Chapter 7 – The Little Things

Deep within the Kohona hospital, a laboratory bubbles, hums, and beeps with activity. The room contains some of the most sophisticated medical and scientific equipment in the Land of Fire, each with a specific function and working to achieve a common goal. A young woman sitting at one of the workbenches stares intently into a Stereo Microscope, the fingers of her right hand rotating a dial, causing the devices Objective to move in and out. The stainless-steel topped worktable was littered with papers, graphs of various print outs from other machines. An extinguished Bunsen Burner sits unused at the opposite end of the table with a large beaker nearby.

A young woman gasps suddenly and looks away from the Microscopes eyepieces and rubs her tired eyes as if she didn't believe what they showed her. Shizune had been working with her mentor Tsunade for weeks on a project where both master and apprentice were determined to succeed. At that moment, it appeared success was within their grasp, but part of her was dubious of the sample that was being examined. A small Petry dish sat on the Microscopes Stage plate. It contained a small red dot of fluid about 3cm in diameter suspended in a clear fluid solution.

"I have to see Tsunade-sama," she said to the empty room. "If this is true, then we can help them both." The young woman took two steps toward the only door in the room and stopped, turning toward the workbench and looking at the Microscope. Her mind was reeling with uncertainty mixed with excitement. She may be a professional scientist, but she couldn't help but let some of her personal feelings color her actions.

She decided to leave everything as they were to allow her blonde mistress to view the sample unchanged and ran out of the room.

/***\\

Elsewhere in the extensive medical facility, Harino Sakura was dressed in a long white medical overcoat. Her bubble gum pink hair was pulled back into a small ponytail, the front of the coat was open, showing the red blouse and dark gray skirt with the hem just above the knee. Her white shoes were closed-toe. Something she learned was needed working in medicine within the first day when a sick patient vomited on her – more specifically, her shins and feet. The smell and sight of beef and green bean sick still haunted her, even years later.

The hospital hallways bustled with activity, but it was a somewhat organized chaos. People moved around for a reason, and most of the staff were busy doing their job or attending to patience. Unexpectedly, she saw Shizune appeared to be in a rush for some reason, the woman dodging patents, equipment, and staff with the precisions of a Shinobi.

"Sakura," the older woman called while making moving directly toward, the younger woman. "Have you seen Sunade-sama?"

Sakura was taken a little bit aback by Shizune's urgent tone of voice. "No, Sempi. I haven't seen her recently. But I think she had a meeting with the department heads about an hour ago."

Shizune stopped in front of the pinkette, "I think we did it," was she managed to pant out.

"Hold on Shizune. What are you talking about? Is everything alright?"

"No, No, well… There isn't anything wrong, it's just… the experiment." The woman tried to get out but couldn't get her thoughts together.

"Shizune," Sakura said, put a hand on the dark-haired women's shoulder. "What experiment? What are you talking about?"

The other woman took a deep breath and attempted to settle herself for a moment. "Tsunade-sama and I have been working on something for Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san. But I need to find her to check the results."

The news obviously shocked and excited Sakura with the mention of the man she loved and her teammate. "What kind of experiment? What do you mean, 'you can help them'?"

"We have been working on a way to replace their missing arms using some of the information we found from Orochimaru that involves cells from the First Hokage. Thanks to Yamato."

Sakura gasped in surprise and disbelief that they would use information from the once infamous Sanin. The fact that one of the most legendary shinobi in history was involved was completely unexpected.

"That's… That's amazing," the feeling of being flustered was still settling in.

The other woman nodded and smiled a little bit, "yes, it is but I don't want to get anyone's hopes up prematurely."

Speechless, Sakura could understand the reasoning but was willing to hope. "Let's go find her."

/***\

Elsewhere, Tsunade had concluded a meeting with the hospital department heads. It wasn't as tedious as meetings with the civilian counsel when she was Hokage. The paperwork wasn't as extensive, but it was still obnoxious. However, the report Kakashi had been given to her a few days ago was causing her a lot of anxiety. Had the woman been in her office, she would have been into a bottle of Sake, but the meeting room had no such provision.

