24 Hatred and Love

[You have completed the Quest]

[Your rewards have been delivered]

As he received his rewards, he began to level up and his Chakra Reserve began to fill up. It took less than ten seconds to complete.

But, it turned out the quest was only finished after Han completely took Five Tails under control.

"Pls! Pathetic! I never thought he would be this scared of those." 

Naruto heard Kurama grumbling in his mind and chose to ignore it. Even his Kage would freak out if he heard about those Otsutsuki and what they could do.

So, it was normal for a Tailed Beast to freak out. But it turned out, the hatred and anger inside them was so high that Han would easily lose control.

"Naruto-kun!" As soon as he opened his eyes, he heard Hinata and saw her face close up.

For a moment, he didn't know how to react. Only then did he realize that he was sleeping on her lap.

"Hinata-chan!" His face turned red as he tried to raise his head but Hinata held his head tightly on her legs.

"You just woke up. Don't try to move!" Although her face was red, she still spoke without stuttering which surprised Naruto.

Naruto smiled and said.

"Hinata-chan, I am already recovered. My Chakra Reserve is full now. So, don't worry!"

Hinata was a bit reluctant but she had no choice but to let go of him. Naruto stood up and turned his head toward Iwa Shinobi.

"So, you have good control over it. I thought you were too young for that." Han spoke when Naruto stared at him.

Naruto shook his head and said.

"He is not a tool. I don't need experience to use his power. He and I are comrades so I trust him."

Kurama couldn't help but grin inside his seal.

On the other, Kurenai turned pale while Han scowled.

"You must be an idiot to trust them. They won't hesitate for a moment to escape your seal. Once they do, you will die, brat. Since you stopped me, take it as a warning."

Naruto shook his head and said.

"No, you are wrong. I do not expect you to understand it either."

He turned his eyes at Kurotsuchi and Ittan before continuing.

"If you can't even make peace with humans, how can I expect you to make peace with monsters?"

Suddenly, his eyes turned serious as he continued.

"I do not fight for a country or a village. I fight for my beliefs."

He slowly stood up and turned around.

"We have rested enough. Let's go our ways. Though I hope you keep that reminder in mind. A Kage uses hundreds of his shinobi to subdue a single-tailed Beast."

"And, those people feed on those Tailed Beast. If you do not wish to die, understand her and work as a comrade, not as a soldier."

Saying so, he looked at Kurenai and said.

"Sensei, let's go! I will explain everything on the way."

Kurenai nodded her head and four of them immediately left.

After they left far away, Kurotsuchi walked up to Han and asked softly.

"Sensei, do we really hate Konoha for nothing?"

She knew everything that happened in war should be kept within war. But, even so, the hatred for Konoha couldn't disappear.

But after she heard Naruto's words, she began to doubt her hatred.

"I do not, Kurotsuchi. I was raised as a weapon and a seal that keeps that beast at bay. Even though I used its power to its fullest potential, I never understood it."

Kurotsuchi tilted her head and asked.

"If you can use its fullest potential, how can you still lose control?"

"Because it also hates Konoha. It was just resting in peace when Hashirama suddenly arrived and caught it. Then, it was sold to Iwa. So, I can use it against Konoha in war but not in normal situations."

"Maybe it's because I never understood or tried to understand."

Han softly explained.

"Then, are you going to try?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"I don't know. Let's return to our village for now."

Han answered and turned around. Kurotsuchi was left in a daze for a moment as she watched in the direction where Naruto left.

After taking a deep breath, she turned around and left with Han.

......….

"So, are you going to tell us Naruto-kun?" Hinata moved closer to Naruto and asked.

"Isn't it simple, Hinata? Naruto has a Tailed Beast sealed inside of him. And, that means Lord Fourth didn't kill Nine Tails but rather sealed it inside Naruto."

"That also explains why everyone hates Naruto though it was pretty dumb. Though I do understand why nobody of our generation was allowed to learn about his identity."

"Although Naruto still didn't have any friends, if his identity was revealed to us, it would be even worse." Shikamaru answered with a lazy expression.

Naruto looked at him for a moment and asked.

"And, you don't mind?"

"Why should I? If I can't even understand my friend, how can call myself a friend? Besides, your goal is to make peace with Nine Tails, right? That's a bit crazy but also understandable."

"How is that understandable? Naruto, I don't know your situation but you should listen to Han. You saw what happened today." Kurenai immediately scolded Shikamaru and tried to explain to Naruto.

"Sensei, you are wrong. For a ninja, strength is most important." Shikamaru harshly glared at Kurenai and continued.

"With Nine Tails' Chakra, Naruto can do things that are impossible for normal people. Instead of using Nine Tails' power like Han, it is beneficial for the village to befriend Nine Tails."

"We do not want another rampage, do we?"

While the two of them were speaking, Naruto's eyes fell on Hinata. He noticed a lot of negative emotions coming from her. But, it wasn't directed at him.

She was just angry. She was angry at someone else.

Naruto slowly moved closer and held her hand. Hinata was surprised and her face turned red when she saw his hand on her hand.

"Don't think too much! As I continue toward my goal, more and more people understand me."

Hearing his words, Hinata found her anger slowly dying inside. She clenched his hand tighter and said.

"I won't only watch this time. I will move toward your goal with you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto was surprised by her confession. Though he wasn't sure if this was truly a confession. He bit his lips and said.

"I also want you to be by my side all the time."

Only when he replied, she realized what she had just said. Although she turned red, she didn't back down.

Her confidence had grown quite a lot and the sadness in her heart wasn't going away without being together with him.

"I will get stronger. I want to fight by your side."

Naruto nodded his head and looked at her charming face with a shy expression.

"Ahem!"

Suddenly, Kurenai's voice made them separate with red faces.

"I hope you aren't going to exclude me cause I am also thinking of fighting by your side." Shikamaru chuckled while looking at him with a sigh of relief.

He moved closer and patted Naruto's shoulder.

"Thank god, you finally got it."

"What do you mean?" Naruto looked at him with a confused expression and asked.

"Well, nothing!" Shikamaru didn't know how to explain it. He couldn't outright say Hinata loved him for years and he didn't notice it. So, he decided to simply close this topic.

"Anyway, I hope you are prepared to answer Hokage." Shikamaru gave him a serious look and spoke.

Naruto smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I got this covered."

'It's not like they have ever found out anything. Although I haven't ever told the truth, my logics often have truth behind them. I know how to lie without actually lying.'

Naruto didn't know just how proud he was feeling right now.

Kurama grumbled inside his seal. He knew Naruto wasn't being honest with others. He wasn't even honest with him.

He still didn't understand how Naruto was getting stronger after each battle and how he was recovering his Chakra so fast.

'One day, I hope you will answer everything, brat. I am still not sure how you dream of the future. A human shouldn't be capable of that.'

"Well, I hope you do, Naruto. Because I truly do not know how to explain everything that happened to Lord Hokage." Kurenai rolled her eyes and spoke.

She not only didn't show her authority during that battle but also froze in the middle, risking the lives of her students.

She was extremely ashamed of her action so she couldn't even blame Naruto for doing such a reckless thing.

"Hahaha! Don't worry, we did exactly what I exactly hoped. If we want to improve at a faster rate, we need to fight with our life depending on a battle."

Naruto chuckled and answered.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and said.

"You are such a pain."