"This stuff is incredible! I'll definite be sure to only have small portions of this on special occasions," Hanabi said.
"If that's what gets you excited, but aren't you running short on hiding spots?" Naruto asked.
"I'll think of something. We're ninja after all," Hanabi replied.
"Regardless, you still have to improve in your hiding skills, considering that I can still find you when you least expect it," Naruto commented.
"Speaking of hiding, that reminds me; earlier today Sasuke came by to talk to Neesan," Hanabi recalled.
"He did? About what exactly?" Naruto asked.
"He was talking and asking her why she likes you so much while making all of those derogative and insulting comments about you. Neesan of course stood up for you while explaining her reasons for her feelings for you. Sasuke then went on to tell Neesan how he likes her a lot and would make a better boyfriend for her than you, and how he wouldn't do all of those perverted and flirty things you do around other girls. He added that he'd have helped her to become stronger, faster and smarter than you helped her become. He was trying to persuade and seduce Neesan into betraying and dumping you in favor of becoming his girlfriend," Hanabi recalled.
"Really? He did all of those things?" Naruto inquired while devising a plot to get back at Sasuke for his latest attempt to seduce Hinata. Naruto wasn't going to allow Sasuke to go unpunished this time as he gave the Uchiha more than enough chances to stop.
"Personally, Naruto-kun, I never liked that bastard being around Neesan, and I like the idea of me being near him even less," Hanabi stated.
"Yet you're not bothered with me being around both you and Hinata-chan. I'm moved to wonder why. Care to share with me, my Little Nighttime Firecracker?" Naruto requested. Hanabi looked away slightly with a blush that appeared on her cheeks. She was thankful that it was very dim in her room so her blush wasn't fully visible.
"You strike me as a puzzle, an enigma I've been trying to solve for a long time now. In the past and even now, I hear a lot of bad things about you both within and outside my clan, even from your own teammates. Yet in spite of everything I hear about you, both good and bad, Neesan loves you and Father treats you as if you're a surrogate member of the Main House of our clan. Then there are things I've personally seen about you as I got to know you. But through it all, I learned that I don't know you as well I as thought, and Neesan said that she knows you better than anyone else, and that you only let others know what you want them to know.
"I don't want to be among the crowd who only knows the half-truths and illusions you cast for them to see about you. I want to know you for you. I want to know who you truly are, Uzumaki Naruto-kun," Hanabi explained. Naruto looked at the young Hyuuga inquisitively.
"I have to admit you talk rather mature for your age, unlike most of the older people I know," Naruto commented.
"That's all the more why I want to know the truth about you. Neesan declared that only she knows you and I don't want to be left behind. The very thought that I don't know your true character or Neesan's bothers me," Hanabi stated as she placed her champagne flute down on the dresser by her hair brush.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, realizing that Hanabi was on to him and Hinata.
"You helped Neesan improve tremendously, though I don't know to what extent," Hanabi explained in a low tone as her anger then started to manifest, "I've come to the realization that she's been holding back against me whenever we sparred."
Hanabi grew angrier as she lowered her head and balled her hands into fits and continued, "She's been losing to me on purpose, and I know that you had a hand in this. And don't try denying that because even I can't beat you in straight fight and you proved that in our first fight. That right there is an indication that you're also very knowledgeable about our clan's Juuken despite the fact that you're not a Hyuuga and you made that clear to me as well the night we fought. I know you've been training Neesan all this time because Neesan made that clear to Sasuke.
"Since the night we fought, I started reevaluating everything about myself and Neesan, and I discovered that I'm not as strong or as fast as Neesan made me believe I was. And it's all because of you!"
Hanabi futilely tried to prevent it but tears started welling up in her eyes before falling down her face. Naruto stood there quietly as Hanabi vented her anger and sorrows.
"I tried to figure out…why this deception…," Hanabi said between her sobs, "…why did you have Neesan deceive me into believing I was strong…when in truth I'm the weakest of everyone in our clan…Why Naruto-kun?"
Hanabi cried quietly with her head facing the floor. Naruto stood there quietly as he took in everything Hanabi was saying and getting off her chest. He acknowledged that his actions regarding Hinata really affected her though he didn't know at the time how much it would have. Naruto set his own champagne flute on the same dresser and closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and exhaled lowly before opening his eyes again to face and look at Hanabi.
"I'm sorry that my actions have resulted in this and in whatever way you believed yourself to have been crippled, Hanabi-chan. But please let me explain why I did what I did," Naruto said sincerely in a tone that Hanabi wasn't familiar with as it carried a strength and level of maturity she didn't know he had. Hanabi wiped her tears away and looked up at Naruto and saw in his eyes a look she had never seen before. It wasn't the soft ocean blue eyes of the Naruto she knew but the battle-hardened eyes of a seasoned ninja who possessed years of experience both in combat and in life.
Who are you? Hanabi found herself asking Naruto mentally, This is not Naruto-kun, this is not the same guy.
Naruto saw the look of mixed wonder, curiosity and fear in Hanabi's expression.
"The truth of the matter is that when I instructed Hinata-chan to hide her true skills and improvements from everyone all those years ago, she didn't like the idea at all. In fact, she was saddened by it and explained that it was hard enough that Hiashi thought more highly of you than of her. She asked me why she must hide whatever improvements she makes from her family, friends and everyone else," Naruto explained.
"What did you tell her," Hanabi asked.
"I explained to her that we're training to become ninja, and that deception is one of the major arts ninja use. I helped her to see why I hide my true abilities from everyone else but her. I play the part of the goofy, troublemaking prankster and dead last of our class who messes up at seemingly everything. Sasuke got the top grades in everything in our class, was viewed by everyone in the ninja academy as the one with the most potential to become the strongest of all of us. He drew all the attention away from me," Naruto expounded.
"But why didn't you want to be seen as the strongest then? Didn't you say you want to go past your limitations and become Hokage?" Hanabi asked.
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