"That fucking kid." The blonde-haired woman growled, she had read the report so many times she had lost count, and it pissed her off still. After all the weeks of trying to heal and help Naruto in the hospital, he wakes up at some random time and invades the Hyūga clan grounds. On top of that, he assaulted the clan head and some of its members. But what topped the proverbial cake was the supposed 'kidnapping' of the clan's heiress. The family had demanded serious charges be leveraged against the young war-hero. Still, the Shinobi Council and most of the elemental nations had threatened to limit their business deals with the Hyūga.

Her anger wasn't directed entirely toward Naruto. The Hyūga elders were most likely pushing Hiashi to demand severe punishment for the blond man; they were drawing the majority of her ire. But the sound of voices outside of the large double doors pulled her from her thoughts.

Suddenly the doors burst open to reveal Sakura, followed by Shizune. The former called "Tsunade-sama! We found you. Shizune-sempai needs you!"

"Hold on, Sakura," the former Hokage said as she stood up.

"Lady Tsunade, I think we did it." The dark-haired woman said, "But I need you to review the results." The older woman's attention had peeked with her apprentice's update.

"Are you sure? We have run into false positives the last few times." Tsunade spoke skeptically after years of research and experimentation. She learned to not get caught up in hope.

/***\

Kakashi sat in his office with the sun hanging low in the sky, casting a bright red hue one everything it touched. He was finally done with the day's mound of paperwork, and he could enjoy a few pages from his favorite orange book. But first, he had to dismiss the hidden Anbu in the office. Raising his hand, he silently signals with the flick of his middle and index fingers. In nearly an instant, two individuals stood before him; without a word, they bowed respectfully and disappeared.

"Finally, I can relax a few minutes," the former Team-7 sensei sighed to no one in particular.

His tranquility only lasted about three minutes before a knock echoed through the office from the broad red double-doors. "Hokage-sama?" His assistant called from the other side.

Sighing, "come on in."

The door opened and the young woman, stepped forward, she was the daughter of the woman who held the position for decades. The young woman had a slim figure with nearly unnoticeable curves, straight black hair, and brown eyes; that looked through purple framed eyeglasses. She was a demure woman about 20 years of age, but she was pleasant and efficient though she did make mistakes on occasion.

"Yes – Airi, what do you need?" Kakashi spoke gently after he placed the book on his lap. The young girl would blush feverishly whenever she saw the book. He suspected she was secretly a fan of the series but would never ask about it.

"Uhm, Hokage-sama. I received a call from Tsunade-sama, she asked that you join her in the hospital lab."

He sighed, "did she happen to say what she needed?"

"No, sir – but she sounded impatient and I think it was urgent." The young woman didn't like to be caught in the middle of things and certainly wasn't the confrontational type.

Kakashi saw her discomfort and that she only knew what she had stated. Tsunade could be highly intimidating even on the phone and certainly wasn't one to mince words. "It's alright Airi, I will go and see her. Thank you."

"Ye-yes, sir. Thank you, sir." The receptionist stammered out.

"Go home for the day, I was planning to do the same. I'll see you in the morning – alright?"

The young woman didn't say anything more but bowed and left the room.

"That poor girl. She's so timid and mousy like the world is going to eat her at any moment." Kakashi wasn't sure about her past, he liked her and wanted her to stay around but wasn't sure sometimes if she could handle the people or job at times.

"Alright, well, let's go see what Tsunade has to say," Kakashi said he put the book back into his jacket pocket before performing a body-flickered to the street outside of the tower. He wasn't really comfortable with people on the street calling attention to him when as he walked. But he understood that the position of Hokage required doing things that were for the people.

/***\\\

Three-weeks had passed since Hyūga Hinata was rescued from the encounter with her family. Their attempt to make her a secondary citizen within her own clan had failed thanks to a certain blond-haired young man.

Two and a half weeks since she awoke to the young man whom she loved for most of her life, Uzumaki Naruto saved her from a miserable life. He had saved her many times over the years and had saved the world with his teammates' help.

