN: Hinata and Naruto may occasionally seem OOC in this fic, but I only did so because they are older. I do not own Naruto or any of its related characters…why must heaven be so cruel to me! XD

Naruto: The Hokage and the Heiress

Naruto Uzumaki has never been the most popular of people. Due to having a demon sealed in him, the people of the Hidden Leaf Village were never exactly inviting to him. But six years after learning the truth of his inner demon, Naruto has grown beyond the small prankster that he once was. Our story begins as we find the new Hokage by himself, dodging more glares on the street…

As the lanterns of the marketplace shone like candles in the night, people bustled about the stores, creating a ruckus unlike any other. And yet, one lone man seemed to melt through the crowd as if there was nobody there. This was probably due to three things.

First, ever since becoming Hokage, the younger male ninjas had moved to bow respectfully to him, their role model and hero.

Second, because many of the little girls (and some young women) made way and giggled madly as they stared in awe after the handsome shinobi.

Third, the elderly still opted to avoid confronting him, preferring to just glare in hatred at him from the shadows…

Naruto didn't care. He felt odd, being revered by all the young men as a hero. He was flattered by all the female attention, but honestly didn't care for any of them. And those glares…he was used to them by now. He knew it wasn't his fault…but he thought "You'd think becoming Hokage would tell them a thing or two about the real me…oh well, guess that's too much to ask of some bitter old fogies…"

He chuckled grimly and continued to walk on through the night, until he came upon the edge of the town, by the woods. As he disappeared among the trees, another figure followed hesitantly, her dark indigo hair and pale lavender eyes shining in the moonlight…

Sasuke Uchiha was humbled, to say the least. As he lay in his hospital bed, still bearing bandages from his battle against Naruto and Orochimaru, he looked out the window to the full moon. It had been a rough week for him…and Naruto, and Sakura. His gaze returned to the pink-haired medical ninja, slumbering peacefully on the side of his bed, as his fingers absent-mindedly fiddled with a few locks of her soft hair.

He remembered that day…the day Naruto finally brought him back to his senses. He remembered fighting Orochimaru, and losing badly…he remembered how Sakura nearly died trying to protect him, how he cried as he saw her go down…and Naruto…the image of him destroying that accursed snake summoner would be burned into his mind for all time…

As he looked up, Sasuke dragged himself over to Sakura, who lay injured and panting for breath. The fair medical ninja turned her head to face him and said, "I guess…I got in over my head…again…" Sasuke reached a hand to her, but she lost consciousness at that instant.

Sasuke then turned back and saw Naruto and Orochimaru. He feared that all was lost…until Naruto turned to face him. His eyes flashed a bright red, and for a moment, Sasuke thought he was staring straight at the Kyuubi inside him. Naruto flashed a smile, admittedly intimidating with his now sharp teeth, and turned back to dash at Orochimaru…

It all ended in a flash of light, as Kyuubi-Naruto yelled, "KAMI-RASENGAN JUTSU!" and Orochimaru, the snake ninja, wasted away in the wind and light, shrieking like a banshee…

Sasuke had never seen such power…ever. "Hn…who knew the idiot had it in him to be so strong… or that I had it in me to be such an idiot…" A soft voice responded, "You were mad…guys tend to do stupid things out of anger." Sasuke smiled lightly and looked down at Sakura, now looking at him lovingly, if not a little groggily. "Sakura, don't talk to me about acting dumb… you took on Orochimaru knowing full well you were as good as dead, and you're giving me lip?"

Sakura chuckled lightly and leaned in for a kiss. Sasuke never guessed that he would let her do such a thing…but a when a woman nearly gets herself killed to protect you, you begin to realize that maybe things between you are closer than expected. He was mildly surprised that he was actually enjoying the kiss, never guessing that Sakura, usually so loud and hostile, was capable of such tender moves.

They broke off and Sakura rose to her feet, stretching out her back. A knock on the door signaled the entrance of more visitors. The two lovers smiled as Kiba, Shino, Lee, Ten-Ten, Neji, Might Gai, and Kurenai came in, eager to see their returned friend…

Naruto sat by the edge of the lake, seated in a meditation stance. His eyes were closed and his face held a serious, but serene expression. Far behind him, still hidden by the trees, Hinata watched him in nervous admiration. The young shinobi had grown much in the past few years. Her indigo hair, once short, was now down to her shoulders, long and straight. Her pale lavender eyes still shone mysteriously and she still held herself rather timidly, almost child-like. She felt a slight blush as she watched her school-day crush, which had since evolved into a full infatuation with the man seated so far away.

Naruto didn't notice her; he was far too busy inside his own head…

"You seem awfully quiet, oh high and mighty obnoxious one"

"Zip it, Kyuubi, I'm trying to think."

"I know, I have to share this body, as much as I hate it, so I know what you're thinking. You got Sasuke back, why keep griping about it when…"

"Kyuubi, why did you help me?"

"What?"

"Why did you help me save Sasuke?"

"You saved him, you just mooched off of my chakra…again."

"You know what I'm talking about. At the rate Orochimaru was flaring up my temper, I was easily angry enough to erase the already weakened seal the Fourth Hokage placed on you. And yet you didn't leave…you stayed."

"…"

"Well?"

"You want the truth? Alright…the truth was I couldn't leave."

"What?"

"Kid, the seal that damn Hokage left on you faded away months ago. You were just too much for it. I tried to escape dozens of times, but I can't budge. The thing that's been keeping me in this whole time has been your own chakra. And yet you seem to be able to draw on it without releasing me."

Naruto's eyes snapped open in shock. "Besides, even if I did escape, I would probably die outright because with all that chakra in your system…you could destroy me on the spot."

Naruto couldn't believe it…he was holding away the Kyuubi from the free world, on his own. The Kyuubi chuckled and said

"But that's not the only thing on your mind, is it? I can see a young woman, about your age, silk hair of indigo…pearl eyes, staring out at you, making you thirst for her…you are such a sad case."

Naruto literally growled loud enough to make Hinata jump slightly. He scowled and said, "Easy there, trigger. Hinata is off limits to your perverted senses." Kyuubi laughed out loud and said,

"Kid, my senses are melded to yours, you're the pervert here. It would seem ol' Jiraiya had more of an effect on you than I thought."

Naruto growled again and said, "Look, you back off or I will make your life miserable, got it?" Kyuubi chuckled and sniggered,

"Alright, but you had better make your move soon…before somebody else does."

The Kyuubi's voice disappeared and Naruto stood up in his spot. A small smile, the first in days, graced his lips, but soon fell as his ears picked up another presence, behind him. Hinata notice him tense up and she went pale….he knew she was there…

Naruto, out of instinct, produced a kunai and threw it quick as lightning into the trees. He heard it clang against another kunai and fall to the ground, as well as footsteps dash away. He ran into the trees and found nothing but his kunai, and a small strand of dark indigo hair…