Naruto got to know the young woman he had known since the days of the academy and for Hinata before that time. He knew she was kind, gentle, and soft-spoken – a woman of strength, character, and beauty of the highest caliber. Her patience, caring, and understanding was evident to him from the first day. She helped him with his recovery and adjustment to the loss of most of his right arm. Something he struggled with coming to terms with and couldn't help feeling concerned about his own future.

Waking up in a cold, damp, musty cave was undoubtedly not something Hinata would have chosen. Still, Naruto's presence made it the most luxurious hotel. It was certainly not the setting she dreamt about, but having time and proximity to Naruto was what she had always wanted. But never thought it would happen until she started watching over the young man while he was in the hospital.

Their relationship started off as friends and comrades who saw many things in their young lives – life, death, war, peace. But none of those things mattered, the only that mattered was each other. They knew that things would have to be addressed in the Leaf, but it wasn't time for reality – the world could wait. They both found a sliver of happiness and weren't willing to let it go.

/

"DAMN IT!" Naruto yelled as Hinata struck him on his right side, just below the rib cage. The area was sensitive and bruised from repeated hits. He held onto the tender spot trying to bear through the pain.

"Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" Hinata was concerned, even after what felt like the hundredth time.

The young lovers decided that making out while physically demanding, didn't keep them in their prime Shinobi condition. Naruto was trying to learn how to deal with a missing right hand and forearm. Hinata was someone he respected for many years, and with her eyes, she would be a great sparring partner. However, he found himself regretting the decision as she was able to exploit his unguarded side.

"Let's take a break, I can't stand hurting you."

"It's fine Hinata-chan, I know you aren't doing it on purpose, and I asked you not to go easy on me." The blond said to the young woman who seemed to glow in the bright sunlight, a delicate sweet coated her slightly pinkened skin.

Even with Naruto's disability, he was still strong and hit like a hammer even if it was his weak hand. He was able to keep her guessing with unpredictability to avoid getting knocked out. Still, he was having trouble defending the right side of his body.

The two settled under the shade of a near-by tree, the afternoon sun stood high and bright, but Hinata had hardly tanned any compared to Naruto. Her snow-white skin contrasted brightly against his darkened skin as they held hands. It had been nearly 2-weeks of training, and both pushed the other.

"I think I am going to miss this place, ya know what I mean?"

Hinata rested her against Naruto's left shoulder take a moment to catch her breath. "I agree," she said in a low voice. "It's been our home for what feels like forever. Even if it has only been a few weeks."

The blonde turned and placed his lips on the top of her head and turned slightly but kept his cheek resting on her soft hair. They held hands and let the cool breeze blow over them while enjoying the sun's warmth hanging overhead. The tree provided plenty of shade, and the area had instantly become their personal training ground.

Hinata had become intimately familiar with the sounds of Naruto's heart-beat rhythm, and she listened to it while beginning to dose. But something was a bit off, it was still elevated and hadn't slowed. On the contrary, the rhythm seemed to become more erratic by the moment.

Squeezing his hand but not moving, "are you alright?" Nothing, except for a spike in the beat.

She sat up and moved to look at him, "Naruto-kun, are you alright? Your heart is pounding like a hammer." Panic and concern were evident in her voice. Having a serious medical emergency could potentially be deadly with the remoteness of the area.

Naruto saw her panic but was lost in his own thoughts. There was one in particular that had been gnawing at him for a few days. They knew that they would have to go back to the Leaf at some point. He was a man of honor and would face the consequences of his actions and would not make the young woman who loved him stay away from her sister just for him. Regardless of what she might argue or refute – it wasn't right.

He shifted his gaze to her and sat up straight, "I'm fine, Hina-chan." There was a hesitation to him; he swallowed hard and kissed her.

"Do you want to move in with me when we get home?" He said, partly to see her flustered and flushed face, but he was earnest.

"Wha—what… what do you mean?" As if on cue, Hinata stuttering with the question.

"I want you to live with me." He paused, "but only if you want – of course."

Her mind was still trying to process his words, but then it sank it like a hammer. "He wants me to live with him? He wants me to live with him?! Holly-shit, he wants me to live with him!" Her inner self screamed at her conscious self with elation. The small chibi was about to take control of the body if Hinata didn't answer.

"Yes! A thousand times, yes!" She leaped onto him and kissed him over and over again. "Yes, Naruto-kun – I love you so much." She lost all semblance of dignity and inhibition, she was overjoyed.

He laughed at her reaction between kisses, "Hinaaa… I can't. Stop **laughter** stop, I can't. I can't take it." He was helpless against her relented kisses.

They were both laughing and rolling around together in the field, kissing and snuggling together for a few minutes. Eventually settling with Hinata laying on top of her new soon-to-be roommate. The idea made her squeal with excitement. "I would love to live with you, Naruto-kun."

A visible relief washed over his face as her words sunk in completely. "I'm really happy to hear you say that. I was worried that you wouldn't want to live with him, not being married or anything. But didn't want you to have to live with your family and give them a chance to hurt or seal you again." The memory was still fresh of Hinata being tied, unconscious and helpless against her father, and the clan elders.

"We have been living together anyway, so it's not that different then now."

He chuckled at her acutely obvious and accurate assessment of their situation. "You're right. Ya' know. I think…." He paused.

She turned her head in curious anticipation of what he was trying to say.

"I think… I think," the blond couldn't say what he was thinking, his heart was throbbing in his chest. He faced the source of all Chakra on the planet and stared death in the face multiple times. But expressing certain feelings toward the bluenette in front of him was terrifying. He didn't want to hurt her. Didn't want to say the wrong thing that might lead to a mistake between them. She was too important to him, and they had known each other for so long that losing her would be absolutely devastating.

She kissed him gently, "don't say anything, okay? Not until you're ready, we have all the time in the world." Her smile was sincere and without judgment.

He smiled back, kissed her again, and hugged her tightly with one arm.

After a few minutes and gently resting in the field, "Hey."

"Yes, my love." She rubbed her cheek against his checks in a drowsy state.

"I do have something I need to ask you," he paused, feeling a bit embarrassed for having to ask her for something personal.

"Anything for you." She didn't move but was a bit more awake at that moment.

"Well…. You see, I have been trying to get rid of this beard."

She turned to look at him, her chin resting on his sternum, looking at his facial hair. It gave him a certain look of maturity but didn't seem to really fit him. She could never recall a time that he wasn't smooth-faced over the years.

"Would you… would you help me shave?"

His cheeks were red and looked away, feeling ashamed. Having to ask her for help with such a menial task was humiliating. He held her in such high regard that he felt guilty for asking for that type of favor.

She sat up with a hand on either side of his head and stared deeply into his eyes. She was startling his waist and could feel his body reacting to her body. First, he asks her to live with him, and now he asks for something equally, if not more personal. In her mind, these two requests showed that he fully trusted her – a trust that was of the highest order.

"Of course, I will. Anything you need, just ask."

"Are you sure? I know it's weird and I don't want to bother you with my little problems."

She placed a finger on his lips and shushed him. "Stop. It's fine, and I'm happy to do it."

"Thank you. I would really appreciate it. This thing is really itchy." He started scratching at his chin and cheek.

She giggled at him and kissed the tip of his nose. "Anytime."

A/N: Well it's been a "hot minute" since I last updated this story. First and foremost, I wanted to assure everyone that it's not dead or abandoned. I wanted to let you know part of the reason its been nearly a year since the last update. I finished my Masters degree this past June (2020) and it required a huge amount of time at the end. For those of you who have not embarked on such a journey, to graduate, you have to do a big research project - commonly referred to as the "Capstone Project." Anyway, it's done and I graduated - isn't that all that matters.

Anyway, I am going to try to be a bit more regular in my updates of this story. I know this wasn't a very long chapter, but hopefully you enjoyed it just the same. It has been a bit of a struggle to get back into the mind set of writing fiction, after wring an 80-page research paper to academic standards.

I really enjoy hearing from readers, please review - just do it constructively and with purpose.

Stay safe out there and watch out for viruses.

-bis zum nächsten Mal